Hotr(a) (invoker)

Minor goddess of sacrifices. Hindu (Vedic). She is invoked to appear on the sacrificial field before a ritual and is particularly identified with the act of prayer. Usually associated with the goddess SARASVATI.

Prayer for Morning

I raise my hands in honor of the Lord of the morning,
who rises in glory in the east of the world.
Piercer of darkness, illumine my path as I go through my day.
Way-shower, illumine my path as I go through my life.

Prayer for the Deceased

Go your way to the land of the Ancestors,
where they wait for you with open arms,
there on the edge between this world and the next.
See; there they stand.
Ancestral spirits, welcome this one
to the place where we all must go.

Prayer for a New Home

Land folk, I am here, newly arrived to this place.
I have come from my previous home,
where I lived under the protecting gaze
of the Land Spirits there.
In this new place, then, I wish to establish peace again
between my people and the people of the land,
as it has been done since the unremembered time.
I bring gifts to you, I bring offerings,
as a suppliant should when entering a chieftain’s hall.
Accept them from me and, with them, my friendship.
Establish between us peace.

A Prayer to Start the Day

Mother of All, Father of All:
as I go through the day,
keep my eyes open wide.
May I not miss beauty.
May I not miss joy.
May I not miss wonder.
Keep me awake and aware of the world.

A Prayer to the High Gods at Bedtime

As I go to bed, I pray to the High Gods.
I offer you my worship, and ask you to bless my family.
I ask if I have done anything today to offend you.
If I have, I ask for forgiveness and for guidance,
that I might walk the sacred path in peace and in beauty.
As I go to bed, I pray to the gods of my household.
I offer you my worship and ask you to bless my family.
I ask if I have done anything today to offend you.
If I have, I ask for forgiveness and for guidance,
that I might walk the sacred path in peace and in beauty.
As I go to bed, I pray to the Ancestors.
I do you honor and ask you to bless my family.
I ask if you I have done anything to offend you.
If I have, I ask for forgiveness and for guidance,
that I might walk the sacred path in peace and in beauty.
As I go to bed, I pray to all numinous beings.
I do you honor and ask that you extend your blessings over me and mine.

Prayer for Protection

Thank you, O mighty ones,
for all you have done for me.
May I not forget you, though the world turn against me.
Though I fall with my enemies rejoicing about me,
it will be your presence that will comfort me,
and I will still thank you for the incomparable rightness of every moment.

Prayer for Calm and Comfort

With your soothing fingers,
wipe away the lines that worries have etched on our faces.
Surround us with calm,
let us rest in the glow of peace,
as if we were encircled with the Moon’s own light.
Let our concerns and tensions drain away from us,
pouring as water into your Earth.

Child’s Prayer for Guidance

As I grow and learn,
help me, O Mother,
help me, O Father,
to know what is right
and to do only that.

Prayer to Brighid

I pray today to the Lady of Fire,
great Brighid, Triple Goddess.
There is someone here who needs you,
someone who is sick.
I ask you to bring your healing flame,
the warmth of life, into him,
burning away all that is making him sick,
that I might always have cause to praise you.