Comments | fayanora: Pacts versus prayers

fayanora

Pacts versus prayers

Jul 12, 2013 03:03

As is being pointed out in Alex's book "Pacts With The Devil" by S. Jason Black and Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph. D., there is a difference between pacts and prayer. Prayer is an act of supplication, begging a higher power to help out. Pacts, on the other hand, are bribes to entities with different powers, or a trade with them, one thing for another. ( Read more... )

pacts, djao'kain, spirituality, prayer, thought of the day, deities, magick

Comments 5

Oddly similar too... katrinathelamia July 12 2013, 13:39:10 UTC

Wow... that is oddly similar to some REALLY old forms of currency ( ... )

baron_waste July 13 2013, 14:13:59 UTC

Well, that's what ritual sacrifice always is - divine money. You pay with burnt offerings, which can be pretty much anything, from livestock to “vanity items” such as clothes and combs burnt to show your (new-found and usually temporary) piety. The point being that you're giving these things up, with the expectation of a quid pro quo.

[I like the Chinese way of doing it: They wrapped silver coins or ingots in paper upon which they'd written their praises and prayers, and fired that. The paper burnt away.

“ But - the silver is still there, unharmed.”

“What, are you simple? You think we'd destroy real wealth? The gods saw the silver in the flames, that's what matters!”]

fayanora July 15 2013, 01:12:18 UTC

In that light, while I may need "divine money" for some of my deities (the ones I don't work with often), then it would seem that for Djao'Kain - with whom I have a deep and potent and even romantic relationship with - that such things aren't necessary for working with Her exclusively. Still, I do like talking about things She has helped me with. :-)

baron_waste July 15 2013, 05:43:56 UTC

a deep and potent and even romantic relationship

I get a kick out of Greek mythology for just this: Man was, indeed, the measure of all things, and the Greek gods behaved exactly like humans - who, if they were Greek, were impressed but not humbled.

They boast they breed a race of kings -
But we of the West breed Men.

- R E Howard

Read the Odyssey, and it's obvious that were it not for his fidelity to his wife, Odysseus would have made a serious pass at Athena - goddess or no. Hey, you never know 'til you try!

singerofdark July 13 2013, 17:49:50 UTC

I don't know that we have ever defined prayer purely as supplication. which isn't to say that it wasn't a part of it, but that it wasn't the entire breadth of it. More that I would have probably defined prayer as communication. how much of a difference that makes may well be entirely in perspective of the beholder.