Prayer vs Magick

I've touched on the importance of Prayer in previous posts and we all know that the vast majority of Pagans understand the use of Magick in their day to day life. However, I have been wanting to touch on what each of these are, how they benefit us and how they are different. For me, I see BOTH to be a vital part of every day life.

Many people view Prayer and Magick as one and the same, however in fact there is a difference...  But what is that difference? Well, it's fairly simple... Magick is what we do any time we put OUR energy in to creating change. While this seems to me a fairly basic explanation, it really isn't any more complicated than that...  Magick is the art of change - simple as that. So, then, what is Prayer? Well, prayer really isn't any more complicated than Magick is... Prayer is simply the art of speaking to or communicating with our Higher Power. Now, this can be done by simply talking to them or through elaborate ritual, but the communication is what matters, not the mode.

So, is one better than the other? NO. In fact, for many reasons they don't really compare at all... Many of us use Prayer simply as a way to connect with out Higher Power. You'll find that within the world of Paganism Prayer is used less for requests and more for connection than in other walks of life. Prayer of devotion, thanks and simple discussion are most common, however that doesn't mean that it's improper to use that time to request a blessing or aid as well. Magick work, be it through simply visualization and action, spell work or some other form, is instead the act of using ones own focused energy and creating change - no third party or Higher Power needed... However, depending on how one views energy connections, you could see a connection between Prayer and Magick with no confrontation...

There is this idea that Prayer is something which is exclusive to Abrahamic Paths. This however is a HUGE misconception. We have images of prayer through paintings dating back well before Christianity or even Judaism became popular and in areas of the world where their influence would not have been felt.  By this same reasoning many people feel that Magick is exclusive to Pagan Paths alone, again, this is a grave misconception...  Magick is something which has been used, like Prayer, since the beginning of humanity. Again, we see proof of this throughout a vast many civilizations and areas of the world. Whether used together or alone, it's important to understand the differences between the two and the benefits of both to us so that we can best access our own power and learn how to best use that power...