There are so many wonderful, powerful, majestic prayers in the world. Here is a collection of everyday prayers that you could use in your spiritual practice.
Prayer of the Lord (Pater Noster)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
Among all of the ritual prayers, the most powerful is the Pater Noster (Prayer of the Lord). This is a magical prayer of immense power. Samael Aun Weor said, The heart chakra develops with meditation and the most profound prayer. We advise you to pray the Our Father. A well-prayed Our Father is equivalent to one hour of meditation; pray, therefore, the Our Father for one hour. To pray is to converse with God. Hence, immerse yourself into a very profound slumber state and meditate very deeply, thus, converse mentally with God. Each phrase of the Our Father is a complete formula in order to talk to Him. So, while in a slumber state, meditate on the contents of each phrase, this is how the Father, Who is in secret, can be seen and heard. This is how the heart chakra awakens.
The Gayatri Mantra
The Gayatri Mantra has both the power of mantra and of prayer. It is a universal prayer, which asks for a clear intellect so that the truth may be reflected without distortion. Chanting it with humility, reverence, faith and love is more important than mechanical repetition.
Because the prayer is in Sanskrit, the meaning does not translate easily to English. Even the name of the prayer is very powerful: Gayatri comes from:
- gaya: vital energies
- trayate: deliver, liberate, preserve
Thus, this prayer is a sacred method for transforming energy.
There are many versions of this prayer, whether shorter or longer. This one is perhaps the most widely known:
Om Buhr, Bhuva, Swaha
Om Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat.
Which means, We meditate on the glory of the Creator; Who has created the universe; Who is worthy of worship; Who is the embodiment of knowledge and light; Who is the remover of sin and ignorance; May He open our hearts and enlighten our minds.
Peace Prayer of St. Francis
The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis is attributed to the saint who was born at Assisi, but does not appear in any of his known writings. It first appeared around the year 1915 AD.
After a care free youth, St. Francis turned his back on inherited wealth and committed himself to God. He lived a very simple life of poverty and humbleness. He loved God’s creatures—birds and beasts—and treated them as brothers and sisters, thus he gained a reputation of being the friend of animals. He established the rule of St. Francis, which exists today as the Order of St. Francis, or the Franciscans.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Shema
The Shema can be found in the Jewish prayer book (Siddur) and is considered one of the most important prayers in Judaism. It is usually recited in the morning and the evening. Most of the prayers found in this book speak to God, but not the Shema; it speaks to the Jewish people, teaching them how to behave towards God and one another.
The complete Shema is actually more than just the famous six words Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad; it is composed of three parts linked together into a unity: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. Here is the first part, known as Shema.
Hear, O Israel: Jehovah Elohim is one Jehovah:
And thou shalt love Jehovah Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Hail, Mary
Around the world and throughout history, the Divine Mother has been known by many names. She was known as Tonantzin amongst the Aztecs, as Diana among the Greeks, and as Isis to the Egyptians. For the Christians, the Divine Mother is represented by Mary.
To pray to God, we must understand that God has a masculine force and a feminine force: the goddess, the Divine Mother. God is male-female. This prayer is to our Divine Mother.
The physical mother of Master Jesus of Nazareth, the Rabbi from Galilee, was Mary, a great female master, the incarnation of a goddess related with the elements of nature. Two thousand years ago, when Christianity began, she took the responsibility of representing the Divine Mother in Christianity. Being a priestess of the temple of Israel, she received that honor. That is why we call her Mary, the mother of God. We understand very well that the Divine Mother Mary, the mother of God, has no form, because She is beyond form. But the initiate Mary, the mother of Jesus who came two thousand years ago, is a master who represents the Divine Mother above, just as Master Jesus represents Christ. Christ is universal. The Divine Mother is universal and is formless, ineffable, but is represented by Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Yeshua.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, who have the sinning ‘I,’ now and at the hour of the death of our defects.
Amen.
Pray and meditate intensely. The Divine Mother teaches her children. Prayer must be performed by combining meditation with the sleepy state. Then, as in a vision of a dream, illumination emerges. The Divine Mother comes to the devotee in order to instruct them in the great mysteries. —Samael Aun Weor
Prayer to the Divine Mother
Oh Divine Mother, I am all Yours.
You are my only refuge and support.
Protect me, guide me, have pity on me.
God does not have any form. God is co-essential to the abstract absolute space. God is that... that... that. God has two aspects, wisdom and love. As wisdom, God is the Father; as love, God is the Mother. [...] The Cosmic Mother has no form, but will take on any form in order to answer the supplicant. She can present herself in the form of Isis, Rhea, Cybele, Tonantzin, Mary, etc. [...] The Divine Mother is not a woman, nor is she an individual. She is in fact an unknown substance. God the Mother is love. God the Mother adores us and loves us tremendously. —Samael Aun Weor, The Yellow Book
Aztec Prayer to the Divine Mother
Ancient wisdom teaches that each of us has a Divine Mother, and She can take any form, for She is the origin of all forms. Here, she is called by one of Her Aztec names, Tonantzin. Meditate upon Her before falling asleep. Start your dreaming process by repeating daily with great faith the following prayer:
Tonantzin, Teteoinan!
My Mother, come to me, come to me!
According to Tantric science, if the Gnostic persists with this practice, sooner or later an Initiator Element will come forth from the changing and formless expressions of his dreams. Read Dream Yoga by Samael Aun Weor.
Zoroastrian Prayer
Zarathushtra or Zoroaster was an ancient Iranian prophet and philosopher. He was the founder of the pre-Islamic religion Zoroastrianism, which is synonymous with Mazdaism, the worship of Ahura Mazda (Christ). At present, most of the Zoroastrians or Parsis are living in India. Friedrich Nietzsche fictionalized Zarathustra’s story in his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Do what thy God wilt fully will; I adjust my will to thy will, Ahura Mazda.
Let me will what thou willest me to will. Work thy will in me. I will accept thy will as law and submit to it. My lip-loyalty to thee does not mean anything. It counts for nothing. Doing thy will, living according to thy will, is everything. I will do all that thou willest me to do. I will keep thy commandments with all my will. I will conform my life to thy will. Every day in my life, I will do what is pleasing to thee and refrain from doing what is displeasing to thee. Help me to restrain my self-will.
Infallible is thy divine will. What thou dost win is always good, for thou, the Sovereign Lord of mankind without a second, art All-good thyself. Thou wert the same yesterday. Thou art the same today and thou will be the same for ever. The creation came into being with thy will. I see thy designing will and ordaining hand in everything.
Things always come about as thou dost will. What thou doest is always the best in the end. Thou dost work thy will upon me. Do unto me as thou willest. Inflame my will with love for thee. I will do all that thou willest me to do. Let me see the right, let me understand the right, and let me have the will to do the right.
With my hands uplifted, my head bent low, I will sink on my knees and bow to thy will. I will think and speak and do as thou wouldst have me to do. Enlighten me with thy will, that I may make it known all around me.
My life is built around thee. Let thy will dominate my will. I will not live my life as I will, but as thou dost will. Faithfully will I comply with thy will. Let thy will govern my will. Let my will be merged in thy will and become one with it. With the fullness of my heart I will always do thy will, Ahura Mazda.
Apostles’ Creed
The Apostle’s Creed or Symbolum Apostolorum summarizes the teachings of the Apostles of Jesus, and is recited in many Christian traditions.
Samael Aun Weor advises to recite the Pater Noster or the Prayer of the Lord (Our Father) the Hail, Mary and the Apostle’s Creed, which are very ancient Gnostic prayers. Two of these prayers are in his book entitled The Virgin of Carmel.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Gnostic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
Universal Prayer of Gurudev Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda was one of the greatest Yoga masters as well as a Hindu spiritual teacher. He promoted the philosophy of Yoga and Vedanta taught in the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India.
O adorable Lord of mercy and love!
Salutations and prostrations unto Thee!
Thou art omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient!
Thou Art Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss)!
Thou art the Indweller of all beings!
Grant us an understanding heart,
Equal vision, balanced mind,
Faith, devotion and wisdom!
Grant us inner spiritual strength to resist temptations and to control the mind!
Free us from egoism, lust, greed, anger, jealousy and hatred!
Fill our hearts with divine virtues!
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms!
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms!
Let us ever remember Thee!
Let us ever sing Thy glories!
Let Thy Name be ever on our lips!
Let us abide in Thee forever and ever!
A Prayer by Shantideva
This is a prayer by Shantideva, a renowned Indian Buddhist master from the eighth century who wrote The Bodhisattva’s Way of Living (Bodhisattvacharyavatara).
May all beings everywhere, plagued by sufferings of body and mind, obtain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits.
May no living creature suffer, commit evil, or ever fall ill.May no one be afraid or belittled, with a mind weighed down by depression.
May the blind see forms and the deaf hear sounds, may those whose bodies are worn with toil be restored on finding repose.
May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food; may the thirsty find water and delicious drinks.
May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy; may the forlorn find hope, constant happiness, and prosperity.
May there be timely rains and bountiful harvests; may all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit.
May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments. Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again.
May the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed; may the powerless find power, and may people think of benefiting each other.
For as long as space remains, for as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain to dispel the miseries of the world.
Jehovah God
This prayer is used in order to ask for blessings for your entire family.
In the name of Jehovah God, Christ Jesus, pray for my brethren, my father, my mother, my children, my nephews, my nieces, and all my friends who are good hearted, by my glory to God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
Morning Prayer
Every morning before getting out of bed, say the following Morning Prayer filled with force and energy:
We are strong. We are rich. We are filled with luck and harmony. Om, Om, Om.
Recite this simple prayer and you will see that you are prosperous in everything. Have great devotion in this prayer. Have faith. It is necessary to abandon the bad habit of talking about ourselves at every moment. It is urgent to employ the Word to strengthen and encourage the good qualities of our fellowman. The Gnostic student should abandon the extremely bad habit of naming himself and telling the story of his life at every moment. The man or woman who only talks of himself or herself becomes unbearable. Persons like this fall into misery because people become tired of them. Never say, I. Always say, we. The term we has more cosmic power. The term I is egotistical and tires all those who come in contact with us. The I is egotistical. The I should be dissolved. The I is a creator of conflicts and problems. Always repeat: we, we, we... —Samael Aun Weor
Evening Prayer and Exercise
In front of a mirror, contemplate your face closely. Then pray as follows:
My Soul, you should succeed. My Soul, you should overcome Satan.
My Soul, take over my mind, my sentiments, my life. You should keep the Guardian of the Threshold far away from me. You should overcome him. You should take power over me totally. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Say this prayer seven times and then observe in the mirror your eyes, your pupils, the center of your pupils, the retina of your eyes. Imagine them charged with light, strength and power. It is necessary that you try to mentally penetrate the interior of your eyes reflected in the mirror. It is necessary for you to try and see with your imagination, the center of those reflected eyes, the beauty of your soul. It is necessary for you to exclaim: “Oh my soul, I want to see you, I want to see you, I want to see you.” Intensely persevere, daily, with this exercise. Do your exercise every night before going to sleep. With this exercise you will develop clairvoyance. Practice for ten minutes daily.
The Guardian of the Threshold is our Satan... our internal beast, the source of all of our animal passions and brutal appetites... —Samael Aun Weor, The Revolution of Beelzebub
A Prayer Before Death
This prayer by the fourteenth century Tibetan Nyingma Master Longchenpa Rabjampa prepares the consciousness to remain vigilant as it passes through the bardo, a Tibetan word that describes the interval between death and the next rebirth.
When my time has come and impermanence and death have caught up with me,
When the breath ceases, and the body and mind go their separate ways,
May I not experience delusion, attachment, and clinging,
But remain in the natural state of ultimate reality.
