substitutes for the serenity prayer

[MasterAmazon]

I strictly use "Goddess" for the serenity prayer. I NEVER say the Lord's prayer, that's not my 'Lord", never was, never will be. It's a Christian prayer, and as one whose raised Jewish, and proud, and whose fully into Goddess worship/Witch/Amazon Warrior/Dianic oriented, I 'd never say it either.

I'd feel just as uncomfortable saying "God and Goddess" because I don't work with that male/female polarity so many Pagans insist upon. I don't work with male dieties period. Doesn't matter whose they are.....

If I had my druthers, I'd use: "I put my hands in yours and together we can do what we can never do
alone. No longer is sense of hopelessness, no longer must we each depend on our own unsteady willpower. We are altogether now, reaching out our hands for a power and strength greater than ours. And what we will find is  love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams". Something like that...it's a nondenominational prayer/blessing that doesn't name ANY particular Higher Power, inclusive of all and is often used in Al-Anon and S.L.A.A. and perhaps other meetings, though sadly I've never heard it used in A.A. or N.A. It's a beautiful prayer, and I'd love to see it more widely adapted, and the Lord's Prayer thrown into the can because it forces one religion's beliefs over all others. There are times it has angered me so that I simply refused to be in the circle. Other times, I look around the room while all holding hands. and pick out those few people as allies who also refuse to say it......

What I'd love to do if somehow I could muster it, is send a jolt of energy around the room, that a circle is far more powerful than a prayer that doesn't fit many of us!
                                                    -M.A.

[amber2sacramento]

I see that this was initially created as a thread more than three years ago... That's what I love about this "group"... once a thought is posted here it is never "forgotten"

In Sacramento NA We have had an enormous controversy over the "Lord's Prayer". What we use here (thankfully so) is what's known as the third step prayer...
Many of us have said:
Take My will and My life.
Guide Me in My recovery.
Show Me how to live.
Then we all shake one another's hands up and down saying "keep coming back-it works"... It leaves the "who" or "what" we may be directing the 'prayer' to up to each one of us idividually. The only issue I could still take up with it is that I, and my faith, allow for me to "keep my will", where many of the 12-step groups clearly ask for you to give your will to some more powerfull being. I will keep my will, thank you very much, and will channel it, change it, bend it, and beautify it by using whatever energy I see fit.  :-) I love being PAGAN!

[Peterwolfe]

Merry Meet,
Thank you for your post Amber- I'll keep my will too, Spellcasting, Healing for others and myself don't work very well without it.
I was thinking about this today- really, I think it's- like you mentioned -that the use of the will changes. Sober and clean it's not my goal to use my will to dominate or manipulate others- on a 'good' day.
Like my HP ( High Priestess ) always says 'We're all works in progress'.
This is a prayer I use ( sometimes I say a shorter version- Like 'Great God please burn away the dross' - with my eyes closed, and visualizing dark stuff being burned off of my Spirit by The God. ) it's great for relieving stress.

'God of the Sun,
Divine Physician, inner Healer of the Light-
breathe Your blessing upon my
mind and body,
heart and soul,
Release disease wherever it's found.
As fire burns away the dross,
So do You burn away
any darkness that resides within.
So Mote It Be.'
( from- 'Book Of Hours, Prayer to the God' by Galen Gillotte )   Merry Part, Peterwolfe

[Hawkland192]

Merry Meet:

It took awhile to read thru all of these posts and the alternate prayers; and I appreciate them!

I created my own version of the serenity prayer by taking Gods and Goddess that represented that line:

Kwan Yin; Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change,
Mars, send me the courage to change the things I can,
Thoth; offer me your wisdom to know the difference!
Blessed Be


Mary Alice

[mountainwitch]

MM,

I do have Goddess Serenity prayer coins.

Nothing big.

I finally got them made by Deva Designs. They are oval, not round, pewter, I think and they have the Serenity Prayer on one side that starts "Goddess.." instead of God. The other side has a line drawing of an androgynous meditating figure with the words "One Day At A Time" around the top edge.

I happen to be thrilled to have them!

I waited years and years to carry around a Serenity Prayer in my pocket that actually reflected my heart's belief.

BB,

Mountain Witch

[Peterwolfe]

Hawk,
I like your version of the Serenity Prayer- a lot.
BB,
Peterwolfe

[dakota]

I've been looking for substitute meditations and prayers, thank you for your version.  I keep it with me.

[dakota]

i've read some things here and there and put this together.  i say this in the mornings in the shower.  there's no distractions there (my puppies). just the sound of water.

Let the water cleanse my soul and fill me with love, kindness and tolerance.
Let the air I breathe cleanse my thoughts and remove selfishness, dishonesty and self-seeking.
Let the fire burn hot in my heart and give me courage to change myself and accept what I can’t change.
Let the earth beneath me provide me with stability and steadiness so that I may receive peace and balance of mind body and spirit.

[mountainwitch]

What I love about all of these is how we are so personally engaged in our own practice of prayer. I can think of nothing better. I remember a few years ago in sobriety I heard, again, the Catholic "Profession of Faith" which I had had to recite as a part of mass during the bulk of my childhood. I found it still had a hypnotic rhythm and an interesting affirming quality... for those who believed as it said.

So I started looking at it in isolation... what was it really saying? How could I come up with similar words, similar in brevity and rhythm that actually reflected what I do have faith in.

It was a very satisfying and enjoyable exercise. I added it to my book of prayers.

Oh, that's the other thing. I have a big blank book - lined- where I carefully write out prayers that I have used so that I can find them quickly. A few of them are my own, many of them come from other sources and I always make note of where I found them in case I want to look them up again or recommend them to someone else. It's another way that I've worked with prayer to make it my own.

bb

Mountain Witch

[tigerseyemala]

I like this prayer for closing:

DEDICATION OF MERIT

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering
May their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue
In this way, may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished
And only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

[tygerzlily]

There are some great prayers and ideas posted, thank you.  I especially love the Pagan Serenity Prayer.   I have been encouraged over and over to use the Serenity Prayer, but it has never really spoken to me.  The pagan version immediately felt "right" and comforting.  I finally understand what others are talking about when they share about how the serenity prayer helps them.

[lordgygg]

I have no problem with any prayers whatsoever, as long as the people reciting it are doing so with feeling, so Sunday morning in the Cathedral, closing with the Lords Prayer would make me feel very uncomfortable.

I like The Grace which is a Christian prayer and used at the end of some services.  It's not the words that attract me to it, it is the way that it is said.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
The love of God
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Be with us all
Evermore
Amen

The prayer is said to everyone with an attempt to make eye contact with each person at the service made throughout the prayer.

In meetings, I have never seen them close with anything but the serenity prayer.  I substitute the word/concept God for the word/concept Good.  I have spoken with a couple of people about my doing that and they have been really impressed with it.  Also, the word god and the word good will look very similar on a persons lips so there is no chance of me being, 'found out' and challenged on why I'm not praying to God.

[Peterwolfe]

I know a woman who calls her HP "Dudley"..........she's been sober 20 years.