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In this special section of Faith.com we regularly feature special Ancient prayers and reflections. Feel free to browse below, or add one of your own.
>> Prayers submitted by Ancient Wisdom Gateway members
What is Prayer? by Helene Ciaravino 
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There are countless phrases that might define “prayer”-the term means so many things to so many different people. In this excerpt from “How to Pray”, Helene Ciaravino takes a fascinating broad look at prayer, as a path to transformation, as introspection, as a conversation with the divine, as a source of protection and as a dynamic force.
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>> Go to Prayer
Pygmy Hymn
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Native religions often have a view of God that is as profound and sophisticated as those in more developed civilizations. This Pygmy hymn from Africa offers an example.
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Hymn to Demeter
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Little is known of the mystery religions of ancient Greece. Their initiates were sworn to secrecy, and they kept their promise well. But some of their hymns to the gods have survived. This is one to Demeter, goddess of grain.
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Hymn to Aphrodite
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Sappho, a Greek poetess of the seventh century B.C., was so admired in ancient times that she was called the Tenth Muse. This is a hymn to Aphrodite, one of her very few poems that survive intact.
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Prayer to the Sockeye Salmon
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Much of Native American song and prayer addresses the forces of nature that sustain human life. This Kwakiutl prayer from British Columbia was written down around 1895.
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A Midwife’s Invocation
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This Nahuatl prayer from seventeenth-century Mexico is for calling upon the goddess of water, the "Jade-skirted One," while washing a newborn infant.
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>> Go to Prayer
Invocation for Storing Corn
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In traditional cultures, even routine activities are often accompanied by prayers. This prayer was said by women in Mexico while putting their corn in jars. It dates from the early seventeenth century.
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>> Go to Prayer
Traditional Navajo Prayer
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The Chantway ceremonies of the Navajo are said to be among the most beautiful sequences of oral poetry. The selection here is used to cure illnesses caused by lightning, snakes, or arrows. It dates from the early twentieth century.
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>> Go to Prayer
Unanswered Prayers & Spiritual Dry Spells by Helen Ciaravino
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Frustrations naturally occur when prayers don’t seem to yield the desired results. Furthermore, there are times when the spiritual drive, which may be so passionate and energetic at one moment, simply stalls. All of a sudden, the presence of God may feel like a distant memory, if not a work of the imagination. You find yourself resisting prayer. How can you overcome these situations if and when they occur? What do they mean?
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>> Go to Prayer
How Effective is Prayer? by Helene Ciaravino
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It is easy to say that prayer can make us feel really good; that it opens the individual up to better understanding and therefore improves his life; that it can provide calm and contentment, thus improving health and happiness. But is there any proof that prayer actually works? Is it really worth our while? Can we evaluate prayer as we would evaluate any other “treatment” or “therapy” and prove its effectiveness? In very recent years, science has put forth good efforts to do just that. And there have been reputable studies that confirm prayer’s power. This article examines the relationship between prayer and science. It presents studies that not only confirm the power of prayer, but also provide some surprising insights into the process of prayer.
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How to Pray: Getting Started by Helene Ciaravino
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Whether you seek to make your current spiritual life more fulfilling or are embarking on an exploration of prayer for the first time, this article will acquaint you with many forms of prayer, and show you a variety of ways in which you can enjoy a more successful experience. It includes a wealth of pointers—suggested by spiritual masters, teachers, writers, and prayer practitioners—that can help you approach prayer with the best possible attitude.
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>> Go to Prayer
Why Don't We Pray? by Helene Ciaravino
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If prayer has so many benefits, why doesn’t everyone pray? Why is it such a struggle to pray at times? Why is it so easy to forget to pray, to make prayer a last priority, perhaps even to doubt prayer? In identifying why people don’t pray, we can trace most reasons back to fear. The remaining reasons have to do with the busy nature of our lives, the pride we face as people influenced by “rugged individualism,” and plain old lack of faith. This article studies common reasons why people might not pray, and also suggests some viable solutions.
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>> Go to Prayer
>> Back to Prayers & Reflections
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