Pagan Spirits Gone Mild!

Is it just my imagination, or does my blog seem a little tame this month? First my guest blogger was Sandra Lopez, a young adult author. Her book, Beyond the Gardens, about a Latina college student, sounds like an amazing read. It's completely appropriate for young adult readers.

THEN it was National Day of Prayer, and I gave a shout-out to Mary Ford-Grabowsky, the queen of multicultural, woman-inclusive prayer books for all people of faith. It was a nice post. So nice, not even a nun could object.

THEN, in keeping with the prayer theme, I reviewed two mini-books from White Rose Publishing, a sweet purveyor of faith-based romance novels without any explicit sexual content.

Later this month, I'm going to host an actual children's author for the first time! Rene Colato Lainez will be here to promote his book about the Tooth Fairy. (We take our fairies very seriously here at Pagan Spirits.)

Sooooooooo......let's take a brief walk on the not-so-mild side of Pagan Spirits a moment and enjoy these photos of my #1 celebrity crush.

For National Day of Prayer 2010

The Breast-Plate of St. Patrick, Paganized and feminized:

"I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea, Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

"I arise today
Through Brighid's strength to pilot me:
Brighid's might to uphold me,
Brighid's wisdom to guide me,
Brighid's eye to look before me,
Brighid's ear to hear me,
Brighid's word to speak for me,
Brighid's hand to guard me,
Brighid's way to lie before me,
Brighid's shield to protect me,
Brighid's host to save me
From snares of evil spirits,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude."

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

"Lady, Mother, my maker, 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 Mistress, 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;
It is in dying that we are reborn to eternal life."

Both of these are traditional prayers from my Catholic upbringing. slightly tweaked to reflect the divine feminine. Both reflect universal concerns to people of faith. For more diverse, multicultural and woman-centered prayers, I recommend 2 books by Mary Ford-Grabowsky: WomanPrayers and Sacred Voices.