Devotional Prayer

I’m told that planetary magick is made better after putting work into devotional prayer. You simply speak aloud some old words during the planet’s day and hour, using the proper correspondences for incense and candles at the altar. But there is no specific name calling save for the planet itself, and there is no special lamens or vessels to incorporate. Feels a little weak, if you ask me, but there must be something going on that I am unable to properly measure because it just feels right. Once you move off of devotionals and ask for something more, it feels less like you’re begging for change on the subway and moreso like you’re tapping an old acquaintance for help. 

I have personally avoided the malefic planets since I began practicing the methods allegedly written by Trithemius in Drawing Spirits Into Crystals. My Sun is afflicted in Libra, I’m scared of Mars, and I am still unsure about whether my Saturn placement is working for me or not. Devotional prayer lacks the ceremonial bells and whistles I’ve become accustomed to from a Roman Catholic upbringing. And yet, I do enjoy that they can be done regardless of electional placement. I particularly enjoy devotional prayer while the planet is in retrograde and there really isn’t any risk to this kind of ceremony. 

At times I feel like devotional work is a waste of a charcoal disk. It’s hard to say for sure, but I’m only just coming around to this sort of prayer after some solar devotionals last July. I would like to record my solar work as I continue to improve my relationship with the Sun and by extension, Michael. Peep the image above: I’m not sure if my prayers are heard but devotional altars make for a nice photograph in their simplicity.