Sacred Prayers

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here;
Watch over me throughout the night,
keep me safe within your sight.

Source: Traditional

Blessed are thy Saints, O God and King, who have traveled over the tempestuous sea of this mortal life, and have made the harbour of peace and felicity. Watch over us who are still in our dangerous voyage; and remember such as lie exposed to the rough storms of trouble and temptations. Frail is our vessel, and the ocean is wide; but as in thy mercy thou hast set our course, so steer the vessel of our life toward the everlasting shore of peace, and bring us at length to the quiet haven of our heart's desire, where thou, O our God, are blessed, and livest and reignest for ever and ever.

St. Augustine

Saint Augustine (November 13, 354 - August 28, 430), Bishop of Hippo, in Algeria, was a philosopher and theologian. Augustine, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He framed the concepts of original sin and just war. Augustine viewed the Original Sin, not as eating from the Tree of Knowledge, but as sex between Adam and Eve. Among the Orthodox he is called Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed.

Angels bless and angels keep
Angels guard me while I sleep
Bless my heart and bless my home
Bless my spirit as I roam
Guide and guard me through the night
and wake me with the morning's light.
Amen

Source: Traditional

This prayer was written by James Dillet Freeman for all soldiers during World War II. It is one of two Freeman compositions carried to the moon by Apollo astronauts. In 1969, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took the "Prayer for Protection" along on the first manned moon landing. A microfilm copy of Freeman's poem "I Am There" was left on the moon in 1971 by Apollo XV astronaut James B. Irwin.

The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
The Mind of God guides me.
The Life of God flows through me.
The Laws of God direct me.
The Power of God abides within me.
The Joy of God uplifts me.
The Strength of God renews me.
The Beauty of God inspires me.
Wherever I am, God is!

Here is a popular shortened version of the Prayer for Protection:

The light of God surrounds us,
The love of God enfolds us,
The power of God protects us
The presence of God watches over us,
Wherever I am, God is...
And all is well.

Source: http://www.unityonthebay.org/prayer_protection.html

Holy Mary,
help those in need,
give strength to the weak,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for God's people,
assist the clergy,
intercede for all people.

Mary all who seek your help
experience your unfailing protection.
Amen.

We beseech thee, Master, to be our helper and protector.
Save the afflicted among us; have mercy on the lowly;
raise up the fallen; appear to the needy; heal the ungodly;
restore the wanderers of thy people;
feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners;
raise up the sick; comfort the faint-hearted.

St. Clement of Rome (1st Century)

Saint Clement I, also known as Pope Clement I, Saint Clement of Rome, or Clemens Romanus, was the fourth Pope and Bishop of Rome and is considered the first Apostolic Father of the early Christian church.

Clement's letter to the Corinthian church (1 Clement) was widely read and is one of the oldest Christian documents still in existence outside the New Testament.

In works of art, Saint Clement can be recognized by having an anchor at his side or tied to his neck. The Mariner's Cross is also referred to as St. Clement's Cross in reference to the way he was martyred.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_of_Rome

To be said during a purification bath.

Oh Great and beautiful Yemaya, Mother of the Seven Seas, Mother of all orishas. I call on you to bless this water and make it holy so that I may be blessed and made holy. Oh Most Holy Mother, hear my concerns. I ask that you wash away my problems with the essence of the most pure water. Thank you, Most Holy Mother, for taking my concerns and washing them away.

The following prayer is to be said twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to remove all the earthbound, demon and other entities,
the dark shields, dark energies, dark devices and dark connections from my body, aura, soul, and cord,
and also from my home, my workplace, my car, my places of recreation,
and everything in them and miles and miles around them.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to locate and bring back my lost soul parts
and cleanse, heal and integrate them with the main body of my soul.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to fill me and shield me with brilliant white liquid Light,
and to plug all the holes and tunnels in me and my surroundings and my car.

I visualize a column of dazzling, shimmering, vibrant, white, liquid Light
coming from above my head
filling my whole body,
cleansing and healing every part, every cell, and every organ of my body.

I visualize this Light
spreading an arm's length all around me
in every direction
creating a cocoon of white Light all around me.

I visualize this cocoon of Light
being covered with reflective spiritual mirrors,
with the reflective mirror surface facing outwards.

I visualize this reflective cocoon
spreading Light all around.

I visualize my home, workplace, car and places of recreation
being cleansed, filled and shielded by brilliant, white, liquid Light.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to stay on guard around me and my surroundings
as long as my soul exists.

I pray for protection
of my family members, friends, co-workers and all the people I know
and their surroundings.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to cleanse, heal, balance, and open up
all my energy centers when needed
and cover up and protect them when not needed.

I ask the Divine and the angels
to cleanse, heal, open, shield and protect
all my channels of communication with the Light.

Source: http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/protectionprayer.htm

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Amen.

St. Augustine

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,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much 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 awake to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi (September 26, 1181 or 1182 - October 3, 1226) was a Roman Catholic friar and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans.

He is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, the environment and Italy, and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day of October 4.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Francis_of_Assisi

Oh, Seven African Powers, who are so close to our divine Savior, with great humility I kneel before thee and implore your intercession before the Great Spirit. Hear my petition and grant me peace and prosperity. Please remove all of the obstacles that cause me to stray from the Beauty Way. Oh Olofi, I trust in the words "ask and you shall receive". Let it be so! Amen.

The Druid's Prayer or "Gorsedd Prayer" is a prayer composed by Iolo Morgannwg which is still a staple in the ritual of both gorseddau and Neo-Druidism. Neo-Druids sometimes substitute the words y Dduwies ("the Goddess") for the original Duw ("God").There are 6 versions of the prayer that I know about,; here are two versions:

The Gorsedd Prayer, from the Book of Trahaiarn the Great Poet

Grant, God, Thy protection;
And in protection, reason;
And in reason, light;
And in light, truth;
And in truth, justice;
And in justice, love;
And in love, the love of God;
And in the love of God, gwynfyd.

God and all goodness.

The Gorsedd Prayer, from another Book

Grant, O God and Goddess, Thy protection;
And in protection, strength;
And in strength, understanding;
And in understanding, knowledge;
And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;
And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;
And in that love, the love of all existences;
And in the love of all existences, the love of God and the Goddess.

God and the Goddess and all goodness.

The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra"), is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well known outside of India by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as 'the Hare Krishnas').[1] It appears within many traditions of Hinduism and is believed by practitioners to bring about a higher state of consciousness when heard, spoken, meditated upon, or sung out loud.[2] According to Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, this higher consciousness ultimately takes the form of pure love of God (Krishna).

The Book of Psalms consists of 150 psalms, each of which constitutes a religious song, though one or two are atypically long and may constitute a set of related chants. When the Bible was divided into chapters, each Psalm was assigned its own chapter. The word psalms is derived from the Greek: Psalmoi, originally meaning "songs sung to a harp".

For the Chief Musician; with the Nehiloth. 1 A Psalm of David.

[1] GIVE ear to my words, O Jehovah,
Consider my meditation.
[2] Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God;
For unto thee do I pray.
[3] O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice;
In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch.
[4] For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:
Evil 2 shall not sojourn with thee.
[5] The 3 arrogant shall not stand in thy sight:
Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
[6] Thou wilt destroy them that speak lies:
Jehovah abhorreth the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.
[7] But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house:
In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
[8] Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine 4 enemies;
Make thy way straight 5 before my face.
[9] For there is no faithfulness 6 in their mouth;
Their inward part is very 7 wickedness;
Their throat is an open sepulchre;
They of 8 latter with their tongue.
[10] Hold them guilty, O God;
Let them fall by 9 their own counsels;
Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions;
For they have rebelled against thee.
[11] But 10 let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
[12] For thou wilt bless the righteous;
O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield.

Photo: Psalm 1 in 1628 printing with tune, metrical version by Thomas Sternhold.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Birkat HaBayit is a Jewish prayer often inscribed on wall plaques or hamsas and featured at the entrance of Jewish homes. There are a number of versions of the prayer. Here is one version:

Blessing for the Home,
Let no sadness come through this gate,
Let no trouble come to this dwelling,
Let no fear come through this door,
Let no conflict be in this place,
Let this home be filled with the blessing of joy,
and peace.

Glory to Thee, O my God!

G lory to Thee, O my God! The first stirrings of the spring of Thy grace have appeared and clothed Thine earth with verdure. The clouds of the heaven of Thy bounty have rained their rain on this City within whose walls is imprisoned Him Whose desire is the salvation of Thy creatures. Through it the soil of this City hath been decked forth, and its trees clothed with foliage, and its inhabitants gladdened.

The hearts of Thy dear ones, however, will rejoice only at the Divine Springtime of Thy tender mercies, whereby the hearts are quickened, and the souls are renewed, and the trees of human existence bear their fruits.

The plants that have sprung forth, O my Lord, in the hearts of Thy loved ones have withered away. Send down upon them, from the clouds of Thy spirit, that which will cause the tender herbs of Thy knowledge and wisdom to grow within their breasts. Rejoice, then, their hearts with the proclamation of Thy Cause and the exaltation of Thy sovereignty.

Their eyes, O my Lord, are expectantly turned in the direction of Thy bounty, and their faces are set towards the horizon of Thy grace. Suffer them not, through Thy bounty, to be deprived of Thy grace. Potent art Thou, by Thy sovereign might, over all things. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Bahá'u'lláh
Prayers and Meditations, CXVII