Greetings again from the Xyphokonic Order and Ordinance. Today we continue our lengthy series on all things Purity, Prayer, and Worship, along with some general questions tossed in for the next two Periods. Today we field a question about Xyphoist Prayer. How, generally speaking, does Prayer work in Xyphoist Philosophy? Let’s briefly touch on this.
To briefly recap, Xyphoist Prayer is akin to a form of spiritual meditation in which one opens their Heart and Mind and gives their spiritual resonance to the Spectrum. Prayer can be done both individually and in groups; however, Xyphoist Prayer is a private or closed matter done either within the home, in Houses of Worship, or on theigrited lands to repel evil. Prayer is not to be done in public spaces or audibly/visibly unless Kurathmas has been declared. Xyphoist households will often have a specific room in their house, usually on the lowest or highest level and often tucked away, specifically for Praying in. This, too, is optional and up to personal choice.
So do Xyphoites have a specific time or day in which they MUST pray? Not exactly. While it is recognized that what we now know as Saturday is a Sacred Day in which Houses shall have open joint Prayer and the House Choir will hold a high noon ceremony, there is no requirement that Prayer MUST take place at this time on this day. Prayer can happen at any time on any day; the Ordinance simply recognizes Saturdays as a time for joint community action and Prayer.
So what exactly do Xyphoites pray for? The mitigation and end of worldly suffering. While Prayers may vary, the end goal of all Xyphoist Prayer is to mitigate the suffering of the Realms from Deceptuary’s corruption and other dubious forces. The Prayer can be individually targeted at specific grievances or tragedies, but the end goal is still the same. All Prayer is aimed at mitigating worldly suffering.
Then, is there any specific ways one MUST pray? Again, not exactly. Prayer is usually done internally, often audibly by varies incantations and chants, very frequently done through song or group vocal harmonization (such as the Choir), etc. So long as the spiritual state of sharing one’s resonance is achieved, Prayer can vary in its form.
Of course, Prayer must be accompanied with Practice, but that is another discussion entirely. We will also investigate different types of prayers in another installment, but to address the general question of if there is a specific guideline for Prayer, the answer is quite Xyphoist: it varies.
With that said, today is a Sacred Day to pray, so please have a Sacred Day!
—kyX