There is a Latin saying when it comes to prayer "Lex Orandi, Lex credendi" this is often translated as the law of prayer is the law of belief. It may seem odd to speak of prayer in an atheistic context such as Objectivism, however this is to ignore the fundamental question of what is prayer. According to dictionary.com pray can mean anything from "to offer devout petition" to "thanks", "to make petition or entreaty". These definitions however are not an accurate description of what it means to pray. Prayer in many religions of the world is not simply a matter of thanking a divine being, or placing before them a petition for a wish (though this is often true), it is also as the Latin saying portrays a fundamental centering of ones belief.

A running joke between a friend and I is to pray to Greek and Roman gods, neither of us believe in the actual existence of these gods and goddesses which we "pray to" however psychologically there is a difference in us when we "pray". The joke began with one of us saying something to the effect of "That I might have the strength of Atlas" when we began to feel overwhelmed. We then began to discuss the Virtues of each god and goddess and created a mythology for them. As the mythology grew and the gods began to take shape both my friend and I have begun to use them as beacons to lean on. For example my friend is single and wants a mate a woman who is his equal so he prays "O' Artemis mother of gold, that I might find my heart.", the Prayer is not to Artemis that would be absurd as he does not believe in the literal existence of a goddess Artemis, he does however believe in an abstract idea of the goddess who is in his mind the perfect woman. Also instead of saying "I swear to God" we say "I swear by Apollo" who represents to us not just the sun bringing light to the darkness, but also the virtue of Truth.

This then brings me to the reason for my post. I began discussing the origin of what was a joke with something that he and I take more serious (though not to the point of absurdity). When I brought up to him the saying Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi I began to discuss the many sayings for which I am known for among acquaintances. It is often said among those who know me that I have a quote for every occasion which is more or less true. These quotes which I have spent my life gathering act the same as prayers do for the buddhist, christian, etc. If strung together they would spell out for everyone an exact oath of my beliefs. "Truth is God", "Who desires peace prepares for war." "The Hardest thing to explain is the glaringly obvious which everyone has agreed not to see.", "To see letters on a page and know what they are does not mean one can read", "Knowledge is the first step to understanding but is not itself understanding." and many more besides.

There is a certain psychology of prayer which acts as a reinforcer of beliefs, or of the principles of ones belief. When you distill a thing down to an axiom or a maxim and you often repeat the axiom or maxim it acts the same as a prayer, that is to say that it acts as a reinforcer. The brain is a muscle like any other and must be exercised, if it is not it will deteriorate. However it is impossible to work all of the mind all at once, and when you once work out a thing you tend to move on from it building higher concepts on it, and building other concepts besides. But what happens when the pillar of a concept tree is left untended for years? It deteriorates. This is where a maxim such as "Truth is God" (a maxim I have used since my most militantly atheist days as a youth) comes into play. When I say "Truth is God" I mean something quite different than the Christian who says "God is truth", for the Christian the truth is subject to the will of god, it is subject to some external force. For me however Truth (the objective immutable truth, not the subjective truth) is the ruler (God) of my life. I devote my entire being to that God, it is the source of my knowledge, it is required that I know that God if I desire to exist, if I desire to affect change in the world that I live in. The principle Axiom of "Truth is God" is "A is A, and Existence Exists", however it also encompasses dozens of other axioms such as "Nature to be commanded must be obeyed", and "Laws are immutable facts not whims".

The Life of Prayer then as I see it for myself is not supplication to a divine being but a systematic organization and brief articulation of my beliefs, as well as a psychological aid to remind me of the virtues I seek.

So in conclusion I pray

The Blessing of Prometheus upon you, and may you bathe in the light of Apollo.