About prayer: if you don’t subscribe to any particular religion, and haven’t been in the habit of praying before meals, there’s no reason for you to begin to do so. Prior to eating, simply attune with the food (all of the food, not just that which you’re eating for magical purposes). You can easily do this by placing your hands on either side of your portion of the food before beginning to eat. Sense their energies for a few seconds. You need to say nothing. This simple act, which you can do in front of those who know nothing about your magical studies, prepares your body to accept the food. You absorb its essence (power)before absorbing its manifestation.
If it is your custom to pray before meals, continue to do so. Religion and magic have always been closely linked—religion worships the energy that created all things; magic utilizes the energies in those things that have been created.
You can also include a prayer to your deity while eating or address your conception of deity during the magical preparation and consumption of the food. Though this may seem to be a new idea, it isn’t. It’s performed around the world by millions of non-Christian, nonWestern peoples.
Eating (and the resultant digestion) is an act of transformation. Our bodies change food into the fuel necessary for our continued physical existence. Be aware also of the higher aspects of food every time that you eat.
