I had a long reply, but apparently the forum ate it? To summarize;
Some of those experiences almost sound like you're having some belief issues in general with the system, if the entities are doing some simple stuff like that just to prove they're there. Magic is definitely off the 'map', here there be dragons, literally.
- Your religious background shouldn't matter, as long as you cultivate a complete and absolute sense of confidence that you'll be sucessful in your magical workings. The prayers were just a suggestion as well, If your not comfortable with that it's not a problem.
If you're still having problems, I would suggest doing, from the NAP, rituals in this order:
- NAP to Point A
- Uncrossing Ritual
- The central pillar, circulation, and then fountain rituals
- NAP Bornless Invocation
This sounds like a lot, but once you get the hang of it it'll actually go quite fast. When you've reach this point, perform:
- NAP Defensive Armor Ritual
- Exorcism to banish evil spirits, page 166 (or around there)
That should take care of pretty much anything that was bothering you. Minus the defensive armor ritual and exorcism, it's also a 'general purpose' practice of sorts which when done diligently, should notably increase any results your looking for.
let us know how it goes!