Morning Devotion

This is the morning devotion that I currently use, courtesy of Hellenion and Theoi's list of the Orphic Hymns translated.


As soon as I wake up, I jump in the shower, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and get dressed.  I don't wear ritual garb, mostly because I don't have ritual garb yet, but this may change; therefore, I wear clean everyday clothes.  I do, however, incorporate a prayer shawl that I use to cover my head.

Centering

This is an important part of the ceremony for me.  I start in the bathroom, at the mirror, where I look into my own eyes and give myself a smile.  If there's anything I'm working on right now - an affirmation that I plan to use - I will repeat it to myself.  Then I'll close my eyes, take a deep breath in for three counts, hold for three counts and release for three counts.  Once I'm calm, I continue on.  

Procession

Taking slow, deliberate steps (that usually match the beat of my heart or the count of my continued deep breathing), I make my way to the altar.  Once there, I remove the veil as a sign of coming before the gods bare, naked, and open.  

Light the Candle

Still doing my deep breathing, I go ahead, strike a match and light the candle.  

Khernips

See my khernips blog on how I do this!

Hymn to Hestia

Daughter of Kronos, venerable dame, 

the seat containing of unweary'd flame, 

In sacred rites these sacred ministers are thine, 

Mystics much blessed, holy and divine.  

In thee, the Gods have fix'd place, 

strong, stable, basis of the mortal race: 

Eternal, much-form'd ever-florid queen, 

laughing and blessed, and of lovely mien; 

Accept these rites, accord each just desire, 

and gentle health, and needful good inspire.  

Light incense

I tend to use my intuition when selecting incense, since I don't have the necessary scents or ingredients for charcoal incense.  I like to think that it's the intent behind the offering that counts.  I select the cone or stick of incense that I plan to use, hold it in my hand for a moment, and infuse it with my intention.  Then I light it from the candle, and set the incense in place.  

Hymn to Eos

Hear me, O Goddess! whose emerging ray 

leads on the broad refulgence of the day; 

Blushing Eos, whose celestial light 

beams on the world with red'ning splendors bright: 

Angel of Titan, whom with constant round, 

thy orient beams recall from night profound; 

Labor of ev'ry kind to lead is thine, 

of mortal life the minister divine.  

Mankind in thee eternally delight, 

and none presumes to shun thy beauteous sight.  

Soon as thy splendors break the bands of rest, 

and eyes unclose with pleasing sleep oppress'd; 

Men, reptiles, birds, and beasts, with gen'ral voice, 

and all the nations of the deep, rejoice; 

For all the culture of our life is thine.  

Come, blessed pow'r! and to these rites incline: 

Thy holy light increase, and unconfin'd 

diffuse its radiance on thy mystic's mind.  

Hymn to Helios

Hear golden Titan, whose eternal eye 

with broad survey, illumines the sky.  

Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, 

and to all eyes the mirror of delight: 

Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car 

and leaping coursers, beaming light from afar: 

With thy right hand the source of morning light, 

and with thy left the father of the night.  

Agile and vig'rous, venerable Sun, 

fiery andbright around the heav'ns you run.  

Foe to the wicked, but the good man's guide, 

o'er all his steps propitious  you preside: 

With various founding, golden lyre, 'tis mine 

to fill the world with harmony divine.  

Father of ages, guide of prosp'rous deeds, 

the world's commander, born by lucid steeds, 

Immortal Zeus, all-searching, bearing light, 

source of existence, pure and fiery bright

Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years, 

agile and warm, whom ev'ry pow'r reveres.  

Great eye of Nature and the starry skies, 

doom'd with immortal flames to set and rise

Dispensing justice, lover of the stream, 

the world's great despot, and o'er all supreme.  

Faithful defender, and the eye of right, 

of steeds the ruler, and of life the light: 

With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide, 

when in the car of day you glorious ride.  

Propitious on these mystic labors shine, 

and bless thy suppliants with life divine.  

Daily Lunar Hymns

On the link to the page of Hellenion, there's a chart outlining the hymns that should be sung each day of the month.  I follow the instructions written there.   

Additional hymns as desired

If I'm working with a specific deity, this is when I honor them.  I don't always use the Orphic Hymns for this; if I have a custom invocation, song, chant, or poem written in their honor, I tend to use that instead.  I recite (or read) this as I light their specific candle on the altar.  

Pour libation

I treat this much in the way I typically treat my Wiccan rituals.  I pour the drink (usually water or tea with honey) into a cup.  At some point, I would like to invest in shot glasses for this, so that each deity could have their own cup, but at this point in time, I just don't have the cups.  

"I humbly give this gift of [water/tea].  I ask that you accept this humble offering from your faithful servant!" 

The first libation is poured into the cup, ("To Hestia!" ) to Eos ("To Eos") and Helios ("To Helios!"), any other deity honored in this devotion, and to Hestia ("To Hestia!") once more.  The remaining liquid is then drunk by me.  

Personal Supplication & Gratitude

If I have any prayers or petitions for a deity that I have already called on, I do this now.  I also offer my own gratitude to the gods.  If I have a gift, craft, or item that is to be dedicated to them, it's at this time that I typically present it, ask if it pleases them, and leave it on the shrine.  I thank the gods for spending time with me.  

Orpheus to Mousaeus

Attend Musaeus to my sacred song, 

and learn what rites to sacrifice belong.  

Zeus I invoke, Gaia the Earth, and Helios the Solar Light, 

the Mene's pure splendor, and the Stars of night; 

Thee Poseidon, ruler of the sea profound, 

dark-hair'd, whose waves begirt the solid ground; 

Demebeter abundant, and of lovely mien, 

and Phersephone infernal Haides queen

The huntress Artemis, and bright Phoebus rays, 

far-darting God, the theme of Delphic praise; 

And Dionysos, honor'd by the heav'nly choir, 

and raging Ares, and Hephaistos god of fire; 

The might pow'r who rose form foam to light, 

and Haides potent in the realms of night; 

With Hebe young, and Hercules the strong, 

and you to whom the cares of Eileithyia belong; 

Dikaisune (Justice) and Eusebia (Piety) august I call, 

and much fam'd nymphs, and Pan the god of all.  

To Hera sacred, and to Mnemosyne fair, 

and the chaste Muses I address my pray'r; 

The various year, the Kharities, and the Horai, 

fair-hair'd Leto, and Dione's pow'rs; 

Armed Curetes, househeold Gods Korybantes, Kouretes, Kabeiroi I call, 

with those Soteroi who spring from Zeus the king of all; 

Th' Idaean Gods, the angel of the skies, 

and righteous Themis, with sagacious eyes; 

With ancient Nyx, and Hemara I implore, 

and Pistis, and Dike dealing right adore; 

KIronos and Rhea, and great Thetis too, 

hid in a veil of bright celestial blue: 

I call great Okeanos, and the beauteous train of nymphs, 

who dwell in chambers of the main; 

Atlast the strong, and ever in its prim, 

vig'rous Aion, and endless Khronos (Time); 

The Stygian pool, and placide Gods Meilikhoi beside, 

and various Daimones, that o'er men preside; 

Illustrious Pronoia, the noble train of daemon forms, 

who fill th' aetherial plain; 

Or live in air, in water earth, or fire, 

or deep beneath the solid ground retire.  

Dionysos and Semele the friends of all, 

and white Leucothea of the sea I call; 

Palaemon bounteous, and Adrastria great, 

and sweet-tongu'd Nike, with success elate; 

Great Asklepios, skill'd to cure disease, 

and dread Athene, whom fierce battles please; 

(Thunders) Brointoi and (Winds) Anemoi in mighty columns pent, 

with dreadful roaring struggling hard for vent; 

Attis, the mother of the pow'rs on high, 

and fair Adonis, never doom'd to die, 

End and beginning he is all to all, 

these with propitious aid I gently call; 

And to my holy sacrifice invite, 

the pow'r who reigns in deepest hell and night; 

I call Einodian Hecate, lovely dame, 

of earthly, wat'ry, and celestial frame, 

Sepulchral, in a saffron veil array'd, 

leas'd with dark ghosts that wander thro' the shade; 

Persian, unconquerable huntress hail!  

The world's key-bearer never doom'd to fail

On the rough rock to wander thee delights, 

leader and nurse be present to our rites

Propitious grant our just desires and success, 

accept our homage, and the incense bless.  

Extinguish Flame

While Hestia's flame does was not extinguished in the days of old, this cannot be so now.  At some point, I would like to purchase an electric lamp that can be left on - perhaps a salt lamp - all the time, but until then, the candle must be extinguished.  

Procession

The prayer shawl is donned once more.  The lustral water is retrieved and poured out, and the match thrown away.  If there are any offerings that need to be disposed, this is done.  The prayer shawl is put away in a place of honor until the next prayer session, and I then go into the bathroom and finish my beauty routine - lotion, perfume, makeup, etc.  

Arete

The moral virtue of arete is one that we're all familiar with - to an extent.  We're told to do our very best when we're children, and in essence, that's what arete is - living up to our fullest potential and doing the very best that we possibly can.  

At some point after entering my teen years, the whole "do you best" philosophy suddenly dissipated, and was replaced with "be the best."  I always struggled with this.  Back in those days, I thought was the best at everything I put in effort, because some things came naturally to me; I was lucky enough to be book smart and have common sense (which isn't always the case with the majority of people out there).  Whenever I tried really hard to do something, I succeeded; and if I wasn't the best, I knew I was one of the best.  

The real world - and time - has taught me a much different truth.  I am, in fact, not the best at everything.  Things simply wouldn't be handed to me because I tried.  Those things I assumed were skill?  Well, they were mostly luck and the very potential for talent, but without continually pushing myself to expand on those talents, they would take me nowhere.  And that's exactly where I ended up. 

So when arete came up for me in my exploration of Hellenismos, I wasn't too sure what to think about it.  On the one hand, I liked the idea of doing my best and not comparing myself to the achievements of others - something I still struggle with to this day.  But on the other, I learned a pretty harsh lesson, and I learned that once my confidence was taken down a notch, I didn't really have much in the way of muse in those areas that I formerly loved.  

Then I thought "if I loved doing those things so much, why would I let criticism stop me instead of fueling my desire to be the best?"
 

Well, here's the truth.  I liked to draw.  I may have even been good at it in high school.  But I went to an inner-city school where it was considered an achievement just to show up, and then transferred to a very small school where the total student population was less than the students in my class in the city school.  In both situations, there weren't many who were actually talented in art; and because I was somewhat good at it, I shone there.  

But I do not have the talent to make a go at it as an artist.  That's the reality of the situation.  I have a hard time handling heavy criticism, and I don't eat, breathe and live art.  I don't get those sudden flashes of inspiration and spend hours on a project obsessively.  I don't have the ability to pour out my emotions and put my heart and soul into a piece of art the way I would need to in order to actually make it.  That's not being pessimistic; that's accepting the truth about my own natural abilities.  

I want to let go of the "be the best" mentality, but it's incredibly hard.  I personally feel frustrated with myself and my situation, because I feel like I should be farther along than I am.  I always thought that if I was with someone for five years, we would be engaged if not married.  I figured by the time I was out of the house and on my own for six, going on seven years, I would be saving up for a house of my own rather than renting.  I thought I would have a job that paid well above minimum wage, perhaps a degree under my belt.  I figured I would have some cushioning by now, some savings.  Maybe not a child, but the possibility of having one.  And none of that happened.  

I have to ask myself: did I apply myself to those goals?  Did I just expect those things to fall in my lap?  If I'm truthful, then, yeah, I kinda did.  I always thought I'd figure things out along the way, and that luck would be on my side.  I don't know why luck would like me so much, but I feel like I've been incredibly lucky my whole life, so why expect anything different?  

The only thing I have ever consistently put energy into is my personal practice, and I'm still not where I want to be with that.  

After life kicked me down once I was out of high school, I managed to pick myself a bit, dust myself off, and, after a grieving period, picked up the pieces of my life.  When I worked I had a phrase I would say to myself all the time: "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right."  Sure, it was mostly a mantra when I was faced with cleaning the toilet at the gas station and tempted to cut corners, or when I managed to get away from the cash register at Kohl's to fold clothes or cover for an absent floor member, but the phrase was something I really believed in.  When I applied myself and did my best, I felt absolutely fantastic about myself and my situation.  Sure, I made crap money, lived off of primarily meatless spaghetti, ramen and hot dogs, and no, I couldn't even afford to live in a one bedroom apartment even with two jobs, but I felt liberated.  It was enough for me.  I was doing the best I possibly could in that given situation.  And that situation brought my loving boyfriend Justin to me.  

Somewhere along the way, I relaxed.  I stopped doing my best and living up to my fullest potential.  I stopped working on and doing a lot of things that were important to me.  Part of it was being stuck in a foreign environment that I never really came to love.  Some of it had to do with the adjustment period of having a serious relationship and figuring out how to maintain my own independence within the coupling.  A lot of it had to do with my own decisions.  

So yeah.  Arete.  It's time for me to really sit down and figure out how I can be the best version of me possible, within my limits.  

Khernips

Following is the khernips ritual that I personally follow and use.  Khernips is a sort of ritual purification within the Hellenic tradition, and serves to ready the self for working with the gods by ritually purifying yourself.

Preparation

Bathe and dress.  Brush your hair, your teeth, and avoid makeup, lotions, etc.  If you plan to wear ritual jewelry or don a ritual robe, do so now.

Tools & Ingredients

1 pitcher of water (preferably spring water or sea water; I usually use rain water if I can, or tap)

1 small container of salt (traditionally, this would be sea water, but I live on the Great Lakes in Ohio near Lake Eerie, so yeah - only fresh water here.  Instead, I add salt to the water to further its purification properties.  I always use sea salt.  You can also dissolve salt in water ahead of time, and add the salt water to the spring/fresh water instead of the salt chunks; this way the salt is all dissolved.)

1 bowl, preferably steep-sided (the traditional shaped bowl - avoid rounded bowls, go for ones with a v-shape silhouette)

Bay leaf (can be purchased at the grocery store; go for the bottle with whole leaves)

Working Candle (this can be your purification candle used only for khernips or any other candle, lamp or source of fire, but I've always had a working candle and did not want to give it up.  I always use a white candle as my working candle, and it will be lit whenever I do anything religious or spiritual in nature, and will be present on my shrine throughout my prayers and/or ritual.)

Matches or lighter (to light your candle - if you don't have a candle, this can be used to light the bay leaf instead)

Clean cloth (to pat your wet hands and face)

Khernips (Ritual)

1. Have your ingredients on a table or surface before you.  If you have limited space, this can be done in the bathroom or at the kitchen sink.  It is perfectly alright to have a shrine or altar space with these items on it, and to move them off to continue your daily ritual prayers and celebrations.  
2. Light the candle.  
3. Pour your water into the bowl.  It doesn't need to be full to the brim, just enough to use.  
4. Add the salt.  I usually go for a good pinch or three, using my own intuition on how much is needed.  After adding the salt, I stir it with my projective hand, using my index and middle fingers, to encourage the salt to absorb into the water.  
5. Take a bay leaf and catch the tip on fire from your candle or fire source.  Let it smolder and burn for a moment.  When about half the leaf has been consumed with fire and emberse, throw it into the bowl of water with a "Be purified!"
6. I take a moment to stir the water once more, to really mix in the bay.  
7. With my right hand, I cup water in my hand pour it onto my left hand, and then I switch.  Finally, I lean over the bowl and gently wet both my hands before gently caressing my face, starting at the forehead and moving outwards and down.  I'll repeat this as often as I need to in order to feel cleansed - it's an intuitive process for me.  
8. Finally, I gently pat face and hands dry with the clean cloth.  

Since salt naturally dries the skin, I find it appropriate to rinse my face and hands after ritual to help get rid of the salt.  Salt can be purifying, but it can also be drying!  I follow this by adding moisturizer to my face (which has always been part of my daily beauty routine) and lotion to my hands and wherever else I feel it necessary.  

Miasma & Katharmos

Katharmos is, essentially, the idea of ritual purification.

Hellenic Greeks have ideas about purity that are not present in most pagan practices.  It is of the utmost importance for Hellenic practitioners to purify themselves previous to going before the gods, as the theoi are considered pure beings and worthy of the utmost respect - and to go before a pure being so utterly impure is a sign of disrespect, and warrants retribution from that deity.

Miasma

As far as I can tell, miasma is a sort of impure energy that permeates the things around it, turning pure thoughts impure, and encouraging immoral and irrational behavior.  It could get bad enough that ancient Greeks considered miasma to be the way that contagious diseases like cholera, the plague, and chlamydia was spread (something scientists believed as fact until the 1800s).  The name miasma literally means pollution.

People are not the only ones who become infected by miasma - places can be considered unclean, as well as items.  A high importance is placed in Hellenic ritual to ritually purify the space, items, and the self before ritual.  Think of it this way: if you go to a temple, how can you truly pray and meditate in that temple if it is filthy, unkempt, and shown utter disregard?  You can't; there are too many distractions, and the aura of the place will be one of miasma rather than cleanliness.

Miasma comes from a variety of sources:

• Death
• Sickness
• Birth
• Sex
• Excessive negative emotions
• Contact with bodily fluids (sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood, urine, etc)
• Lack of contact with the Hellenic gods

That is not to say that the above acts are impure; they're not.  Everyone has been to a funeral before, have cared for a sick relative or friend, has had sex, many have experienced birth, and we all are overcome with negative thoughts like jealousy and anger from time to time.  Who hasn't babysat and wiped a small child's runny nose, or bandaged a small cut on your hand?  

These are perfectly natural responses and situations that we all come across.  The situations themselves are not impure, but leave the door open for miasma to creep into your life.  For example, the process of birth and death are completely natural, but since they are both doorways to the afterlife, each act leaves an opening for miasma to ooze through.  Everyone attracts miasma through living; it's just part of life.  Miasma is a force that has no judgment, no thought; it simply is, and by nature, it spreads wherever it can, regardless of how pious you are or how obsessively clean and pure you try to be.  

The Hellenic deities are sometimes called the Deathless Gods.  It is considered every Hellenic follower's duty to not expose them (psychopomps not included) to death through miasma.  

Honestly, this all sounds great to me and everything, but I have a feeling this belief came into practice as a way to prevent disease.  Therefore, it may be an outdated concept by modern standards, since we know that the theory of miasma has been debunked and the spread of disease comes through other means.  But this doesn't mean that it's not a good spiritual practice to uphold.  All systems of worship have some element of self-purification involved in coming before you gods; so does Hellenismos.  

Katharmos

Before approaching the gods, ritual purification must be done to remove all miasma.  Katharmos is considered a devotional act, and should be treated as such.  

Katharmos can be done in a few simple steps, or through a long and rigorous process.  

1. Bathe.  Get rid of all traces of dirt, toxins and bodily fluids.  Historically speaking, men were expected to bathe in cold water, and women in hot, steamy water, which is good for me - I do love a hot, steamy shower and/or bath.  The act of bathing not only physically cleans your body, but it tends to make us feel clean emotionally and mentally.  Cleanliness is next to godliness!  
2. Brush your teeth.  How can you in good conscience speak to the gods if your mouth is not purified, as well?  Think about it... what have you put in there recently?  Did you wake up with bad breath, or a funky taste in your mouth?  If you want to speak truth and commune with the gods with purity, clean your mouth - and by extension - your teeth!  This is not a traditional step in most Hellenic practice, but one that makes sense to me.  
3. Avoid deodorant, lotions, oils, and makeup.  Go before your gods clean and without anything covering who you are or altering your appearance.  After the ritual, you can always put that stuff on if you feel called to do so.  Again, this is not a step that most Hellenics concern themselves with, but one that makes sense to me.  I see makeup as a sort of glamour; it is unnecessary to go before theoi as anything but our true selves.  To go before them with layers of paint on our face is the same, in my opinion, as trying to hide our identity when speaking to the gods.  I want the theoi to know who I am - and I go before them completely bare.  
4. Khernips.  This is the ritual process of purification, and the final step.  Most practitioners incorporate khernips at the start of their worship, and include all their ingredients at their altar or shrine, but it is perfectly acceptable to do this in, say, a bathroom as part of your ritual purification, especially if you don't have much space to work with at your shrine or altar.  

The whole point of katharmos, like any ritual purification, is to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  During your bathing process, you should be focused at the task at hand; maybe have some purification visualization going on, or use a special bar of soap that has purification properties.  If music helps you get into the mood, then play something soothing.  If you need scent for this, then burn incense or use a room spray or light a scented candle.  Take a few moments to come to center, to ground your energy, and maybe even meditate before you go to your shrine.  

Katharmos can be applied daily, whenever you prepare for study of the gods, want to give them prayers, enter a temple, prepare for divination, or want to delve into any sort of ritual or magical endeavor (if you incorporate magic into your practice).  I know that in my personal experience, if I am not at least physically clean, grounded and centered, then my divination workings are murky and unclear at best.  Since divination is opening up a channel to the divine consciousness, allowing you to relay messages from the gods, it makes sense to have a purification ritual attached.  

This isn't to say that you need to shower four times a day if you intend to offer morning prayers, meditate, do some divination, and then close your day with some evening prayers; but you should take the time to really consider whether you are fit to go before the gods as you are.  At the very least, wash your hands and face before any act involving prayer, religious study, divination, etc, and you should have at least one shower a day in general (for hygiene purposes, especially if you have had sex recently, are menstruating, or came into contact with other bodily fluids, death, birth, sickness, or are plagued with negative thoughts).  This is not justification to dry out your skin or indulge in unhealthy germophobic obsessions, but to consider an important element of Hellenic practice and a practical one to incorporate into your life right now.  

Other Methods of Purification

The above is your typical purification process before going to your gods, but there are other ways that you can demonstrate your purity and prevent miasma from entering your life.  These are devotional acts, and should be taken seriously.  

1. Fasting
2. Meditation
3. Abstinence
4. Sacrifice*

* It should be noted that sacrifice in the historical sense is illegal in the US and highly discouraged.  However, there are ways around sacrifice - like making an offering of your food by taking a portion for the gods, throwing wax figurines into a sacrificial fire, giving the first fruits of your garden to the gods, or use a fruit in place of an actual animal.  What is important here is your intent and the reason behind the sacrifice.  In the sense of purification, it was believed that by making a sacrifice, you were lifting all the miasma from your entire household.  

It should be noted that the Deipnon, a lunar celebration in honor of Hekate, was considered a purification rite in and of itself.  

Shrine

What do I typically put on my shrine?

Well, there's a few things I always include, no matter the deity I work with:

1. Altar Cloth

Oh, how I love my altar cloths.  If it were up to me, I'd have TONS of these in just about any and every color and design.  I tend to go for more simple ones, and I like using scarves and table runners, but I have been known to cut up an old shirt and make an altar cloth out of that.  I've been noticing an increase in cheaper cloth place mats that are sold separately, so I very well may start using those in the near future.  I don't usually have an altar cloth per deity; I tend to reuse the altar cloths I have based on color and the vibe I get from the cloth, since I have so few to actually work with.  I prefer altar cloths over a bare altar.

2. Deity Representation

I love candles.  Always have, always will, lol.  My deity representation is usually in the form of a candle, sometimes colored, sometimes not, on a candle holder.  If I have an appropriate oil, or can make one, I'll try to anoint that candle in the oil, and use it to anoint myself when praying or in ritual with that deity, and when making a non-food/drink offering.  All my tools and objects that are dedicated to the deity (as long as it's not fabric - oil stains!) will also be anointed with this oil.  Deity representations can be flowers (usually fake), crystals (I don't often dedicate crystals to deities since I don't actually have doubles of any crystal other than rose quartz, citrine and clear quartz), symbols of that deity, a statue (I never buy statues of Greek gods; they run too expensive - but I do occasionally make a very simplistic deity representation out of salt dough), or even a printed - or drawn picture, as I am more likely to do - of that deity.

3. Offering Plate & Chalice

I like to have a general offering plate and a cup for liquid and solid offerings.  These are mostly for food and drink, but can work for holding other stuff too.  When it comes to the chalice, I typically do not pour things in there that is not edible; so no anointing oil out of the container or any such thing.  The offering plate gets washed whenever it comes in contact with anything that is not food, dusty, dirty, etc in addition to a monthly ritual washing - and of course, after having food on it.  I like to have a chalice and dish for each deity I'm working with, but most of the time lack of finances prevents this.

4. Incense

There's just something about incense and a lit candle that really gets me calm, focused, and in the zone.  Even if the incense doesn't serve as the offering, I usually have something burning.  I prefer cones for deity offerings, but I'm having trouble finding a good quality cone that stays lit all the way through; I would like to do more research into the art of making homemade cones out of herbs and such and maybe have a general batch for offerings, a general batch for ritual purification, and maybe smaller batches for the specific deity I'm working with.  It would be a good monthly craft for me!  As you can guess, I obviously don't shy away from incense sticks, and actually have a HUGE variety (and by huge, I mean literally hundreds of various scents - and I occasionally add a new box, usually of 100 or so, when I come across it).

5. Various Symbols

Every deity has symbols they are associated with; Dionysus is associated with the vine, Artemis with arrows and the crescent moon, Apollo with the sun, Hestia with the flame, Zeus with thunderbolts, etc.  As you accumulate items for your altar over time, or make them, they will usually be in line with the deity's traditional symbols.  These are added to the shrine, or stored safely until needed.  

Offerings

Appropriate Worship

Appropriate worship comes into play with my idea of offerings really strongly.  Essentially, appropriate worship is a system that encourages you to give offerings to deities and beings in a way appropriate to their energy, archetype, and demesne.

How do you know what to give a specific deity as an offering?  Well, that depends on the deity.  What does their culture say about them?  What are their myths?  Their history?  How were they traditionally worshiped, and what were traditional offerings?  Are they associated with any specific herbs, trees, plants foods - what are their symbols?  And most importantly, what powers do they have, and how do they use them?  This has a lot to do with the deity's general energy and personality.

Let's have an example.  Aphrodite is the goddess of love; she's feminine, connected to the sea and sea shells, had a former lover named Adonis, and is considered very beautiful.  You might seek Aphrodite when you're working on self-esteem issues, self-acceptance, self-love, or just becoming comfortable with yourself, or your sexuality.  She can also help you with finding a lover or a soulmate, can be a good ally for glamour magic, and for helping out relationship troubles.

As a feminine woman who is associated with the sea and matters of the heart, it would be appropriate to make offerings of sea shells, floral scents, make-up, and self-care products.  If you're looking to spice things up, try more dedicating more risque things like a special lubricant, condoms, or lingerie to her - even a toy would work.

You know what you wouldn't offer to Aphrodite?  A sword, bow and arrow, cleaning supplies, or masculine herbs.  These go against her general vibe.

Making An Offering

I haven't really changed the way I make an offering since I started looking into Hellenism, so I'm not a hundred percent sure if it's accurate for Hellenic Reconstructionists.  For the most part, I select an offering (usually incense), hold it up, with my eyes closed (sometimes my head is bowed), facing the lit deity candle.  For a moment, I'll pour my own energy - my intention - into the incense stick.  Then I'll say something like:

O Blessed/Great [Deity], I, your humble servant, ask you to accept this offering of [item].  May it please you and serve you well.

I'll light it from the deity candle, waft the smoke around the altar a bit (sometimes in a specific shape or symbol associated with the deity), and put it in the incense holder.  I'll then take a moment to close my eyes and meditate on the deity.

My offerings are generally short, not because of my attention span so much as my cat having a morbid fascination with fire.  I just don't get the same kind of satisfaction and connection when I use battery-operated candles, so I do prefer to use actual wax candles and incense; but if I get too deep in a meditation, I won't notice my cat sneaking onto the altar, batting at the candle/incense and knocking it over.  That, of course, is a major fire hazard.

Disposing Offerings

Not all offerings need disposing, obviously.  Objects that are crafted or bought for this specific deity should be on the shrine at all times; when the shrine is not up, or there is no more room to display specific objects, they should be stored away safely.

Offerings of liquids and food should be disposed of daily.  These can be burned in a ritual fire, poured out onto the ground, left for wild animals, or buried.

Ash from incense should be disposed of immediately, or as soon as possible after burning.  This is mostly to prevent knocking over, spilling or otherwise scattering the ashes all over the shrine if the incense is knocked over or nudged.  Physical cleanliness of space is as important as the energetic cleanliness of a space; treat the shrine with the same respect you treat the deity.

Petition

In general, I don't petition a deity unless they're one that I have already spent some time working with (and feel we are on good terms).  I don't like the idea of working with a god specifically to get something; like, working with Aphrodite just to get the attention of a hot guy, and then going back to ignoring her after I get what I want.  My goal is to build a relationship with the theoi, not to use them whenever I see fit.  I look at it this way: if an acquaintance asked me to hang out just to get the number of my hot roommate (who they're crushing on), and once they get it (if they get it), they're rude, ignore me, and pretty much show me the door, I would be highly insulted.  If I saw them again, or if they asked me to hang out with them or do something for them, I would probably ignore them or just say flat-out "No."

Why should I expect the gods to do anything different?

So yes, while I do use petitions, I have some rules associated.  The petition needs to be for something that I need help with (and can't reasonably expect to get the desired outcome on my own); needs to be for a god I am currently working with or have worked with before and are still on good terms with; and it needs to be clear and precise.

1.  Preparation

I typically do this at a shrine dedicated to the deity, or at my working altar.  At the very least, there is a candle and a physical representation of that deity in place (this can be their symbol, a rune associated with them, or a picture of a statue, an actual statue, or some other crafted item to help give me a visual of that deity).  I purify myself, ground, and center.

2.  Invocation

I call upon the deity by stating their name out loud while lighting their candle.  This is followed by an appropriate epithet, so that the deity knows which aspect I am calling upon.  The epithet needs to be relevant; it doesn't make sense to ask Hestia to aid me in matters of competition, for example.  A song or traditional (or custom-made, if I created one) invocation follows, which can - and often will - incorporate the deity's name and epithet.

3.  Past Honors

Now would be a good time to remind the deity of what I have done for them in recent times, and how I have been a loyal and worthy servant in my practice.  Naming specifics is a good one; "If you have ever enjoyed the incense I have left for you," or "If you approve of the blood I donated in your name," type of things.  The point here is to point out that I have been consistent and dedicated follower, that I have worked to have a good bond with the deity already, and that a pattern of worship has been established.

4.  Request

State what it is that I want very specifically.  The gods often have a sense of humor, so I like to be very clear about what I want, why I want it, and how I want it; I avoid using euphemisms, and am quite blunt with this.  I typically like to include a concrete idea or plan of what I plan to do in return for this granted request.  To commemorate the occasion, I like to write my petition down on a piece of paper, hold it in my hands, visualize it coming true, and place it beneath the candle until the petition has been fulfilled.

5.  Gratitude

I say thank you to the deity, usually with an offering and a closing prayer.  With the closing prayer, I gut the deity candle.  If incense is used (it almost always is), I let it burn out completely.  If food or perishables were offered, they are disposed of after the ritual.


This system was derived from this tumblr question and answer.  The way that the practitioner approached petitions seemed pretty realistic to me, and was already close to the way I approached deity to begin with; it just got me to think about specifics.