Hearth-Centered Devotions

Tonight is the Deipnon, aka Hecate’s Supper, a greek tradition I’ve discovered and I want to follow.

So, what is Deipnon?

Note : I’m not really familiar with this. I’ve gathered information but feel free to correct me if I make any mistake, or to add on stuff :)

Basically, Deipnon is the last night of the lunar month, and is set on the New Moon. As you may know, Hecate is the Goddess of the New Moon, and that’s why this night is devoted to her, and more especially the supper.

Ancient Greek used to purify their house by cleaning them to release all sins, negative energy and offenses of the past month, and to be ready to start a fresh new one .

I’ve also read that some modern hellenic donate to charity, as Hecate is a protector of the homeless.

Then come the offerings. It is common to leave food in a crossroads, or in front of your doorstep, because it’s the crossroads between privacy and intimacy. You are suppose to leave her and her spirit team food( that’s why it’s called a supper), especially bread, cheese, garlic, fish (herring), or any things you have for her at sundown. It is strongly advise to not look back after doing so, to walk away quickly and not to go out until dawn, to avoid any encounter with her or any maleficent spirit.

You can of course light up a candle, use incense or give her anything on your altar, and honour her in the way you want.

That’s all I have about Deipnon!

-Cleanse your whole house with stick incense and clean your shrines.

-Perform all necessary tasks before sundown. Tying up loose ends is a good thing to do on the Deipnon, too.

-If you have any statues or icons, anoint them with scented oils to cleanse them and as an offering

-Clear all left over offerings off your shrines (incense ash, food, libations, barley, etc) and gather them together

-Prepare new offerings for Hekate and the dead. Cut up an onion, pour some honey, or get red meat, eggs, garlic, and other offerings to the dead.

-At sundown, the start of the Deipnon, leave all the left over offerings such as the food and incense ash, the new offerings for the dead, and a libation of wine at the crossroads or the front of your house.

-It’s recommended to use disposable plates and cups, because you don’t want to bring any parts of the offering home, that just brings all kinds of miasma into your home. Just throw the plates away. This is also why I suggest using stick incense, so you don’t have to throw away your nice incense holder.

-Once you leave your offerings, turn away and don’t look back. That’s a bad idea. As soon as the offerings touch the ground, they are Hekate’s and you don’t wanna be there to see her on the Deipnon.

-Don’t leave your house for the rest of the night. Wait until sunrise to leave. This is why you should perform all tasks before sundown.

One of the most important and confusing of the many Hellenic festivals is the three-day transition from month to month. Although unlinked, the Deipnon, the Noumenia and Agathós Daímōn are held on consecutive days, around the new moon. Especially the placement of the days is hard to get right; at least, it was for me.

The Deipnon (Hene kai Nea)–or Hekate’s Deipnon–is celebrated any time before the first sliver of the new moon is visible. In practice, this is the day after the new moon. The Noumenia is held the day after that, when the moon has become visible again, and Agathós Daímōn the day after that. It is important to note that the ancient Hellens started a new day at sundown the day before. Instead of starting a new day at midnight–or in the morning–like we do today, they started it at sundown of the previous day. This means that–when applied to modern practice–the Deipnon starts on the day of the suspected new moon, and the rest follows after, to the total of four days. Confused yet? How about a schematic. In this example, we’ll assume that the sun goes down at six P.M. on all days.

Day 1: All day - (suspected) new moon6 P.M. - start of the Deipnon (Deipnon night)

Day 2:All day - day after the new moon6 P.M. day 1 to 6 P.M. day 2 - Deipnon (Deipnon day)6 P.M. - start of the Noumenia (Noumenia night)

Day 3:All day - second day after the new moon6 P.M. day 2 to 6 P.M. day 3 - Noumenia (Noumenia day)6 P.M. - start of  Agathós Daímōn (Agathós Daímōn night)

Day 4:All day - third day after the new moon6 P.M. day 3 to 6 P.M. day 4 - Agathós Daímōn (Agathós Daímōn day)

In general, you celebrate the Deipnon at night time on the day of the Deipnon, so after sundown on day one. Many Hellenists spent the day of the Deipnon (day two, until sundown) cleaning and taking out things like the recyclables; getting everything ready for the new month. The Noumenia starts at sundown on day two. Typically the bulk of the Noumenia rituals is done in the daylight hours, so on day three until sundown. Personally, I do a nighttime ritual on day two after sundown for Selene, as She is a moon Goddess and honoring Her when the first sliver of Her becomes visible is important to me. I also honor Her during the daytime on day three. At sundown on day three, Agathós Daímōn starts. The ritual aspects are usually held in the daylight hours, so on day four, until sundown.

Goddess queen, diffusing silver light, Bull-horn’d and wand'ring thro’ the gloom of Night. 

With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide Night’s torch extending, thro’ the heav'ns you ride: Female and Male with borrow’d rays you shine, And now full-orb’d, now tending to decline. Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon, Whose amber orb makes Night’s reflected noon:

I wrote this hymn for the household Theoi, including: Hermes, Zeus, Apollon, Hekate, Hestia, and the Agathos Daimon. Feel free to reblog, and share with credit to me. Do not remove my caption, and if you want to repost it elsewhere, ask me first please. You are welcome to print and use as you please for personal use, and may use it for group rituals and such with credit to me. I hope you enjoy using it!

What if you really believed that you were protected by a guardian angel at all times? Hold on to that thought, at least for today. 

Good fortune is ripe for the taking, and you would be wise to offer a libation, preferably at the start of your day, to the spirit that portends abundant blessings. This could be the Greek Agathos Daimon, the Hindu Lakshmi, or the Roman Fortuna. 

Amarantos Argyris 

“Hymn to the Agathos Daimon”

For Hellenics who may be following a more modern calendar, today is the last day of the month, and as such it is appropriate to dedicate an offering to Hekate as the Goddess Who stands at the threshold, as well as to the Agathos Daimon, Hestia, and other household spirits.

Consider the following activities for devotional rites: •Tidying up your living space/altar area •Refreshing old candles/flowers •Making good on debts that are owed to others •Rededication to promises and commitments made in the names of the Theoi •Banishing of negativity, and cleansing of miasma •Providing a ritual meal (or other offerings) for Hekate and leaving it at a crossroads •••for the above, I use ingredients that are leftover in my refrigerator and pantry that will expire soon. Turn them into a meal for Underworld deities. I also take any nearly burned out candles with me to the crossroads to burn.

Tomorrow is the first of the month, so devotions to Apollon Prostatêrios, Helios, and Eos are appropriate, as well as to Zeus and Hera.