Respect the Gods 🧿

I'd like to address an experience that is widespread in polytheism (and probably other spiritual traditions) yet isn't talked about very often; the experience of oscillating between periods intense religious fervor then switching to having almost no religious feelings at all.

When this first happened to me years ago at the beginning of my practice I thought I must be doing something wrong. Have the gods abandoned me? Am I unworthy? Were my previous feelings all just a delusion and now it's wearing off? It was vexing and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

Now that I've been doing this for a few years I know what it is and can set aside my worries; I'm not doing anything wrong, the gods haven't abandoned me, the simple fact is that religious feelings wax and wane in intensity just like the seasons or the cycles of the moon.

I'll have a month or two where I can't stop thinking about the gods. I'm listening to religious music, I'm reading religious books and in all of my rituals I feel a deep connection to the divine, then suddenly it's like the total opposite; I'm not thinking about it at all and I feel like I have to force myself to do the bare minimum in my rituals.

For me it seems to be highly correlated to the changing of the seasons; I tend to feel much more religiously enthusiastic when spring is changing to summer, when the leaves first fall or when winter is setting in, then I get my spiritual lows at the peak of summer and winter. It makes sense to me that times of change inspire feelings of religious devotion in me, I can see the action of the gods more clearly in these times of year.

If you've experienced this I only have this advice: don't be hard on yourself, try to just do your basic rituals as a matter of habit even if you aren't feeling it and rest assured that your feelings will return, the gods haven't gone anywhere. Before too long you'll be able to feel them again.

There are three main parts to prayer in ancient Greek religion: the invocation, the argument, and the petition.

THE INVOCATION —

This is where you address the god by name, including any honorifics, references, functions, or qualities you wish to entreat. Several stacking elements of identification are used here—including epithets.

THE ARGUMENT —

Why should the god listen to you? Remind the god of your prior relationship. If you haven’t yet built one, you should ask a friend or devotee to pray on your behalf. Better yet, use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself to the god and sing their praises.

THE PETITION —

State your purpose. This can include what you want the god to do, regardless of whether your request is specific or relatively intangible.

Of note is the fact that the petition is not a mandatory part of the prayer structure. “You might as easily invoke a god and remind them of your relationship, but not want anything specific, just to keep in touch as it were, and that would be totally fine” (Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts).

PRAYER GESTURES

According to Aristotle “we humans all stretch our hands towards the heavens when we make our prayers” (On the Cosmos). Pollux too suggests this, using the phrases “to pray to the gods” and “to stretch one’s hands upward” interchangeably.

That said, not every prayer was accompanied by a grand gesture. Simon Pulleyn relates how artistic depictions more commonly show the worshipper with one hand raised—not above the head, but “held out in front of [oneself] in a gesture like that used by a policeman to halt traffic” (Prayer in Greek Religion, 1997, pg. 189).

Don’t overthink hand gestures. More than anything, know that prayers were typically done when the individual was standing, their face tilted up towards the heavens (where the gods reside). When consulting the Underworld gods, though, it would make sense to direct your prayers downward. An example of this is seen in the ninth scroll of the Iliad when Althaea prays to Haides and dread Persephone by kneeling and beating her hands on the ground.

MORE ON PRAYER GESTURES

The following illustrations were made by @seedsandsprouts / @jellynymphh and show the many gestures that can accompany your prayers to the gods.

Spoken prayers are typically paired with more dynamic gesticulations, while those that are silent (or muttered) are done more discreetly.

Ancient peoples believed that the gods could hear silent prayers, but such a practice was regarded as anomalous and looked upon with great suspicion. Such suspicions are better left in antiquity, seeing as we live in an age where spoken prayer is no longer standard.

When praying with one hand raised to your lips or the heavens, the hand at your side can be balled into a fist with the thumb tucked into the fingers.

I pray to Hermes Hodios

(Of the Roads)

Hermes Hodios, who's amused the Sky, Guardian of roads with a cheerful stride. Spontaneous and swift- your feather feet Gliding through the cloudy rifts. And fortune rains with your steps To them who deserve to be divinely blessed. And now has my time come When I shall, to the roads belong. I seek your guidance oh mirthy Lord As I set my feet to a whole new world. For with your blessings, I shall grow And may my boundaries be widened more. And when the day comes to an end May I be safe and sound in my haven. Khaire.

My prayer to Lord Hermes for I'm going to have to travel 1.5 hours from home as I srart my new phase in college. And yes, even though I'm a bit nervous because I haven't really frequented to the spot before, ik the route and have immense faith in my Gods to keep me safe.

Some stamps from Pinterest as an offering to Lord Hermes.

You mentioned godfamily in your post about asking questions. What do you mean by godfamily? I'd love to know more!

~ Altis ⚡

Hello, my son!!! Thank you for your question

Godfamily is a parallel to godspouse! It is a platonic term used to describe familial relationships between humans and deities, whether those relationships are soul-deep or adoptive (i.e., some deities help craft someone's soul, thus becoming a figurative "parent" to that person, while other deities simply adopt someone the same way a human would)

Familial relationships are often lumped under "godspouse," which can be frustrating and confusing for someone who wants to differentiate their romantic from platonic relationships. Some people do believe human morality is irrelevant in this context; therefore, people can have romantic relationships with their divine "parents." I don't know how common this is - I've only seen it discussed!

Hades and Persephone are my parents. I call them mom and dad, and even Dionysus refers to them with respect for their role in my life. Semele and Zeus are my "in-laws" according to Dionysus, a role they've both acknowledged, but again I don't know how common that is! Dionysus is very big on family and it influences how he curates my relationships with other spirits. I also have something called a "soul fragment" from Ariadne, which I personally conceptualise as a piece of her soul woven into mine for a particular purpose (someone else may describe it differently)

I don't know what resources exist for godfamily but hope to be more open about it myself

@altis-of-olympia

Lord Hypnos and Lord Thanatos, resting.

it's here!! this was so fun, and it's my first zine!! our host @chemicalforgery did an amazing job with the final product and I'm so happy to have been a part of it!!

Chelsea Wolfe by Matt Colombo for DRY Magazine.