they can be great for having no altar space or supplies! here are some ideas of what to put in it to get you started

prayers -

this is good for those who don’t feel safe speaking their prayers out loud. it can be meaningful to keep a written log of all your prayers instead of keeping them in your head. some day you may be able to look back at all the prayers your deity has answered, or at all the ways your prayers have evolved. if you want to memorize a prayer you can write it in the journal to repeat later!

aid + questions -

are there times in your day that you felt like you received your deities’ aid? or, are there times where you wished you’d received help and felt like you hadn’t? will you need aid in the future? similarly, do you have any little questions? write down the question or request, and then what symbols or signs you’ll be looking for as an answer. this can help you keep track of what certain signs mean and what questions you’ve asked/requests for aid you’ve done in the past that have been answered.

symbols -

have you noticed any symbols of your deity in your day that made you think of them? what did seeing that symbol make you feel like your deity was trying to communicate? this relates heavily to the section above. this can include historical symbols or signs that you’ve personally learned to associate with your deity!

offerings -

it might be helpful to record your offerings, past present & future! perhaps journaling IS the offer? if you want to offer your deity writing, do it here! out down your poems, short blurbs, brainstorming, doodles, etc. and dedicate it to your god!

drawings -

as mentioned a couple times above, if you like to draw, feel free to! you can draw the symbols you’ve seen, images of your god, and offerings you’ve given or plan to give, or just whatever comes to mind. the art you create for your deity is personal and yours to make!

divination -

jot down the results of any divination with your god specifically! if you do tarot, what cards did you pull, and what did they mean to you? what answers did your dice, smoke, or pendulum give you? it can be fun to look back after time has passed :))

i have a journal per deity for organizational purposes but also i’m not a cop! your relationship with your gods is yours alone, develop it as you see fit

Hermes:

he really likes rock music because of its high energy 

he likes energy drinks, especially redbull and original monster

he loves elephants 

he loves yellow things 

he likes bergamot, dogwood, and vanilla

he likes cookie dough ice cream

he loves stand-up comedy and memes

rollerskating is a good devotional act to him

he also likes indie music

he likes sunglasses

he loves dogs

Apollo

he loves all music but especially indie music 

he likes sea lions

he likes pretty much all fruit juices

he really likes bird of paradise flowers

he likes white monster energy drinks

he loves opals because they’re so shiny

he likes antiques

Aphrodite:

she likes horses, hummingbirds, and cats

she likes fairies, unicorns, and butterflies

she really likes lacy, frilly things

she also loves opals

she likes baby blue 

she loves pastel colors

she likes jasmine, cherry blossom, vanilla, and lavender scents

she likes music boxes

she likes classical music and old love songs (50s and 60s)

So this came about after a lot of research because I really love doing up family trees. I did not know how extensive this family was going be, and I have actually left out some of the great grandchildren of Pasiphae and Minos because I wanted to include the ones that were directly (well, as close as possibly) related to Asterius the Minotaur. 

Grandparents: Helios (God of the Sun) and Perseis (the Oceanid Nymph) were the parents of Pasiphae and her siblings, whereas Zeus (God of the Heavens) and Europa (a Phoenician princess) were the parents of Minos and his siblings. Asterion was the King of Crete, who adopted Minos and his brothers when he married Europa (the minotaur, Asterius, is named after him).

Parents: Queen Pasiphae (mother), the Cretan Bull (father), and King Minos of Crete (step-father).

Aunts/Uncles Through Pasiphae: Circe (aunt), Aeetes (uncle), Perses (uncle).

Aunts/Uncles Through Minos: Rhadamanthys (step-uncle), Sarpedon (step-uncle).

Half-Siblings Through Pasiphae and Minos: Catreus (eldest son and heir to Crete, killed by his own son), Androgeus (killed by the Cretan Bull in Athens), Ariadne (wife of Dionysus, goddess of the Labyrinth), Deucalion (husband of Cleopatra, King of Crete), Glaucus (Prince of Crete, resurrected when he fell into a pot of honey), Phaedra (wife of Theseus, Princess of Crete), Acacallis (princess of Crete, mother of children to Hermes and Apollo), and Xenodice (Princess of Crete).

Half-Siblings Through Minos: Eurymedon, Nephalion, Chryses, Philolaus (children of Pareia, killed by Heracles), Euxanthius (son of Dexithea, he became King of Ceos).

Family of Catreus: Althaemenes (only son, he accidentally killed his father after years apart), Apemosyne (kicked to death by her brother, he believed she lied about being chased down by Hermes), Aerope (spared by Nauplius, she married Atreus and gave him two sons Agamemnon and Menelaus, she also gave a golden lamb to Thyestes who became King of Mycenae), and Clymene (became the wife of Nauplius and mother of Palamedes, Oeax, and Nausimedon).

Family of Androgeus: Andrgoeus sons were Sthenelus (companion of Heracles, killed in the war of the Amazons), and Alcaeus (Cretan general of Rhadamanthys, later became a companion of Heracles).

Family of Glaucus: The daughter of Glaucus was Deiphobe (a priestess of Phoebus Apollo and Diana Trivia).

Family of Deucalion: Deucalion married Cleopatra and they had two sons, Idomeneus and Molus (they led the Cretans to Troy).

Family of Phaedra: She married Theseus and their sons were Demophon (King of Athens), and Acamas (He was a part of the Trojan War).

Family of Ariadne: She married Dionysus (God of Wine), and became the mother of Oenopion (King of Chios, the personification of wine), Staphylus (associated with grapes, he was one of the Argonauts), Thoas (King of Lemnos), Phanus (one of the Argonauts), Enyeus (King of Skyros), Maron (Hero of Sweet Wine).

Dedication: to Athena, my patron

Devotional journals are tools used to compile information about a deity (not necessarily a patron deity) and become closer to them. They can be physical or digital and there are pros and cons to each, but it’s really about what works best for you. This is to give you some ideas of what you can add to them.

You can add titles, epithets, names, and aspects of the deity. You can add things like the various translations of their names, similar deities, and specific names and epithets for specific aspects of the deity.

You could also add their family or other relationships with deities, like flings/romances, marriage, siblings, cousins, syncretism, overlap, and so forth.

Another idea is to research the deity and their historical worship (or lack thereof) and the sources that you found certain information in. You can add unverified personal gnosis (UPG) if it’s something that resonates with you and how you perceive the deity.

Connected to these, you can also list their domains, jobs, and things they’ve created. Some people who have devotional journals also add a section for offerings, sacred things, signs, and so forth.

Hymns, invocations, prayers, petitions, poetry, and quotes are often added to devotional journals by people who lean more into the writing side. You could also write letters or journal entries to your deity to tell them about your day or what’s been bothering you lately.

More artistically inclined people will make or add aesthetic boards or mood boards, art, sigils, pictures, and symbols to their devotional journal that remind them of their deity.

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For Him who carries away our fears,

He who takes care of our griefs,

I want to sing how He breathes life into our darkness

He who greets the regrets of those who have met Death

Even when our hope is gone;

He makes us remember that we should go on

He who makes us realise,

That abundance is not only riches and wealth,

But also, to have a calm mind and inhale a deep breath,

For Her, the bud in the spring’s meadows

She whose petals brush my skin

I wanted to write rhymes and proses

Join her dance as she spins

Like the Little Thumb, she throws petals in our way

We can take her hand and go to the right direction,

As flowers grow under her protection,

For his Queen

For her King

I would sing

For Her, whose laugh sparks my life

Whose love calms down any strife

For She, who shows us that beauty is not what it may seem

As true beauty comes from within

She gives love when there is war,

But gives war where love is forgotten,

Mother of Harmonia who shows us,

That even life can’t escape,

The harmony of both love and hate,

For Lord Hades, God and King of the Underworld

Who shows us that life is worth it, and happiness is a blessing;

Who catches us when we fell, who hugs us when we burn out;

Always helping and caring

For Lady Persephone, Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld,

Who brings rebirth with her ascend

And who sends hopes as she descends

For Lady Aphrodite, Goddess of love, beauty and war,

Who smiles when we are at peace with ourself;

From the Ocean foam she comes

and glitters disperse as she runs

For you, beloved deities

I sing and praise

I thank you all for your blessings

And for helping all my days