#devotional post

Lord Zeus of the foreigners, god of compassion & companionship, we call humbly to you in our time of grief.

We invoke your love for humans & their kinship, & your kindness to strangers.

Bring peace & sovereignty to Gaza, land of the olive trees, & the finest of fabrics.

Bring freedom to Palestine, land of dance, of music, of sweet fruit, long oppressed.

All-Mighty father, king of all kings, all is under your will, & all is within your grasp. We pray for the people of Palestine, & for an easement to their pain.

What’s more, Thunder-Bearer, father of Far-Shooting Apollo, king of Heaven,

I pray for the migrants, the people kept unjustly in the hands of ruthless tyrants, who disrespect your law. I pray too for their freedom, for their lives to be spared, for their safety in lands unfamiliar.

& so too, I pray for the care of their souls in Olympus’ hands, if they should pass. Let them feel no pain, let their martyrdom be answered swiftly, tenfold.

You must cultivate your relationships.

It sounds silly. It sounds like something that should be common sense. But I feel like I have had to tell so many people that you need to give as well as be open and recieving.

Your relationships with the Divine (and anyone) must be tailored gently. "I saw this thing and it reminded me of you" so you send a link or a photo to someone you care about? Yeah that principle applies to the Divine, too. A rock. A photo. A piece of art. You bring them.

You also sit and talk. Have a coffee. Have a drink. Water. Dinner. You share a meal. You hold conversations. You hang out and bask in an afternoon setting sun and admire the birds.

Oh Ares, You stand in war, but You are with people who fight for peace just as well.

Oh Ares, You who stays with courageous and stubborn, all the same as You stand with those who get silenced.

Oh Ares, You whose wrath is the fiercest, yet stand with those who talk the calmest, because they know they’re right.

You, with those who have fire in their souls, and those who were dimmed a long time ago.

You, the enemy of fear, the helping hand of the oppressed, the scream of those without a voice, the confident stand of those forced to crawl.

You, who lights the fire of rebellion, You, the sharpness and clarity of the world when panic steps away.

You, the fire in my heart, the instinct to fight, when I cannot breathe.

You, my torch, my sword, my shield.

You, my emotion and my rage. You, who gives me courage when I fight for justice.

Hail Anpu, great gatekeeper of the Duat.

Beautiful dog-faced god, indiscriminate judge to all.

He who dwells in the middle sky,

And rules over the western mountains.

Hail to the ethereal Aphrodite,

pearl of Cyprus,

she who stirs the heart.

Again, I speak in admiration of you,

of the darling flowers that adorn the paths I walk,

of the beauty that accompanies familial love,

and of the divinely answered requests, washing away insecurity.

Your faithful idolater thanks you for it all, laughter-loving goddess.

King, Leader, Chief and Father of the Gods and Humans.

God of the Sky, Lightning, Thunder, Rain, Storms, Fate, Law, Order and Moral Conduct.

Protector of People, Cities and Homes.

The hearth, the home,

The safest space,

The heart, the home,

My favourite place,

This hearth, this home,

This sacred flame,

This hearth, this home,

So free of blame,

A hearth, a home,

A common ground,

A hearth, a home,