Making Kandi singles in honor of the gods! upper left- Lord Apollon

upper right- Lord Hermes

center- Lady Hestia

bottom left- Lord Hades

bottom right- Lady Persephone

Back when I started my journey in paganism just about 10 years ago, I was a devotee of Hades.

I don't remember now what specifically drew me to Him at the time. Perhaps it was PTSD, depression, heavy Pluto influence in my natal chart. But I paid regular visits to my local graveyard in the town I lived at the time. It was beautiful, secluded, watched over by old twisting trees allowed to grow freely, and quickly became my sanctuary. I tended the graves there and kept an altar and devotional journal to Hades, where I wrote letters and poetry to Him.

Back then I was simply too inexperienced (and traumatised) to really understand how spirituality and devotional relationships with gods worked. There's a lot of things to learn about communicating with gods and spirits, and how mental health impacts the ability to perceive spirits, and so on.

Jason Miller talks about the projection:perception ratio, where in any spirit interaction, no matter the degree of genuine perception, there is always a percentage of one’s inner bias being projected onto the interaction. This percentage can be reduced with time and experience. However, the degree of projection can always increase during times of stress, fatigue and emotional experiences, it is what one is trying to mitigate with discernment (that well-used buzzword in the occult community).

In any case, after a year or two, I eventually felt too discouraged to continue venerating Him, and went on to explore other deities and pantheons (which resulted in pretty much the same outcome lol). I was operating from a deeply held belief that I was simply undesirable, while setting high expectations of spirit interaction that could not be met at the level of experience I had at the time.

That said, I've always remembered Hades fondly. He seemed to me a solemn, but gentle and conscientious god. He had a calm and fatherly presence. I feel like, even if I didn't recognise it at the time, His influence greatly aided in my healing.

As a god of wealth and the Underworld, He can provide us with the inner resources we need in order to grow and change. Even if you feel like you have nothing, no fight in you left, Hades can unearth the raw materials both physically and spiritually to help you rebuild your life. But He does so quietly, consistently, for those who have hit rock bottom must reclaim their life inch by inch. He is kingly and honourable, taking responsibility for His people, while encouraging them to rebuild themselves with integrity.

Back in April this year, I had a dream of Hades and Persephone - to date the only dream I've ever had where gods explicitly appear. It was an odd dream, and the contents of it are likely of no consequence. Hades and Persephone were leading their spirits through a wild landscape. They encountered a female lake spirit (a Naiad) who demanded a sacrifice of maidens to be appeased, which Hades did not provide. The Naiad grew angry, so Hades exerted His wrath, grabbing her and thrashing her around in all directions before throwing her up into the sky. The Naiad then saw the beauty of the stars and was so impressed that she forgot all about the sacrifice! The Chthonic King and Queen then continued on their way to a small shop selling wooden anamorphic sculptures of dogs and wolves which could only be seen at the right angle.

So, regardless of what the dream meant, it brought Hades back into my consciousness after about 8 years of no contact. He always occasionally came to my mind, and I would always wonder what it would be like to reconnect with him again. I have spent the last 3 years doing daily work with Hekate, training my abilities, learning from my failures. I felt like I might be finally ready to reconcile with the god that I so adored in my youth.

In May, I set up a small shrine to Hades (and Persephone, by extension) with offerings, recited their Orphic hymns, and spoke of how I remembered my time with them fondly and wanted to rekindle our relationship now that I was older and more experienced. Though my life is already quite saturated, I nonetheless wished to have him around, for sentimental reasons.

I did note that prior to this, I had also been seeing a lot of black dogs, a snake and possibly an owl - omens which are also connected with Hekate. It is funny that Hekate and Hades share a lot of similar associations so, I realised I couldn’t actually tell who these omens came from! I’m still not sure to be honest, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.

I was surprised to feel a motherly and fatherly presence with me that remained for the rest of the evening as I settled down to sleep. It was comforting, like I was being watched over by loving parents. A feeling that I’ve never received from my biological parents. It assured me that the manner in which I ceased contact with Hades left no bad impression, and I felt encouraged to pursue a more casual relationship with Him.

Shortly after, I began to see Hades in trance journeys, where He has aided me in healing from trauma. I had not expected Him to show up in my visions during a group drumming journey, but the healing we did together was very effective. In that vision, He guided me to bury my heart in the black, fertile soil of the Underworld where it would root and draw strength from His realm. In moments of stress, fatigue and sorrow, I felt able to access my buried heart and drink of the Underworld’s vitalising force. Three weeks later, Hades appeared to me in a trance journey once more, and returned my heart to me, now suffused with power and ready for my life’s many challenges.

In antiquity, Hades was feared for His role as guardian of the chthonic realms and its denizens, and as a god who passes judgements on mortals. He can be firm, but not simply to punish us as so many historically believed. He is fair, and bids us to take responsibility for our deeds and better ourselves, in life and in death. In that sense I find Him quite similar to Hekate, though in my personal experience, Hades is much more gentle and personable in His approach.

Praying to Hades fills me with a warm and comforting energy like I’ve never felt before. I have been making contact only sporadically, but each time assures me of the depth of His grace and generosity. In matters of healing, I cannot praise Him enough.

He very much feels like an agricultural god (He is known as Plouton and Dis Pater, the wealthy father). I see Him with a broad frame accustomed to labour, and large hands stained with soil. A god who tends the land so that it brings forth the fruits and flowers of his beloved Queen, and a god who tends the spirits of the suffering that they may heal and grow themselves to their fullest potential. He bestows what nurtures the body and the soul. He is the keeper of the River Lethe, which allows us to move on and forget our pain, as well as the River Mnemosyne, which reminds us of our true selves. As such, I can only echo Socrates in extolling Hades as a god of the highest virtue.

And is not that the reason, Hermogenes, why no one, who has been to him, is willing to come back to us? Even the Sirens, like all the rest of the world, have been laid under his spells. Such a charm, as I imagine, is the God able to infuse into his words. And, according to this view, he is the perfect and accomplished Sophist, and the great benefactor of the inhabitants of the other world; and even to us who are upon earth he sends from below exceeding blessings. For he has much more than he wants down there; wherefore he is called Pluto (the rich).

Yes, Hermogenes, and the legislator called him Hades, not from the unseen (aeides)- far otherwise, but from his knowledge (eidenai) of all noble things.

– Cratylus, Plato

as a hades devotee.🖤

Shirley Temples are a Pomegranate drink, note: “Grenad”ine, NOT Cherry.

Ideas de ofrendas mundanas para Rey Hades

Introducción

Hades es, dentro de la antigua religión griega, el señor de los muertos y del inframundo. Hijo primogénito de Rea y Cronos, su culto fue bastante minoritario y en ocasiones casi inexistente, lo que no significa que no haya sido una deidad ampliamente respetada y temida.

Hoy en día su culto dentro del neopaganismo está un poco más normalizado, aunque aún carga con los prejuicios del pasado, debido mayoritariamente a que más gente se ha visto interesada en trabajar con él y rendirle culto.

En este post voy a dar algunas ideas de ofrendas mundanas que se pueden hacer en su honor.

Cuidado y salud

Muchas deidades consideran los diferentes actos de cuidado personal y cuidado de la salud mental cómo una ofrenda en sí, con Hades esto no es diferente.

1.- Trabajo de sombras: Una ofrenda para él es hacer trabajo de sombras a su lado o incluso hablarle de tus miedos e inseguridades. Hades se preocupa fuertemente por la salud de sus seguidores y así mismo estará feliz de escucharlos.

2.- Cuida tu salud física: Una ofrenda que se le puede hacer es comer sano, hacer ejercicio, levantarte temprano incluso. Cualquier acto que cuide tu salud puede ser una buena ofrenda para Hades.

Recuerda que ha pesar de ser el Señor de los Muertos eso no significa que Hades no vaya a mostrar preocupación por la salud de sus prácticantes y devotos. Al contrario, el trabajar en tu salud, aunque sea solo en tu propio beneficio, es una de las ofrendas más importantes que puedes darle a los dioses.

Acciones

La forma más fácil de dar una devoción que no conlleve magia, es a través de las acciones.

1.- Investiga sobre la historia de Grecia y su culto. De la misma manera puedes aprender sobre él tanto de libros históricos como de sus devotos.

2.- Investiga sobre Perséfone, ya sea su culto individual o junto a Hades.

3.- De ser posible, honra a los muertos. Ya sea limpiando u ordenando tumbas, recordando a tus ancestros, a través de la investigación sobre la escatología o el culto a los muertos y antepasados en diferentes religiones.

4.- Protege y respeta a los perros, esto incluye pero no se reduce a: donar a refugios para perros, compartir cuando ves que se están dando cachorros o perros en adopción, compartir cuando vez que un refugio para perros necesita ayuda, tratar con especial cariño a los perros que puedas encontrar en la calle o incluso a tu propio perro.

Hobbies

Puedes usar tus hobbies de siempre como forma de devoción a Hades.

1.- Haz dibujos en su honor (no IA).

2.- Cocina con granada, vino, miel u otros elementos asociados a Hades o Perséfone (si das una parte de la ofrenda a Perséfone mejor).

3.- Toma infusiones de flores con un poco de miel y leche (en honor también de Perséfone).

4.- Aprende canciones que te recuerden a él y tócalas en un instrumento o cántalas frente a su altar.

4.- Haz bordados que te recuerden a él (ej; granadas, perros, huesos, etc).

5.- Teje en su honor.

6.- Crea pendientes o collares en su honor.

7.- Puedes hacer pequeños proyectos con arcilla, un ejemplo puede ser un posa inciensos, un potecito pequeño para libaciones, un porta joyas, etc.

8.- Intenta hacer velitas por tu cuenta.

9.- Escribe pequeños cuentos en honor a Hades, Perséfone o sus hijos.

10.- Puedes incluso crear tus propios retellings del mito de Perséfone y Hades.

12.- Escribe poemas en honor a Hades o Perséfone.

13.- Mira series que te recuerden a él con su vela encendida.

14.- Lee libros que estén basados en el mito de Hades o Perséfone. (No Lore Olympus/Cuentos del Olimpo).

15.- Crea una playlist en su honor o en el de Perséfone.

Otros

1.- Haz tus tareas cotidianas con una playlist para Hades o Perséfone de fondo.

2.- Usa fondos de pantalla con collage de aesthetics de Hades o fondos de pantalla inspirados en él.

3.- Toma un tiempo para hablarle a Hades sobre tu día.

4.- Escribe cartas para Hades y quémalas o entiérralas para que puedan llegar a él. Otra opción es dejarlas en su altar y quemarlas luego.

Créditos de la imágen: Amanda Kiefer