#hellenic ritual

i don't do protection spells before communing with the gods. at their altar, i am protected enough

Performing a libation to celebrate Hekate's Deipnon, since it officially began at sundown.

/// English below \\\

Le premier dimanche après l'équinoxe d'automne a accueilli une célébration très importante pour moi. Tout n'était pas parfait, c'est certain, mais j'ai essayé de rendre cette célébration la plus belle et la plus juste possible. Je n'étais pas seule, mais bien accompagnée pour mener à bien ce rituel.

Happy Wednesday to you all! Welcome to the first Celebration of the Fourth ritual! There will be a closeted-friendly option at the bottom of the post for those who can't be open about their practice.

The Ritual

Set up the ritual altar. You will need imagery of Hermes/his symbols, flowers, a cup, an offering, and incense. For the imagery, use whatever works best for you. His symbols, his sacred animals, whatever you're able to use. Place down the flowers, then the imagery, then the cup in front of them, then the incense. Place down the offering. Pour a libation into the cup. Preferably water, wine, or mead. Surround it and the offering with coins, all heads up (Either surround them together or separately. Whichever you prefer). Light the incense. Then it's time to pray. You can pray your own prayer or use the example prayer below.

Khaire Lord Hermes Ericydes, splendid and glorious one!

Thank you for your presence in my life.

I give this offering to you.

May it be pleasing in your eyes.

To you, my Great Lord!

Then move around. Do whatever movement you're capable of. Whether it's just sitting up in a bed or taking a long drive (if you leave the house be careful with the incense). You can walk, run, dance, exercise, etc. As long as you're up and moving you're good. Once finished, return to the altar for the closing prayer.

Again, you may use your own prayer or follow the example one below.

Khaire Hermes Cratus, strong and mighty one! I give this offering to you.

I praise and honor you, glorious one.

May my steps be swift and strong.

May my path be clear and bright.

May my words be clever and powerful.

And may this offering be honoring to you.

To the Great Lord Hermes!

Feel free to leave the altar up or take it down. Make sure to properly dispose of the offerings in the best way that you can realistically manage if they can go bad.

Please feel free to share your altars either by tagging the temple account in your post or by submitting them through asks or submissions here!

Closet-Friendly Version

Find some sort of imagery to represent Lord Hermes. Whatever you're capable of finding. Anything will do, just make sure to put some thought into it. Find a flower outside and bring it in. Place it on or in front of the item you're using to represent Lord Hermes. Light incense or a candle if possible. If you're able to, leave an offering. If not, it's alright. The flower can be the main offering. Say the first prayer (out loud or in your head, either works). After that, get up and move around as much as possible. Sit up, walk, dance, exercise, drive, whatever you can do. Then come back and recite the closing prayer. Feel free to either leave up the altar or take it down immediately. Return the flower outside. If you have other offerings, dispose of those in any way that you safely can if they can go bad.

I sing of Dionysos Lenaios,

ivy-crowned god of the wine press, twice-born

son of Zeus and Semele, dismembered

by Titans and reborn from Zeus’ thigh.

Raised on Mount Nysa by the fair faced nymphs

and old Silenos. Of mortal birth,

wandering the earth, doing great deeds

until at last he ascended to his throne on Olympos.

Come, O god of madness and revelry,

with the loud-crying spirit Iakkhos.

May these festivities honor you.

Hail! Dionysos Lenaios, god of wine.

O Dionysos, lord of the vine,

please accept these humble offerings and

be with me in these cold winter months.

I thank you for your blessings and

Simple Version - Full Version

I practice Hellenic Polytheism. This is not a reconstructed or historically accurate ritual.

How I created my Ritual 

When I first decided I wanted to make a personalized ritual, I asked myself what giving an offering means to me. I decided giving an offering means inviting the Gods into my home as guests.

Formality is important to me but I mostly do free form prayer. Formal prayers I do with offerings, informal prayers I do in the moment but only with Gods I’m closest to.

My Steps for Offering

1. Preparation - I get everything I need for the offering before I go to my altar.

2. Ritual cleansing - I like ritual cleansing because it helps transition me from a every day state of mind to a spiritual state of mind. This could be traditional khernips, a shower, or just washing my hands.

3. Put on a Veil - This is a new step for me but I like it for the same reason I like cleansing, it helps change my state of mind.

4. Light my Altar Candle - I have a candle I use only for this, so lighting the candle is like flipping on my “offering time” switch. I also use a candle because I can’t use incense. 

4.5 Grounding - Optional - I will take a few breaths to ground myself in the moment before I speak. 

5. Invite the Gods to my Altar -  “(God’s name), I ask you to join me at my altar as I offer and pray to you,” or if I’m offering to more than one god, “Dear Gods, I ask you to join me…”

6. Give the Offering - When I give the offering I say, “I am offering to you [name of thing]. May it please you and bring you joy.” My most common offering is a libation of water. (Why Water is not a Lazy Offering)

7. Prayer of Thanks - I thank the Gods for whatever I want to. This could be as short as, “thank you for what you do in my life,” or longer and more specific. 

8. Prayer for Requests - This is optional. I won’t make requests of a God when I am praying to them the first time. Before I make a request of a God I like to say, “If it would please you,” or “If the fates will it,” because I know I am not guaranteed anything I ask for.

9. Repeated Steps 6 - 8 as Needed - If I am praying to multiple Gods, I give the offerings and prayers separately for each one. If I’m pouring a libation, I will pour a small amount for each God when I offer it. 

9.5 Meditation - Optional -  I use prayer beads to meditate at my alter and focus on the God/Gods and let myself experience the moment. 

10. Closing the Ritual - “Thank you (God’s name)/Gods for joining me at my alter. I pray that the offerings pleased you and that you will join me again in my home.” After I say this I put out my candle and take off my veil. 

Minor Details 

Where do I put my hands? Sometimes I fold them together and sometimes I put them up or down in the traditional Hellenic way of praying.

What does my altar look like? Here is the most recent picture of my altar. More pictures are linked in the full post. 

How long do I leave out my offerings? 24 - 48 hours 

How often to do this ritual? Every 2 weeks at most,  once a month at least. 

Sometimes, I feel intuitively nudged to do a ritual, so I heed the call. The other day, I devoted an hour to honoring my patron deities. I lit incense and dried oregano from Greece and made some offerings of Greek honey, flower, and chocolate . I also recited Orphic hymns to Hermes, Apollo, Helios, Athena, Aphrodite, Persephone, and The Muses. Finally, I wrapped the ritual up with some dancing to Ancient Greek style music (as another offering). 💃🕺

It really is such a wonderful feeling to honour the gods for the sake of reverence and connection and nothing else 🤍. Of course, that's not to say there aren't times when I invoke a specific deity for their assistance in a particular matter. Ultimately, it's a wholesome experience either way... 😊

As for dressing up, I admittedly don't do it very often, but this is what I like to wear when I do: a chiton (from Etsy), Athena and sun pendant (for Helios and Apollo), Athena earrings, lion brooch (to honour Hera), and black strappy sandals. I also like to make a little braid on each side of my head and tie them in the back. At some point, I might take it a step further and get a veil.

Dressing up in Ancient Greek inspired clothing really sets the vibe for me. It also helps me feel more connected to the theoi and my heritage. Do you like to dress up for your ritual work? If so, what do you normally wear?🥻

Question for Demeter devotees: The Chloeia festival- was it a festival for the growth of wheat or for flowers?