#khernips

Veiling and feeling so safe.

Doing khernips and feeling much lighter afterwards.

Being able to physically feel the energy in crystals, cards, etc.

Sharing a bowl with Apollo and feeling as though I'm smoking with a close friend.

(My video)

hello lovely. there's a multitude of ways you can purify yourself, both in a Hellenic sense and outside the traditional sphere. since helpol is a revived religion, you're not required to stick with historical methods of purification. of course, it's perfectly okay to prefer them anyways :)

khernips roughly means "lustral water", so it's simply a type of water meant for purification. I'm unsure of your predisposed methods of performing khernips, but it can be as simple as washing your hands. I've seen some of my mutuals talk about simply touching water when nothing else is available. i encourage you to push outside of the box on traditional rituals to accommodate for a modern lifestyle. in my day-to-day I will wash my hands and splash the clean water onto my face in order to cleanse myself. easy, simple, and very accessible to the modern person.

smoke cleansing is quite popular, both historically and now. incense, especially frankincense, is quite sacred. some in antiquity viewed this as the prayers and offerings of the worshipper being lifted up to the Theoi, which is why burning offerings was so commonplace. fumigations of various kinds were used as offerings and ritual cleansing for temples, objects, and people.

my personal favorite way to purify is to simply clean. I'll wash my hands, take a shower, sweep my house, brush my hair, or anything of the sort. purification in antiquity was about being as physically clean as you are spiritually. taking care of your body and cleaning yourself of mundane grime is the best form of self-purification in my opinion.

You do realize this isn’t just a religious thing but a LANGUAGE???? Kharis doesn’t mean what you want it to mean, it had context and means something BECAUSE IT’S IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE??? Like oh my god bruh y’all PMO

In the past, I have seen several blogs and practitioners asking questions regarding Khernips.

What are Khernips? How does one make Khernips? What does one do with Khernips? What does one do with Khernips after the ceremony/ritual is over?

If you try to do independent research on the topic, you will find a lot of conflicting information regarding what Khernips is/are, and if the practice is historically accurate or historically documented.

As I am not a classics expert, nor Greek myself, I cannot speak to the historical authenticity of the creation and use of Khernips (often categorized as 'Lustral Water'). However, what I can relay to you is what I have read in "Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship" by LABRYS:

CLEANSING (KHERNIPS) This should be a bowl or basin, wide enough to be filled with water which may be used for the ceremonial washing of the hands or face before each ritual. Stagnant water should not be left standing in the bowl. It should be cleaned after each ceremony. - Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship (2014, pg 40)

This book, and LABRYS as an organization, are widely viewed as a reliable source of information regarding Hellenic Polytheism. Especially since LABRYS is a an organization run by actual Greek practitioners.

Just wanted to share this information to help fellow Hellenic Polytheists find some reputable information on the topic.

Eirene - peace and farewell,

Sorry for the late reply, I got busy 😭

Hmmmm. Had to think about this for a bit, and do a little research.

As I said earlier, it would be best to start with Charon. Create a bothros -- plural: bothroi-- a circular or d-shaped depression in the earth, translating literally into "trench" or "pit" in Ancient Greek.

The ritual should take place preferably at dusk or night. It should be performed with your head bowed and hands facing downward, palms towards the ground.

First, sweep any debris from the ground. Sticks, pebbles, leaf litter, ect. Then, it's time to create lustral water, also known as "khernips."

Khernips is for purification from miasma. Miasma is the spiritual "uncleanliness" contracted from everyday living. This includes physical dirtiness, incest, murder, hubris, connection with those who are unpure ( much like the modern day "guilt by association" ) and more. However, miasma is NOT the same as sin. Miasma is classified as transgressions against the natural order, which is called Themis.

Childbirth, menstruation, and natural death all contract miasma. Some sources also state sexual contact and some foods as polluting.

Attending a funeral, handling a corpse, or even being in the presence of the dead may attract miasma. Mishandling a former ritual or failing to uphold an oath may, as well, which also includes not upholding an offering to the gods. For example, if you had asked Athena for help with a test in return for giving her a ouranic offering, then failed to do so, this will have attracted miasma.

So how do you cleanse yourself of miasma?

As mentioned above, create khernips. if you have a lighter, burn the end of a small stick, leaf, or other flammable natural material. Drop it into a bowl of water. Wash your hands, not with the khernips, but with other water. Then you will be clean enough to handle the khernips without infecting it.

Sprinkle the khernips on your head, face, and over the earth you will be using for the bothros. This returns things to Katharsis, the state of all being in accordance with Themis.

Why do all this?

In his Work and Days, Hesiod writes (Hesiod Work and Days, 724–6):

“Do not pour libations of sparkling wine to Zeus and other immortals at dawn with unwashed hands—they do not hear your prayers, but spit them back.”

Homer writes (Homer Iliad, 6.266-8):

"...and with hands unwashed I would take shame to pour the glittering wine to Zeus; there is no means for a man to pray to the dark-misted son of Kronos, with blood and muck all splattered upon him.”

Next, dig the bothros. You can line the hole with stones, but you don't have to. Say a prayer while holding the coin offering, something like:

"Charon, Psychopomp of those guided in by the herdsman's staff, accept this post-humous payment in return for your services-- a ferry across the Styx and Acheron, so that they have not to wait for a century. Weigh down your skiff with the soul of the one I pray for, until their feet touch the shores beyond And they wait for judgement from that trio of respected men. Put in a kind word, for Elysium they deserve, and then your full duty is done."

Wash your hands again, as your hands will be dirty from digging and the physical filth will attract miasma. Into the bothros, pour water, honey, or milk over it, and then place the coin in and speak a dedication.

Example: "May peace be upon the dead, and nepenthe from grief be upon the living."

Now she’s walking around the house flinging water everywhere going “HEKAS HEKAS!”

For those who don't know what Khernips is, it's a bowl of blessed Spring water and Sea Water (or water mixed with Sea Salt) that is used with prayers to cleanse oneself of Lyma (simply dirty human air and energy) before prayer, meals, or for ritual care of oneself.

I cupped my hands full and washed my face, arms, neck, shoulders, and chest with it before I sat down for my meal yesterday, I made prayers to Aphrodite, and Gaia, before dripping some across my Altar to Aphrodite as well as my new (little starting) Altar to Hades and Persephone and offerings as a cleansing for them.