An update!

Yesterday was the first day that really, truly felt like spring. There had been some hints here and there, but yesterday had everything. Clear sky, warm-ish weather, a cool breeze, melting snow, the smell of wet earth, and even a few flowers on a shrub. I'm ready for longer, sunnier days.

Spiritually, I haven't been up to much new. I pray to Hestia most days at my hearth shrine, I light her oil lamp and make a small offering of myrrh into the flame. I am writing a new prayer for this little evening ritual. Oh, and I'm in a book! I contributed a prayer/poem(?) to "First and Last," a devotional anthology for Hestia that was recently released. If you are interested in Hestia, the book is available on Amazon.

I have also been working on a submission for a devotional to Eos and Aurora. Maybe even two, if I can get the second idea out of my head and onto paper. The more creative types of writing, prayers and poems and such, have always been harder for me. Also, this one will require me to watch a few sunrises, which is so not the time my body wants to be awake, but oh well.

I have moved Artemis' shrine into the kitchen for now, and moved Hekate's into my work room, as I lean back around to focus more on the craft elements of my practice. I might combine these two shrines into one, at some point...

I've been experimenting with making self-igniting incense powder. Mostly because it looks cool. Now that the weather is warming up I want to start on those videos, and I'll probably do one for an incense recipe once I get it hammered out.

Full Moon Ritual for Selene

This is a simple little ritual that I try to do each month when the moon is full. I prefer to do this ritual outside if at all possible, even on cloudy nights, or inside at a window from which the moon is visible if outside isn't an option.

I begin the ritual by lighting some incense. I often just use sticks or cones of jasmine, gardenia, or other white flowers. For those who prefer lose incense, the Orphic hymns recommend burning aromatic herbs such as bay, lavender, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, lemon balm, and chamomile.

I take a few moments to focus myself, and then I recite the Orphic hymn to Selene (hymn number 9):
Hear me, O Divine Queen,
O light-bringing and splendid Selene,
O bull-horned Moon,
crossing the air as you race with night.
Nocturnal, torch-bearing,
Maiden of the beautiful stars,
O Moon, waxing and waning,
feminine and masculine,
luminous, lover of horses,
mother of time, bearer of fruit,
amber-colored, moody,
shining in the night,
all-seeing and vigilant,
surrounded by beautiful stars,
you delight in the quiet and in the richness of the night,
you grant fulfillment and favor as, like a jewel, you shine in the night.
Long-cloaked marshal of the stars,
wise maiden whose motion is circular,
come, O blessed and gentle Lady,
lady of the stars,
through your own light shine and save, O maiden, your *initiates.
(Original line is new initiates. I also sometimes replace initiates with devotee/devotees.)

After reciting the hymn a small libation is poured out for Selene. I often just use cool water. While pouring I say something along the lines of, O Selene, may you be well pleased with this offering.

I follow the libation either with my own personal prayers, or more often, silent meditation. After I thank Selene for her presence, and leave the ritual space.

UPG: Polymnia and Kleio

Polymnia and Kleio are two of the nine Olympic muses. Polymnia is the muse of hymns, sacred poetry, and so on, while Kleio is the muse of history. (You can read more about both of them in this post.)  I am still only in the very beginning of my journey to know these two goddesses, but I hope to add to this post as time goes on.

I have found Polymnia to appreciate offerings of light white or pink wines, usually those which have been watered down, as well as fresh figs. For incense I would suggest light, airy scents (but not necessarily floral). Something like sandalwood, perhaps. I have come to associate her with the colors light blue, grey, white, and a light sandy gold color. In addition to the symbols associated with her in antiquity, I also associate her with butterflies, and with the pitcher and bowl, two items many modern worshipers of the Hellenic gods often use in their devotions - either to purify before devotions, or to make libations at altars.

In antiquity Polymnia was known to wrap a long cloak or veil around herself. Although not something I have worked with yet, I do feel somewhat called to wrap in such a cloth before calling on her for inspiration.

Kleio I have come to associate with the colors orange, red, yellow, and gold. Strong, vibrant colors, as well as with lions. Offerings of frankincense. Strong spicy teas, and maybe coffee? Non-physical offerings of studying history, teaching history, and so on... although, that's probably an obvious one, considering her role.

Summanus

Summanus is the Roman god of nocturnal thunder – counterpoint to Jupiter’s daylight thunder. In Rome a temple was dedicated to Summanus sometime around 278BC, after lightning struck a statue of Summanus that stood on the temple of Jupiter one night.

The temple was formally dedicated on June 20th, and each year on that day wheel-shaped cakes made of flour, milk, and honey (called summanalia), were offered to Summanus. While these cakes may have been a solar symbol, two black oxen (or castrated rams) were also offered to Summanus, and black animals were usually offered to chthonic deities.

The origins of Summanus are not clear, but it is possible he may have originated with the Etruscans, if he was not even older than that. While he was once a popular god among the Romans, likely even more popular than Jupiter at one point, in later times much of his character was unknown even to them. The Roman poet Ovid once wrote "the temple is said to have been dedicated to Summanus, whoever he may be."

Exploring the Myth and Imagery of Psykhe (Psyche)

When studying Greek mythology, it is very important to know that, for the most park, Greek myths are not to be taken literally. They are not “word of God” literal accounts, but often are symbolic, or in some cases, not much more than entertainment. So if we are to study Psykhe’s myth, we should first consider her name, as psykhe is the Greek word for the soul. The word is also used in modern psychology to describe the totality of the human mind, the conscious and unconscious together.

But when we first see Psykhe in her myth, she is only known as an extremely beautiful woman. So beautiful, that people stopped worshiping Aphrodite (Venus), and began to worship Psykhe instead. But Psykhe was only a mortal woman, placed up on a pedestal, and while her sisters were finding love and marriage, the idolized Psykhe could not form such bonds with anyone.

Meanwhile, in the myth, Aphrodite is angry that people are neglecting her worship, and sends her son Eros (Cupid), the god of love and desire, to cause Psykhe to fall in love with an ugly man. However, Eros scratches himself with his own arrow, causing him to fall in love with Psykhe. Since Psykhe is unable to find love, her father consults the oracle of Apollon, who says that Psykhe will marry a horrible monster. Psykhe is dressed in funeral attire for her wedding, and goes to her fate – to meet the unknown, in both marriage and death.

She is swept up by the west wind and brought to a palace. Here she never sees her husband, despite joining with him in the bedroom many times. Psykhe’s sisters are soon allowed to visit her, and seeing the wonderful palace in which she lives, they become jealous and try to convince her to see and kill her husband, who is surely the horrible monster the oracle foresaw. Psykhe, at night, looks upon her husband, and sees none other than Eros. She is so startled by his beauty, she manages to prick herself on one of his arrows, and spills hot oil on Eros, who flies away.

Psykhe then begins to wander the earth, searching for her love. Her sisters, on the other hand, become even more jealous when finding out who Psykhe’s husband was, and both offer themselves to Eros, jumping off a cliff in hopes the west wind would carry them to the palace… but, both fall to their deaths.

In her wanderings, Psykhe first comes across a temple of Demeter (Ceres) that has fallen into disarray. Psykhe, in contrast to the beginning of the story, realizes that the proper worship of the gods should not be allowed to decay, and sets about cleaning the temple. Demeter, however, tells Psykhe that she cannot help her. Psykhe runs into the same problem while serving Hera (Juno), and she realizes that she must go to Aphrodite herself.

Psykhe is sent by Aphrodite to complete a number of seemingly impossible tasks, which she manages to do with the aid of nature and the gods. Aphrodite then sends Psykhe to the underworld to obtain some of Persephone’s (Proserpina’s) beauty. This is similar in symbolism to Psykhe’s earlier wedding, where she was dressed in funeral garb. She enters into the land of the dead, and by escaping, is reborn. Similar myths can be found in many cultures, including Inanna’s descent into the underworld to retrieve her own lost love.

Psykhe passes by many challenges in the underworld, meets with the Queen of the Dead herself, and is given a box to take to Aphrodite. it is not until she is back in the land of the living that she is overwhelmed by curiosity – she has to know what, exactly, it is that Persephone has given to Aphrodite, and if she can use it herself. Remember, this is a human woman who is already said to be more beautiful than Aphrodite. So of course, it doesn’t end well for Psykhe. All the box contains is sleep, and she falls into a complete torpor.

The myth ends with Eros finding Psykhe, and using his powers to wake her. Eros then asks Zeus (Jupiter) for help, and Zeus agrees – with the stipulation that Eros helps Zeus with love when asked to do so. Psykhe is made immortal, and she and Eros are finally given a true wedding, this time as equals.

The whole myth is symbolic of the fall and redemption of the human soul. It is a story of transformation, and this is why in art Psykhe is often shown accompanied by butterflies, or with butterfly wings, as butterflies are also a symbol of transformation.

Beyond that, there are perhaps also some parallels with the mythology of Krishna and Radha, where Radha is seen as the longing and love a human might feel toward the divine. But more than that, Psykhe’s tale is also one of the human soul’s longing for love and union – again, be it with the divine, with those around us, or even in finding completion in ourselves. It is not just a story of two lovers finding each other, but the story of the human soul struggling to become whole onto itself.

In the story, some might see Psykhe’s act of looking on Eros as a stupid mistake. Things were going good for her, why would she listen to her sisters? Well, beyond thinking she was in danger, this is also the true beginning of Psykhe’s transformation. If she had chosen to never do this, she would have stagnated, and never would have grown. It would be like a caterpillar staying in its cocoon, never transforming, never emerging as a butterfly.

Psykhe would have continued meeting with Eros only in the dark, and their union never would have come to conscious light, and Psykhe would not have found lasting happiness and true love. Instead, she shines the light on the unseen, and although at first it seems this was a mistake, in truth in each following task she becomes stronger.

She chooses to search for Eros, she wanders until she discovers the correct path. She meets with Aphrodite who forces her to sort seeds (sort out herself, in a sense), to gather fleece, which she does when she realizes that she should use wisdom over brute strength, and so on. It’s not easy, but the soul is transformed through hard work, not through sitting stagnant.

With each task Psykhe wants to give up, she feels she can’t do these things alone - but of course she doesn’t have to. She succeeds in her tasks with the aid of those around her. However, although she is given instructions on what to do in the underworld, who to avoid, and so on, when she descends into the underworld to meet with the Queen of the Dead, she does so alone, and in the same way, she ascends back into the light on her own. There are some places within us that only we can journey to. And likewise we must know and travel our subconscious, the dark places within and without. If we don’t travel these paths, embrace them, can we ever truly become whole?

And who, on a spiritual journey, has not faced a large setback? No matter how far we might come, it’s always a possibility. Psykhe, free from the underworld, so close to the end of her journey, opens the box. She returns back to sleep, to unseeing, unknowing, unconscious. It is love, desire, that brings her, once again, back to the light.

Home Again

Well, things have settled down a bit, and I'm back in my apartment, for a few days at least. My grandfather is finally up and about after his knee replacement, doing very well.

While at my grandparents' I was not only helping out with the household needs, but I was also swamped in work, and I came down with a head cold, so not too much time for other activities. But, I did manage to get the altar built!

It's not quite what I had in mind, but I figure I can always add to it as needed. It was quite the undertaking to haul the larger stones out to this spot. (It perhaps looks a bit taller than it is? It's meant to be knelt at.) There was a lot of sweat, some blood, and... well not tears, but germs, from coughing all over them. So, that's great.

I only finished assembling it last night, despite the stones sitting around for what, a week? But with it being the sixth of the lunar month, Artemis' day, and the Thargelia festival, I figured I must get it done.

Thargelia is a festival dedicated to Artemis and Apollon. In antiquity is was a festival to celebrate the new shoots of the spouting harvest, and a time to drive away all bad things, purify, and welcome in good things. The agricultural aspect of the festival doesn't fit in very well with life in New Hampshire, as farming wise, there's not going to be any planting for another week or two. But foraging, there are thing starting to come up, like fiddle-heads.

The purification aspect worked well with finally getting the altar built. I went out a bit after sunset, with the moon already high in the sky, and washed the altar down with blessed water. Next I took barley, and sprinkled it on the altar and the space around it. Finally, I burned a mixture of patchouli, mugwort, and rosemary and carried it around the ritual space, and fanned the smoke to the altar.

I dedicated the spot generally to all the Gods who bring good things, and then more specifically to Artemis, Hekate, and Selene, who will be seeing the majority of worship here. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, I'm only in my apartment for a short while, as I plan to go back to my grandparents' next weekend for the full moon, which brings the Rite of Her Sacred Fires for Hekate. (http://hekatecovenant.com/rite-of-her-sacred-fires/) I am not a member of the covenant, and have not done this rite in years past, but this year it seemed appropriate. There's just something about many people, from many traditions, coming together at the same time, to do the same ritual in honor of a deity they all feel called to.

Melpomene, whose name is derived from a Greek word meaning "to celebrate with song and dance," is a Greek goddess, and one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is tragedy. Her symbols include a tragic mask, a sword or knife, a club, and kothornos, a style of ancient Greek boots, and one which was popular with Athenian tragic actors. Her high wasted outfit is also reminiscent of what tragic actors would often wear.

Thaleia, or Thalia, whose name is derived from a Greek word meaning to flourish/bloom, or festivity, is a Greek goddess, and one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is comedy and idyllic poetry, which are poems descriptive of rustic countryside life. Her symbols are a comic mask, ivy wreath, and shepherd's crook. The vaudeville act of pulling someone of the stage with a hook is perhaps a reference to Thaleia's crook.

Terpsikhore, or Terpsichore, whose name means "delighting in dancing," is a Greek goddess, and one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is choral song and dance. Her symbols are a lyre and a plectrum/pick. In some myths she is described as the mother of the Sirens, although in others her sister Melpomone is given this credit.

Mounykhia

On Saturday evening I celebrated a festival called Mounykhia. It is held in honor of Artemis in her roles of Lady of the Beasts, and as a moon goddess. This festival is, to my knowledge, the only festival held specifically for Artemis at the full moon - her sacred day was the sixth day of the lunar cycle, and so most of her festivals would fall then.





The traditional offering made to Artemis at this time would be round cakes, called amphiphontes, which means something similar to shining all around, which were decorated with little torches. It would seem these cakes were offered before the sun set, but after the moon had risen. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible in my location, as the moon wouldn't rise until well after sunset.

So I offered a cake and flowers in the woods at sunset. A honey almond cake, topped with walnuts, lemon zest, and sweet goat cheese. (Goats were also a traditional sacrifice at this time, so I wanted to include some sort of goat product.) As well as a libation of mead mixed with honey and olive oil. I spent some time meditation on Artemis' Orphic hymn.

Later in the night I poured out another offering of warm milk, honey, and cinnamon, and meditated on Artemis as goddess of the moon, and as light bringer in the dark. I also spent some time praying for others who had requested it.       

During both events, something interesting happened. I have never in my some seventeen odd years of practice considered myself a priestess. Either because I belonged to a specific tradition where being a priest held a particular meaning, or because as a solitary practitioner it seemed like an unnecessary thing to do. And yet on that night, for the first time, for some reason, I felt somewhat like a priestess. I do not particularity know what to make of that. What that actually means. It's something I'm sure I'll be turning over in my medtations for a good while.

The Muses, Part Two

Kalliope, or Calliope, whose name means beautiful-voiced, is a Greek goddess and one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of epic poetry (such as Homer's Iliad), and she was also said to bestow eloquence, especially on kings and princes. Her symbols are a tablet and stylus, a scroll, or a lyre.

Erato, whose name means something like "beloved" or "lovely," is a Greek goddess, one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of love poetry and erotic poetry. Her symbols are the lyre, or a similar instrument, the cithara. Beginning during the Renaissance, she would often be shown wearing a wreath of myrtle and roses.

Euterpe, whose name means "well pleasing," or "(giver of) delight," is a Greek goddess and one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of music, song, and lyric poetry, which is a form of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings. In Greece this type of poetry generally would have been sung, and accompanied by a lyre or other stringed instrument. Her symbols are the aulos (a type of flute), pan pipes, and a laurel wreath.

The Muses, Part 1

I've been writing these short little blurbs on various deities for a Facebook group I belong to, and figured I might share some of them here, as well.

Polymnia, or Polyhymnia, whose name means many praises/hymns, is a Greek goddess, youngest of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of hymns, prayers, and sacred poetry and song. She also has ties to agriculture. Her symbols were a veil, scroll, and grapes.

Ouranie, or Urania, whose name means heavenly or celestial, is a Greek goddess, eldest of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of astronomy, and she also enjoys philosophy. Her symbols are a globe and stylus. Renaissance artists would often depict her with a crown of stars, and interestingly, it was also during the renaissance that she became a muse to Christian poets.

Kleio, or Clio, whose name means "to make famous," or "to celebrate," is a Greek goddess, one of the nine Mousai, or Muses. Her sphere of influence is that of history. Her symbols are scrolls, books, a laurel wreath, and the cornet, a brass instrument. She was perhaps given the title of "the Proclaimer."

Oh gosh, here we go again...

Well first of all, happy Easter to those celebrating!

If you're a member of any online pagan communities, especially on Facebook, you may have seen this meme floating around. (Without my creative artwork.)

The information this image presents is pretty much entirely inaccurate. Other people have already written a great deal about this, so I'm just going to link to this article: Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You

On a related subject, can we talk about the art used for this image? If you've read the article above it mentions that scholars debate who this image actually represents. It's a really fascinating piece of art. Here's another great article all about the relief and who this image might be of: The Queen of the Night (Burney Relief)

Personally I am partial to the image being of Ereshkigal. But, since we do not know for certain who it is, I can understand why devotees of many deities see their Goddess in this image, especially in such a powerful image.

Pomona and Vertumnus

Pomona (Latin "pomum" meaning orchard fruit), was one of the Roman Numina, a group of guardian spirits who watched over homes, special locations, and people. Pomona herself was a goddess/wood nymph who watched over orchards and gardens. She watched over and protected fruit trees and gardens, and assured fruitful abundance, and proper cultivation. She was not, however, strongly linked to the harvest of the fruit itself.

Pomona is often associated specifically with apples, and one of her symbols is a pruning knife. She is also shown holding a cornucopia, or a basket/platter of fruit.

In Rome Pomona was said to be served by priests known as Flamen Pomonalis, and there was a grove sacred to her, the Pomonal.

Pomona was one of the virginal goddesses, she rejected the advances of many, including the woodland gods Silvanus and Picus. Pomona was not interested in love, only in tending to her gardens. She eventually built a wall around her garden to keep suitors out. However, the god Vertumnus often visited her in many different guises, such as a fisherman, a solder, and an ox-herd.

Pomona and Vertumnus

One day he visited her in the guise of an old woman. As the old woman, he told her about the joys of love, of marriage, how even her garden showed the importance of such bonds with the grapes growing on the elm tree. He told her stories of the importance of not having a hard heart. Tells her of how much Vertumnus loves her, and how alike they are. Some say this was enough to win her over, but in most retellings of the story it is not until he drops his disguise and shows his radiant true form that she falls in love with him.

Vertumnus is quite similar in many ways to Pomona. He is a god of the seasons, plant growth, fruit trees, and gardens. A statue of him was erected in Rome, and was said to be decorated with the changing seasons. He is also a god of change, and as noted above, was able to take on many different forms - whatever he wanted to be, whenever he liked.

It is likely that Vertumnus came to the Roman pantheon from the Etruscan pantheon, where he was likely Voltumna, a chthonic deity who was considered supreme god of the pantheon. Neither Vertumnus nor Pomona have a direct corresponding deity in the Greek pantheon (as say, Venus does to Aphrodite). Their myth is one that is truly Roman in origin, where many myths were brought in from other pantheons.

Vertumnus had a festival on the 13th of August, called the Vertumnalia. Pomona was also honored on this feast day along with her husband. It is likely they were offered first fruits of the harvest.

Pomona possibly also has another feast day on November 1st (Pomonalia?), but it is possible this is just a misunderstanding of the date of the Vertumnalia. It would seem she was offered apples and nuts at this time.

Simple Evening Devotional

Sometimes the simplest rituals can be the best. They're easy to do each day, and that can keep you linked to your spirituality. I often see people upset because they feel cut off from their practice, and they just don't know what to do. I'm a firm believer that daily devotion, of some sort, is the answer to a lot of those types of problems.

When creating this daily devotional I knew I'd have to keep it very simple. There are a lot of days where I deal with health/fatigue issues, and it really rules out a lot of things for me. In the past I've written about a daily ritual at my hearth shrine during dinner, but there are now many days where I either might not be the one cooking, or I might be with my grandparents, away from my own kitchen, and it's shrine.

So I came up with a very simple solution. I keep a clay olive oil lamp on the window sill near my computer, right in my view so I remember to use it. It has four wicks, one for each of the deities I primarily honor. The first wick lit is always the one for Hestia, and when lighting it I say something along the lines of "I light this flame in honor of Hestia, heart of my home, who brings peace and stability." It varies a bit, sometimes I use a different title, or have something more specific I am thankful for, or even something I might be requesting from her.

I light the other flames for Artemis, Demeter, and Hekate, all with the same style of short prayer. Then I take a few minutes to simply relax, clear my mind a bit, take a deep breath or two. Then I will leave the lamp burning for a while as I go about my business - be it work, writing, or just playing games. The lamp will go out on it's own when it runs out of oil, and some nights I simply let it go out when it will. However, on most nights, I extinguish the flames with a final thank you to the deity.

Now, what about those nights I'm away from home? I don't bring the lamp with me, I just take a few minutes to myself and, well, basically imagine lighting the lamp, with the same prayers. Since I do it often enough physically, it's easy to picture in my mind. In some ways I enjoy this symbolism even more than the physical ritual, carrying the flames of these deities within me, always.

Altars, Revisited

This week's Pagan Experience prompt is any topic beginning with the letter A, or B. I thought it might be a good time to revisit the subject of my altars, which I last photographed and posted about as part of the Pagan Blog Project a bit over two years ago now. There have been a lot of changes since then - although I still have a lot of different shrines and altars, that hasn't changed a bit! (So yes, that is your warning that this is going to be an image heavy post. Clicking any image should make it larger.)

Artemis' altar has changed quite a bit, it moved into the kitchen, and is now a much more active place. I still enjoy worshiping Artemis outdoors, but the indoor altar has been immensely helpful to me, especially during these icy winter months where it can be hard for me to get out as much. Here the altar is lit for my morning prayers. My partner is a bit sensitive to incense smoke, so the oil warmer on the right replaces regular incense use. When I do burn the incense stick on the left, it's just for a few minutes once a week or so, long before they wake up. With the incense stick are some bird feathers I've found - lots of turkey feathers, but some duck, blue jay, and others, too.

The hearth shrine has also changed a good bit. I moved it onto the top of my oven. I was a bit worried that the heat/mess from cooking would harm it, but no issues these past few months!

The center plaque is a historical image of Vesta and Pales, but for my practice I am using it to represent Hestia and one of her sacred animals, the donkey, and the snake becomes the Agathos Daimon, or the good spirit, who is also represented by the little caved snake on the bottom right. Next to that, although hard to make out, is a dragon to represent the household guardian spirit. On the left side is Tykhe (Roman Fortuna). In the very near future there will also be a small statue of Apollon included on this shrine.

Also in the kitchen, where the old hearth shrine used to be, is Hekate's altar. For quite a while I was setting up a temporary altar on her sacred day each month, but after moving my hearth shrine I figured it would be best to set up a more permanent place for her.

It's quite a simple area, two candles to represent her twin torches, a small offering plate, and two animals associated with her, a black dog and a horse.

Below that is a second shelf that is mainly used only during her monthly festival, but there is a small bowl there which holds some more object offerings.
Below those two shelves is my ancestor shrine, which I didn't take a picture of this time around. It hasn't really changed much, but there are no longer any deities on that shrine, it's just a place to honor my ancestors.

Then there is an altar for Aphrodite (center), one of her children, Hermaphroditus (left), and the Kharities (right), or graces. I usually like to keep altars more on the tidy side, with little clutter, but this one feels best when it's busy! The altar is covered with objects and animals sacred to these deities. On the far left is a reed diffuser, so there is always a pleasant scent surrounding this altar. I would love to do more with this altar, perhaps getting a potted plant or desktop fountain for it.

Finally, there is the seasonal altar. During the growth and harvest seasons (May through October) Demeter sits on this shrine, but during the colder winter months it is Hestia. The altar is currently decorated for Imbolc, in white snowy colors. Even though Imbolc is still the dead of winter here (we're about to have a big snowstorm, actually), I couldn't resist having a little greenery on the shrine, but the flowers themselves are a bit like snow.

Prayer Beads for Artemis

(This week's prompt at The Pagan Experience is about Deity and the Divine, a prompt that will repeat once each month.)

In the past I have written a few posts on creating a set of prayer beads for Artemis. I wrote about how I chose the materials, how I actually made the prayer beads, but I haven't really shared how I actually use them. There are many examples of how to make prayer beads out there, but I think there are fewer examples of prayers to actually go along with them, which is something I find helpful in making my own.

I begin by reciting an opening prayer, a modified version of a traditional hymn, on the largest bead:
I sing of Artemis, the pure maiden, who cheers on the hounds, the hunter of stags, who delights in archery over the shadowy hills and windy peaks, who draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase. I sing of Artemis...

I then recite one of her titles for each bead...
Goddess Queen
Daughter of Leto
Daughter of Zeus
Queen of Beasts
Delighting in Arrows
Deer Shooting
Of the Wilds
Of the Broad Pastures
Of the Marshlands
Revered Virgin
Of the Moon
Of the Fire
Leader (of the dance/choir)
Ancestral Goddess
Guardian
She Who Soothes
Light Bringer
Savior

From there I can either recite the titles again, or return to the large bead with a simple closing prayer:
O Artemis, beautiful and powerful goddess, I honor you on this day, and on all days.

I debated quite a bit on whether to recite the titles in English or in their original language, Greek. There are pros and cons of each, and for me I felt that at least for now English would be the better choice, but certainly either way could work, depending on which makes more sense to the individual. These prayers can be used in at least two ways. First, by slowly reciting each title, and really taking time to meditate on the title, what it means, the image it conjures, and so on. The second is to quickly recite the titles as more of a chant, focusing a bit less on what each title really means, and instead allowing yourself to slip into a bit more of a receptive meditative state of mind.

For additional information on Artemis, including more of her titles, hymns to her, her myths, and more, her article on Theoi is a fantastic source. 

Personal Practice

This week's Pagan Experience prompt is about personal practice. I would say that at the moment the core of my personal practice is built around a series of daily, monthly, and yearly rituals.

My daily ritual is pretty simple. I have a small shrine on the back of my oven dedicated to Hestia, and while making dinner I light her candle on the shrine, and leave a small offering - generally a bit of whatever is for dinner, but sometimes it will be wine, olive oil, or something along those lines. Sometimes I recite a hymn to her, or make personal prayers, but often it's just the offering with a simple 'thank you for your blessings.'

The 'monthly' rituals are based around the lunar month, and are inspired by, but not strict reconstructions of, ancient Greek practices. The ancient Greeks marked the beginning of the new month with their new moon, which was the first sighting of the crescent moon, but I guess I'm a little stuck in my own old habits, because for me the astronomical new moon is where I start the cycle. On the new moon, the first of the lunar month, I hold a somewhat larger ritual for Hestia and the household spirits, where I give offerings of barley cakes, wine, salt, olive oil, and aromatic herbs, and thank them for the blessings of the previous month, and ask for the continued support.

On the fourth day of the lunar month I hold a special festival for Aphrodite. I do a working ritual with her each Sunday, but her monthly festival is just about honoring her and celebrating her, rather than preforming a ritual with a specific goal in mind. Incense and music are the offerings for this festival, and occasionally dove shaped honey cookies.

The sixth day belongs to Artemis and the nature spirits. I strongly prefer to hold this ritual outside when I can, but sometimes it's not always possible. Even if the ritual can't be held outside, I try to spend at least some time in nature on this day, even if it's just going for a short walk, or looking at the moon a bit. Out of all the monthly rituals, this is the one that I've been doing the longest, and has seen the most changes in how I celebrate it. However, it generally involves making an offering to Artemis of something that the local wildlife will also enjoy, such as birdseed, which I can leave out after the ritual.

The last day of the month is for Hekate and the ancestors. As it's the last day of the month I spend the day cleaning up a bit, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning out the fridge a bit, washing things down, and cleaning off the shrines. This way everything is clean and ready for the new month. Anything that comes off a shrine (or around it) goes into an offering bowl for Hekate - things like incense ash, partially burned incense, any offerings that might still be on shrines, candle wax drippings, used matches, old flowers/herbs, etc. They are offered to Hekate so that she can take the old away to make room for the new, both in a literal and symbolic sense. I also offer her many traditional things like eggs, garlic, bread, cheese, and onions. I have also found cookies decorated with stars, locks, and keys, which I have found make a wonderful offering to her. Traditionally these offerings would be left at a crossroads, but I generally leave them at a stonewall at the edge of the property. The cookie gets buried or burned, if I am able to do so, as it is strictly for Hekate. Everything else is left on the ground at the wall, and I assume animals probably enjoy them. I chose the wall because it is a liminal space, so sacred to her, and is a much more private location. I also make offerings at my ancestor shrine on this night. The next night starts the cycle again.

Then there are the yearly festivals, which are the Sabbats that I'm sure many are familiar with. They fit very nicely with the climate where I live (well, with a few adjustments here and there), so they're something that's stuck with me throughout my time as a pagan, even if the details have changed since then.

Of course not everything I do is quite so structured, but over the years I've found having these cycles really keeps me in tune with my deities, with the spirits, and with nature. It keeps me motivated to practice, and to keep deepening these relationships and bonds, so that things don't become stagnant, and so I don't find myself having done nothing at all for months at a time. Certainly it's not something that would work for everyone, but it does seem to keep me focused, which is something I need a good bit of help with at times!

Community and Health - Again

As a follow up to a post from a few months ago, I've been to a few specialists in order to figure out what's going on with my health. Right now there's a good bit of evidence pointing to an auto-immune issue. I'm waiting on another test result, and then in two weeks I'm due to see a rheumatologist.

I'm hopeful that I'm finally coming up on the end of a lot of wondering, and that I'll finally be able to begin some sort of treatment that will allow me to feel better. Being sick has, unsurprisingly, affected a lot of areas of my life - and that includes spiritually, which has been hard.

I still make the time to keep up with my minimum commitments, tending to Aphrodite's shrine one a week, and the other shrines once a lunar month (at least). It is very important to me that I keep up with the work I am doing with Aphrodite, and it's important to me to maintain some connection to my other deities, as well. However, there are other projects and goals which have fallen to the side for now.

The other issue has been with finding spiritual community. I mentioned before there is a pagan group here as part of a UU church, but since I would have to walk to the church I'm going to wait for my health to get a little better (or at least for warmer weather) before looking into that.

So for the moment I'm left with online fellowship. There are still a lot of days I miss my old forum hangout. It hit me the other day that it's been almost two years since the issues with ownership/activity on that forum began. It's been hard to lose that place, because even though we often believed in different things, and practiced in different ways, it felt like we were often all on the same page. Oh well, guess there's no use dwelling, huh?

Beyond all that, I also want to mention that I have not forgotten the 30 days of deity devotion, it's just been hard to get the thoughts together in my mind with all that's going on. I do plan on getting back to it this month, hopefully on Sunday or early next week, although I do think I'm going to have to say some of the days out of order, and save some of the longer topics for now.

Het-heret / Hathor's Shrine

As I mentioned in my last post, I am planning a shrine for Aphrodite. Part of that planning was figuring out the best location for it. It could go in a small corner of the front room, or it could go in the office room where I spend most of my day, and usually have a bit more privacy... but that's where Hathor's shrine is currently located.

I knew the second location would be much better, but of course it means moving or dismantling Hathor's shrine. After giving it a lot of thought, I've decided that for now it would be best to dismantle it. It is important to me that I still honor all the Egyptian gods who were a large part of my life for so long, but at this point it makes more sense to me to do that as an actual yearly festival of sorts, instead of keeping a more specific shrine that no longer sees a lot of use.

So that's on today's list of things to be done. It's a bit of a sad moment, it's the first time in many, many years that there will not be a shrine to one of the Egyptian deities in my home, but I know at this point it's the best course of action. An inactive shrine doesn't do anyone any good, after all...

Coming Full Circle

While I'm not ready to get into the reason why just yet, I've recently found myself planning a shrine for Aphrodite. While thinking through the details of the shrine last night it hit me that in a sense I've somewhat come full circle on my path, as Aphrodite was the first deity I remember ever setting up an altar for and trying to establish a relationship with.

Now nothing really came from that attempt, which makes sense when I look back on it. My reasons were quite selfish and misguided at the time - but hey, I was only in the 6th grade, pretty much brand new to paganism, I still had a lot to learn in a lot of ways!

Still, I find it interesting that some fifteen years later I'm turning back to the first deity I ever felt anything for. I'm back at this starting point, but this time I've learned and experienced so much, and I think if I hadn't gone out there and really explored so much for all those years, I wouldn't have what was necessary to really be able to be successful with my current path.

I had to get out there and see that there were other traditions besides Wicca, I had to explore the religions I did, honor the gods I did, build those relationships, fall into reconstruction and see what was good about it, and the benefits of learning the history, but also at the same time to have some of the more negative experiences I had, to know what I did not like, what did not work for me, to have those experiences with other people, with tradition leaders, to meet good and not-so-good people. Even on a more day-to-day basis, to build relationships with family, to know myself and my own body more, heck, even to fall in love, live across the country, travel...

So coming back to this starting point, it's like another turn of the wheel, and I'm very excited to see what the coming years will bring.

Hestia, Day Six

6. Other related deities and entities associated with this deity.

Hestia has minor ties to two other Greek deities. First in some areas she had links to Athene, due to both goddesses being virgin goddesses, and sometimes sharing a few similar (although not often actually overlapping) domains. Hestia also has ties to Demeter, as both are goddesses of baking bread. 

Herodotus, a Greek historian, equated the Scythian goddess Tabiti with Hestia, perhaps because of Tabiti's link to fire. Tabiti was apparently the chief deity of the Scythian pantheon, was a goddess of fire and the sun, and perhaps had links to the dawn, as well as being a goddess of animals.

Hestia is also equated with the Roman Vesta. Both were goddesses of the hearth and hearth fire, and both played roles in household religion because of this. However, while Hestia did have ties to the hearth of the city, and perpetual fires were kept in her honor, the Romans took this further with their dedicated priesthood of Vestal Virgins, who watched over Vesta's eternal flame in her temple, and tended to her formal rites. The Vestal Virgins had many duties in the state religion, as well.