Golden Aphrodite, fair and fearsome goddess,
mighty one whose will it is that the heart leads us
where the mind knows not to go; Aphrodite,
whose hand it is that guides us to the cliff’s edge,
whose voice it that dares us to jump into the dark,
whose gift it is that love’s reward is worth any risk.
Blessed Aphrodite, many have sought to turn
from you, but fire is fire, and feeling is feeling,
and neither can be contained by will alone.
Goddess, I thank you for moments free of reason,
I thank you for the dominion of desire.
Aphrodite, yours is the force of life, yours
the call of instinct; goddess whose power it is
that leads us to joy or desperation, I praise you
for your many gifts, I ask your blessing.

Beloved Aphrodite, goddess who grants to us
the greatest of joys, the harshest of sorrows,
the sharpest of pleasures, the dearest of pains.
Aphrodite, freshest of Olympos’ flowers,
your lightest touch can turn the hearts of men toward love;
with voice sweet as honey, sweet as wine, you speak
words of persuasion, we hear and heed, rapt in wonder.
O Aphrodite, grace and beauty surround you,
where you pass, the roses bloom, with sweetest scent
and sharpest thorn: with reckless hands we grasp them.
Aphrodite, born of blood in the cold salt sea,
born of the fallen sky, goddess whose kindness
can be so brutal, whose cruelty we cherish,
blessed are your children, blessed those you favor,
blessed those who have felt your might, blessed those
who dwell in your domain. Aphrodite, honored one,
incomparable one, with each breath I praise you.

Beautiful Aphrodite, fairest of the deathless
gods, golden one whose name was praised by poets,
whose comely form was carved in stone, you are the ideal
of loveliness and grace, O peerless, flawless goddess.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Laughter-loving Aphrodite, bringer of joy
and merriment, who takes delight in all things
pleasant and lighthearted, all festivals and feasts,
all cheerful diversions and celebrations.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite known as Peitho, mistress of sweet
persuasion, who turns the hearts of men and women
toward love, your gifts are welcomed by us all, goddess;
we are compelled by the eloquence of desire.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite, shaper of passions who kindles
the fire of life, you awaken the oldest
of instincts; by your will our breath quickens, our pulse
pounds, hard and harder until we hear nothing else.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Clever Aphrodite, contriver of the sweetest
schemes, with cunning and guile you clear the way for love.
Devious one, deceptive one, to you do lovers turn
to find the forbidden, to grant the heart its desire.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite of the bridal bed, of two hearts
bound with ties as strong and thin as spider-silk.
You watch with care, O goddess, as we pledge ourselves
to one another, hands clasped in an oath of love.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite of all people, goddess of
the low and the lewd, the common and the coarse,
Aphrodite universal, Aphrodite blue,
Aphrodite of the need and the now. Goddess,
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite Ourania, heavenly one,
born of brutality, from seafoam and blood
you arose. Aphrodite of the spirit,
of a love pure and true, of a flame bright and still.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Aphrodite, mistress of desire, holder of hearts,
who gives and takes the gift of love with even hand,
I pray to you, show kindness to this aching soul.
Beautiful one whose goodness and gentleness
are well known, ease this sorrow, lighten this heavy heart.
Your gifts are great, O goddess; their loss is a wound
that cuts us to the very core, a wound of spirit
so keenly felt–yet so willingly borne, for the risk
and the pain are well worth the reward–and still,
so great is this grief, only your sweet solace,
your mercy and your might, can comfort the afflicted.
Goddess, I pray to you for relief and renewal.

Tender-hearted Aphrodite, friend of the lonely,
friend of those who seek a lover, a companion
for life, a mate to share their sorrows and delights;
Aphrodite, you touch the center of the soul,
you light the flame of passion in men and women,
you hold our hearts in your gentle hands. Goddess,
fair one, kind one, giver of the most precious gifts,
open my spirit to joy and gladness, open
my mind to possibility, open my heart
to love. Heal me of hurt, release me from fear;
grant me the innocence of first love that I may
see the world in all its promise and beauty;
grant me the wisdom of experience that I may
choose with sense and judgment. May my eyes be keen,
may my vision be true, may I see what is
more clearly than what may be. Aphrodite,
I pray to you, goddess, grant me your gift of love.

I call to Aphrodite, goddess without peer,
daughter of the deep sea, daughter of the broad sky,
foam-borne goddess, golden goddess, holder of hearts,
inspiration of desire both carnal and refined.
Mender of torn bonds, renewer of old loves,
your promise a flame we cannot help but touch,
your power a torrent we cannot withstand,
your will a need we cannot resist. Goddess,
with sorrow and with fury, with patience
and with compassion, with pain and with delight,
we follow you, for in your realm the risk is great,
and on your path the stones do shift, and in your bower
the thorns draw blood, but in your hands we know of love,
and ah, the blessings you bestow exceed the agonies
by far. Aphrodite, dearest goddess, I call to you.

Aphrodite, glory of Olympos,
golden one, incomparable goddess,
born of seafoam, borne on the ocean’s waves
until you found fair Cyprus’ sandy shore–
your beauty by god or mortal unseen,
your power over heart and mind unknown,
your touch unfelt, your voice unheard. All things,
all life, all men and women incomplete
without your presence. Aphrodite,
who sees the truth within us, who gifts us
with what we need; beloved Aphrodite,
dear one, blessed one, who holds us close,
whose gentle persuasions overcome
our doubts and fears, whose hand in the world
we see in one another, we praise you,
we honor you, we delight in your gifts.