Archives

Poseidea Rite

Dec16

Honoring: Poseidon
Date: Likely held during the month of Poseidion, most likely on the 8th ; on the modern calendar this is around December 19
Season: Probably held when the seas began to grow rough with the winter
Region: Athens

Items needed:
Bowl of water and stick (incense, punk, or natural) to light and douse
Candle, matches or lighter to light the stick.
Bowl of barley
Offerings
Libation bowl
Cup

In the ritual script, italicized text refers to directions and actions and isn’t meant to be spoken.

Procession

Assemble and prepare to process to the altar.

We go to the holy place with reverence and love, to honor the gods.

Proceed to enter the sacred space.

Purification of participants

Light a stick and extinguish in the bowl of water, creating lustral water.

May all be made pure who wash in this water.

Pour water over the hands of each person so that they may rinse their face and hands in the lustral water.

Purification of space

Pass the bowl of barley among the participants so that each may take a handful of barley.

May all that is profane be gone from here!

Each person throws barley onto the altar, gently if indoors, with force if outside.

Invocation

We call to Poseidon, great son of Kronos
and beautiful Rhea, lord of waters fresh and briny,
king of the broad blue seas and of each sweet spring
and fountain that issues from the earth. Poseidon,
trident-bearer, mighty one, master of the beasts
of the sea, companion of the ocean-nymphs,
yours is the source of life, the water and the salt,
yours are the treasures beneath the waves. Good friend
of the sailor and the fisherman, granter of food
and riches to mankind, Poseidon, we call to you.

If ever we have honored you, poured out sweet wine
in reverence and love, O great ones, deathless ones,
hear now our prayers, grant now your blessings. Praise be to you!

Statement of purpose

Today we honor Poseidon, lord of the oceans, who holds in his hands a force that can throw the mortal world into chaos, whose might it is that brings the ship safe to harbor or wrecks it on some stony shore. The winter seas are yours, Poseidon, the perils faced by those who sail them late in season; yours too is the wisdom won by the wayfarer, the good we gain by time and travel, the wealth that comes to those who dare. As the cold winds come, as we settle by the fire, as we make good use of that which we gained during longer days, we praise your might, Poseidon, O god to whom the rise and fall of a nation is merely a moment, O god whose gifts we praise, whose blessing we ask.

A prayer of thankfulness and joy

This day we offer our praise to Poseidon,
older than words, older than the world of men,
maker of the horse, master of the waves,
granter to men of all that carried us from land
to land, friend of the merchant and the trader,
O god who lay the stones on which we built our bridges,
the base that bears the life we make. Poseidon,
earth-shaker, holder of the bones of the world,
ancient one, mighty one, your names and titles lost
to time, your power hidden in seabed and crevice,
held in check by your goodness and benevolence,
we thank you for your mercy, for the care you take
of humankind. As the nights grow long and the waves
grow rough, we take joy in your gifts, we give thanks
for your many blessings, O fathomless one.

Libations and offerings

Pour wine, milk, or other liquid offering into cup, hold up filled cup.

To noble Hestia, who ever comes first and last,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Hestia!

Pour out some wine into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.

To mighty Poseidon who rules the waves and the depths,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Poseidon!

Pour out some wine into the libation bowl; hold up cup , refilling if necessary.

To noble Hestia, who ever comes last and first,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Hestia!

Pour out some wine into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.

We share this drink among ourselves with love for the gods
and gratitude for all we have been given.

Pass the cup among the participants.

Thanks

We thank you, Poseidon, for your presence this day
as we celebrate your festival with reverence and joy.
We thank you, Poseidon, for your many blessings,
for the great gifts you grant to humanity.
With love and devotion we praise and honor you.

Close

We leave this holy place, with reverence and gratitude for all we have been given. The rite is ended.

Step away from the altar and leave the sacred space.

A PDF version of this ritual script is available here.

For more information on ritual format, see Some Elements of Hellenic Ritual at my other blog.

Boreaia Rite

Dec5

Honoring: Boreas, god of the north wind, and his daughter Chione, goddess of snow
Date: Beginning of winter
Season: Winter

Items needed
Bowl of water and stick (incense, punk, or natural) to light and douse
Candle, matches or lighter to light the stick
Bowl of barley
Offering of a paper snowflake or other gift(s).
Libation
Libation bowl
Cup

In the ritual script, italicized text refers to directions and actions and isn’t meant to be spoken.

Procession

Assemble and prepare to process to the altar.

We go to the holy place with reverence and love, to honor the gods.

Proceed to enter the sacred space.

Purification of participants

Light the stick or incense and extinguish in the bowl of water, creating lustral water.

May all be made pure who wash in this water.

Pour water over the hands of each person so that they may rinse their face and hands in the lustral water.

Purification of space

Pass the bowl of barley among the participants so that each may take a handful of barley.

May all that is profane be gone from here!

Each person throws barley onto the altar, gently if indoors, with force if outside.

Invocation

Boreas of the bitter winds, lord of the north,
lord of distant Thrace, master of the wintertime,
purple-winged god of the darkening days,
I call to you, O Boreas, O god of cold and ice.

Chione of the snows, of the softly falling flakes
and the keen and biting storms, the billowy drifts
and the treacherous ice, daughter of the north,
I call to you, O Chione, O goddess of the frost.

If ever we have honored you, poured out sweet wine
in reverence and love, O great ones, deathless ones,
hear now our prayers, grant now your blessings. Praise be to you!

Statement of purpose

As the days grow short and the nights grow long,
as the air grows chill and the earth stone-cold,
we gather to welcome the gods of the season,
to greet you with reverence and love.

Prayers and Offerings

We welcome you, O Boreas, who rules the lands
of ice and rime, who in your season brings to us
a frost to rest the weary earth, a chill to set
our bones a-shiver, to set the world anew.
We welcome you, O Chione, mistress of the snows,
whose might it is that cloaks the land in alabaster white,
whose hand it is that dips each tree in shining ice,
whose gift it is to grace the world with beauty.

O gods of the cold and silent lands, O gods
on whose power we rely, in whose good will we trust,
we thank you for your many blessings, we praise your might.
For your care and warding in seasons past, we thank you;
we pray to you, O gods, grant us your enduring favor.
For a safe return from uncertain travels, we thank you;
we pray to you, O gods, grant us your enduring favor.
For abundance granted each wintertide, we thank you;
we pray to you, O gods, grant us your enduring favor.

Hold up paper snowflakes or other gifts.

We offer you this token of our reverence and thanks, O gods.

Place gifts on altar.

Libations

Pour wine, milk, or other liquid offering into cup, hold up filled cup.

To noble Hestia, who ever comes first and last,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Hestia!

Pour out some drink into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.

To Boreas of the cold north wind, winter’s lord,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Boreas!

Pour out some drink into the libation bowl; hold up cup , refilling if necessary.

To Chione of the snows, capricious and comely,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Chione!

Pour out some drink into the libation bowl; hold up cup , refilling if necessary.

To noble Hestia, who ever comes last and first,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Hestia!

Pour out some drink into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.

We share this drink among ourselves with love for the gods
and gratitude for all we have been given.

Pass the cup among the participants.

Thanks

We thank you, O gods, for your presence this day
as we celebrate your festival with reverence and joy.
We thank you, O gods, for your many blessings,
for the great gifts you grant to humanity.
With love and devotion we praise and honor you.

Close

We leave this holy place, with reverence and gratitude for all we have been given. The rite is ended.

Step away from the altar and leave the sacred space.

A PDF version of this ritual script is available here.

For more information on ritual format, see Some Elements of Hellenic Ritual at my other blog.

Prayer to Artemis and Apollo to Protect the Young

Nov16

To swift-footed Artemis and far-shooting Apollo,
dear children of Leto and thundering Zeus,
I pray to you, O gods, watch over ______________
as they travel through the world, keep them safe from harm,
guard them from evil, protect them from all ill,
grant them the strength to overcome all obstacles,
grant them the resilience to recover from loss,
grant them the wisdom to find their way through the dark,
grant them true friends to join them on their journey.
Show them the joy in life, the pleasures of today
and the promise of tomorrow. Give them the gift
of a mind turned ever toward happiness and hope.
Be with them, O gods, in good times and bad;
favor them with insight and good humor, with the courage
to choose freely and the wisdom to choose well.
I pray to you, bless them with your many gifts.

Election Day Prayer to Zeus

Nov6

I call to Zeus, upholder of the good,
Zeus of the citizen, Zeus of the free,
whose favor falls on the honorable,
whose wrath strikes down the evil. Zeus
who knows the worth of service and of duty,
I pray to you: grant that we choose wisely,
for the good of our nation and of the world.

Brief Prayer to Zeus

Sep6

Father Zeus, protector of the weak,
help me to be strong against my fears.

Father Zeus, protector of the wronged,
help me to do right by all I meet.

Father Zeus, protector of the home,
help me to safeguard those within my walls.

Father Zeus, help me to do what I must,
be with me as I walk in the world.

Prayer to Ares for the Safety of a Soldier

Jan25

Bold-hearted Ares, bright-helmed son of thundering Zeus
and noble Hera, well-honored god of war,
any battle will you face, any foe will you fight,
without fear and without hestitation. Ares,
god of warriors, ally of those who risk their lives
on the field, to you do soldiers offer their prayers.
You know each one’s name, O Ares, you know their lives,
you know their worth. Great Ares, I pray to you,
watch over ____________ who heeded your call,
who practices your art, whose name you know well,
for s/he is one of your own who does you honor
with each day s/he serves. Ares, I pray to you.

Prayer to Athena in Time of War

Jan25

Athena of the steel-grey eyes and steady gaze,
goddess who sees the battlefield entire, who knows
each soldier on the field, who whispers
in each general’s ear, who hears each one who sits
at home and waits for word with hope and dread
and desperate prayers, I call to you. Athena,
a world at war is a fearful place, a place
of pain and woe, a place where all we understand
turns strange and terrifying, where all we know
of life and love is cherished all the more. Athena,
goddess who knows well of war and all it creates,
hear my prayers, hear the words of one whose faith
in you is full: I trust in your wisdom, goddess,
I trust in your righteousness. Athena, I trust in you.

Prayer to Hekate for Protection from Evil

Jan25

Beloved Hekate, defender of the weak,
protector of those who fear the might of the wicked,
for whom each step into the dark is filled with dread,
I pray to you, I ask your favor. Hekate,
who knows well of all things we mortals most fear,
who knows well how best to drive away all ill,
I ask your blessing. Goddess, preserve my home
and my family from evil, guard us well
against all that would do us harm. Goddess, hold back
the dangers of the dark, grant me wisdom and courage
that I may face my fears and my foes with open eyes.

Prayer to Zeus for Protection Among Strangers

Jan25

Great Zeus, Father Zeus, master of Olympos,
bearer of the thunderbolt whose might it is
that draws together the darkening clouds,
well-honored one, kind-hearted god to whom we turn
when we are far from home and family, I call to you.
Zeus, I am alone; I stand in the sphere of strangers.
Friend of the foreigner, friend of the visitor,
friend of those who must rely on the good will
of those unknown, the kindness of the host
to the outsider, I pray to you, lead me
to a place of welcome, bring me safely home again.

Prayer to Hermes for a Safe Journey

Jan25

Swift-footed Hermes, friend of the traveler,
friend of those who find themselves far from their homes,
by will or by chance, I pray to you. Hermes,
who moves between the realms with authority and ease,
who leads men and women on their last, longest journey,
who stands at the crossroad, who watches the byways,
in you I place my trust, for by your might I know
that when I stumble I will rise again, that when
I choose my way I will choose aright. Hermes,
as I make my way through the world, whether I wander
or whether I walk my path with care, be with me.