All praise to wise Kronos, lord of the Golden Age,
son of the earth and the far-reaching sky.
Father you are of monsters and gods, father
of the gifts of the land, the golden grain,
the heavy-fruited trees. Bearer of the sickle,
Wielder of the scythe, yours it is to reap
what is sown, to harvest what is ready and ripe.
Kronos of the ancient feast, the temple broad
and strong, Kronos of Elysium, who wards
the best of humankind, I call to you.
I honor you, good and gracious Kronos,
I offer you my praise and seek your blessing.
Poseidea Rite
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
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.
Maimakteria Rite
Honoring: Zeus Maimaktes, or Blustering Zeus
Date: Exact date unknown, presumably held during the month of Maimakterion (late November-early December)
Season: The beginning of 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
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
To Zeus Maimaktes, Zeus who comes when the north wind blows,
we offer our praise, we make you welcome!
As the air grows chill around us, as the ground grows firm
beneath our feet, as the fields and trees grow barren,
as the earth takes its rest, then does the sky grow bold,
the gales grow fierce, the storm grow deadly cold. O Zeus
whose hand is in winter’s bluster and blast, who chooses
a season cruel or mild, we call to you this day!
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
We gather today for the Maimakteria, to celebrate Zeus Maimaktes, wild and blustering Zeus, who rules the winter months, to honor your power and to ask that you be merciful in the coming season.
Ritual body
To Zeus of the wild winds and the knife-sharp cold,
the snow and the sleet that cover road and field,
we call to you, O Zeus, be good, be gentle.
In your name of Maimaktes your might is great;
the storms that rise by your hand can stop the works
of men, can end the lives of those caught far
from shelter. O Zeus whose will it is that the season
be harsh or fair, be kind to us, we pray,
and spring will see us praise your name once more.
O Zeus Maimaktes, we thank you for your blessings.
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 Zeus Maimaktes, Zeus of the storms of winter,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Zeus!
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, 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 men and women.
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.
For more information on ritual format, see my other blog.
A PDF version of the ritual script is available here.
Prayer to Artemis and Apollo to Protect the Young
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.
Chalkeia Rite
Honoring: Hephaistos and Athena as patrons of artisans and craftworkers
Date: 30 Pyanepsia (~ 11 November per HMEPA)
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 (wine or some other drink)
Libation bowl
Cup
Crafting implements to be blessed; these can include things like knitting needles, crochet hooks, paintbrushes, woodcarving tools and so forth.
Optional: Materials for making a peplos to be presented at Panathenaia
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
We call to Athena of the steel-grey eyes,
whose will it was that built the walls of Athens,
whose wisdom brought into being an age of greatness.
We call to Hephaistos of the fire and the forge,
whose keen eye and strong arm made from stone unrefined
the strongest of shields, the sharpest of blades.
O gods whose favor falls on the diligent
and the deft, the artist and the artisan,
the seamstress and the smith, the wright and the weaver,
all who work with craft and skill, whose hands grow calloused,
whose eyes grow dim, we ask your blessing on our art.
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
We gather today to celebrate the Chalkeia, the day of Athena and Hephaistos, patrons of craft and art. On this day we praise and honor the gods for their many gifts to humankind, we thank them for the skill and inspiration they provide us, and we ask their blessing on the tools we use in doing their work.
Blessing of crafting implements
Place crafting implements on the altar.
To Athena, who shapes the maker and the mind,
to Hephaistos, who crafts things of beauty and strength,
to you gods who guide the hands and hearts of men
and women as we bring into the world
that which has never been before: we thank you
for your gift of art and inspiration, we thank you
for your counsel and the vision you provide.
O gods of the workbasket, gods of the hammer
and tongs, we ask your blessing on these tools
that we may be strong and skillful in our work.
Remove crafting implements from the altar.
Creating the peplos to be presented at the Panathenaia
If you plan to craft a peplos for Athena to use in celebrating the next Panathenaia, now present the materials you’ll be using to make it—for example, yarn if you’ll be knitting, crocheting or weaving it, or fabric if you’ll be sewing it.
Great Athena, mistress of foresight, good advisor,
whose art and skill are unsurpassed, whose goodness
and bounty are far-famed, peerless goddess whose gifts
to mankind are well known, to you we promise
the gift of a new peplos, to be made by hand
with care and reverence from these materials.
Hold up materials.
O goddess, may you bless our work, may you be pleased
with our efforts and our devotion.
Remove materials from the altar.
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 great and gracious Athena, child of mighty Zeus,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Athena!
Pour out some wine into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.
To clever Hephaistos, great of strength, great of art,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Hephaistos!
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, 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 men and women.
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.
For more information on ritual format, see my other blog.
A PDF version of the ritual script is available here.
Genesia Rite
Honoring: Ge/Gaia and the Dead
Date: 4 Boedromion (18 September per HMEPA)
Region: Athens
This is a chthonic ritual and should, if possible, be held after dusk.
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—do not offer wine, as this ritual honors the dead and therefore is a chthonic ritual. Milk or water or honeyed water are some libation options; pour it out directly, do not drink. Likewise, other offerings (cakes or flowers, for example) should not be consumed but rather burned or buried.
Libation bowl and plate
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
O Gaia, great goddess, mother of all who live and die,
kind and gracious one, you carry the dead within your heart
as you carry the living upon your back. O Ge,
we stand upon your sod, you bear our weight, you give
us food and drink, our lives are yours, to nurture
or to take. Gaia from whom all existence springs,
we call to you with gratitude and praise.
O ancestors, first fathers, first mothers, we honor you,
O you whose blood runs in our veins, whose labor lay
the stone on which our houses stand. Long gone your days,
long gone your names, long gone the stories of your lives,
and yet we know you well, we know your might,
we know the bonds of kin and clan. Ancestors,
we call to you with gratitude and praise.
If ever we have honored you, poured out good drink
in reverence and love, O great ones, kindly ones,
hear now our prayers, grant now your blessings. Praise be to you!
Statement of purpose
We gather tonight to honor those who walked this world before us, our fathers’ fathers’ fathers, our mothers’ mothers’ mothers, all the founders of our families, all our forebears; we gather to remember. We gather too to pay homage to great Gaia, whose might brought forth all life, whose goodness sustains us.
Prayer to Gaia
O Gaia who is the source of all that is,
O first of first mothers, O giver of life and lives,
we call out to you. To you we owe life and being,
to you we owe existence. We thank you,
O goddess, for your care of the living and the dead.
We pray to you, O goddess, for your favor.
Prayer to the Ancestors
O ancestors, fathers and mothers long gone
from the world, great of wisdom, great of might,
we call out to you. To you we owe our lives;
to you we owe our fortunes. We thank you,
O kind ones, for luck granted and blessings bestowed.
We pray to you, O gracious ones, for favor.
Libations
Pour water, milk, or other non-wine liquid offering into cup, hold up filled cup.
To Gaia whose might creates and sustains us,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Ge!
Pour out offering onto the ground (or, if indoors, into the libation bowl to be poured outdoors later). Participants do not drink. Refill cup if necessary.
To those who gave us blood and breath, lineage and life,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O ancestors!
Pour out offering onto the ground (or, if indoors, into the libation bowl to be poured outdoors later). Participants do not drink.
Offering of food and/or flowers to the ancestors
Hold up the offering.
Ancestors, you who walked this world before us,
on whose work we build, in whose footsteps we follow,
whose faces we see when we look on our children,
whose voices we hear when they speak, we pray to you,
take this offering given with love and reverence.
Give offering in its entirety, either onto the ground if outdoors or on an offering plate if indoors, to eventually be burned or buried.
Thanks
We thank you for your presence this day
as we honor your might and your memory.
We thank you for your many blessings,
for the great gifts you grant to men and women.
With love and devotion we remember 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.
Pyanepsia Rite
Honoring: Apollo
Date: 6 Pyanepsion (19 October per HMEPA calendar)
Season: Fall harvest
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
Eiresione*
Libation
Offering of panspermia, a dish made with beans and grains**
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
Apollo, wise and mighty son of thundering Zeus
and great and gracious Leto, we honor you,
we praise your power. Apollo, friend of the poet
and the hero, long ago your favor fell
on Theseus, son of sea-dwelling Poseidon,
who slew the monstrous Minotaur of distant Crete.
Great perils followed Theseus upon his journey home;
once safe ashore, he made to you an offering,
a small and simple meal, yet richer than a feast
of kings, for with it were the ship’s stores bare.
Apollo who keeps at bay all ill and evil,
who wards each gate and door, I praise and honor 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 celebrate the Pyanepsia, remembering the many gifts given us by Apollo and offering him our thanks and our praise. Today we call to him to bless our homes, placing the eiresione over the front door as a sign of prosperity and plenty, and a reminder of our faith in the goodness of the gods.
The Eiresione
Hold up eiresione.
“The eiresione brings figs and cakes,
honey golden-sweet, oil to anoint us,
and good strong wine to make us sleep.” (Traditional chant)
May all within these walls be blessed;
may all within these walls be favored;
may only that which is good enter through this door:
health, wealth, and joy, good friends and good fortune!
Bring eiresione to front entrance, hang securely over door. Return to altar.
Alternatively the eiresione may be hung over a shrine or altar where Apollo is honored in your home.
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 drink into the libation bowl; hold up cup, refilling if necessary.
To Apollo, whose might protects and sustains the children of men,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Apollo!
Pour out some drink into the libation bowl. Place plate of panspermia or other bean/grain dish on the altar.
Apollo, we offer you this simple dish, in thanks for your many gifts and blessings, and in memory of the great service you performed so long ago for Theseus and his crew, for which they offered you the last of their meager provisions in thanks for your protection during their long and perilous journey. May it please you, O great god.
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 men and women.
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.
* The eiresione is an olive branch decorated with wool and hung with other items, possibly including fruit, bread, honey, oil and wine, which was offered during the Pyanepsia at Apollo’s temple as well as being hung at private homes after being carried through the streets by troupes of boys.
** The panspermia is a dish made from beans, grains and seeds. You can attempt to recreate the original dish, or you can use a modern equivalent (such as red beans and rice), as long as the ingredients are those that would be left when the larder was nearly empty—at the end of a sea voyage, for example, or before the new harvest has been reaped—so that the feast represents a gift that is both humble and significant.
Please note that if you are unable to prepare the panspermia dish, that section of the ritual may easily be omitted. Not everyone is a cook, not everyone is able to make food offerings in their home. 🙂
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.
Democratia Rite
Democratia
Honoring: The goddess Democratia (Democracy)
Date: 12 Boedromion
Season: Would be appropriate during civic or patriotic holidays, or on election days.
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
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.
Purification of participants
Light 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 gracious Democratia, goddess so dear
to us, so dear to those who honored our gods of old.
O goddess who gives a voice to all, who ensures
that the mighty hear our pleas, attend to our needs.
O goddess in whom reside our duty and our strength,
granter of wisdom with which to wield our rights
and pay our debts, to whom we are responsible,
for whom we fight and die, Democratia, goddess
of a hand both open and firm, we praise 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 gather to honor Democratia, great goddess of democracy, whose gifts to mankind are great. We thank you, O goddess, for the gift of freedom and the ability to exercise it. We thank you for our choices, both wise and foolish, and the will to make them. As the ancients did, we know your worth and treasure you for it, and we know as well the need to hold to you. May you be with us, O goddess, always and forever.
A prayer of thanks
To Democratia, wise one, fair one, well known
to the ancients who named you thus, friend of those
with the will to work within the world, that it may
be made better for all. Goddess, we thank you
for our freedom, we thank you for opportunity,
for the right to be heard and the right to decide.
Each time we think of the greater world, each time
we act with purpose and intent, each time we go
to cast our vote, we thank you and we honor you.
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 Democratia, who grants us each a voice and a vote,
We offer this drink; all praise to you, O Democratia!
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 men and women.
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.
For more information on ritual format, see my other blog at http://hearthfirehandworks.com/2015/09/22/festivals-some-elements-of-hellenic-ritual/.
A PDF version of the ritual script is available here.
Prayer to the Gods for the National Day of Prayer
May Hestia, who warms the hearth and brightens the home,
who is ever first in the hearts of mankind,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May great Zeus, bearer of the firebolt, granter
of rule to the worthy, upholder of the right,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May peerless Hera, friend of those who seek the joy
of marriage, the solace of companionship,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May grey-eyed Athena, protector of cities,
keeper of wisdom, who favors the virtuous,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May Demeter of field and flower, mistress
of all that grows in the earth, founder of the feast,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May golden Aphrodite, whose gift it is
to bring us together in love and compassion,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May swift-footed Hermes, guide of words and meaning,
who clears the way for unity and understanding,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May bright Apollo, lover of knowledge and beauty,
who keeps away all ill, who banishes all blight,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May Artemis of the woodland, mistress of beasts,
guardian of all that is innocent and wild,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
May noble Persephone, queen of light and dark,
comfort of the sorrowing and the bereft,
be with us: we honor you and praise your might.
Underflow 