Slim-ankled Artemis, free-footed, wild-haired girl,
with steps swift and silent you run through the wood,
your bow at the ready, your shafts sharp and deadly.
Far-shooting Artemis, keen of eye and strong of arm,
your aim ever true, you take your prey, goddess,
with a single strike. Artemis, I pray to you
as I begin my hunt–may my eyes be clear,
may my hand be steady, may the shots I fire
reach my target and no other, may any kill be quick.
I am grateful, goddess, for the meat on my table.
I am grateful, goddess, for the time I spend
in the cold, in the wood, hearing the silence;
I am grateful, goddess, for the time I spend
in your world. Grant that I take on this work
with honest intent, grant that I feel the weight
of what I do, grant that I honor the lives
that feed me. Mistress of the hunt, I pray to you.
Tag Archive | prayers
Prayer to Tyche (Eutykhia) for Good Fortune
I call to Tyche, friend of the Fates, mistress
of fair fortune who holds the rudder of all ships,
who bears the shining horn of Amalthea,
who wears the mural crown, whose face was graven
upon gold, tossed in the air when a choice need be made.
In times of old men named you Eutykhia;
they threw the dice with eyes tight shut and trusted
in your goodness. I call to you, Eutykhia,
I pray to you, O goddess, grant to me the good.
Prayer to Euthenia for Abundance
I pray to you, Euthenia, rich-tressed daughter
of Hephaistos and fair Aglaia, goddess
who grants the gift of abundance, that treasure
of certainty desired by all. I call to you,
Euthenia; I ask your favor. I pray to you
that we never hunger, that we never thirst,
that we ever have enough. I pray to you,
O goddess, free us from the fear of want,
grant to us the comfort of sufficiency.
Prayer to Hestia to Bless the Home
Home-loving Hestia, fair maid who sits by the fire,
first-born of fearful Kronos and deep-souled Rhea,
goddess who is the beating heart of every home,
tender of the altar flame, guardian of the gate,
I pray to you this day, I ask your favor.
All who pass this threshold pass into your realm,
O goddess; may all who dwell within these walls
be under your protection. Hestia, eldest
of the deathless gods, I ask your blessing
on my home and on my family. May we live
our lives in joy and love, may our larder be full,
may we be sheltered from storms, kept safe from all ill,
may only those who wish us well make their way
to our door. Be ever welcome in our home,
O Hestia; be ever present in our hearts.
Prayer to Ariadne for Adaptive Thinking
Clever Ariadne, child of seagirt Crete,
wise and cunning one whose agile mind finds purchase
on the frailest of notions, the slightest of signs,
goddess who turns, and turns, and turns again
until the way is clear. Ariadne, goddess,
I am blinded by expectation, shackled
by experience, bound to the proven and the known.
Open my mind to all that is possible,
light for me the paths long abandoned, long unknown.
Prayer to Ariadne to Find One’s Way Out of Difficulty
Gloried Ariadne, pure one, ancient one,
whose feet trod the ground of old and storied Crete,
mistress of the labyrinth, mistress of the serpent:
to every riddle there is an answer,
to every puzzle a solution, to every trap
a sweet release. Ariadne, you know the ways
of the tangled wood, you know of complexities,
and intricacies; where others see knots and snarls
you see the patterns of the world. Ariadne,
gracious one, I am confused, I fear to move,
I cannot find my way. I pray to you, goddess,
open my eyes to the path before me, guide me
on my journey, grant me steady footing, reveal
to me my missteps, bring me to a resolution.
Hephaistos
Hephaistos of the clever hands, the artist’s eye,
the craftsman’s care, ingenious Hephaistos who sees
what cannot be and brings it into the world,
inventive one whose works stir awe and wonder
in all who see, whose peerless jewels adorn the throats
of goddesses fair and mighty. Hephaistos,
friend of the blacksmith, the sculptor, the wright,
friend of all who seek to join the mind’s devises
to the work of the hands, granter of skill
and vision to those who honor your art, to those
who are called to your craft, to those who seek your favor.
Ariadne
Clever Ariadne, fairest daughter of Crete,
wise one, passionate one, goddess who knows much
of the heart and its demands, who woke all alone
on the white shores of Naxos, who was borne away
by wild-haired Dionysos to the high-reaching
halls of Olympos, to be his shining bride.
Graceful Ariadne, free-hearted one who dances
on the sand and in the temple, who knows the way
through any maze, who knows the way through any trouble.
Mistress of puzzles, mistress of answers, with wit
and with reflection you find the way to the self;
you find the way to the center and back again.
Hera
I praise you bright and noble Hera, great lady
of Olympos, gracious queen of the deathless gods,
dark-eyed goddess, fairest of the children of Rhea,
graceful and comely, cloaked in the starry skies,
garlanded in poppies fragrant and blood-red,
crowned in brightest gold, the lotus wand in your hand,
your form ever draped in the finest of silks,
majestic one whose blessing is sought by all,
whose gifts are treasured, whose favor is a surety
of good fortune. Hera, champion of great cities,
guardian of ancient Argos and the pretty isle
of Samos, warder of the bonds of marriage,
protector of women in the old world and the new,
unparalleled goddess, white-armed one, sovereign
of the high-reaching heavens, I honor your might.
To the Fates
I praise the Fates, careful crafters of destiny,
daughters of Night, daughters of Necessity,
sparing ones, kind-hearted ones, relentless ones,
goddesses who grant to each one his portion,
mighty ones who hold in hand each mortal life,
a thread spun smooth and fine as a spider’s web.
What is right, what is meet, is yours, O Moirae;
the power of Fate is the power of need,
the power of concord, the power of order.
The power of Fate is the power of death,
the power of life, each allotted as is fit.
Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos, goddesses wise
and ancient, who sing of what is, what was,
and of what will be, long-revered ones who in times
of old received libations of sweet honey,
I honor your calling, I thank you for your gifts.
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