Shining Demeter, queen of the fruitful earth,
daughter of great-bosomed Rhea of ancient name,
mother of Persephone, friend of the farmer,
friend of all those who hold hope in their hearts.
You hold in your hands the warm black soil, Demeter,
you hold in your hands the lives of men and women.
By your will it is, goddess, that the fields flourish,
the trees bear sweet fruit; by your goodness it is
that we harvest food enough to feed our families.
Kind you are, Demeter, benevolent one,
and yet never should your favor be presumed,
for your wrath is such that it could end all lives
if such was your desire. Your gifts are precious,
O Demeter, more precious than the gold and jewels
that lie beneath the new-sown seeds; your blessings
are the air we breathe, the bread we eat. Blessed goddess,
Demeter of the great heart, we thank you each day
for all you have given us, all we know of life.
Tag Archive | prayers
Athena
Steel-eyed Athena, wisest of goddesses,
daughter of thundering Zeus and Metis of good counsel,
patron of great heroes and adventurers,
advisor of princes and kings, your favor falls
on the bold and the clever, on those who dare
and those who tempt the noble Fates. Athena,
weaver of the finest, fairest tapestries,
teacher of art and craft to mortal artisans,
worker of metals, your soft hands guide the flow
of molten ore. Leader of battles, warrior maid,
of tactics and of strategy you know all,
of clever trickery and wiles you are the master;
with words and wit you may win much, with strength of arm
and sharpened sword, at need, you take all contests.
Athena of wisdom, Athena of skills,
goddess of the agile mind, for your works I praise you.
Artemis
I praise bright Artemis, fair as the budding branch,
fair as the spotted fawn, brave as the young bear.
From crafty Hephaistos you took the artful bow,
the sharp-barbed shafts; from father Zeus
you claimed your calling. Far-shooting Artemis,
through the thick of the darkened wood you make your way,
trailing boar and hare, swiftly and silently,
your aim ever flawless, ever kind. Artemis,
light-bringer, mountain-dweller, graceful one who runs
through thorn and thistle with never a scratch, goddess
unparalleled, friend of mothers in their travail,
friend of maidens, friend of the pretty nymphs,
in old Arcadia you roamed the wilderness,
in Tauris you took the blood of men, in Ephesus
you wore the mural crown. The fire of youth
is in you, goddess, the bold and valiant spirit
that marks a child as yours. Free-hearted Artemis,
worthy daughter of Leto, I honor you always.
Ares
Ares, bright-armored bearer of spear and shield,
son of noble Zeus and wise and watchful Hera,
beloved of deep-hearted Aphrodite,
father of fear, father of sweet harmony,
in all the realms no one knows more the depths
and heights to which necessity may drive mankind.
Fair of form you are, O Ares, strong of arm
and fleet of foot, clever in the ways of strife,
ever-wary defender of the city gate,
granter of the sense that keeps safe the soldier,
holder of the hearts of those in direst need.
Dear to you are war dogs and carrion-birds,
beasts that feed on blood and carnage, that
flourish in the barren fields of battle. Ares,
saviour of cities, shaker of spears, bright-helmed
one who lends strength to the weak, courage to the fearful,
will to the clouded and vengeance to the wronged,
I thank you for your gifts, I honor your calling.
Prayer to Zeus for Safety from the Storm
Glorious Zeus, king of the starry heavens, master
of the thunderstorm, swift-striking hurler
of firebolt and hailstone, we know your might well,
in torrents of rain, in winds that tear a man
from mother Gaia’s embrace. The summer showers
are yours, O Zeus, that bring the earth to life each year;
yours too is the windstorm, the cyclone, the typhoon.
Each season’s storms, O Zeus, that bear the names
of women and men, are yours to guide; your hand
it is that brings winged death to one house
while its neighbor stands untouched. I pray to you,
O god of the lightning, god of the wild winds,
grant to us your blessing, grant to us your favor,
grant to us your good will. O kind-hearted Zeus,
I pray to you, keep from us the terror of the storm.
Prayer to Poseidon that the Earth be Calm
Poseidon, earth-shaker, master of all
the waters of the world, your hand we see
in the trembling earth and the roiling seas;
by your will does the land beneath our feet
convulse and split open, by your might do waves
crest and crash on the shore, breaking the works
of men beneath. Many are the names
we give to your rage–tremor, tsunami,
landslide, surge–yet all are within your power
to compel or to conclude. Poseidon,
I pray to you, have mercy on the children
of men, still and subdue the wrathful earth.
Prayer to Demeter for a Good Harvest
Demeter, gracious goddess who grants to mankind
the gift of grain, whose might it is that brings the trees
to fruit, whose hand we see as buds become blossoms,
who taught to men the art of the seed, whose blessing
we beg, whose wrath we dread, goddess, I pray to you.
The green shoot is yours, Demeter, and the root
that clings to the black soil. In one fair arm you hold
a sheaf of golden wheat, in the other a poppy,
blood-red and fragrant; by your good will we are fed
in body and in soul. Essential Demeter,
friend of the farmer, by whose power do we survive,
I pray to you, show to us a fruitful season,
bless us with an abundant harvest, food enough
to bring us through the long winter. For your goodness
and your kindness we thank you, Demeter; for your
favor we pray to you, O bountiful goddess!
Prayer to Zeus, Gaia and Helios for the Witnessing of an Oath
I call to Zeus, great lord of Olympos,
upholder of order, upholder of truth,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
I call to broad-bosomed Gaia, mother
of all that is, who knows of all her children,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
I call to all-seeing Helios, driver
of the chariot of the sun, bright-haired god,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
Hear me, O deathless ones; mark my words
on this day, in this place. Hold me to my vow,
I pray to you, for I bind myself
freely and willingly with this pledge.
Prayer to Dike that Justice Be Done
Wise and watchful Dike, daughter of thundering Zeus
and Themis in whom order resides, goddess
never forgotten, we know you now as Justice,
sword and scales in hand. Before the court you stand
in silence, keeper of truth, champion of the right,
upholder of integrity; you reward the honest man
and punish the wrong-doer, the wicked and the false.
Blessed Dike, the court is your temple
and to you do I offer my prayers for justice.
Grant to all concerned your honorable spirit,
O goddess; may all words spoken under oath
be whole and true. May all those who hold mastery
and might be of good intent, may they be fair-minded,
may they deem reason and righteousness to be
most grave and weighty matters. Dike who knows
the guiltless from the errant, I pray to you.
Prayer to Apollo in Time of Plague
Fair Apollo, son of thundering Zeus who holds
in his hands the order of the world, golden god
who parcels health and illness to all as is fit,
who holds the door against disease or lets it in,
all at your will. Apollo, we thank you for health,
we thank you for the gifts of modern medicine
and the gifts of traditional cures and healing.
We thank you a world in which plague and pandemic
are uncommon. Yet what is rare still exists,
O Paean, and is as deadly as ever it was.
Great Apollo, kind-hearted god, I pray to you,
protect us from all ill. Keep from our gates infirmity
and affliction, turn away the epidemic and the blight.
Apollo, mighty one in whose power it lies
to bless us with relief from all maladies,
to end a pestilence, I pray for your favor.
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