Notes: This
ritual was written as an option for a monthly devotional to Artemis. I noticed that on the ancient Athenian
calendar the honored many of the gods monthly, but we do not have a lot of
information about the rituals that they used.
I wanted to create something simple and pretty casual for use
monthly. You do not need to do it on a
specific day. Ancient Athenians often
worshiped her on the 6th day of the lunar month, but you could also
worship her on the 6th day of the modern calendar, a day you
arbitrarily pick that you like, or multiple days throughout the month. Make it your own!
Also, this
is quite a long ritual and may not be suitable for the hectic lives many of us
lead. Because of that, I have also
created another version of the ritual that is much shorter that I will post in
another link. Feel free to make any
other changes that would better suit you as well.
This
ritual is written for one person (since many of us are solitary practitioners),
but should be able to be expanded quite easily to accommodate more if needed.
Begin your
ritual by cleansing yourself of miasma:
This can best be done by washing and dressing in clean clothing or
simply just washing your hands and/or face.
You may do the latter either by using khernips (or blessed water)
or perhaps simply an herbal soap that has a scent that puts you in the frame of
mind for ritual. The purpose of this is
to help cleanse oneself of miasma before ritual out of respect for the
gods. (More on miasma and ritual
preparation can be found here: http://persephones.250free.com/preparation.html)
Process
toward the altar:
It doesn’t have to be fine, but it’s nice to approach the altar
mindfully. If you do not have an altar,
it is nice to set up a temporary altar-style space on a table or bookshelf
where you can put either a statuette of the goddess, pictures of her, items
that remind you of her, etc. Think of
it as a place dedicated to the goddess for your ritual, sort of like setting up
something for a special event.
Light the
hearth fire: Once in front of
the altar space, light the hearth fire (fireplace, grill, etc.) or a candle
representing it. As you light the fire, recite the following excerpt from the
Homeric Hymns:
Hestia,
you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, the Far-shooter at goodly
Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from your locks, come now into this house,
come, having one mind with Zeus the all-wise -- draw near, and withal bestow
grace upon my song.
Purification: Next is
the ritual purification. State aloud:
"Hekas,
hekas, este bebeloi! Let the profane ones depart!"
(If you are
nervous about the Greek words, just saying the English half is fine)
At this
point, many people scatter barley over the altar to purify it. If you do not have barley on hand, it is my
opinion that you may skip this step.
YMMV. Some people will also
sprinkle khernips on the altar as well.
Again, YMMV.
Libation
to Hestia: After the purification, prepare what you intend to libate
for the ritual. Things such as wine,
water, olive oil, and honey are often used for this, but there are many other
options as well. This is when you would
need to have them ready.
Note: For the
libations themselves, if I am inside I will pour them into a designated bowl on
the altar space and pour the offerings outside after a few hours on the altar
or just after the ritual. If I am
outside, I pour the libations onto the earth/ground.
First,
pour a libation of your offering to Hestia while saying:
“For
Hestia! Yours is always first and last!”
(It is
traditional that the goddess Hestia gets the first and last portion or libation
in every ritual.)
Libations
to Artemis:
Recite/read
first hymn:
“Hail,
Lady of the deer hunt!
You who
are both hunter and hunted,
You who
wield the bow
And bring
the prey to their knees,
You who
are the doe
Who flees
and eludes the pursuers,
Come to us
and bless our hunt!
We too
seek in the darkness,
We too
flee through the darkness,
We too are
both predator and prey.
Virgin of
the crescent moon,
Who is
called She Who Slays,
Fearless
huntress, skilled tracker,
Shy deer
who runs from our
Groping
hands and clumsy feet,
Ray of
moonlight that shows
Secrets
beneath the forest leaves
That are
glimpsed once and then
Never seen
again in our lifetimes,
Archer
with the fierce pack
Who hounds
us through our weaknesses
And will
not let us compromise,
Remind us
that to shun compromise is to remain true
To
something that we must keep alive or lose.”
[From:
Invocation to Artemis:
http://www.cauldronfarm.com/bookofhours/rituals/elaphebolia.html]
[Pour
first libation to Artemis]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“Muse,
sing of Artemis, sister of the Far-shooter, the virgin who delights in arrows,
who was fostered with Apollo. She
waters her horses from Meles deep in reeds, and swiftly drives her all-golden
chariot through Smyrna to vine-clad Claros where Apollo, god of the silver bow,
sits waiting for the far-shooting goddess who delights in arrows.”
[Excerpt
from one of the Homeric Hymn to Artemis:
From:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Hesiod/hymns.html]
[Pour
second libation to Artemis]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“I sing of
Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden,
shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden
sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy
peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous
shafts. The tops of the high mountains
tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts:
earthquakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the
race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this
huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great
house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to
order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and
leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly
voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals
both in thought and in deed.”
[Excerpt
from another Homeric Hymn to Artemis:
From: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Hesiod/hymns.html]
[Pour
third libation to Artemis]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“Hear me,
O queen, Zeus’ daughter of many names,
Titanic
and Bacchic, reverend, renowned archer,
torch-bearing
goddess bringing light to all, Diktynna, helper at childbirth.
You aid
women in labor, though you know not what labor is.
O
frenzy-loving huntress, you loosen girdles and drive cares away;
swift,
arrow-pouring, you love the outdoors and you roam in the night.
Fame-bringing,
affable, redeeming, mannish,
Orthia,
goddess of swift birth, nurturer of mortal youths.
Immortal
and yet of this earth, you slay wild beasts, O blessed one,
and your
realm is in the mountain forests. You hunt deer,
O august
and might queen of all, fair blossoms, eternal,
sylvan,
dog-loving, many-shaped lady of Kydonia.
Come, dear
goddess, as savior, accessible to all
the
initiates and bring earth’s fair fruits
and lovely
Peace and well-tressed Health;
and do
banish disease and pain to mountain peaks.”
[From the
Orphic Hymn to Artemis (#36)
Translation by A. Athanassakis]
[Pour
final libation to Artemis]
Other
offerings/hymns: At this
time, feel free to add any other personal poetry, hymns, songs, etc. that you
would like to add. Make the ritual
personal! I also find that this is a
good time to just sit in the presence of Artemis and perhaps even communicate
with her (prayers, requests, praises, etc.).
Ritual
closing: Once all offerings are complete, to end the ritual, a final
offering is poured to Hestia and the following words are spoken:
“As long
as hearth fires burn, the blessing of Hestia is upon us. Praise Hestia, for you always come first and
last!”
[Pour
libation to Hestia]