Notes: This
ritual was written as an option for a monthly devotional to Hermes. 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 him on the 4th day of the lunar month, but you could also
worship him on the 4th 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 Hermes:
Recite/read
first hymn:
“Sing, O
Muse, of the son of Zeus and Maia,
Lord of
Arcadia and Cyllene rich in flocks,
Messenger
of gods and bringer of luck,
Borne by
Maia of the beautiful hair
Who
brought forth to the light a remarkable child,
Devious,
winning in his cleverness,
A robber,
a driver of cattle,
A guide of
dreams, a wind of opportunity,
A spy in
the night, a watcher at the door,
Born at
dawn, inventing the lyre by midday,
Stealing
by evening the flocks of far-shooting Apollo.
Thrice-magical
Trismegistus, watcher of magicians
And bearer
of the serpents who heal,
Father of
Hermaphroditos, both woman and man,
Embracer
of both woman and man,
Lover of
Aphrodite,
Lord of
Speed in all its forms,
I feel
your passing like a breath of wind!
Bring me
skill and luck, O God of the Stone Herm,
And may
all our roads be marked first with your winged feet.”
[Invocation
of Hermes from: http://www.cauldronfarm.com/bookofhours/rituals/hermes.html,
altered slightly]
[Pour
first libation to Hermes]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“Hear me,
Hermes Lógios, of speech, Hermes Khthónio, [khthonic,, Hermes Enódios, of the
road, or by whichever name you wish to be called. The son of Zeus and Maia, you were born at the dawn, at mid-day
played the lyre, and in the evening you stole the cattle of far-shooting
Apollon on the fourth day of the month.
You are the lord over all birds of omen and grim-eyed lions, and boars
with gleaming tusks, and over dogs and all flocks that the wide earth
nourishes, and over all sheep. Hail,
Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and giver of good things! Be present, Hermes, assist my works, grant
me eloquence and flawless memories, and conclude my lives with peace.”
[from the
Hellenion Proto-Demos tes Hagnes Persephones, altered slightly]
[Pour
second libation to Hermes]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“Hear me,
Hermes, messenger of Zeus, son of Maia;
almighty
is your heart, O lord of the deceased and judge of contests;
gentle and
clever, O Argeiphontes, you are a guide
whose
sandals fly, and a man-loving prophet to mortals.
You are
vigorous and you delight in exercise and in deceit;
interpreter
of all, you are a profiteer who frees us of cares
and who
holds in his hands the blameless tool of peace.
Lord of
Koykos, blessed, helpful and skilled in words,
you assist
in work, you are a friend of mortals in need,
and you
wield the dreaded and respected weapon of speech.
Hear my
prayer and grant a good end to a life
of
industry, gracious talk, and mindfulness.”
[Orphic
hymn, translation by A. Athanassakis]
[Pour
third libation to Hermes]
Recite/read
next hymn:
“Hermes,
eternal messenger.
Guardian
of the invisible door.
I invoke
you!
Hermes
bearer of the secret flame.
The true
light of the mind.
I invoke
you!
Hermes,
patron of scribes.
Dispeller
of ignorance.
I invoke
you!
Make open
the revelations in the eternal book.
Arouse the
serpents within us.
Exalt the
winged globe of the spirit.
Awaken the
sleeping children of the earth.
And raise
them unto the stars.”
[Invocation
of Hermes, from: http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_hermesinvoke.htm,
altered slightly]
“Slayer of Argus, Son of Zeus and Maia, messenger of the blessed gods, bearer of the golden rod, giver of good, be favourable and help me, along with Hestia, the worshipful and dear. Come and dwell in this glorious house in friendship together; for you two, well knowing the noble actions of men, aid on their wisdom and their strength.”
[From the
Homeric Hymn to Hermes and Hestia, altered slightly]
[Pour
final libation to Hermes]
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 Hermes 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]