Life of a Hellenic Polytheist

REMEMBER THE FALLEN Rememberance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day), it is a memorial a day where the UK and other commonwealth countries remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. We not only remember those who have died in Past wars but also current ones that are presently happening. " Rememberance Day is normally observed on the 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11day of the 11th month" in accordance with the Armistice, signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5;20 that morning. ("At the 11 hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour or 11:00am) World War I officially ended with the signing of teh Treaty of Versailles on June 28 1919. " (Wikipedia - Rememberance Day)  So why do we call it Poppy Day? Well the poppy has become a familiar emblem due to the poem "...

Hades Altar Now I know that Samhain /All Hallows Eve (Halloween) is NOT a Hellenic Holiday , but that shouldn't stop anyone from honouring those who have gone before you, be it a family , friends or even house pets we have had in the past. I for one never celebrated Halloween in my childhood as I always thought it was rediculous and more aimed at the consumers and supermarket as a ploy to market their sweet sales etc. Yet having converting to Paganism and Hellenism respectively I have come to terms with respecting and honouring the dead. Sadly My mother duly passed away back in 2001 I thought it is my duty to honour her. Now as this celebration is all about Death and ancestral honourings, it's only appropriate to honour a God of the Death. As I worship and honour the Greek Gods, Hades is the Greek God of the Underworld and the Dead with his Queen Persephone.  As the story goes, Hades "kidnaps" (there are sources which say "rapes Persephone",but I...

Hail to you Lord Hades ruler of the Underworld and Noble Queen Persephone We ask that you hear us and bless us this night as we honour you and give our love to our passed loved ones whom have gone before us. Grant us thy favour and protection as we give our messages to our loved ones whom we miss,  May they be able to board the boat of Charon the ferryman in peaceful serenity and without fear.  Great dark haired son of Kronus and great brother to the Mighty Zeus, we ask that you only allow through the veil and the gates of the afterlife those whom we love as well and keep all negative and evil entities out.  Great Hades and Persephone I/we bring thee both an offering of Insence and Food,  Take from it what you will and leave what you do not want.  May you keep us in your hearts and minds this Summer's end on this night as we pass into the the new season safely with your love and blessings of the Gods. Hail to Hades and Hail to Pers...

A friend of mine  asked how to get closer to his deity, but wasn't sure how to go about it. So it got me to thinking, "how can we get closer to our Gods/esses in everyday life, in addition to our prayers and our daily devotionals?" There are so many things that we can do to get closer to our gods in everyday life either as hobbies that we do or even become a professional in a particualr subject,activity or field. As some of you may or may not know I am a female cubscout leader for our local cubscouts group and when I first started out 5 year ago they were about to integrate gilrs within the cubs, which is a very new thing considering cubs is mainly for boys and girlscouts is mainly for girls, for obvious reasons. So as my fiance was already a leader, he roped me in with the whole idea of becoming the first young female leader (there were two other female leaders, but I was about 23  at the time). So of course I was interested and although we only had two girls in cub...

Hail to you O'beautiful and noble Lady Artemis, skilfull huntress and guardian of the wood, Protector of our children and animals of the world. We praise you and your might this day. O'skillful huntress of the ever shining Moon grant us thy favour, protection and strength we give thee reverance and honour. Great blessed daughter of the Mighty Zeus and Leto and twin sister to our blessed Lord Phoebus Apollo, I bring thee offerings of Pine insence and water. May you grant me the strength and courage to fight for independence. Hail to you O'skillful markswoman of the far shooting silver bow and arrows, You who with your loyal hunting hounds are in ever pursuit of the stag. Keeper and guardian of the forests and nature We praise and honour you this day For you are the one voice amongst many Hail to you O'blessed Lady Artemis 

Well this week has been an interesting one and this Tuesday was no exception. I was out and about my local town and went window shopping in my local charity shops, of which are many. So you can imagine my joy when I came across a Greek plate in the Cancer Research Charity shop.the plate depicted the image of Hermes! I instantly had to have it and only when I got to my friends house that is discovered the following. The depiction on the plate was of Sarpedon King of Lycia, being wounded and is carried by Hypnos and Thanatos (in greek lettering) with Hermes overlooking them in the middle "Sarpedon King of Lycia. He had gone to Troy to help Priam and was supposedly teh son of Zeusand Europaand the brother of Minos and Rhadamanthos. Some believed that he was the son of Zeus and Laodamaeia, daughter of Bellerophon. Although he was the son of a god, he lost his life through a javelin that was thrown by Patroklos. On the orders of Zeus, Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (Death) undertook to ...

XXX. TO EARTH THE MOTHER OF ALL   I will sing of well-founded Earth, mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store. Through you, O queen, men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away. Happy is the man whom you delight to honour! He has all things abundantly: his fruitful land is laden with corn, his pastures are covered with cattle, and his house is filled with good things. Such men rule orderly in their cities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sons exult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bands play and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is it with those whom you honour O holy goddess, bountiful spirit. Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Heaven; f...

XX. TO HEPHAESTUS     Sing, clear-voiced Muses, of Hephaestus famed for inventions. With bright-eyed Athene he taught men glorious gifts throughout the world, -- men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaestus the famed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round. Be gracious, Hephaestus, and grant me success and prosperity!

XXII To Poseidon I begin to sing about Poseidon ,the great God, mover of the earth and fruitless sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Helicon and wide Aegae. A two fold office the gods allotted to you, O' shaker of the earth, to be a tamer of horse and saviour of ships! Hail Poseidon , holder of the Earth, dark haired lord! O'blessed one, be kindly in heart and help those who voyage in ships.

Many people appreciate lavendar (lavandula agotifolia or lavandula officinalis) for its wonderful and delicate fragrance, used in soaps, shampoos and sachets for scenting clothes. The name Lavender comes form teh Latin root lavare , which actually means "to wash" . And lavender may have earned this name because it was frequently used in baths to help purify the body and spirit. However, this herb has also been used as a remedy for a range of ailments from insomnia and anxiety to depression and fatigue, and relatively recent research has indeed confirmed that lavender produces slight calming , soothing and sedative effects when its scent is inhaled and /or consumed. The cultural symbolism and communication message medium came to full expanse and an d'culmination during the victorian ers. Many flowers during that time were thought to culturally embody a different emotion or characteristic, which was then used to communicate messages , allowing individuals to express f...

XVII. TO PLUTO [PLOUTON] Pluto [Plouton], magnanimous, whose realms profound are fix'd beneath the firm and solid ground. In the Tartarian plains remote from fight,  and wrapt forever in the depths of night; Terrestrial Jove [Zeus Khthonios], thy sacred ear incline,  and, pleas'd, accept thy mystic's hymn divine. Earth's keys to thee, illustrious king belong,  its secret gates unlocking, deep and strong. ' Tis thine, abundant annual fruits to bear,  for needy mortals are thy constant care. To thee, great king, Avernus is assign'd,  the seat of Gods, and basis of mankind. Thy throne is fix'd in Hade's dismal plains,  distant,  unknown to rest, where darkness reigns; Where, destitute of breath, pale spectres dwell,  in endless, dire, inexorable hell; And in dread Acheron, whose depths obscure,  earth's stable roots eternally secure. O mighty dæmon, whose decision dread,  the future fat...

XII. TO HERA I sing of golden-throned Hera whom Rhea bare. Queen of the immortals is she, surpassing all in beauty: she is the sister and the wife of loud-thundering Zeus, -- the glorious one whom all the blessed throughout high Olympus reverence and honour even as Zeus who delights in thunder. Hail Hera Queen of all Olympus! 

XXIII. To the Son of Cronos, Most High  I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest,   all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of   wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be   gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great! Hail to you Zeus 

XVIII. TO HERMES I sing of Cyllenian Hermes, the Slayer of Argus, lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, luck-bringing messenger of the deathless gods. He was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she had made with Zeus, -- a shy goddess she. Ever she avoided the throng of the blessed gods and lived in a shadowy cave, and there the Son of Cronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymph at dead of night, while white-armed Hera lay bound in sweet sleep: and neither deathless god nor mortal man knew it. And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia; with you I have begun: now I will turn to another song!  Hail, Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and giver of good things!    

Yesterday I got the chance to go into town to do some much beloved  window shopping. I don't necessarily buy  things that I "want" rather that I need, but today yesterday wanted to treat myself to a few little things I have been wanting to get. As few of these things were an acrylic paint set, and maybe a few nick nacks if there was any in the charity shops, which i think are great for jazzing up your altar space. My altar is quite a small one at the moment , but I'm hoping to get a bigger space once the house has been redecorated. Green Ivy cup/vase So I went to my local British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity shop and found loads of Pagan statues such as a beautiful gold and blue statue of Isis and a few dragon statues but unfortunately they were quite  pricey given teh facthey were in a charity shop. I also came across a lovely little black and gold vase, which had   depictions of dionysus on it and another another vase/ handless cup which had a lovely ivy ...

Glorious and Eternal immortal rulers of all that is, You who sit on the thrones of Olympus, Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes, and Dionysus. I do not pray for myself this day , but for all the world. We need the wisdom and blessings of you all. I ask for  Zeus’ great leadership,  Heras Protection to all women,  Aphodites love and nature to spread to all on Earth,  PoseidonsTrident to defend the Oceans of Gaia that are under attack from pollution ,  Demeters peace to fill our hearts and the blessings of the land and crops to feed the hungry , To Artemis to give power women oppressed and protect the wilderness and the creatures within and to watch over and protect the infants and children of mankind. To Apollo for his healing touch to be placed upon all the sick and ill, To Hephaestus creativity to be the fire in our hearts,  To Ares to destroy all the dangers to humanity and Ga...

XXIV To Hestia 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 XXIX To Hestia Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortals hold no banquet, -- where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last. And you, 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 us, you and 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. Hail, Daughter of Cronos, and you also, ...

XXVI. TO DIONYSUS  I begin to sing of ivy-crowned Dionysus, the loud-crying god, splendid son of Zeus and glorious Semele. The rich-haired Nymphs received him in their bosoms from the lord his father and fostered and nurtured him carefully in the dells of Nysa, where by the will of his father he grew up in a sweet-smelling cave, being reckoned among the immortals. But when the goddesses had brought him up, a god oft hymned, then began he to wander continually through the woody coombes, thickly wreathed with ivy and laurel. And the Nymphs followed in his train with him for their leader; and the boundless forest was filled with their outcry. And so hail to you, Dionysus, god of abundant clusters! Grant that we may come again rejoicing to this season, and from that season onwards for many a year.

VI. TO APHRODITE   I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There the moist breath of the western wind wafted her over the waves of the loud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-filleted Hours welcomed her joyously. They clothed her with heavenly garments: on her head they put a fine, well-wrought crown of gold, and in her pierced ears they hung ornaments of orichalc and precious gold, and adorned her with golden necklaces over her soft neck and snow-white breasts, jewels which the gold-filleted Hours wear themselves whenever they go to their father's house to join the lovely dances of the gods. And when they had fully decked her, they brought her to the gods, who welcomed her when they saw her, giving her their hands. Each one of them prayed that he might lead her home to be his wedded wife, so greatly were they amazed at the beauty of violet-crowned Cytherea. Hail, sweet...

XXI. TO APOLLO Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying river Peneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitched lyre, always sings both first and last. And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favour with my song.     III. TO APOLLO How, then, shall I sing of you who in all ways are a worthy theme of song? For everywhere, O Phoebus, the whole range of song is fallen to you, both over the mainland that rears heifers and over the isles. All mountain-peaks and high headlands of lofty hills and rivers flowing out to the deep and beaches sloping seawards and havens of the sea are your delight. Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to be the joy of men, as she rested against Mount Cynthus in that rocky isle, in sea-girt Delos -- while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwards driven by shrill winds -- whence arising you rule over all mortal men? ...

The Month of Hephaestus is now over, but I wanted to share with you how to go about setting one up and my experiences. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to altar setups as what you put on it is entirely up to you. I personally like a rather basic "Uncluttered" altar as I believe that less is more, rather than slamming down every imaginable object you have in sight. Altar Set Up Altar Cloth Red , Orange or black Statue/picture As I do not have a statue I had to make do with a picture to which i coloured in with a red and orange background signifying his working in a blacksmiths. He is also a God of fire since he works a lot with it by smelting metals. Objects & Symbols Now the Smith Gods main tool is the Hammer and anvil I didn't think that a full sized hammer would look too well on my small altar, so what I did was to do a makeshift small hammer and anvil out of Lego bits which I thought worked extremely well , given its smaller size. As you...

Cerberus guarding the Gates to the Underworld Well all know what the underworld holds and who is the king of teh Underworld, that being Hades, who rules alongside his beloved Persephone during 6 months of teh Year of which we call Autumn and Winter. There is no denying how powerful Hades really is, but to be able to get to him, you have to surpass his ever loyal and fierce Guard Dog CERBERUS.  What is Cerberus and where did he come from? Cerberus  guards the gates of the  Underworld , to prevent those who have crossed the river  Styx  from ever escaping. " Cerberus was the offspring of  Echidna , a hybrid half-woman and half-serpent, and  Typhon , a fire-breathing giant whom even the Greek gods feared. Its brother is  Orthrus , always depicted as a two-headed  hellhound .  The common depiction of Cerberus in Greek mythology and art is as having three heads. In most works the three-heads each respectively see and represent the p...

The Month of Artemis has finally arrived and I thought it would only befitting that I write about how I would go about celebrating Her month , what Artemis means to me and how I incorporate and worship her in my daily life. Altar: Month of Artemis Altar For my Month of Artemis altar I went all out, as I think that she embodies a lot of things, such as female independance, child carer /mother figure, and most of all eco-warrior and huntress of wildlife a well as carer of of the animals. As you can see on my altar, I chose to use my brass stag deer and doe, specifically the stag to the right as it represents the masculine side for me and the doe on the left as being the female side. with the picture of Artemis in the middle. In a way the Stag looks as though he is "hailing" Artemis and the Doe "bowing " in Artemis's great honour. I also put on my altar a brass dog in front of her picture, to represent her hunting hounds as well as protecting her and ...

XXVIII. TO ATHENA  (ll. 1-16)  I begin to sing of Pallas Athena, the glorious goddess, bright-eyed, inventive, unbending of heart, pure virgin, saviour of cities, courageous.  From his awful head wise Zeus himself bare her arrayed in warlike arms of flashing gold, and awe seized all the gods as they gazed. But Athena sprang quickly from the immortal head and stood before Zeus who holds the aegis, shaking a sharp spear: great Olympos began to reel horribly at the might of the grey-eyed goddess, and earth round about cried fearfully, and the sea was moved and tossed with dark waves, while foam burst forth suddenly: the bright Son of Hyperion [the Sun] stopped his swift-footed horses a long while, until the maiden Pallas Athena had stripped the heavenly armour from her immortal shoulders. And wise Zeus was glad. Hail to you, daughter of Zeus who holds the Aegis!

VIII. TO ARES  (ll. 1-17)  Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden- helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defence of Olympus, father of warlike Victory, ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aether wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred ...

XIX. TO PAN  (ll. 1-26)  Muse, tell me about Pan, the dear son of Hermes, with his goat's feet and two horns -- a lover of merry noise. Through wooded glades he wanders with dancing nymphs who foot it on some sheer cliff's edge, calling upon Pan, the shepherd-god, long- haired, unkempt. He has every snowy crest and the mountain peaks and rocky crests for his domain; hither and thither he goes through the close thickets, now lured by soft streams, and now he presses on amongst towering crags and climbs up to the highest peak that overlooks the flocks. Often he courses through the glistening high mountains, and often on the shouldered hills he speeds along slaying wild beasts, this keen-eyed god. Only at evening, as he returns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on his pipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody -- that bird who in flower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves. At that hour the clea...

XXVII. TO ARTEMIS  (ll. 1-20)  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 ...

We sing to the heavens , To the Olympians we praise. With the loudest songs of glory speak to this world. Let your divine light break through the clouds of time We shall serve you with all of our life,  Heart mind and soul. Let the people see you through us in the name of Olympus Earth kneels at the sound of your names,  all of you who sit on the thrones of heaven, Let your people prosper and be your messengers to this world that is forgotten . Let Athena’s shield be the protection of the weak and courageous Let Artemises bow and arrow be the strength of the women surpressed Let Lord Apollos Sun be the light for those who are lost in darkness May Aphrodites Love be the teacher of our nature May All the Gods see us through their wisdom and power In the name of Olympus Let it be so