War Goddess.net - Living With the Gods, by Sannion

Living With the Gods, by Sannion

For many people, religion too often becomes an afterthought. They may take pride in their religious affiliation, make a big show of participating on holidays or other special occasions, and when they have need of something, they're quick to approach the Gods - but what about the rest of the time?

For me, ideally, religion is something woven into the fabric of a life. I strive to be aware of the constant presence of the Gods and to honor them in both small and large ways. When I wake, I pause for a few moments and meditate on Helios as he slowly ascends the morning sky, painting the mountains outside my window with pastel pinks and oranges. When I eat, I reflect on the gifts of Demeter, Zeus, and Dionysos, thankful for the nourishment I receive from them. Whenever something lucky happens - when I find a $5 bill, or the light changes at the crosswalk so I don't have to wait - I thank Hermes. Making love, listening to music, taking a walk, the sudden inspiration to write, overcoming difficult obstacles - each of these and countless other occurrences throughout the day are presided over by an assortment of divinities. (Think Thales of Miletos' saying, "Everything is full of Gods," or the Talmudic proverb, "Every blade of grass has it's angel who bends over it and whispers, 'Grow!'") Each God has their special sphere, an area that they are uniquely interested in, and which act, when performed mindfully, serves to honor them. With this mindset, the chasm between the sacred and the profane, the divine and the commonplace narrows - and perhaps even disappears altogether. Participation in life becomes a constant holy task when one keeps their mind fixed upon the Gods who permeate the world.

Besides striving to maintain this God-saturated mentality, I honor them through worship. Principally through prayer and sacrifice.

I try to observe the schedule of sacrifices as set down by Hesiod in Works and Days. For instance, on the second day I honor the Agathos Daimon, on the third Athene, on the fourth Hermes, on the sixth Artemis, the seventh Apollo and so on. I've supplemented this with material found in the Athenian sacred calendar, among others, as well as made a few innovations of my own.

Dionysos is my patron, and I wanted to have a regular observance for him, like many of the other Gods. So I put some thought into it and decided that the thirteenth day of the Hellenic month would be sacred to him. The reason that I chose the thirteenth for him was because in many accounts he was included in the Dodecatheoi or Twelve Gods of Olympos. However, to do that one must exclude another God - usually Hestia. Making Dionysos the Thirteenth God solved this problem, allowing him to be counted among the Great Gods, while not excluding any. It also emphasized his status as an outsider, one who completes but also begins a new cycle, etc etc. (An interesting side note. I figured this would be a bit of personal gnosis, something to benefit my private practice and anyone else who chose to adopt the custom, such as the Thiasos Dionysos. But then I began to notice that many of his festivals fell on or around the thirteenth day - so perhaps there was more to this innovation than I had originally thought!)

This is the routine I follow for my sacrifices:

- Purification: First I make sure that the altar is arranged properly, and clean off any incense ash, previous offerings, or dust that may have accumulated since last time. Then I wash my hands in a bowl of lustral water, or khernips. (You create this holy water by consecrating it with fire i.e. dipping a burning branch into it or by mixing it with sea salt and reciting a blessing over it.)

- Pompe: Once everything is set up, I take a few steps away, and then approach the altar with slow, steady steps, mindful of entering the presence of the deity.

- Fumugation: When I light incense, it's either a specific mixture for a God, like I've detailed in the Compendium of the Gods, or something general such as frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, or nag champa.

- Hymnodia: When I recite a hymn to the Gods, I generally use those of Homer or Orpheus - though Archiloukos, Pindar and Sappho have some good material too - or else I use something I've composed myself. While I read, I think about the God I'm honoring and will often spend a couple moments meditating on them afterwards. Alternately, you may choose to read a story about one of the God's myths at this time.

- Thusia: For the sacrifice itself, I place my offering in a bowl in front of the God's image, or on the altar, usually after holding it aloft for a couple moments. The sacrifice may consist of a small portion of food, grain, flowers, a picture, oil, more incense, candles, stones, feathers or other natural objects, and so forth.

- Prayer: I take a few moments here to address the God or Goddess. This is usually in the formal Hellenic prayer structure (a list the deity's epithets and cult centers, mention of past assistance, etc.) - but if I'm addressing Dionysos or Hermes or a God with whom I have a more familiar relationship, I may speak to them in a companionable tone, even at times as I would a close friend. If I have need of anything, now is when I make my request. Otherwise I just speak to them or meditate on their nature. A new practice that I've developed is writing out prayers, verses, thoughts, whatever's on my mind, etc., on scraps of paper which I keep near my altar, and then I place them in a bowl. This act helps focus me, gives me a tangible sign of the encounter, and allows me to keep track of what I've been talking to the Gods about. I usually keep the bowl for about a month, and then I burn all of the scraps of paper in a cleansing ritual.

- Libation: I either sprinkle a few drops of wine on the altar, or pour the Gods a glass. In addition to wine, I may use water, oil, milk, honey, or another alcoholic beverage. (I have it on good authority that Athena likes warm saki - although I have yet to ask her myself.)

When that's done, I either remain in front of the altar after meditating or I process away, comforted after having spent a few moments of my busy day with the bestowers and sustainers of life's blessings.

And that's just one of the many ways that you can awaken yourself to the presence of the Gods in your life.