Happy New Year

A lot has happened since the last entry here. I (Michael) completed the courses for the Clergy Training Program’s first circle, and am now eligible to apply for ordination, which I will be doing soon.

We did some decluttering a few weeks ago that required taking our altar down and relocating it. While it was down, we acquired some new statues; we reassembled it today, New Year’s Day, consecrating each item with water and incense smoke.

2015 promises to be an auspicious year. Restoring the sacred space in our home was a great way to begin.

Trial Run

I am now working on the Initiate Path in ADF, and one of the courses, Liturgy Practicum I, requires me to document home worship for at least four months.

In the spirit of starting fresh, I created a full ritual for the Hellenic hearth. I did not write most of it – I adapted it from a rite ADF member Jeremy Baer wrote and from prayers by Hester Butler-Ehle from her book “Devotion” – but I did write a portion for the agathos daimon, and adapted some of the Baer material.

Here’s the basic structure:

Chime

Ground and center

Purification

A child of the Earth approaches the Kindred to offer honor and welcome to the Earth Mother, the spirit of the house, the ancestors, nature spirits and the gods and goddesses.

{Conduct Two Powers for ground/center)

GATES/COSMOS

Beneath us are the waters of the earth.

The waters are dark, still and powerful.

The waters contain the memories of countless ages.

Behold, the waters are the Sacred Well.

Sacred Well, flow within us!

Above us burn the flames of heaven.

The flames are bright, quick, and dazzling.

The flames contain the vision of ages to come.

Behold, the flames are the Sacred Fire.

Sacred Fire, burn within us!

At the center of the world stands a stone

The Omphalos, the navel of the world.

It holds all, in all ages past and all ages hence.

Behold, the Sacred Stone.

Sacred Stone, anchor us!

Beneath our feet stretches the land!

The land is powerful, the land is ancient.

It teems with the flow and ebb of life immortal.

Hail to the land!

Hail to the Land!

Above us spans the sky.

The sky is vast, the sky is ancient.

It stands above us triumphant and ageless.

Hail to the Sky!

Hail to the Sky!

Beyond us rushes the sea.

The sea is deep, the sea is strong.

The sea surrounds us always and forever.

Hail to the Sea!

Hail to the Sea!

We stand at the Sacred Center of All Things. All places and all times. From this place all things were born, and to this place all things return. In this place all worlds are entwined. In this place, all beings are conjoined. We stand before eternity to meet the gods and spirits. Be it so!

EARTH MOTHER

Earth mother on whose sacred soil we tread, we are your children. We eat your food, drink your water and breathe your air. Boundless is the bounty you bestow upon us. We honor your gifts.

(Offering)

Earth Mother, accept our offering!

AGATHOS DAIMON

Agathos daimon, you protect us. You safeguard our home and you guide us to right decisions. Your guidance steadies our steps. We thank you and honor you.

(Offering)

Agathos Daimon, accept our sacrifice.

THREE KINDREDS

To the spirits of the dead,

Who dwell in the halls of death,

and who are buried in the Earth Mother's bosom.

Look kindly on the living.

Gift us your love and your guidance.

Hail to the Ancestors!

(Offering)

Ancestors, accept our offering.

To the spirits of the Earth.

Fur and feather, root and branch

May we be at peace with each other.

Look kindly on us,

and gift us with your bounty.

Hail to the Nature Spirits!

(Offering)

Nature Spirits, accept our offering.

To the gods and goddesses,

The folk give you honor.

We stand before you strength, your wisdom, and your hospitality.

Look kindly upon the Folk,

And grant us your many Blessings.

Hail to the Gods and Goddesses!

(Offering)

Gods and Goddesses, accept our offering.

HELLENIC GODS

The text below or a similar devotional:

Hestia, heart of the house, first born and last: for light and warmth, home and hearth, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Awesome Zeus, mightiest of all the gods: protector and rain-bringer, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Noble Hera, defender of marriage: for family and fidelity, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Poseidon, lord of the ocean depths: friend to sailors and seafarers, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Demeter, best of mothers, gracious one: for fertile fields and fruit-filled trees, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Hades, ruler of the vast underworld: for a gentle end to a long life, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Athena, grey-eyed daughter of great Zeus: for wisdom, for skill, for victory, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Shining Apollo, archer unerring: for health, for art, for music, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Artemis, first-born child of fair Leto: protector of our children, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Hermes, clever son of Zeus and Maia: for wit and luck and humor, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Glorious Aphrodite, kind one, fair one: for love, for lust, for passion, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Ares, who takes joy in combat and strife: for strength, for will, for vigor, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Skillful Hephaistos, maker of marvels: for craft and invention, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Dionysos, beautiful god of the vine: for rapture and transcendence, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Great Hekate, ever-watchful maiden: torch-bearing guide and guardian, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Persephone, lovely queen of the dead: you who will welcome us all, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Goat-footed Pan, roamer in wild places: for instinct and unreason, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Eros, irresistible force of desire: for mindless, ruthless passion, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Asklepios, wisest of physicians: for health and for healing, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Fair Tyche, provider of all good things: for luck so kindly given, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Nike, patron of athlete and soldier: for all our victories, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

Gaia, ancient one on whose flesh we tread: for our lives, for existence, we thank you. One voice among many, I honor you.

(Offering to the gods)

Gods and Goddesses, accept our offering!

SPECIAL DEITY OF THE DAY IF APPLICABLE

[OPTIONAL]

We have honored the gods and goddesses, the spirits of nature, the ancestors and the agathos daimon. Now it is time to ask them for their guidance and blessing.

(Omen)

We thank you for your blessings. Now I charge the waters of life to bear these blessings, that we may drink deeply.

(DRINK)

Hail to the Gods and Goddesses! Hail to the Nature Spirits! Hail to the Ancestors! Hail to the Agathos Daimon! Hail to the Earth Mother! Thank you being at this rite! We honor you always as we walk the Elder Ways.

This rite is ended.

(CHIME)

I gave the ritual a trial run today. I performed it as written above, but with special sections added for Hermes and Hera (whom Lynda and I feel most close to), and Hestia (the patroness of every home.)

I showered for purification, and gathered up offerings. For Hestia, incense; for the ancestors, black coffee (my dad and grandmother were both aficianados); the Earth Mother and the nature spirits, grain; the gods and goddesses in general, frankincense recels; the Greek gods specifically, watered wine; Hera, incense; Hermes incense.

I used the Lycian Oracle for an omen, and I believe the upshot was: The kindred like this ritual, but caution me not to undertake it without commitment to carry it out regularly, even when I might not feel like it (zeta clarified by eta); they offer me patience, probably meaning the patience I’ll need for long term regular practice (rho), and ask of me perseverance (omicron).

I think it went well, and smoothly. I am sure I will refine it further with experience. 

Amends

On the heels of figuring out where I went wrong, I felt I owed Hermes an apology. After an early shower (combining ritual purification and regular hygiene for efficiency), I made offerings to Hestia and to him, at their respective shrines.

To Hermes, I explained what I had figured out, and offered wine in addition to the usual frankincense. Then I turned to the oracle. Here are the results and my interpretation.

Am I correct in my understanding?

Eta: Yup. The unworthy motivation of my earlier offerings was plain to the gods.

Is this offering sufficient to make amends?

Gamma: Yes, but always remember that reward comes from labor. That is, honor the gods continually rather than coming once in a while to ask a favor.

Any further advice?

Phi: Take responsibility for your actions; don’t blame the gods for your own mistakes.

Honored Hermes, my patron god, thank you for your instruction. 

Lesson Learned

The moments before we departed on our trip seemed auspicious. We poured a full bottle of wine, with water, for Hermes, with two requests: Keep us safe on our travels, and grant us good fortune in Vegas.

We used the Greek alphabet oracle and drew what seemed to be a positive response. So off we went, all optimistic.

Our first flight went fine, but then our second one was delayed several hours due to mechanical problems. Luckily we had no more connections to catch, but we had about four hours of sitting idle in Detroit waiting. Then we had great difficulty finding dinner in Vegas, involving cabs, crowds, noise, way too much walking around getting hungrier by the minute, finding two-hour waits for overpriced food before finally getting what turned out to be a good and reasonably-priced dinner at Margaritaville.

Our gaming also sputtered. I think we lost around $20 or so in the slot machines, although there was one point I could have stopped about $17 ahead.

Then it was on to California for the family visit that was the main part of this trip. After a couple of decent days, I got a stomach bug and spent Saturday with the rest of the family touring a ghost town that luckily had decent public restrooms, because I needed one about every twenty minutes.

After that ordeal, I had to drive myself three hours back to Vegas to come home (Lynda is staying out an additional week), still fighting the stomach upset. And once I finally landed, it took me an hour of wandering around the airport parking lot to find my car.

Thanks, Hermes!

It certainly seemed like he was ignoring my prayers or even deliberately screwing with me, but having had a couple of days to think about it, I’ve had some notions of why. I think I am guilty of doing just what I’ve advised others not to do: Treating the gods as wish-fulfillment machines.

Here I come to Hermes, after months of very inconsistent worship, suddenly approaching with a bottle of wine and a smile and a ‘by the way, could you maybe … ‘ “Hermes is not an ATM” is the wording that crossed my mind.

And I think there it is. Reciprocity. The gods are not amenable to being hit up for big favors after months of neglect. He didn’t let me down, and he certainly granted the most important part of the request, safe travels. But he did rather firmly remind me that this is a two-way street.

Hail to the fleet-footed, quick-witted shining one. 

Hearth and Heart

Back when I was first getting started with polytheism, I tried to build some affinity with the deities of the Irish pantheon, as I know I have some ancestral heritage there. As much as some of the gods appealed to me though, I didn't seem to appeal to them, and I never felt much responsiveness.

At Yule 2011 at CedarLight, we honored some of the Norse gods, and they seemed to be very "present." For quite a while after that, I made regular offerings to Odin/Woden at home, and read up on both Asatru and Anglo-Saxon Heathenry.

This Spring, though, the Greek gods caught my attention, Hermes in particular, and after a couple of dramatic answers to requests, I began to call him my patron god. The Hellenic culture appeals to me intellectually, as much of their original pre-Christian mythology and philosophy has survived through the centuries.

But then the weather turned cooler and it was as if Odin returned from travels and knocked on my window again, much like Gandalf, and now the deities and culture of the northlands are again top of mind.

All of this fluctuation, coupled with some of my initial study on ADF's clergy preliminary program, has led me to the conviction that ADF's notion of "hearth culture" should be only a starting point. In the reality of history, the cultures of Europe mingled and mixed and migrated, and gods were worshiped far from the lands where they originally appeared.

I've been thinking that perhaps there is some value in a pan-Indo-European hearth. In practice, most of the ADF members I know do not limit themselves to a single hearth culture, but choose – or are chosen by – those deities that they find affinity for. Nothing in ADF discourages this, but the hearth culture paradigm as presented in the Dedicant Manual might leave the impression that our ancestors lived in isolated bubbles, either Norse or Roman or Gaulish for example, when the reality was much more dynamic.

So, to extrapolate from history, the various IE cultures encountered each other and shared their ideas and religion fairly broadly until conversion eventually overtook the land. Had that not happened, it stands to reason that the process would have continued to the point that rather than a set of distinct pantheons, the gods of all the lands would be known more universally and available to all. While it seems likely that a Norseman would still be more inclined to make offerings to Thor or Freyr than to Ares or Lugh, a person with a mixed ancestry – as is true of most 21^st Century Americans – might not have the same strong ties.

What I am thinking toward, and the work is far from done, is to simply articulate in theory what is already frequently the case in practice. I will post more as my thinking develops.

Practice

Lately, my day feels like something's missing if I don't have at least a brief ritual during it.

The most common thing I do is a small offering to Hermes. I have a shrine for him on a small wall shelf, which holds a candle, cone incense burner, a "Mercury-head" dime (it's actually Lady Liberty, but often assumed to be Mercury/Hermes, and seemed a suitable devotional object), and an image which I made by copying the Magician card in the Alchemical Tarot and mod-podging it onto a small wooden plaque (Lynda's suggestion, and a good one.)

For my usual devotion, I come to the shrine first thing in the morning, light the candle and recite (read) a prayer to him. Then I light a cone of frankincense and thank him for his favor. Sometimes I have a specific request to add, sometimes not.

I don't do this every day, but I miss it on the days when I don't.

On Wednesdays I often honor Woden, who was the first of the Shining Ones whose presence I felt in a way that seemed like more than wishful thinking. I do this at the main altar, with beer into a horn as a main offering. This too is something I'm being inconsistent about, though.

Once a month I have a "retreat day," which is part of ADF's recommended Dedicant Discipline for maintaining your practices after completing the DP. I'm blending it with the calendar of monthly libations at Hellenion to honor the Olympians at least one time each during the year. That involves a full core-order ritual honoring all of the Kindreds.

But we are dawdling on establishing the ancestor shrine we've discussed, and my offerings to the spirits of nature are sporadic. I have come a long way as a polytheist, as an ADF Druid, but there is clearly a ways to go yet.

The Firehose (Drinking From It)

As May winds down, I'm looking ahead to what is likely to be a very busy summer. I have begun the preliminary coursework for ADF's clergy program, and wedding planning is underway, but I also have two possible side projects that, if they both come to pass, will take up a tremendous amount of time.

I credit Hermes with bringing those about, and they are going to very good things (though I feel it right to keep the details to myself for now), but they may require me to back-burner the clergy training for a little while. The wedding and my day job have to take first priority, and one of the two side projects will have deadlines attached.

I've spent the past couple of weeks adjusting to being done with the DP (it was approved on May 15, just a few days after I submitted it) and reflecting on how my spiritual life within ADF in particular, and as a pagan in general, has progressed so far. It has been a long road to here, with a few setbacks along the way, and finishing the DP is in some ways just a matter of completing documentation, and yet at the same time it feels like a real milestone. Ending the work with the Dedicant Oath is what makes the difference, I think. It represents a real decision point -- that yes, this is my path and I am publicly committed to it, it's no longer just an idea I'm exploring.

OK, enough about me. What about those crazy kids who think that Superman and Odin are the same kind of thing and equally worthy of worship?

Finding the Gods

It's fair to say that many, and maybe most, polytheists have one or two deities they consider their special patrons. These are gods who we believe have sought us out, or responded well to our seeking them, to whom we give frequent devotions and offerings, and from whom we expect more regular attention and favor than the other gods we may honor now and then.

Before any of that happened to me, when I was new to polytheism and still trying it on, I approached the gods of the British Isles, especially Ireland. I can't actually trace any of my family tree back to Europe, but based on family names, England and Ireland are good guesses. But I did not feel any particular interest from those gods at the time.

A little while later – just last year, really – I began to intuit that Odin/Woden was trying to get my attention. I had felt his presence at CedarLight's Yule ritual in 2011, and then I began to notice crows or ravens (I'm still not sure I can tell the difference). I am sure crows and/or ravens are always around, but it's the noticing of them that makes them omens.

Anyway, after a period of hesitation (Woden is not necessarily a comforting presence), I began to make offerings to him. Some months down the road now, I can call him a patron, although I still one whom I prefer to interact with only occasionally. I get the impression that this suits him just fine.

More recently, another god has come into my consciousness – Hermes, the Hellenic messenger of the gods, fleet-footed and quick-witted. That began with a book coming to my attention, “The Gods of Reason” by Timothy Jay Alexander, which turned my attention in general to the hearth cultures I'd never given a second look to before, Greek and Roman. The more I read and contemplated, the more the Greeks began to appeal. I started making offerings to Hermes because I had a specific request that he seemed to be the right one for, but I quickly found myself liking his energy and presence. Now I'm giving him a brief morning devotional and incense almost daily, just because I want him to be welcome and stick around.

As I near the end of Dedicant Program, I find that the year and a half of study it has entailed – much required, some on my own – has really changed my outlook. At the beginning, I was approaching the gods tentatively and with very little understanding of what was going on and without even any confidence that polytheism made any sense. Now it just seems to be a given.

I find that the Celtic deities still do hold some appeal, especially as I spend more time with my grovies who are more immersed in that culture than I am. And I would like to expand my interactions with the gods of Olympus as well. Among the gods and the hearth cultures, even when confining myself to ADF's Indo-European focus, I find elements that appeal to reason and logic (the Greeks with their history of rich philosophy, in particular) and elements that appeal to primal energies and earthiness. It's a good mix.  

Quick of Wit

A good reading today, following an offering of incense and watered wine to Hermes. I've asked for some help with money, a windfall (which he is known to sometimes offer). The cards suggest he has something else in mind.

What do you need from me? The Magician. The Magician, in both of the decks I'm using right now, directly embodies Hermes. He needs from me to acknowledge him and to recognize that I am already in possession of the skills I need to succeed.

What do you offer to me? The Knight of Cups. This can have a couple of different meanings, but in this case I take it as an offer from him of relationship.

What else do I need to know? Three of wands. This suggests that the groundwork has been laid for a project that will be important but also that a lot of hard work is still ahead. This related directly to a conversation I had this morning, which I can't say much about right now but that could lead to something big.

I think I have here had a direct offer of a patron relationship, and a gentle declining to hand me some money but an offer to provide help and inspiration as I pursue a creative endeavor that could eventually pay off.

When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It

For the past year-plus, I've been following the Anglo-Saxon hearth, settling on that as my preference over Norse for a few reasons, not least of which is that my ancestry is much more likely to trace back to  England than to Scandanavia. (And because Woden the weary wisdom-seeker appeals to me more than Odin the battle-king.)

One of the beautiful things about ADF is that one does not need to limit oneself to a single pantheon. But it does simplify things to do so.

Which is why I'm surprised to find myself moving toward a dual hearth now. A few weeks ago, some force of the universe – the will of the gods and/or the Amazon recommendations algorithm – pointed me to a book called “The Gods of Reason,” by Timothy Jay Alexander. Subtitled “An Authentic Theology for Modern Hellenismos,” the description further says, “Within this introduction to Hellenic theology, written by the foremost author on modern Hellenismos, you will find a modern theology sourced and adapted from the history, culture, traditions, thought, and ethics of ancient Greece. “

I have been interested in theological thought for decades, and it's hard to come by in modern pagan circles. As a religion that is so much about shared practice rather than shared belief, it's easy to find a book that covers how to conduct rituals and what makes a suitable offering for a given god or spirit. It's not so easy to find one that talks about WHY we should do ritual in a certain way, or what is going on, in the spiritual realm, when we make offerings. Or why we believe there are entities who exist and to whom we should make offerings at all.

So after a few days of consideration and reading through the parts of the book available for preview, I decided that it looked like the theological principles Alexander was talking about need not be limited, that if they applied to the Greeks they would apply to any of the hearths encompassed in ADF. So I bought and read it, and discovered two things:

First, I was right that it was broadly applicable, and on that level I recommend it to any serious polytheist, ADF member or not. Whether you honor the Norse gods, or the Irish or the Gaulish or any other European culture's pantheon, this book will provide some anchors for your faith.

Secondly, the Greeks are fascinating. I had passed over them, and the Romans too, when I was early on trying to figure out where my attempts to develop a hearth should begin, I think largely because they seemed too familiar. We all studied the Greek and Roman myths and history in high school. But while Alexander was unpacking aspects of Greek philosophy and its theological applications, he was also showing me the Greek gods in a new way. Unexpectedly piqued, I then bought “Kharis,” by Sarah Kate Istra Winter – a more general introduction to Hellenismos – and finished it just last night.

Meanwhile, I've added a daily prayer and incense offering to Hermes (every day but Wednesday, which belongs to Woden) to my morning devotional practice. I chose Hermes because I'm currently in a situation where I could use some added income, and he's the one to go to for that. He may or may not become a long-term patron, but he is my starting point with the Hellenic culture.