leosuntaurusmoon

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Did a much needed clean up of the house and got new things for a new and improved altar for Hestia 🔥🤍 I hope she sees and appreciates it

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Home-loving Hestia, gentle goddess in the heart of homes,

I, your devotee, pray to you,

I worship you for all the comfort you give me and my family in my home that you make my safe space,

please bless this place with comfort and joy,

please banish any negative energy that tries to enter,

You, Lady Hestia, worthy goddess of the sacred flame, are welcome here always

🤍🔥

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Offering to Lord Hephaestus

[leosuntaurusmoon]

🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️🌤️

Lord Apollon,

Powerful god of health and light,

I worship you ☀️

Thank you for all your blessings,

I hope to always be in your light and follow your presence,

[leosuntaurusmoon]

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Lord Apollon,

I offer you wine and fruit at your altar as your worshipper in hopes that you, god of health, may aid my cat as she goes through a rough illness. I know you are powerful and I turn to you for help. We have tried to help as much as we can with doctor visits and medication but we hate to see her sick like this and only want for her to feel better and comfortable and happy as soon as she can. Thank you for all your blessings and each beautiful summer day that lies ahead☀️

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Lord Apollon,

Beautiful son of Zeus and Leto,

Twin of Artemis,

I pray to you god of the sunlight,

maker of music,

protector of health,

I worship you today and thank you for every beautiful day you have given me,

I ask for your blessings and aid as I get through this cold,

May your light guide me though a bright and joyous life following you 🧡

[leosuntaurusmoon]

[leosuntaurusmoon]

me, praying: “let your deadly arrows strike the evildoers and tormenters in this world, as you have done so valiantly before. vanquisher of evil, shine light on us mortals, and free us from oppressive forces, remind us how you got your epithets!”

Apollon: “… you’ve gotta stop asking me to kill politicians”

me: “please just one arrow you know exactly where to aim it”

[leosuntaurusmoon]

guys wait I need an Aphrodite appreciation moment

I LOVE APHRODITE

Okay thanks guys I just couldn’t keep it in

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Lord Hermes 💛🪽

Bringer of joy, of luck, of travel,

I your devoted, pray to you,

to worship you and your power,

I thank you for your presence and blessings,

I pray for your protection as my partner and I travel for our anniversary,

I will see you in our travels everytime we stop for gas, every new spot we come across,

every cow I see as we drive up those long roads,

every laugh we share as we get to our destination,

Praise Hermes,

Son of thundering Zeus and beautiful Maia,

I feel abundant and happy praising you ✨🎲

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Lord Hermes 💛

Friend of mortals,

Mighty god of travelers and language,

I pray to you your devoted,

I pray for all the immigrants and children of immigrants that are living in fear,

Please bless them with safety and security as the world tries to go against them,

Thank you for all you are,

Bringer of joy,

God of luck 🍀

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Keen-minded Hermes, light-fingered one, light-footed one, quick and cunning, bright and merry, ever watchful, ever agile, ever sharp of wit.

The wings at your feet carry you to any landing-place, in any realm; wearing the cap of Aidoneus, you tarry, unseen by mortal mane. Wielder of the golden sword, player on the shepherd’s pipe, god of herdsmen, god of thieves, god of cities and of pastures, rustic and urbane, you walk the line between contradictions. Hermes of the borderland, Hermes of the threshold, god of the uncertain, consistent and contrary, you stand in the doorway, you stand at the edge; the knife-sharp boundary between two worlds is yours.

Hermes, child of rich-tressed Maia and thundering Zeus, I thank you for your many gifts, I praise your might.

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Hermes Enagonius 🎲

(of the games)

E-offering for Lord Hermes☤

[leosuntaurusmoon]

ever since i started to worship lady aphrodite, i started to see the beauty in myself, in others, and in the world around me. i started to love myself, the people in my life, and love—in all it's forms.

[leosuntaurusmoon]

You’ll never guess what I did…

ANOTHER DIGITAL OFFERING!!! This one for lovely Aphrodite! These genuinely bring me so much joy to make :D

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Devotional act to Hestia

pumpkin pancakes and cinnamon apples 🤍🔥

[leosuntaurusmoon]

This is a repost with added information! The previous post has been deleted in favor of this one. Huge thank you to @theic-manic for reminding me ♡

I recently conducted a poll on what topic people would like an in-depth post/guide on and creating prayers was very largely requested! So today I'll be going step by step on the significance of prayer, how to construct one yourself, how to construct an "offering prayer", and some basic questions surrounding them.

As always, I'm just a single resource, and everything I say comes from my own personal research. Always make sure to do your own when possible!

Buckle up, cause this is a long one!

The Significance of Prayer to the Gods

When we think of prayer, oftentimes, the first thought is Abrahamic religion (Christianity, Catholicism, etc). We're taught that prayer is done to give thanks to the Lord, and to make our requests known.

While this is true to the gods of the hellenic Pantheon, there are some key differences. The biggest being tone and desire. Unlike what we're taught with the Abrahamic faith, the gods don't particularly favor "prayer." This is because prayer to the hellenic gods are typically crafted as petitions, requests for something, and the gods typically don't care for requests without offerings. This directly opposes the usual Abrahamic prayer, which typically is both request and praise simultaneously at all times. However, with the hellenic gods, prayer is typically just request FOLLOWED by offering. That's not to say a prayer can not become an offering, but the working of it is a bit different, and I'll go into detail about that later.

For now, we'll be separating the two as we learn how to construct our prayers.

Constructing a Prayer of Petition

Posture

One of the most important starts to a prayer should be establishing how you pray. If praying to Olympian gods, you'll want to pray standing with your hands upright, facing the sky.

If praying to the chthonic, your prayers should be whispered, with your hands and head down.

If praying to the einalic, your arms should be outstretched towards the sea. If you're not near the sea (as many people aren't), cult images of the deity also suffice!

That said, this applies mostly to the ablebodied. While standing for the Olympic gods during orayer is standard, if this isn't possible for you, then sitting and kneeling are just as fine.

Tone

One of the most important things about a prayer is the consistency of our tone. Naturally, we approach with respect, and that respect should be consistent throughout the entire prayer.

That said, your level of formality should be consistent throughout your prayer. If you start informal, the prayer should remain informal all throughout. The same is held for formal prayers.

When we craft our prayers, they require 3 main components. Invocation, our kharis, and our petition.

Invocation

Naturally, fhe first step to creating a prayer would be to invoke our gods. This is how we get that god's attention, and request their attention. This will always start with the god's name, and for our example prayer, I'll use be using Hermes.

However, there's a lot more to a god than just their name. An invocation should be recognition of that god, and tell them that you know who they are and their significance/importance. For this, you can use epithets, their domains, and even their residences and parentage. Epithets have different meanings, so make sure if you're using one, it should pertain to the reasons for your prayer. For example, if I wanted to ask Hermes for a little extra luck, I might invoke using his luck bringer epithet, Eriounês. Or perhaps I wanted to ask him to deliver a message to a passed loved one, then I would invoke Hermes Trikephalos of the crossroads. So an example invocation could go something like:

"O hear me please Hermes Trikephalos of Arcadia, Herald of the crossroads, son of Zeus."

With this, we've invoked Hermes and informed him of who we are and our placement. We can finally move forward with our petition.

Kharis and Justification

The next step in constructing a prayer is to remind the god who you are, and your relationship with them. This can simply be your name, or your title amongst them (if you have one), or even just direct reference to your status with them (servant, follower, worshipper, devotee, etc). That said, this should also follow the tone of the prayer.

If you were to address Hermes as a worshipper, you'd probably say something such as "I, [name], your follower and worshipper, approach humbly and with grace." Once again, this can be completely tailored to you, and you can change things how you deem more appropriate.

Additionally, reminding the deity of things you've done in their name/provided as offering reminds them of the relationship you've established together. Let's say we've set up an altar for Hermes. We can add that to our prayer!

So altogether, our prayer sounds like:

"O hear me please Hermes Trikephalos of Arcadia, Herald of the crossroads, son of Zeus. I, [name], your follower and worshipper, approach humbly and with grace at the altar I've set in your name."

With this, we've invoked Hermes and informed him of who we are and our placement. We can finally move forward with our petition.

Petition

With what we have, we can now give our petition. Our petition is our request to that god. Naturally, this can be asking for assistance with something, but it can also be asking them to accept an offering or simply asking for their presence to chat, say good morning/night, etc.

I can't really give much guidance on how to craft a petition, because each one is unique and personal to the one praying. However, I can give examples!

If I were to stick to the epithet of Diaktoros, my petition would more than likely involve a message to a passed loved one.

"I ask that you deliver this message to [insert loved one's name]. [Message to be delivered]."

This is, of course, just a basic example but you can tailor this to your needs and desires.

Vow

The vow is incredibly important in prayer, and is a promise of offering or sacrifice to that god for listening to your prayers. Vows can be anything pleasing to the god (ensure it's something your god would enjoy receiving), and you'll want to clearly state the intention of providing it if you're not already. Hermes enjoys coins, so we'll use that as our vow. So perhaps we would say something to the affect of:

"I offer a piety of gold and silver coins for your mercy and kidness."

You dont need to immediately follow up a prayer with an offering, however offerings should absolutely follow answered prayers without fail as this is your vow.

Ensure that your vow is POSITIVE. A promise to give. Negative vows such as "if you help me do x I won't do y ever again!" are unfavorable to the gods. They gain nothing from that, and it's not done for the god but rather yourself.

Prayers as Offerings

As stated before, prayers are not inherently offerings to the gods, moreso, they are requests. But can they be offerings? Well sure! However, our approach to them needs to be different.

Whereas our previous prayers were for requests, prayers for offerings should not contain requests but rather be appealing and aesthetic to the god.

A good example would be dedications of praise to that god. Once again, we'll invoke our god as we did previously. A dedication can start however you want and involve whatever praise you'd like! We'll use Dionysus for this example.

Dedication prayers will require some extra knowledge of your god than simply making requests, as we will be praising achievements of theirs. You can praise several achievements, or focus on a single one! For this example we'll praise several. So our example dedication can go as follows:

"Praise be to Lord Dionysus Eleuthereus, the almighty liberator, twice-born son of Zeus and Seleme!

Praise be to the generous wine giver, traveler of lands far and wide as his almighty vines spread!

Praise be the Bacchus, may we stomp our feet in joy and hail his mighty name! Father of kings!

We praise the mad one, slayer of the fool Damascus who denied our Lord's sacred gift!"

With this dedication, we've done several things. Invoked Dionysus with his epithet and parentage, praised his travels, glorified his lineage/children, praised his slaying of Damascus, and called attention to several iterations of him (the Bacchus and the mad one).

Additionally, this dedication gives the energy of being loud and high energy, things that are appealing to Dionysus. If we were to give praise to Apollo, we might favor a dedication more poetic with a more lyrical scheme. Or for Ares something far more militant and powerful, similar to a battle cry.

These dedications can also be accompanied by other offerings and given to the god during or after. Additionally, these dedications can be as long or short as you please! Just be sure to keep your god in mind while crafting them.

Take time to really learned your god, so thay you can offer dedications and praise to them in earnest!

Common Questions

Will my gods be angry if I pray informally?

I wouldn't say angry, no. That said, every god has a preference. Certain gods simply prefer more formal prayers, but in the end, it all comes down to your personal relationship with your god. If you have a more formal relationship, they would expect a more formal prayer. The same goes for informal.

Do my prayers NEED to be followed up with an offering?

Nope, although it's good practice. That said, if your prayer is answered, an offering of thanks is essential to maintaining good Kharis with your god.

Can the Orphic/Homeric Hymns be used as prayers?

That really depends, but the short answer is yes. I personally don't consider them prayers as the Hymns are moreso dedications, but its entirely up to how you view them.

Are prayers made by other people less valued than prayers I make myself?

Not at all! Prayers are prayers.

My prayer wasn't answered! Does my god hate me?

Nope! There could be a multitude of reasons why your prayer isn't answered, and truly, it all boils down to the will of that god. We have no way of knowing their will or what they think, so if your prayers go unanswered, try not to take it to heart.

This is my first time praying to a god and we have no kharis yet, can I still pray to them?

Yes! All relationships start somewhere~

I hope this was helpful for you all, and I truly hope it inspires more people to write their own prayers and dedications. Feel free to ask for any clarifications at all, and safe travels, friends ♡

[leosuntaurusmoon]

Hermes Epithets

Diaktoros(Διακτορος)- Guide, Messenger

Athanatos Diaktoros(Αθανατος Δαικτορος) - Immortal Guide

Angelos Athanatôn(Ανγελος Αθανατων) - Messenger of the Gods

Angelos Makarôn(Ανγελος Μακαρων) - Messenger of the Blessed

Khrysorrhapis(Χρυσορραπις) - Of the Golden Wand

Klepsiphrôn(Κλεπσιφρων) - Deceiver, Dissembler

Mêkhaniôtês(Μηχανιωτης) - Trickster, Contriver

Phêlêtês(Φηλητης) - Thief, Robber, Rustler

Arkhos Phêlêteôn(Αρχοσ Φηλητεων) - Leader of Robbers, Thieves

Poikilomêtês(Ποικιλομητης) - Full of Various Wiles

Polytropos(Πολυτροπος) - Wily, Many-Turning

Poneomenos(Πονεομενος) - Busy One

Bouphonos(Βουφονος) - Slayer of Oxen

Oiopolos(Οιοπολος) - Sheep Tending, Shepherd

Dais Hetairos(Δαις Ἑταιρος) - Comrade of the Feast

Kharidôtês(Χαριδωτης) - Giver of Joy

Kharmophrôn(Χαρμοπηρων) - Glad-hearted, Heart-Delighting

Dôtor Eaôn(Δωτορ Εαων) - Giver of Good Things

Akakêta(Ακακητα) - Guileless, Gracious

Euskopos(Ευσκοπος) - Keen Sighted, Watchful

Eriounês(Εριουνης) - Luck Bringing, Ready-Helper

Kydimos(Κυδιμος) - Glorious

Erikydês(Ερικυδης) - Famous, Glorious, Splendid

Aglaos(Αγλαος) - Splendid, Bright, Glorious

Kratus(Κρατυς) - Strong, Mighty

Krateros(Κρατερος) - Strong, Mighty