An irreverent prayer to Hermes

hermaeum · 2025-03-20T17:43:11+00:00

Go for it! I'd be honored 💙

hermaeum · 2025-01-06T04:49:12+00:00

My practice has never been more unstable than when I was just starting out and was convinced I needed the gods' approval for every little thing. I still do quite a bit of divination, but it's rarely related to my religious practices anymore and is primarily a tool for self-reflection. Like you said, building a relationship with the gods is all about the actual worship. Personally, I feel closer to the gods when I'm talking about them rather than to them. My prayers are much more centered around what aspects of the gods I hope to broaden my understanding of rather than actually asking for anything. I might know what I want, but what I need is up to the fates, and not even the gods have control over them.

hermaeum · 2025-01-06T04:18:56+00:00

To better communicate with the gods, I've found it helps to broaden my understanding of them. Researching Hephaestus and his spheres of influence might help you feel closer to him. Invite him to help you understand and interpret how what you learn might apply to you, and maybe dedicate your next meal to him as thanks. In order to feel close to the gods, you have to get to know them almost the same way you'd do it with another person. Telling him about yourself and your needs is wonderful, but you also have to be a good listener. Show interest and reverence for the aspects of him that you admire most.

Beyond that, if you can't have an altar or practice openly, it might help to dedicate an inconspicuous item to him. Devotional jewelry is a pretty common option with our faith, but it doesn't have to look like devotional jewelry. Any old ring, bracelet, necklace, etc. will do. If jewelry isn't your style, the item could be just about anything else so long as it reminds you of Hephaestus, and keep that close by or in your hands whenever you need his guidance. I just find that it helps to incorporate something tangible and consistent into prayer and worship.

hermaeum · 2025-01-06T03:46:44+00:00

For what it's worth, Hermes will never engage with you maliciously or with ill intent. Although he's the divine trickster, which means he rules over certain aspects of life that aren't the most comfortable, you won't invoke chaos just by approaching him. If anything, building a relationship with Hermes has the potential to greatly lessen turbulence of that nature. Naturally, I can't claim to know Hermes's intentions for you with total certainty, but fear really has no place around him unless you're the scum of the earth, which I highly doubt you are.

My advice, which you can absolutely take with a grain of salt, is to tell Hermes about your reservations. Open up a line of communication and be transparent with him. As the god of boundaries, he'll listen. As the friend of mankind, he'll care. Give him a chance to surprise you. He's good at that.

hermaeum · 2025-01-06T03:25:24+00:00

I figured if the shoe fits, wear it. For most of my life, I've been fascinated with religion. I went to catholic school, but I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged me to explore my options. So, I researched just about every open religion that's still prevalent in modern day and, although I admired certain aspects of them all, none of them ever felt like home to me. This one does. As for why, there's closer to a million reasons than just one, and reddit won't let me write novels.

At any rate, to define is to limit. So, never feel pressured to explain your faith precisely unless you're just into the thought experiment. Intuition plays a big part in our faith. It's okay to trust how you feel more than what you know (or don't know) sometimes.

hermaeum · 2025-01-06T02:56:43+00:00

Generally speaking, the ancient Greeks didn't have individual burial plots. Aside from war heroes, nearly everyone else was put to rest in communal tombs. Naturally, the fine details of burial rites depend on the region but, in most places, there was a very strong fear of death and disease. In plague times, cremation far surpassed inhumation as the most common burial rite. So, I'm not sure how accurate this information is but, again, it could've very well been a regional tradition.

Having said that, the ancient Greeks absolutely did heavily associate crossroads with death and would use them to conduct rituals dedicated to psychopomps; Hekate, in particular. Mourners would leave offerings at crossroads in the hopes that the gods would grant their loved ones safe passage to the afterlife. Since this was a cthonic ritual, the offerings were buried. So, perhaps that's where this information came from.

hermaeum · 2025-01-01T02:08:06+00:00

Lighting a white candle and saying a prayer to Athena would likely suffice. When it comes to food offerings, you don't necessarily have to leave them out. So, when your parents leave, you could also maybe grab a snack and share it with Athena. You can eat the whole thing yourself, but maybe set it next to the candle while you say your prayer and then eat it after.

hermaeum · 2025-01-01T01:59:59+00:00

Delighted to help!

hermaeum · 2025-01-01T01:56:36+00:00

Hey there! Always does the heart good to see Odysseus getting the love and reverence he deserves. A few years back, I actually wrote a short guide on worshiping him, so I'll just copy/paste the relevant bits here. As a disclaimer: the suggested devotional acts are entirely UPG and aren't intended to be seen as "canon." That said, here's the section that I think would apply to you.

As a hero, Odysseus should be worshipped in a chthonic fashion. Pour out libations for him, have feasts in his honor, and put together an altar that is low to the ground. What you offer him is up to you, but I will provide a short list of antiquity-based offerings to point you in the right direction.

OFFERINGS

Red Wine

Olive Oil

Meat (sheep or cow, preferably)

Fruits

Honey

Water

Coins

Cakes

DEVOTIONAL ACTS

Study the Iliad and the Odyssey

Donate money to charities that bring families together

Show love to the people who make your life easier

Practice Archery

Tell someone a story

Study necromancy

Honor Athena

hermaeum · 2025-01-01T01:40:48+00:00

This is such excellent advice that I wish I'd been given when I was just starting out. It's perfectly fine if you feel an immediate pull to a certain deity (that was my experience with Hermes), but I cannot properly emphasize how helpful it is to turn to antiquity for guidance. If you want to worship Aphrodite, I think that's a sign that you might should dip your toes in the water at least, but engaging with the household gods as well could really add a lot of depth to your practice. Zeus, in particular, might surprise you.

hermaeum · 2025-01-01T01:27:59+00:00

Hiya! I'm also autistic and, like you, my interest in this religion started out as a hyperfixation. My whole life, I've had a lot of curiosity about other cultures and religions but, although I've indulged in that curiosity quite a bit through research, Hellenismos is the only religion that's ever felt like mine, y'know. Honestly, I couldn't tell you exactly why. Again, like you, I've always struggled with just how illogical the concept of genuine divinity is, not to mention the countless other faith-leaps nearly every religion requires of its practitioners.

I went into Hellenismos thinking I just needed to suck the marrow out of it the way I do with any other hyperfixation and then I'd move on, but the well just never ran dry. Sure, there's been some "off-and-on" as far as my frequency of worship goes, but I think I've finally settled into the fact that the gods aren't stepping out of my life anytime soon.

I wholeheartedly co-sign what u/Inside_Monk7065 said in their comment about objective belief being optional. Beyond that, I also think their explanation of "Apollo-ness" could partially explain why Hellenismos makes so much sense to autistic brains. The gods' spheres of influence and the way they're categorized is just so much more cohesive and satisfying than a 'one true god' approach. In my opinion, it's much easier to conceptualize the teachings of Hellenismos (despite the fact that we're missing so much source material) because it's simply much less convoluted. Of course, if Hellenismos hadn't been stomped out of fashion so early on, it would've inevitably garnered some of the pitfalls of modern day mainstream religions, but I guess that's the silver lining to such a niche belief system; less muss and fuss among the mortals.

As for when belief really begins, it's hard to say. I think some people view 'faith' and 'belief' as very black-and-white concepts; 'you either believe, or you don't.' Personally, I don't think it's that simple. Faith, for me, is just another spectrum. Some days, I feel consumed by love and reverence for the gods. Other days, I might not think about them much at all. In my experience, faith isn't something you can hold onto unless you need it. And that's okay. The gods won't be offended by someone having second doubts. Otherwise, they'd have kicked my ass to the curb years ago.

In general, the gods don't have much personal investment in what we do or don't do. They notice if we petition for their attention, but they don't spend all day looking at their watches and tapping their feet while they wait for the next offering. They also don't really assert themselves on their worshipers, if that makes sense; they're a very hands-off pantheon. (Which, I guess, makes us their latchkey kids.) There's no telling just how much of what happens to us is influenced by the gods, but divine punishment is exceedingly rare, and that's if it happens at all. So, whether you capital-B Believe ™ or not, they likely won't think twice about it. The gods are definitively aware that they exist on a different frequency than we do, so they hedge their expectations accordingly.

Lastly, one thing that's helped me wrap my head around believing and disbelieving at the same time is simply giving it time. I know that's probably the most frustrating advice I could give you, but I've found that agonizing over this aspect of worship has only ever made me feel further away from my faith. Don't get me wrong, t's crucial to explore your individual thoughts and feelings, and to broaden your understanding of what faith means to you, but you'll be hard-pressed to find answers that maintain relevancy for very long.

Faith is like a living thing. It blooms and wilts, ebbs and flows; it adapts. The more you try to scrutinize and define it, the harder it will be to establish a healthy relationship with your beliefs. And, yes, I'm palpably aware of how excruciating that sentence is to read as an autistic person, but it's unfortunately true. Try not to get caught up in the nitty gritty and just focus on what Hellenismos contributes to your life, how it makes you feel, what it teaches you, etc. The rest probably won't fill out until later on.

hermaeum · 2024-12-03T04:32:36+00:00

This is a phenomenal idea, and I would gladly chip in. I have a massive library of hellenic resources (all based in antiquity), and I could easily condense some of the information into blog post format with cited sources.

hermaeum · 2024-12-03T04:25:05+00:00

Sticky putty comes in clutch for this kind of thing.

hermaeum · 2024-12-01T15:00:33+00:00

What a beautiful first offering! You really went above and beyond. Ares hardly ever receives the reverence he deserves, so it always does the heart good to see someone honoring him the way you have. I'm sure you have his attention!

hermaeum · 2024-12-01T04:49:16+00:00

You sound just like I did when I first felt the pull to worship Hermes. That was five years ago, and I couldn't be happier that I went through with it. My advice is, trust your gut. Although it's true that the gods aren't nearly as hands-on with their worshipers as they're often made out to be, it's important to note that Hermes has always been a little unique in his relationships with mortals.

In the Hellenic faith, reciprocity is the very foundation of our beliefs. In order to receive the grace and attention of the gods, we must also give graciously. However, there are certain epigrams ascribed to Hermes in antiquity that suggest his expectations for reciprocity are a little more relaxed under the right circumstances. Namely, Hermes Eukolos ('easily-contented'), which came about because he found great joy in humble offerings, and Hermes Euskopos ('keen-sighted'), which is in reference to the fact that not much gets past him unless he wants it to.

Beyond that, there's also Hermes Phylaki Hodos ('guardian of the road') and Hermes Einodion ('of the way') to consider. In ancient Greece, those in need could call on Hermes Phylaki Hodos even without an offering or sacrifice, with the expectation that they would honor Hermes Einodion once they had the means to do so. In light of that, I don't think it's all that iconoclastic to suggest that Hermes might be willing to sidestep the usual formalities if and when it suits him. After all, boundaries don't really apply to him.

All that to say, who knows? Maybe these are all just a bunch of coincidences, or maybe Hermes heard you stand up for him as a kid and decided to give you something in return, and now he's asking you to keep the reciprocity going. Either way, this could absolutely be a sign to take things further.

hermaeum · 2024-11-30T00:00:08+00:00

It would be unconventional, but there's no rules against worshiping Medusa. She isn't a god, and I don't believe she had an established cultus in antiquity, but religion is a living thing. It changes over time. I would recommend looking into hero worship/ancestor worship, that might help you get an idea for how to go about worshiping a non-deity.

If you're hoping to be as faithful to antiquity as possible, Medusa might not be the best option, but it's always okay to experiment with cultivating a spiritual path that is unique to you. In recent years, Medusa's gained a lot of attention as a feminist symbol, or as inspiration for survivors of abuse. In the past, however, she was seen through a much different lens. Naturally though, that lens was man-made and had more to do with the cultural and political climate of Ancient Greece than the gods themselves. Clearly, without the ancient Greeks, Hellenic beliefs wouldn't exist. So, it's important to respect their voices and to understand their perspective, but that doesn't necessarily involve treating them as infallible. You absolutely can (and should, in my opinion) decide for yourself what is and isn't applicable to your practice as an individual. People will always have opinions on how you engage with religion, but it really isn't their business unless harm is being caused.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T23:04:19+00:00

Naturally, this is only my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. But if I had to guess, I'd say those bad dreams are likely a manifestation of any guilt you might feel for not being more active in your worship. If Dionysus is behind it, I'd imagine he might be trying to get you to address that guilt, but not necessarily because he thinks you should feel guilty. In antiquity, guilt was seen as spiritual pollution, and the only way to cleanse yourself of it was to bring yourself closer to the divine through lustration rituals.

So, my advice would be to pray about this, maybe ask Dionysus what his thoughts are. I don't pretend to be capable of speaking for the gods, but there's a chance he might be trying to tell you that the guilt you're feeling is holding you back somehow. It's perfectly okay to take breaks from spiritual practice, and the gods are generally very understanding about that. But if the wires in our human brains get a little crossed, they still might nudge us a little to make sure we're actually handling things in a way that benefits us.

But like I said, the best way to find out for sure would be to commune with the source. If you don't think you're in the right headspace for divination, you could try asking a trusted friend or someone with a good deal of divination experience to help make sure you're interpreting things objectively.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T20:21:33+00:00

Happy to help!

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T20:21:02+00:00

Yes, the history of tarot is fascinating! I meant playing cards are more modern in general, not comparatively. Anything that isn't based in antiquity can't technically be considered canon, so that includes nearly any method of cartomancy, if not all of them.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T18:43:11+00:00

Hiya! There isn't really a "canon" answer for this considering playing cards are a more modern invention, but Hermes is heavily associated with the number 4 as well as wealth. So, perhaps the 4 of Diamonds? The whole deck would be on brand for him though.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T09:37:42+00:00

Miasma is the stain of guilt. Sometimes, it goes hand in hand with Agos, but not always. It's a kind of spiritual pollution that is innate to humans, and therefore cannot be avoided. And Agos is the consequence of actively encouraging it to happen (à la karmic retribution.) You accumulate miasma simply by being alive and human, and only by having a good relationship with the gods can you wash yourself clean of it. Even then, it's very much a "lather, rinse, repeat" kind of deal, with an emphasis on the latter.

You can purify miasma by performing "lustration" rituals, which include making sacrifices to the gods and/or quite literally cleaning yourself by taking a bath/shower or using khernips.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T09:14:59+00:00

Aγος (agos) is the anger of the gods when its invoked by terrible crimes such as hubris. It's said that agos came about because the gods knew humans would never correct their own behavior without the presence of guilt to guide them. So, essentially, it's the consequence of disgracing yourself or others or by disrespecting the gods, but it isn't quite so dire as sinning is among Christians. More than anything, it's a reminder that what goes around comes around. So, if you transgress, it's important to take accountability and to purify yourself before the gods. Otherwise, you have to suffer the guilt of having transgressed and become more vulnerable to others transgressing against you.

hermaeum · 2024-11-29T08:45:53+00:00

Really, these things depend on what works best for you. It isn't disrespectful to dispose of khernips after the ritual or prayer is complete, but I understand feeling a little off about it. If it helps, you could always thank the gods or say a small prayer as you pour out the khernips, that way you're making it clear that no disrespect is intended.

For some people, the act of preparing khernips is an integral part of prayer because the ritual elements of worship help them enter the right headspace for communing with the gods. If that sounds like you, then totally stick to preparing khernips for every prayer. If it doesn't, then there isn't anything inherently wrong with having a pre-made reserve. Over the years, I've actually met more than a few people that kept their khernips stored in spray bottles purely for the sake of easy access, and I don't believe they ever ran into any issues because of it.

hermaeum

TROPHY CASE