PBP: Q - Questing

Q is a terrible letter and I've already used Queen so this was the only thing I could think of that would be remotely interesting. I've already mentioned a lot about my 'quest' so far in my first post but perhaps this will be more of an update.

Looking more into Hellenismos and its rituals and structure has been a nice introduction into Reconstructionism, even if I don't fully agree with all of its points. After reading A Beginner's Guide to Hellenismos I've tried to put more of a foundation on my beliefs. I re-decorated my altar, which had become more of a shelf for knick knacks over the last year or so more than anything else.

I have my hearth light for Hestia (an electric candle in the glass holder.) The round candle next to it holds a real flame for during offerings and prayers. The oil burner is a safe place to burn cone incense as an offering, the wooden disk holds joss sticks. The candle stick on the left belonged to my great grandmother and the egg cup holds some of my grandmother's rings and this is my small section in honour of my ancestors. The small dragon ring which you probably can't see represents the serpent of the Agathos Daimon.

Also on the right, I have a small representation of a Greek urn I bought while on my trip to Greece. It's a small touristy thing but I think it connects me to the homeland of Hellenismos as a whole. The keys represent Hekate, the citrine stone represents Apollon (with his connection to the sun and enlightenment) and the feathers represent Hermes in their household epithets.

So it's small and simple and I would really like some proper statues on there but it's something I make do for now. I also have a metal bowl I use for my khernips but that lives under the bed instead.

I'm following a lot of others who lean towards Hellenismos and there's a considerable amount of newbie feeling all over again but we all have to start somewhere and they are excellent people to learn from, even if I'm just reading their blogs. There is that backbone to the core practise however, the ancient texts that can be used as a solid basis, though this doesn't necessarily discount UPG.

As far as contact with the gods goes, I haven't had anything in depth occur but just the general worship of them all is grounding.

Noumenia Playlist

I've been trying to find ways of connecting with the Theoi that work for me, and through the wonders of Youtube, I've found a collection of their hymns sung both in Greek and English. I think it's something about the traditional music or just the language that really sets the mood, especially during offerings and libations.

I've already touched on the significance of Noumenia here, and this is a short collection of hymns I found for it.

Apollon

Selene

Hekate

Hermes

Zeus

Hestia

In the Spirit of the Games

The Olympics are being held in my country this time around and it's all anyone can really talk about. It's all over the television, the newspapers, everyone wants support for the London Olympics 2012. The torch even abseiled down the dock tower in the closest major town to me. I would have gone, but it was at some ridiculous time in the morning. (We won't mention the fact that the torch went out a few times on its trip around the UK).


"The oldest myth which concerns the beginning of the Olympic Games is that of Idaios Daktylos Herakles. According to other myths, Zeus, the father of humanity, fought and defeated Cronus in a struggle for the throne of the gods. Finally, the well-known demigod Herakles is mentioned. He staged games in Olympia in honour of Zeus, because the latter had helped him conquer Elis when he went to war against Augeas."


I visited Olympia on my trip to Greece and in our group we had a small little competition between ourselves, a little foot race and the winner was crowned with laurel leaves. The temple of Zeus has long been destroyed by an earthquake but of course the ruins are still there. The width of the column drums are about as wide as I am tall (5'4) which gives you some idea of the scale of the temple when it was in its full glory. Nothing less for the King of the Olympians though of course.


Holding my own games would be a little impractical but I feel like it is a good thing to offer my weekly exercise as a dedication to Zeus. So that I sweat in honour of him and his majesty.

PBP: N - Noumenia

Little late on the Pagan Blog Project but I'll just start from July.
More on Hekate's Deipnon at a later date.


A lot of pagan paths put emphasis on the full moon instead of new, especially in Wicca and though I know that the new moon is used to sweep out the old and welcome the new I've never thought in depth about its importance and here as the start of the month, it becomes the centre of monthly ritual. With the next new months upcoming this week, this will be my first Noumenia ritual, and I will probably blog about how it goes.


Hesiod (Works and Days 770) designated the Noumenia as the holiest of days, and it appears to have been among the oldest and most widespread of the Hellenic religious observances. Its antiquity is attested by the fact that Homer mentions it in the Odyssey(21.258) – a significant fact when we consider that he names only one other religious festival in his epics.


Generally, it was seen as a day to stay at home and celebrate with the family. Sacrifices were made to Apollon (protector), Selene (Moon), Hekate (roads and the unseen), Hermes (who protects the borders/thresholds), Hestia (hearth flame), Zeus Ktesios (food stores) and the household gods. The domestic shrines were cleaned and then wreathed with flower-garlands, and then incense, wine, and cakes were offered anew to the gods.

Νουμηνια

The Rite of the New Moon

Each Hellenic Month begins with the new moon. This particular date is known as the Noumenia, and there are a variety of traditions which have been reconstructed and added to the festivities upon this date.
The Noumenia honors all of the Gods, as well as specifically the Gods Selene (Goddess of the Moon), Apollon Noumenios (of the Noumenia), the Ancestors and the Agathos Daimon (Good Demon/Guardian Spirit). In ancient times the Ancestors were honored on the night before the Noumenia along with Hekate. The Agathos Daimon was honored on the second day of the month. These practices are still continued by modern Hellenes although some choose to also include the Ancestors and Agathos Daimon on the date of the Noumenia, as the new moon represents the end and beginnings of things.

The altar is set with images of Selene, Apollon, the Ancestors and the Agathos Daimon. Candles are placed in front of each of these images, or the candles can act as the images themselves. Altar cloths are usually black, although other colors can be used if a worshipper feels they are appropriate. Typically there are white, silver, gold or black candles, which are not lit until the sacrifice section, as the candles serve as offerings in and of themselves.

The traditional offering upon this date are three cakes. One cake is offered to Apollon, one is offered to all of the Gods, and the third is offered to the Ancestors and the Agathos Daimon. Wine is always a traditional offering and can go very well with the cakes. Honey and milk are also appropriate libations. The following is a ritual which could be performed to celebrate the Noumenia.

Oh Holy Gods,

Olympioi and Chthonioi alike,

I/We come before You bringing

Offerings and honorable sacrifices.

Holy Selene, I/We honor You,

As it is You who lights our way at night,

You who keeps us in tune with the cycle of the year,

You who, like Your brother Helios,

Watches us and helps us keep our Oaths.

Holy Apollon, I/We honor You,

As to You this day is sacred as well.

May Your prophesies and wisdom guide us

Through the coming months.

I/We honor the Olympians,

Numbered at twelve, but are not bound.

I/We honor the Great Gods of Earth,

The creators and keepers of our bodies.

I/We honor the Chthonioi,

Who care for our souls when we

Transcend to the beyond.

And I/We honor those that came before us,

My/Our ancestors and their keeper:

The Agathos Daimon;

The protectors of all things.

Holy Ones, Accept and Delight in our offerings!

Example from here.

Also, if a Kathiskos is in use Noumenia is the perfect time to refill it with new offerings to Zeus Ktesios.

Reassessing

I have been a lazy pagan, there I said it and as much as I would like to have it otherwise, actually doing something about my beliefs has taken a back seat. Through my own fault and no one else's of course.

When I first found paganism, it was in that rebellious teenage stage where it all looked so 'new' and strange enough to be 'cool'. Religion had never been a big part of my life outside of school, being blanket Church of England never really stuck out for me. I tried to do the church group thing but it just felt like a place to go and play games rather than something iconically religious.

So I started with Wicca, thought it would be the path for me with all its rules and set list of accoutrements. Do this, don't do that, but it introduced me to the other aspects that sit under the paganism umbrella and all the other cultural pantheons and practises. By this time, perhaps 15/16, the idea of being a 'witch' was still the cool thing and I tried a few spells, small rituals here and there. I went through a period of touching on shamanism when everyone was raving about totem animals, even spent some time on a Therian forum board trying to decide if I fit in there. Although, while feline energy will always be a big part of my life and my spiritual energy, I don't believe that it 'means' what I thought it meant, or more importantly what I HOPED it meant.

I tried tarot and runes and focusing on the Lord and Lady and while I do believe that the world relies on the duality of the genders, that is more of a blanket truth, if you get my meaning. For me, that's got nothing to do with religion, it just is. When I feel the need I ask the Goddess for help because she covers a lot of ground, gods, entities, whatever you want to call it, and perhaps she acts more like the reassuring mother figure.

Even as I write this, I'm still uncomfortable using the word 'religion'. It comes with so many expectations and connotations that it sometimes smothers the beliefs. It's for this reason that I'm hesitant to classify myself as a Hellenist. I have had a connection with the Greek pantheon for as long as I can remember, I've just never...approached them as my one and only. I don't know if I can be strict with myself and say that the ancient ways, or the re constructionist view would be the one structure that I stick to.

I crave structure but want to be careful about restriction. If that makes any sense.

I think the Delphic Maxims and the ethics of Hellenismos are pretty easy to follow, most of them are common sense in life. And if I want to uphold piety then I have to make an effort to make a connection with the Theoi. Actually get off my butt and start giving them something so that I can work on that relationship.

I live at home at the moment, so space and privacy are issues and I am battling my hesitance over how openly to set up. My parents have never really done much with religion and thankfully, they are open and understanding but I'm still nervous about having to explain about the ever burning hearth light to Hestia, or the  food offering to Zeus Ktesios. Also, ancestor 'worship' has never been something that I have focused on before, though I see the sense behind it.

Despite my doubts, I want a base to come home to. Something real and regular so that I feel like I'm doing something with my life that the gods gave me.

That's my rambling for the day.