Devotional Rite Outline
This ritual outline is designed for private practice but it can easily be adapted for family or group practice. It is specifically for honoring the Gods on their feast days or Sabbat days, but can be adapted for any special occasion. Although I generally keep my magic and my worship separate, you can put perform spell work in the middle of this rite if you wish.
You may wish to dedicate certain days to certain Gods or perform devotions to them all at once. Whichever works best for you. I perform devotions to different Gods on the new moon of each month.
For this ritual you will need:
2 candles
Incense
A large bowl of water
Olive oil
Salt
Bread
A glass of wine or juice, mixed with a bit of honey*
Offering dish
If you are inside, you will need a container to receive the libation, a bowl is ideal
Prepare for Ritual
Begin by bathing your hands in the large bowl of water and then drying them off. If you bathe just before the ritual, you can skip this part.
Light the incense. Asperge the area and yourself. Set the incense back on the altar and let it continue to burn.
Greet the Gods
Light the first candle:
“Hestia, first and last I honor you.”
Light the second candle:
“(God/dess) I come before you this your holy day in joy and thankfulness.”
Recite your prayer to the God/dess. You may do this free-form, or recite one of the Orphic Hymns or Homeric Hymns as you wish.
List the blessings you have received from the God/dess in the past year and talk about the challenges in the coming year.
Libations:
“Hestia, in thanks for this hearth at which I may worship all the Gods, I pour out this libation first to you.”
“(God/dess), in thanks for your many gifts, as I have just related, I pour out this libation to you.”
Drink the rest saying:”By the will of the Gods, I have this wine/juice that I need not know thirst.”
Feast:
Take the bread and dip it in olive oil and sprinkle it with salt. Place a bit in the libation bowl or offering dish and eat the rest.
“By the will of the Gods, I have food to fill my belly that I need not know hunger.”
Closing:
“God/dess, I think you for hearing my prayer.” Snuff out the second candle.
“Hestia, I honor you first and last.” Snuff out the second candle.
Put out the incense and take the water, the libation and the offering outside. Place the offering on the altar and pour the libation on the ground next to it. The water (khernips) should be poured out somewhere else outdoors, away from the altar.
- I mix the libation with honey because back in the day, libations were mixed with water because only barbarians drank unmixed wine. Today everybody drinks unmixed wine and mixing it with water seems like you’re cheapening it! So to make it a little more special, I mix the wine with honey.