Question Collections post 24

I get a lot of questions from readers, and most of the time, the answers are fairly short. When I feel the question or the reply would be valuable to others as well, I make a post with a collection of them and post them in one go. Today is one of those posts.

"I have a question about miasma and ritual purification. I understand that many start with a shower and end with khernips. But what about modern conveniences? Is it okay to use scented soaps? Is it okay to put on deodorant after the shower? Can I style my hair? Or is it better to just go straight from drying off to khernips?"

By all means, make yourself pretty and good smelling! the ancient Hellenes sure did! This whole shower-as-part-of-katharmos is a modern invention. Katharmos, or the act of getting ritually clean, starts the second you walk into the area you have designated as sacred with the intent of performing ritual. Your shower happens way before, as does any primping. Then, you prepare your mind and start your procession into the area. this is when katharmos starts. You wash your hands with khernips–lustral water, which you prepare there and then, or you could possibly have stored–sprinkle the area with the water and strew barley groats as if sowing them. That’s your purification. As you can see, all of the things you worry about happen long before!

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"I'm really new to Hellenismos so I have a lot of questions, but in particular I have one about khernips. Do I have to use them every time I pray, or could I limit it to rituals? I am lacking in resources but I don't want to offend the gods in any way. Thank you in advance!"

You use khernips every single time you perform a rite for the Gods. This includes (daily) sacrifice, festival celebrations, etc. The only exception for the ancient Hellenes would have been the drops of wine tipped on the ground during a symposium (a social gathering where wine was consumed and philosphical talk was indulged in) or before a meal. In general, though, if you plan of getting in contact to the Gods, get ritually clean with khernips. Praying, really, is not an act that befits Hellenismos if partaken in as a standalone activity: you pray during ritual. The two are synonymous. I hope this helps!

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"Do you know any Gods that were associated with Ravens/Crows?"

The only one that comes to mind is Apollon. For a variety of reasons, Hermes is often associated with these birds as well, but there is no ancient evidence for this. Apollon, on the other hand, has a long history with the birds. It seems odd that a deity associated with light is also associated with an animal with an image as negative as the raven. Ravens are often associated with battlegrounds, cemeteries, and death, with the rotting of carcasses, and funerals. In Hellenic myth, they are also associated with vision beyond that which is present. With oracular visions, and with spotting that which can not, or should not, be spotted.

One myth that associates ravens with Apollon is the myth of Koronis (Κορωνίς). Koronis was Apollon's lover, and was pregnant with His son, when she fell for another man, a mortal man, Ischys (Ἰσχύς). A raven--then white--had been assigned by Apollon to watch over His lover, and when the raven returned to tell Apollon of Coronis' betrayal, Apollon was furious the raven had not pecked out the eyes of the mortal whom his lover fell in love with. In a fit of rage, Apollon turned its feathers black.

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"I've been reading your blog for a long time and you are one of my go-to sources. I have questions about statues which have left me stumped for months. My alter is far more "cluttered" than your own. Recently I've started to make it more deity neutral. Where would you suggest I place my statues? Would you mind sharing how you display your own? I've considered individual alters. Do you know any sources with images that might guide me? Thank you for all the amazing work you do and have a great day!"

I think there is an easy source of your confusion: there is a huge difference between an altar and a shrine. An altar is one of those basic necessities within Hellenismos, and it differs from a shrine. Where an altar is a ‘work space’, dedicated not so much to a specific deity, but used to do the bulk of the (daily) rituals, a shrine is a devotional area where an altar might be located. In ancient Hellas, the shrine was usually a temple, the altar an actual altar, standing outside of it. Household worship took place at a multitude of shrines. Labelling something a shrine does not mean you can’t sacrifice at these spots in your home. In general, you decorate a shrine but leave the altar rather bare.

As for your statues: I put them up on my shrines, not my altar. That’s why it’s bare-ish ;-)

• Wednesday, June 16, 2021
  Apollon Hellenismos 101 katharmos khernips personal Question Collections Post requested post

Repost: On impure days and days of purification

The days of purification are placed on the 18th and 19th of every month of the Hellenic festival calendar, and are thus part of the Mên kata Theion, the sacred month--religious events that return every month in a set sequence. These days of purification are hinted at in Proklos' 'Commentary on Hesiod's Works and Days', and further solidified by Philokhoros in his 'On Days'. The text is not available online in translation, as far as I can find, but in short, these texts indicate that 'the eighteenth and nineteenth of the month are devoted to purificatory and apotropaic rites.'

While this can be interpreted as a monthly thing, in context it can also be interpreted as something belonging only in Boedromion, tied to the Mysteries at Eleusis. Because we have no conclusive evidence in favor of either theory, I prefer to keep these as a monthly event.

The impure days are the days before the Deipnon. One of the most important of the many Hellenic festivals is the three-day transition from month to month. Although unlinked, the Deipnon, the Noumenia and Agathós Daímōn are held on consecutive days, around the new moon. The Deipnon (Hene kai Nea)--or Hekate's Deipnon--is celebrated any time before the first sliver of the new moon is visible. In practice, this is the day after the new moon. The impure days are thus the two or three (depending on if the month is hollow or not) days leading up to the Deipnon. These days are labelled 'impure' as a precausting. The Deipnon itself is absolutely impure, after all.

Hekate’s Deipnon is the traditional time to end the old month and prepare for the new one. In ancient Hellas, the Deipnon was celebrated with a Supper for the Titan Hekate--made up of leek, egg, cakes, fish, unions and garlic--and set out at the outside shrine to Hekate, and then placed at a crossroads as an offering to Her--Hekate Trioditis, Goddess of Crossroads--and the vengeful spirits who were in her following. In addition to placation, the Deipnon is also a time of purification; in ancient times, a dog was taken in, touched by all members of the oikos so any lingering miasma was transfered to the dog. The dog was then sacrificed in a holókaustos. This was most likely not a monthly thing, but only performed when the household was troubled. As Hekate's sacred animal is a dog, the sacrifice also served to regain, or keep, Hekate's favor upon the household. The house was also thoroughly cleaned so the new month could start fresh the day after. Debts were repaid on this day.

Purificatory rites, obviously, refer to katharmos--ritual purification--in relation to miasma--ritual impurity. Within Hellenic practice, miasma (Μίασμα) describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing.

So let's look at the terms of 'purification' and 'apotropaic' as noted in the ancient texts. The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual. It means being physically clean when entering ritual but, peraps more importantly, it means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods.

Katharmos is a Hellenic basic. There can not be ritual without katharmos. As such, it makes sense to have days in the month assigned especially to getting clean before the rest of the month's rituals take place.

The word 'apotropaic' comes from Greek apotrepein 'to ward off' from apo- 'away' and trepein 'to turn'. These practices serve to appease polluting spirits, ghosts chief amongst them. Ghosts were the people who could not find the entrance to the Underworld or who didn't have the money to pay Kharon for their passage. Those who were not properly buried were also doomed to wander the Earth for a hundred years. Interestingly enough, Hellenic heroes were also considered ghosts and were honored in the same type of rites as other types of ghosts.

The ancient Hellens held festivals in honor of ghosts, and the Theoi that presided over them, so they would be sated and appeased and would not haunt them. Most of these festivals included a holókaustos--a sacrificial offering given in its entirety to the Gods--and were solemn affairs, conducted at night and without an offering of wine. It was, however, also possible to invite them to dine with the living so they would feel included and then end the proceedings by asking them to leave; something the ghosts would do as it's not polite by the rules of xenia to be a burden on your host.

This fear of spirits and other supernatural entities was named 'deisidaimonia' (δεισιδαιμονία). The ceremonies of riddance were known to the Hellenes as apopompai (ἀποποπμαί), 'sendings away'. There isn't a single word in the English language that conveys the practice. Closest would be 'exorcism'. It is important to note here that these 'exorcisms' weren't performed on people, but on the ghosts themselves and in short, they consisted of rites to ask the Gods (especially Hekate) to keep these unfortunate souls away from their homes and families, because the ghosts could bring misery down upon them. Possession was not part of the fear. Many rites in the ancient Hellenic religion--including monthly ones like the Deipnon--were apotropaic.

There is one other reson I can think of why certain days could have become impure are the ancient Hellenic homicide courts. Homicide courts were the law cases where one man stood accused of murdering another. In many respects, a homicide case resembled other private suits. Each litigant pleaded his own case in two speeches, the first of which presented the main points in his accusation or defense and might be written for him by a logographer, aprofessional speechwriter, and the second rebutting his opponents arguments. Witnesses could testify if they were male citizens. When the litigants finished their two speeches, the jury voted for acquittal or conviction and the majority carried the day (a tie vote meant acquittal). The penalty for intentional homicide was death, though exile seems to have been a common outcome, and the accused was allowed to go into exile voluntarily at any time up until his second speech in court, which would then be delivered by a friend or relative in the hope of persuading the jury to vote for acquittal despite the accused’s departure. For unintentional homicide the penalty was exile, probably for a specific length of time (perhaps a year). At any point the victim’s family could agree to a lesser penalty, or they could even drop the charges, if they wished, though there was a strong moral obligation to avenge an intentional murder.

Interestingly enough, homicide courts were held outdoors out of fear of pollution. The belief was archaic and had become more of a tradition than a rule by the time of Classical Greece, but it was definitely practiced. It could have been that these homicide courts were always planned on impure days--or that these days became impure because these very specific courts were always held on these days.

So, what do these days mean for worship...? Not too much. Festivals were hardly ever celebrated on these days and essembly meetings were rarely held on them either. They were said to bring bad luck; no major endeavor was started on them. Especially the impure days in the middle of the month were considered ominous. For us, we can foolow the lead of the ancient Hellenes: there are no planned festivals and we can be mindful of these days when planning our own celebrations. But the ancient Hellenes would have held regular household rituals on these days and in case of imergency, they would have performed rituals as well. The katharmic rites might have been a bit longer or performed with more intention but overall, these days are just something to keep in mind, not be held back back.  

• Friday, November 1, 2019
  ancient Hellenic culture Athens festivals Hellenismos 101 katharmos miasma requested post

Miasma in the working life

It seems like one of the absolute hardest things about Hellenismos to truly understand for new (and experienced) practitioners is miasma. It's especially difficult to understand in regards to a work situation that involves events that traditionally cause miasma. Let's see if I can shed some light today.

Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma comes into play whenever a space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing. The ancient Hellenes washed their hands as a precaution before ritual and then attended rites every single day.

 

I recently recieved a message from a reader who works both in the obstetrics wing and the morgue--both fields which could, judging by the above discription, carry heaps of miasma--who was worried that in his line of work, there was no way to avoid miasma or any way to ever get clean. It made me realize I need to really lay out the mechanics of miasma better--because I doubt this reader ever incurs miasma beyond the 'level' of, say, an office worker or gardener. I'm going to try to explain.

After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that true, practice stopping, miasma is linked to distraction. Anything that takes your mind off of the Gods during ritual can be considered miasmic. For example, the ancient Hellenes agreed that murder caused miasma but only once other people became aware of the fact that you had committed an act of murder. As such, if you were exiled and you travelled to another town where no one knew what you had done, in essence, you were not miamic to the rites and people around you.

Death, birth, and life treathening illness are traditionally miasmic because they are linked to the Underworld; souls travel to the Underworld during death and (especially in ancient Hellas,) the threat of death and the Underworld hangs over births and over those close to dying. It is important to note here that soldiers--who murdered people for a living!--were not believed to incur miasma. With modern psychological discoveries, I'd dare to contend that, but I'll get to that. Now, not the actual acts of dying, childbirth, being ill or even engaging in sexual relation cause miasma. If it did, soldiers and babies would not only carry miasma but perhaps even be a source of it--and neither were considered to be either.

If you take a look at the events that cause miasma, you can see they are all events that are very emotional. The (imminent) death of a loved one, the birth of your (grand)child, making love to your significant other--these are events that take up our thoughts not only during but after the events. They linger in our minds. These events even have an influence on our hormones; they literally change our brain chemistry for a while. The ancient Hellenes did not know that, of course, but they knew that these events were impactful.

When we are involved, mentally, with these events, we can't practice arete; we can't be our best. We are too absorbed with another human or ourselves to give our full attention to the Gods. That, in a nutshell, is miasma. Miasma occurs when we are too absorbed with human affairs to give our very best to the Theoi. This does not mean that any involvement with death, or birth, or sex, or anything else that traditionally carries miasma causes miasma for the practitioner.

Conciser miasma as throwing a stone in a pond; the closer you are to the point of impact, the more you will be affected by the resulting waves. Please note that I am talking about being emotionally affected; all the physical stuff is handled with water and soap. Some examples:

- If you or a loved one are dying, well, you can't get closer to the point of impact than that. You're going to be affected. The people who love you are going to be affected. The waves of a death reach very far.

- If you've just had a baby and you are worrying about being a good parent, about the health of the baby (in ancient Hellas, especially, children often died in the first days of life) and just generally extatic, it's going to be hard to focus on a rite that focusses on the opening of the first wine barrels of the season, for example, or placating Poseidon to send calm seas so trade can pick up again. Yet, the ripples might extend to the parents of the new parents but probably not too far beyond that circle--except if the baby cries through the entire ritual, but that's a whole different ball game.

- Everyone who has ever made love to a person you are so very in love with knows how hard it is to focus on anything but that other person the day after. The impact of that, however, is not going to be felt by anyone but the two people involved and that kind of miasma can be cleared by a good shake of the head, a shower and ritual katharmos.

Now, there are people--like the author of the message--who are professionally involved with events that traditionally carry miasma. In general, these people will be close to the point of impact physically--namely the people they take care of--but far removed from the point of impact emotionally. This is their job, they have perhaps a dozen patients or clients a day, maybe more, and while they give the best care they can while at work, once the day is done, they drive home and return to their own life. For these people these traditionally miasmic events aren't miasmic beyond the regular, every day occurring, type of miasma. Just like the soldiers of ancient Hellas, they are trained not to be emotionally affected by the job and in general they are not.

Of course you will always want to practice katharmos--the practice of purification through, for example, applying khernips. We all occur miasma, after all. And there are always those special cases that slip right past the training. I have been in health care, I know that sometimes you really connect with a person you take care of. When something happens to them, you take that home. Those people and their situation linger in your mind--and that, as we have seen above, is miasma. At that point you will have to consider to either sit out the ritual or take some extra steps to shake these throughts and regain focus for the Gods at least for the duration of the rite.

Remember I said that I dare to contend that (ancient) soldiers didn't occur miasma while performing their job? With our renewed understanding of the psychological burden of warfare and the legitimization of PTSD, I dare say that soldiers can most certainly incur miasma while performing their job. It's all about the psychological burden, after all, just like a doctor when (s)he loses a patient or a mortician when (s)he has to bury a child. A very dear friend of mine and a fellow Hellenist practiced faithfully every day while he battled cancer and never once felt like he could not give 100% to the Gods. Illness does not have to mean miasma at all, as long as your focus is not on it.

I cannot stress enough that miasma is not negative; it's human. And we are all human. The Gods created us as humans and They fully accept our nature in this regard. All They ask is that we try to live up to arete while we engage with Them. So while professionals dealing with miasmic events are more 'at risk', so to speak, of incuring miasma they do not incur miasma by default. And even if they do incur miasma, it's taken care of by katharmos, just like the rest fo us. So please rest assured.

• Sunday, October 9, 2016
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 katharmos khernips miasma Mythology 101 requested post

Khernips masterpost

I was requested to write a sort of 'khernips masterpost', so here we are. Because the concept of khernips is so linked to ritual purification--because khernips is the method through which we become ritually clean--we will also discuss the practice of katharmos and the notion of ritual pollution: miasma.

Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing.

The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual. In modern practice, it usually starts with a shower, but this is not a historic necessity. Step two is the preparation and use of khernips. Beyond the practical, there is a large mental component to katharmos. It means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods.

The greatest barrier in understanding miasma and katharmos, to me, is our modern frame of mind. On the one hand, we know too much about personal hygiene, about the human body and about science as a whole, on the other hand religion has become something separate from life in general. As a result, we colour ancient Hellas with our 'hygiene brush'. Secondly, not everyone has faith, our society does no longer revolve around it, and as a result, we--as modern religious people--struggle for a mindset of simple, all-encompassing, unquestionable worship. There might be a few remnants of 'Original Sin Thinking' lodged in there as well.

After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that miasma is linked to distraction. Anything that takes your mind off of the Gods during ritual can be considered miasmic. For example, the ancient Hellenes agreed that murder causes miasma (when not committed as part of a war, soldiers were not tainted with miasma for killing their enemies), but only once other people became aware of the fact that you had committed an act of murder. As such, if you were exiled and you travelled to another town where no one knew what you had done, in essence, you were not miamic to the rites and people around you.

We all incur miasma, every single day of our lives. It has nothing to do with sin, shame or guilt. Miasma is a consequence of living. We breath, make decisions, come in contact with others, and along the way, we become too human--for lack of a better term--to petition the Gods. The divide between the purity and cleanliness of the Theoi and our human mortality and imperfection keeps us away from Them. Miasma is not about being physically dirty, although that is a part of it, and katharmos is not about becoming physically clean, although that is a part of it as well. Katharmos is devotional. It not only helps you get in a ritualistic mood, it prepares the room and your body for it. Even if you do not understand the use, it's a vital part of Hellenistic worship.

Khernips are the traditional way to cleanse yourself from miasma. As far as basic information goes,
khernips is created by dropping smoldering incense or herb leaves into water. When throwing in the lit item, one can utter ‘xerniptosai’ (pronounced 'zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee') which translates as ‘be purified’. Both hands are washed with khernips and you can wash the face as well. The vessel holding the khernips is called a khernibeionas (Χερνῐβεῖον).

Artwork has taught us that khernips was often applied just outside the temenos, with hands being washed in a bowl or water poured out of a jug while the supplicant washed their hands. The water was collected from a moving source of water, which could be a natural spring, a river, or even the sea. Moving water was considered sacred, and often viewed as an extension of the body of a stream/river/sea God(dess). For my video tutorial on how to prepare and apply khernips, go here.

As with anything concerning miasma, most books on ancient Hellas and/or Hellenic religion don't mention khernips at all, or under a synonym. As with miasma, I am going to assume this is because the evidence of its existance is so flimsy besides a resounding 'it was used and important'. My rather vast collection of scholarly material is silent on any details beyond the basic information already provided. As such, I am forced to speculate based upon what I know.

Personally, I tend to mix tap water with sea water into a large vessel from which I take a measure every evening to use throughout the day. I drop the smoldering firebrand (a match when traveling, a bit of burning wood or herbs when home) into the measure poured our, not the vessel itself. So, in short, I prepare the base in advance but the actual mixture on the spot. I only use one measure one day, after that, I dip it out onto the earth and replace it with a fresh batch before my evening rituals.

Khernips is important, and it's important they are properly prepared, but in the large scheme of things, I feel it's more important you actually perform the ritualistic motions without a specific part of it than skipping it altogether. So, no, you can't make khernips without dropping something smouldering in, but that doesn't mean you can't wash before ritual and improvise a little. Drop herbs into the water and wash with that, drop essential oils in it, if you don't have herbs. Find something to make the water special, and then use it to cleanse yourself. Just go through the motions and focus on the rites ahead. That is its function and it should be used as such.

• Monday, May 16, 2016
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 katharmos khernibeionas khernips requested post

The sacred laws of Selinus and Cyrene

Two Hellenic cities which in their time were leading states in the Mediterranean world, Selinus in Sicily and Cyrene in Libya, set up inscriptions of the kind called sacred laws, but regulating worship on a larger scale than elsewhere - Selinus in the mid fifth century B.C., Cyrene in the late fourth. In different ways, the content and the format of both inscriptions are so unusual that they have baffled understanding. Today, I want to talk to you a bit about both, with the help of Noel Robertson.


The sacred laws of Selinus
Selinus (or Selinous), located on the south-west coast of Sicily, was founded in the mid-7th century BCE by Hellenic colonists from Megara Hyblaea on the eastern side of the island. Selinus was the most western Hellenic colony on Sicily, and it became an important polis or city-state in the Classical period. The site covered an unusually large and well-planned urban and sacred area, the latter once having at least ten separate temples from the 6th to 5th century BCE.

According to Thucydides, in 628 BCE Greek colonists from Megara Hyblaea on the eastern side of Sicily chose the site around the Manuzza hill, as it benefitted from a natural port and was surrounded by fertile plains ideal for agriculture, especially wheat and olive production. The town was named after the river Selinos on whose mouth it is situated. The name comes from the Hellenic word for wild celery (sélinon) which grew (and still grows) abundantly in the area.
The sacred laws of Selinus were written on a large lead tablet about two feet wide and eight inches high. It sets out rules for sacrifice and other ritual in two columns of writin that are upside down to each other. No one knows why. A bronze bar is laid vertically between the comumns so as to clamp the tablet with just three nails to some wooden fixture. At any given time, the column that is right side up is on the right.

The two columns are of unequal length and substance. column A fills up half the tablet, from top to bottom. After a preliminary offering and a heading, sacrifices are prescribed to Zeus Eumenes and the eumenides, to Zeus Milichios at a place strangely named, to Tritopatores both foul and pure, and again to Zeus Melichios at another place strangely named. For all but Zeus Eumenes and the Eumenides, the mode of sacrifice and other ritual actions are described in great detail. The heading gives the deadline for performing the whole series of sacrifices.

The preliminary offering is only partially legible; there are traces of an earlier and lengthier version that was eased.

Column B is only half as long as column A and was even shorter at first. It appears to have been lengthened as an afterthought. All the ritual of column B is addressed to a power called 'elasteros'. the person performing the rite is described as 'autorektas'. The ritual, including sacrifice, is meant to purify the person from the power.

Column A is dedicated to bloodshed, as all Theoi and powers named are avenging ones. Column B is linkd to the ritual purification of bloodshed and the lifting of guilt--of lifting the curse of the Eumenides of someone who has committed homicide.


The sacred laws of Cyrene
Cyrene was an ancient Hellenic city on the North African coast near present-day Shahhat, a town located in north-eastern Libya. As a result of the rise in population that took place in the Hellenic world during the 8th and 7th century BC, expeditions to the North African region took place from Thera (which is now known as Santorini). The traditional date for this event is 630 BCE. During the expedition, the native Lybians welcomed the newcomers and showed them an inland site marked by the presence of an abundant spring to found a new city. The name of the city is rooted in the myths about Apollon’s love affair with Kyrene, daughter of a Thesalian King named Hypseus and a water nymph.

The sacred laws of Cyrene were written down on a tall marble block. It originally stood in the great sanctuary of apollon in the northwest sector of the city. The content is divided by short horizontal lines into roughly twenty sections (depending on restoration).

Column A has a heading in larger letters: Apollon ordered the people of Cyrene to perform ritual a certain way. The first rule calls for a red haired sacrifice to Apollon outside of the city gates. The next few rules are on obtaining wood for any purpose and what washing or other care is needed after impure occasions like sexual intercourse and childbirth.Then there is a rather unclear section that mentiones Tritopateres and Battus, founder of Cyrene. the next rule is on how to scrape and scrub an altar when a wrong victim has been sacrificed.

The next item is a lingle line that describes a tithing obligatgion to Apollon for particular people. The obligation is to purify Apollon's sanctuary and oneself and one's property and also, as a much greater burden, to sacrifice animals valued at a literal tithe.

The second face, column B, begins with three rules for young women, requiring them to attend at stated times the shrine of Artemis. There follows a rule about impurity caused by miscarriage then three sections of text we do not know the proper meaning of. They might be on purifying supplicnt or, like at Selinius, about ifting the burden of guilt.

A .pdf of the sacred laws of Cyrene can be found here.

These writings give us insight into rites connected with the carker side of life, the polluted side of life. The side of life that needed supplication and divine intervention. By studying these texts, we recieve insight into the ancient Hellenic way of thinking and this helps us shape our own thought patterns,

• Thursday, May 5, 2016
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 katharmos miasma

On impure days and days of purification

Lately, I have been getting a lot of questions concerning two events on my Hellenic festival calendar; enough to get a post out on it that I can link to. These questions concern the 'Days of purification' and the 'Impure day(s)'.

The days of purification are placed on the 18th and 19th of every month, and are thus part of the Mên kata Theion, the sacred month--religious events that return every month in a set sequence. These days of purification are hinted at in Proklos' 'Commentary on Hesiod's Works and Days', and further solidified by Philokhoros in his 'On Days'. The text is not available online in translation, as far as I can find, but in short, these texts indicate that 'the eighteenth and nineteenth of the month are devoted to purificatory and apotropaic rites.'

While this can be interpreted as a monthly thing, in context it can also be interpreted as something belonging only in Boedromion, tied to the Mysteries at Eleusis. Because we have no conclusive evidence in favor of either theory, I prefer to keep these as a monthly event.

The impure days are the days before the Deipnon. One of the most important of the many Hellenic festivals is the three-day transition from month to month. Although unlinked, the Deipnon, the Noumenia and Agathós Daímōn are held on consecutive days, around the new moon. The Deipnon (Hene kai Nea)--or Hekate's Deipnon--is celebrated any time before the first sliver of the new moon is visible. In practice, this is the day after the new moon. The impure days are thus the two or three (depending on if the month is hollow or not) days leading up to the Deipnon. These days are labelled 'impure' as a precausting. The Deipnon itself is absolutely impure, after all.

Hekate’s Deipnon is the traditional time to end the old month and prepare for the new one. In ancient Hellas, the Deipnon was celebrated with a Supper for the Titan Hekate--made up of leek, egg, cakes, fish, unions and garlic--and set out at the outside shrine to Hekate, and then placed at a crossroads as an offering to Her--Hekate Trioditis, Goddess of Crossroads--and the vengeful spirits who were in her following. In addition to placation, the Deipnon is also a time of purification; in ancient times, a dog was taken in, touched by all members of the oikos so any lingering miasma was transfered to the dog. The dog was then sacrificed in a holókaustos. This was most likely not a monthly thing, but only performed when the household was troubled. As Hekate's sacred animal is a dog, the sacrifice also served to regain, or keep, Hekate's favor upon the household. The house was also thoroughly cleaned so the new month could start fresh the day after. Debts were repaid on this day.

Purificatory rites, obviously, refer to katharmos--ritual purification--in relation to miasma--ritual impurity. Within Hellenic practice, miasma (Μίασμα) describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing.

So let's look at the terms of 'purification' and 'apotropaic' as noted in the ancient texts. The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual. It means being physically clean when entering ritual but, peraps more importantly, it means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods.
Katharmos is a Hellenic basic. There can not be ritual without katharmos. As such, it makes sense to have days in the month assigned especially to getting clean before the rest of the month's rituals take place.

The word 'apotropaic' comes from Greek apotrepein 'to ward off' from apo- 'away' and trepein 'to turn'. These practices serve to appease polluting spirits, ghosts chief amongst them. Ghosts were the people who could not find the entrance to the Underworld or who didn't have the money to pay Kharon for their passage. Those who were not properly buried were also doomed to wander the Earth for a hundred years. Interestingly enough, Hellenic heroes were also considered ghosts and were honored in the same type of rites as other types of ghosts.

The ancient Hellens held festivals in honor of ghosts, and the Theoi that presided over them, so they would be sated and appeased and would not haunt them. Most of these festivals included a holókaustos--a sacrificial offering given in its entirety to the Gods--and were solemn affairs, conducted at night and without an offering of wine. It was, however, also possible to invite them to dine with the living so they would feel included and then end the proceedings by asking them to leave; something the ghosts would do as it's not polite by the rules of xenia to be a burden on your host.

This fear of spirits and other supernatural entities was named 'deisidaimonia' (δεισιδαιμονία). The ceremonies of riddance were known to the Hellenes as apopompai (ἀποποπμαί), 'sendings away'. There isn't a single word in the English language that conveys the practice. Closest would be 'exorcism'. It is important to note here that these 'exorcisms' weren't performed on people, but on the ghosts themselves and in short, they consisted of rites to ask the Gods (especially Hekate) to keep these unfortunate souls away from their homes and families, because the ghosts could bring misery down upon them. Possession was not part of the fear. Many rites in the ancient Hellenic religion--including monthly ones like the Deipnon--were apotropaic.

There is one other reson I can think of why certain days could have become impure are the ancient Hellenic homicide courts. Homicide courts were the law cases where one man stood accused of murdering another. In many respects, a homicide case resembled other private suits. Each litigant pleaded his own case in two speeches, the first of which presented the main points in his accusation or defense and might be written for him by a logographer, aprofessional speechwriter, and the second rebutting his opponents arguments. Witnesses could testify if they were male citizens. When the litigants finished their two speeches, the jury voted for acquittal or conviction and the majority carried the day (a tie vote meant acquittal). The penalty for intentional homicide was death, though exile seems to have been a common outcome, and the accused was allowed to go into exile voluntarily at any time up until his second speech in court, which would then be delivered by a friend or relative in the hope of persuading the jury to vote for acquittal despite the accused’s departure. For unintentional homicide the penalty was exile, probably for a specific length of time (perhaps a year). At any point the victim’s family could agree to a lesser penalty, or they could even drop the charges, if they wished, though there was a strong moral obligation to avenge an intentional murder.

Interestingly enough, homicide courts were held outdoors out of fear of pollution. The belief was archaic and had become more of a tradition than a rule by the time of Classical Greece, but it was definitely practiced. It could have been that these homicide courts were always planned on impure days--or that these days became impure because these very specific courts were always held on these days.

So, what do these days mean for worship...? Not too much. Festivals were hardly ever celebrated on these days and essembly meetings were rarely held on them either. They were said to bring bad luck; no major endeavor was started on them. Especially the impure days in the middle of the month were considered ominous. For us, we can foolow the lead of the ancient Hellenes: there are no planned festivals and we can be mindful of these days when planning our own celebrations. But the ancient Hellenes would have held regular household rituals on these days and in case of imergency, they would have performed rituals as well. The katharmic rites might have been a bit longer or performed with more intention but overall, these days are just something to keep in mind, not be held back back. 

• Tuesday, November 10, 2015
  ancient Hellenic culture Athens festivals Hellenismos 101 katharmos miasma requested post

Question Collections post 23

I get a lot of questions from readers, and most of the time, the answers are fairly short. When I feel the question or the reply would be valuable to others as well, I make a post with a collection of them and post them in one go. Today is one of those posts.

"I have a question about miasma and ritual purification. I understand that many start with a shower and end with khernips. But what about modern conveniences? Is it okay to use scented soaps? Is it okay to put on deodorant after the shower? Can I style my hair? Or is it better to just go straight from drying off to khernips?"

By all means, make yourself pretty and good smelling! the ancient Hellenes sure did! This whole shower-as-part-of-katharmos is a modern invention. Katharmos, or the act of getting ritually clean, starts the second you walk into the area you have designated as sacred with the intent of performing ritual. Your shower happens way before, as does any primping. Then, you prepare your mind and start your procession into the area. this is when katharmos starts. You wash your hands with khernips–lustral water, which you prepare there and then, or you could possibly have stored–sprinkle the area with the water and strew barley groats as if sowing them. That’s your purification. As you can see, all of the things you worry about happen long before!

---

"I'm really new to Hellenismos so I have a lot of questions, but in particular I have one about khernips. Do I have to use them every time I pray, or could I limit it to rituals? I am lacking in resources but I don't want to offend the gods in any way. Thank you in advance!"

You use khernips every single time you perform a rite for the Gods. This includes (daily) sacrifice, festival celebrations, etc. The only exception for the ancient Hellenes would have been the drops of wine tipped on the ground during a symposium (a social gathering where wine was consumed and philosphical talk was indulged in) or before a meal. In general, though, if you plan of getting in contact to the Gods, get ritually clean with khernips. Praying, really, is not an act that befits Hellenismos if partaken in as a standalone activity: you pray during ritual. The two are synonymous. I hope this helps!

---

"Do you know any Gods that were associated with Ravens/Crows?"

The only one that comes to mind is Apollon. For a variety of reasons, Hermes is often associated with these birds as well, but there is no ancient evidence for this. Apollon, on the other hand, has a long history with the birds. It seems odd that a deity associated with light is also associated with an animal with an image as negative as the raven. Ravens are often associated with battlegrounds, cemeteries, and death, with the rotting of carcasses, and funerals. In Hellenic myth, they are also associated with vision beyond that which is present. With oracular visions, and with spotting that which can not, or should not, be spotted.

One myth that associates ravens with Apollon is the myth of Koronis (Κορωνίς). Koronis was Apollon's lover, and was pregnant with His son, when she fell for another man, a mortal man, Ischys (Ἰσχύς). A raven--then white--had been assigned by Apollon to watch over His lover, and when the raven returned to tell Apollon of Coronis' betrayal, Apollon was furious the raven had not pecked out the eyes of the mortal whom his lover fell in love with. In a fit of rage, Apollon turned its feathers black.

---

"I've been reading your blog for a long time and you are one of my go-to sources. I have questions about statues which have left me stumped for months. My alter is far more "cluttered" than your own. Recently I've started to make it more deity neutral. Where would you suggest I place my statues? Would you mind sharing how you display your own? I've considered individual alters. Do you know any sources with images that might guide me? Thank you for all the amazing work you do and have a great day!"

I think there is an easy source of your confusion: there is a huge difference between an altar and a shrine. An altar is one of those basic necessities within Hellenismos, and it differs from a shrine. Where an altar is a ‘work space’, dedicated not so much to a specific deity, but used to do the bulk of the (daily) rituals, a shrine is a devotional area where an altar might be located. In ancient Hellas, the shrine was usually a temple, the altar an actual altar, standing outside of it. Household worship took place at a multitude of shrines. Labelling something a shrine does not mean you can’t sacrifice at these spots in your home. In general, you decorate a shrine but leave the altar rather bare.

As for your statues: I put them up on my shrines, not my altar. That’s why it’s bare-ish ;-)

• Saturday, August 29, 2015
  Apollon Hellenismos 101 katharmos khernips personal Question Collections Post requested post

Sex and shrines

"I was reading up on your 2013 post about Anthesteria in preparation for tomorrow night when I came to the bit about covering your altars to prevent miasma. My main altar is in my bedroom. Should I be covering it every time my husband and I have sex? Have I been polluting my altar for years?"

The post in question can be found here. In it, I talk about covering your main household shrine as a sort of tribute to the fact that for the final two days of the Anthesteria, all temples were closed besides the one of Dionysos. Seeing as this festival is partially an underworld festival, it carries miasma. It is a practice I have adopted for anything underworld-related; I also do it when someone close to me dies, for example, until I can purify myself.

Sex in Hellenismos is.... complicated. Hellenic society was complicated when it came to sex; the ancients saw sex as completely natural and--unlike many today--had no inhibitions and very few taboos when it came to straight up heterosexual sex. Anything else had societal stigma's attached to it. They did however have many thoughts and rules surrounding ritual cleanliness--miasma and katharmos.

The ancient Hellenes viewed sex differently than we do today. In general, they accepted lust for sex as a disease--as madness that needed to be given in to on occasion to preserve sanity. It was the result of a disturbance of the healthy equilibrium between body and mind. Sexual desire made one loose mastery of their intellect--which was a huge ideal in ancient time. Women shouldn't be encouraged to give into that madness too often, but husbands did have the legal obligation to relieve this need in their wives at regular intervals so as to prevent them from becoming dangerous.

Mikalson in 'Ancient Greek Religion' mentions that intercourse led to miasma and that a bath was required before entering a temple after intercourse as a form of katharmos. He, however, does not give a source, and I don't know one either. It is a reoccurring idea, though, mostly centred on the male's excretions during the activity. The Hellenic religious organization 'Labrys' echoes the sentiment, but also without sourcing.

I keep my altar in my bedroom as well--as we live in a one bedroom apartment and we have sliding doors to corner off the bedroom during the night. During the day the space is part of our living room. What I do have is curtains to shut off  the bed from the room beyond and thus creating a temporary barrier between the bed and the altar. When I make love to my girlfriend, I'm mindful to keep these curtains closed. Honestly, I mostly do it because otherwise I feel like there are Gods watching with popcorn, but hey, miasma is an issue too.

We all incur miasma, every single day of our lives. It has nothing to do with sin, shame or guilt. Miasma is a consequence of living. We breath, make decisions, come in contact with others, and along the way, we become too human--for lack of a better term--to petition the Gods. The divide between the purity and cleanliness of the Theoi and our human mortality and imperfection, keeps us away from Them. Miasma is not about being physically dirty, although that is a part of it, and katharmos is not about becoming physically clean, although that is a part of it as well.

After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that miasma is linked to distraction. Anything that takes your mind off of the Gods during ritual can be considered miasmic. For example, murder causes miasma (when not committed as part of a war, soldiers were not tainted with miasma for killing their enemies), but only once other people became aware of the fact that you had committed an act of murder. As such, if you were exiled and you travelled to another town where no one knew what you had done, in essence, you were not miamic to the rites and people around you. If you can keep your head in the game the morning after and you have taken the proper steps to clean both yourself and the space, then by all means, do the rites. If you can't, well, then it doesn't matter where the shrine is located, now does it? If you mind is still on last night's events, you have no business petitioning the Gods anyway.

Real talk: we don't live in ancient Hellas anymore and while I am a huge stickler for practicing Traditional Hellenismos, not all of us have a huge altar in our garden that we can perform sacrifices at twice a day. Most of us don't have a wood stove or some such to offer at. We live in the now, and as such, we are forced to take certain liberties and deal with the consequences. As such, I would encourage a barrier, but if you don't have one and you have sex next to your household altar, make sure you and the space are clean when you give sacrifice. Sprinkle khernips, take a bath, change the sheets, make sure your mind is entirely on the ritual and not last night's marathon session. Give the Theoi their due in an area that is clean and tidy. Compartmentalize.

So no, I don't think you need to cover your altar whenever you have sex (although I would encourage some sort of barrier between your altar and the bed out of respect). I do think you need to do much more extensive cleaning of the space if you have your altar in your bedroom and you've just had sex. The sight of crumpled sheets and your sleeping lover would undoubtedly bring distraction, and that I would warn against. As a final note: enjoy each other. Share love. These things are far too important to hold off on. Your worship matters but it can be adapted to suite the needs of the entire household--and at its core, that is the main focus of Hellenismos: providing a healthy relationships with the Gods to our family so they in turn may bless us and guard our household.

• Monday, March 2, 2015
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenismos 101 household worship katharmos khernips miasma personal requested post

Sex as part of ritual

"What can you tell me about dedicating sexual intercourse to one of the love gods? Would it be possible to make having sex part of a ritual to someone like Aphrodite or Eros?"

Hellenic society was complicated when it came to sex; the ancients saw sex as completely natural and--unlike many today--had no inhibitions and very few taboos when it came to straight up heterosexual sex. Anything else had societal stigma's attached to it. Nudity was generally accepted by the ancient Hellenes, although social rules had to be observed. Women rarely went completely uncovered in every day life, but displayed their bodies through their clothing. Men could cast off their clothing more readily. If either gender undressed, it was seen as irreverent to do so partly, and thus they appeared either fully clothed or naked. Partial nudity was frowned upon in almost all social settings, while full nudity was often accepted.

Ritual prostitution was a valid form of worship for Aphrodite in Cyprus, the center of her cult, in Cythera, Corinth and in Sicily. The women were called 'hierodoule' (ἱεροδούλη), temple slave, and 'made love' with paying customers. The practice was considered distinctly 'un-Hellenic' by 460 BC, but it made Corinth very wealthy, indeed. The practice seems to have lingered in converted Corinth from earlier worship of Astarte, who was brought into the pantheon as Aphrodite in Hellas. Pindar describes this exact practice beautifully in his 'Eulogies' (Fragment 122):

"Young women visited by many, servants of Peitho in rich Corinth, you who burn the tawny tears of pale frankincense, on many occasions fluttering in thought to the Uranian mother of desires, Aphrodite--To you she has granted without the possibility of refusal, O children, to have the fruit of your soft bloom plucked in lovely beds. And with necessity, everything is beautiful."

Aphrodite is the professional patron, protector and avenger of hierodoule as well as hetairai--female companions, a term used non-sexually for women, about women, but used by men to indicate a woman hired for entertainment, often leading to sex. She passes no judgement on those who enjoy the sanctity of sex and offers protection to those who practice it for money. That said, I don't know if the sexual encounter with the hierodoule were practiced inside the temple, or dedicated to the Goddess at all; it could just be a form of prostitution and a way to enrich the temple and city.

Within the Eleusinian Mysteries, there is also mention of sex--since many of the festivals have to do with fertility and childbirth. Most of those mentions take place at home, however, in the sanctity of the oikos. While this lovemaking was obviously linked to the Mysteries, I am not sure if the Gods were actively asked to witness the events. It was something that happened in the spirit of the festival, yes, but even then, the Mysteries are an old tradition. The cult itself likely has origins dating back to the Mycenean period of around 1600 to 1100 BC, and it is believed that the cult of Demeter Herself was established in 1500 BC. These proceedings were a secret, and although many people were a member of the cult, speaking of anything that happened during the rites was punishable by death.

Now for the practical: within the Hellenic religious practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with a pollutant--which includes bodily fluids. Mikalson in 'Ancient Greek Religion' mentions that a bath was required before entering a temple after intercourse as a form of katharmos. He, however, does not give a source, and I don't know one either. It is a reoccurring idea, though, mostly centred on the male's excretions during the activity. The Hellenic religious organization 'Labrys' echoes the sentiment, but also without sourcing. Miasma would be one of the reasons I can think of that would support abstinence in a religious setting.

There are five steps to proper, Hellenistic ritual: procession, purification, prayers and hymns, sacrifice/offerings, prayers of supplication and thanks, usually followed by a feast and/or theatre and sporting events. Personally, I don't see a way to include sex in this format. Making love in the spirit of a festival, sure, but seeing as it seems impossible to follow the proper steps and make love--not to mention the very important influence of miasma--I don't think we should include the Gods in our lovemaking. Personally, I don't ask Demeter to watch on for the Haloa--nor would I feel at all comfortable having the eyes of the Gods on me when I make love. My answer to the question would be 'no', but if you come to another conclusion, please fill in your practice as you see fit!

• Thursday, January 8, 2015
  ancient Hellenic culture Aphrodite Eros Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 katharmos miasma requested post

Can you store khernips?

I have lamented before that the practices most essential to our faith are the ones hardest to reconstruct; in general, these practices were so widely known that they were hardly recorded at all, and in many cases--today's topic especially--they left very little (if any) archeological evidence. Khernips, or lustral water, was exactly that--water--and unfortunately, the mixture did not survive to modern times.

Khernips are the traditional way to cleanse yourself from miasma. Khernips is created by dropping smoldering incense or herb leaves into (fresh and/or salt) water (preferably sacred spring water or sea water). When throwing in the lit item, one can utter ‘xerniptosai’ (pronounced 'zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee') which translates as ‘be purified’. Both hands and face are washed with khernips. The vessel holding the khernips is called a khernibeionas (Χερνῐβεῖον). For my video tutorial on how to prepare and apply khernips this, go here.

As far as basic information goes, artwork has told us that khernips was often applied just outside the temenos, with hands being washed in a bowl or water poured out of a jug while the supplicant washed their hands. The water was collected from a moving source of water, which could be a natural spring, a river, or even the sea. Moving water was considered sacred, and often viewed as an extension of the body of a stream/river/sea God(dess).

Recently, I was tagged in a Facebook discussion on khernips, which basically came down to 'are you allowed to prepare khernips in advance to use when needed?'; this was especially tied to travel kits and other temporary altars. Armed with that question, I decided to do a bit of investigating.

As with anything concerning miasma, most books on ancient Hellas and/or Hellenic religion don't mention khernips at all, or under a synonym. As with miasma, I am going to assume this is because the evidence of its existance is so flimsy besides a resounding 'it was used and important'. My rather vast collection of scholarly material is silent on any details beyond the basic information already provided. As such, I am forced to speculate based upon what I know.

Personally, I tend to mix tap water with sea water into a large vessel from which I take a measure every evening to use throughout the day. I drop the smoldering firebrand (a match when traveling, a bit of burning wood or herbs when home) into the measure poured our, not the vessel itself. So, in short, I prepare the base in advance but the actual mixture on the spot. I only use one measure one day, after that, I dip it out onto the earth and replace it with a fresh batch before my evening rituals.

As for preparing the water in advance; I'm not sure what the added benefit would be; even in a travel kit, a box of matches is easy to carry and you would need them as well for a candle and/or sacreficial fire. That said, I have noticed that the chemicals produced when setting something on fire actually impact water and if left out long enough--even when covered or contained, micro-organisms naturally in the water and added to it by the fire eventually start to multiply, causing the wayer to pollute. I tend to switch out the water in my portable shrine kits before going on a journey or change it while gone.

Do I think storing khernips ahead of time is possible? Yes. Is it the most desirable option? No. For me, preparing khernips before my ritual is as much a part of the ritual as tossing barley groats, singing the praise of the Gods and sacrificing with them. After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that miasma is linked to distraction. I'll speak of that more soon, but for now, let me suffice by saying that following the same ritual steps ever day is a wonderful way to get in a ritual mood; repetition literaly deminishes miasma. If only because of that, I am in favor of preparing khernips fresh every ritual or at least every day.

Image source: here.

• Tuesday, December 17, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture katharmos khernips miasma requested post

PBP: A Traditional approach to Hellenism

The term 'Traditional Hellenismos' is one I frequently use on this blog, as it is the way I identify religiously. It is also the way this blog is written, so for the long explination of the term, please review the contents of this blog or even just its tags; it will tell you everything you need to know about the term. that said, I would like to dedicate a post to it that I can refer to to in the future, because there seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the term.

I have tried to define Traditional Hellenismos before, but mostly in relation to Reformed Hellenismos, and while the terminology works, I have since become more aware of the way the term should be used. To quote from the original blog post:

"Two branches of Hellenismos are emerging: Traditional Hellenismos and Reformed Hellenismos. Traditional Hellenismos refers to those who strictly adhere to the ancient ways. This means animal sacrifice when appropriate, out-door sacrifices, and communal worship. Those who can't--or will not--practice Hellenismos this way, but who reconstruct everything else, practice Reformed Hellenismos."

The definition is correct, but far too generalized. An attempt at a better definition of Traditional Hellenismos:

"Traditional Hellenismos is a manner of Reconstructionism, where the practices of the ancient Hellenic peoples are understood and applied as much as possible in the modern day setting. This method of Reconstructionism requires knowledge of the ancient ways, but even more so, an understanding of it, so any modern adaption can be undertaken in the spirit of the ancient Hellenic practice."

Better, at least as far as I am concerned, but it requires more of an explination. I believe that those who practice Traditional Hellenismos have an obligation to learn as much about ancient Hellas and its religious practices as possible. They need to be aware of the full meaning of core principles like 'miasma', 'kharis', 'arate' and 'xenia', and appy these in their daily and religious life. By fostering this understanding of ancient Hellas, it becomes possible to judge modern influences on their ability to be integrated into a Traditional approach to Hellenismos, and find creative solutions to modern day difficulties in reconstructing the ancient ways.

Take animal sacrifice mentioned above. In a Traditional practice, I still feel animal sacrifice has a place. If I raised animals for meat, they would most certainly be sacrificed to the Gods when they came to the end of their lifespans. That said, I live in a moderately urban area; all I have is a lawn and a bunch of housemates who will undoubtedly disagree with me slaughtering an animal, and even if I could, I am not legally allowed to. This part of the ancient practice, I cannot reconstruct. That said, especially near therise of the Roman empire, more and more ancient Hellenes opted for non-animal sacrifices for celebration and honoring. They offered cakes, a pancarpia, or panspermia. All of these, we can reconstruct without breaking the rules of Traditional Hellenismos.

Traditional Hellenismos is about learning and understanding the past so you can design your future. A large part of that is the ancient hellenic culture and this is also the reason why I go on and on about ancient Hellas. These people lived by strict societal rules that were interwoven with their religious views and we can gain a very valuable understanding of Hellenismos by studying these ancient ways. So we study mythology for the message these stories convey, we study modern scholarly work so we can improve out understanding, we study the art the ancient Hellenes left behind, read the works of their philosophers and poets to compare their views, and practice in the most traditional way we can, because experience is often the best teaching tool.

By practicing you go from abstract knowledge to internalized wisdom. You learn to feel miasma on you, better yourself as a human being by practicing arate, develop socially by practicing xenia, and establish a bond with the Gods by practicing kharis.

I am a Traditional Hellenist. This is how I chose--or was chosen--to worship; others are not drawn to this, and that is perfectly fine with me. Traditional practice works for me, but may be too constricting or irrelevant to others. In general, I relate better with other Traditionalists, but that it is not a nessecity by far to share practice, knowledge and pleasant conversation. What I care about is if you honnor the Theoi, and if I at least recognise something of my practice in yours; do you practice katharmos? Do you honor the Theoi with libations and other sacrifices? Do you live an honest life? These are the things I care about. If you fill these in in a Reformed or even Neo-Pagan way, I can look beyond that, and we can at least talk.

Traditional worship is not dogmatic, it is not unchangeable; in fact, because we reconstruct in the spirit of the ancient Hellenes, we have a plethora of options at our disposal, which allowes us to adapt well to the present. That said, I will not take part in meditations to the Underworld or 'working with' the Hellenic Gods in a circle sealed by watchtowers. For me, that breaks kharis, and it would be a breach of arete, and in that way, we are most certainly not Neo-Pagan/Wiccanish.

A Traditional approach needs to become part of your person so you become aware subconciously of the right thing to do in any given circumstance, according to the ancient Hellenic rules of society and religion. It takes commitment, time, and the will to learn. It is also very rewarding, and that is why I do it. It gives me structure, helps me build lasting kharis with the Theoi, allowes me to teach others in a structured and wholesome manner, and has generally enriched my life. This is why I am a Traditionalist, and why I promote it on my blog: it has helped me so much; to become a better person, to live a concious and conscientious life, and to relate to others. That is what being a Traditionalist means to me.

• Friday, September 27, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture animals arete daily practice Hellenismos 101 household worship katharmos kharis miasma Pagan Blog Project sacrifice Xenia

On witnessing sudden death

As the title might betray, this will not be a fun post, and it contains descriptions of a deadly accident that I assisted at yesterday. This post, I guess, I am writing mostly for me, but there is a message of hope in there, and some Hellenistic ritual concerning the dead and death, so perhaps it is of interest to you as well. Beware of triggers, and if you feel the post is affecting you, please just close the window.

Photo credit: Menno Bausch

Yesterday was quite a day. I was making the bed when I heard a minor crash outside. Accidents are quite frequent outside our houseas I live literally four meters away from a busy road. As there is a weird curve in the road to slow down traffic, many cars catch the curb when they drive through too fast. At the sound of the crash--which had sounded more like a 'thud'--I looked up just in time to see a woman on a scooter fall next to a large truck in a way that I could not imagine her avoiding the back wheel of said truck. I hurried into my shoes and ran outside. On the front porch was a housemate and friend--we'll call him 'Bob'--who had heard the crash and followed me out onto the road when I told him it was bad.

When we rounded the driveway onto the street, we saw a fallen scooter and a figure lying on the road, not moving. Even from ten meters or so away, we could see pink matter on the street and some blood. Next to her stood another scooter and a woman, looking wildly around her, phone to her ear. I ran to her, pulled her into a hug so she looked away from the woman on the ground, and looked over her shoulder to check if the woman could still be saved. By the way she was not moving a muscle and the way well... the way she looked, I could say without a doubt that she was dead. I asked the woman whom I was holding what her name was, and she told me. For privacy reasons, we'll call her 'Jane'. I asked her if she had called our equivalent of 911. She said she had dialed the number and handed me the phone. I held her as she cried on my shoulder and spoke to the woman on the other end of the line. I told her our address and that there had been a deadly accident: scooter versus truck. She promised to sent out emergency services right away, and we hung up.

 

I asked Ashley what had happened, and looked up to see where Bob was. He was with the teenage school kids who go to the school next to our house. I would later hear from him that two of the girls had seen the accident happen. The whole group was in shock and crying. Another housemate, we'll call him 'Harry', had joined Bob with the girls, and a young female cop who had been on a prisoner transport when the accident happened and was parked in the cue of cars waiting had joined them as well.

 

While we waited for the emergency services, Jane told me that the woman on the ground was her colleague, Melissa, whose name I will not change out of respect and remebrance for the dead. They had to swerve around the group of students previously mentioned, and Melissa had appearently not noticed the truck. She hit the side, lost control of her scooter, and fell. Obviously, she had not been able to avoid the tire of the truck, and she had not worn a helmet.

 

From the other side of the road, two off-duty cops joined the scene and went back to the car for a blanket once they saw what had happened. They covered Melissa up a little--her head at least-- and went on to direct traffic. The next hour, the cops and ambulances showed up and I took Ashley away while Bob and Harry took the students to a place they could not see the woman. The whole street was closed off, and witnesses heard. I stayed with Ashley until her dad came and then kept an eye on her until she was taken away to the police station. Harry, Bob, and I then stayed for a while to direct cyclists and then went back to the porch to wait out the next bit.

 

Forensic teams worked the scene and when the coroner came, we went to watch how Melissa was taken away. It was a horrible thing to watch--perhaps the worst part of it, even though we were at the edge of our driveway and at least 10 meters away--but we had to see this thing through. I felt I couldn't leave Melissa yet, not like that. We watched the car drive off and then huddled together to talk over the events, cry, and call family and friends for support. I covered up my main altaer to keep miasma away from it as much as possible, and signal this household 'out of service' until purification could take place. I also went online to get some advice on proper kathartic rituals, because my brain refused to provide me with the next religious steps.

 

Armed with advice, I went for a (sea-salt) shower and put the clothes I had been wearing in the laundry. I dressed, and waited for the police and firemarchals to finish processing the scene and cleaning the street. When the road was free again, and cars were allowed back on the road, I went for a visit of the site. I stood there for a while, marveling at the fact that you couldn't even see what had happened anymore, and said a second prayer for her--the first I did when the initial panic had subsided. After that, I went back inside, for some food and distraction.

 

Last night, around 11 PM, I went out with a plate of offerings to the dead and Hermes Khthonios. I had my hair unbound (as traditional for the dead), and walked right up to the fence. The woman died not a meter away from there. Next, I dug a pit and sprinkeled it with barley, then fell to my knees at the edge of it. I offered a hymn and coin to Hermes to pay for the woman's passage to wherever she wanted to go. I recited the Orphic hymn to Hermes with a few tweaks and in another translation:

 

"Hermes I call, whom Fate decrees to dwell in the dire path which leads to deepest hell. O Bacchic  Hermes, progeny divine of Dionysos, parent of the vine, and of celestial Aphrodite, Paphian queen, dark eye-lash'd Goddess of a lovely mien: who constant wand'rest thro' the sacred feats where hell's dread empress, Proserpine [Persephone], retreats; to wretched souls the leader of the way when Fate decrees, to regions void of day: thine is the wand which causes sleep to fly, or lulls to slumb'rous rest the weary eye; For Persephone's thro' Tart'rus dark and wide gave thee forever flowing souls to guide. Come, blessed pow'r the sacrifice attend, and grant our mystic works a happy end." [56]

Then I gave sacrifices of milk, honey, and wine to the spirit of Melissa by pouring them into the pit in the ground, to strengthen her mind and spirit for the journey. I promised her that she would be remembered at least in my lifetime, and expressed my hope that she would be remembered always. I sat there crying for a while--loudly--and then covered the pit up. After walking back inside, I cried for a little while longer and then went to sleep. I had a bit of trouble falling asleep as my mind kept flashing back to some of the roughest moments--seeing her fall, checking to see if she could possibly be alive, shielding her friend, watching her get picked off of the ground--but slept soundly, without nightmares, although I couldn't go back to sleep when I woke up at seven AM because of the images.When my girlfriend wakes up, I will shower, bind my hair up, and pray to Apollon in his epithets of Paian ('The Healing'), and Alexikakos ('Averter of Evil'), as well as Apollon Argyieus ('Of The Street') whom I honor daily. I will go around the fence, garden and home with khernips and incense, and pray for purification. After that, I will Uncover my altar and perform my daily rituals. Then life can continue.

What I did yesterday, I did without concious decision. It never occurred to me not to run out and offer help in any way that I could. I am glad I did, and got to be there for someone who needed help and comfort so badly at that time. I think the images will haunt me for a while to come, but I got a text from the surviving woman yesterday, who was home, with fries, trying to sort it all out, but who thanked me for being there for her when she needed someone most... It makes it worth reliving the moments for a while longer. 

• Friday, September 13, 2013
  Apollon Apollon Alexikakos Apollon Argyieus Apollon Paian current affairs death Hermes Khthonios katharmos personal