What have you done for your Gods today?

Over at The House Of Vines, Sannion has started  kind of  'reminder series' to motivate you into a daily practice. Although I like this idea, I don't necessarily feel everyone should have a daily practice, or should integrate the Gods into their lives on a daily basis. For some people, that just does not work. For those who do want to do something for their Gods every day, the series is a wonderful reminder, and it's being picked up by bloggers around the blogosphere. What the series does not tell you, however, is what you can do for your Gods. I would like to share a few basic Hellenistic practices for those struggling. I also want to add a reminder: traditional devotionals are wonderful, but adding modern ones is something I greatly encourage. As such, I will split the two and hope you get to combine them.

Traditional:

• Prayers and sacrifice: the ancient Hellenes would give sacrifice to a number of household deities at their house altar at least once a day--usually twice, once in the morning, once in the evening--Whatever the sacrifice, this routine of prayers and sacrifice is also highly encouraged today.
• Mealtime libations and food offerings: the ancient Hellenes--who had natural floors and a perpetual fire burning in the hearth--tended to offer the first sip of wine, and the first bite of food to the Gods. The wine was tipped on the ground, with a small prayer, and the food was offered to the fire. Most of us have floors that do not encourage impromptu libations of water, let alone wine. Very few of us still have a hearth, let alone one which is always burning. A modern solution is to get a plant or a pot with earth--which you can place near your (main) altar, or the shrine of the Agathós Daímōn--to tip your libations into. The food sacrifice you can burn to Hestia during your daily prayers, or even add to the plant or pot if the quantities are low enough.
• Observe the Mên kata Theion, and the festival calendar

Modern or semi-modern:

• Keep your house clean and tidy: this first one is semi-modern. Housekeeping was a staple of Hellenic life, but I'm not sure if it was a religious chore to do so. As a devotional to Hestia, and the other household Gods, keeping your house clean and tidy can most certainly be modern devotional.
• Practice arête in everything you do
• Create: write songs, blog, create poetry, sculpt, carve wood, knit, or do whatever other creative activity you're good at.
• Preach: share stories about the Theoi with (non-)Hellenists, practice and share the ideals of the Theoi with them.  
• Work on your shrines: even if you're not actively sacrificing at your altars, keeping them clean, adding things to them, or rearranging them is still a way to interact with the Theoi.
• Read: there is a huge list of modern and ancient literature the modern Hellenist can simply get lost in. Reading about the Gods is one of my favorite ways to honor Them.
• Teach
• Meditate
• Practice xenia with your guests
• Live healthy: exercise, eat healthy food, and be careful with alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes
• Recycle and/or pick up littered trash
• Hold a public ritual
• Do community service work/give blood as a devotional practice

The most important one:

• If it's religious to you: it is to the Gods as well