Sorry for the long hiatus. Today we have a bit of a catch-up post.
Recent Rituals
Aphrodisia
On February 16, we celebrated the Aphrodisia at a new location.
One of newly ordained members, Scarlet Rose, led the ritual in which we honored Aphrodite as Goddess of love and beauty. As part of the ritual, we planted bleeding hearts and rosemary, which will be utilized in another ritual this summer.
Diasia & Eiarinia
This year we celebrated both these festivals together.
For the Diasia, in honor of Zeus Melikhios, we offered our thanks for His protection through the winter and took up a collection of stuffed animals for Project Smile in honor of His love of and protection over children.
As part of the Eiarinia, we created and dedicated a new "Earth Shrine."
Festival of Zeus Xenios
Today, we celebrated a new festival in honor of Zeus Xenios, celebrating xenia (hospitality) towards the various other Gods and Goddesses of other pantheons.
This festival was celebrated in the "ecumenical space" just outside the main Temple space. While "the calling of the directions" is not a part of traditional Hellenic ritual, due to the nature of this ritual, we did something similar, lighting incense and candles specifically for the Deities of the North, South, East, and West. As a first-time festival, it was a simple one, but ideas were floated for future years, such as making flags to represent various nations/cultures, or presenting poems or other devotional works to those Deities specifically honored by participants.
Coming Up
Until next time.
Peace,
Diane
