Survived the Christmas Show!
Yay! We got through the Christmas show with minimal mess-ups. I survived my first-ever solo. I think I could just collapse in a heap and sleep until Spring, now.
But I've got the service to finish for tomorrow, and then an evening performance at a Bed & Breakfast Christmas Party. We're only doing four songs there, thank goodness, and they are all ones I know pretty well. Except Jingle Bell Rock. I'm not to hot at that one, still, and messed it up a few times tonight.
For now, though,
December 12, 2004 Apollo Service
Invocation to Hestia/Chalice Lighting
Invocation to the Muses
Opening Hymn (probably something really basic like "Enter, Rejoice, and Come In")
Children’s Focus: The Story of Apollo and Phaeton
Joys & Concerns
Prayer
Libation
Offering
Reading
Hymn before sermon (I wish the pianist had gotten back to me on "Here Comes the Sun." I haven't decided what to put here, yet.)
Orphic Hymn to Apollo
Sermon
Closing Hymn (Damn'f I know what to stick here. I wish I knew what I did with the hymnal I used to have here. Maybe I finally returned it. Drat.)
Homeric Hymn to Apollo
Hymn to Hestia
Daughter of Saturn, venerable dame,
The seat containing of unweary'd flame;
In sacred rites these ministers are thine,
Mystics much-blessed, holy and divine
In thee, the Gods have fix'd place,
Strong, stable, basis of the mortal race:
Eternal, much-form'd ever-florid queen,
Laughing and blessed, and of lovely mien;
Accept these rites, accord each just desire,
And gentle health, and needful good inspire.
Hymn to the Muses
Daughters of Jove, dire-sounding and divine,
Renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine;
To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire
Much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:
Sources of blameless virtue to mankind,
Who form to excellence the youthful mind;
Who nurse the soul, and give her to descry
The paths of right with Reason's steady eye.
Commanding queens who lead to sacred light
The intellect refin'd from Error's night;
And to mankind each holy rite disclose,
For mystic knowledge from your nature flows.
Clio, and Erato, who charms the sight,
With thee Euterpe minist'ring delight:
Thalia flourishing, Polymina fam'd,
Melpomene from skill in music nam'd:
Terpischore, Urania heav'nly bright,
With thee who gav'st me to behold the light.
Come, venerable, various, pow'rs divine,
With fav'ring aspect on your mystics shine;
Bring glorious, ardent, lovely, fam'd desire,
And warm my bosom with your sacred fire.
Orphic Hymn to Apollo
BLEST Pæan, come, propitious to my pray'r,
Illustrious pow'r, whom Memphian tribes revere,
Slayer of Tityus, and the God of health,
Lycorian Phœbus, fruitful source of wealth .
Spermatic, golden-lyr'd, the field from thee 5
Receives it's constant, rich fertility.
Titanic, Grunian, Smynthian, thee I sing,
Python-destroying, hallow'd, Delphian king:
Rural, light-bearer, and the Muse's head,
Noble and lovely, arm'd with arrows dread:
Far-darting, Bacchian, two-fold, and divine,
Pow'r far diffused, and course oblique is thine.
O, Delian king, whose light-producing eye
Views all within, and all beneath the sky:
Whose locks are gold, whose oracles are sure,
Who, omens good reveal'st, and precepts pure:
Hear me entreating for the human kind,
Hear, and be present with benignant mind;
For thou survey'st this boundless æther all,
And ev'ry part of this terrestrial ball
Abundant, blessed; and thy piercing sight,
Extends beneath the gloomy, silent night;
Beyond the darkness, starry-ey'd, profound,
The stable roots, deep fix'd by thee are found.
The world's wide bounds, all-flourishing are thine,
Thyself all the source and end divine:
'Tis thine all Nature's music to inspire,
With various-sounding, harmonising lyre;
Now the last string thou tun'ft to sweet accord,
Divinely warbling now the highest chord;
Th' immortal golden lyre, now touch'd by thee,
Responsive yields a Dorian melody.
All Nature's tribes to thee their diff'rence owe,
And changing seasons from thy music flow
Hence, mix'd by thee in equal parts, advance Summer and Winter in alternate dance;
This claims the highest, that the lowest string,
The Dorian measure tunes the lovely spring .
Hence by mankind, Pan-royal, two-horn'd nam'd,
Emitting whistling winds thro' Syrinx fam'd; Since to thy care, the figur'd seal's consign'd, Which stamps the world with forms of ev'ry kind.
Hear me, blest pow'r, and in these rites rejoice,
And save thy mystics with a suppliant voice.
Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo
I will remember and not be unmindful of Apollo who shoots afar. As he goes through the house of Zeus, the gods tremble before him and all spring up from their seats when he draws near, as he bends his bright bow. But Leto alone stays by the side of Zeus who delights in thunder; and then she unstrings his bow, and closes his quiver, and takes his archery from his strong shoulders in her hands and hangs them on a golden peg against a pillar of his father's house. Then she leads him to a seat and makes him sit: and the Father gives him nectar in a golden cup welcoming his dear son, while the other gods make him sit down there, and queenly Leto rejoices because she bare a mighty son and an archer. Rejoice, blessed Leto, for you bare glorious children, the lord Apollo and Artemis who delights in arrows...
The Story of Apollo and Phaeton
There was a young boy named Phaeton who went on a long trip. He wanted to find Apollo, the Sun god. Apollo, the Sun god, lived in a beautiful house. The house was called the Palace of the Sun. The Palace of the Sun was bright with many beautiful jewels. Phaeton found Apollo. Phaeton had to cover his eyes because Apollo was as bright as the sun. Phaeton's mother was a mortal. She said that Apollo was Phaeton's father. Phaeton came to ask Apollo if he was his father. Phaeton friends did not believe that Apollo was his father. His friends laughed at him and teased him.
Apollo smiled bright and said "Yes, I am your father". Phaeton felt proud. He was the son of a god. "I am happy that you came to visit me. I will give you anything you want", said his father. Phaeton was excited. He knew what he wanted from his father. Phaeton said "Father, let me do your job for one day. I want to drive your chariot and pull the sun across the sky like you do everyday. When my friends see me, they will know you are my father."
Apollo was very worried. He could not let his son drive the chariot. Only Apollo , a very, very, strong god could drive the chariot. Phaeton was just a human boy. Apollo said "No human can drive my chariot. No other god can drive the chariot. It is a very dangerous job. Each morning, I start on the road by the sea. This road goes up and is very steep. The road is very difficult for the horses. When I race down each afternoon, it is very hard to hold the horses' reins. At noon, the chariot is up so high that I am afraid to look down. In the sky, the Bull, Lion, Scorpion, and Crab will try to hurt you. I want to give you anything but, you cannot drive the chariot. Please wish for something else." But, Phaeton was stubborn. He would not listen to Apollo.
Apollo said it was time for the chariot and the horses to pull the sun across the sky. The horses were ready. They stamped their feet and blew air from the nostrils. Phaeton climbed into the chariot. He felt very proud. Phaeton rushed up into the sky with the chariot and horses. They pulled the sun behind them. The boy was having so much fun and he shouted "Look, I am King of the Sky!"
Suddenly, it was not fun. The chariot was speeding and swinging from side to side. The horses became wild and pulled the chariot off the road. Phaeton could not stop the horses. The chariot crashed into the Scorpion and Bull. Phaeton dropped the reins and fell onto the chariot floor. The horses dragged the sun up into the sky and then dragged it straight down to earth. The sun set the earth on fire. The earth was covered with smoke and fire. Phaeton was crying and screaming for help.
Zeus, the ruler of all gods, was asleep on Mt. Olympus. He woke up when he smelled smoke. He saw Phaeton and the chariot and acted fast. He reached into a cloud and grabbed a lightning bolt. Zeus threw the lightning bolt at the chariot. Phaeton, the chariot, and the horses crashed into the sea. Big waves of sea water covered the earth and put out the fires. Apollo never let anyone drive his chariot again.
Sermon (so far)
When I signed up to do this service, I had only a vague idea what I was going to do with it. I’ve done several rather generic NeoPagan services, and last Spring did a more personal service on my Patron Goddess, Kwan Yin. Since we are approaching the Winter Solstice, I decided to do a service about Apollo. He is one of the Gods I worship, and is associated with the sun, so it seemed appropriate.
One small problem with that is the ancient Greeks didn’t observe the Solstices per se. They did have seasonal festivals, but as their climate is quite different than ours, a lot of those festivals don’t translate well on the calendar. There are those who follow the ancient Greek Gods as closely as possible to the way the ancient Greeks did. They are called “Hellenic Reconstructionists” or “Greek Recons.” While I draw a lot on what I learn from them, I’m too eclectic to fit into that mold. Besides, the point to doing a more personal service is to make it less of a lecture and more a sharing of what I do. So, after digging around for awhile, and determining that a large percentage of the things I would need to do in order to pull off a Recon ritual simply could not be done, I realized that was missing the point anyway.
Instead, I thought I would share a bit about how I found myself worshiping Apollo, how I do so, and (I’m sure you’ll all be shocked) lead a guided meditation to try to share a taste of what I do.
After the Kwan Yin service last Spring, a couple of people asked me if I experience Her as personally as one often hears Born Again Christians speak of experiencing Jesus. The answer to that is yes. It is also yes for Apollo, Pan, Pele, Jesus, Sekhmet, and the several other Deities in my personal pantheon. And I do see Them as separate entities. I’m what one might call a “soft” polytheist, meaning that I’m open to the possibility that Apollo and Ra, for example, might be different names for the same Sun God, experienced somewhat differently by different people. I’m also open to the possibility that all Gods and Goddesses are actually facets, emanations, expressions, or otherwise parts of a single all-encompassing Entity. However, it hurts my brain to try and see, for example, Pele, Kwan Yin, and Anubis as all being the same Being, so for all practical purposes, I approach Them as separate individuals.
So how did I come to worship Apollo? For that matter, how have I come to have such a diverse personal pantheon? Actually, I’ll answer that second question first. It wasn’t my idea. When I started down this path, it seemed logical to me to approach the Celtic deities, as I am largely of Irish descent. I also explored Native American spirituality, as I am partly of Native American descent. And part of that early experience is still reflected in Who and how I worship. However, I found that They had other ideas, as They went about getting my attention with assorted cosmic clue-by-fours.
Apollo was the second to do so, and surprisingly he was more subtle than Kwan Yin had been. I encountered Him rather obliquely in meditations, and slowly became aware of His presence in my life. As soon as I realized Who He was, puzzle pieces started to assemble themselves in my mind. A puzzle I hadn’t even realized I’d been trying to solve. At first I was nervous about dealing with yet another Deity, and what He would want from me. I had already sworn myself to Kwan Yin, and did not want to find myself with divided loyalties. He did not ask for any such commitment, though. I’ve come to understand our relationship as one of “old friends.” In some past life, I think I may have been Greek, and a worshiper of Apollo. Perhaps a priest or priestess, perhaps just a regular person. I don’t know, and I’ve not gone digging to find out. It isn’t important who I was then. It only matters that I know our friendship is one of long-standing, and whatever it may have been in the past, this time around it is almost casual. Almost.
So, how do I go about worshiping Him? It varies. I try to take note of His monthly feast days, going by the Hellenic Month Established Per Athens. For this month, that works out to next Sunday, actually. How I observe them can be as simple as a thought, a spur-of-the-moment prayer, a more formal offering, such as of barley, something drawn from the classical writings, such as the Homeric and Orphic hymns, or perhaps a series of yogic sun salutations, combining acknowledgment of His association with the Sun with His connections to physical grace and dance. Sometimes, unfortunately, life gets hectic and I miss the day entirely. This month, I guess I am taking care of it early.
As I said, and as you might expect if you’ve been to one of my services before, I would like to do a guided meditation. Partly because I just prefer an experiential approach. Also because it is the best way I can think of to share a taste of what I do, without imposing it on you, or putting anyone in the position of worshiping Someone they don’t believe exists, or don’t want to worship. So if you’re not already comfortable, or need to change position, or whatever, get comfy, and close your eyes. Take a deep, slow, relaxing breath, and sigh it out. Again, deep, slow breath ... and sigh it out.
Now, imagine you are in modern Delphi, Greece. The ancient temple is a partial ruin, in the midst of majestic mountains. The Sanctuary of Apollo has a circle of what used to be pillars, and are now more like stumps, with only three still intact. It seems there was a circular wall within those pillars, but it is hard to tell much beyond that. You wonder what it used to look like, and what used to be done here.
As you watch, a woman approaches. She has a basket over her arm. She walks towards the Sanctuary, and stops just outside a pair of pillar stubs. She sets down her basket, kneels, and then sits back on her heels. Uncovering the basket, she pulls out a jar of salt water, washes her hands, and dries them on an embroidered cloth. Next she pulls out a jar of barley and spreads some on the ground. She sets a small lamp on part of the barley, off to one side, and lights it, saying, “Hestia, you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, the Far-shooter at goodly Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from your locks, come now into this place, come, having one mind with Zeus the all-wise -- draw near, and withal bestow grace upon my song. Gentle keeper of the hearth-flame of the Gods, you are first and last in all things.”
She reaches back into her basket, and pulls out a piece of bread, which she spreads with honey, and places in the center of the barley. Around it, she pours a circle of olive oil, saying, “Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying river Peneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitched lyre, always sings both first and last. And so hail to you, lord!”
With eyes closed, she sits quietly, smiling, for several minutes. (Count 10) Then opens her eyes, and picks up her lamp, and says, “Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortals hold no banquet, -- where one does not duly give honor to Hestia both first and last.” She blows it out, and puts the lamp back into the basket. The rest of the offerings, the barley, bread, honey, and olive oil, she leaves in place.
As she prepares to leave, she notices you for the first time, and smiles shyly. You ask her about why she is leaving that food on the ground. She explains that the essence of the food has been offered to the God, and the rest will be eaten by the birds, mice, and insects. When you ask about the prayers she said, she tells you they are prayers she has adapted from the Homeric Hymns. Lastly, you ask what she brings with her from this experience, and to this she replies with the two most important of the Delphic maxims, “Know thyself, and nothing in excess.”
(Count 20)
Now bring your attention back here, to Norwich, CT. Wiggle your fingers and toes to wake them back up. Shrug your shoulders, lean your head over to first one shoulder, then the other, and then open your eyes.
=======
And now I need to figure out how to end it. I usually do a guided meditation, but my transitions from that to the closing of the service tend to be ... rough, at best. Abrupt, really. Time to ponder that.
Someone asked me if I was planning to dance at the service. You know, that wouldn't be entirely inappropriate, and would be a heckuva lot easier in many ways. Well, wouldn't be inappropriate from Apollo's point of view. I think I might give some of the older members heart failure, though.
But I've got the service to finish for tomorrow, and then an evening performance at a Bed & Breakfast Christmas Party. We're only doing four songs there, thank goodness, and they are all ones I know pretty well. Except Jingle Bell Rock. I'm not to hot at that one, still, and messed it up a few times tonight.
For now, though,
December 12, 2004 Apollo Service
Invocation to Hestia/Chalice Lighting
Invocation to the Muses
Opening Hymn (probably something really basic like "Enter, Rejoice, and Come In")
Children’s Focus: The Story of Apollo and Phaeton
Joys & Concerns
Prayer
Libation
Offering
Reading
Hymn before sermon (I wish the pianist had gotten back to me on "Here Comes the Sun." I haven't decided what to put here, yet.)
Orphic Hymn to Apollo
Sermon
Closing Hymn (Damn'f I know what to stick here. I wish I knew what I did with the hymnal I used to have here. Maybe I finally returned it. Drat.)
Homeric Hymn to Apollo
Hymn to Hestia
Daughter of Saturn, venerable dame,
The seat containing of unweary'd flame;
In sacred rites these ministers are thine,
Mystics much-blessed, holy and divine
In thee, the Gods have fix'd place,
Strong, stable, basis of the mortal race:
Eternal, much-form'd ever-florid queen,
Laughing and blessed, and of lovely mien;
Accept these rites, accord each just desire,
And gentle health, and needful good inspire.
Hymn to the Muses
Daughters of Jove, dire-sounding and divine,
Renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine;
To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire
Much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:
Sources of blameless virtue to mankind,
Who form to excellence the youthful mind;
Who nurse the soul, and give her to descry
The paths of right with Reason's steady eye.
Commanding queens who lead to sacred light
The intellect refin'd from Error's night;
And to mankind each holy rite disclose,
For mystic knowledge from your nature flows.
Clio, and Erato, who charms the sight,
With thee Euterpe minist'ring delight:
Thalia flourishing, Polymina fam'd,
Melpomene from skill in music nam'd:
Terpischore, Urania heav'nly bright,
With thee who gav'st me to behold the light.
Come, venerable, various, pow'rs divine,
With fav'ring aspect on your mystics shine;
Bring glorious, ardent, lovely, fam'd desire,
And warm my bosom with your sacred fire.
Orphic Hymn to Apollo
BLEST Pæan, come, propitious to my pray'r,
Illustrious pow'r, whom Memphian tribes revere,
Slayer of Tityus, and the God of health,
Lycorian Phœbus, fruitful source of wealth .
Spermatic, golden-lyr'd, the field from thee 5
Receives it's constant, rich fertility.
Titanic, Grunian, Smynthian, thee I sing,
Python-destroying, hallow'd, Delphian king:
Rural, light-bearer, and the Muse's head,
Noble and lovely, arm'd with arrows dread:
Far-darting, Bacchian, two-fold, and divine,
Pow'r far diffused, and course oblique is thine.
O, Delian king, whose light-producing eye
Views all within, and all beneath the sky:
Whose locks are gold, whose oracles are sure,
Who, omens good reveal'st, and precepts pure:
Hear me entreating for the human kind,
Hear, and be present with benignant mind;
For thou survey'st this boundless æther all,
And ev'ry part of this terrestrial ball
Abundant, blessed; and thy piercing sight,
Extends beneath the gloomy, silent night;
Beyond the darkness, starry-ey'd, profound,
The stable roots, deep fix'd by thee are found.
The world's wide bounds, all-flourishing are thine,
Thyself all the source and end divine:
'Tis thine all Nature's music to inspire,
With various-sounding, harmonising lyre;
Now the last string thou tun'ft to sweet accord,
Divinely warbling now the highest chord;
Th' immortal golden lyre, now touch'd by thee,
Responsive yields a Dorian melody.
All Nature's tribes to thee their diff'rence owe,
And changing seasons from thy music flow
Hence, mix'd by thee in equal parts, advance Summer and Winter in alternate dance;
This claims the highest, that the lowest string,
The Dorian measure tunes the lovely spring .
Hence by mankind, Pan-royal, two-horn'd nam'd,
Emitting whistling winds thro' Syrinx fam'd; Since to thy care, the figur'd seal's consign'd, Which stamps the world with forms of ev'ry kind.
Hear me, blest pow'r, and in these rites rejoice,
And save thy mystics with a suppliant voice.
Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo
I will remember and not be unmindful of Apollo who shoots afar. As he goes through the house of Zeus, the gods tremble before him and all spring up from their seats when he draws near, as he bends his bright bow. But Leto alone stays by the side of Zeus who delights in thunder; and then she unstrings his bow, and closes his quiver, and takes his archery from his strong shoulders in her hands and hangs them on a golden peg against a pillar of his father's house. Then she leads him to a seat and makes him sit: and the Father gives him nectar in a golden cup welcoming his dear son, while the other gods make him sit down there, and queenly Leto rejoices because she bare a mighty son and an archer. Rejoice, blessed Leto, for you bare glorious children, the lord Apollo and Artemis who delights in arrows...
The Story of Apollo and Phaeton
There was a young boy named Phaeton who went on a long trip. He wanted to find Apollo, the Sun god. Apollo, the Sun god, lived in a beautiful house. The house was called the Palace of the Sun. The Palace of the Sun was bright with many beautiful jewels. Phaeton found Apollo. Phaeton had to cover his eyes because Apollo was as bright as the sun. Phaeton's mother was a mortal. She said that Apollo was Phaeton's father. Phaeton came to ask Apollo if he was his father. Phaeton friends did not believe that Apollo was his father. His friends laughed at him and teased him.
Apollo smiled bright and said "Yes, I am your father". Phaeton felt proud. He was the son of a god. "I am happy that you came to visit me. I will give you anything you want", said his father. Phaeton was excited. He knew what he wanted from his father. Phaeton said "Father, let me do your job for one day. I want to drive your chariot and pull the sun across the sky like you do everyday. When my friends see me, they will know you are my father."
Apollo was very worried. He could not let his son drive the chariot. Only Apollo , a very, very, strong god could drive the chariot. Phaeton was just a human boy. Apollo said "No human can drive my chariot. No other god can drive the chariot. It is a very dangerous job. Each morning, I start on the road by the sea. This road goes up and is very steep. The road is very difficult for the horses. When I race down each afternoon, it is very hard to hold the horses' reins. At noon, the chariot is up so high that I am afraid to look down. In the sky, the Bull, Lion, Scorpion, and Crab will try to hurt you. I want to give you anything but, you cannot drive the chariot. Please wish for something else." But, Phaeton was stubborn. He would not listen to Apollo.
Apollo said it was time for the chariot and the horses to pull the sun across the sky. The horses were ready. They stamped their feet and blew air from the nostrils. Phaeton climbed into the chariot. He felt very proud. Phaeton rushed up into the sky with the chariot and horses. They pulled the sun behind them. The boy was having so much fun and he shouted "Look, I am King of the Sky!"
Suddenly, it was not fun. The chariot was speeding and swinging from side to side. The horses became wild and pulled the chariot off the road. Phaeton could not stop the horses. The chariot crashed into the Scorpion and Bull. Phaeton dropped the reins and fell onto the chariot floor. The horses dragged the sun up into the sky and then dragged it straight down to earth. The sun set the earth on fire. The earth was covered with smoke and fire. Phaeton was crying and screaming for help.
Zeus, the ruler of all gods, was asleep on Mt. Olympus. He woke up when he smelled smoke. He saw Phaeton and the chariot and acted fast. He reached into a cloud and grabbed a lightning bolt. Zeus threw the lightning bolt at the chariot. Phaeton, the chariot, and the horses crashed into the sea. Big waves of sea water covered the earth and put out the fires. Apollo never let anyone drive his chariot again.
Sermon (so far)
When I signed up to do this service, I had only a vague idea what I was going to do with it. I’ve done several rather generic NeoPagan services, and last Spring did a more personal service on my Patron Goddess, Kwan Yin. Since we are approaching the Winter Solstice, I decided to do a service about Apollo. He is one of the Gods I worship, and is associated with the sun, so it seemed appropriate.
One small problem with that is the ancient Greeks didn’t observe the Solstices per se. They did have seasonal festivals, but as their climate is quite different than ours, a lot of those festivals don’t translate well on the calendar. There are those who follow the ancient Greek Gods as closely as possible to the way the ancient Greeks did. They are called “Hellenic Reconstructionists” or “Greek Recons.” While I draw a lot on what I learn from them, I’m too eclectic to fit into that mold. Besides, the point to doing a more personal service is to make it less of a lecture and more a sharing of what I do. So, after digging around for awhile, and determining that a large percentage of the things I would need to do in order to pull off a Recon ritual simply could not be done, I realized that was missing the point anyway.
Instead, I thought I would share a bit about how I found myself worshiping Apollo, how I do so, and (I’m sure you’ll all be shocked) lead a guided meditation to try to share a taste of what I do.
After the Kwan Yin service last Spring, a couple of people asked me if I experience Her as personally as one often hears Born Again Christians speak of experiencing Jesus. The answer to that is yes. It is also yes for Apollo, Pan, Pele, Jesus, Sekhmet, and the several other Deities in my personal pantheon. And I do see Them as separate entities. I’m what one might call a “soft” polytheist, meaning that I’m open to the possibility that Apollo and Ra, for example, might be different names for the same Sun God, experienced somewhat differently by different people. I’m also open to the possibility that all Gods and Goddesses are actually facets, emanations, expressions, or otherwise parts of a single all-encompassing Entity. However, it hurts my brain to try and see, for example, Pele, Kwan Yin, and Anubis as all being the same Being, so for all practical purposes, I approach Them as separate individuals.
So how did I come to worship Apollo? For that matter, how have I come to have such a diverse personal pantheon? Actually, I’ll answer that second question first. It wasn’t my idea. When I started down this path, it seemed logical to me to approach the Celtic deities, as I am largely of Irish descent. I also explored Native American spirituality, as I am partly of Native American descent. And part of that early experience is still reflected in Who and how I worship. However, I found that They had other ideas, as They went about getting my attention with assorted cosmic clue-by-fours.
Apollo was the second to do so, and surprisingly he was more subtle than Kwan Yin had been. I encountered Him rather obliquely in meditations, and slowly became aware of His presence in my life. As soon as I realized Who He was, puzzle pieces started to assemble themselves in my mind. A puzzle I hadn’t even realized I’d been trying to solve. At first I was nervous about dealing with yet another Deity, and what He would want from me. I had already sworn myself to Kwan Yin, and did not want to find myself with divided loyalties. He did not ask for any such commitment, though. I’ve come to understand our relationship as one of “old friends.” In some past life, I think I may have been Greek, and a worshiper of Apollo. Perhaps a priest or priestess, perhaps just a regular person. I don’t know, and I’ve not gone digging to find out. It isn’t important who I was then. It only matters that I know our friendship is one of long-standing, and whatever it may have been in the past, this time around it is almost casual. Almost.
So, how do I go about worshiping Him? It varies. I try to take note of His monthly feast days, going by the Hellenic Month Established Per Athens. For this month, that works out to next Sunday, actually. How I observe them can be as simple as a thought, a spur-of-the-moment prayer, a more formal offering, such as of barley, something drawn from the classical writings, such as the Homeric and Orphic hymns, or perhaps a series of yogic sun salutations, combining acknowledgment of His association with the Sun with His connections to physical grace and dance. Sometimes, unfortunately, life gets hectic and I miss the day entirely. This month, I guess I am taking care of it early.
As I said, and as you might expect if you’ve been to one of my services before, I would like to do a guided meditation. Partly because I just prefer an experiential approach. Also because it is the best way I can think of to share a taste of what I do, without imposing it on you, or putting anyone in the position of worshiping Someone they don’t believe exists, or don’t want to worship. So if you’re not already comfortable, or need to change position, or whatever, get comfy, and close your eyes. Take a deep, slow, relaxing breath, and sigh it out. Again, deep, slow breath ... and sigh it out.
Now, imagine you are in modern Delphi, Greece. The ancient temple is a partial ruin, in the midst of majestic mountains. The Sanctuary of Apollo has a circle of what used to be pillars, and are now more like stumps, with only three still intact. It seems there was a circular wall within those pillars, but it is hard to tell much beyond that. You wonder what it used to look like, and what used to be done here.
As you watch, a woman approaches. She has a basket over her arm. She walks towards the Sanctuary, and stops just outside a pair of pillar stubs. She sets down her basket, kneels, and then sits back on her heels. Uncovering the basket, she pulls out a jar of salt water, washes her hands, and dries them on an embroidered cloth. Next she pulls out a jar of barley and spreads some on the ground. She sets a small lamp on part of the barley, off to one side, and lights it, saying, “Hestia, you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, the Far-shooter at goodly Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from your locks, come now into this place, come, having one mind with Zeus the all-wise -- draw near, and withal bestow grace upon my song. Gentle keeper of the hearth-flame of the Gods, you are first and last in all things.”
She reaches back into her basket, and pulls out a piece of bread, which she spreads with honey, and places in the center of the barley. Around it, she pours a circle of olive oil, saying, “Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying river Peneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitched lyre, always sings both first and last. And so hail to you, lord!”
With eyes closed, she sits quietly, smiling, for several minutes. (Count 10) Then opens her eyes, and picks up her lamp, and says, “Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortals hold no banquet, -- where one does not duly give honor to Hestia both first and last.” She blows it out, and puts the lamp back into the basket. The rest of the offerings, the barley, bread, honey, and olive oil, she leaves in place.
As she prepares to leave, she notices you for the first time, and smiles shyly. You ask her about why she is leaving that food on the ground. She explains that the essence of the food has been offered to the God, and the rest will be eaten by the birds, mice, and insects. When you ask about the prayers she said, she tells you they are prayers she has adapted from the Homeric Hymns. Lastly, you ask what she brings with her from this experience, and to this she replies with the two most important of the Delphic maxims, “Know thyself, and nothing in excess.”
(Count 20)
Now bring your attention back here, to Norwich, CT. Wiggle your fingers and toes to wake them back up. Shrug your shoulders, lean your head over to first one shoulder, then the other, and then open your eyes.
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And now I need to figure out how to end it. I usually do a guided meditation, but my transitions from that to the closing of the service tend to be ... rough, at best. Abrupt, really. Time to ponder that.
Someone asked me if I was planning to dance at the service. You know, that wouldn't be entirely inappropriate, and would be a heckuva lot easier in many ways. Well, wouldn't be inappropriate from Apollo's point of view. I think I might give some of the older members heart failure, though.