Prayer to All of the Gods I

This is the first of three prayers that I plan to compose this year to all of the Gods. The first is the simplest, focusing on the core twelve Olympians (at least, those put forward by Plato and emphasized by the Platonic commentators and in Sallust’s “On the Gods and the World”) with some additional Gods.

It is intended to be used in a practical setting, especially when one is pressed for time or would like to have a prayer that acknowledges all of the Gods, so it contains pauses and cues for libations. I may make some changes to this, especially as I begin to use it.

Enjoy, and let me know if you do incorporate this into your worship!

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Begin by giving fragrance — scented oil, incense, or likewise — after having purified oneself by washing the hands and face, showering, and/or sprinkling oneself with sacred water. The libations marked in this prayer could be wine, water, chilled tea or tisane, &c. — whatever you typically offer the Gods.

I pray first to Hestia, Goddess whose hair
ropes slick with fragrant oil and wax,
Goddess of the Earth, foundation of the world
who remains unmoved at the hearth.
Next, I pray to all-holding Zeus,
O Leader of the celestial circuit,
stately God upheld by ironlike Nyx,
O household God who guards the storerooms
abundant with crisp sheets and fine teas,
companion of Agathodaimon;
then to Hera of the peacocks,
Goddess who bears the whipping winds
tied fast around your divine waist,
who pours libations of nectar upon zoogonic worlds,
whose trials crown each person’s life;
now to foam-born Aphrodite,
Ouranic and terrestrial, coupler of lovers,
daughter of Ouranos, daughter of Zeus,
bestower of Eros from sky to mountain to sea;
to Demeter crowned with golden grain,
veiled mother of Queen Persephone,
you who brings abundance and perfection,
orderer of the mysteries who once saved all;
and next to Poseidon, king of the thrashing sea,
of tides and tectonics, of skin-stinging brine,
co-ruler with Zeus, master of generation.
O Gods, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

Now I pray to the immaculate children:
Athene of the spear and the shield,
O owl-eyed one, Goddess of war and strategy,
diplomacy and tact, of philosophy and academia,
Goddess of the library, preserver of intellect,
you birthed by lightning-wielding Zeus;
to Hephaistos and Ares sired by Hera alone,
Gods who make the way, who propel us forward —
O Hephaistos, smith of Heaven, fashioner of bodies,
generator of the fire that moves us,
master of technical skill, of silicon and wire;
O Ares, great warrior on the blood-soaked battlefield,
your divisiveness unbound, your rage quenched
by the soothing words of shining Aphrodite.
O Gods, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

Now I pray to Apollon, O Mousegetes,
O Moiragetes, O God who brings us to perfection,
purifier of people, bestower of oracular utterances,
you who bears truth, you who harmonizes all;
to Artemis, Goddess who runs in the mountains
accompanied by your nymphai and dogs,
who flies like a shadow between fragrant summer trees,
whose footfalls know no sound in midwinter snow,
bestower of birth and of life, of existence;
to Hermes, purveyor of the melodious lyre,
quick-fingered son of shadow-loving Maia,
O pastoral God, shepherd, guide, traveler,
inventor of language alongside lovely Mnemosyne;
now to Dionysos, the always-future king,
liberator of all, releaser of bonds and anxieties,
purifier of the mind, nurturer of life-easing plants.
O Gods, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

I pray to the Mousai, you nine who dance in rounds
accompanying Apollon, your chorister,
O Ennead that brings all harmonies into one;
to your mother Mnemosyne, Titaness
dividing out what remains united in your copper-bitter lake.

Next, to the Kharites, Aglaea, Euphrosyne, Thalia,
daughters of Zeus and Eurynome,
daughters of Helios and Aegle,
you who accompany Aphrodite and Persephone,
who hold court in the bright skies,
the rippling sea, the vast terrestrial expanses.

Now, to the Horai, Eunomia, Dikē, Eirene,
preservers of order, maintainers of the seasons,
keepers of sacred laws, you who temper novelty,
who bring justice, peace, and flourishing to all.

Now, to the Moirai, Klotho, Lakhesis, Atropos,
who allot our lives their measure, daughters of Ananke,
companions of the Sirens who sing the Far-Darter’s song,
who weave what was, what is, what may be.

(libation)

I pray to bright-shining Helios,
purifier, perfector, granter of bliss,
and to your sister, soft-shining Selene,
nurturer of all, bestower of blessings;
to Iris who reveals the will of Hera
coruscating through the thickest air;
to Eris whose discord drives our souls,
who purifies us through desire for the Good;
to Nemesis who accords all our dues,
who holds us within the bounds of cosmic law,
guide of our souls through trials by fire;
and to Hekate of the three realms,
key-keeper, mistress of the worldly daimones,
Goddess who grants liberation and bondage.
O Gods, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

Now to the Agathodaimon, I pray, serpentine God,
guardian of the storeroom, provider of wealth,
you who inspires sound-minded financial management.
O Daimon, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

Next for the Gods unknown, whom I do not know,
and the other Gods unacknowledged by name,
whose stately care fills the world to overflowing:
O Gods, accept this offering and be well-disposed.

(libation)

May you, O Gods, bless my family, friends, and communities
with what is most good; nurture us with your providential love.
May you, O Immortals, grant me what is good.
May prudence, courage, and temperance grow within me.
May I be a garden bearing the fruits of justice,
ever-turning towards pure things, ever-advancing in aretē.
May I be your instrument within the world,
healing suffering and confronting injustices.
May I nurture the numinous spark within all beings
in whatever way is most appropriate for me,
well-rooted in divine light and piety, in faith and love.

🙌