G is for Ganesha

This entire week has been all about Ganesha (Ganapathi), the “Hermês of Hindustan” (a personal moniker à la interpretatio graeca I’ve reserved for the jolly god of beginnings and good fortune), as Hindus and Indophiles around the world celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi:

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of the god Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.

The festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (“festival of Ganesha”) is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

Despite being completely overwhelmed by devotion for the elephant-headed lord, not to mention the intoxicating smell of butter and sandalwood, I managed to take a few pictures of this Monday’s opening ritual:

Opening of Ganesha Chaturthi 2013 at the Manila Hindu Temple

Although the festival lasts for 10 days, the community is going to hold the Visarjan (immersion ritual) for Ganesha tomorrow, the ninth. Naturally, I’ll be there. Anything for the elephant-headed Hermês!

May the old gods of these islands, once ruled by great rajahs of the Majapahit Empire, rejoice at the coming and going of Ganapathi, their lord! Jai Ganesha! Jai Ganapathi! Morya!

EDP2: Live An Honourable Life

Yes, you read that right. I consider it a devotional practice to act honourably. If it isn’t a part of your personal devotions yet, perhaps it’s about time that you did. What good are all our praises and sacrifices if we lived our lives dishonourably? If we treated each other like shite? If we tore other people down rather than creating more beauty with them in the name of our gods? We can disagree without being rude. We can be critical without being total douchebags.

Yes, I’m talking about all these personal attacks on some of the better people in the polytheistic pagan community. I talked about this briefly in the past, but it seems like the incessant bickering has only got worse. Sannion tells us that they’ve now began to attack Tess Dawson, too.

I don’t have a very large readership and I don’t normally involve myself in these online squabbles. I would rather post about my cultus and my gods, but I can’t help but feel bad.

We’ve had our Silent July. I think it’s about time our aggressors took time off the innernets, as well. Just a suggestion.

Have a Sweet Jewish and Neo-Canaanite New Year!

Sound the horn and make dwellings for the Elohim!

EDP1: Make your first words be of praise

[To begin my Devotionals series “Establishing a Devotional Practice” (EDP), here’s “Make your first words be of praise“]

The very first thing I do when I wake up is to say a prayer. It could be a long hymn or a single sentence, it doesn’t matter. I face the east, lift up my hands to the sun, and praise the new day. Then, I proceed to the altar and greet our household gods. (Note that this is before anything else, even breakfast or checking my phone.)

I’ve read it somewhere that this seems to be what the ancient Romans (or at least their heads of the household) did, too.

Not an actual picture of my morning view, but I wish it were

Although not a traditional Hellenistic hymn, I’ve grown fond of Sigrdrífa’s prayer (a hymn that I’ve memorised from the days when I was more German than Greek), so this is what I normally recite at the beginning of each day:

Hail to you, Day!
Hail to you, Day’s sons!
Hail to you, Night
and you, daughters of Night!
Look on us here
with loving eyes,
and give victory to those seated.

Hail to the Gods!
Hail to the Goddesses!
Hail to you, bountiful Earth!
Give to us wisdom
and goodly speech,
and healing hands in this life.

It’s a beautiful prayer, Heathen or not, and it’s always started my day ‘right’. Whatever your religio-cultural inclinations are, may your first words be of praise.

I Would Marry, Hermês, If I Could

For some reason, there is no one else I think about but Hermês whenever this song plays, especially in these lines:

Breathe air you’re not used to
Tread floors you don’t fall through
Make waves…
You crash a cymbal hard
Follow no one, always play the wrong card
Waste days in foreign places
Shed light on your better side
…
Fight fires in your best clothes,
Touch skin with your eyes closed
Chase thunder with the volume down
Pack a suitcase, wander to the next town
Force quit on your losing streak
Solve a riddle in a magazine, be tongue in cheek
…
You are the risk I’ll always take
The only branch I’ll never break
Those fears we’ll blow them all away,
we’ll blow them all away

I love you, Hermês, my Lord and Friend. I would literally marry you if I could.

Hermes by XVIISideris on DeviantArt

A Birthday Blessing

Happy Calends of September! (Actually, I follow lunar reckoning, but I’m sure a lot of you don’t.)

It was both my mother’s and brother’s birthday yesterday, so I’m thinking a birthday blessing would be nice to start off my little ‘devotionals’ series. They’re both Catholic, but not the frigid, stuck-up-in-the-Dark Ages type, so I’m well sure they don’t mind pagan prayers in the house.

My Catholic upbringing was actually quite “liberal” thanks to my parents, and judging from what I’ve gathered from 27 years of living with them, I would say they’re more of henotheistic-monists. So, rather than being hardcore monotheists (“there is only one god, mine, and all others are false”), they worship one god without denying others and they may very well believe that all other gods are but different names or forms of the same divine power. Heck, I used to have very monistic leanings as a young Catholic!

I’ve also been doing morning and evening blessings on behalf of the entire family bloodline every single day since my father passed away, so I do this out of love and piety (not mutually exclusive, those two).

This blessing is a petition to all of our gods (mine and theirs) to bless and watch over them for another year. It was said over their birthday cake after yesterday’s lunch and now I’m going to share it with you:

I bless you, mother and brother,
on your most sacred day.
I bless you and your guiding spirits.
I bless you in the name of our family and friends.
I bless you in the name of our ancestors
and our noble dead, heroes and saints.
I bless you in the name of our gods and goddesses,
ancient in name and ancient in power.
I bless you in the name of the One who made heaven and earth.
May the King of the Gods protect you and your house,
and bless you with a good life.
May the Queen of Heaven preserve you and those dear to you.
May sea-born Aphroditê bless your eyes with beauty.
May Hathor bless your heart with love.
May Dêmêtêr provide bounty for your table.
May Poseidôn calm the seas of your soul.
May Athêna guard your mind against unreason.
May Apollôn illuminate your life.
May Horus grant you lordship over every challenge.
May Asklêpios grant you good health.
May Artemis preserve your good nature.
May Sekhmet defend you from all evil.
May Arês shield you from weakness.
May Hephaistos reward your work.
May Ing keep you ‘strong’.
May Dionysos liberate you from bondage.
May Hermes gift you with laughter.
May Thoth guide your speech.
May Ganesh grant you good fortune.
May Hanuman help you each day.
May Anoubis and Wepwawet guard your gates.
May Hekatê grant you safe passage in all your journeys.
May Persephonê and Plouto-Serapis keep your ancestors in peace.
May Isis show you miracles.
May Sobek and Set slay your fears.
May Nephthys wipe away your tears.
May the Shakyamuni Buddha relieve your soul.
May the Mother of all buddhas warm your soul.
May the Christ feed your soul.
May the Mother of Christ shelter your soul.
May St Mary Magdalene assist your soul.
May St Peter guide your deeds.
May St Michael defend you from harm.
May the forces of chaos never bother you.
May the rains fall gently on your head.
May the winds blow to your favour.
May the Sun King illumine your life.
May the Moon and the Imperishable Stars light your way in the dark.
May the Sky watch over your head.
May the Earth, Mother of all things, grant your feet firm ground.
May the Great Mother of all gods keep and preserve everyone you love.
May the hospitable Goddess burn always joyous and bright for you and your home.