My Devotional Time

[Morphidae]

So, I've started working with my patron Goddess for Spring, Athena. I didn't start until late in the season, but I'll continue with her throughout the year as I feel the strongest connection with her even as I work with other deities as the seasons move on.

I'm starting small, 15 minutes per day. So far, this has consisted of various things.

• Sanded shrine for Athena
• Painted shrine pale yellow for Athena
• Took notes from Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• Took notes from The Witches Goddess by the Farrars
• Took notes from Altars Made Easy by Peg Streep
• Took notes from Wikipedia
• Took notes from pantheon.org
• Spoke with neighbor who does wood working to commission him to make a shrine

I'll be looking at Seasons of the Sun by Telesco next. Maybe pull some Cunningham's for stone and herb correspondences. Online I want to go to the Library of Congress for some public domain pictures of the Pantheon for the shrine. Perhaps find some other creative commons pictures of Athena statuary.

I have a small owl sculpture to put on the shrine and need to decide on any stones. I want to get a nice crystal bud vase for a fresh flower every week. And, of course, something to put olive oil in. I need to put the hardware back on the shrine. It's just a flat box that I'm using as a temporary shrine until I have a nicer one built for next year. Then I'll be gluing white felt to the bottom. Not sure what else I'll do with it.

On June 20th, I start my Summer shrine for The Dadga.

***

Any ideas or thoughts come to mind? Keep in mind I'm not a scholar and I'm trying to keep this light at first. I'm struggling with belief and doing a "fake it until I make it" practice. I WANT a personal relationship with the divine and so am acting as if I have one.

Oh, I also have a reminder that comes up every hour that says, "Battle!" It helps me to remember to be strong, to connect with Athena's strength, to keep moving forward. There is also sense of humor and joy in it. If anyone has seen the movie Michael with John Travola - he's the archangel Michael and he's about to go head-to-head, literally, with a bull, and yells out, "Battle!" in sheer glee.

[Razoth]

Any ideas or thoughts come to mind? Keep in mind I'm not a scholar and I'm trying to keep this light at first. I'm struggling with belief and doing a "fake it until I make it" practice. I WANT a personal relationship with the divine and so am acting as if I have one.

Oh, I also have a reminder that comes up every hour that says, "Battle!" It helps me to remember to be strong, to connect with Athena's strength, to keep moving forward. There is also sense of humor and joy in it. If anyone has seen the movie Michael with John Travola - he's the archangel Michael and he's about to go head-to-head, literally, with a bull, and yells out, "Battle!" in sheer glee.

I'm kinda scholarly in bent, but there are a lot of simple devotional things one can do.

One thing I've done in the past is getting a piece of costume jewelry that reminds me of a deity - specifically a ring or a bracelet or the like. I'll catch sight of it as I work throughout the day, and it will remind me of the deity. I can then offer a small prayer, reach out for a bit of strength, etc.

10-15 minutes a day of small things is a great start. People in my community have started using that time to light a candle, sit, and invite a deity to come be present and speak if they wish. Offering up the small amount of time to just sit and be open apparently made an impression - some people had to wait a month or two before the invitation was taken, a couple had some "dialogue" start fairly quickly.

Devotional practices to try to make contact and get closer to deities can take a surprising variety of forms. I do a bowl-holding endurance ritual for Sigyn. I know other people who set aside a small portion of everything they eat as a mini-offering to Gods, landspirits, or so forth. Some people make prayer bead strands, using a different color for each deity and asking for help with a certain trait they are well known for. (I've got a strand I've made for this.) Some people work with "athletic" or warrior gods and dedicate their exercise or training routines as devotional work. With a little creativity, there are a lot of options out there to try.

[SkySamuelle]

So, I've started working with my patron Goddess for Spring, Athena. I didn't start until late in the season, but I'll continue with her throughout the year as I feel the strongest connection with her even as I work with other deities as the seasons move on.

I'm starting small, 15 minutes per day. So far, this has consisted of various things.

• Sanded shrine for Athena
• Painted shrine pale yellow for Athena
• Took notes from Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• Took notes from The Witches Goddess by the Farrars
• Took notes from Altars Made Easy by Peg Streep
• Took notes from Wikipedia
• Took notes from pantheon.org
• Spoke with neighbor who does wood working to commission him to make a shrine

I'll be looking at Seasons of the Sun by Telesco next. Maybe pull some Cunningham's for stone and herb correspondences. Online I want to go to the Library of Congress for some public domain pictures of the Pantheon for the shrine. Perhaps find some other creative commons pictures of Athena statuary.

I have a small owl sculpture to put on the shrine and need to decide on any stones. I want to get a nice crystal bud vase for a fresh flower every week. And, of course, something to put olive oil in. I need to put the hardware back on the shrine. It's just a flat box that I'm using as a temporary shrine until I have a nicer one built for next year. Then I'll be gluing white felt to the bottom. Not sure what else I'll do with it.

On June 20th, I start my Summer shrine for The Dadga.

***

Any ideas or thoughts come to mind? Keep in mind I'm not a scholar and I'm trying to keep this light at first. I'm struggling with belief and doing a "fake it until I make it" practice. I WANT a personal relationship with the divine and so am acting as if I have one.

Oh, I also have a reminder that comes up every hour that says, "Battle!" It helps me to remember to be strong, to connect with Athena's strength, to keep moving forward. There is also sense of humor and joy in it. If anyone has seen the movie Michael with John Travola - he's the archangel Michael and he's about to go head-to-head, literally, with a bull, and yells out, "Battle!" in sheer glee.

Considering that Athena is both goddess of knowdledge and of crafts, I think She would apprecciate a creative project you put research and effort into - maybe making an oil blend, an incense with herbs that are sacred or associated with Her?

She was a patron of pottery, among other things, so you might try and take a course on that, dedicating it to Her.
Daily/weekly offerings of food or incense usually work fairly well to open communication too.

You can find more specifing info on this goddess and the ways to daily honor Her in your life here:

http://www.neokoroi.org/religion/gods/athene

I found this site to be a good source of information on greek gods and how to worship Them according their singular preferences and there's also a list of sources for the study of Athena/Athene as well.

[Morphidae]

One thing I've done in the past is getting a piece of costume jewelry that reminds me of a deity - specifically a ring or a bracelet or the like.

I don't wear jewelry but I am making shrines for something similar. A daily reminder.

Devotional practices to try to make contact and get closer to deities can take a surprising variety of forms.

Considering that Athena is both goddess of knowdledge and of crafts, I think She would apprecciate a creative project you put research and effort into

I'm a cross-stitcher, so I'm thinking of doing small cross-stitch pieces for the shrine. And I'm going to start learning to draw, so there will be small drawings as well.