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Aphrodisia Festival
PREPARATION:
You will need:
All participants are to wash themselves before the rite and dress in clean clothes.
PROCESSION
The participants process to the altar carrying the offerings. When the altar is reached, the priest/ess lights the white candle of Hestia while reciting the following hymn:
Hestia, you who tend the holy house
Of the far-shooting Lord, Apollon, at goodly Pytho,
With soft oil ever-dripping from your locks.
Come now into this house, come
Having one mind with Zeus the all-wise
And withal bestow grace upon my song
PURIFICATION
The priest/ess dips the sacred knife into the khernips and sprinkles it around the altar while reciting:
Oh Great Lord Apollon the Purifier! Let your waters cleanse
And consecrate this sacred space, making it pure and free
Let all that is profane be far from here!
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Priest/ess says:
We come now before Aphrodite
To sing her praises and to be merry
To be thankful for her gifts that she has brought us
And to honour her with joy, prayers and libations!
HYMNODIA
The Priest/ess lights the blue Aphrodite candle and says:
PRAYERS
The following prayers are read while the image of Aphrodite is washed in the salt water, dried and anointed with the rose oil:
Muses, tell us the deeds of golden Aphrodite Kypria, who stirs up sweet passion in the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal men and birds that fly in air and all the many creatures that the dry land rears, and all the sea: all these love the deeds of rich-crowned Kythereia.
Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There the moist breath of Zephyros the western wind wafted her over the waves of the loud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-clad Seasons welcomed her joyously.
She gives kindly gifts to men: smiles are ever on her lovely face, and lovely is the brightness that plays over it. Hail, sweetly-winning, coy-eyed goddess! Queen of well built Salamis and sea-girt Cyprus; grant us a cheerful song.
THUSIA
The priest/ess unsheathes the sacred knife, points to the offerings and says:
Immortal Goddess,
We bring you gifts!
See these things!
And partake of them!
Priest/ess scatters barley on the altar and lights the blue votive candle, the participants place their offerings on the altar.
LIBATIONS
The priest/ess fills the libation cup with the libation wine, takes a drink, offers the cup around for the participants to take a drink, and then pours the rest into the main offering bowl. S/he does this six times, speaking the following things in order for each one, the participants also repeat these lines after they have drunk:
With you, Lady Hestia, I share the first!
With you, Immortal ones of Olympos, I share the second!
With you, *(xxx) My patrons, I share the third!
With you, Immortal ones of Gaia, I share the fourth!
With you, Loving Ancestors and those who have departed, I share the fifth!
With you, Lady Hestia, first and last, I share the last!
CLOSING:
Priest/ess:
Let us rejoice in the company of the gods!
Worshippers:
Let us rejoice! Khairete!
END NOTES
Extinguish the white Hestia candle and the blue Aphrodite candle, but leave the votive candle to burn out entirely. Keep the blue Aphrodite candle exclusively for any future Aphrodite rites or for personal prayers to the goddess. It would now be suitable to enjoy a meal of any of the following with the goddess; fish (especially white fish or shellfish), wood pigeon, poussin, feta, figs, strawberries, honey, chocolates and wine. Serve a separate portion for Aphrodite and pour her a glass of wine. If you have a willing romantic partner (or even more than one) then this festival would be an excellent time to safely explore your sexuality together. If not you can ask Aphrodite to help you in that regard, or you can explore your own sexuality alone. Aphrodite governs all forms of love, including same-sex and transgendered. As long as it comes from a place of mutual love and pleasure it is sanctified by the goddess.
*(xxx) Insert the names of your personal patrons here. If you have no patron gods then insert Aphrodite's name instead.