Temple of Athena the Savior

After closing your eyes for a moment and centering yourself, step forward to the altar.

Barley Offering

“To the givers of life, Life.” Sprinkle barley on the altar.

Cleansing

Wash hands and face in the water. Say:

“With this holy water, I am cleansed. I enter the Presence of the Gods purified and free from pollution.”

Pick up khernips bowl. Walk around the altar or circle, and while sprinkling water onto the ground say:

“Your are pure! You are pure! With this holy water, this is now sacred ground. You are pure! You are pure!”

Walk around the circle one more time, and have the worshipers wash their hands and face in the water while you hold the bowl. As they are doing so, say: “With this holy water, you are cleansed.” Do this with each one, then replace the bowl at its previous spot on the altar.

Calling of Aphrodite

Hail Aphrodite, primal daughter of the sea!

Harken to our call, Golden Goddess, and attend our rites

Lady of love, Lady of All People, we praise You

It is Aphrodite who causes love to blossom and passion to burn

We come together to honor Her for all the loves She has sent our way,

But let us not forget that She is not restricted to romantic love

Our Cyprus-born Lady is greater than that

Aphrodite causes the husband to turn to the wife

But also the mother to embrace the child

Neighbor to feel friendly towards neighbor

The bonds of brothership to strengthen

And peace to blossom in hearts of all

Greatest Aphrodite, sweet-smelling Persuasion

We come before You in awe, daughter of sky and sea

We come before You in reverence

We come before You in adoration

We offer to You, Great Goddess, sweet wine and rich chocolate

In thanks for all Your gifts.

Pour a libation of wine and offer the chocolate to the Goddess

Calling of Eros

Hail Eros, primal son of the Golden Goddess!
Harken to our call, Great Eros, and attend our rites

Primal Protogenthoi, first-born God

Though You carry the arrows of love,

You are no mere cherub!
Golden-winged One, the mystery is this:

That You, the primal urge to procreate,

Have existed since the beginning of time,

You who caused the love of Mother Earth and Father Sky,

Yet You are a child born to the Goddess of Love

Great Eros, You are a passionate mystery that is never unraveled

We come before You in awe, Mighty Eros-Amor

We come before You in reverence

We come before You in adoration

We offer to You, sweet wine and rich chocolate In thanks for all Your gifts.

Pour a libation of wine and offer the chocolate to the God

Sacrament

Before we can truly love another we must love ourselves. We have to nurture our self-love before we can offer love. As the chocolate is passed around, take a piece as sacrament.

As you partake, realize that by sharing an offering with the Goddess, you are taking in a piece of Aphrodite Herself. Feel Her love radiate inside you, nurturing your self-love, mindful of the mystery. Remember that you are loved and you are lovable.

Take a moment of silence to mediate on the mystery. To close the ritual, you might invite the worshipers to come up to altar one by one to thank Aphrodite for the people in their lives. Then, share a communal feast!