When constructing an altar for Aphrodite, you can honor Her through the representations of the elements and through physical offerings in your sacred space. Here are my favorite ways to honor Aphrodite with these aspects of my altar:
Tag: Goddess
An Altar for Aphrodite: Intention and Honoring the Goddess
Whether you are just starting out with constructing your first altar or shrine to Aphrodite, or if youโre a seasoned practitioner looking for some new inspiration, here are some of my essential considerations for constructing an altar.
Prayers to Aphrodite: For Courage
I encourage you to make this prayer your own. Ask for what you specifically need. Take out any parts that don't resonate with you. Make it come from your heart. You may also wish to make an offering to Aphrodite (a physical offering or an offering of action) or set up an altar to Her, though these things are not necessary. The only necessary part is that you say your prayer with love.
Soup for Cerridwen – Sweet Potato and Barley
Every time I make soup for Cerridwen, the recipe is different. I used to have a recipe that I riffed off of, swapping out ingredients and adding or subtracting things. This most recent time, I had to completely abandon all hopes of using a recipe.
Modern Pagan Worship of Aphrodite – Part One – Who, What, Why, and When
How do we honor a goddess whose last known popular worship was thousands of years ago? While we can certainly learn from what was done in the past, we need to look to the present and the future to develop methods of worship that are relevant to modern Pagans and Polytheists. Human society has evolved tremendously over the past few millenia - why wouldnโt how we relate to our Deities do the same?
A Meditation To Meet Aphrodite
This meditation (or some variation of it) was one of the first ways I connected with Aphrodite in a tangible sense - to actually speak with Her, to see Her physical form, and to go beyond impressions and feelings. It incorporates elements from both guided meditation and journeying.
Devotions to Aphrodite: Conscious Eating
Aphrodite is not only a Goddess of Love, She is also a Goddess of Pleasure. Pleasure comes in many forms, but one everyday experience of pleasure is consuming food. Like many of our most intense pleasures, food is very primal. We need it to survive, but we are also capable of drawing immense enjoyment from it. Finding joy in cooking a meal, savoring it, and sharing it with others is one of the ways I connect with Aphrodite.
Divine Surrender
Let me be clear: The type of surrender I am talking about is not the surrender of defeat (though it sometimes may feel like it). It is not giving up. It is not ceding victory. It is not yielding to the authority of others. It is not relinquishing your power. It is not sacrificing your values or morals. It is not martyrdom. The Divine Surrender I speak of is a surrender to bliss. Itโs yielding to the natural flow of the universe. Itโs a forfeit of the ego. It is a loss of inhibitions. Itโs letting go of the edge of the pool to see how deep you can swim. It is faith in the Gods. And, first and foremost, it is trust in yourself.
Coming Out of the Broom Closet
The decision to โcome out of the broom closetโ (modern parlance for going public with your Paganism) is a highly personal one. Wherever you are in your Pagan journey, public or not, I encourage you to take a look at how you share your Paganism with others. Whatever your choice, the decision to stay in or come out of the broom closet should be a conscious one - not just a default based in fear.
Mystic South 2019
I (somewhat) recently returned from the Mystic South Conference (July 19th-21st), and I had a blast! It was so much fun meeting other Pagans, attending workshops, and generally being in a spiritual space. Here were my biggest takeaways from Mystic South 2019: