Serving the Goddess of Love with Ferocity and Compassion
I don’t know about you, but for me, pandemic fatigue has been kicking my butt the past few weeks. It’s hard to feel inspired when just getting through the day is difficult. I am an advocate for living, evolving, personal religion. I believe that spirituality should be applicable to modern life, and it should support us and nourish us. When our spiritual practices are no longer relevant to our circumstances, it is time for them to change.
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.
“Worship” is a really charged word for a lot of Pagans, and rightfully so. A lot of us are converts who came from religions where worship was a requirement, and was more about debasing yourself instead of celebrating the Divine. I worship Aphrodite because I adore Her, because I want to feel and be all of the beautiful things She represents in my life, because She is worthy of honor and respect, and because the act of worship brings me that much closer to Her.
There is no definitive text for modern Pagan worship. While this is a wonderful and liberating thing, it can also leave practitioners at a loss for what to do next, how to go deeper into Pagan practice, or how to incorporate your spirituality into your everyday life. Here are some suggestions for how to make your average day just a bit more magickal:
Spinning around the pole, moving my hips, and landing a trick all felt like a corporeal prayer, a body-song of worship. There was energy raised and lowered on the pole. I learned new things about my body and my being. I knew the closer I was to being the full expression of myself, the closer I would be to Aphrodite.
Dance is a regular part of my spiritual practice. I mostly dance to commune with Aphrodite, connecting to the joy and love of movement. I will dance to raise energy. I will even dance to ground myself, which I know sounds counter-intuitive. If I feel angry or off-balance, dancing will help bring me back to center.
You’ve done some great personal introspection, feel pretty confident about your spiritual skills, and you’ve taken a look at the personal considerations in the previous blog post (Going Deeper - Are You Ready to Dive In?). You’ve done your research, and are pretty sure of the deity (or deities) you want to work with. You know about their lore, their traditions, and their holidays. Maybe you’ve even already started to reach out to them. These are all wonderful things! Here are some next steps on how to pursue a deeper relationship with a deity.
Priestess of Aphrodite 