Hi, how can I go about working with Athena and Hermes? I've read some anthropological articles and book chapters about them, but I mostly revert back to the way I would praise the Christian god.
First, let’s clarify the difference between working with and worship. While “deity work” is often the general phrase for any deity relationship, ‘working with’ a deity is different from ‘worshiping’ a deity. The main differences are:
- Motivation behind the relationship
- Communication
- Length of the relationship.
Working with a deity often involves a goal of some kind. You are not interacting with the deity for the sole purpose of interacting, but rather because you feel They can help you with your goal. Worshiping a deity is often done because you like that particular deity and want more of Their energy in your life.
Worshiping is often one-way communication. You give offerings, pray, and maybe sometimes meditate or do rituals with Them, but there’s not much of a pressure to receive communication from Them. I’d argue you can worship a deity without ever hearing a word back from Them. Most wouldn’t find that a fulfilling relationship, but it could be done. Working with a deity on the other hand, requires two-way communication. You are struggling with something in your life, and have asked for Their help, so you need to hear what Their advice is. What good is a mentor or teacher if you just talk at them and they never give any actual guidance?
Worshiping is generally considered a long-term relationship, lasting at least through a life stage. Working with a deity is generally considered a short-term relationship, as once the goal is reached the relationship ends. That being said, I have known beginners who worshiped a deity for two weeks before realizing it wasn’t the deity for them, and I have known pagans who worked with a deity for two decades before reaching their goal.
Now that we know the differences, I can start to answer your question.
Either way, you’ll want to start with an introduction. Sit somewhere you won’t be disturbed and give Them a food or drink offering. Maybe light a candle or incense if that is available to you. Call on the deity, using epithets to help ensure you get the right entity (i.e. “Gray-Eyed Athena” instead of just “Athena”). Introduce yourself, explain the offering is for Them, and explain why you are reaching out. You should know your goal at this point (if you want to work with Them), and be able to explain it to the gods. If you just want to worship Them, then your introduction will just be explaining who you are, and why you wish to worship Them.
Because ‘working with’ requires two-way communication, I find it polite to confirm the deity has agreed to help you. After the initial offering and introduction, you can ask for a sign that They have agreed to help you, or you can use divination to ask directly (my preferred method). This isn’t required (in my practice) for worshiping; you can just start worshiping the deities.
Lastly, let’s discuss that ending note. You feel uncomfortable praising Them like you praised G-d, but “praise” is a vague word. Are you uncomfortable with praying at all? Or just certain words you use in prayer that you associate with G-d? There is no “right” way to pray in Greek paganism, so if you feel like you need to modify the words or gestures to separate it from Christian prayer, feel free! If the words are the problem and you aren’t sure how to word prayers outside of a Christian framework, I’d recommend checking out the Homeric or Orphic Hymns to get an idea of what a prayer framework could be.
