Aidonian's blog

so this year is the second time I will be doing the festival of Katachtonia. Well originally i wrote to use black candles on the first night, but didn’t have them, so i used ordinary candles. I did something differently. I ended each night with a Orphic hymn to Plouton & Persephone. I also incorpated the daily prayers and Orphic hymns for during the evening and night.

first night

light the candles and let them extinguish. Preferably all black candles, to honour Hekate and Thanatos. Recite hymns: Orphic and/or Homeric. Offer incense and libations to Them. Visit a cemetery and reminisce about the people in your life whom you have lost and were taken in the arms of Thanatos or the ones who died during the world wars or recent wars. Recite a prayer, meditate, perhaps using the epithets, names of the Gods. Conclude it by offering libation of water into the soil. 

I started with a opening hymn to Hestia to bless the home and the libations i was to offer to the Gods. I read hymns to Hekate, Nyx, but also to the Stars, Selene, Thanatos & Hypnos. I ended with reading Orphic hymns to Plouton & Persephone.

Second Night

The second night was about to honour Kronos and Rheia, recite hymns and myths and offer incense and libations. I offered libations to Kronos. I offered storax incense to Kronos and Rheia, read Orphic hymns, first to Hestia and than followed by those of Kronos and Rheia and concluded by meditating on Them and reading the myths.

I did offer storax incense to Them as my storax incense arrived that very day so i couldn’t use it the day before, on the first night of it. I started with a opening Orphic hymn to Hestia and like with the first night, I asked Her to bless the home and the libations i was to offer. Here I also ended the second night with Orphic hymns to Plouton and Persephone.

Third Night

on the first of november i performed the final night of the new festival of Katachthonia. It was dedicated to Plouton and Persephone. I lighted candles, offered storax incense to them as libations. I read hymns to Them and thanked Them for accepting people into their domain and be leaders of them. This time I ended the prayer with the same Orphic hymn I started with and invoked all the names of Plouton and Persephone. The only difference between this night and last year was that I ran 12 km before I did the rituals so I was still bit under the influence of the runners high. All in all it was a great night and great experience.i look forward to next year.