In Praise of Hermes is a book of devotion by Galina Krasskova to the god of writing, trade, travel, luck, and more. It walks you through a nine-day tradition (a novena) of prayer and meditation. On Day 6, you write your own prayer to Hermes and post it on your blog. Here’s my prayer to one of my favorite gods:
Hail Hermes!
O swift one,
hallowed be thy being.
Mighty son of Zeus and Maia,
brother of the god of the sun.
Patron of writing and silver tongues,
messenger of the gods, guide of souls,
walker between worlds, maker of magic.
I praise thee for ensuring Peace is pulled from the pit,
and for ushering Persephone from the Underworld
to this land of flowers and flourishment —
then back to her husband below
when it’s time for all to rest.
Beloved Hermes,
wield thy caduceus so that I
fall into the bliss of Hypnos,
wrapped in the arms of Morpheus,
and sleep until I am rested
and filled with replenishment.
Guide my travels, god of voyages and luck.
Make me wise in words,
Messenger Hermes,
so that I write and speak
truth with resonance
and converse with ease
in three languages.
Grace me with your gift of ingenuity;
help me be sharp-witted, lighthearted,
and playfully mischievious.
In praise of thee I offer my gratitude,
handwritten scrolls of my favorite poems,
and love-filled prayers as you
infuse my steps and words with
your levity and eloquence.
In your honor, it is so.
The image is a detail of The Judgment of Paris by Guillaume Guillon Lethière, 1812. Sotheby’s has an image of the full painting. I found the detail on a Facebook account called Hermes/Mercury.
Erin Harris 