Prayer

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In Plato’s Euthyphro Sokrates teasingly defined piety as “an art which gods and men have of doing business with one another.” Euthyphro, a friend of Sokrates whom the old gadfly is interrogating during this dialogue, describes the human end of this business as being carried out by means of sacrificing, which is giving what is proper to the gods, and prayer, which is asking of the gods what we most need. While Sokrates ultimately had a different definition of piety in mind, most people would tend to agree with Euthyphro on this point.

“Everything we have comes to us by way of the gods,” the philosopher Sallustius wrote (On the gods and the cosmos 16) and in most polytheistic systems different gods preside over different portions of the world and human existence, each with its own unique gifts to bestow. Part of praying well is knowing which god to turn to when we have particular needs. And while this is one of the strengths of the polytheistic world-view, one must be careful lest they reduce the gods to functional archetypes and mistake a deity’s concern for a realm with its whole being. The gods are complex, multifaceted, powerful entities, and their reach often extends far beyond their normal area of activity. The ancients recognized this fact, especially during the Hellenistic era when the powers and attributes of a single deity tended to increase until their votaries came to have an almost henotheistic relationship with them. Thus Aristides turned to Asklepios to help him improve the eloquence of his rhetorical speeches (Orations 48.2), Apuleius’ semi-autobiographical “Lucius” received help from Serapis in becoming a lawyer at Rome (Metamorphosis 11), and at Amphikleia Dionysos had a sanctuary to which people could come to be healed of all sorts of diseases (Pausanias 10.33.5). None of these fit within the standard conception of the deities in question, yet they nevertheless had the ability to influence these realms on behalf of their votaries.

You would do well to keep that in mind when praying to the gods. If you have a strong relationship with a particular divinity you should consider approaching them first about a given problem, regardless if it falls within their standard sphere of influence. They will be more likely to answer your prayers than a god with whom you have no history and who exists for you as little more than a name in a book. However, that doesn’t mean that you can never call on a god you don’t know, for as Lycurgos the Athenian wrote “the gods watch over all human activities with concern” (Against Leocrates 94) and most of the Hellenic deities are kindly disposed towards us, especially when we approach them with respect, piety, and gratitude for the blessings they grant.

Often an answered prayer can initiate a whole new relationship with a divinity. I had had only a very superficial understanding of Apollon and no real experience with him when my mother fell ill. Knowing that he is a god of healing, I prayed to him on her behalf and when she recovered promptly I had a newfound respect for the god and have held him dear to my heart ever since, although I never developed the sort of intense patron relationship with him that I have with his brothers Hermes and Dionysos.

When you are praying to the gods it is vital that you remember that nothing in this world is free. Every gift or act of service requires a corresponding gift or action in return. This reciprocal bond – charis – is fundamental to our Hellenic faith, and thus whenever an ancient person prayed to his gods he first reminded them of the service he had done them in the past, any actions they had previously took on his behalf, and made a promise that if the prayer was answered he would give or perform something in return. Taking this aspect out of the equation is insulting and ungrateful, and it’s not surprising that such prayers frequently go unanswered. It also keeps the activity of the gods fresh in our minds as we carry out our part of the bargain, since it’s all too easy to forget about such things once the crises is over.

Of course, just because you’ve made a bargain with the gods doesn’t mean that they are compelled to act – they are, after all, free entities, the freest entities in all of existence. But if they do answer your prayer, you should do everything within your power to uphold your side of the deal. Not only will this make it likelier that they will be more inclined to aid you in the future, but it also avoids divine retribution which often comes after breaking an oath.

There are a number of different times at which prayer is called for:

When we are in a crisis state or require something

• On behalf of someone else
• At the beginning or conclusion of an endeavor
• When something extraordinary has happened
• Out of simple gratitude or appreciation
• To get the attention of the gods
• Upon waking up or going to sleep
• When we come into contact with something that falls under the area of concern of a particular god
• As part of a regular devotional routine