POLLUTION AND PURIFICATION
HellenicGods.org "...with hands unwashed I dare not pour libation of ruddy wine to Zeus; nor is it in any way possible for a man to make prayer to the son of Cronos, lord of the dark clouds, all befouled with blood and filth." [1] Khǽrnips - (Chernips or Lustral Water; Gr. χέρνιψ, ΧΕΡΝΙΨ. Etym. χείρ, "the hand" + νίπτω, "I wash.") Iphiyǽnia (Iphigenia; Gr. Ἰφιγένεια): First I would cleanse them with ablutions pure. Ocean water contains salt, which in itself is purifying [3], and which symbolizes the Fire-Aithír (Αἰθήρ). Khǽrnips is placed near the altar in a vessel called a khærniveion (chernibeion; Gr. χερνῐβεῖον) or an ydrána (hydrana; Gr. ὑδράνᾱ). Sometimes khǽrnips is sprinkled with a wisp (aspergillum) called a pærirrantírion (perirranterion; Gr. περιρραντήριον), to purify or dedicate something or someone. Purification Using khǽrnips is symbolic of the Aithír or Water washing away míasma (Gr. μίασμα), pollution. Its use may seem similar to the basin of holy water found near the door of Catholic churches, but khǽrnips represents ritual cleansing, whereas the Christian holy water has more of a connotation of a blessing. In our tradition, the use of khǽrnips is the general means of simple purification: katharmós (καθαρμός). The ritual of washing hands is mostly symbolic; it is indicative of a change in attitude, as expounded in the oft-quoted phrase engraved over the entrance to the sanctuary of Asklipiós (Asklepios; Gr. Ἀσκληπιός) at Æpídavros (Epidaurus; Gr. Επίδαυρος):
On one level, we wish to be in an appropriate state when approaching the Gods through ritual, so we literally want to be physically clean and show due respect to the Gods, but ultimately, the act of washing hands is symbolic of attaining a type of purity which cannot be secured by the act alone. Nonetheless, using khǽrnips is a skillful tool to help us change our attitude. At the very least, we try, we attempt to be pure of heart, even if we cannot quite accomplish this change; our intention is to leave the profane behind.
Purification is a type of separation (διάκρισις) [6] of the profane from the sacred; therefore, we generally do not conduct ritual until we have washed with khǽrnips.
It is inappropriate to approach the Gods when we are unclean, in body or soul:
Khǽrnips literally cleanses our body and helps us to mentally purify our soul, but it has limitations:
How to Obtain and Use Khǽrnips in Ritual How do we acquire khǽrnips, what is the tradition? Distilled water, although very pure, is not quite appropriate. The ideal water would be that which is obtained from an unpolluted, flowing spring or from the ocean in an area where the water is clean. If these are unavailable, use bottled spring-water. If you cannot afford bottled spring-water, tap-water is sufficient. In our tradition, we improvise. Light a candle and dedicate this candle to Æstía (Hestia; Gr. Ἑστία). Now, obtain fire from the Æstía-candle using a toothpick or similar; this flame represents the Fire of Life, the possession of the Goddess. Extinguish the fire in the water saying a simple prayer, something like this:
If you have a nice container, you can make and store khǽrnips for future use, or it can be made right before each ritual. Again, a simple prayer may be recited by each participant to help keep in mind the true purpose of the practice: "With this khǽrnips, I purify my body, my mind, and my soul; I wash my hands and my face, a time-honored custom performed before approaching the Blessed, Deathless Gods. Khærníptomai! (Be purified!)" The Use of the Pærirrantírion Concluding Remarks Concerning Khǽrnips, Pollution, and Purification It is worth repeating that, although we perform this little ritual, using khǽrnips is not magic; it cannot "wash away your sins," so to speak. The use of khǽrnips is an act of piety and should not be an expression of superstition or pretense; it simply represents the change of heart you are attempting to actualize, to be your best for the Gods. And it is valuable to point out that the idea of pollution should be approached with a rational mind. It is easy to develop an unbalanced and paranoid view concerning pollution, feeling that we must constantly be washing our hands or doing some other purificatory practice. But this is superstition,
illogical, and neurotic. In ancient times, such an unreasonable approach was not uncommon, as the philosopher Thæóphrastos (Theophrastus; Gr. Θεόφραστος) characterizes in his essay on superstition:
One should be clear in one's mind that the Gods are benevolent and highly evolved beings and they are not petty, requiring us to do the absurd. Concerning míasma of a more severe nature, in the case, for instance, of someone who has committed a serious crime, such an act requires purification that lies beyond the efficacy of khǽrnips and such pollution requires a different conversation. The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony. NOTES:
[2] Εὐριπίδης (Euripides) Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις (Iphigenia in Taurus) 1191-1193, trans. Robert Potter, 1780. [3] The saying of Aristagóras (Ἀρισταγόρας), that salt is impure, is absurd:
[4] Πορφύριος (Porphyry) On Abstinence From Killing Animals, Book II, Section 19, trans.Thomas Taylor, 1823.
[5] Πλάτων (Plato) Φαίδων (Phaedo) 67b; trans. Benjamin Jowett 1892. [7] Ἱπποκράτης (Hippocrates) Περὶ ἱερῆς νούσου (The Sacred Disease) 55-60,
trans. W. H. S. Jones, 1923. We are using the 1967 edition entitled Hippocrates II, Loeb Classic Library
148, Harvard Univ. Press (Cambridge MA, USA) and William Heinemann LTD (London),
where this quotation may be found on pp. 149–151. [8] Ἡσίοδος (Hesiod) Ἔργα καὶ Ἡμέραι (Works and Days) 724-726, trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914. [9] Miasma: Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion by Robert Parker, 1983, Clarendon Press (Oxford, England UK), p. 227. [10] Θεόφραστος (Theophrastus ) Ἠθικοὶ χαρακτῆρες (Characters) 16.14 Δεισιδαιμονίας (On Superstition), trans. J. M. Edmonds, 1929, in the book entitled The Characters of Theophrastus, published by William Heineman (London, England, UK) and G. P. Putnam's sons (New York, NY USA) where this quotation may be found on p. 83. 
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