THEURGY

THÆOURYÍA - ΘΕΟΥΡΓΙΑ

The Worship of the Gods in Hellenismos

ΘΕΡΑΠΕΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΘΕΩΝ

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What is Thæouryía?

Thæouryía or theurgy (θεουργία. Etym. θεός, "divine" + ἔργον, "work”) is divine work, the communication and interaction between Gods and men in ritual. Much has been made of this term but in the words of Damáskios (Damascius, Δαμάσκιος), the last head of the Athenian school, its meaning is very simple:

τὴν δὲ ἱερατικήν, ἥ ἐστι θεῶν θεραπεία

"But as for theurgy, it is the worship of the Gods" [1]

Thæouryía is only possible when there is true participation between Gods and men. Such participation can only occur when there exists a great attraction to the Gods, which arises freely from the soul of man. In return, this same power reciprocally descends from the Gods upon us, but many times greater, for such is their capacity. This attraction, this great power, is called Ǽrôs (Eros, Ἔρως). We can communicate with the Gods through prayer, for instance, but thæouryía is the formal means by which we worship, communicate with, and experience the Gods, and we participate in their work; as such, it is one of the Four Pillars of the religion.

Problems with the word

Theurgy is condemned by some modern reconstructionists who do not think of it as simple ritual, but rather identify it with various magical practices. This identification with magic is not correct. The word is often identified with the philosopher Iámvlikhos (Iamblichus, Ἰάμβλιχος), who was accused of mixing magical practices with his theurgy. This whole story, which is a bit complicated, is examined much more thoroughly in the essay on magic. Because of this association with magic, the word is somewhat problematic and I would avoid it, but it is used by highly venerable teachers in Greece associated with this author, who use the term with no association with magic, but, rather, use it as a synonym for ritual, but with great meaning. So, to state this clearly, theurgy, or thæouryía is the formal practice of ritual by means of which we communicate with the Gods. Even more simply, thæouryía is a ceremony to worship and pray to the Gods. At the same time, it is not merely thriskeia (θρησκεία), the outward expression of religion, because thæouryía is not merely symbolic, but it is active. It is the means by which we celebrate and participate in divinity and the workings of the Kózmos (Cosmos, Κόσμος), and the means by which divinity works with us. Because we communicate with the Gods in ritual, and there is an interchange which involves influence, thæouryía is called divine work, which is the meaning of the word itself. Thæouryía is also a reenactment of the principal myth of our religion.

The Privacy of Orphic Ritual

In our tradition, the rituals are viewed as so very sacred that they may not be displayed publicly. Why is this? Because, as we have already discussed, ritual, thæouryía, is the formal means by which we communicate with the happy deathless Gods, those mighty beings of surpassing power, majesty, and goodness. And our communication with the Gods is intimate and private. There are things that occur between those who love each other that are improper to be exposed in public. We do not put our rituals on display. They are not meant for the eyes of the casual onlooker who has no understanding of what they see, and it is proper for those who are privy to the rituals to keep them from those who may mock them, or to simply keep them away from the eyes and ears of people who do not belong where they are being performed. Thæouryía is for those sincere and well-meaning individuals who desire it with pure heart, those who respect what it is, and who are willing to take the time and energy to learn the background foundation of knowledge which makes their meaning comprehensible. If someone desires these rituals for the right reasons and is willing to earn them through study, such an individual will not be prevented from having them, for it is wrong to hinder them on their journey.

The Rites of Thæouryía

In the thæouryía of Orphismós we have rites. These rites are called tælætai (τελεταί); a rite (singular) is called a tælætí (telete, τελετή). While there is the potential of infinite tælætai, all the rites follow a particular form consisting of certain logical conventions. We have discussed the privacy of thæouryía, nonetheless, there are some things which may be said, mostly because they are already known.

We maintain a specific altar and use many objects to represent sacred things, objects such as statues corresponding to the blessed Gods. We use candles, sometimes also to represent Gods and the great light which emanates from them; we also hold candles to represent the torches of the Mystíria, torches such as those held by Dimítir (Demeter, Δημήτηρ) as she went in search of her daughter Pærsæphóni (Persephone, Περσεφόνη) assisted by the Goddess Ækáti (Hekate, Ἑκάτη). We employ decorative cups such as the kýlix (κύλιξ) to pour offerings to our Gods. Sometimes we utilize unique ritual items such as the kǽrnos (kernos, κέρνος), a multi-cupped offering vessel associated with the tælætai of the Mystíria. And to make our altar pleasing, we decorate it with beautiful flowers and little votive offerings and other sundry items.

Like everyone in Ællinismόs, we wash our hands before commencing in order to be appropriate as we stand before the Gods, to purify our hands and face of dirt and as a tool to help us remember to be of pure heart as we worship the Gods and to try to attain a well-meaning disposition. And as is customary in Orphismós, we recite the famous phrase before commencing the tælætí forbidding entry to the profane and welcoming those who are worthy and meritorious. This is how we prepare before the ritual begins.

In the ritual itself, we honor the Gods in a formal manner by reciting their hymns, specifically the Orphic Hymns. Other hymns are permissible, of course, for we are free, but the Orphic Hymns are given precedence and form the backbone of thæouryía because they embody the highest understanding of the Gods.

As is ubiquitous in Ællinismόs: all ritual begins with homage to the Goddess Æstía (Hestia, Ἑστία). Æstía is the Fire of Life; not only does she preside over the hearth of the home, but she is the Hearth of the Kózmos. As such, she officiates over all ritual; indeed, she instructs us in the holy rites; therefore, we recite her hymn at the commencement of every tælætí inviting her to preside over our holy work. We then continue and honor the deities associated with the the specific times of the year, as well as all the Gods we love; and we never neglect to honor Diónysos (Dionysus, Διόνυσος) and thus we recite his glorious hymn, for he is the Klironómos (Cleronomus, Κληρονόμος) to Zefs (Ζεύς) and was conceived to free us from the sorrowful circle of births (κύκλος γενέσεως).

And we worship the Gods by making offerings to them, a practice which, again, is universal in all Ællinismόs. We make oblations of laurel leaves, the most customary offering in our tradition, but we also offer libations, incense, and other nice things, not to propitiate, but we give freely out of our love for the Gods. And we share in the offerings, just as the Titánæs (Titans, Τιτᾶνες) partook of the sacrifice of Zagréfs (Zagreus, Ζαγρεύς) as told in the Orphic Theogony (See The Sixth King); indeed, our ritual is in imitation, in honor of this.

And we pray to the Gods to express our deep devotion, gratitude, and great passion towards them, and to request their assistance in our lives.

As we honor Æstía at the beginning of each tælætí, at the conclusion we pay homage to her glorious sister, Íra (Hera, Ἥρα), and also mighty Zefs (Ζεύς), who is our father and the father of Gods as well.

These things may be said of thæouryía as such facts concerning Orphic ritual are generally known.

Please also visit this page of links concerning ritual: Worship and Ritual in the Hellenic Tradition

Please visit this page for a dictionary of terms related to Theurgy: Glossary of Thæouryía.

NOTE:

[1] Φιλόσοφος Ιστορία Δαμασκίου I.4, trans. by the author; ἱερατικὴ (τέχνη) "the priestly art" is here synonymous with θεουργία.

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

What are the Orphic Fragments? The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.