Daily Observance in Hellenic Polytheism

Before any type of devotional action, it is suggested that you wash your hands first. Either by simply washing them in the sink, using khernips (lustral water) or, as suggested by Tony Mierzwicki(1), using bottled spring water.

Daily observances, of course, will vary person to person, but it's hard to start out doing anything without any sort of foundation. A simple place to start would be with Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. Of course, the hearth in an ancient Greek household would have been constantly burning due to it being constantly in use for both cooking and heating, and this is not the case for modern people.

A fireplace would be a good substitute if available, but in lieu of a fireplace, some people choose to have a candle that remains lit at all times dedicated to her. Typically, this would take the form of a 7 day candle and the flame would be transfered between candles with a long match stick to ensure that the flame never goes out. This isn't always done, but it is definitely an option. An obvious problem with this is if you have pets or children or live in a place where you aren't able to keep candles lit (ie many apartment buildings).

Hestia historically was also given the first and last portion of every offering to the Theoi, and the first and last bite of every meal. This could be a good way to honor her while doing things you would be doing anyway. Libations were also given to the Agathos Daimon ("good spirit") after meals, usually of wine. Of course, most people don't drink wine with every single meal anymore (nor would I advise this) so, it would be appropriate to offer some of whatever you're drinking with your meal to him.

A more general option would be to offer something small to the Theoi regularly. This should be accompanied by an acknowledgement of the deity or deities recieving the offering, at the very least. Personally, my partner and I light a stick of incense and pray to our household's Theoi every morning (if time permits).

Regarding altars, I'd say that some sort of altar is necessary, but it doesn't have to be permanent or anything. Even simply keeping a small dish on the windowsill that you put offerings in would be adequate. Many people who are short on space (or secretive about their practice, for whatever their reasons are) will keep ritual items in a shoebox, or even an altoid tin. There should never be pressure to spend money on things and everything should be done according to your needs and ability.

Historically, there were deities associated with the household that ancient Greeks would center their household worship around, those deities being...

• Apollon Agyius, protector of the streets and the entrance to the home.
• Hekate
• Hermes
• Hestia, as previously mentioned.
• Zeus Erekios, the epithet "erekios" refers to the fence around a property. Of course, not all homes have outside areas like that anymore, so what one does for Zeus Erekios (if anything) is up to them.
• Zeus Ktesios, who was the protector of the household. A Kadiskos jar would be kept in the home's store rooms as a protective symbol.

References & Bibliography

• (1)Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today by Tony Mierzwicki
• Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship by Labrys (Labrys as an organization has some...odd, ethno-nationalist leanings...but this book is fine, for the most part. Don't give them money for it though.)
• Making a Kathiskos in Honour of Zeus Ktesios on Hellenion (Hellenion is a good source for some things, but overall, I would not recommend supporting this organization either)

For general daily practice ideas, go here.

My partner has a page on their blog about household worship that may also be useful here.