Hekate’s Deipnon: Maintaining Your Life

Today is the Deipnon, and I will be celebrating it for the third time. My first Deipnon was cleaning intensive, my second paltry, and this one I’ve parceled out a bit over a few days. Other than some dishes, touch ups and reorganizing the pantry, the house is pretty much spotless. So I’m using this Deipnon to completely reorganize my bedroom. I’m looking forward to it.

The plant I emptied my Kathiskos, or offering jar, into last month perked up significantly, so I may dose the poorly aloe vera this time. I thought maintaining the Kathiskos would be my least favorite part of this observance, but so far it is my favorite. It’s simply a very satisfying thing to do. I’m actually excited to empty, scrub, refill the jar and seal it with a prayer.

It’s such a domestic observance. It speaks directly to my well-being and the well-being of those who share my roof. When they say cleanliness is next to godliness, I think they mean the sacred sense of something purified. The Deipnon feels like a home purification, and a palpable magic. It’s one of the few religious actions I take that has a direct and palpable result.

I feel like the Deipnon has been a good and meaningful addition to my religious life. I already do so many things on a monthly schedule, like paying bills, that it fits the rhythm of my life nicely. I think after I finish cleaning I may light incense, wash my hands over an egg, and then leave that egg as an offering at the crossroads. A symbol that what I have done, I have done in honor of Hekate’s Deipnon. Perhaps I shall cover my head as I clean to honor Hestia.

Now that I have become comfortable and familiar with the Deipnon I want to focus more on the Noumenia, which is the more important of the three new moon observances. I already have a plan for a nice dinner to cook for my roommates. I’ll try to wake before sunrise to refill the Kathiskos, make a list of goals for the new lunar month, pick a few flowers, and maybe make a libation of coffee to give this lunar cycle some energy and pep.

The Agathos Daimon, which falls on Thursday, is the part of the observance I haven’t yet begun. It feels rather esoteric compared to the rooted earthiness of the first two days of observance. I keep finding myself mentally comparing it the to concept of Holy Guardian Angel, even though it’s not the same thing at all.

I think what I perhaps like best of all about the Deipnon and Noumenia, is that they earn you the thanks of those under the same roof. So many of the rituals and observances in modern Paganism only serve to inconvenience those who are close to us. This is a celebration of those close to us, by brightening their home and preparing a nice meal for them. Seems like a nice thing to do for those who enable us to make Sabbats and esbats and rituals and festivals. A nice thing to do for the ancestors, and a good excuse to invite extended family over to share a meal. And when you are unable to practice as you would like, this is a very low-key, unobtrusive way to incorporate a Pagan practice into your life.

I wish I had begun this practice years ago, and look forward to practicing it when I once again am sole mistress of my own hearth. I used to have a practice to honor Hestia that fell by the wayside years ago. It’s nice to feel some of that magic coming back.