How Do I Know If I Am In The Gods' Favor?

You made an offering and a request for something you didn't get, your job or relationship didn't work out, you failed a test, whatever it may be, you might wonder if the Gods are actually in your favor or not, or at least, not against you. When things don't work out or we face disappointment in life, we can get discouraged and depressed over the fact. And depression, which is a liar, can end up telling you horrible things about yourself, and the more you listen, the more your mind will start to believe it.

The first thing to remember is that some of our wants and desires may not be granted for various reasons. As much as we may think otherwise, it might not be the best route for us at that time. You might think you would really and truly be happy and better off, but the Gods know more than we do. You are where you are because of your choices, but also because of your Fate. All lives have beauty, but you'll never see that if you don't allow your eyes to see beyond distractions. As I have said in the past, there's beauty in everything if you have the right eyes. Those eyes come from the Gods. They will show you the beauty, wonder and peace in your life if you allow them. Everything has its reason, even if it might not make that much sense to you at present.

Finally, at least to my mind, a sure way to see that I am favored by the Gods is that I am still alive, healthy and doing well. We strive for the various materials of life so much that we don't realize how precious life itself is. We don't realize that we are not entitled to life in that there was no guarantee that we would be born, that we would be the ones chosen to live. Life is a gift that the Gods were good enough to grant us. And the fact that I have life, health, a good home, a loving family, and plenty of food, tells me that the Gods are not gathering to be against me at all. If the Gods were against me, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on. If the Gods didn't love me, I wouldn't be there. And if they didn't favor me, my life would be far harder than it is.

Your beautiful and continuous life itself is the proof that you are favored by the Gods. You may not be Fated to conquer the world, or even your own City. But you are thriving in the sense of life itself. That's enough to be grateful for. Even if you are sick or down on your luck, that still does not mean you are disfavored. Life always has its challenges, but that doesn't mean the Gods don't like you. The Gods are good and they always do good. And always remember, Hellenism is not about "will the Gods give me this or that," it's about living in harmony with the Gods and the Universe.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Blessings In Your Everyday Life

Throughout our daily lives, we tend to overlook the small, yet influential and meaningful blessings that the Gods, Spirits and Heroes may give us. And thus, we don't notice them in our busy and sometimes stressful lives. But they are important to take note of, because they give us peace, purpose and even enlightenment, and make us realize that even in our worst times, perhaps life isn't so bad. It goes all the way back to the writings of Homer in The Odyssey when we're basically taught to recognize a good omen when we see it.

I'll give you an example from my own life recently. During one of my outings on a regular day, I decided to stop by the local Exxon Mobil and cash in some of my old lottery scratch off tickets, worth about $6. I bought a couple of new ones with it and hit $50. Certainly not a shopping spree, but it was enough for me to enjoy the rest of the day to myself, some time away from home and work. And so, recognizing it as a small blessing of leisure that could only do me good at that point in my life, I took it and enjoyed myself.

To a lot of people, such an event might not seem significant at all, but not if you know how to see everyday blessings. But it's not just immediate things like that. Consider your life, your health, your family, the nice weather, the fact that you have a job, a spouse, children, food, a home and a comfy bed. There are so many everyday blessings that you never take note of, but should.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

The One Day I Left Without My Hermes Talisman, I Broke Down

Part of my regular blogging is to discuss my daily life as a Hellenist, and the experiences that happen therein, whether big or small. And I felt that this one was noteworthy for a profound reason.

Being the God of roads and the Patron of travelers, I have come to realize how deeply Hermes is involved with humankind, because people are always on the move. We are not stationary beings. We are always going somewhere, whether it be down the road to the store or work, or on a long vacation or journey. So I recently got into the habit of carrying or wearing a Hermes talisman every time I left my house, seen in the picture above.

In prayer, I asked for the piece to be endowed with the holiness of the God and His protection and favor on all of my travels when it is with me, and I made it a priority to always have it, and for two or three weeks, I always did, especially when I went to work.

But yesterday, October 9th, for some reason I did not take it with me, but left it on my podium in my office. As I pulled out onto the main road that runs by my house, the car stopped. I drifted it to the middle turning lane out of the heavy traffic, but nevertheless still within its dangerous grasp, as I realized the car was out of gas. Which made no sense because the gauge said I still had 35 miles, and the gas station was only three blocks down. There should have been no reason for my current situation.

But there I was. I knew the car was out of gas because it had happened before when I either didn't notice or didn't bother to gas it up when I should have, but never with 35 miles left. There should have been more than enough to get down to the station. I was luckily able to call a friend close by, who came with her gas can and got me down to the station.

As I was talking to my wife on the phone about it, I will never forget saying, "The one day I go out without my Hermes talisman." I have thought on what Hermes may have been trying to tell me in this. I think it's two things. One, humans should always remember that they need the Gods. I myself have never thought otherwise, but it was a general reminder. And two, the Gods are always with me, because clearly bad things can happen to me when their presence is absent. Hermes may have taken the opportunity to stop that car to show me this. 

Always take the Gods with you on all your journeys. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.