On Worshipping Hades

A snapshot of the cover of my zine, Pleading to Hades.

There are a ton of posts out there for signs and symbols, offerings and all that. Regardless, I’m making this post because Hades is the God I receive the most asks about, and this post was highly requested.

~ The Basics ~

Offerings:

• Coins & other money (traditionally gold or brass, but all money works)
• Stones, especially dark, jagged stones
• Alcohol, especially wine
• Honey
• Milk or Water
• Tobacco
• Herbs: cypress, mint, myrrh, patchouli, bay, pumpkin, yew, wormwood, cinnamon, lavender, willow, oak
• Flowers: marigold, dandelion, rose, lily, daisies, rowan, poppy, daffodils, calendulas 
• Oils, especially olive oils and vinegars
• Salts and spices
• Shells or bones of the earth
• Teas, especially blacks and oolongs
• Breads or cakes
• Fruits, such as apples and pomegranates
• Meat (especially lamb)
• Incenses: frankincense, myrrh, wormwood, sandalwood, cinnamon, rose, pomegranate
• Candles: black, grey or silver

Symbols:

• Dogs (Cerberus, specifically), black lambs, serpents and screech owls
• Precious jewels, money, metals
• Cypress, white asphodel, mint, narcissus
• Drinking horn
• Sceptre
• Key
• Helm of darkness
• Black, grey, silver, gold
• Nighttime
• Autumn and Winter
• Cemeteries, crossroads, forests, caves and mines

Ideas for His Altar:

• Black mirror
• Black cloth
• Dark stones, such as hematite, onyx, obsidian, jet and the like
• Shells
• Dirt from outside, or graveyard dirt
• Black, grey or silver candles
• Flowers (dried works well too)
• Bones (ethically sourced)
• Representations of any of His symbols, listed above
• Money, especially rare coins
• Silver, or other precious metals
• Family heirlooms

~ Active Practice ~

Worship Etiquette:

• As with all chthonic deities, offerings are usually poured down. Offerings that float up (such as incense) are less common, but can be used.
• Food offerings are usually buried instead of eaten. However, if need be, you may eat them.
• Offerings are often buried, poured down the drain, or into the trash. This is done to ‘complete’ the offering.
  • This is very traditional, but I want to include it for extra information. In a temple with a roof, offerings would often be left by His feet all day and then during at night. Also, since the Mycenaean period, priests of Άδης would rhythmically pound their hands on the ground whilst praying to Him. I will sometimes tap (not pound) my head to the floor while praying in honor of this tradition.
• As always, be polite. Hades will forgive any mistakes with a forgiveness offerings and continued respect.

Ideas for Active Worship:

• Saving money, and spending it wisely
• Cleaning litter from cemeteries, and tending to old graves
• Offerings to the dead, as well as money to the spirits of the dead to let them pass on, and donating the physical change
• Collecting crystals and stones
• Making an altar to tend dead spirits
• Studying other cultures’ burial methods and cemetery rites
• Donating to burial, mortuary or funeral services
• If you communicate to spirits, treat them kindly and help them move on
• Ancestral worship
• Praying
• Devotional poems and artwork
• Dedicating items to Him, such as jewelry, a wand, or a specific bone
• Working with death energy and dying plants during autumn and winter
• Caring for dogs kindly
• Reflecting on your thoughts and emotions on death 
• Helping others who have experienced loss

~ Frequently Asked or Requested Information ~

Hades can help with:

• Fears about death or dying
• Suicidal tendencies
• Chronic illness
• Money and business
• Creativity
• Moving on 
• Releasing regrets, guilt, and past relationships
• Seasonal worship and practice
• Earth magic and herb work
• Recovery from trauma
• Spirit work, namely spirits of the dead

You DO NOT need to:

• Be a spirit worker or death worker in order to work with Him
• Swear an oath with Him, unless you’re 110% sure to commit
• Be a devotee in order to worship Him
• Only worship Him
• Speak super formally to Him
• Be someone you’re not in order to worship Him

You DO need to:

• Honor Him
• Be respectful

For more information about worshipping Hades and my experiences with Him, feel free to check out my zine Pleading to Hades.