Demeter: How to Worship the Goddess of Harvest
Who is the Greek Goddess Demeter?
I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter, awful goddess —of her and her trim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus rapt away, given to him by all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer.
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain and harvest.
Her Roman name is Ceres.
Demeter is considered both an Ouranic and a Kthonic deity.
In antiquity, Demeter presided over the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were said to bless initiates with an afterlife in Elysium.
Demeter was often depicted wearing a crown and holding either; sheafs of wheat, a cornucopia or a torch.
What Can I Pray to Demeter For?
These are some of the things Demeter can be prayed to for help with:
Fertility
Help with plants
Comfort in grief
Prosperity
Is Demeter Reaching Out to Me?
I have no idea!
But the fact that you’re here reading this article probably means you’d like to honour her.
You don’t need anyone’s permission!
If you want to worship Demeter (or any god), that’s enough of a reason to do so!
How to Connect with Demeter
One of the best ways to grow fulfilling relationships with the gods, is to venerate them within their own cultural context.
Honouring the gods of ancient cultures means acknowledging that they knew best how to worship them.
Venerating Demeter in the way she was worshipped for generations is not only respectful, but increases your chances of building a successful long-term relationship with her.
Cultural Context Matters
A large part of embracing the ancient Greek cultural context is not imposing past religious beliefs onto Demeter’s worship.
If you were brought up within a monotheistic religion, you will have internalised some fairly toxic beliefs about deity.
Here are some things to be aware of when connecting with Greek deities:
The myths aren’t literal.
The gods welcome everyone regardless of gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.
The gods don’t get angry.
The gods don’t have ‘beef’ with one another.
Below, you’ll find how to begin a relationship with Demeter, rooted in the ancient Greek culture she was worshipped in.
Demeter Summary
Goddess of: Agriculture, grain, harvest
Home: Mount Olympos
Parents: Kronos and Rhea
Colours: Yellow, gold, red
Symbols: Sheaf of grain, cornucopia
Sacred Animals: Snake, pig
Sacred Plants: Wheat, mint, poppy
Traditional Offerings: Barley, frankincense, honey, milk, olive oil, votive offerings, water
Non-Traditional Offerings: Gardening, baking, cooking, bread, cakes
Epithets: Kthonia ‘Of the Earth’, Khloe ‘First shoots’, Anêsidôra ‘She who Sends Forth Gifts’, Ploutodoteira ‘Giver of Wealth’, Karpophoros ‘Bearer of Fruit’, Megala Mêter ‘Great Mother’, Prostasia ‘Patron, Leader’, Thesmophoros ‘Bringer of Law’.
Learn About Demeter’s Myths
And when Demeter saw them, she rushed forth as does a Maenad down some thick-wooded mountain, while Persephone on the other side, when she saw her mother’s sweet eyes, left the chariot and horses, and leaped down to run to her, and falling upon her neck, embraced her.
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
The first step in connecting to Demeter is to read about her role in mythology.
A word of advice?
Don’t take the myths literally.
The myths are stories that reveal insights into the nature of the gods in a more subtle, allegorical way.
They’re not matter-of-fact stories about the gods.
With that out of the way…
Let’s talk Demeter.
The most famous myth involving Demeter is about her daughter Persephone, who was stolen away by the king of the underworld to be his queen.
Understandably, Demeter wasn’t having it. So in her grief she allowed the earth to become barren.
Not a good time.
There’s also the myth where she curses Erysikhthon with unquenchable hunger, because he cut down her holy grove of trees.
It’s well beyond the scope of this article to get too deep into her Demeter’s role in mythology.
So, check out the link below for more information.
Learn Demeter’s Epithets
What the heck are epithets?
Epithets are titles or descriptive functions for deities, which were used in antiquity. Epithets help us to understand how ancient people saw the gods.
Some epithets come from cultic practice and others emerge from the poetic tradition.
Btw.
When ‘cult’ is used in a historical sense, it means a system of religious veneration around a divine figure.
Not ‘cult’ in the modern Netflix documentary sense.
As fun as those are.
It’s a cult documentary loving world and we’re just living in it.
Epithets are used during prayer to appeal to a specific aspect of a deity. One that’s compatible with the petitioners need.
Below, are some of Demeter’s epithets.
Theoi.com has a more extensive list!
Demeter’s epithets
Anêsidôra ‘She who Sends Forth Gifts’
Karpophoros ‘Bearer of Fruit’
Khloe ‘First shoots’
Kthonia ‘Of the Earth’
Megala Mêter ‘Great Mother’
Ploutodoteira ‘Giver of Wealth’
Prostasia ‘Patron, Leader’
Thesmophoros ‘Bringer of Law’
How to Create An Altar to Demeter
Technically, shrines and altars were separate things in ancient Greece.
Since state temples are no longer a thing…
Today, most people merge the two together into the modern form of an ‘altar’.
What are Altars?
Altars are small spaces dedicated to one, or multiple, divine beings. They’re a concrete, physical reminder of your dedication to divinity.
Having said that…
Altars aren’t a prerequisite for worship.
If you can’t have an altar because of your living situation, that’s absolutely fine!
You can still venerate the gods without one.
Also, because space is at a premium for most of us…
It’s perfectly acceptable for the gods to share altars as long as Ouranic and Kthonic gods are kept separate.
Demeter Altar Ideas
Image of Demeter
Offering bowl
Incense burner
Candle(s)
Plants
Wheat, grains, fruit, cornucopia, torches, poppies
How to Pray to Demeter
Prayer was an extremely important part of ancient Greek religion.
It’s one of the ways the ancient Greeks communicated with the gods.
Unlike many religions today, most prayers were accompanied by an offering (more on that in the next section).
The ancient Greeks would have prayed to Demeter using both Ouranic and Kthonic rites.
It would depend on which epithet someone is using.
For example, if someone was praying to Demeter using the epithet Kthonia ‘Of the Earth’. Then they would honour her in the Kthonic manner.
I’m going to focus on how to worship Demeter in an Ouranic manner in this article.
If you need to honour her using Kthonic rites, just follow the Kthonic information here.
How to pray Ouranic style
Stand with arms raised, and palms up towards the sky.
Look at the image of the deity (or raise your eyes to the sky).
Then speak your prayer out loud.
For example:
Hear me, Demeter! Bringer of Law, Great Mother, Bearer of Fruit. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called. I have created an altar for you and I would like to feel your presence in my life. May this offering of incense please you.
Homeric Hymns
We’re also fortunate to have several surviving Homeric Hymns (circa 700 BCE) to the gods.
These hymns are considered offerings in themselves and would have been recited to music at state festivals.
Since I have the musical skill of a chocolate brownie, I read these hymns in the form of ‘prayers’ and sometimes give a physical offering alongside them.
If you can sing, these hymns can be sung to music as an offering.
This one is in the public domain, so it’s not the most accurate (or readable) translation.
If you have the monies you can buy a better translation.
I like this one.
I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter, awful goddess, of her and of her daughter lovely Persephone.
Hail, goddess! Keep this city safe, and govern my song.
How to Give Offerings to Demeter
The time of Ceres’ [Demeter’s] festival had come, in duty kept by mothers every year, when, robed in white, they bring their first fruit gifts of wheat in garlands, and for nine nights count love and the touch of men forbidden things.
Ovid, Metamorphoses
All Pagan traditions are built on the concept of giving offerings to deities.
The ancient Greeks had a word for the reciprocity they built with the gods through offerings.
Kharis.
The ancient Greeks believed that through devotional acts such as prayer, offerings, attending states festivals and pious living, they could build beneficial long-term relationships with the gods.
In return, the gods may occasionally favour them.
To build a relationship with Demeter, it’s preferable to give her regular offerings in the same manner the ancient Greeks did.
Because tradition.
If you’re unable to make physical offerings because…
REASONS.
Then try devotional action-based offerings.
State out loud that you’re devoting something you’re doing to Demeter as an offering.
For example:
Hear me Demeter. She who Sends Forth Gifts, Giver of Wealth, Bearer of Fruit. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called. I dedicate my gardening to you in offering. Praise Demeter!
Traditional Offerings
Frankincense
Honey
Olive oil
Water
Wine
How To do it
Wash your hands (always wash your hands before giving an offering).
Stand with arms raised up towards the sky, palms up and speak your prayer out loud.
Pour out the libation or place the offering into a bowl.
Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation.
Should I Check That My Offering Was Accepted?
No.
How Do You Dispose of Offerings?
If you can, leave offerings out for a while before doing any of the following:
Pour libations down the sink, or onto the ground outside.
Compost or bin any food offerings.
Avoid leaving food or material offerings outside because, littering.
How Often Should You Give Offerings?
The answer is as often as you want to.
The more important a deity is to you the more frequently you’ll probably want to give offerings.
You can give offerings daily, weekly or monthly.
It’s not a historical thing.
But the day of the week associated with Demeter is Monday.
So, you can use that day to make offerings to her (if you wish).
How to Celebrate Thesmophoria
Silence! Silence! Pray to the Thesmophorai, Demeter and Koura; pray to Ploutos, Kalligeneia, Kourotrophos, Ge, Hermes and the Kharites, that all may happen for the best at this gathering, both for the greatest advantage of Athens and for our own personal happiness!
Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae
What is it?
Thesmophoria was a widespread festival held in honour of Demeter and Persephone.
Thesmophoria was only celebrated by married women.
In Athens, this festival was held over three days.
The purpose of the festival was to encourage fertility.
Think crops and people.
Pigs were sacrificed and mixed with seeds and ploughed into the ground.
When is it?
Thesmophoria was celebrated in the month of Pyanepsion.
That’s around the 3rd to the 5th of October in our calendar.
How to Celebrate
Make an offering of grains or fruits to Demeter.
Bake fruit cakes and offer them to Demeter.
Read Demeter’s Homeric Hymns.
Plant seeds.
Have a cleansing bath.
How to Communicate With Demeter
We can communicate with the gods in several ways. Historically, these would have been through:
Prayer
Offerings
Divination
Signs
Theurgy or meditation
We can utilise these practices today to achieve the same outcome.
Divination
Divination was super popular in ancient Greece. We can use it here for our own purposes!
Follow the basic steps below:
Quiet your mind through deep breathing.
Ask your question in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Use whatever divination method you prefer.
Interpret the message.
Write down any insights.
Signs
It’s embarrassing the amount of people who seem to think anything from a pendulum falling out of their bag, to a bird taking a dump on their car is a sign from a god.
Not everything is a sign.
Signs are uncommon.
They tend to really leap out at you as being really significant.
If you need to ask, ‘is this a sign?’
Then it probably isn’t.
On the subject of signs…
Xumbolous: This is what they called omens through sneezes. These were dedicated to Demeter.
Suidas
Sneezes were likely assigned to Demeter because they were associated with the harvest via hayfever etc.
Follow the steps below to ask Demeter for a sign:
Ask for the sign in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Ask for the sign to appear within a reasonable timeframe.
Wait and see!
If you don’t receive one…
Be cool, soda pop.
It’s literally fine.
Meditation
You can ask Demeter to connect with you during meditation and see if you receive any messages.
The first few times you do this, you’re unlikely to receive anything.
But that’s nothing to feel bad about.
It takes a lot of practise to successfully enter altered states of consciousness and receive genuine divine guidance.
Emphasis on the genuine.
When it comes down to it, modern life really isn’t conducive for meditation and inner stillness.
Scroll.
Scroll.
Scroll.
Ad infinitum.
The best thing you can do to improve your ability to meditate, apart from attempting to do it regularly…
Is to put down the phone.
Give yourself brief periods during the day when you’re not listening to, or watching anything.
Unfortunately, we can’t have it all.
The age of distraction pushes us further away from the divine.
If we really want to connect with the gods, then we have to prioritise the health of our psyche’s.
To contact Demeter through meditation, follow the basic steps below:
Quiet your mind through deep breathing.
Ask her to be with you in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Chant her name as you deep breathe.
Sit in stillness for around ten minutes if possible.
Write down any insights.
For more direct ecstatic experiences of the gods we turn to theurgy or theourgia.
For a modern interpretation I recommend:
Devotional acts to Connect With Demeter
While tradition is a useful roadmap…
The view can get boring sometimes?
Modern devotionals to the gods are kind of like the fun stop offs along the way.
Below, you’ll find a few modern devotionals to Demeter.
Adopt-Eco Friendly Habits
Think of it as taking care of her realm in devotion to her.
Try any or all of the following:
Bake
Baking and cooking in general is worthwhile life skill.
I grew up in a mixed heritage household, so learning to cook Persian food was literally non-negotiable.
Lol.
If you’re new to baking, start simple!
Bake some fairy cakes (small vanilla cakes in cake cases).
They’re so easy, they’re usually the first thing people bake with children (in the UK at least).
You can dedicate any and all cooking and baking to Demeter as a devotional activity.
But there’s more!
You can offer her the first cake or piece of food that you create.
It’s like feeding two birds with one scone.
Your mind is blown.
I know it.
Grow plants or start a garden
Gardening can seem like an old person thing (nothing wrong with being old).
Well, to me anyway.
It’s actually a pretty relaxing activity.
If you have access to private outdoor space, cultivate a small patch of it if you’re able to.
Grow some herbs, plants or actual veggies.
We’re growing some potatoes in a plastic tub this year.
(Keep your fingers crossed for their survival).
Gardening is an excellent devotional activity to dedicate to Demeter.
Like the baking, you can offer her small amounts of flowers or produce as an offering.
Go outside
Demeter is a goddess deeply connected to the bountiful, verdant earth.
So…
One assumes you might want to go outside?
Radical, I know.
Multiple studies have demonstrated the incredibly healing power of spending time in nature.
Put the screens away and touch grass.
It’s actually good for you.
Honour Persephone
Demeter’s most famous myth is centered around her beloved daughter Persephone.
You can honour her daughter as part of your dedication to Demeter.
Lucky for you, I’ve written all about Persephone here.
Play music
The good news is that you can play modern music as an offering to the gods.
I’ve linked some songs that give me all the Demeter vibes.
You can play any of these as offerings to her, or you can listen to them as a way to connect with her cerebral energy.