Neptune's Dolphins

As a Roman Polytheist, I have daily devotions at my Lararium, following a standard outline. The routine developed as I deepened my relations with the Gods. The following is an outline of what I do now.

I pray that this water will purify my body, mind, and heart.

 

Father Janus, who receives the first and last offerings

Look upon this offering with kind eyes,

You who receive the first

 

The Opener of Doors

Who lets good things enter

Who lets bad things leave

Guardian of the Homes of the Gods

Guard our home as we sleep

We thank you.

 

I light the fire of the candle and place the incense in the turibulum (incense burner).

 

Mother Vesta

The Eternal Flame of Rome

Who is the Axis Mundi

Bless Our Fire

May Your Flame guide us to the Gods

May Your Flame warm us tonight

We Thank You.

 

Then I offer incense.

 

Apollo the Healer

Allow us healing sleep

May we wake to tomorrow’s sun

We thank You

 

Juno the Protector

Kindly watch over us tonight

Preserve our family

We thank You

 

Kindly watch over us tonight

Kindly watch over us tomorrow

We thank You.

 

Kindly watch over our home

Keep it well

We thank You.

 

Guardians of the Pantry

Protect our food

As we rest

We thank You.

 

The Ancestors

May we be well tonight

May we rise tomorrow

We thank You.

 

We give so that You may give

Thank All of You for blessing our home and family

May we rest well

Under Your kind eyes

Bless us as we sleep

May we have good dreams

We thank You

 

Vesta Mater

May You be blessed

 

Salve Ianus Pater

Father Janus, who receives the first and last offerings

Look upon this offering with kind eyes,

You who receive the last.

 

The Closer of Doors

Who lets only good things stay

Who lets only bad things leave

May our sleep be untroubled

Kindly watch our home

We thank you.

 

It is done!

My experience with altars is that they are places of devotion. After reading “The Witch’s Altar” by Jason Mankey and Laura Tempest Zakroff, I find that they are also used for blessings, consecrations, honoring, inspiration, magic, ritual offerings, sacrifices, and spellcraft. Afterwards, I looked at my own altar differently. I did do all those things but regarded them as acts of devotion.

 

My main altar is for devotion to the Roman Gods. Since I practice the Religio Romana, I have the proscribed Roman altar. The Roman religion is exacting in terms of honoring the Gods. Because the Gods, humans, and the Others rely on reciprocity between each other, proper piety (pietas) is important. (Religio Romana is an orthopraxic religion.)

 

Called a Lararium, the altar is the home of the Lares and Genius (Note 1) (the household and family spirits). It is usually placed by the door to watch over the comings and goings of the family. (The altar is like the door — a liminal space.) Therefore, it is placed near the entrance.

 

The Lararium has containers for incense (acerra), salt (salinum), and milk (or wine) (gutus). The offering dish (patera) is for food or milk from the household meals. The incense burner (turibulum) is used for creating scents or to burn incense. Finally, the Sacred Fire (Who is the Goddess Vesta) is represented by the lucerna (sacred lamp) where the fire is symbolically kept.

 

Like the standard Neo-Pagan altar, the Lararium has representations of the elements. Water is represented by the offering dishes for milk and wine. Fire is the lucerna, while Earth is the salt container, and Air the incense burner. Of course, Spirit is represented by the statues of the Lares and other Gods, as well as the Sacred Fire. Roman altars are used mostly for devotion although magic is done by offerings, petitions, prayers, and requests.

 

There is a standard Roman ritual for consecrating a Lararium. First is the cleansing of the self and the altar with water (Ablutio). The Praefatio is the incense offering to Janus, the Divine Doorkeeper, God of Liminal Spaces. (Note 2) The Precatio is the formal prayers and offerings. The Redditio is the final offering to Janus. Before closing, one final offering is made – the Piaculum, which is to excuse any mistakes that were inadvertently made during the ritual. Then the rite is over.

 

Notes:

 

Note 1. The Lares Familares (Guardians of the Family) and Lares Domestici (Guardians of the House) are depicted as youths holding cups and bowls. The Genius, depicted as a snake, is the Guardian Spirit of the Family Line.

 

Note 2. The two-faced God, Janus, always receives the first and last offerings of any Roman ritual.

 

Works Used:

 

Adkins Lesley and Roy Adkins, “Dictionary of Roman Religion.” New York: Oxford University Press. 1996.

Mankey, Jason and Laura Tempest Zakroff, “The Witch’s Altar.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Triarius, L. Vitellius, “Religio Romana Handbook.” Charleston (SC): Masonic Press. 2014.