Caim Is a Celtic word. It means an invisible circle you put around yourself for immediate protection if you feel under threat. Draw an invisible circle around yourself with your right index finger by extending your arm towards the ground and turning clockwise. As you do this, become aware that you are safe and encompassed by the powers you believe in; that you are encircled, enfolded and protected.
Grab the leaf of the branch from the tree in its ground Where these roots claim the earth, many toiled To a land that now stands under no one’s command And her beauty, let no man destroy
Every few months I see someone wondering about the aromatics used as incense in the Orphic Hymns, and I usually pipe up and suggest one of my personal favorites: thyme. I’ve decided to go ahead and write up what I’ve researched about this so that I can share the information more easily.
θυμιάω – to burn so as to produce smoke, burn as incense, fumigate
θυήεις – smoking with incense, fragrant; epithet for βωμοί (altars)
There are some interesting connections here to be teased out, if you like: the thymus glad, an important part of the immune system, is possibly so named either “because of its location in the chest, near where emotions are subjectively felt” or “due to its resemblance to a bunch of thyme”; thymol, which is partly responsible for thyme’s aromatic odor, has been show to be strongly antimicrobial, antifungal, antimutagenic, and potentially antitumor; the herb has a long history of culinary and medicinal use, including in ancient sources as a soporific and to treat headache, and it was also used in ritual garlands and to flavor wine; thyme has been included as part of the embalming process; its flowers are beloved by bees, as anyone who’s grown the plant knows – “the bees in their flight frequently pass through meadows of violets, roses, and hyacinths, and come to rest upon the exceeding rough and pungent thyme”; the little plants are an essential, ever-present part of the Greek landscape; and, most importantly here, its smoke smells absolutely amazing.
I won’t write more here about thyme’s significance – any of these threads could be selected, followed, and incorporated into one’s ritual practice.
A large part of the reason that I love thyme as an incense offering is that it’s incredibly easy to buy at a grocery store or to grow yourself, even indoors. It’s familiar, making it a safer ingredient for those who are just starting out, have reason to hide their practices, or don’t have the money to spend on more exotic herbs. This isn’t to say that thyme should be used to the exclusion of all else – any strong-smelling herb, flower, wood, or spice should do – but it is a fine default. I use thyme as a general purpose smoke for offering or cleansing, and plenty of appropriate recipients of its smoke can be found through considering the plant’s and the theoi’s qualities. Sprigs can be dried and burned individually (or extinguished in water as khernips), but I generally harvest it in the summer just before or while it blooms and dry a large, tied bundle.
Following is a list of the Orphic Hymns that advise offering aromatics, for reference: 6 – Astron, 8 – Selene, 9 – Physis, 10 – Pan (for “Various Odors”), 13 – Rhea, 15 – Hera, 23 – The Nereids, 25 – Gaia, 40 – Meter Antaia (Demeter), 42 – The Horai, 46 – Dionysos Perikionios, 47 – Zabasios, 50 – The Nymphai, 51 – Trieterikos (Dionysos), 55 – Adonis, 57 – Eros, 58 – The Moirai, 68 – The Erinyes, 69 – The Eumenides, 70 – Melinoe, 73 – Leucothea, 82 – Okeanos, 83 – Hestia, and 85 – The Oneiroi.
Oh! my god! it’s a man taking a crap in the Piraeus, close to the whorehouses. But is it my death you seek then, my death? Will you not bury that right away and pile a great heap of earth upon it and plant wild thyme therein and pour perfumes on it?
Sources: Embedded links lead to Academia.edu, Online Etymology Dictionary, Perseus, Theoi.com, Wikipedia, and Wiktionary. Photos are by me.
Y’all know that social anxiety feel where you’re charting unfamiliar social territory and you just want to crawl up inside your body and eat your eyeballs from the inside out
Hecate or Hekate (Greek Ἑκάτη) is a goddess in Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding two torches or a key and in later periods depicted in triple form. She was variously associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, dogs, light, the Moon, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, necromancy, and sorcery. She is a pre-Olympian chthonic goddess and appears in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Hesiod’s Theogony, where she is promoted strongly as a great goddess. In the post-Christian writings of the Chaldean Oracles (2nd-3rd century CE) she was regarded with (some) rulership over earth, sea and sky, as well as a more universal role as Saviour (Soteira), Mother of Angels and the Cosmic World Soul. She was one of the main deities worshiped in Athenian households as a protective goddess and one who bestowed prosperity and daily blessings on the family. source | edit
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