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.

The Crocus Gift

I recently took a part time job at a local retailer to help pay off some of my debts. While it's not a hard job, it's not really something I want to be doing. I work it because, at this time, I need the extra cash. It's the life story of former college students and the like. 

On the night of the 28th, I was feeling horrible at work in almost every way imaginable. Depression and anxiety started to kick up and I just didn't think I could go on anymore. I felt all alone and lost in the world and life; I just wanted to give up all together. That was until a woman came to me and handed me something that she, for some reason, had decided not to buy. She placed in my hands a bag of crocus flowers. 

I recognized them immediately because I knew they are the sacred flowers of Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods. Hermes knew I would understand they were a gift and a sign from Him. I felt that Hermes was telling me that I'm loved by the Gods and to never give up hope; that the Gods know what I'm going through and are here. In short, the Gods love me and that's the bottom line. 

So, I bought the flowers, and placed one bulb in my pocket for the rest of my shift. The God's gift made me so happy and peaceful that work no longer bothered me, nor did life itself. I felt like Odysseus when Hermes gave Him Moly to protect Him from the spells entrapment. Except this plant (the Crocus) was given to protect me from my own hardships, which in themselves were entrapment.

When I arrived home, I offered some of the flower bulbs back to Hermes with a prayer of thanks for His blessings and Divine Guidance. As the Guide of the universe, Hermes can take us by the hand and show us the way down every road and path, and the thing is, when He does so, you know it, like I did this night. It's always of the utmost comfort when you know the Gods are there.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris.

Learning From The Greek Gods: Hermes

When I officially began my Hellenic life back in 2009, I did not think of Hermes as a God with whom I was particularly close, but I have recently developed a very strong connection and a deep love for Him ever since I earnestly prayed to Him for help in my publishing endeavors just last night, and when you start to think about it in depth, you realize how encompassing Hermes is in our world, and that there is much to learn from Him, as well as to gain with His blessings in our lives, and therefore, I am proud to institute the next chapter in my series "Learning From The Greek Gods" in regards to Hermes.

Hermes is normally depicted in winged-sandals and a winged-hat, with a staff in-hand (normally the caduceus), as He flies about the world. His most common epithet is the Messenger of the Gods, but His range of focus, power and rule extends into many fields, such as writing, heralds, commerce, merchants, money, trade, travel, luck and fortune, wealth, roads, guidance, souls of the dead, humor and joy, athleticism, fertility and animal husbandry to name a few.

In the past, I heard a fellow Hellenist of mine say that Hermes "is the most important God of our time." This philosophy probably comes from the realization that commerce, travel and athletics are stronger and more common and important in our world than ever before. Of course, all of the Gods are vastly important, but we cannot deny the obvious Mega of Hermes Himself. One does not normally think about it, but Hermes is everywhere. Think on all the writings, messengers, and commerce that one sees every single day. When you see a post on the wall, get a knock at the door from the delivery man, or buy, sell or obtain payment for something. Think of how often people travel on a daily basis in cars, planes, and trains, as opposed to ancient times when travel was far less. Think about the many roads that now cover the world, from the back roads that take you home to the giant highways that connect states. In a more sad reality, think of how many people pass on each day. Hermes is literally all-encompassing in many ways, and active in millions upon millions of functions on a daily schedule. 

Likewise, there are so many things one can learn from Hermes. One can always be profitable if they try, seize your opportunities, communication is key to success in many parts of life, use the tools at your disposal, and you don't have to be smarter, just more aware. And more so, that these things are ok if done rightly and ethically. There's nothing wrong with having money, success and prosperity, for the Gods wish us to be well, and it is our human ability and natural right to obtain the goodly success and happiness that we want out of life.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris.