Four Easy Ways to Connect with Hades

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jamie Waggoner, author of the new Hades.

Interested in connecting with the Greek god Hades, Ruler of the Dead, and Host of Many? Here are four easy ways to welcome his presence and energy into your life.

1. 1. Organize your wallet. In addition to the Underworld itself, Hades’ domain also includes all the riches beneath the surface of the earth: rocks, gems, metals, minerals, and fertile soil. It is because of these precious resources, in addition to the abundance of shades that inhabit his realm, that Hades is often referred to as the Wealthy One among the Greek gods. Plouton is the epithet given to him in this role. Turn tidying your wallet into a devotional act by aligning paper currency to face the same direction and organizing it in ascending order, sorting and tossing out old receipts, counting your coins, etc.
   2. Anoint your skin. Your body can be a living altar if you work small devotional acts into your ritual of getting dressed each day. For example, I make a blend of earthy essential and carrier oils that I keep in a small glass roller bottle. Each morning after I step out of the shower, I use the roller bottle to draw the astrological sign of Pluto on my right forearm (Pluto is the Roman name for Hades). While drawing this sigil, I ask Hades to watch over and protect me throughout my day. You could use a purchased essential oil or perfume roller in the same way: cypress, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli, clove, spearmint, and fig are all scents that align with Hades’ energy.
   3. Drink a cup of mint tea. Hades purportedly had a romantic relationship with a nymph named Minthe, who was later turned into the mint plant. In ancient Greece, mint and rosemary were often used in funerary and cremation rites, most likely to help cover the smells of death and decay. Conversely, in a nod to mythology, it was also used as an aphrodisiac. Good hosts would rub mint leaves on their banquet tables as a symbol of hospitality. Savor the sharp sweetness of mint as you share a quiet moment drinking tea with the Host of Many.
   4. Recognize the twilight hour. Twilight is the magic hour, occurring twice daily at sunrise and sunset, when the sky is neither completely dark nor fully lit. Natural light is much lower in contrast at twilight, lending a sense of liminality to the transition between day and night. In some accounts, the Underworld is described as being just past the setting sun, so it follows that sunset twilight would be a powerful time to make daily prayers or devotions to Hades.

For more tips on connecting with Hades and working Underworld magic, please check out my book, Hades: Myth, Magic and Modern Devotion. In addition to a treasure trove of Hades mythology and lore, this book also contains information about plants, animals, and areas of the landscape sacred to Hades, as well as invitations and exercises to deepen your practice.

Our thanks to Jamie for her guest post! For more from Jamie Waggoner, read her article, “Fig Spell to Embody Your Desire.”