Psyche: 6 Easy Ways to Connect With the Goddess of the Soul
Who is the Greek Goddess Psykhe?
Psykhe (Roman Psyche) is the ancient Greek goddess of the soul.
Her name meaning ‘soul’ or ‘breath of life’.
In mythology, she is depicted as the wife of the god of love Eros.
There’s no known worship of Psykhe in antiquity. Although, she begins appearing in Greek art as early as the 4th century BCE.
Psykhe was depicted in Greco-Roman art as a beautiful woman with butterfly wings. Often alongside her husband Eros.
Why Worship Psykhe?
The modern experience of the goddess Psykhe is very much tied to the mind, self-care and the unconscious.
Psykhe is a gentle guide through the dark night of the soul and the soothing light of metamorphosis.
Pray to her for help with mental-health issues, life transitions and for strength in uncertain times.
Is Psykhe 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 Psykhe (or any god), that’s enough of a reason to do so!
How to Connect With Psykhe
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 about how to honour and petition the gods.
Honouring the Greek gods in the way they were worshipped for generations increases your chances of building a successful long-term relationship with them.
Cultural Context Matters
A large part of embracing the ancient Greek cultural context is not imposing past religious beliefs onto Psykhe’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, sexuality or ethnicity.
The gods don’t get angry.
The gods don’t have ‘beef’ with one another.
This post is going to give you the tools to begin and maintain a relationship with the goddess Psykhe, rooted in ancient Greek culture.
Psykhe Summary
Home: Mount Olympos
Husband: Eros
Offspring: Hedone
Symbols: Butterfly
Crystals (UPG): Rose quartz
Plants (UPG): Lavender, lilac
Traditional Offerings: Barley, frankincense, honey, milk, olive oil, votive offerings, water
Non-Traditional Offerings: Flowers, lavender incense
Epithets: Breath of Life, Butterfly-Winged, Wife of Eros
1. Learn About Psykhe’s Myths
The first step in connecting to Psykhe is to read her myths.
In case you scrolled right past my painstakingly written section on religious baggage (lol). I’m going to repeat myself here.
Don’t take the myths literally.
The myths are stories that reveal insights into the nature of the gods in a metaphorical way.
You can worship Aphrodite and Psykhe together.
Because polytheism is cool like that.
The OG Disney Princess
Mount Olympos, Hercules (1997)
The only myth about Psykhe comes from the Roman novel The Golden Ass by Apuleius (2nd century CE).
Apuleius spins a great yarn.
Psykhe was born to mortal parents and was so beautiful that the local man started worshipping her over Aphrodite.
Aphrodite is understandably super unhappy about this.
So, she asks her wayward son Eros to have Psykhe fall in love with someone fugly.
Things don’t quite go to plan…
Eros ends up pricking himself on his own arrows of lurve and falls in love with Psykhe.
After some light murder and lengthy trials, the story ends like all good fairy tales should.
With apotheosis and a wedding on Mount Olympos.
There and then he ordered that Psykhe be detained and brought up to heaven through Mercury’s agency.
He gave her a cup of ambrosia, and said: ‘Take this, Psykhe, and become immortal. Cupid will never part from your embrace; this marriage of yours shall be eternal.
The Golden Ass by Apuleius
Psykhe in Gnostic Texts
The Nag Hammadi Gnostic text On the Origin of the World briefly mentions Eros and Psykhe.
And the first soul (psyche) loved Eros, who was with her, and poured her blood upon him and upon the earth.
And out of that blood the rose first sprouted up, out of the earth, out of the thorn bush, to be a source of joy for the light that was to appear in the bush.
On the Origins of the World
2. How to Create an Altar to Psykhe
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.
Psykhe is an Ouranic goddess and can share altars with other Ouranic gods.
Psykhe Altar Ideas
Image of Psykhe
Offering bowl
Incense burner
Pink, blue or purple candles
Pink or purple flowers
Pink, blue or purple crystals
Butterflies
3. How to Pray to Psykhe
Prayer was an extremely important part of ancient Greek religion.
It’s how the 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 Psykhe using Ouranic rites.
Which means…
Praying with hands held wide and palms up, towards the sky.
According to classical scholar Walter Burkert ancient Greek prayer followed a distinct formula:
‘Hear me!’
The name of the deity with their appropriate epithets.
‘Whatever name it pleases you to be called’ repeated afterwards.
Naming the place from which the god would come.
Explaining what previous offerings the person has made to the deity.
A short request for aid.
A vow made.
I’ve loosely used this prayer format to create the prayer below.
A Prayer to Psykhe
To pray to Psykhe, stand with palms up and arms raised. Then say your prayer.
Hear me, Psykhe! Breath of Life, Butterfly-Winged Goddess, Wife of Eros. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called.
Come from your place on Mount Olympos. 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.
British poet John Keats (1795-1821) wrote a beautiful ode to Psykhe which could be utilised as a prayer.
Ode To Psykhe
O Goddess! hear these tuneless numbers, wrung
By sweet enforcement and remembrance dear,
And pardon that thy secrets should be sung
Even into thine own soft-conched ear:
Surely I dreamt to-day, or did I see
The winged Psyche with awaken'd eyes?
I wander'd in a forest thoughtlessly,
And, on the sudden, fainting with surprise,
Saw two fair creatures, couched side by side
In deepest grass, beneath the whisp'ring roof
Of leaves and trembled blossoms, where there ran
A brooklet, scarce espied:
Mid hush'd, cool-rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed,
Blue, silver-white, and budded Tyrian,
They lay calm-breathing, on the bedded grass;
Their arms embraced, and their pinions too;
Their lips touch'd not, but had not bade adieu,
As if disjoined by soft-handed slumber,
And ready still past kisses to outnumber
At tender eye-dawn of aurorean love:
The winged boy I knew;
But who wast thou, O happy, happy dove?
His Psyche true!
O latest born and loveliest vision far
Of all Olympus' faded hierarchy!
Fairer than Phoebe's sapphire-region'd star,
Or Vesper, amorous glow-worm of the sky;
Fairer than these, though temple thou hast none,
Nor altar heap'd with flowers;
Nor virgin-choir to make delicious moan
Upon the midnight hours;
No voice, no lute, no pipe, no incense sweet
From chain-swung censer teeming;
No shrine, no grove, no oracle, no heat
Of pale-mouth'd prophet dreaming.
O brightest! though too late for antique vows,
Too, too late for the fond believing lyre,
When holy were the haunted forest boughs,
Holy the air, the water, and the fire;
Yet even in these days so far retir'd
From happy pieties, thy lucent fans,
Fluttering among the faint Olympians,
I see, and sing, by my own eyes inspir'd.
So let me be thy choir, and make a moan
Upon the midnight hours;
Thy voice, thy lute, thy pipe, thy incense sweet
From swinged censer teeming;
Thy shrine, thy grove, thy oracle, thy heat
Of pale-mouth'd prophet dreaming.
Yes, I will be thy priest, and build a fane
In some untrodden region of my mind,
Where branched thoughts, new grown with pleasant pain,
Instead of pines shall murmur in the wind:
Far, far around shall those dark-cluster'd trees
Fledge the wild-ridged mountains steep by steep;
And there by zephyrs, streams, and birds, and bees,
The moss-lain Dryads shall be lull'd to sleep;
And in the midst of this wide quietness
A rosy sanctuary will I dress
With the wreath'd trellis of a working brain,
With buds, and bells, and stars without a name,
With all the gardener Fancy e'er could feign,
Who breeding flowers, will never breed the same:
And there shall be for thee all soft delight
That shadowy thought can win,
A bright torch, and a casement ope at night,
To let the warm Love in!
4. How to Give Offerings to Psykhe
Do not pour libations of sparkling wine to Zeus and other immortals at dawn with unwashed hands. They do not hear your prayers, but spit them back.
Hesiod, Work and Days (circa 700 BCE)
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 piety, they could build beneficial long-term relationships with the gods.
In return, the gods may favour them.
To build a relationship with Psykhe, it’s preferable to give her regular offerings in the Ouranic manner.
Because tradition.
You can also devote actions or activities to that gods as a form of offering.
Traditional Offerings
Frankincense incense
Grains
Honey
Milk
Olive oil
Wine
How to Give Offerings
Offerings have four basic steps:
Wash your hands (always wash your hands before giving an offering).
Say your prayer.
Pour out the libation, light your incense or place the offering into a bowl.
Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation.
You may experience pleasant feelings, or you may not feel anything.
Both are valid experiences.
You don’t have to ‘check’ if you offering was accepted through divination.
Relax.
Your offering was accepted.
How Do You Dispose of Offerings?
Leave offerings out for an hour or two before disposing of them. If you can’t leave food out for whatever reason, just dispose of it immediately.
Place the offering into a bowl on your altar.
Pour libations down the sink.
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.
5. How to Communicate With Psykhe
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 today for our own purposes!
If you want to ask Psykhe for guidance follow these basic steps:
Quiet your mind through deep breathing.
Ask your question in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Select a tarot card or use whatever method you prefer.
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.
Follow the steps below to ask Psykhe 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.
If you don’t receive one…
Be cool, soda pop.
It’s literally fine.
Meditation
You can ask Psykhe to connect with you through 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.
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 Psychke 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.
Theourgia
Communicating with Psykhe through meditation overlaps with ancient theurgy practices.
Theourgia or ‘theurgy’ is a form of divine magic that involves the ritual invocation of the gods with the aim of achieving henosis or union with the divine.
Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about theurgy so modern books on the subject are modern reconstructions.
I recommend:
6. Devotional Acts to Connect With Psykhe
While tradition is a useful roadmap…
Like, the view can get boring sometimes.
Following the road trip analogy… modern devotionals to the gods are all the fun stop offs along the way!
Below, you’ll find a few modern devotionals to the goddess Psykhe.
Journalling
Psykhe’s name relates to the word for our own ‘psykhe’ which is the totality of our conscious and unconscious mind.
Therefore, self-development of all kinds can act as a devotional offering to her.
Journalling is a wonderful way to connect with your own psykhe in offering to the goddess.
Try dedicating daily journalling to Psykhe as an offering.
This video by Therapy in a Nutshell discusses the mental health benefits of journalling.
Lavender Sacred Bath
Lavender is renowned for its soothing and calming properties.
Having a bath using diluted lavender essential oil can be a form of devotional ritual to Psykhe.
Make an offering of lavender incense before you bathe.
Tell Psykhe you dedicate this soothing bath to her.
Play Music
You can play modern music as an offering to the gods.
I’ve linked some songs that give me all the Psykhe vibes.
You can play these as offerings to her, or just listen to them as a way to connect with her gentle energy.
Pray For Help With Anxiety
Pray to Psykhe for help with anxiety.
While myths aren’t to be taken as literal stories. Psykhe’s myth points us towards a deity who can help us to feel braver in times of upheaval and trial.
It goes without saying.
But please make sure you’re seeking medical attention as needed. This isn’t a replacement for therapy or prescribed medicine.
Create a Festival to Psykhe
Psykhe doesn’t have any festivals dedicated to her because she wasn’t worshipped in antiquity.
But don’t let that stop you, because you can create one for her!
Choose any day of the year to celebrate a modern festival to Psykhe.
Make offerings, say prayers, plan devotional activities and eat a feast in her honour.