Veneration of Khthonic Hermes
Adored Lord Hermes, ever radiant are you, even in Death's and Necessity's dreadful wake. Two snakes, two hands, two paths. Balanced and intertwined, never one without the other.
Darling son of the rich-tressed shy goddess and the thunderous King of God's, under Nyx's shroud, your hands are soft like the pads of a predator. Companion of the Three-Formed Titaness, down to the depths you lead. Lively psychopomp of the dead, you guide them to Hades' wise Queen, the garlands mistress of death.
Choking the barking dogs and unmaking the restrictive boundaries of the troubled and fearful living. Please steal us away, generous theif! Deep into the night, you coax us into revelry with your madness inducing kin and their satyr followers. You weave your way through the ecstatic crowd, deceptions honeyed with a sly smile. And in the wake of your unbindings,your ever-scheming lover follows, tying down hearts and flesh once more, swaying hips adorned with her passion inspiring girdle. Many shifting rogue, the tricksters you secretly mentor cry out their worship to you. May they consecrate their ears and tongues to you and erect worthy shrines to soft-lidded Peitho upon their lips.
Or perhaps, wisened one, you will lend us your keen insight, soul illuminating lantern in hand. Under the cover of Astraeus, you lend a patient ear and perspicacious counsel, intermittently in the company of the goddess whose eyes shine with the depth and beauty of galaxies known and unknown. For through your endless travels, nothing is hidden from you, dissembling interpreter.
You free War from His confinement, yet hold no shame in relinquishing arms against the beloved Mother of the Twins. Nevertheless, slayer of Argos, your Harpe drips with blood for you are the delightful patron of mercenaries. Though the rod Caduceus heralds diplomacy and Death's gentler twin, your sharp words and cunning wit are what mortals fear and respect.
And whenever I am lost in the dark, I pray you be my guide, ready helper. Be my steady feet and firm resolve, even if Anake's all-encompassing frame shadows my sight. Or perhaps, be the unlawful friend who entices me into delighting in the joys of life.