Hail, Hermes!

I don't usually talk to gods, much less to Greek gods. I feel they're far too distant and alien to me.

But the more I learned about Hermes, the more I feel a sense of familiar comfort with him. Basically, he governs most of those things that I do and love: travel, languages, magic, athletics, the Internet...even my job as a software developer. I've also always had some sort of affinity with child-like trickster gods being a goofball myself.

Last year, Aldrin and Kaye invited me over to celebrate Hermaia Eriounia, the feast day of Hermes as the luck bringer. Being a sucker for luck and pagan rites, I joined, of course, bringing with me four votive offerings I made in the form of animals sacred to Hermes. Each offering is for each quarter of the coming year, to ask for blessings and such.

Aldrin's Graeco-Roman rituals have always been beautiful and eloquent, with the right balance of reverence and mirth. Hermes just loves sweet things, so the feast consisted of food with alarmingly high glycemic index, which I immensely partook of nonetheless.

There is nothing like holding a feast in the middle of a lush, grassy farm.

My votive offering of a bee in a tetradrachm of Ephesos, and four foreign coins from my travels.

Even as a magician, I'm not the type who would readily ascribe seemingly synchronistic incidents to divine and supernatural forces. But early this year, a series of events led me to attend a Forex seminar - one of the last things I would find myself going to. Later, I realized: trading foreign currencies - how very Hermes is that?

Surprisingly I found the talk to be quite interesting and it has led me to discover stuff like stocks and investments. I've always thought I was pretty good at handling my money until then. A few weeks later on, I was able to transform my savings account into a diverse portfolio of stocks, mutual funds and trust funds. Finances have always bored me, but I'm glad I found the heart to be smarter with my money now. I wish I've learned this before.

The second quarter just began with the very Hermes April Fool's day. I know it's wrong to expect gifts, but I couldn't help wondering what blessing he has for me this time.

Khaire Herme!

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