Yom Shabbat and Inner Peace

Today I celebrated Yom Shabbat.  I woke up at midday and began my day with some reading on the gods and history.  I then spent some time relaxing.  It was a warm day, with Shapash shining gloriously down from the blue heavens.  Out of the window on the western side of the house I saw her shining down upon the brick wall surrounding the house and on the street below, making it shine a beautiful white.  A light breeze blew through the air.  On the eastern side of the house I looked out on the gardens and yards of the houses in the street.  In the gardens tall green trees swayed merrily in the breeze, their tops seeming to reach up into the blue sky.  I raised the palm of my hand to the deities in the heavens, then continued upstairs with a cup of water to my household shrine in my bedroom.

I approached and rung the bell to ward off evil spirits, then bowed seven times before the Teraphim.  The feeling of inner peace was overwhelming.  I looked out of my bedroom window to see the trees swaying and dogs playing in the gardens below, and birds flying high above in the vault of the firmament.  The sound of their singing was music to my ears as I gave a cup of water as an offering to the household gods, asking them to bless this day and thanking them for all good things which had come to pass.  I then bowed seven times again and left the room.

While I was performing the ritual I was contemplating for a few moments.  I saw the whole village, the great houses and shops and the swaying palm trees, the fields and forests where I had spent my earliest days exploring.  I thought of the house, and it's four walls.  I saw the Teraphim within, the serpent large against the wall, and Asherah holding her breasts while smiling down benevolently.

The rest of the day I have spent playing games, resting, talking, and making new videos for my Canaanite Youtube channel.  I'm also getting ready for a meal at the table.

Offerings at the shrine

Today I made some offerings at my household cultic shrine for the Teraphim (household gods).  I took a cup of water up to my bedroom, then approached the shrine on the far wall.

The reason I was making offerings was in fulfillment of a promise that I would give the household deities offerings if they protected the house while I way away on a journey to an inn for two days (the same journey I spoke of in the blog post about my offerings to the deities when I returned).

I went to the shrine, and took the ritual bell, ringing it several times to ward off evil spirits.  I then bowed seven times and prayed.  I took a few moments of contemplation, during which I thought of these benevolent household gods and how they have been near my family and watched over me and the household since I was born.  I thought of the number of Canaanites, ancient and modern, who might do a similar ritual at their own household shrines.

I then placed the cup in the shrine and gave the deities the water as an offering.  After this was done, I bowed and left the room, removing the cup and drinking the water within as I went downstairs.  I was in high spirits, and felt calm and tranquil.

Disheartened though still strong

Today I want to talk about something which happened to me on Yom Hamish (Fifth Day) of this week.  I went in to some school exams.  I had revised well and was feeling confident.  Before I set out from home in the morning, I said a prayer to Kothar and Nebo downstairs.

I waited in the corridor running alongside the school hall, before I entered and sat at the desk.  My school hall is large, with a high roof (painted white) which has a design running around the edges of it.  The design looks sort of Greek-influenced (it's like flowers with lines zig-zagging around them), and this made me feel spiritual as I thought of how important Kothar was as a deity when the Greeks ruled Canaan, when he was identified with the Greek god Hephaestus, and when the Greeks and the Canaanites shared a lot of ideas surrounding their deities.  But then I thought of Kothar as he had appeared in the even older Ugaritic literature, and had been described in the writings of Mosheh.  He is the source of all knowledge and wisdom.  I said a prayer to Kothar to help me bring my thoughts into writing and to be blessed with wisdom.  I then prayed to Nebo, the scribe god and patron of students, to help me write my exam.  With my prayers being said, I began to work.

Unfortunately, all did not go as planned.  I became confused, didn't manage my time correctly, and though I had a lot of ideas I didn't manage to put them all down.  I ran out of time and didn't write everything correctly.  I left the hall at the end feeling ashamed and feeling disheartened. 

The point of me telling this story is not to gain sympathy (as I neither want nor need any), but to tell of what I chose to do next.  I decided that it is pointless to worry about the future (as Canaanite philosophy suggests), and it is foolish since I don't have the results yet.  But would I still give offerings to the deities?

After arriving back at home after a long day, I decided I would.  I came back and took some food from the kitchen (which was being cooked for a meal) and brought it to the dining room table where I left it as a sacrifice to Kothar and Nebo.  It was my own fault, my own shortcoming, which had led to me not managing everything properly.  Kothar and Nebo had blessed me with wisdom and creative ideas, and it was my doing and not theirs.  So I continued with the sacrifice as I intended.  I will now work on improving my skill.

In my own spirituality, I still offer sacrifices to the gods if my prayers are answered, though through my own failings I do not succeed in what I orginally intended.  I won't abandon my duty in serving them, or blame them for my own faults.

The Causes of Impurity

As discussed in the last post, purity is important during ritual and temple worship.  Now I shall discuss some of the common causes of impurity.  Impurity causes bad health, ill fortune, and does not allow you to stand before the deities.

One common cause of impurity is pollution and uncleanliness.  This includes contact with anything taboo.  The most common unclean substances are bodily fluids such as blood and semen.  Other sources include contact with corpses or the dead.  These can be passed on if one is near others who are unclean.  In order to cleanse oneself of this impurity, one should take a ritual bath before beginning a ritual or making a sacrifice.

Another source of impurity is deeds.  If you have behaved in a sinful way, you may be impure as a result of your actions. 

Ghosts and evil spirits can also cause impurity.  Coming into contact with ghosts makes one impure, and evil spirits can also cause impurity.  Related to this is the idea of good thoughts and a state of mind, as avoiding evil will ensure that one is clean.  Evil spirits may also contaminate food or drink which is left out overnight, even within your own house.  Unclean spirits also cause uncleanliness.  Going without a bath means poor hygiene, which attracts demons.  Said demons then make a person unclean, and they will continue to grow worse over several days.  Washing the hands and mouth are especially important.

Fate is another source of impurity.  If something bad comes to pass, it may not always be the fault of the individual, but circumstance may still make them impure.

Not providing for the ancestors is another source of impurity, as they may be offended, and in some cases may return as a ghost.

Purity and Purification

Related to the concept of khatz'a or sin (more on that later), is the concept of purity and purification.  It is a vital part of most religions.  In Canaanite tradition it also plays a vital role, as texts from Ugarit and other cities demonstrate. 

We live in a world which has many things which may cause impurity.  One can very easily be contaminated by this impurity, and it manifests itself in a number of ways.  There are certain areas which are 'unclean', certain bodily fluids, certain spirits, certain people even in the most extreme circumstances.

While one is impure, one cannot perform a ritual or celebrate a festival or enter a temple and come before the gods.  They become 'unclean', and may pass this on to others who they come into contact with.


This is an introduction to purity and purification, as I now have school and will need to get ready.  My next post will be on what causes impurity.

How to perform a ritual to the Teraphim

Your family Teraphim are household gods.  Most of these tend to be personal and unique deities, but the goddess Asherah is commonly found among them.

If you have any idols of the household gods, it is best to keep them somewhere private.  Usually upstairs is where a Teraphim shrine will be kept.  I personally keep mine in my bedroom, behind some curtains which I can open and close at any time.  I also have a small cabinet nearby where I can store them if needed. 

On your altar, place the idols themselves, a light source like an oil lamp or candles, and incense.  I personally have on mine some incense, two oil lamps, a representation of a kappu symbol, and the idols of the deities themselves.

Only you know your own Teraphim, so I cannot tell you how to worship them individually.  However, for a very general ritual to them, I can tell you how I would go about it personally.

Firstly, wash yourself with water.  This doesn't need to be very elaborate, at least not as elaborate as temple worship.  You don't need to purify the whole room or make it sacred, as it is your own dwelling, and the household cultic areas should already be purified when constructed.  Instead, simply approach the shrine and bring an offering.  Something like a drink-offering would do for a daily offering.  With something more elaborate, offerings like bread and cakes are common (especially around festival times).

Approach the shrine.  This doesn't need to be solemn like entering a temple room, simply walk up to your shrine and kneel before it.  Begin by invoking the Teraphim individually, then light the oil lamps.  Then prostrate yourself seven times (or bow if your prefer).  Come forward with your offering and leave it in the shrine, then burn some incense in their honour.  Return to kneeling on the floor, and say a small prayer to the household gods.

Now this ritual isn't very complex, and that is the intention.  I prefer to keep my interaction with the household deities very simple.  If you want to do something more elaborate, then that is up to you.  This is just how I do it personally.  Also, when passing an altar, make sure to say a quick blessing to the deities there, in order to invoke their blessing in return.  It can be something simply like saying "shalam" when you walk past.  How frequently you perform these rituals is up to you.  Some people might prefer to do it every day, possibly even every morning and night.  It is recommended, though, that you strengthen your relationship to your household deities with frequent offerings.

An ancient household shrine