[Help] Question about praying to Hermes, Apollo, and other Hellenistic deities

Hi, I wanted to ask a question to those of you who have a devotion to Hermes, Apollo, or another Hellenistic deity.

My son is beginning to connect with Hermes and Apollo, and he is looking into how to address them in prayer. He has read that, if the deity is Olympian, one prays by raising the hands upward, and that if the deity belongs to the Underworld, the hands are directed downward, but we are not sure whether this is correct or whether there are nuances.

How do you do it? Do you follow any specific form of prayer, gesture, offering, or greeting?

This is interesting idea and I see no reason why not to go with it.

I don't follow Greek deities, I connect with Norse ones occasionally. But one thing is clear. In worship matters what is in heart. the right way comes secondary. Just do your best until you reach connection and then you can ask the gods themselves what is prefered. And usually what is prefered is expression of your intent, your own self expression of your dedication in all the good ways, which tells way more than exactly made ritual done my person who is hollow and without true dedication.

No god refuses dedication and effort. Especially if it is about making the world better place to be, even if it is done in the smallest things that might look completely obsolete.

Thank you very much, Morell! I see that your way of relating to the deities very wise, I will pass this on to my son, and I will do the same myself. Thanks again!

Hello, I think your understanding is correct. For the Uranian gods (celestial gods) or the Olympian gods, when praying you should raise your arms at a right angle, with your fingertips pointing toward the sky ; for the sea gods, you should face the sea, extend your arms straight out horizontally, with palms facing forward; for the Chthonian gods (gods of the earth or the underworld), you should lower your arms and press your hands toward the ground. I am a follower of the goddess Persephone, and in my prayer practice, I point my hands toward the sky for half of the year and place them under the table for the other half—because She belongs to the underworld for certain parts of the year and resides above the earth for the other parts.

I‘m not sure if this image link can be loaded. If it can‘t, you can search for yourself by keywords such as “Praying Statue of the Minotaur Goddess” or “Praying fresco of the Crete Goddess” to see examples.