As a result, the respects we pay to the Divine come on several definite levels, which we tentatively name and define as follows ...

1. Devotion. Imagine going to a town elder, but on a higher level. One respects the elder. The elder can be a source of help and strength. But the elder may be deeply flawed and so one may keep one's guard up slightly. One recognises that the elder may have a few blind spots of his own, and hopes that as he is dealt with in a respectfully cautious fashion, he will gradually grow in response to his understanding of the situation. In our view, the gods need salvation, too.
   
   This, as near as we can tell, at this point, is most akin to the attitude the Hellenic gods were approached with in pre-Hellenistic times. It is the form we address most of the deities with. As per the tradition, it does not rule out criticism of the deity, as long as that criticism is just. In the past, such criticism could border on mockery, in a traditionally Hellenic cathartic fashion.




2. Adoration. A higher form of worship, addressed to deities we view in a less fearful fashion. Instead of merely opening oneself up to one aspect of the god, and being on one's guard throughout, one opens oneself up more fully to the deity, seeking a deeper sense of identification, while anchoring oneself, with a close relationship to the Almighty. One still recognizes that the god is flawed, and is seeking salvation, but sees the deity as having, in almost all ways, achieved it more fully that one has oneself, and thus being capable of helping one with one's own salvation. Far greater trust is involved.
   
   Of all of the Olympians, only Aphrodite, so far, is offered this enhanced form of devotion by us, more akin to that of the old mystery cults, but without the manic aspect. In non-pagan religion, perhaps the cult of the saints would be closest analog to this aspect of our religion.




3. Full Worship. This is paid exclusively to God alone, or to whoever acts in His stead, to the extent that he does so. Ie. Christ. In adoration, we see deity as being an exemplar of a good. In worship, we see Him as being the very embodiment of that good, that those we offer adoration to can only approach as a matter of approximation. He is the final judge, who guides all others, and so our identification in prayer - our attempt to draw closer to Him in spirit - is the deepest and most unguarded of all.

A point that guides the construction of our rituals is that those to who we offer a lower form of 'worship' are imagined as joining us as we offer our respects to those we worship on a higher level. Thus, we seek to put conscious thoughts of the respects we've paid to them aside, lest we confuse the two levels of worship. But we do not periodically abandon the lesser divinities, merely to seek their understanding later on. Though we do see the return to their worship as being a sort of renewal of our relationship with them. This thought is never made so clearly, as in our version of the Saturnalia rituals.

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