Many view these two deities as the forces of creation, and thus disregard the binary nature of them as either a happy accident, or as something that “just is the way it is.”  However, I worship most often within a Hellenic hearth culture when I am engaging with my own personal practice.  As such, Not only do I recognize the Earth and the Sky as deities of creation, but I also acknowledge the Sea as an important piece of the powers of creation.

I’ve included below two variations of these invocations that can be used.  Both are designed to replace the Earth Mother step in ADF’s core order of ritual.  The first I use more in my personal, less formal rites.  It is short and sweet, and works alongside the re-creation of the cosmos to center you before beginning the work of ritual.  The second I use more in group and/or public rituals.  The invocations are longer, and are more focused on inviting the specific deities, rather than incorporating them into the grounding and centering of the individuals participating in ritual.

Grounding and Centering with the Land, Sea, and Sky

Land  (Gaea)

Gaea, Mother Earth, ground me in your soil.
Hold me in your arms, let my roots sink down
And be nourished by you.

Sea  (Okeanos)

Okeanos, Mighty Ocean, flood around me
As I feel the ebb and flow of your waves.
Pull me to the watery depths, let me bob on the surface and
Let the tide lap around me as I come ashore.

Sky (Ouranos)

Ouranos, Brilliant Sky, encircle me in your great dome
Let your breezes whisk by me, and as I breathe in
Fill me with endless infinity.

Earth Mother, Surrounding Sea, Sky Father

Earth Mother

The Children of the Earth call to the Great Titan Gaea,
great primal mother of gods and man.
It is you, in the beginning, who gave form to our world.
It is it you who grounds us and sustains us,
You who gives us the air that we breathe, and the beauty that we live in
It is you who gives us the precious gift of life.
You bestow upon us such great bounty.
Gaea, meet us at the boundaries.
Join us at our Sacred Hearth and be warmed by our good fire.
Aid us and guide us as we walk the Elder Ways.
Gaea, accept our sacrifice!

All: Gaea, accept our sacrifice!

Surrounding Sea

The Children of the Earth call out to Okeanos, the Surrounding Sea!
You who encircle the Earth with your nine shining streams.
Bull-horned god, you drench us in calm and understanding,
In magic and mystery.
From your waves you share with us love and beauty.
You guide the rising and setting of the stars.
Father of river, wells, and springs,
Your serpentine form wraps the powers of the waters around us all.
Okeanos, Mighty Titan,
Meet us at the boundaries.
Join us at our Sacred Hearth and be warmed by our good fire.
Aid us and guide us as we walk the Elder Ways.
Okeanos, accept our sacrifice!

All: Okeanos, accept our sacrifice!

Sky Father

The Children of the Earth call to Great Ouranos,
whose mighty frame no respite knows,
Father of all, from whom the world arose:
Hear our call, source and end of all,
Your mighty primal force of air and sky
forever whirling high above the mountaintops
you wrap us in your celestial fold.
We ask you grant us your blessing.
Ouranos, meet us at the boundaries.
Join us at our Sacred Hearth and be warmed by our good fire.
Aid us and guide us as we walk the Elder Ways.
Ouranos, accept our sacrifice!

All: Ouranos, accept our sacrifice!