Astraia: How to Worship the Starry Goddess of Justice
Who is the Greek Goddess Astraia?
Last [of the Ages of Men] came the Race of Iron. Honour and love lay vanquished, Astraea, virgin divine, the last of the immortals, fled away.
Ovid, Metamorphoses
Astraia is the virgin Greek goddess of justice and purity—her Roman name is ‘Astraea’ or ‘Astrea’.
Astraia is an Ouranic deity and her name translates to ‘starry one’.
She was often depicted as winged and holding a flaming torch.
There’s no evidence that the goddess Astraia was actively worshipped in ancient Greece. However, she was closely identified with Dike and Nemesis in antiquity—Dike even used the epithet Dike Astraia.
What Can I Pray to Astraia For?
Astraia can be prayed to for help with:
Clarity
Balance
Guidance
Hope
Justice
Truth
Virtue
Is Astraia Reaching Out to Me?
I have no idea, lol.
But the fact that you’re here reading this article probably means you’d like to honour her.
You don’t need anyone’s permission.
If you want to worship Astraia (or any deity), that’s enough of a reason to do so!
How to Connect with Astraia
One of the best ways to grow fulfilling relationships with the gods, is to venerate them within their own cultural context.
Honouring the gods of ancient cultures means acknowledging that they knew best how to worship them.
Astraia didn’t have an ancient cult, but honouring her in the ancient Greek manner increases your chances of building a successful long-term relationship with her.
Cultural Context Matters
A large part of embracing the ancient Greek cultural context is not imposing past religious beliefs onto Astraia’s worship.
If you were brought up within a monotheistic religion, you will have internalised some fairly toxic beliefs about deity.
Here are some things to be aware of when connecting with Greek deities:
The myths aren’t literal.
The gods welcome everyone regardless of gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.
The gods don’t get angry.
The gods don’t have ‘beef’ with one another.
Below, you’ll find how to begin a relationship with Astraia—rooted in ancient Greek culture.
Astraia Summary
God of: Justice, purity, the stars
Home: Sky
Parents: Astraeus and Eos
Colours UPG: White, silver
Symbols: White feathers, torch, stars
Traditional Offerings: Barley, frankincense, honey, milk, olive oil, votive offerings, water
Non-Traditional Offerings UPG: Star-gazing, star-shaped cakes, white flowers, white or silver candles, mint tea, white wine, rose water, oat milk
Epithets: ‘Starry One’, ‘Kindly’, ‘Last of the Immortals’, ‘Nurse of Law-Abiding Men’, ‘Virgin of the Stars’, ‘Star-Bright’
Learn About Astraia’s Myths
More ruinous than they which went before, then verily did Astraia loathe that race of men and fly heavenward and took up that abode, where even now in the night time the Maiden is seen of men.
Aratus, Phaenomena
The first step to connecting with Astraia is to read about her role in mythology.
A word of advice?
Don’t take the myths literally.
The myths are stories that reveal insights into the nature of the gods in a more subtle, allegorical way—they’re not matter-of-fact stories about the gods.
With that out of the way…
Let’s talk Astraia.
Like many deities, Astraia doesn’t have a ton of mythology.
She’s most well-known for her role as the Last Immortal to live among humans during the Golden Age.
Sounds good right?
Wrong.
Humans being humans, messed up as usual…
Are we surprised?
Due to the aforementioned human corruption, Astraia left the human world and ascended to the stars to become the constellation Virgo.
Lovely.
That’s the briefest of brief summaries!
So, check out the resources below for more information.
Learn Astraia’s Epithets
Kindly Astraea hath regard for pious folk, and comes back reconciled with Zeus.
Statius, Silvae
What the heck are epithets?
Epithets are titles or descriptive functions for deities, which were used in antiquity. Epithets help us to understand how ancient people saw the gods.
Some epithets come from cultic practice and others emerge from the poetic tradition.
Btw.
When ‘cult’ is used in a historical sense, it means a system of religious veneration around a divine figure.
Not ‘cult’ in the modern Netflix documentary sense.
As fun as those are.
It’s a cult documentary loving world and we’re just living in it.
Epithets are used during prayer to appeal to a specific aspect of a deity—one that’s compatible with the petitioners need.
Astraia’s epithets are all taken from the poetic tradition, as she never had a cult.
Astraia’s epithets
‘Last of the Immortals’
‘Kindly’
‘Nurse of Law-Abiding Men’
‘Star-Bright’
‘Starry One’
‘Virgin of the Stars’
How to Create an Altar to Astraia
Technically, shrines and altars were separate things in ancient Greece.
Since state temples are no longer a thing…
Today, most people merge the two together into the modern form of an ‘altar’.
What are Altars?
Altars are small spaces dedicated to one, or multiple, divine beings—they’re a concrete, physical reminder of your dedication to divinity.
Having said that…
Altars aren’t a prerequisite for worship.
If you can’t have an altar because of your living situation, that’s absolutely fine!
You can still venerate the gods without one.
Also, because space is at a premium for most of us…
It’s perfectly acceptable for the gods to share altars—as long as Ouranic and Kthonic gods are kept separate.
Astraia Altar Ideas
Image of Astraia
Offering bowl
Incense burner
White or silver candles
White flowers
Clear quartz, moonstone, selenite
Stars, white feathers, silver items
How to Pray to Astraia
Prayer was an extremely important part of ancient Greek religion.
It’s one of the ways the ancient Greeks communicated with the gods.
Unlike many religions today, most prayers were accompanied by an offering (more on that in the next section).
Pray to Astraia using Ouranic rites.
Which means…
Praying with hands outstretched and palms up towards the sky.
Prayers to Ouranic deities were also performed during the day, standing up and out loud.
How to do it
Stand with arms raised, and palms up towards the sky.
Look at the image of the deity (or raise your eyes to the sky).
Then speak the prayer out loud.
For example:
Hear me, Astraia! Virgin, Star-Bearer, Goddess of Truth. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called. I have created an altar for you and I would like to feel your presence in my life. May this offering of incense please you.
How to Give Offerings to Astraia
All Pagan traditions are built on the concept of giving offerings to deities.
The ancient Greeks had a word for the reciprocity they built with the gods through offerings.
Kharis.
The ancient Greeks believed that through devotional acts such as prayer, offerings, attending states festivals and pious living, they could build beneficial long-term relationships with the gods.
In return, the gods may occasionally favour them.
To build a relationship with Astraia, it’s preferable to give her regular offerings.
If you’re unable to make physical offerings because…
REASONS.
Then try devotional action-based offerings.
State out loud that you’re devoting something you’re doing to Astraia as an offering.
For example:
Hear me Astraia. Kindly, Starry One, Last of the Immortals. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called. I dedicate this song to you in offering. Praise Astraia!
Traditional Offerings
Frankincense
Honey
Olive oil
Water
Wine
How To do it
Wash your hands (always wash your hands before giving an offering).
Stand with arms raised up towards the sky, palms up and speak your prayer out loud.
Pour out the libation or place the offering into a bowl.
Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation.
Should I Check That My Offering Was Accepted?
No.
How Do You Dispose of Offerings?
If you can, leave offerings out for a while before doing any of the following:
Pour libations down the sink, or onto the ground outside.
Compost or bin any food offerings.
Avoid leaving food or material offerings outside because… littering.
How Often Should You Give Offerings?
The answer is as often as you want to.
The more important a deity is to you the more frequently you’ll probably want to give offerings.
You can give offerings daily, weekly or monthly.
It’s defintely not a historical thing…
But an appropriate day to give offerings to Astraia is on a Monday.
It’s fine to give offerings to her whenever you wish.
How to Communicate With Astraia
Have a care then for Justice, and grant harmony to the world, you who are Harmonia, the saviour of life! For I was sent here in haste by the Virgin of the Stars [Astraia] herself, the nurse of law-abiding men.
Nonnus, Dionysiaca
We can communicate with the gods in several ways. Historically, these would have been through:
Prayer
Offerings
Divination
Signs
Theurgy or meditation
We can utilise these practices today to achieve the same outcome.
Divination
Divination was super popular in ancient Greece. We can use it here for our own purposes!
Follow the basic steps below:
Quiet your mind through deep breathing.
Ask your question in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Use whatever divination method you prefer.
Interpret the message.
Write down any insights.
Signs
It’s embarrassing the amount of people who seem to think anything from a pendulum falling out of their bag, to a bird taking a dump on their car is a sign from a god.
Not everything is a sign.
Signs are uncommon.
They tend to really leap out at you as being really significant.
If you need to ask, ‘is this a sign?’
Then it probably isn’t.
Follow the steps below to ask Astraia for a sign:
Ask for the sign in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Ask for the sign to appear within a reasonable timeframe.
Wait and see!
If you don’t receive one…
Be cool, soda pop.
It’s literally fine.
Meditation
You can ask Astraia to connect with you during meditation and see if you receive any messages.
The first few times you do this, you’re unlikely to receive anything.
But that’s nothing to feel bad about.
It takes a lot of practise to successfully enter altered states of consciousness and receive genuine divine guidance.
Emphasis on the genuine.
When it comes down to it, modern life really isn’t conducive for meditation and inner stillness.
Scroll.
Scroll.
Scroll.
Ad infinitum.
The best thing you can do to improve your ability to meditate, apart from attempting to do it regularly…
Is to put down the phone.
Give yourself brief periods during the day when you’re not listening to, or watching anything.
Unfortunately, we can’t have it all.
The age of distraction pushes us further away from the divine.
If we really want to connect with the gods, then we have to prioritise the health of our psyche’s.
To contact Astraia through meditation, follow the basic steps below:
Quiet your mind through deep breathing.
Ask her to be with you in the form of a prayer.
Make an offering.
Chant her name as you deep breathe.
Sit in stillness for around five to ten minutes if possible.
Write down any insights.
For more direct ecstatic experiences of the gods we turn to theurgy or theourgia.
For a modern interpretation I recommend:
Devotional Acts to Connect With Astraia
While tradition is a useful roadmap…
The view can get boring sometimes?
Modern devotionals to the gods are the fun stop offs along the way.
Below, you’ll find a few modern devotional activities to this ethereal, starry goddess.
Celebrate Astrotheia
Astraia didn’t have an ancient festival…
But don’t let that stop you!
You can make up your own name for Astraia’s festival, or use my creation: Astrotheia.
Astrotheia translates to ‘star-rite’ or ‘star-sacrifice’.
Celebrate this festival on the 23rd of August, when the sun enters the constellation of Virgo.
Clean and purify your home.
Have a lavender infused cleansing bath.
Offer Astraia star-shaped cakes.
Read the Orphic Hymn to the Stars.
Hold a night vigil and light candles at Astraia’s altar.
Or finish the festival with star-gazing.
Cleanse Yourself
Weekly, or monthly cleansing baths can become a mini ritual dedicated to Astraia.
As a goddess of purity we too can purify ourselves.
Because who doesn’t love an atmospheric, candlelit bath?
Think lavender incense, diluted lavender or rosemary essential oil and pure sea salt.
Crystal Meditation
Obviously, a crystal meditation isn’t traditional in the least—which is the whole flipping point.
These are supposed to be creative, fulfilling modern practices.
Use this meditation to connect with Astraia when you’re in need of some crystal clear clarity.
Hold the clear quartz in your hand, close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Imagine an ethereal white light emanating from the crystal.
As the light grows brighter, let it wash over you. Feel it clear away the mental fog.
Visualise Astraia standing before you. Her truth pours into your heart, guiding your thoughts to clarity.
Say, ‘In Astraia’s light, I find clarity.’
Thank Astraia with an offering.
Learn About the Cosmos
Astraia is strongly associated with the stars.
So, learning a little about our mysterious cosmos can be both an interesting and trippy devotional activity.
Light a White or Silver Candle
Light a pure white or silver candle each day in honour of Astraia.
You can say a quick prayer and then blow the candle out straight away.
Read Astrea’s Broken Heart
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The goddess-angel Astrea in Astrea’s Broken Heart
One fun way to connect with Astraia is to read a story that features her—Astrea’s Broken Heart.
In this story, Astrea is the tragic original angel, whose role is interwoven with her original Greco-Roman mythology.
You can read ABH on the visual novel app Romance Club—it’s free to download on Google and Apple.
This app is strictly 18+ due to adult content.
ABH is a well-written, atmospheric supernatural story set in modern-day England.
It follows Audrey, a traumatised psychologist who becomes the target of a human-sacrificing cult bent on triggering the apocalypse.
Visual novels are choice-based—so you can choose who to romantically pair Audrey with.
I chose Malek—a complex villain and the canon love interest. He has a particularly intriguing connection to Astrea.
Dedicate the time you spend reading ABH as an offering to Astraia.
Play music
Put that Spotify subscription to good use!
Modern songs can also be played as offerings to the gods—I’ve linked some songs that give me all the Astraia vibes.
You can play any of these as offerings to her, or you can listen to them as a way to connect with her starry energy.