I posted this prayer on my blog for prayers and rituals but I am also posting it here with a bit of commentary.
A few years back, I wrote a lot of prayers, including one to Artemis for the protection of young girls and one to Apollo for the protection of young boys, because those were their traditional roles.
Recently my daughter lost a dear friend for whom neither of those prayers would have been appropriate.
I should have thought of this sooner but I didn’t; in any case, here it is, a non-binary version of the prayer. (It’s based in great part on the Artemis prayer.)
Prayer to Artemis and Apollo for the Protection of the Young
To swift-footed Artemis and far-shooting Apollo,
dear children of Leto and thundering Zeus,
I pray to you, O gods, watch over ______________
as they travel through the world, keep them safe from harm,
guard them from evil, protect them from all ill,
grant them the strength to overcome all obstacles,
grant them the resilience to recover from loss,
grant them the wisdom to find their way through the dark,
grant them true friends to join them on their journey.
Show them the joy in life, the pleasures of today
and the promise of tomorrow. Give them the gift
of a mind turned ever toward happiness and hope.
Be with them, O gods, in good times and bad;
favor them with insight and good humor, with the courage
to choose freely and the wisdom to choose well.
I pray to you, bless them with your many gifts.
