Goddess of the Week: Philophrosyne

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How's your social life? Things going well for you? Are your friends supportive and lively? No? Are they difficult and pedantic? Do they complain? Do they borrow your money? Your clothes? Your car? Oh, no. That doesn't sound good at all. Or perhaps your situation is changing. Perhaps you are moving on in your life, changing locales, jobs, schools, prisons. Whether you need to jettison old friends because they are dragging you down or find new ones because your life is changing, the goddess for you is Philophrosyne.

Philophrosyne is the Greek goddess of friendliness, kindness and welcome. She is one of the Sraces, a group of goddess sisters who went around ancient Greece encouraging hospitality. For her part, Philophrosyne basically invented those tea sandwiches that everyone likes and that are always an appropriate addition to any potluck or party. She also invented hostess gifts, friendship bracelets and pinkie promises.

Philophrosyne reminds us that while we cannot always choose the people who surround us, we can choose how we act among them. By bringing friendliness, kindness and welcome to any social situation we can, hopefully, encourage such qualities in others. Alas, it is true that sometimes our good social graces are met with rudeness, stupidity, pig-headedness, general uncouthness, and even boorish arrogance and bad taste, in which case forbearance, tolerance, and good humor will perhaps prove even more worthwhile than friendliness, kindness and welcome. But still, in the immortal words of Frank Burns "It's nice to be nice to the nice."

Philophrosyne also reminds us that we have the right to expect friendliness, kindness and welcome from our friends. If the people we choose to spend our time with do not possess such qualities, perhaps they are not very good friends, and perhaps it is time to seek new ones.

Channel this goddess: when interacting with the world at large. Everyone deserves to see the best side of you, including the very rude woman who looks like she's been sucking lemons at your dentist's office. Also channel this goddess when hosting a lovely picnic in the hills, when meeting friends for cocktails, and when learning to co-exist with a new roommate or difficult neighbor. (You can also invite Philophrosyne to brush a little friendly powder on the less-pleasant people you know.)

Kate: This one is for you.