#deities

[cherrycolaboy]

Casual ways to connect with your deities

-Pray to them or just just talk with them and tell them about your day

-Light a candle and say your thanks

-Offer your meal/snack to them or bake/cook with them or for them

-Watch a movie in their honor

-Offer your morning drink to them or make a cup for them

-Assign them a plant and take care of it as a devotion to them

-Listen to music that reminds you of them

-Say good morning/good night

-Thank them for the things you see that you consider beautiful

#paganism #pagan #polytheism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #hellenism #kemetic #kemeticism #heathenry #heathenism #norse paganism #deity devotion #deities #deity #deity work

[odinswitch]

Quick reminder for both new pagans and experienced pagans: it's normal to not always feel a deity's presence, and it's normal even if you never feel their presence. You're not doing anything wrong.

#paganism #pagan #pagans of tumblr #pagan witch #paganblr #polytheist #polytheistic #polytheism #deity work #deity worship #deities #heathenry #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #hellenismos #helpol #norse polytheism #norse pagan #norse paganism

[apolloslyrics]

☀️Deities☀️

I see so many people criticizing others over their relationships, or lack thereof, with their deities, so here are some reminders:

Not having deities is okay.

Having just a devotional relationship with your deities is okay.

Having a working relationship with your deities is okay.

Playing games with your deities is okay.

Harmless jokes with your deities are okay.

Doing fun things with your deities is okay.

Doing devotional offerings for your deities is okay.

Giving physical offerings to your deities is okay.

Not being able to do certain offerings for deities is okay.

Having an altar for your deities is okay, no matter the size.

Not having an altar for your deities is okay.

Laughing with your deities is okay.

Crying with your deities is okay.

Having genuine conversations with your deities is okay.

Being unable to hear/see deities is okay.

Being able to hear/see deities is okay.

Not being able to communicate through divination is okay.

Using divination as a key element in communication is okay.

Not calling on deities during spellwork is okay.

Asking deities to help during spellwork is okay.

Asking deities for help in general is okay.

This is your relationship with your deities in your practice. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. 🫶

It's 2am, please forgive me if there are any mistakes!

#hellenic pagan #paganism #eclectic pagan #pagan #pagan witch #gay pagan #pagan blog #pagan community #divination #deity work #norse deities #greek deities #loki deity #hellenic deities #deity worship #apollo deity #deity witchcraft #gods and deities #deities #deity #greek paganism #pagan holidays #norse pagan #pagan altar #paganlife #pagans of tumblr #paganblr #eclectic witch #tarot witch #baby witch

[broomsick]

To those of you who worship obscure divinities: there are no rule that bind you except your own. Go worship that obscure deity. Go invent that festival from scratch. Go make that offering even if it’s unusual. Go write that prayer even if you’re the only one who gets it. Go play around with your freedom as a practitioner and explore! Even in a spiritual context, creativity is a gift.

#feel free to share obscure deities you worship! #thought #heathenry #spirituality #polytheism #paganism #norse paganism #deities #deity work #pagan #norse gods #witchcraft #norse polytheism

[writingwithcolor]

Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

#asks #multiracial #multicultural #south asian #sri lankan #senegalese #west african #identity #representation #worldbuilding #fantasy #mythology #folklore #fairies #deities #adoption #identity issues #mixed experiences #coding

[creature-wizard]

When people are like, "The gods won't help you with your problem! They're too important and busy for that!" I gotta wonder why they think people bothered interacting with deities in the past in the first place.

#gods #deities #deity work #paganism #pagan #heathenry

[starsthewitch]

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I get tongue tied whenever I try to pray to her

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I'm obsessed with sea life

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I collect seashells whenever I go to the beach

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I get the urge to put on makeup for no reason whatsoever

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I used to be a pink hater and now am finally embracing it

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I find swans gorgeous

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I'm worshipping the goddess of love and sex even though I'm asexual

I'm an Aphrodite devotee, of course I love the smell of vanilla

#aphrodite #aphrodite deity #lady aphrodite #greek gods #gods #deity #deity work #deity worship #deities #aphrodite devotee #aphrodite devotion #pagan #paganblr #paganism #pagan witch #witchcraft #witch #witchy #witchblr

[lavender--milk]

BRO. I was in the shop thinking to myself "it would be nice if I could get some honey to offer Apollo," and then my eye caught on a local honey display. There's this beautiful jar of creamed honey with cinnamon that looks absolutely delightful. I think "hey, that looks perfect," and I look at the label.

The label reads "Aristaeus creamed honey"

ARISTAEUS AS IN THE HELLENIC GOD OF BEEKEEPING??? ARISTAEUS AS IN THE SON OF APOLLO?????

#stood there like HUH???? HELLO??? #the gods know i'm the densest motherfucker on this earth. they know not to be subtle with me LMAO #deities #helpol #hellenic polythiest #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pantheon #deity work #deity worship #apollo #apollon #apollo deity #aristaeus #aristaios #edit: this got almost 200 notes before i noticed a typo rip

[actiwitch]

Hot take, apparently, but genuinely harassing or insulting anyone's religion is not ok.

Criticizing religious institutions, proselytizing, extremism, or horrible behaviors/beliefs done in the name of a religion? YES! Totally. That should be criticized.

Unpromptedly popping up on random posts by religious folks to say anything along the lines of "god isn't real", "the pagan gods are fake", "there is only one true religion", "[any religious group] are stupid/dangerous/barbaric" -- NO.

It's rude. It's unnecessary. And sometimes, especially in the case of minorities or oppressed groups, it's outright hateful. Theres nothing helpful, funny, or cool about randomly insulting one of the most personal aspects of a persons life. Unless it's invited or warranted, stfu.

#like please stop randomly telling me my gods dont exist #idc #atheist #christian #pagan #paganism #pagan witch #christian witch #evangelical #heathenry #witchcraft #deities #deitywork #ancient gods #religion #religious #religious joy #pagan joy

[eirene]

Diana, ca 1905 Franz Xaver Kosler

#Franz Xaver Kosler #austrian art #art #painting #art history #portrait #Diana #mythology #goddess #deities #1900s

[999lcf]

Arts from web artist unknown

Tarot cards

#witch #witchcraft #witches #paganism #dark aesthetic #pagan #witchblr #tarot cards #occultism #occult art #witchyvibes #witchy #magick #dark art #deities #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #polytheism #witchery #occult #esoterism #wicca #beginner witch

[diana-thyme]

Greek Gods 101: Hecate

Hecate is a goddess of witchcraft, Magic, night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Excluding the universal offerings, some common offerings include:

Divination Tools

Witchcraft Tools

Imagery of the Moon or Stars

Imagery or Depictions of Ghosts

Imagery or Depictions of Torches

Items Associated with Hunting (Boots, Bows, Arrows, Bones, Etc.)

Imagery or Depictions of Dogs

Imagery or Depictions of Polecats

Depictions of Darkness

Veils

For devotional acts, some activities that can be done for her include:

Performing Spells

Watching the Night Sky

Stargazing

Learning About Astronomy

Visiting Graveyards

Visiting Crossroads and Other Liminal Spaces

Lighting Candles to Help Ghosts Find Their Way

Volunteering at Animal Shelters

Hunting

She is celebrated in 4 Athenian holidays:

Hekate’s Deipnon

Noumenia

Lesser Mysteries

Heliogenna

#hecate #hecate goddess #hecate deity #hekate #hekate goddess #hekate deity #deities #hellenism #helpol #hellenic #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #hellenic community #hellenic polytheist #hellenic deities

[coven-of-genesis]

Goddess Aphrodite affirmations

Here are some affirmations inspired by the energy and qualities associated with the Goddess Aphrodite:

1. "I am a vessel of love, beauty, and grace."

2. "I radiate love and attract it effortlessly."

3. "I am worthy of deep and meaningful connections."

4. "My heart is open, and I receive love with gratitude."

5. "I embrace my inner and outer beauty with confidence."

6. "I am a beacon of sensuality and passion."

7. "I attract positive and loving relationships into my life."

8. "I am deserving of love, respect, and adoration."

9. "I am a source of inspiration and empowerment for others."

10. "I am a goddess of love, and I honor my divine essence."

Repeat these affirmations regularly to internalize and embody the qualities of love, beauty, and grace associated with Aphrodite. Remember, affirmations are most effective when practiced with belief and intention.

#goddess aphrodite #Aphrodite #witchblr #witchcore #witchcraft #witchlife #white witch #beginner witch #witch tips #spirituality #grimoire #affirmations #roman goddesses #roman mythology #mythology #aphrodite goddess #deity work #deities

[ianitos]

friendly reminder that the gods are not stagnant, they're not 2-dimensional, they're not simple. what they are is complex, complicated, and well- rounded beings. a lot of the time they're only viewed for their "good qualities" and what have you. i don't care if i sound like a broken record, acknowledge the divine are complex and inexplicable.

#templum :: 🪔 #pagan community #pagan #paganblr #paganism #pagans of tumblr #roman pagan #spiritual #spirituality #religion #polytheism #deity work #deity worship #deities #gods #the gods #witchblr #witches of tumblr

[broomsick]

Please do not be afraid to reach out to a deity. Don’t hesitate to pray to a God who you know could help out, even if you’ve never worked with them before. You don’t need a deep understanding of them to ask for their help. It’s okay to reach out: it can turn out profoundly fulfilling.

#thought #sleep well all! #heathenry #polytheism #norse paganism #paganism #spirituality #norse gods #deity work #deities #norse polytheism

[cherrycolaboy]

I sing of goddess Hera,

Queen of the heavens above. Ruler of bride and groom.

Alluring protector of women. Star-eyed goddess.

Protect me my divine Queen. Protect me from the cruel world.

I seek your guidance, take me into your heavenly shelter.

So be it.

#pagan #paganism #polytheism #deity devotion #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic polythiest #hellenic deities #hellenism #hellenismos #lady hera #hera #deity worship #deity #deities #greek gods