#does belief in that renounce any connection to the greek gods

[bigskydreaming]

Ahahahaha yessssss, I’ve connected the dots, I’ve figured it out! I had the A plot and C plot of the Greek mythology space opera all finalized but my first plan for the B plot and how it connects to the other two was Bad and I threw it away and also set it on fire and renounced it, it broke the themes of the rest of the story and I was like what am I, Stiles’ character arc in Teen Wolf? No! I rebuke you, incorrect B plot!

But now I figured out how to fix it and yoinked the flawed and Wrong parts of the B plot and kept the essential framework of it but pointed Hestia in the direction of the RIGHT characters to marry the A plot to the C plot and the actual big secret she’d been sitting on for four thousand years. Y’know, nominally in the name of protecting her friend and keeping the war between Ekidna’s family and Hestia’s family from continuing ad nauseam, but actually just because she suffers from the same terminal case of Divine Entitlement the rest of her fam does, albeit to a lesser degree. She was like I Definitely Know What I’m Doing - cut to four thousand years later and the realization hmmm maybe I did not in fact know what I was doing and what I was doing was in fact actually A Mistake. My bad.

Cue divine crisis of “I can be wrong, actually? GODS can be incorrect? DID ANYBODY ELSE KNOW ABOUT THIS? Set facebook status to Am Currently Not Okay!”

Her worshippers: Umm. Our goddess is sitting depressed in her room and refusing to come out because she Made a Mistake and is wracked by throes of self-doubt. Does anybody know what to do here? Does the galactic Alexandrian Library have any recorded precedent for What to Do When The God You’ve Put All The Faith In And Built Your Entire Life And Belief System Around keeps yelling “Stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I be so stupid” through her door because like. This does not bode well for our religion, actually.

Like, sucks for Hestia and her worshippers and their cascading existential crisis, but the important thing here is now the A, B and C plots all line up Correctly and no themes were broken in the making of these three plot arcs or the characters arcs of all three primaries from each respective plot line.

Their loss is my gain. I win! Take that, fictional characters of my own creation, okay fine, fictional interpretations of classic Greek mythological figures of my own creation with the latter of course acting as a modifier upon the fictional interpretations part of that sentence, as opposed to the classic Greek mythological figures! Hah!

Bout to be so fucking productive today, you don’t even KNOW.

#Greek mythological space opera #All Things Wondrous and Strange: Book One of the Fall and Rise of the House of Styx

[north-of-annwn]

Godkin and Godspouses

Originally I had written this in response to others who had a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about what Godkin and Godspouses were, so I decided this needed to be its own post to be available for searching.

While Godkin and Godspouses are new terms in the modern world developing out of modern revival of Polytheistic beliefs, the concepts are very old and a valid part of ancient and current religions.

Some people have mentioned to me religious abuse being carried out by those who claim to be either one and I’m here to tell you that if you’re practicing these things in the way they’re meant to be they shouldn’t involve anyone except yourself and your deities.

On Godkin

Children: Many people believe that they are the children/creation of their God in the metaphysical sense of the word. Just as Christians believe they are the actual children of the Abrahamic deity Yahweh, someone can believe they are the child of Cernunnos, of Freyr, Zeus, [insert deity here]. This can be because they believe their deity created them or simply decide to adopt a deity as their parental figure. They don’t typically have any superhuman abilities (those would be demigods) but may carry a blessing of their Godparent. For those with clairvoyance or metaphysical sight this can manifest in clear mark or sign.

Godshards: There are some people who believe that they are an incarnation of part of a deity. Just as Jesus is considered to be part of Yahweh himself and his own identity, other people may be a part of a deity experiencing Humanity at the moment. The deity and the person exist independently of each other, and do not share consciousness during this incarnation. But after death it is possible that the shard will rejoin their deity soul. Being a Godshard does not mean that you should be asking anyone to acknowledge that you are the same as the whole deity or convincing anyone that you are anything other than human with memories of a past life connected to a deity. You should never ask anyone for worship or offerings.

Other family ties: This is more common than you may think. Many of the pantheons have stories of the relevant deities actually being that people’s first ancestors. Some may feel stronger familial ties to specific deities as siblings, cousins, nieces/nephews, etc.

On Godspousing

The example you may be most familiar with is how Catholic Monks and Nuns take holy vows that equate to marriage of the Abrahamic God, Yahweh. They even take vows of monogamy to renounce relationships between themselves and other humans. Furthermore Protestant Christian teachings refer to all Christians as the brides of Christ and that the ultimate marriage is between the Church/Israel and God. Ancient Temples of different deities would often involve something similar - vows that define their relatioship with that chosen deity. Pagan godspousing is a personal choice to define the relationship between a person and their deity as romantic rather than another definition. Pagan godspousing can often be an open relationship rather than a monogamous one which allows the human or the deity to engage in other relationships. If someone elects to involve sexual acts or sexual pleasure in their devotions this can also be considered godsex.

Marriage to Spirits is another subsection of Godspousing. This is where someone elects to marry a spirit of a person who may be deceased or simply the soul of a non-human entity.

A NOTE ON THESE THINGS:

Each individual has the right to define their own relationships with their deity(s) and judge them in accordance with their own conscience and with regard to their own spiritual path and identity.

However, in order for their spiritual beliefs and definitions to be valid and recognized by others it *must* remain personal and without impacting (or attempting to impact) how others are defining their own beliefs and spiritual identity. 

No Person should ever be using their spiritual beliefs and relationship definitions with their deities to manipulate, take advantage of, or abuse others in anyway. Being Godkin or a Godspouse doesn’t entitle your identity to be acknowledged by others or play a part in their spiritual beliefs.

IF any individual is attempting to interact with minors, insinuate they have unique divine knowledge, or require worship from anyone they are not actually identifying their practice with these things and instead are attempting to engage in religious abuse.

These definitions of spiritual identity are not for everyone. You do not have to identify as one of these things for your relationships with deities or your spiritual path to be unique, personal, and just as important. But it is extremely important to know that these definitions exist, they’re valid, and they *do* have historical support.

Historically have engaged in Godspousing: - Hindu (present) - Catholicism (present) - Protestantism (present) - Roman Polytheism - Greek Polytheism - Aztec

Historically have engaged in Spirit Marriage: - French - United States - South Korea - Germany - South Africa - Japan - Mormonism

Known/Recognised Godshards or Human Incarnations of Deities: - The Dalai Lama - The Buddha - Jeshua/Jesus Christ - All of the Incarnations of Vishnu - Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt - Emperors of Japan - Emperors of China - Inca Emperors - and so many more

#godspouse #godshard #godspousing #godkin #pagan #paganism #deities #deity relationships

[peacefulpreserve]

Cremation Process in Various Countries

When someone special passes on, it is but natural to feel the need to correctly send them off to the next life through ceremony and ritual. While a lot of cultures traditionally bury their dead, there are now a lot of people in these cultures that consider cremation as an alternative.

During cremation, human remains get reduced to ashes and bone fragments after being subjected to intense heat. The cremated remains that people get and are familiar with are a mixture of the ashes and the dried bone fragments which were pulverized with the use of a device called the “Electric cremated remains processor,” the bones are crushed until they reach a texture that’s almost like fine sand. This way, they can be scattered quickly.

While cremation is done in a lot of countries, the rules and standards are not the same.

Below are a few example of how different counties do cremation.

Cremation Process in the USA

In the USA, the corpse is placed and cremated in a chamber. This room is called a retort and lined with heat-retaining refractory bricks. Regulations require that the bricks are replaced every five years due to them going through expansion and contraction every time a cremation gets done. In this country, it is against the law to cremate more than one body at the same time. After cremation, the bone powder and other remains are collected and placed in urns to be given to the family.

  Nowadays modern cremation process facilities are all equipped with computer-controlled safety devices. For example, the right temperature has to be reached in the cremator before the chamber door gets open. A motorized trolley gets used so that the coffin can be placed quickly inside. The trolley can also be sloped down into the cremator. The reason why a coffin has to be placed immediately into the retort is to prevent heat loss from the opened door.

After complete incineration happens, the bone fragments are removed from the retort. The cremulator is then used to pulverize the pieces. These crushed pieces are called cremains, and these then get placed inside urns. Cremation costs usually vary from one area of the country to another. However, the average cost of cremation is lower than that of a burial ceremony.

    Cremation Process in China

Cremation customs would naturally be different all over the world. In China, traditions and customs vary even within the country. Learning Mandarin can give one some clues when one stumbles upon these practices that one won’t usually find in textbooks. While some of these customs are ancient and outdated, knowing these traditions will give deeper insight into how cremation process has evolved throughout the years.

In China, Buddhist monks go through a different cremation process. These monks have dedicated their lives to the high purpose of being of service to humankind. They lead lives of austerity in the complete renouncement of worldly pleasures for the upper goal of salvation. They live an ascetic lifestyle. They live on a strict vegetarian diet and spend most of their days in meditation. Aside from their deep studies on the life and teachings of Buddha, they also strive to put these in practice. Because of this lifestyle, their bodies are considered pure, having deliberately distanced themselves from worldly pleasures.

Because of leading a life of discipline and abstinence, crystalline substances called Sariras get produced after the monks’ bodies are cremated. The cremated remains, with  these crystalline materials are preserved by the monks’ community as relics. These remains are held in high regard especially if they are of Master Monks. Great care is taken to preserve these relics especially as they are considered as reminders of their Master Monks’ time on earth. In contrast, the bodies of non-monks are reduced to ashes after cremation and don’t go through the same level of ceremony.

Another example of unique burial practices in China as well as in Tibet is the use of gravestones with unique shapes. This practice can be traced way back into the Confucian era, starting with Confucius himself. The sage’s gravestone is in the form of an axe. His followers followed suit and had their gravestones cast in a different mold to reflect their personality or personal style. While this practice is not the norm, there are quite a significant number of people who do this even up to this day.

Cremation Process in India

With estimated followers of almost a billion people, Hinduism easily becomes the third largest organized religion worldwide. Compared to other organized religion, Hinduism has no sole founder. In fact, there is no standard doctrine followed by different sects of Hinduism. Mainly practiced japanby Indians, this religion espouses the teaching that God is within everyone and in every object. Also, God’s presence also transcends any being and any object. In Hinduism, it’s believed that the soul’s essence is divine and one’s purpose in life is to have complete awareness of the divine essence of one’s soul.

There are numerous Hindu gods and goddesses that believers call on to for help in achieving this purpose. The gods and goddesses help believers transcend mortals’ ordinary perception of the world to access that divine essence. One thing that the many branches of Hindu worship have in common is the observation of rituals and meditation. Observing these practices leads the soul towards directly experiencing the God within or the Self.

In this connection, even as the physical body goes through a cycle of being born and dying in this world, the soul itself has no such beginning or end. A soul may pass from one body to another through reincarnation. Karma – the consequences of actions done spanning several lifetimes – plays a huge part in the rebirth process. Once the soul has reached the full realization of one’s true nature, it becomes one with the Brahman, or the “One.”

Hindus prefer to die at home surrounded by their loved ones. Their family and close friends hold a vigil on a person’s deathbed until he or she passes away. According to custom, the body stays at home until cremation. Cremation process gets done within 24 hours after one has died. After cremation, the ashes are scattered in a sacred river. In other cases, some Hindus choose to scatter the ashes of the deceased at some other place that holds deep significance to the departed.

During the wake, people who wish to pay their respects usually dress casually and in white. Wearing black clothing is frowned upon as it is considered inappropriate. A priest presides over the open casket service or wake. Guests are expected to view the body in the open casket service. The service usually involves reciting of mantras and hymns, making sacrifices, as well as making offerings to gods and ancestors. Senior family members may also help in conducting ceremonies aside from the priest.

While mourners may bring flowers, bringing of food is not usually done. Using cameras is not considered appropriate. Friends and guests who belong to other faiths are welcome but are not expected to participate in the ceremony.   

Ten days after the wake, another ceremony is held at the deceased’s home so that their soul is free for its ascension into heaven. Mourners and visitors bring fruit offerings during this ceremony. A typical mourning period would range between 10 to 30 days after a person has passed.

Cremation Process in Japan

funeral, rosary

Due to the ban on burials imposed by many local authorities in Japan, more than 99 percent of people get cremated which is the highest figure in the world. Before the Second World War, only the rich in Japan could cremate their family. The cost of cremations went up after it got realized that the process was very efficient and clean.

It is also interesting to know that the funeral cost here is also the highest in the world. The different stages of a funeral procedure in Japan are the wake, the cremation, the burial in a grave reserved for the family and lastly the memorial service. Due to the high density of population in the country plots for burial are scarce thus increasing the funeral cost. Ashes are now being scattered instead of being buried to save cost.

Buddhist rituals are followed during this cremation process. A new Buddhist name is assigned to the dead person during the funeral to ensure that he does not get reborn with the same name. Flowers get spread around the shoulders and the head of the dead person by his family members, the casket makes its journey for cremation. The corpse gets kept in the cremation chamber in the presence of his or her relatives. The family remains at the crematorium for about two hours to receive the ashes and bones at the end of the process. 

The next portion of the cremation process is quite fascinating when the family members take part in separating the ashes from the bones. The bones are separated from the ashes with the help of chopsticks and kept in an urn so that leg bones are at the bottom and the bones from the head are at the top signifying an upright body. The ashes are either kept in a single urn or distributed among the relatives.

As per tradition the family members carry the urn to their home and keep it on an altar for thirty-five days after which it gets placed in the crypt of the grave reserved for the family in the cemetery. 

Memorial services are carried out for forty-nine days after the day of the funeral but the period may vary as per local beliefs. The memorial services may continue for seven consecutive days or can be staggered over forty-nine days or on the seventh, forty-ninth or hundredth day after the funeral. Later, these services get organized in a periodic fashion over the coming years.   

Cremation Process in Greece

Traditions followed by Greeks for cremating and burying their dead are dependent on their religious and orthodox beliefs. The culture in Greece believes that the corpse must be buried whole as it is the ‘temple of the spirit’ and so that it gets resurrected fully.  

This belief led to the banning of cremation which was lifted only in 2006 and extended further up to 2008 by the State Council. No crematoriums got built since the time cremation was made legal. But it is anticipated that a crematorium may start functioning soon with al state-of-the-art features.

Burial remains the standard procedure for taking care of a deceased person’s body in Greece even though cremation is legal now. The price of a plot of land sufficient to hold two graves can be approximate $200,000 which provides a twist to this custom. A family can get a grave on rent if it cannot afford to buy a plot of land. The rent for the grave has to be paid for three or five years which depend on the region of the country selected for burial. After the lease period is over the body has to be exhumed mandatorily to make space for a newly deceased person’s body. The family members have to be present during the exhumation process by law. The remains are placed in an ossuary or final resting place along with the remains of the other deceased family members. As per some traditions, the bones are first washed with wine before they get placed in the ossuary. If the family members fail to be present during exhumation, then the remains are dissolved by chemicals after being put in a mass grave.  

The process of burial followed by traditional Greek customs is the most common practice that has been going on in the country for the last fifteen hundred years even though it might be disheartening to people following other cultures. A large number of Greeks believe and accept that the body is the ‘temple of God’ and think that the ideal way to keep a body till it gets resurrected is by burying it in its whole form.   

Cremation Process in Tibet

The process of allowing vultures to devour a corpse is known as sky burial. As per Buddhist traditional belief in Tibet, a person wishing to reach heaven should be given a sky burial. This practice is commonly followed all over Tibet. 

After death, the body of a Tibetan is kept wrapped in a cloth for three to five days in one corner of the house while Lamas and monks read the scriptures loudly to help the soul reach heaven quickly. The passage of the soul to heaven is made easier by a peaceful and calm environment undisturbed by family members who stop all work.

After this, the family members hire a body carrier to carry the body to the sky burial site on an auspicious day. On the previous day, the relatives remove the clothes from the corpse and fix the body so that it is sitting in the fetal position with the head touching the knees. When the auspicious day comes, the body is brought to the site of the sky burial which is usually located far from the residential areas of the city. Condors and vultures get attracted by the ‘Su’ smoke produced by burning, a master of the burial ceremony prepare the body while the soul is provided redemption from sins by the sutras chanted by the Lamas.

Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and the concept of sky burial have a very close relationship. It is the belief of Tibetan Buddhists that the body is washed from all sins when it is devoured by the vultures, and the condors and the soul of the person are allowed to reach heaven in peace. In this way, the ‘holy birds’ or condors do not prey on other animals and are satisfied by eating the flesh of the corpse only. The portions left by the ‘holy birds’ have to be gathered together and burnt while the sound of sutras being chanted by the Lamas removes the sins from the remains and releases the spirits from the life on earth. 

A large number of taboos are also related to the sky burial practiced in Tibet. Strangers are prevented from attending the ceremony to ensure that the ascent of the souls to heaven is not affected negatively in any way. Visitors are requested not to participate in these services out of respect for the Tibetan customs. Family members are also not allowed to visit the location of the burial.   

By Thomas Snyder, Owner Operator at Peaceful Preserve.

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