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valuesofold · 6 months

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⋆ Offerings in Hellenism ⋆

Offerings are central to the veneration of the theoi - through a revivalist lens - it is how we build a relationship with them, through gift giving, and if the Gods will, gift receiving, this goes a bit into the concept of "kharis", which will be talked to more in depth on a later post.

Normally, when offering, one goes through the motions for any other type of ritual. This starts with purifying oneself of miasma, this can be done by simply washing the hands, or by washing the hands and face with Khernips.

>> What are offerings?

They are anything you give to one of the theos, this can be food, liquids, items, incense and much more.

It is possible an offering might be mentioned as a sacrifice, this word comes from the latin "sacrificare", meaning "any act by which one puts something in the possession of a God". This is not exclusive to animal sacrifices. As modern day hellenists, it is of my opinion this specific practice shouldn't be brought back. This is mentioned here to acknowledge that a sacrifice, despite what modern culture believes, can be the simple act of giving a piece of fruit, for example. Essentially it is the aspect of giving something up that counts.

You cannot bribe a God with an offering, these are meant to be voluntary gifts you give despite the outcome you receive, and the same applies to a gift a theos might bestow on you. The more you establish a relationship with a specific God, the more they will be likely to answer your prayers, after all we are more likely to help out a good friend than a stranger. In a similar fashion if you give a gift to that same friend, you typically don't expect a gift back, you do it so out of love for them and out of friendship.

>> Offering:

Generally, a prayer to the God you are offering would be given, followed by the giving of the gift. It is customary, in the house, to give the first and last prayer, along with a gift, to Hestia. In practice this would look like:

Prayer to Hestia -> Giving the offering;

Prayer to Choosen God -> Giving the offering (copy this step for as many Gods as you want to offer to, it should be done in this order, separately for each God);

Prayer to Hestia -> Giving the offering.

For Ouranic (theoi that live in Olympus), you can give a tiny bit of the whole you have, so for example, a cup full of wine, all you need to give is a little, the equivalent of a sip is enough. You can use from the remaining wine (in the cup) for other ouranic deities, pouring only a little at a time. Any remaining wine could be drank by you (if you are of legal age).

On the other hand for Khthonic (generally theoi connected to the underworld), you would pour all of the offering, so a full cup of wine, would be the whole cup. For example, in the case you were offering to Hades this would apply. You don't need to give a full cup if you only have a tiny bit on the cup, what is important is that it is the whole content of what you have prepared for the offering, be it a full meal or half a slice of bread.

>> Types of Offerings:

1. One of the most common ways of offering is by burning, typically, food offerings and/or libations (liquid offerings). All you have to do, is throw the offering into a flame. The smoke is thought of as going up to the theoi.

WARNING: Please be careful when working with fire, make sure you are outside or in a well ventilated area, it may, most likely, be unhealthy to inhale the fumes in concentrated quantities. Be also attentive about being a reasonable distance away from flammable materials, some offerings when burnt might project the flame higher, making it easier for the fire to catch on cloths, curtains, etc.

2. Another way, for those of us that can't easily burn our offerings, can be to simply place the offerings on an offering dish/bowl.

Further down, I go over ways to dispose of these offerings.

3. Lastly we have votive offerings. This is the offering, generally of an item, maybe a piece of artwork you did for a theos or a sculpture you just got. Even a necklace or other jewellery.

Generally speaking, once you give an item such as these to a theoi, in a votive offering, you do not use it anymore. It is to be left on the altar or on a specific place for the God.

This type of offering is mostly common as a thank you for something a theos helped you with, or in hopes that your prayer will be answered.

---

P.s. We typically assume a specific posture when saying the prayers and presenting the offerings, there are two main ones, one for the ouranic Gods and another for the khthonic Gods. I will go over these in another post.

>> Disposing of the Remnants of the Offerings:

The most agreed upon way is keeping the remnants (be it ashes or the offering itself) until you can go outside and bury it in the earth. Some agree that in case this is not possible for you, respectfully putting them in the trash/down the drain can be done.

Alternatively, and most debated in the community, is the option to eat the offering that is left out, this is from the belief that the Gods do not take the physical side of the offering, so once the rite is done they have already partaken in their part. Note that if you go for this option, under no circumstance can you eat the offering given to a khthonic deity, this is because of their connection to the dead, this means the offering now has miasma (pollution), eating it would be taking in this "pollution".

>> List of Non-deity Specific Items to Offer:

Food: fruit; grain; meat.

Plants: laurel; flowers.

Liquids (for libations): wine; wine with water; honey; milk; milk with honey; water.

Objects: statues; artwork; amulets.

For a step by step guide on how to make an offering ritual, check here.

>> Sources:

https://hellenicfaith.com/do-ut-des/;

https://www.hellenicgods.org/offerings-to-gods-in-hellenismos;

https://www.hellenicgods.org/proper-care-of-offerings-to-the-gods-in-hellenismos;

https://www.hellenicgods.org/libation-in-hellenismos---sponde.

#hellenism #hellenic polytheism #paganism #hellenic pagan #pagan #offering #deity worship #polytheism #deity work

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devoted-to-the-gods · 10 months

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Hey there! I recently saw your altar update pictures and I wanted to say it's so cool!! I also wanted to ask, how does one respectfully put an altar in their bedroom whilst using your bedroom for different things that might be disrespectful (undressing, etc)? Apollo was the first god I really connected to, but I've felt a huge distance with him because I don't know what are the proper ways of worshipping / giving offerings / praying... I've tried looking online, but they make it seem pretty intimidating. Along with that, I don't know what to use to physically clean / rearrange the altar, and I'm always scared I'm making huge mistakes that'll anger my deities... Are there limits to how 'casual' an offering can be (I really wanna offer him my favorite slushies and other treats, but I'm not sure if that's out of the question...)? And lastly, how does discernment work in regards to deity-work? I apologize for the long ask; I just really want to work with deities without my anxiety and religious trauma interfering.

Best Regards!! ^^

Personally, I am very relaxed when it comes to having an altar in my bedroom. Apollo knows that due to my family circumstances his altars needs to be in my room, and either way having his altar in my room makes me feel closer to him. I wake up and go to sleep with his altar by my bed, and that helps me feel connected to him and remember to give offerings. I disconnect myself from the idea of that I'm doing anything disrespectful in the room, because the gods aren't going to be pissed at me for undressing in my room. Either way, I don't stand right in front of my altar while I do stuff like undressing for comfort reasons.

When worshiping the gods, go easy on yourself- especially if you struggle with religious trauma. The theoi aren't going to smite you for making small mistakes here and there, especially if you aren't just blatantly going out of your way to be disrespectful. When I pray I put my hands facing up as this is how people prayed to the Ouranic gods in the past. When you offer items to Apollo just specify the offering is for him aloud or in your head, like: "Lord Apollo, I offer you these sunflowers." When praying you can read Orphic or Homeric hymns or say your own prayers. You can keep it as simple or detailed as you please- whatever makes you comfortable. I'd recommend looking at some prayers people have written to Apollo on here and see how others write them for inspiration for yourself. This is a simple one I wrote awhile ago: here

When I clean and rearrange my altar I simply use disinfectant wipes on the table itself. And I wash my hands before removing or touching anything on Apollo's altar.

When it comes to how casual an offering can be, it depends on your preference in your worship. Some people prefer to keep their offerings very traditional, while others are relaxed with it and will offer much more casual modern items. I fall into the modern category. If you want to offer Apollo slushies and other treats, I say go for it. You can always ask him if he'd like a specific offering prior to offering it via a pendulum.

Discernment in regards to deity work, I'd say do your research on the deity you are working with first and foremost. If traditionally they are associated with something then you can judge they'd like that as an offering or devotional act. If there's no history connecting the deity to something then you can always just ask the deity about it and see what they say via pendulum, tarot, or another divination method.

I hope this answer was okay, sorry if it is a lot- I wanted to cover everything in your ask. Please just remember first and foremost that the gods aren't going to punish you for making mistakes especially when you are still learning. Unless you are disrespecting the theoi on purpose, they are very understanding.

Wishing you the best :)

#obsidian answers #deity work #ani-also-ashton

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pyrphoros-library · 2 years

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Vocab post: Cthonic

The word cthonic comes from the word “kthon” meaning earth or soil. Cthonic is a descriptive word for things relating to the underworld and is used mainly in context of Cthonic deities, cthonic rituals, cthonic cults, etc. It is often used as the antithesis of Ouranic but that is not entirely true.

Cthonic and Ouranic are not two sides of the same coins and do not cleanly differentiate types of deities and forms of worship but instead demonstrate a cultic spectrum. Cthonic not only refers to the underworld but that related to the earth and agriculture, deities such as: Persephone, Demeter, Hermes and even Zeus has got cthonic epithets.

Cthonic cult differs majorly from Ouranic cults from their sacrifices, rituals and prayer format. Cthonic sacrifices was defined as black or dark-skinned animals, and worshippers didn’t consume their sacrifices but instead offered in whole and burnt it and destroyed the offering. Sacrifices were performed in a pit in the ground or on a low altar in the direction to which cthonic deities reside. Incense was not used in cthonic worship due to the smoke rising to the sky rather than sticking to the ground. Honey was also preferable to wine in cthonic worship.

Historians argue as to if cthonic is a historically accurate term with some historians, like van Straten, arguing that there is no historical evidence for the term cthonic. Others say that the term is no longer useful as modern definitions have strayed from historical definitions.

Written by @sapphicsarrisae

Vocab list

Afterlife

Agos

Amplakia

Asebeia

Attic

Chthonic

Cosmogony

Cosmology

Cult

Daemons

Dreams

Dyssebeia

Einalic, Oceanic

Enages

Epithets

Eudaimonia

Euphemia

Eusebeia

Festivals

Funerals and Mourning

Gates

Gnosis

Hagneia

Hagnos

Hamartia

Hearth

Hero

Hesiodic

Hierai Bibloi

Hieroi Logoi

Hieros Homeric

Hosios

Hubris

Hyperborea

Katharmos

Katharos

Kharis

Libation

Life Cycle Rituals

Lyma

Lyssa

Magic

Mantikē,

Manteis

Miaino

Miaros

Miasma

Moria

Mysaros

Mysos

Mystery Cults

Mythology

Nesoi

Nympholepsy, Nympholepts

Nymphs

Oaths

Olympus

Oracles

Orphic

Ouranic

Ourea

Palace

Panhellenism

Phasma

Phren,Phrenes

Potamoi

Prayer

Priests

Protection

Protogenoi

Reconstructionsim

Regionality

Restless Dead

Revivalism

Ritual

Rustic

Sacred Sacrifice and offerings sanctuaries,

Sophrosyne

SPG

Supplicants

Temples

Theoi

Titans

Underworld

UPG

Vows

VPG

Working

Worship

Xenia

#hellenism #cthonic #hades deity #persephone deity #ancient greek religion #ancient history #greek cults #hellenic polytheism

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khaire-traveler · 1 year

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hello! i was wondering, how often do you pray, and what do you typically do to pray? i am recently renewing my connection to the theoi, and i find myself unsure in this area. many thanks!

Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask!

Everyone's practice is going to look different, and that definitely includes prayer. You don't have to do what I, or others, do!

For me, personally, I pray by putting my hands out - palm towards the sky for Ouranic and the ground for Chthonic - and I say, "Dear (insert deity name here), (insert epithets I use), I just wanted to pray to you to say-" and that's how I typically do it. When I'm ending the prayer, I say, "Peace out," and blow a kiss because that's the most comfortable for me.

As for how often I pray, I don't pray too often, honestly, but I know of people who pray for festivals and rituals, offerings, before and after sleep, etc. I try to commit myself to prayer schedules every night, but it's really challenging for me, personally, so my prayers are kind of sporadic, tbh.

But yeah, to start you off, I recommend simple prayers. You don't have to be formal, if you don't want to be, but I recommend keeping a respectful tone, at least.

In ancient times, they did have different prayer positions and such, but you don't have to do this, in my experience. If you're trying to remain as faithful to ancient times as possible, however, you're welcome to try the different prayer positions (which are used for different situations). I don't know these positions by heart or anything, though.

Prayer isn't too difficult, honestly, and it's a very personal thing. You're welcome to get creative with it and see what feels right to you!

Hope this is what you were looking for! Take care, and have a blessed day/night! ☺️🧡

#asks #answered asks

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maladaptedreader-writes · 4 months

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Mal's ramblings/sources for TGOE Ch 4

PRAYING TO HERMES

Supplication

I bumped this one from the very last note to the very first, because it was my MOST heavily used source. I mentioned it back in chapter 1, and subsequently read all of it, but it turns out The Nature of the Act of Supplication is only Chapter 1 of Gaye McSweeney's masters thesis Acts of Supplication in Ancient Greece, which I will find the time to read, because holy cow it's fantastic!

I used so much from it, I can't even list it all. It's the backbone of the whole chapter. That said, all of this focuses on what's seen in the epics unless otherwise stated. I wanted to focus on Mycenaean traditions, but there's very little information available.

Suppliants bough

I mentioned in chapter 1 about an olive branch being used as a suppliants bough, but hair may be used in its place in certain circumstances. Supplication to a chthonic deity is one. (See Acts of Supplication in Ancient Greece.)

Self-abasement and mutilation

Self-abasement means to lower oneself, and there are various things you can do to achieve this depending on your need. In this chapter, it's done three times. Once when Patroclus dons the only thing he owns; again when he kneels before the hearth; and lastly when he tears the tunic, lacerates his chest, and laments.

During the prothesis (lying in state) part of a funeral, mourners cry, prostrate over the body, tear their clothing, lacerate their flesh, tear out their hair, and cover themselves with dirt or ash.

During supplication, the supplicant must abandon their dignity and honor, and behave in the "manner of a slave."

For both, the goal is to achieve pity, but funereal self-abasement has special meaning on top of this; McSweeney mentions theories on these acts mimicking violence used to protect the living. And since you can no longer protect the dead, the mourners turn the acts on themselves. (I took this a step further in the narrative.)

I did look for specific words for the different acts, or for the practice as a whole, but couldn't find any. Self-abasement, self-effacement, self-mutilation, disfigurement, etc. are the closest words, it seems, and these first three are the words used by McSweeney. For all I know, there are words, only I can't read them, but I've chosen to imagine there are no words for it in the old language because they didn't think of it like we do. I'd love to be corrected if someone does know!

All About Hermes

The chapter is named after the two forms of Hermes, his Ouranic (Olympic) form and his Chthonic (Underworld) form.

Hermes is called Cyllenius because he was born on Mt. Cyllene in the most common story. In his Chthonic form, the story goes that he was born of Dionysis and Aphrodite. But I am sticking with Zeus/Maia, since that seems to be what Hades (game) did.

Again I use Theoi (Hermes section) a LOT for this, and use Neokoroi for the offerings.

For both prayers, the Orphic Hymn 28 to Hermes and Hymn 57 to Chthonian Hermes were models, especially the last line of 28, but all 5 hymns on Theoi were inspirational in some way. So was Aeschylus' Libation Bearers.

I also looked into how current Hellenic worshipers structure their prayers. Interestingly, it seemed to mostly align with the Orphic hymns. Still, it was more inspirational than a guide.

Statue of Hermes

It's just called the Statue of Hermes. I really tried to find something more significant for the scene, but gentle Hermes with his hand on a tortoise (which he used to create a lyre so "gentle" might be a stretch) seemed appropriate.

Fumigation

The Orphic hymn mentions which herbs to fumigate with. The why I made up. Maybe it's in my head from somewhere (pagan practices or something), so if I did steal it from somewhere specific, sorry?

Barley

I legitimately wondered "what about barley meal?? Should they just throw flour?" (Do not throw flour at a fire! It turns into a cloud of flame!) While, yes, you can use alternatives when you don't have barley meal, Odysseus did, it's really only necessary for animal sacrifices, I guess.

GRIEF AND MOURNING

I cribbed heavily from Aeschylus' Libation Bearers, which takes place not long after the Iliad, so the funerary practices would align, even if Aeschylus wasn't a peer of Homer. (They both lived long after the Bronze Age anyway!)

As for research, Portraits of Grief: Death, Mourning and the Expression of Sorrow on White-Ground Lêkythoi [PDF] by Molly Evangeline Allen was the biggest help, though I only read the section on Male Mourning.

Gendered behaviors

Men and women had specific roles when it came to funerals, and specific behaviors tended to be more feminine or more masculine, though there were shifts throughout the centuries.

That said, similar to how we used to (or maybe still do) view crying as a womanly thing to do, men were not unknown to express themselves in ways that weren't particularly manly. There are examples of male laments, hair cutting, and skin lacerating (at least in the epics and plays).

McSweeney and Allen (authors of Acts of Supplication in Ancient Greece and Portraits of Grief... respectively) both discuss gendered differences in the varied acts of mourning (and supplication). I also found a paper discussing Male Lament, but only the abstract. Link below in the section on lamentation.

Tearing the breast/chest/cheeks/hair

From my 21st century, American perspective, this is a significant act of grief. Either it's just dramatic enough to find its way into many stories, or it was more common than I would expect. Though, it was significant enough for Solon to make a law about it, so I guess it could be both.

Still, it is a prescribed act, as McSweeney references in The Nature of the Act of Supplication. Meaning it's expected, and there are rules around it. It's not, necessarily, a spontaneous act of grief.

Cutting the hair

When I read that a character cuts their hair for the dead, I read it as them going full Mulan.

However, there is precedent for using locks rather than chopping off all of a mourner's hair. I direct you to Aeschylus' tragedy, Libation Bearers. As it opens, Orestes, son of Agamemnon, cuts 2 locks from his hair, and sets them on his father's tumulus (grave mound).

Lamentations

Briseis, Helen, Achilles, and so many other characters lament within the Iliad, but it's not in a way I would think of as lyrical, probably because I have trouble reading lyrics in song. (It was annoying whenever there was singing in LOTR, ngl.)

But, I made an effort to express grief in song, since it's a huge part of funeral rites. Even men sing.

Men and women (according to the above source) do lament differently, though. So I did a fair amount of looking into lamentations.

First, I read and re-read many of the lamentations within the Iliad. External sources include An Ancient Greek Lament Form by Charles H. Cosgrove (though I could only read that first page), Athenaeus' The Learned Banqueters, Drowning Sorrows: Archilochus fr.13 W. in its Performance Context [PDF] by Deborah Steiner, Aeschylus' Libation Bearers, the previously mentioned abstract from Male Lament and the Symposium by Gregory Jones, Portraits of Grief... [PDF] by Molly Evangeline Allen (which had a small quote from Euripides' Alcestis), and one actual recorded lament I couldn't find in my YouTube history, but was definitely in one of these documents… I didn't use it to compose anything though.

I felt awkward writing a song when I'm a terrible songwriter, especially when it's supposedly coming from a culture where songs and singing are so important. Or at least seems to be important. But I pushed through and came up with something, even if there's only 1 ½ lines in the actual narrative.

Nico's chant

This is straight up pulled from Greek Orthodox funeral rites. It's really just the Trisagion (a specific chant).

OTHER THINGS!

Hippodameia Briseis

I've thought a lot about whether to use the name Hippodameia or Briseis. It's easy to say "Briseis means Daughter of Brises" and that her first name, Hippodameia, is found in Homer's scholia (notes, basically), and call it a day. But it's not nearly that clean.

While I've read this information all over the place, I'd like to direct you to the book Homeric Variations on the Lament by Briseis by Casey Dué. It's intensely fascinating, but I'm using it for the only source here because the content and footnotes aggregate the information I'd read elsewhere. And it has an argument to make on compressed stories within the epic that I like.

Long-story-short, we have 3 origin stories for Briseis, which Dué illustrates are all intertwined in the narrative of the Iliad. Only one of the origins calls her Hippodameia, daughter of Brises, King of Pedasos.

There are arguments to be made that Briseis may be her given name, and that Briseus doesn't exist. Or that she and her father both are named for their home town of Brisa, a town on Lesbos, which pairs poetically with Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, both from the town of Chryse.

As for me, I chose my route. It'll have nice poetry itself later. Though, I must admit, it's a knee-jerk reaction that I don't want to call a woman exclusively by her father's name, like she has no existence outside a man (very Western of me, I know), and that definitely played into my decision to even look into this. But I digress.

PS Hippodameia means "horse tamer" (Briseis means "martial strength") and Deidameia (Achilles' first wife) means "she who is patient in battle." The word "dameia" in both names means "tamer", so I'm curious to know how "Deidameia" reached such a non-literal meaning, unlike Hippodameia, which is extremely literal.

Patroclus "related" to the gods

t/w: incest (Should this be a t/w? It's mythology, I just assume there's incest.)

All this came from hunting through Wikipedia. There are variations on who got with who and who had which baby, so where there was disagreement I went with either the more popular, the one that was the least confusing, and/or the one I liked better.

We're going to skip the 5 potential mothers of Patroclus and only look at his paternal lineage.

Patroclus' grandmother was the naiad Aegina, daughter of the river god Asopus and the naiad Metope, herself daughter of the river god Landon. And according to Hesiod's Theogony, rivers were all born of Oceanus and Tethys, so both Asopus and Landon would be their get. That puts Patroclus 4 generations removed from titans (and Zeus on his grandfather's side), and 2 from gods (nymphs are minor deities, after all).

So, yeah. Godly relations.

Nyx not Persephone

In the chthonian prayer, I explicitly name Nyx as the empress of the underworld, not Persephone. This comes from Hades, the game.

(Mild spoilers? It's all set-up info.) At the start of the game, Persephone is not known to be the Queen of the Underworld. Instead, Nyx is known as the other half of the partnership, though her relationship with Hades himself is ambiguous. The gods are told, at some point, that she and Hades had a son together, but I don't assume the mortals know about Zagreus.

Polytheism Banned in Greece

The spread of Christianity killed polytheism in the Roman empire. In Greece, it was made legal again in 2006.

Cutting condoms

They still teach this in sex ed, right? You can cut the tip and bottom off a condom, and cut it up the side to create a dental dam.

#the gift of eleos #sources #bronze age greece #just fanfic things #greek mythology #fan fiction #fan fic stuff

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koraki-grimoire · 3 years

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Theoi Summary - Dionysos

Διονυσος (dee-OH-nee-sohs) - Dionysos AKA Dionysus God of wine, chaos, reincarnation, rebirth, pleasure, madness, mental illness, fertility, the grape harvest, androgyny, and the transgender/nonbinary Ouranic Olympian with Chthonic aspects

Symbols: Thyrsus, grapevine, ivy, chalice, pine cone, wine Animals: Goat, panther, leopard, bull, serpent, tiger Colors: Red, green, black, purple Plants/Herbs: Grapevine, ivy, bindweed, white pine Stones/Crystals: Amethyst, purple crystals

Retinue: Maenads, Satyrs Relations: Ariadne (wife), Zeus (father), Semele (mother), Persephone (sometimes mother), Priapos (son), Methe (daughter), Thysa (daughter), Telete (daughter), Iakkhos (son), Pasithea (daughter), Kharites (sometimes daughters), half sibling to all children of Zeus Identified with: Liber (Roman), Bacchus (Roman), Osiris (Kemetic), Haides (Hellenic), Iakkhos (Hellenic)

Festivals: Rural Dionysia (10th Pos.), City Dionysia (10-17th Ela.), Anthesteria (11-13th Ant.), Dionysian Mysteries (??), Eleusinian Mysteries (14-23rd Boe.)

Epithets: Maenoles (Mad), Nyctelius (Of the Night), Lampterus (Of the Torches), Hestius (Of the Feast), Androgynos (Androgynous), Auxites (Giver of Increase), Staphylites (Of the Grape), Theoenus (God of Wine), Oenops (Wine-Dark), Dimetor (Twice-Born), Anthion (Of the Flowers), Kissios (Of the Ivy), Eleuthereus (Liberator), Lysios (Of Release), Soterius (Savior from Madness)

#theoi #hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenismos #olympian gods #dionysos #dioynsus #bacchus #grimoire #deity summary #theoi summary #witchblr #ouranic theoi #nomioic theoi #chthonic theoi #nature theoi

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just-another-chthonic-devotee · 5 years

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Athena Devotional Acts

Taking a quick break from Chthonic deities to go for a few Ouranic deities! I’m working on having more regular posts (at least one Devotional Act post a week) that way there’s at least something a week so as to have a schedule. I’ve got a load of drafts in progress including the second wardrobe association, by popular demand!

Now, I love working with Athena. I got a lot closer to Her recently, especially when I started going to college. I had a lot of late nights with Her while I was studying, and in doing that I found lots of ways to honor Her.

Devote a study session to Her

Do any kind of activity to stimulate the brain (I like number games like sudoku, and jigsaw puzzles)

Pick up a new book to read, set it on your altar as an offering for Her before you read it

Rewrite your notes in your free time

This is also a great study tool (I am a college student, I will offer advice where I can!), it will help you to absorb the knowledge better in your second (less hurried) go-round.

If you have the opportunity to, help your fellow peers

Treat owls with respect

One thing I do is try to educate people about the dangers of poisoning mice outdoors, since owls can die due to eating a poisoned mouse.

Take up a new hobby

I took up knitting, I found it was not only a great way to connect with Athena, but also a nice way to unwind (plus, knitting altar cloths is fun in my opinion)

Learn basic self defense moves (YouTube is your friend)

Seek the truth and stand by what you believe in

Learn about something new, or learn about something you’ve always wanted to know more about

Take interest in local politics and government

Practice loving yourself

And many, many more not listed here!

As always, my DMs are open! I love talking to ya’ll, let me know what you’d like to see! I’m planning a series of devotional playlist posts as well, if anyone is interested in those let me know! All would be available on Spotify.

Until next time, darlings!

#athena #devotional acts #devotee #hellenic polytheism #Hellenismos #dodekatheism #theoi #deity #worship #ouranic #neopagan #greek gods #pagan witch #long post #witchy stuff

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stygiantarot · 5 years

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Iron and Coals

I walk along the murky river at twilight and feel the cold touch, soothing on my too-warm skin. The rough and raspy timber of Her words wash over me; love and support layered in smoke and steel. The river sings of the bustle of the city above and the pain of pollution; relaxing along these shores is rare but She is used to that. She is an Underworld River, after all. There are sparks of rebirth and justice; pockets of ecologically sensed people who rage against the wrongness and clean what they can. It is less and less an uphill battle every year. She looks forward to the day where rivers are more about pausing and reflecting than hurrying to that next destination.

The asphalt streets of the city are rivers of their own- paved Strength and Will and Rock and Darkness into winding paths that shine like inky liquid. They bear so much weight to connect communities and cultures until they are halfhazardly patched between traffic. She is well familiar with that strain; the solid muscle of it but also the rigid pride (“The exhaustion of unassailable willpower is my gift to bear and I wear the scars Proudly”). It is Her version of love; not soft yet solid just the same in its tacky tar-like stickiness. A residue clinging stubbornly to your hands if you touch it.

If one tried hard enough, perhaps dipping into this blacktop river would also grant an Achilles-like invulnerability to mortal wounds. Her Iron oath amongst the treacherous waters.

~~~

I slip into an almost unknown dive eatery and the warmth caresses me; all hugs and honeyed tones. She peeks over my shoulder with joyous enthusiam at my choice of comfort and locally sourced- it is a match made especially in Her hearth. The music rolls over me, emotional; the tracks were selected by the staff and not at random. It is the music of home and love and safety. Her music; rich strings and dancing piano melody. Smells both cloying and pungent mingle in the tiny space but the smell of the plate placed before me is perfection; curling up like a welcome and a familiar lullaby from childhood.

I arrive on an urban street of cramped houses. Just because they are not the rolling farmhouses or villas of old doesn’t mean She doesn’t live here. She is in the clothesline strung out windows and tied to utility poles or basketball posts. She is the impromptu street gatherings full of laughter, stories, and shared food. She is the tentative frockling of children (“Don’t stray too far! The world is dangerous these days.”) and the sharp eye watching over those small daredevils as they trade exploits and challenges. Home Again, Home Again, lickity split; a mantra of her burning embers- constant and hot as a cup of tea on a cold day.

Home doesn’t have to be extravagant, it just has to be warm; the ever burning Hearth full of Her Coals.

#Styx #Hestia #Urban cultus #devotional #Hellenic #Hellenic Polytheism #Theoi #worship #modern worship #urban worship #Ouranic #Chthonic

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screeching-0wl · 2 years

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You know how there's general prayers to the Theoi? In your opinion, can we set a candle (possibly a big fat pillar) generally for the Theoi?

I think it wouldn't exactly be wrong to have one bigger candle for Theoi, whether it be for space, practicality, discretion, safety or any other reason.

Maybe I could somewhat compare it to having a general home altar. Personally, I do have an altar like that where I leave offerings and pray to various deities, have some "shared" things (incense holder, candles etc.) because I don't have the space nor resources to make 12 separate altars but I have some separate space for my patrons and Zeus Ktesios (for any other epithet of Zeus I'd pray at the home altar). It's just what works well for me at the moment.

So, I do think it'd be OK to have a general candle for Theoi, however I'd consider having separates ones for let's say, chthonic deities and ouranic deities.

Another thing could be having a shared candle for couples or siblings/twins, e.g. Hera & Zeus; Phobos & Deimos.

#asks #hellenic polytheism #helpol #hellenic gods #hellenic deities #hellenism #altars

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koraki-pharmakis · 3 years

Text

(Re)coining Teirsian and Iphisian

So, to be clear, I am these terms' original coiners. But, for reasons elaborated in my last post, I am removing them from the website where they were originally coined. Additionally, I no longer define them the same as I used to. As such, I am redefining them today. The original definitions will be at the bottom of each for clarity.

Both are gender identities exclusively for non-cisgender Hellenic Polytheists. Period. I expect non-polytheists and cisgender folks to refrain from coining imagery or labels for these identities (and yes, I do need to make that disclaimer, unfortunately.)

With that out of the way, let's crack in:

Iphisian

[ID in alt text]

Iphisian is a gender for Hellenic Polytheists who are AFAB (or natally female) and transgender, CAFAB intersex, transmasculine, transgender lesbians, and especially transmasculine lesbians. The gender is also oriented towards, but not exclusive to, worship of Aphrodite, Hera, and/or Isis (Kemetic). It is named after the figure in Greek Mythology, Iphis, who was a 'woman' raised as, and later turned into, a man. It is strongly associated with the theoi and the divinity of the transgender experience.

While being transmasculine or a lesbian are not a requirement to be Iphisian, being a transgender or intersex Hellenic Polytheist is, and the term refers mainly to transmasculine and transneutral Hellenists.

Original/outdated definition: Iphisian is a gender for Hellenic Polytheists who are AFAB and transgender. The gender is also oriented towards, but not exclusive to, worship of Aphrodite, Hera, and Isis (Egyptian). It is named after the figure in Greek Mythology, Iphis, who was a 'woman' raised as, and later turned into, a man.

Teirsian

[ID in alt text]

Teirsian is a gender for Hellenic Polytheists who are multigender, CAMAB intersex, AMAB and transgender, and/or genderfluid. The gender is also oriented towards, but not exclusive to, worship of Apollon, Hermes, and/or Hera. It is named after the figure in Greek Mythology, Teirsias, who was transformed into a woman for seven years.

While being transfeminine or AMAB isn't a requirement for being Teirsian, being a non-cisgender or intersex Hellenic Polytheist is, and the term refers mainly to multigender and genderfluid Hellenists.

Original/outdated definition: Teirsian is a gender for Hellenic Polytheists who are bigender, AMAB transgender, and/or genderfluid. The gender is also oriented towards, but not exclusive to, worship of Apollon, Hermes, or Hera. It is named after the figure in Greek Mythology, Teirsias, who was transformed into a woman for seven years.

Note: natal sex and AGAB are both listed because they are not the same thing. Natal sex is birth sex (male/female/intersex). AGAB is what the doctor said when you were born. Natal sex and AGAB are not requirements for either terms, but who the term is oriented for due to the contents of the myth.

Finally, I'd like to reiterate I'm not a MOGAI blog and I don't plan to coin again soon (except to post my divine trans symbols, I suppose). I just wanted these terms off a Wiki that permitted disrespect of my religion, and to do that I needed to recoin them.

If you have questions, message me or reply. Khaire!

Edit: *honks clown nose* I forgot to include the flag meanings

Iphisian: Blue-violet: Aphrodite, sapphic love, gentle masculinity Blue: Hera, masculinity, grief and recovery Light gold: The ouranic divine, Aphrodite/Hera's gift to Iphis Thin pink stripe: The love and resilience at the center of the myth, and the love and beauty of trans people Gold: The touch of the divine, concrete divine influence Teirsian: Lavender: Gender nonconformity, fluidity, blurring of lines Muted magenta: Love, femininity, beauty, divine gifts Light gold: The ouranic divine, Zeus and Hera, Apollon Thin fuschia stripe: Erotic love, the divine marriage of Zeus and Hera, the wounding of Tiresias Gold: The gift of Apollon, the touch of the divine

Edit 2: Natal sex is used in Iphisian because Iphis himself was not AFAB, but an AMAB natal female who became biologically male through the aid of the theoi. Natal sex is used to mean sex at time of birth, and is a commonly used alternative to AGAB by many interesex and transsex individuals.

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