One Thing (among Many) That I Love About The Gods Is That Everyone’s Relationship With Them Is Different.

Your offering is good enough.

Your prayer is perfect the way it is

Your altar does not have to be extravagant or expensive. Simple ones are just as powerful.

You are good enough. The gods love you and want the best for you. They are here to lift us up, so don’t beat yourself down.

Today I was telling my nephews myths about the Greek gods (they're really young), and one of them said "I think every time we talk about the gods, they listen to us." And that really, really maked me emotional. I just love sharing this part of me with them, even if they don't know that i'm hellenic.

while i don't think the gods get mad at me, i do think they occasionally look at what im doing and shake their heads disapprovingly

Somedays I gotta really love my dyslexia cause last night I was trying to write something along the lines of “she was engaged to him” but I instead wrote “she was endangered to him”

When you step into sunlight, you honor Apollo. When you admire the moon, you honor Artemis. When you admire cloud shapes, you honor Hera. When you smell petrichor, you honor Zeus. When you laugh at a joke, you honor Hermes. When your body twitches to dance at a particularly upbeat music, you honor Dinoysus. When you enjoy the first bite of your breakfast, you honor Demeter. When you choose your peace over any conflict, you honor Athena. When you warm yourself up by sheltering yourself in blanket, you honor Hestia. When you listen to Ocean sounds, you honor Poseidon. When you smell flowers, you honor Persephone. When you admire the coolness of first day of Autumn, you honor Hades. When you wear your favourite jewellery, you honor Hephaestus. When you smile, you honor Aphrodite. When you exercise, you honor Ares. When you light a torch in a dark room, you honor Hekate.

Your body is a shrine to Gods, your being an act of devotion for them. You, by yourself, are enough for them.

had already sent this to a mutual of mine but i thought this might be helpful for anyone else who may need it

it’s a tarot spread on how to know what deities are trying to reach out with you and why, works like a charm i swear

have a good night everyone!

-star <3

What my deities see on a daily basis (I’d say several times a day and I’m beyond happy they tolerate me ) 😄

Actually, your deities do care about you. Even at the base level of a deity relationship, it still takes a lot of care for someone to help you grow as a person or improve your life. It takes an immense amount of care to listen to someone who cries for your help, to hear about their struggles, to reach out a compassionate hand. It takes a considerable amount of care to check in on someone often, sending little reminders of your presence throughout their day. It takes a noteworthy amount of care for someone to give when they do not receive, for them to extend their kindness even when they aren't getting something out of it. It takes a remarkable amount of care to express pride in how much someone has grown and celebrate even their littlest victories. It takes a massive amount of care to sit by someone's side as they cry and whisper words of comfort and encouragement that they may never actually hear. Supporting someone who may not even know that you're there - that takes a lot of fucking care.

So, yes, your deities do care about you. They do care, whether you're aware of it or not, and they will continue to care.

Occultists, witches and spiritualists really need to stop peddling the lie that spirituality, witchcraft, paganism, etc. isn’t a psychological phenomenon as well as a mystical one. Your psychology will in fact, fundamentally inform your experiences with spirituality.

And we also need to stop pretending that spirituality and witchcraft are somehow contrary to mental illness. Or that having a mental illness means you can’t do witchcraft.

I’ll be completely honest with you guys and say that certain people with certain afflictions are more predisposed to different “mystical” experiences than others. I don’t think it’s a great coincidence that I am so great at visualization given that I was raised in a severely neglectful household. It doesn’t surprise me that many pagans are lonely people. This doesn’t mean to say that spirituality is “filling” a hole within anyone (although if it is, that’s great for you) but more so that, well, this path is unpopular for a reason. Alternative subcultures are alternative for a reason, and outcasts and rejects usually find a home there for a reason.

This also doesn’t mean to say that people who engage in witchcraft and spiritualism are inherently mentally ill. There is still a difference between hallucinations and spiritual encounters. And there was never any rule that said that both of these things cannot happen to a single person. For the safety of yourself and others we should be aware of the warning signs of dissociation and hallucination, but that doesn’t make anyone “wrong” for experiencing those things. And experiencing those things doesn’t mean you cannot explore spirituality or do witchcraft.

I hate it when “spiritualists” who are actually just anti-vax conservatives push the narrative that people with mental health issues cannot participate in spirituality. I also despise the notion that mental health issues are inherently a sign of an energetic imbalance. We’re all walking around with a special concoction of brain soup in our heads, it doesn’t surprise me that Ares devotees tend to have BPD, that many Aphrodite devotees struggle with self harm, that many people who work with angels have paranoia or generalized anxiety.

There was never any rule that said that you cannot use your deities or magic to help you cope with your mental health. I know some people will say “the Gods aren’t here to be your friend or hold your hand through life” but I’ve seen no evidence to suggest that’s true. I see no reason why a God like Ares couldn’t help his devotee with BPD come down after a bout of rage, I see no reason why Dionysus couldn’t help his devotee with their alcoholism or substance abuse, I see no reason why Aphrodite couldn’t help a devotee with relapse or negative self talk.

Witchcraft and paganism were historically used as a tool for survival, to bring people ease, to help people feel safe and secure, blessed and protected. That applied to all people, including those with mental health issues.

“But—” Zeus smiled now “—everything else in the world is theirs to enjoy. They may travel to every corner. They can sail Poseidon’s oceans, seek Demeter’s help in sowing seeds and growing food, learn from Hestia the arts of keeping a home, discover how to keep animals for their milk, fur, and labor, and they can learn the arts of hunting from Artemis. Hermes can teach them guile, Apollo can instruct them in the arts of music and knowledge. Athena will teach them how to be wise and contented. And Aphrodite will share with them the arts of love. They will be free and happy.”

—Stephen Fry, Mythos