pronouns? sorry I don't do those, not anymore. I used to have some but then this guy with winged sandals stole them from me so uh...
friendly reminder: you don’t owe anyone any explanations as to why you practice the way you practice. If the Gods are happy with your practice who is anyone to say otherwise??
it’s okay to have your own thoughts and opinions but let’s stop w the policing of devotion when the policing doesn’t even make sense
A guide to worship of Hestia- cheat sheets
Hellenic cheat sheets
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“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
| Just a reminder to people : You do not need an altar for deity work. You do not need to spend a lot of money on offerings or rituals. You do not need to hold yourself to the standard of other people's practice. This is your journey and your relationship with the gods. They understand what you have and they understand whats available or any circumstance you are in. I am a strong believer that, if an offering or devotional work is with good intentions and done so from the heart, it's more than good enough and your deities will be more than happy and accepting. Even if it's not a historical offering or even if it's something simple like saying good morning in your mind, they take notice and they love you for you. Having an altar or performing rituals is great, I have an altar myself! However, it's not a necessity, especially if you cannot make one/have one.
the gods understand your disabilities, mental health, and neurodiversities.
they understand if your physical disabilities, mental or physical, prevent you from being able to go outside.
they understand you even when you cannot articulate what you mean during prayer or cannot find the words to express gratitude and love.
they understand if you can't spend much time or stand still at their altars.
they understand if executive dysfunction keeps you from making offerings or doing a lot of active practice.
they understand if you have to take breaks and hiatuses from practicing to focus on yourself and your mental or physical health.
they understand if you lose focus during meditation/trance work or cannot do it to begin with.
they understand you and are with you when you cannot get out of bed for mental or physical reasons.
they understand you and are with you during times when you cannot care for yourself or love yourself.
the gods will always understand, love, and accept us for who we are. we are all valid, and we are seen and heard by the gods, even when it feels as if we are alone. 💙
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.
Never let anybody ridicule your beliefs. It’s human to find divinity in the mundane. It’s human to turn to the divine for answers. It’s not a matter of intelligence, like some would like to think. It’s a matter of human nature and instinct.
So leave some honey out for the fae, find omens in the patterns of the clouds, or hang wind chimes outside like your grandma used to do. Don’t let anybody call you anything other than human.
No for real cause the amount of times people have gotten really aggressive about how you should fear the gods/guides/etc when I find the most comfort and I’m actually able to relax around them.
Frankly, I'm of the POV and opinion that you really shouldn't be scared of your spirit guides, gods or not. Yes, you should acknowledge their great, tremendous power and how that could harm you. Like it's good to acknowledge that Zeus could absolutely fuck you up if He wanted to. But at the same time... why would Zeus want to fuck you up? That's the question.
See, when you worship, work with, or otherwise interact with a spirit, you're gonna hopefully seek out a friendly relationship. Even if it's more vertical than horizontal, you're still on good terms with your spirit.
Your friends shouldn't want to hurt you. Your teachers shouldn't want to hurt you. Your coworkers shouldn't want to hurt you. Etc, etc, just fill in whatever relationship type you have. So essentially, your spirit guide shouldn't want to hurt you, and if they do, that's a problem entirely.
I kinda somewhat get the idea of fearful obeisance, where you provide humble respect but keep a healthy amount of fear. I get the concept. It just does not fit in with my preferred way to work with spirits.
This post isn't saying "If your spirit guides hurt you, you must have done something to deserve it" either. I think, personally, that's a really bad take. Harsh lessons exist, yes, but that's not the same, and the difference should be that it's being done for your genuine highest good and that your guide isn't getting some kick outta the hard parts of it. If your spirit guide is actively trying to harm you for funsies or some shit, there's a problem.
It's fine to be a bit nervous. It's fine to feel a bit of fear when faced with such intense power. But you shouldn't be scared of the person that holds the power, is my opinion. If you do feel scared, consider (A) if this is a person you want to work with, and (B) if this is even the person you think it is, because a fear response can mean a malefic spirit.
Let's be honest, religion and consistent practice can be HARD, especially when you're chronically ill, disabled, mentally ill or neurodivergent. This is a list of lower energy practices you can do to connect with your Gods when you're having a rough day.
Pray. You don't have to say the prayer. You don't have to do the full cleansing and offering. Just think about the prayer. It could be as simple as "'Deity Name', thank you. I'm thinking of you and appreciate you."
Dedicate any self care you do to the Gods. You've got to take meds? awesome. it's now a devotional activity.
If you can, light a tea light candle. You can think about who you're dedicating it to as you're lighting it.
Tell them about your day. Have a simple conversation with them (again, this can be in your head if needed).
Offer some water! Water is a great offering if you don’t have the energy to cook, collect or buy something.
Incense is also a great offering because you can light it then forget about it and your house won’t burn down (if you follow regular safety measures).
Resting. Your deities want you to be okay. Dedicating your rest to your deities is especially great if you feel guilty for allowing yourself time to heal.
Turn on a video of someone reading mythos!
Put on a deity playlist. There are plenty of pre-made ones on Spotify.
Veil or bind your hair! Whenever I’m low energy I’ll throw my hair in a ponytail and bind it that way. It doesn’t have to be extravagant.
Make a Pinterest board for them!
Post on a digital altar! There are plenty of discord servers that have digital altars and temples. You could also make a devotional Tumblr blog.
Change your phone lock/home screen to something that reminds you of your Deity.
I hope this is helpful to anyone who needs it! Take care of yourself first and foremost. If you don't think you can manage something on this list then thats perfectly fine too! you're not a bad person for not being able to do something spiritual or religious. Ultimately, these things are not a necessity. Don't stress :)
The Gods love you.
Even when you spend days without lighting up their candles.
Even if you don't have an Altar.
Even if you don't feel their presence yet.
Even if you're not at tarot.
Or doesn't have prophetic dreams.
They still love you. And you know why?
Because you're you. And that's enough for them, your presence, your devotion, your well-being, is what truly matters for them.
So don't you feel pressured or sad, lovebug 💜💜