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.
You do not have to be filled with boundless faith and zero doubt 24/7. That's actually not a reasonable expectation to have for yourself. You'll feel doubt sometimes, and that's entirely ok and normal. I promise you that everyone has gone through periods of doubt, regardless of what faith they hold.
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.
This is the sacred duck he got an important message:
One thing (among many) that I love about the Gods is that everyone’s relationship with them is different. Like for me, my relationship with Apollon is quite formal and he’s pretty firm and strict with me. But I know for others he’s more gentle and light-hearted. I know someone who works with Dionysus and with them he’s quite imposing and harsh whereas with others he’s fun and casual. Sometimes I’ve wondered why I scarcely get a jovial Apollon and for a brief period I thought I was doing something wrong.
But I like to think that the Gods know what it is we need them to be. For whatever reason, Apollon thinks that I need a strict mentor who will tell me how it is. For other people, they need a friend. And to be honest, I think it’s rather beautiful that the Gods care enough about us that they see what it is we need from them and then they take that mantle. I just think that’s pretty neat.
even if you can't feel your deities, they are still here, and they still love you.
I love all of you and we are not going to give up, and we are not going to abandon each other. We're going to take each other's hands and squeeze as hard as we can and never let go. We hold each other. We carry each other.
We worship deathless gods, who held their worshippers through the falls of countless empires, though colonization, through the destruction of their festivals and temples, through the raging cruelties of oppression and war. We are not alone. We will survive. Take my hand. This is not the end.
☀️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!
bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements
Hellenic Polytheism can be a bit daunting to start off - and it’s hard to know where to find the right information or what to research! Hopefully this post will help to give you a starting point - but please don’t base all your information off of one person! NOTE: I may link posts with conflicting information/methods. I leave it to you to decide what feels right and fits for you!
Theoi.com
Library Genesis
Hellenism resources
PDFs of myths
HP online accurate resources
Classics, mythology and modern worship
HP book list
Accurate resources
Book recommendations and online resources
Bibliography of Black-Centered Resources for Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Recon vs. Revivalism
Reconstructionism vs Revivalism
Making libations
Introduction to epithets
Veiling basics + a veiling primer + basic hair binding and veiling + hellenic hairstyles in religious rites
How to write a prayer
Daily prayer journal
How to pray, praise and worship the Theoi
Homeric hymns - helpful for writing devotionals, hymns, etc. (external site)
The Delphic Maxims
Basic Hellenic supplies
Oaths
Sacred places
Offerings (and whether or not to eat them)
Hellenic khthonic ritual
How to honor Ouranic and Chthonic gods
The days of the month
Devotions for the last day of the month
A Hellenismos calendar
Hellenion.org calendar (external site)
Hellenic festival year (external site)
About the Hellenic calendar of festivals
Hellenic pronunciation for the Theoi + Hellenic pronunciation pt. 2 + article
Khernips + Khernips pt. 2 + pt. 3
Miasma, khernips and katharmosis
On Lyma
Hellenic terminology (external site)
Sacred animals of the gods
Theoi.com (my go-to)
Household gods
The Nymphai
On household worship
List of devotees on tumblr
Practical practicing of HP
This wonderful resource masterpost!
Masterpost of Hellenic polytheism and Roman polytheism resources
Shops for Hellenic polytheists
Introduction to Ancient Greek History - open Yale course
Note: Some areas are certainly lacking in the information department, please add resources if you have them! I’ve included all I could find as of mid 2020.
Links updated June, 2020. Please inform me of broken links via askbox!
You ever just get consumed by your love for a deity?
Like one minute you’re fine and the next you are burning for them, your every thought taken by them, their name resounding in every cell of your body, rattling you to the bone?
I think that’s wonderful