𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓬𝓲𝓻𝓬𝓵𝓮𝓼 & 𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶✨

Ancient Greek Religion & Hellenic Polytheism: A Reading Guide

I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long while, and talking to my friend @olympianbutch today gave me the push I needed to do so. When I was starting out as a Hellenic Polytheist years ago, this is the kind of resource I needed. So I hope you all enjoy and find this helpful!

Introductory Reading:

Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Athenian Popular Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Greek Religion by Jan N. Bremmer

On Greek Religion by Robert Parker

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship by LABRYS

Comprehensive Guides:

Greek Religion by Walter Burkert

Companion to Greek Religion edited by Daniel Ogden

Understanding Greek Religion by Jennifer Larson

Rethinking Greek Religion by Julia Klindt

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow and Julia Klindt

Polytheism and Society by Robert Parker

The Gods and Theology:

Ancient Greek Cults by Jennifer Larson

Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow, Julia Klindt, and Robin Osborne

Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion by Ellie Mackin Roberts

Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World (Routledge Series)

Offerings and Sacrifice:

Personal Experience and Materiality in Greek Religion by K.A. Rask

Singing for the Gods by Barbara Kowalzig

Smoke Signals for the Gods by F.S. Maiden

Sharing with the Gods by Theodora Suk Fong Jim

Primary Sources:

Theogony & Works and Days by Hesiod

The Homeric Hymns

The Orphic Hymns

Sources for the Study of Greek Religion by David Rice and John Stambaugh

Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Valerie M. Warrior

Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Emily Kearns

Artemis Delia 🏛

(from Delos)

2024 The Lunar Calendar

Using a lunar calendar involves tracking and utilizing the phases of the moon for various purposes. Here's how you can use a lunar calendar:

Understanding the Moon Phases: Familiarize yourself with the eight primary phases of the moon: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent.

Setting Intentions and Goals: Each moon phase represents a different energy. New Moon is ideal for setting intentions, while Full Moon is a time for culmination and realization.

Manifestation and Planning: Plan important events, projects, or rituals aligned with the corresponding moon phase. For example, start new projects during the Waxing Crescent for growth or release unwanted habits during the Waning Moon.

Spiritual and Personal Practices: Use specific moon phases for spiritual practices like meditation, reflection, and manifestation. Many people find rituals such as charging crystals or performing moon-related ceremonies more potent during certain phases.

Gardening and Nature-Based Activities: Use the moon phases for gardening by planting seeds during the Waxing Moon for optimal growth and pruning during the Waning Moon.

Emotional Awareness: Pay attention to how the moon phases affect your emotions, energy levels, and sleep patterns. Understanding these patterns can help align activities with your natural rhythms.

Maintaining a Lunar Calendar: Keep track of the moon phases using a lunar calendar. Mark important dates and phases to assist with planning and intention-setting.

Remember, while the lunar calendar can offer guidance, personal experiences and interpretations of the moon's phases vary. Experiment with different practices to see what resonates best with you and brings you closer to your goals.

Ill be entirely honest, I'm confused by those that know that the new temple of Zeus and Pan was opened by a violent antisemite ultra-nationalist and are somehow saying things like "they're terrible but at least we have a temple and hopefully more will open!"

We do not have a temple.

WE do not have a temple.

Those of us that aren't Greek do not have a temple.

This is not a "win."

And to hold these values while building a temple for Zeus, the god of foreigners, you're ridiculous, and you're lame.

Zeus is not in that temple, he worships in an empty box.

PLEASE DO NOT USE TIKTOK AS A RESOURCE FOR HELLENIC POLYTHEISM

Tiktok is probably one of THE WORST places to learn about REAL hellenic polytheism because it is rampant with misinformation and most creators are only interested in views and parroting misinformation THEY heard. Yes there are some great and informative creators on there to learn about the hellenic gods but they are far and few in-between.

INSTEAD if you're new to the religion and have no clue where to start researching/learning, here are a few phenomenal creators on here with wonderful and informative posts!

@wisdom-devotee has an amazing guide for starting out in hellenic polytheism

@seasaltdevotion also recently made a fantastic post on resources for starting out

@crazycatsiren has a SUPER long list of resources and research material

@khaire-traveler has possibly the greatest list on subtle deity worship for just about every god

Please actually learn from those of us that truly love and covet this religion and spread information that will truly benefit you.

🌺Structuring Hellenic Polytheist Prayer Posts🌺

"More Basic Basics of Ancient Greek: How to pray the ancient way" by @sisterofiris

"Prayer in Hellenic Polytheism" by @olympianbutch

"Dissecting the Anatomy of Prayer" by @olivewreathed

"Basic Prayer Formula" by @verdantlyviolet

Lavender Tea Spell for a Good Night’s Sleep

My spells are pretty loose and rely much more on state of mind, imagination, and intention than specific steps, but here you go! @dinobandaid

1. Brew a pot of lavender tea and let it steep. If you work with a god, this is a wonderful time to insert a small offering to them. My patron is a fae queen so I often sing without a tune in mind, just letting my voice wander through notes wherever it wants to go.

2. Once your tea is ready, pour yourself a cup. Sit cross legged before your altar (if you have one) while holding it and call the elements. Close your eyes and reach down with your energy, burrowing into the earth until you hit bedrock. Imagine yourself suspended within a great ocean, gently cradled by a current’s soft hand. Burst from the sea and into the sky on powerful wings, wind whipping at your shirt. Feel the fire in your heart each time it beats, the warmth in your hands, the wildness in your ability to live - in DARING to live.

3. Add your honey, stirring clockwise three times., stating your intention as you do so. I prefer to say these off the cuff rather than following a pre-written statement. If you would like an example, “let my sleep be dark and deep and full of pleasant dreams” has worked for me in the past.

4. Close your eyes and drink your tea, letting that feeling of reverence overtake you. Some tea spells take me 10 seconds to consume, some take 20 minutes. Your intuition will tell you how long to take and when the spell is over. Sleep spells usually take a bit more time.

5. Complete the rest of your nightly routine and go to bed.

Hope this helps!

curse removing wash

acts as both a banishment and a cleansing

ingredients

basil (protection)

thyme (cleansing; antimicrobial)

sage (protection + cleansing + banishing; antimicrobial)

rosemary (protection + banishing)

chamomile (cleansing + banishing + peace)

sea salt (protection + banishing)

lavender and eucalyptus oil (cleansing; just a few drops of each)

water

instructions (plan to use immediately; not meant to be stored for later use):

add dried herbs and sea salt to water, boil and reduce to a simmer until the water becomes fragrant and changes color

remove from heat and let cool - strain and pour into a container

add your essential oils, seal the container and shake well

proceed to add this mixture to your soapy mop bucket or spray some on windows, doors, and baseboards to be wiped down

pro tip

open your windows to let the negative energy escape your home as you clean

♡ luna

© 2025 ad-caelestia

Protection Salt

Salt is one of the fundamental ingredients when performing protection magic, and while just plain salt is perfect for your spells, there are plenty of ways to punch it up to get a little extra protective power out of it.

You Will Need:

Coarse white salt

Essential oils - eucalyptus, orange, & pine are my favorites

Protection herbs - I usually use rosemary, pine needles, mugwort, bay leaves, and pennyroyal, but use whatever you vibe with!

A stick of cinnamon

A jar to keep your finished salt in

Measure out however much salt you want to use onto a plate. Mix in the essential oils first and make sure you get the salt well coated. You don't want it to be soggy or anything, but you want more than a few drops in there.

Then mix in your dried herbs! You can do this with a mortar and pestle as long as you're careful not to actually do any grinding. I usually mix mine in my cauldron because then it also picks up ash from spells and herbs that I have previously burned in the cauldron and that gives it a little extra magical kick.

Purify your jar with a little incense (I like sandalwood) and then fill it halfway with your salt and herb and oil mixture. Situate your cinnamon stick in the middle and then carefully pour the rest of your salt in around it.

And viola! You made your very own protection salt!