🌺Structuring Hellenic Polytheist Prayer Posts🌺

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!

Magic For The Disabled

A few things that I do when I’m at my lowest. Made specifically for disabled people, but anyone can do these! See this post for low energy witchcraft ideas not directly related to disabilities.

Enchant your blanket for a good night’s rest

Enchant your coffee/juice/water/NyQuil/whatever you’re drinking to aid in recovery

Enchant food to aid in recovery

Place sigils around to aid in recovery, memory, etc.

Keep relaxing herbs/stones/etc. around

Cast a sleep aid spell (I have a bag with lavender and amethyst hanging on a bedpost)

Cast a recovery spell (I have another bag with a variety of protection and rest herbs and crystals)

Enchant fidgets or objects used to stim to calm you and to never break

Use energy magic instead of physical spells.

Use art/writing/etc. magic! Draw sigils, deities, write spells, recipes, shopping lists, etc.

Stir and infuse good energy/banishing into teas or coffees.

Keep some supplies nearby (i.e. tea lights, a lighter, grimoire, oils, etc.).

Use showers, washing of face/hands, etc. for cleansing.

Brush out the bad energy when brushing your hair.

Ward health aids or mobility aids against breaking and bless them to work quickly and well.

Use apps or websites for sigils, spells, etc. (VirtualCandleSpell for digital candle spells, Craiyon for sigils).

Keep room sprays near you and bless them to serve a certain purpose.

Make emoji/song spells! Use corresponding emojis and charge them with intent. Use corresponding songs, put them on a playlist, charge them, and listen to it whenever you want to cast it.

Use makeup/skincare as glamours.

Use sunscreen as protection!

Use wax warmers and melts instead of candles.

Use oils in diffusers instead of candles or incense.

Enchant anything you use daily.

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!

me: this one’s for you Lord Apollo✊

voice cracks on the first note of the song i’m singing

FEEL BETTER CHICKEN SOUP

Today I woke up and felt a little ill. So I decided to make myself some good old feel-better chicken soup.

Being mixed, I've always grown up with two different versions of chicken noodle soup, so eventually when I grew up I just combined the two! Hispanic chicken soup usually uses tomatoes sazón, adobo, chicken thigh, lemon, and rice, but American chicken soup usually uses noodles, chicken breast, plain broth, salt, pepper, and celery.

So here's one way to twist the two together.

This recipe is pretty easy to make when you don't have a lot of energy because there is about an hour and a half of cooking where you can just sit down and relax while doing it.

3-4 Chicken Thighs or Legs (I prefer bone-in because it has more flavor and is more tender.)

3 tbsp Garlic honey (works well if fermented, it's fun and easy to make your own!) - Healing, Protection, Purification

One Goya Sazon Packet

1 Bay Leaf - Protection, Healing, Purification

1/2 Cup Baby Carrots (You could just chop up a regular carrot too lol)

1 yellow Onion

2 tsp grated Ginger - Cleansing, Energy, Healing

Half a bag of egg noodles (You could also use rice) - Longevity

4 cups chicken broth

2 green onions

Chicken Seasoning:

4 cloves garlic  - Protection, Healing

1/8 cup chopped parsley - Protection, Strength

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp adobo seasoning

1 tbsp thyme - Healing, Abundance, Health, Prosperity

2 tsp basil flakes - Abundance, Prosperity 

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper - Banish Negative Energy

Juice of half a lemon - For Healing

Hot Scallion Oil:

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp green onion

DIRECTIONS:

Blend the chicken seasonings listed above in a blender or in a mortar and pestle. Whichever you prefer. Rub on chicken and fry in a pot with oil until each side is browned. About 4 minutes on each side.

Add in yellow onion, ginger, and garlic honey, and cook until soft. Add in carrots and chicken stock. Add in Bay leaf and goya season packet. Cook for about an hour.

Add in green onions, and taste if the soup needs more seasoning. If it does, season to taste. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

When the chicken is tender enough to where it is falling off the bone, remove the chicken from the bone and discard the bones and bay leaf.

Add in egg noodles and cook for 7-9 minutes with the lid on, until the noodles are cooked.

Heat up 2 tbsp of oil until very hot. Add in green onion and cook for a little under a minute.

Laddel soup into a bowl and top with a spoonful of scallions and scallion oil.

Enjoy!

Editors Note: I'll never understand how people take such aesthetic photos of food loll.

“The Song of Mounykhia” - to Artemis.

Portuguese:

Canta, Ó Musa, de Ártemis do Arco Dourado A fugaz caçadora que do prado é dona Cujos olhos argutos de luar perscrutam o campo E identificam a presa ao qual seu alegre dardo encontra As passadas vorazes da Senhora das Feras Ecoam na batalha sanguinolenta O brilho dourado e Selene acima Ártemis sobre o campo impera e ilumina E agradecidos mortais entoam seu nome Queimando incenso, bolos e mel Sagrada Ártemis longiflecheira é honrada Pela clareza noturna que iluminou o céu

English:

Sing, O Muse, of Artemis of the Golden Bow The fleeting hunter who owns the meadow Whose sharp eyes of moonlight scan the field Identifying the prey that Her delightful dart finds

The voracious footsteps of the Mistress of Beasts Echo admist the bloody battle Her golden glow and Selene above Artemis over the field reigns and illuminates

And grateful mortals chant your name Burning incense, cakes and honey Sacred far-shooting Artemis is honored For the night clarity that lit up the sky

 The festival of Mounykhia is a celebration that occurs on the 16th lunar day of the hellenic month of Mounykhion. It’s about honouring Artemis as Potnia Theron, the Mistress of Beasts and (through the celebration of Arkteia) is also linked to a rite of passage of young girls. You can read about it more here.

Grimoire - Decolonizing Witchcraft

Racist Stereotypes About Magic What you mean to say: Karma Edition Depth and Cultural Appropriation in Witchcraft Racism, Spirituality, and Witchblr Making Magic More Inclusive Accidental Appropriation Closed Traditions Aren't a Monolith. Chakras - What they really are CHAKRAS (are not what you think they are) Recognizing the difference between real history and pseudohistory

More related posts at: For Pagans/Witches to Beware of My Posts Related to My Practices Religions and Deities

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

♥ 𝔸 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕞𝕪 𝕂𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕁𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝 #𝟛 ♥

Sweet Cream Buns

This recipe was given to me by a friend awhile ago, and I feel it needs a little more appreciation. They’re super easy to make and are tasty too!

I feel one thing a kitchen witch has to master is their ability to make all sorts of bread. It’s such a staple, and is so versatile. Not to mention how much of a crowd pleaser it is.

This recipe is a tasty bun, that when bitten into, oozes vanilla custard. Whenever I make these, they are gone in the first ten minutes. I tweaked this recipe from one of my good friends who enlightened me on this yummy recipe. I highly recommend you to try these for yourself!

Now in this recipe I will be showing you three fillings that I’m sure you will love!

- Vanilla Custard

- Chocolate coffee cream

- Brown sugar maple custard

Ingredients

For the Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup bread flour

1 cup cake flour

A sprinkle of sea salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

½ cup warm almond milk (Or any type of milk)

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 egg

3 tbsp butter

For the Vanilla Custard

5 tbsp sugar

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Extract 

For the Chocolate Coffee Cream

6 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

½ cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

¼ cup expresso/ brewed coffee

Milk chocolate/ dark chocolate/ Semi-sweet chocolate (Its up to you)

For the Maple Syrup Custard

5 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions

To prepare: Set your butter and eggs out 10 minutes before you start so they enough time to come to room temperature. 

Start by filling a measuring cup with your milk and heat in your microwave for about 20 seconds, or until when you stick a (clean) finger in, it is just warm. If it is too hot, it will kill your yeast mixture. Add your dry yeast in and stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes to bloom.

Next, in a kitchen aid (If you have one) attach the dough hook and mix your flour, salt and sugar together. Now crack an egg into the yeast mixture and add it to the kitchen aid bowl on low speed. Add in warmed cream. Let the dough hook do its magic on medium low speed until the dough is very smooth and elastic.

Add in your butter 1 tablespoon at a time and let it mix until completely smooth. About 4-5 minutes.

Oil a bowl with some neutral oil, or with some butter and place the kneaded dough ball into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in oven with the light on, or in a warm area.

Leave it to rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

Ok, so now poke your dough and let the gas leak out from the dough. Cut it into equal sized pieces and place cling wrap on it and let it rise for another 15 minutes or more.

In the 15 minutes, now is the time to make your custard cream. On high heat, add your milk and butter and let it come to a boil. Then turn down your heat and whisk in sugar, egg, and flour. Add in your additives (Vanilla, maple syrup. etc.) and mix on low heat until it has reached a thick pudding like consistency. About 6-12 minutes. If you are doing chocolate, here is the time to melt your chocolate in, when it is off the heat. Let it cool completely.

With a rolling pin roll out the pieces of dough and place a dollop of custard in the center. Fold them over and press/pinch the sides together. Repeat the process until all of them are like this.

Place them on a tray and wrap cling wrap over them. Let them proof for about an hour, or until they’ve doubled in size again.

Now with a nonstick pan on medium low heat, place the bun in the pan and cover with lid. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, or until it is a nice golden brown. You can also cook this in an oven. 400 F for 8-15 minutes.

Now your done! Enjoy this hot and cold, they are tasty either way. It will be a little crispy when hot and soft when cold. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

I love you all! My DMs, mail, and comments are always open! 

xoxo, Angel