Talk To Ares About What's Bothering You:

Helloooo! I'm quite new to your blog, but in answering an ask, The Pastel Priestess said that you were raised by Ares? I've been trying to getting into working with him (he reached out to me after I called out to him a long time ago when I was just starting out in Hellenic polytheism), and I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do, just in general :')

I figured that i should ask you about it since you have extensive knowledge on him.

Hi!

Yes! I made a few videos about meeting Ares: (LINK) (LINK) (LINK) (LINK)

While I'm not "The" expert on Ares (that would be the ancient Greeks for sure 😅), I am willing to share what I have learned from growing up and working with Ares, aside from his first order of business being to teach me "How to Hug Gods:" (LINK) because I was a little kid with nothing but hugs, candy and apple juice to give as an offering, so here I go:

Ares is a lot kinder than he seems but since he can be terrifying in front of his enemies, he is often misunderstood in the same way that pitbulls and doberman are misunderstood. He cares a lot!Children and marginalized people are his biggest weakness.

If war was a person, Ares would be the body while Athena would be the head. Because of this...

Ares can be described as the god of defending boundaries.

He's quick to anger when someone has crossed a boundary.

He killed Poseidon's son because he raped his daughter which crossed a boundary. He fought Hercules who killed his daughter Hippolyta which crossed another boundary.

Even war can represent the crossing and clashing of boundaries.

One of my favorite Ares moments in modern media can be found in the show "Blood of Zeus"

When Ares finds and complains to his father about crossing a boundary Zeus had set for everyone, including himself. "I thought we were not to intervene, or does that not apply to you?" (LINK)

Zeus clarifies that he never technically crossed the boundary. When Ares finds out that he was wrong about understanding where the boundary was, he tells Zeus he'll be sure tell everyone else so the gods are clear about where the boundary is, to which Zeus tells him not to say anything to anyone but judging by the end of this next clip (LINK)

Ares' need to define and protect boundaries won priority over the request of his own father. These scenes are excellent examples of who Ares is as the god of protecting and defending boundaries.

He is a body guard who stands outside of a party in order to protect the ones he loves so they can peacefully feast inside without worrying about getting surprised by the enemy.

Ares is also a father that has shown to prioritize the safety of his children over his own.

Last winter I was fortunate enough to visit Athens where I fell in love with the Areopagus (Greek: Areos Pagos - Ἄρειος Πάγος) or "The Hill of Ares" (LINK) This was a place where Athens held court cases regarding those who had committed crimes against humanity, the law, the gods, etc.

Legend has it that this is the rock where Ares was taken to court by Poseidon for the murder of his son whom had raped Ares' daughter. Poseidon wanted Ares thrown into Tartarus but he was eventually acquitted. Despite the threat of angering one of the three kings (a god whose status was above his own and equal to his father Zeus) Ares still killed Poseidon's son for crossing that boundary with his daughter.

So I recommend talking to him about boundaries you might need help with or personal battles you might be struggling with,

especially if they're systemic like racism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, etc because Ares is the god of challenging authority which is why in myth he was often said to be despised by Zeus for constantly challenging he who embodied authority.

Ares is also a survivor

and can help you find a safe place in the middle of a panic attack, a crisis or a PTSD attack.

As someone with PTSD, Ares has taught me a lot of grounding techniques that have helped me see the signs of a coming attack before it happens. He even had my spouse check on me while I was about to have an attack in a different building but was thankfully called by Sky who was able to guide me through the steps Ares had told them to use in order to get me home safely because he was unable to reach me (PTSD can create mental blocks that make it hard for the gods to reach you).

He is fluent in handling adrenaline and panic attacks because war is chaos and his instincts guide his moves so he can flow with the madness instead of being trampled by it.

This is also why his first lessons were dance lessons. He learned to dance before he learned to fight because much like fighting, dancing requires one to go with the flow while listening to their body and guiding their moves in split seconds that don't leave much room for thinking. Instinct guides the dance floor like it guides the battlefield. This is also why Ares presents himself to those whose lives have become chaotic and in need of guidance to help them crawl out of the battlefield and into safety.

Talk to Ares about what's bothering you:

What aspects of your life require boundaries?

What is making you angry and why does it make you angry?

What are you afraid of?

Do you have a complicated relationship with a family member?

What injustices in the world are pissing you off?

Why do you feel so small?

Who took your power?

Where is your balance? Etc.

Have a very honest conversation with Ares, look up his lore, and ask yourself why you wanted to work with him in the first place and be sure to start there for a clearer map of where you want your spiritual relationship to go.

I hope this helps!