cthonicpsychopomp

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Thats what i love about the greek gods though; their duality. Aphrodite on that level is expecially cool. As a kid i thought you could be pretty or you could be strong like pick one. But nah. Aphrodite is all pretty and bubblegum and girly. But shell fuck you up totally.

Or like persephones the same way. Shes goddess of spring all flowery and stuff. But you also need to watch out for her more than you need to watch out for hades

Its like so cool as a person who sees themselves as a problem/like struggles with anger or whatever too

Like i aim to kinda have that duality to me as well.

highkey i love it when gods have such stark epithets ie Aphrodite Philomeidēs vs Aphrodite Areia (smile loving vs warlike) apollo paeon vs Apollo Loimios (healer vs plague bringer) Dionysus Maenoles vs Dionysus Patroeus (raging vs parental) SUCH A DIFFERENCE WHAT??

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Types of meditation

1. Mindfulness meditation: Focus on your breath or a specific sensation, bringing your attention to the present moment.

2. Loving-kindness meditation: Cultivate feelings of love and compassion towards yourself and others.

3. Transcendental Meditation: Repeat a mantra to achieve a state of relaxed awareness.

4. Body scan meditation: Direct attention to different parts of your body, releasing tension and promoting relaxation.

5. Zen meditation (Zazen): Sit in a specific posture, focus on your breath, and observe thoughts without attachment.

6. Guided meditation: Follow a recorded or live guide's instructions for visualization and relaxation.

7. Vipassana meditation: Develop insight by observing bodily sensations and thoughts with non-reactive awareness.

8. Yoga nidra: A state of conscious relaxation achieved through guided meditation while lying down.

9. Chakra meditation: Focus on energy centers in the body, visualizing and balancing them.

10. Mantra meditation: Repeat a word, phrase, or sound to quiet the mind and enhance concentration.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

the fact that zeus is not only a paternal god but also one who has explicitly carried and given birth to his own children... i think it's beautiful & i would love to see more depictions of zeus as the patron and protector of pregnant trans men.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Also high key important to recognize! Mundane over magic! Can you explain whats happening in a mundane normal way? Than you should!

Maybe its not "bad spirits and negative energy" its just a bad week

Ive seen way to many people go crazy because they put too much stock in the wrong things

You gotta realize your not the Main character. This isnt hogwarts. Frankly this world can be super boring. Dont loose your grip on that.

Spirituality and Psychosis

Hello! I am a person who experiences hallucinations, but I also have a healthy spiritual life. This may raise the question: how do I differentiate actual signs and communication from the gods and other spiritual beings from hallucinations and delusions?

Here are a few rules I have established that may be useful for other people who struggle with this sort of thing:

~ gods do not take physical forms. they will not appear in your room or in your mirror. they also will not squeeze your hand or call your name

~ gods communicate using their specific symbols and signs (example: i notice the sun in my eyes a lot more often when apollo has something to say)

~ other than that, you should only communicate with your gods through some form of divination that you trust, whether that be tarot, dreams, throwing stones, runes, or anything else you like. be careful with scrying if you have visual hallucinations.

~ on the note of prayer, if your thoughts are sometimes so loud that you can't think properly, you may want to get a prayer journal. either a physical notebook, scraps of paper, your notes app, a google doc, or even a discord server with nobody in it. i especially like that method because it is private, you can access it anywhere on any device, you can make a channel for each deity, and you can look back on your past prayers.

~ your gods will not hurt you. they do not want to hurt or punish you. they will not leave bruises on your body or try to make you feel afraid or paranoid. if you are seeing things in the corners of your vision or feeling watched, it is not them. i recommend talking to a doctor/psychologist first, then maybe using some protection magic as an extra measure if it will make you feel more comfortable.

Thank you for reading! I hope this helped somebody!

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's

[cthonicpsychopomp]

AI art has no right being in Helpol/witchy spaces. It's so lifeless. So boring. Your Gods would be disappointed in you. They appreciate your creativity, your imagination, the things you do. They don't care about artistic skill and would be thrilled with whatever you create, as long as it's created with your heart and not a stealing algorithm.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Travel Alters ( i have little Altoid tins with small charms and small jars of herbs and small crystals, ect)

Devotional Jewelry/Clothes ( 🤷‍♂️ most of worship just seems like sharing your life with them. Dedicate some jewelry to them. Or a outfit keep them close)

When i dedicate a outfit to aphrodite i always feel good and feel like i look good and get so many compliments ✨

BONUS: the gods have crystals and gemstones associated with them. Get a rock bracelet their like 20$ on amazon/etsy. Its dedicated jewelry thats a symbol of them

Also keep in mind their symbols in other ways! Worship Hermes? Theres this company called Swings legit! Add a pair of wings to your shoes

Work with hades or thanatos? Get Bone jewelry!

Hades is also pluton the god of riches so like you could totally get away with precious metals and gems too! Pomegranates, you could do three dog head charms ( i have a bracelet like that)

Also i have a journal. Talk to them! Take pictures of things you’d think they’d like/that remind you of them

Share your offerings! Setting out a offering? Make sure you have some for both you and them. If you’re eating/drinking something you know theyd like. Share!

My experience with worship is basically friendship! Keep them in your mind and in your life, constantly share and talk to them!

What would you do for friends when your on vacation. Youd keep them updated and check in. Maybe buy suviners

Cant go wrong with any of that

Helpols who have traveled internationally: How did you bring your worship with you? What did you take to keep the theoi close?

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Prayer to Ares

Bright-helmed Ares, strong of arm and stern of visage, firm of stance, unyielding of will, ever ready to face any foe, to hold the line against all who may come, to battle until the end.

Ares, son of noble Zeus and wise Hera, cherished by golden Aphrodite,

honored by those who call on you for strength and courage,

in the north were you much honored in times of old,

in Thrace and Thesaly were you held in esteem by those whose lives were harsh, whose world was stony, whose comforts were hard-one.

Ares who answers the prayer of the despairing, I honor you.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Zeus often gets alot of heat for being a rapist and like

1. Mythology isnt truth. Take it like a bible story their guides and lessons to live our lives by. Thats not what the gods are

2. I wish stuff like this was more well known; the gods are complex and multifacated even if the stories were true. Zeus is MORE than that hes king of the gods for a reason✨⚡️

Tldr the gods are good!

One of the things I love most about Zeus is that he always tells the truth. I don’t know how to explain but whatever he says happens. Not surprising from the king of the gods, but it’s always so surprising to observe his promises unfold.

He once told me to walk under a pouring storm once a class ended and promised that I would come to where I wanted to be perfectly dry. As soon as that class ended I went outside and the rain stopped as soon as I put my foot outside, and I arrived perfectly dry.

He also has this sturdy, sure presence like a millennial oak that provides people with shade and protection, and he feels really…fatherly if that makes sense, like on a given Sunday afternoon he would spontaneously whip out a grill and cook steaks for the whole family, or read you stories before bed

Zeus is literally so nice it’s wonderful

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Im demisexual and severely mentally ill🤙

reblog if your blog is safe for trans witches, non binary witches, bisexual witches, gay witches, pansexual witches, closet witches, mental ill witches and all type of witches 🔮🌿

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Humans are small.

We're smaller than the ocean, smaller than the earth, smaller than the moon, smaller than the sun and the stars. So much smaller than so many things.

Compared to the universe, all of mankind and all of human history are so incredibly tiny and small

And the Gods, they are the source of reality. They are so much greater and bigger than we could imagine.

And yet, despite it all, they guide us and hear our prayers.

We can form meaningful relationships with the Gods, despite how grand they are and how small we are.

And I think that's quite beautiful ♡

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Im a fan of percy jackson and a pagan. But honestly i treat it like disneys hercules. Next to nothing is accurate. Its just a fun story. Enjoy the ride✨

Though tbf some of the depictions of the gods arent great and make me angry too

In the book clarisse is ares daughter he works her to the bone and is basically your only useful to me if you win your battles.

And tbh ares though a god of war was pretty loving to his daughters and aphrodite and would never behave in that way.

But its

✨fiction✨

As long as you can separate reality from fiction why not have fun with it. Think of it as AU if you need to. Those aren’t your gods and you know it. So whats the problem. Be the change you want to see in the world and educate others to know better,

Honestly I’m irritated that since Disney’s Hercules hades has ALWAYS been the villain even though thats not mythologically accurate

But my above argument still applies

Our gods get awareness brought to them through fiction like percy jackson. If we educate people to know better maybe we can have both

why Percy Jackson should have never been created!

(from the view of a passionate eclectic pagan)

It’s very disrespectful to pagans- the way they write about some gods as villains and some as brats is horrific. They picture Eros as selfish and careless in a book (or so I have been told), which is crazy untrue. I love him so much and now a generation are growing up believing that he is a brat due to a silly book series.

SOME fans. *sigh*. I have told some fans about Hellenic polytheism and now they claim to be a pagan and take it over (or try to) using their headcannons from the books.

although the characters are alright, they are very stereotyped and go with the basic Ron, Hermione, Harry friendship dynamic with Percy, Annabeth and the twink. Although this stereotype is FINE, I feel it’s pretty dull and known.

the “humour”. Now don’t get me wrong- some jokes from it are okay but some are pretty distasteful.

1 + 2.

the way they see Artemis and Apollo’s relationship is also gross.

they treat Diosonyus terribly.

teaches fans that Hera is a brat. that’s some of my opinions, views and experiences. But yeah. Rick Riordan has offended a lot of pagans.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Mother’s Day dedicated post to Demeter.

03 A little Mother’s Day post for lady Demeter I really felt like I wanted to do this & A e-offering to her. 💕

‘Oh Demeter my beloved, mother of Persephone you fight with your motherly love and searched to ends of earth for her, how you embrace her when you found your daughter may we look up to your courage and will.’

‘Oh mother Demeter may you embrace like your daughter and show me your motherly love and tenderness & encouragement, when I need a shoulder to cry on you’ll be their by my side, when a need mother figure you’ll be by my side.’

‘when I am lost show me the light show how to show me boundaries with other show me how to fight for myself show’

‘Thank you mother Demeter grain goddess for feeding us and nourishing us with your crops.’

[cthonicpsychopomp]

I don’t have a very good relationship with my own mother; but happy mother’s day to some other important women/goddesses in my life.

Persephone is like a mother to me (i call her mama) (its mostly to differentiate, i have 3 moms and 3 dads)

Aphrodite is newer in my life but shes been a big help and I’ve learned a lot from her

Hecate is one of my patrons and ive learned alot under her guidance

Hera is someone who that looks after one of my friends and has also supported me and ive learned alot from.

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Feeling down and sick and really not feeling chores rn

Hestia this is for you✨🤙

Gets a bunch of things done

The gods are good!✨💕

[cthonicpsychopomp]

What happens when you have a abusive/toxic ex and bad experiences with a few friends and then youve been really stressed about all the memories youve found on your phone from a not so great time

You ask the gods for help and it goes by super fast and is super painless and easy

Dont forget you can lean on the gods, im stubborn though and often dont realize i can go for help until i am in crisis but TAAAADAAAA✨✨✨✨✨

[cthonicpsychopomp]

Respectfully Visiting Strangers' Graves

Today I visited a cemetery for Nemeseia. None of the dead people I know or who are related to me are buried anywhere near me--the closest is two states over, and most are in other countries--so, obviously, I wasn't visiting anyone I'm connected to.

After this, I thought that it would probably be a good idea to share how I ensure I'm being respectful of the dead and their family's when I select a strangers' grave to honor. If you can think of any other ways to be respectful, feel free to add on.

General Cemetery Etiquette

Be quiet. You can talk or sing, but keep your voice low. Don't blast Jay-Z.

Avoid mourners. Especially if you're not visiting a specific grave, keep your distance from others. The cemetery is, first and foremost, a space for those grieving people they did know.

Don't walk over graves. If you cant tell where graves end, assume you should only walk directly behind and between headstones.

Don't lean on, push, or touch headstones. Headstones aren't sturdy! You can knock them down or break them.

Dress 'normally' and reasonably. I love eccentric makeup and statement fashion, but a graveyard isn't the place for that. Avoid crop tops, lingerie, lots of glitter, etc. I wore my most simple floral skirt and a black t-shirt.

Don't take dirt, bones, items, offerings, anything from a grave. It's abhorrent. I don't care about your graveyard dirt or 'vibes,' don't disturb strangers' graves or steal their gifts. If you really need dirt get it from near the gates or something.

Selecting a Grave

Don't visit someone who was born in or died this month, or on holidays. If it's August, check that the birth and death dates weren't in August. If the grave belongs to a man, don't visit on Father's Day, if it's a Christian, not on any saints' days, etc.

Make sure the grave hasn't been recently visited. If it's pristine and has flowers on it, leave it alone.

Avoid people who died less than 5 years ago. Those are far more likely to have visitors.

Avoid graves with religious symbols. Respect the religions of the dead. Do not involve a dead Muslim in your pagan holiday, don't do satanic witchcraft on a Catholic's grave.

Avoid graves with phrases on them like "beloved father/wife/sibling." These are also far more likely to have visitors and living relatives.

Pick a site far from any mourners. Again, the cemetery is their space. Leave them be.

What Not to Offer/Leave

Avoid alcohol libations for religious graves or child deaths. Not all Muslims, for example, abstain from drink, but you should still respect the religion's rules when you don't know the dead.

Don't leave things that spoil. No meat, no fruit, avoid food in general.

Don't leave large offerings, ie. full sized bouquets and wreaths. Remember if the family does come by, you don't want them to have to wonder who on earth gave grandpa fifty carnations and a bottle of rose.

Don't leave plastic or things animals are likely to choke on.

No drugs or things that might be mistaken for drugs. White powders, mysterious green leafy lumps, etc. are no-goes. I hope it's clear why.

Avoid bones. Not everyone wants to find a bird skull on their tia's head stone.

Don't leave art, poetry, or notes. It's confusing and slightly creepy if you don't know the dead.

Good Options for Offerings

Small, non-spoiling snacks. Unwrapped chocolate, candy, etc.

Flowers and plants. I leave mini bouquets of home grown oregano and lavender.

Unlit incense. I tied a stick into a bouquet.

Feathers and whiskers.

Lightly cleaning a plaque or headstone. Simply dusting off dirt and grass, don't bring Clorox.

Liquid offerings (libations). Pour them in the dirt, don't leave in a cup. Ideal offerings are things like small amounts of wine, water, or milk.

The grave I selected today was of a man who passed in 2014. His headstone only said his name and "community member," and was untouched. It had no symbols other than a typewriter on it, making ti safe to assume he wasn't very religious if at all. The offering I gave was water poured on the ground, dusting his plaque, and a small bouquet of plants and a feather.

When visiting a cemetery, it's important above all that you respect the dead and the living. It's not a tourist attraction or a spooky witchy site. It's for the dead and those who loved them first and foremost. Respect that.