okayyeros

[okayyeros]

got the urge to finish reading Ariadne over a year after initially buying it, a pretty bookstore employee convinced me to buy The Hymn to Dionysus on a whim, also dreamed abt having a convo with Dionysus all in less than 24 hours. Chat is this a sign

[okayyeros]

i wanna share this on here bc I'm genuinely so proud of this painting (it was made in 2 weeks lol) but basically, the concept of this painting was the Hunters of Artemis but they're hunting men. I wanted to mess around with femininity post-brutality but also the adoration of nonromantic companionship of women :3 I think Artemis as a protector of women and the hunt has always been a concept I've been infatuated with, and I wanted to try to capture that in this piece

Girls Night Out

36”x48” oil paint on canvas

[okayyeros]

Olympian Green🍃

OKOK ill post better quality photos, and im not 100% sure if im finished yet, but i really wanted to post this painting!! For an assignment, I decided to make a gestural abstract painting inspired by Olympian Green by @aidoneusmusic :]

I think the song is super sick, and is so vivid in its sound. so I thought It’d be cool to transpose a song into an abstract painting! Each color (not shade specific) represents a different kind of instrument!

Like I said I’ll try to post higher quality close ups of this bad boy later, it’s absolutely massive and I forgot to take more pics before I sprinted out of the studio

[okayyeros]

Eros <3

finally digitized this sketch of Eros from like 4 months ago <3 I think i understand digital art now

[okayyeros]

Hermes Psychopompos

This drawing came to me like a vision and I have been clawing it out of my brain for the past day.

[okayyeros]

I am genuinely so sad at the lack of modern merch that has Mycenaen Octopusses on it :( what do you mean i can't get prints or stickers of this silly little guy

[okayyeros]

something I've seen a lot of in a lot of helpol and pagan spaces is a great deal of concern over the "rules" of worshipping, what to give or not give, how to set up altars, what's right or wrong, etc.

and I'm just here to say this: there are no rules

no, you're not going to make Apollo mad by giving him a vanilla candle even though you heard someone say he doesn't like them.

no, the gods are not going to be upset or ignore you if you can't have a proper altar.

and most of all: you can do whatever the fuck you want as devotion/offering.

there are offerings that are associated with a deity/their domain, sure. there are offerings that were common in antiquity, yes.

but, frankly, who the hell cares?

there's nothing wrong with syncretism or reconstructionism. there's nothing wrong with looking to the ancients for ideas about what to do for worship.

but there's also nothing wrong with just making stuff up as you go.

if all you've got to worship the gods is a cool rock and a good stick then by god you've got yourself an offering. even if all you've got is yourself, your own mind, that's all you need.

devotion is what you make it, not what others tell you is has to be.

[okayyeros]

Maybe I can’t hear lord Apollón, maybe I can’t talk to him. But I can feel his presence.

I can feel his presence when I am dancing in my room while listening the playlist I made for him.

I can feel his presence when I am upset at myself/about something.

I can feel his presence when I am clumsy and hurt myself.

I can feel his presence when I am lying in the sun light, giggling like a little child.

I don’t need to hear him. Feeling his presence and energy is enough for me.

Thank you, dear lord Apollón, for being there for me in good and bad times.

[okayyeros]

I wanna ask a question!! What is something I could give Eros as an offering? I wanna give tribute of thanks for letting me use the name as well. Been scared to start because i didnt wanna do it *wrong*

Hi!!! I am so so sorry for taking so long to reply to this, I get very nervous replying to msgs online LMAO

Anyway, there are a couple of different things you can give as offerings! As for physical non-perishable offerings, I've got items that I associate with love on his altar for Eros. This includes things like Rhodochrosite, rhodonite, love poems, a shitty herbal cigarette I rolled for a friend, and quite literally anything that reminds me of Lord Eros.

There are also perishables like food-related goods! I typically will give these whenever I have the energy and time. A few examples of these for Lord Eros are Chocolates, rose petals, Coffee, apples, oranges, wine/non-alcoholic wine, cookies, and foods I've been given by friends. I feel like a lot of foods associated with love are on the sweeter side, so those tend to be the offerings I give! but they can be whatever really. I'm gonna be so real, for a while a consistent offering I would give Apollo and Eros was Goldfish crackers because they were a major safe food of mine.

There are also devotional acts which I believe technically count as offerings?? For these, I do a lot of acts of self-care/self-love in Eros' name. Taking baths, indulging in substances and doing tarot readings, playing my favorite games, painting, drawing, cooking, etc. I will just decide to dedicate an action or something to him and do it.

There are rules to a degree, however, your relationship with a deity can be incredibly personal, and as long as you are respectful, I think that is what matters most. The gods are forgiving and won't be angry at mistakes. Don't be afraid to try things and see what feels right to you <3 If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out!! I'd be happy to help you out where I can <3

[okayyeros]

Why I love Hades in Hadestown

OK I saw Hadestown on the West End last week after 5 years and I want to say as a HelPol and someone who adores Greek mythology, this is one of my favorite depictions of Hades. Tbh how everyone is depicted is amazing, I'm in LOVE with the way the Fates are done as well as Hermes, and I will gladly go into more detail as to why, but I wanna just yap about Hades rn

In so many pieces of media, Hades is shown to be a villain and a truly malevolent being. This is in part due to the placement of Abrahamic religions over Hellenic beliefs. Equating his placement below as the same as hell, or the devil. Hades is not evil, no god is truly evil or good. This doesn't ruin media for me, but it is something I notice and I'm annoyed by because to refer to Hades or any god as an overarching villain is a blatant misunderstanding of the source.

Hellenism/Greek mythology was meant to be a more humanistic interpretation of religion. This is shown in ancient Greek art and also in stories. They have emotion, they have greed, they experience joy and love, and they are all multifaceted beings. Hadestown does this so well.

I think that Hades as a capitalist is incredibly interesting to start with. It makes sense as he is the god of Riches, but it is very rarely utilized to its fullest in modern tellings. He has turned the underworld into a capitalistic industrialized society, he has become a monster and a shell of himself in the musical. The industrialism of Hadestown is aided by the actual set itself. The initial set of the train station expands at the start of Chant, exposing lights and piping. The lights are burning so bright and so warm to the point it's hard to watch at points. It really helps illustrate the lengths Hades has gone to in favor of contracts and wealth. What differs in this interpretation is his motive. Many interpretations have Hades' motivation being Anger and jealousy. Hades loves the underworld and loves running it; It's frustrating when stories ignore this. In Hadestown, his motive is fear and loneliness.

Hades is afraid Persephone will choose spring and the overworld over him, afraid to be left alone in the underworld. In the musical, he and Persephone have an incredibly strained relationship because he has let fear overrule him, becoming a shell of who he is in the mythos. I love it when the humanism of Greek Mythology is utilized and exploited in stories like this. He has become so afraid that he has lost his kindness and view of love. There is an inherent tragedy in the relationship between Persephone and Hades. Our world functions properly because, for 6 months out of the year, they must leave each other. A lot can happen in 6 months alone. As the musical says, Doubt can come in.

Doubt is what turns Hades into the person he is in the musical, but seeing Orpheus reminds him of everything he used to be when he was hopelessly in love with Persephone. To see him force Orpheus to go through the same trial of loneliness and doubt in order to have Euridyce back is so much more impactful in this retelling. It is also an action of fear, of fate, the inevitable.

Hades is not a good being within hadestown, but he is not the villain. The closest thing to a villain within this story is Fate, the voices in your mind leading your life down a path. I truly love the way this story is told and how these characters are interpreted. I just really wanted to talk about Hades because this is one of the most interesting depictions I've seen of him in a long while, along with his interpretation is Kaos. Ok that's all thank you for letting me yap <3

[okayyeros]

Update btw: ended up being on the plane for 12 hours in total and it was NOT fun but we survived so thank you to lord Zeus and lord Hermes <3

Nothing quite like clutching the seat on an airplane praying to Hermes and Zeus for safe flight as your plane randomly gets re-routed 😭😭

[okayyeros]

Nothing quite like clutching the seat on an airplane praying to Hermes and Zeus for safe flight as your plane randomly gets re-routed 😭😭

[okayyeros]

It’s so weird to me when I bring up I’m Hellenic and ppl treat it like a joke or like a fandom thing???

Like chat no this is literally my religion. I believe in the Hellenic pantheon. I pray to all of them. I give Gods offerings. I started using the pen name of Eros because the idea of him was what pulled me out of years of dissociation and trauma. Yes I worship Eros.

I seriously don’t mind ppl asking questions but there’s a way to phrase things, especially when talking about religion :/

[okayyeros]

ANTHESTERIA STARTS TOMORROW (NEXT THREE DAYS), MY FAVORITE FESTIVAL!!!!

For those celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful time! For those who are unfamiliar with the festival, here are some informative posts and the like:

~ 🍇 ~

Information:

On Antheaterion - @kallisto-aglaia

Anthesteria - @thegodsaremyhome

Anthesteria - @dionysusmybeloved

Ancient Greece's Biggest Festival: The Anthesteria - @margaretkart

Anthesteria - The First Day, Pithoigia - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Anthesteria - The Second Day, Kheos - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Anthesteria - The Third Day, Khytrai - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Rethinking The Anthesteria - @thegrapeandthefig

Celebrating Anthesteria Without Alcohol - @thegrapeandthefig

Anthesteria - Hellenion.org (I do not personally endorse Hellenion, based on things I've heard about them, but they can still be a helpful resource)

Anthesteria - Britannica.org

The Anthesteria - World History Encyclopedia.org

Devotion:

Anthesteria Dionysus Invocation - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Protrygaios Hymn/Poem - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Orphic Hymn 46 to Dionysus - @dionysusmybeloved

Hermes Chthonios Hymn/Poem - @sanguinebutch

Anthesteria, Khytrai Lyre Melody - @princesmeadow

Anthesteria - @nyxshadowhawk (found on @dionysia-ta-astika )

Personal Dionysian Ritual, First Day - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Flower Poem For Bacchus/Poema-florido Pra Baco - @piristephes

Anthesteria Playlist - @nyxshadowhawk

Orphic Hymn 30 to Dionysus - @kallisto-aglaia

Celebration Ideas For Anthesteria - @khaire-traveler (me)

~ 🍇 ~

Have a lovely Anthesteria, everyone, and remember to put up protections to prevent any wandering spirits from sticking around ~~~

Hail Dionysus!!! 💜💚

[okayyeros]

Eros Epithets

Glykypikrós - Bittersweet

Erasmius - Lovely, Beloved

Toxalkís - Mighty with the bow

Hedys - Sweet, Pleasant

Erotiao - To be Lovesick

Hagnos - Holy, Pure

Erotomania - Frenzied love

Diphues - Of two natures or forms

Eudromos ormeï - He who strikes quickly

Eromaneo - Maddened by love

Eromanis - Mad for Love

Pyrphóros - Fire-bearing

Lysimelḗs - Limb-loosening

Kalós - Lovely, beautiful

Kállistos - The loveliest, the most beautiful

Chrysokómēs - Golden-haired

Pandemos - Common to all the people

Klêidouchos - Holding the keys (to the heart)

Not a complete list, but these are some of my favorites! I’ll probably add more to this in the future 💘

Glory To Lord Eros!

Sources:

hellenicgods.org

Sappho Fragment 130

Mythopedia

Wikipedia (sorry, my English teacher)

[okayyeros]

The more you know

[okayyeros]

I always find myself returning to religion more in the early months of a new year. Not out of a New Year resolution, or anything but because of when I first discovered Hellenism.

I first dealt with the ideas of Hellenism when I was at my lowest moment in high school. I was at my worst physically and was dissociating almost all day every day. I watched videos on Hellenism and felt hope that there was something looking out for me. It gave me the push I needed to keep existing and keep living my life how I wanted to. This ironically happened in 2020, before lockdown or the pandemic had been widespread.

I have learned I have extraordinarily bad luck for these few months every single year. Without fail something happens, it's gotten to the point where I deliberately schedule a lighter class load in these months so I don't fail.

Even this year, I'm struggling both with my personal life as well as everything happening in the world. And once again, I find myself turning to my altar. There is a spark of hope every time I return to praying at this time of year. I feel like I'm once again the girl who prayed on Eros in the wings of a theatre who was so desperate to feel loved, the girl who turned around and made jewelry in his honor. No matter how things have been, I have gotten through, and it truly is because of Hellensim.