rosary-enthusiast

[rosary-enthusiast]

Praise be to Lord Apollo, he of golden hair.

May you see his beauty in the curves of your skin, may you feel warmth against your flesh & know that you are good.

See your skin’s color in the light of the sun, see how much more sure you are of your body when you view it in his light.

Young man, see yourself in his image.

[rosary-enthusiast]

If you’re interested in liberation theology, I highly recommend the works of Sister Corita Kent, a revolutionary artist of the 60s who was also a Catholic nun. She’s a very cool woman who worked hard to change the church to a more modern, ethical standard.

[rosary-enthusiast]

To denounce fascists is to praise god.

Christofascists vs actual people of faith.

[rosary-enthusiast]

I have a hot take today, about Christian/monotheist influences in Pagan spaces.

Unless you are strictly, & I mean strictly, a recreationist, you do not have to shun your own cultural influences in your practice. Religions have changed & adapted to one another for all of human history, & while we must be mindful of colonial effects on paganism, not all Christian or monotheistic influences are bad & harmful.

I live in the Deep South of the US. We do not have a culture of diverse religious practices, & I grew up with my idea of god exclusively being that of God with a capital G. it would be quite unnatural for me to force myself away from iconography & titles that I am familiar with in order to be strictly “historically accurate”, & it would not be a genuine reflection of my love for my practice. Just as Isis-Aphrodite, & Artemis of Ephesus, & Osiris-Dionysus, merged with foreign religious practices to form something equally as beautiful & valid, so too does Lord Apollo, & Lady Diana. Yes, these titles are reflective of specifically Christian influences, & European monarchy, but I am reflective of European immigrants, & Louisiana Catholics. If anything, this is just another epithet for a new era of beloved followers.

It’s ok not to use these titles, it’s ok to want to avoid outside influences in your religion, but consider why you think something like this is bad before casting judgement, & please reconsider the idea that Christian/abrahamic equals bad.

Anyway, go on & enjoy your spirituality. The gods have known many names, & I’m sure they won’t mind yours.

[rosary-enthusiast]

Something I think about a lot is how similar a lot of religious traditions are over human history. It’s part of the reason I consider myself omnitheist, because I don’t really believe anyone is fully “wrong” about god, or how god works, or any given detail about their practice.

Early on, when I was just starting to experiment with religion after a long stint of virulent anti-theism (when I was very young), I gravitated towards Asian philosophy & spirituality, specifically Daoism & Shinto. I learned a lot in that time, & a concept I picked up from Shinto that really speaks to me is the idea of Kami. Many will translate it as simply ‘god’, but this isn’t really an accurate connection. Kami, in the traditional sense, are deities or spirits that inhabit a place, object, or idea. For instance, rivers have kami, & so do dolls, & plants, & houses. Everything is divine in its own little way.

This can be directly compared to the ideas of the fae, or nymphs. Lots of traditions have the idea of spirits or entities inhabiting a place or object, especially natural places like forests. The Romans believed even the smallest of things, like mold & the winds, had gods attached to them in some way.

All this to say, you can find the gods in everything. Treat all of the world as holy, because you are a guest in this space filled with other beings.

[rosary-enthusiast]

resistance to fascists is obedience to God. [x]

[rosary-enthusiast]

It hurts a lot, when you’re a trans person who doesn’t pass, & the people around you who claim to be supportive so clearly don’t try as hard when it comes to you. I’ve been called ‘she’ AT PROTESTS FOR TRANS RIGHTS. Just sucks real bad, especially when you just can’t help it.

They noticeably take you less seriously, I’ve noticed. As if they are humoring you. Like it’s a favor.

there's a post where someone said "can you respect trans women who look like men" and someone responded something like "hell yeah I love people who fuck with gender!" and like... yeah that's cool, but in a lot of spaces "trans woman who looks like a man" is a lot less likely to be someone who is intentionally comfortably presenting masculine, and a lot more likely to be a girl who hasn't started transition, or can't safely, or just didn't or couldn't put in the effort to pass as fem today, and a lot of them will just look like schlubby dudes and not a radically presenting queer person. and you should be able to respect that.

[rosary-enthusiast]

This is him. His name was Zarya, he was a very large cat, & he was very polite. He passed away from bone cancer, & in the end he was so heavy. That’s what stood out to me. His body was so heavy because he could no longer carry his weight…he was a very handsome boy. I hope he is doing well.

Grave offerings and burying the dead with tools and goods is actually such a deeply human thing to do. It's not really even necessarily about how much you believe in a literal afterlife or them taking the tools with them. It's also just going Wait, I'm Not Done Taking Care Of You, let me make you one more pair of socks so your feet won't be cold when you go wherever it is where I can't follow.

[rosary-enthusiast]

Hey so this made me emotional.

I don’t really believe in the Hellenistic superstition of having to pay the boatman. I believe the gods accept anyone who passes into the underworld. But when my cat passed, who I loved so dearly, I buried him with two coins, wrapped in a cotton cloth. I don’t know if cats live on in the underworld in the same way humans do, but I hope wherever he is, he is warm, & he has money to pay his way.

Grave offerings and burying the dead with tools and goods is actually such a deeply human thing to do. It's not really even necessarily about how much you believe in a literal afterlife or them taking the tools with them. It's also just going Wait, I'm Not Done Taking Care Of You, let me make you one more pair of socks so your feet won't be cold when you go wherever it is where I can't follow.

[rosary-enthusiast]

Apollo & Hyacinthus 🌞🦢💏

[rosary-enthusiast]

In this time of need, I pray.

Lord Apollo Agyieus (of the streets) I humbly come before you in great distress. I invoke your love for countrymen, for those who work the fields, & those who have no ivory tower.

I pray for those fighting in a war they did not make, against soldiers occupying their lands. I pray that they are victorious in all things, that they come home to their families when your radiant sun sets.

Let all manor of misfortune beset the traitors who bring bullets down on their own people. Let their swords break, & their deeds be punished.

Lady Athena Polloukhos (City-Protectress) I too, invoke your wrath, your defense of cities past, your wisdom in the face of war.

Let not the evil of malformed men bring harm to the people of the City of Angels, to the people of the City of The Violet Crown. I ask that you be a shield of hope, in a time of great fear. Let not a single baton raise in malicious intent against those protecting their freedoms.

Lady of the golden shield, savior & defender, I praise you in earnest, & know you are wise.

Lady Artemis Aristobulê (The Best Advisor), I invoke your holy name, your love of women from all lands, your advisement in times of war.

I ask that you defend those who might be taken from their homes. I ask you bring good counsel to those in the streets, so that their actions may be sound, & wise. Lady of the silver bow, I praise you for your magnanimous presence, for the defense of those in need.

Thank you, O’ holy gods, to you I have nothing but love & awe.

CITY OF ANGELS

Donald Trump has authorized 2,000 National Guard troops to be used against protesters, whose goal was to put a stop to ICE's kidnapping raids.

Being undocumented is not a criminal offense in the United States of America.

[rosary-enthusiast]

Lord Dionysus, patron of the neurodiverse, inspirer of frenzied women, I pray to you.

Those of us whose minds betray them, who society rejects, those sensitive to light & sound, who’s compulsions harm them,

We pray for relief, & acceptance, humbly before you, who swallows all things manmade in ivy, king of the untamed wilds.

Those of us who cannot speak, lend us your voice. Those who cannot touch, lend us understanding. Those who cry out in pain, bring us euphoria.

Bacchus of the sacred rites, of the rejected & downtrodden, who delights in madness & a thousand perspectives, we proclaim we are your children, lovers of he who topples kings.

We ask that you love us in return, those born with unique sight. Lend us your undiluted wine, & your joyous companionship, so that we find each other in this world of unscrupulous men.

[rosary-enthusiast]

“I am the eye with which the universe beholds itself & knows it is divine”

Always catches me off guard with how good it is. What does being a god of art entail? It means you are the god of humans appreciating aesthetics, not just the physical creation of art. How beautiful, the idea that Apollo gives us the ability to enjoy the colors of flowers, that he represents the enjoyment of birdsong, & whistling while walking. The things that make life more then survival. I wonder if Apollo was there, the moment the first person decided to place their hand on a cave wall, & mark it there.

~I am the eye with which the Universe Beholds itself, and knows it is divine; All harmony of instrument or verse, All prophecy, all medicine, is mine, All light of art or nature; - to my song Victory and praise in its own right belong.~ Hymn of Apollo by Percy Bysshe Shelley Apollo Citharoedus from the Palazzo Altemps.

[rosary-enthusiast]

I wonder what it was like in all its glory…all the flowers around it looks so soft, in a way. I wonder how the air smells, how it looks when it’s early morning & the sun shines on it. It must be a beautiful thing to live so close to something like this.

Temple of Apollo, Corinth, Greece

[rosary-enthusiast]

I question a lot what the ‘point’ of my transness is. Logically, I know there is no point- life, biology, stuff like that just is, it doesn’t have inherent meaning, but I can’t help but question it.

Some cultures treat it as a blessing, some as a mutilation. It’s hard to feel special when being trans can be an incredibly painful experience. I wonder sometimes if I would be allowed some sort of spiritual status if I was born in an ancient time, or if I would be hated just as I am today.

Did Dionysus touch me so gently when I was made? Did he gift me with a part of himself, to favor me in some way? Or was this a punishment made to be pure strife?

transgenderism isn’t an ideology it’s a gift from God actually

[rosary-enthusiast]

Just a reminder that Zionism is not inherent to Judaism, & anyone insisting otherwise either misunderstands Judaism or misunderstands Zionism.

Zionism, by definition, is the desire for an ethnostate, requiring the theft of lands historically shared with various other religions & ethnic groups. Judaism, however, is a vast & varied religion that cannot be painted with a broad brush. Do not use these two words interchangeably, it is dangerous for Jewish people, & it is detrimental to the cause for anti-Zionist action.

[rosary-enthusiast]

Your prayers are so lovely! You have a definite talent and I just wanted to make sure you knew that 🪻🪻🪻

Thank you!! I'm not good at much, but writing is one of my passions. I hope to share my love for the Gods with others <3