stradlixnw

[stradlixnw]

Apollo and Daphne, Jakob Auer, Vienna, before 1688

[stradlixnw]

[stradlixnw]

Acropolis, Athens (Greece)

[stradlixnw]

I love having deities that I don't actively worship that I still have a soft spot for, mostly from seeing their devotees post about them on tumblr

[stradlixnw]

i love my dad apollo 🥺❤️

Apollon is there.

When the sixty-something man picks up an instrument, because he never got to learn in his youth and discovered a new passion. He thinks he is too old to learn, but something tells him it is never too late.

Apollon is there.

When the lonely kid at the back of the class doodles on their desk to calm themselves. Their creative world is all they have, and that is okay.

Apollon is there.

When the parents are yelling and fighting, and all their child can do is adjust their headphones and turn the volume higher, hoping to drown it out. It'll be over soon, just focus on the music.

Apollon is there.

When a student pours over the chapter they've been studying for the past week or so, trying to dissect every piece of it. When it finally clicks, and it feels like the world lights up as everything they've read makes sense.

Apollon is there.

In the laughter of the children on a warm summer's day. Their fingers are sticky with the ice cold juice they drank earlier, their shoes are long forgotten for the grass is cool enough. Their lives are ahead of them, but they don't need to worry.

Apollon is there.

In the rage of a father, a mentor, an older brother—on behalf of someone younger that was not able to defend themselves when needed. Something can be done. Something will be done.

Apollon is there.

In the ink of the poet, scribbling down every word furiously. Their mind is full, they must get it all on paper. Their words will not stop. When they close their eyes, all they see is light.

Apollon is there.

In the steady beeping of the monitor, as a patient—old, young, somewhere in between—fights for their life. He is there as they make it, and He is there as they don't.

[stradlixnw]

[stradlixnw]

sometimes I sit in little a corner and I grab big little books about the Ancient Roman military and I sit and read my big little book while learning an unhealthy amount of things about warfare and I really think Lord Ares would be so proud

[stradlixnw]

TYPES OF DEVOTIONAL ACTS

FOR LOVE / BEAUTY DEITIES: 

Skin care.

Do your makeup (or embrace your natural beauty).

Paint your nails.

Dress up a little.

Write love letters.

Masterbate.

Change your bed sheets/clean up your room/space.

Listen to love songs/songs about sex/loving yourself.

Having sex.

Read romance novels.

Play interactive romance novels/romance games (stardew valley, dream daddy, The Arcana, etc).

FOR WAR DEITIES: 

Listen to angry music.

Advocate for yourself.

Reinforce your boundaries.

Cut out the negative people in your life.

Feel your anger, recognize your anger, don't force it down, but don't lash out to others. "I am angry. This thing made me angry. It's okay that I am angry, it is not okay to cause harm to those who do not deserve it." Etc etc.

Read biographies or accounts of war, or dystopian novels (accounts of war like Night by Elie Weisel, dystopian like Divergent or Hunger Games).

Learn self defence.

Learn about how your area was used in past wars.

Play fighting games (call of duty, mortal combat, etc).

FOR MUSIC / ART DEITIES: 

Create! Learn an instrument, draw, etc.

Write a song.

Paint for them.

Listen to experimental or storytelling music. All music is art, so find a vibe for your deity.

Take pictures of nature, art is everywhere in nature, from the paintings on butterfly wings to the sunset.

Read/write poetry.

Read poetry books, or books about music or art (think biographies from musicians/artists, or books like Guitar Notes by Mary Amato or such) (guitar notes is a mid-grade book but it's the only one I could think of the name of).

Visit galleries or local shows, support local artists.

FOR WISDOM DEITIES: 

Read books, any type, but mostly classics like Sherlock Holmes or Jane Austen.

Watch documentaries.

Take free online courses on subjects that interest you.

Visit and support your local libraries and independently owned bookstores.

Find old unloved books at thrift stores.

Learn a new skill.

Listen to music from different time periods.

Visit museums.

Play strategy games (chess, supreme commander, etc).

Do puzzles.

FOR NATURE DEITIES: 

Raise a plant or a garden.

Listen to nature sounds, or music with nature sounds.

Observe nature persevering, vines crawling up a building, dandelions in cracks in the pavement.

Read wilderness guides.

Learn about your area's native flora and fauna.

Visit local parks.

Open windows and let the fresh air in.

Scavenge/forage (in safe areas).

Play cozy games (animal crossing in a good example).

FOR DEATH DEITIES: 

Visit local graveyards/cemeteries (don't forget to be mindful and conscious of others and the spirits there).

Listen to music by artists who have passed on, or music about death.

Learn about different cultures' funeral practices.

Safely move roadkill out of the road, leave a small offering if possible (again, do so SAFELY).

Read books that have death themes (like Edgar Allen Poe, Wuthering Heights, or They Both Die In The End).

Think about how you want your body to be treated in death. Do you want to be buried, cremated, donated to science?

FOR HOME / HEARTH DEITIES: 

Read cozy books.

Play cozy games (sims, animal crossing, etc).

Make your house seem warm and inviting to visitors.

Learn how to bake, either from scratch or a box, both are acceptable.

Learn how to sew or knit or crochet.

Watch cozy movies.

Light candles if you don't have a fireplace.

Listen to soft music.

Visit your friends or family and bring them baked goods.

FOR STRONG PARENTAL DEITIES:

Take care of your friends. 

Make sure your friends eat and are drinking water, do the same for yourself. 

Tell the people in your life you love them, you're proud of them, they're doing a good job. 

Read books about found family, self help books. 

Listen to music that makes you feel safe and loved. 

Carry a figure that represents them. 

Take care of yourself the way that they would take care of you.

Cook for yourself. Make yourself feel safe and loved.

FOR HEALTH DEITIES: 

Carry bandaids, Tylenol, and extra pads/tampons for people who may need them.

Learn about the human body and how it works.

Take your meds.

Make art out of old pill bottles for them.

Know and respect your limits.

Watch documentaries about doctors or health sciences.

Research holistic remedies and see if any might be of use to you (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THEM FOR MODERN MEDICINE) be careful of misinformation, and any interactions that certain things might have with your meds.

FOR SEA / OCEAN/WATER DEITIES: 

Have a small fountain in your home (you can find them at some dollar stores, or if you're mechanically savvy, make your own).

Salts in your baths.

Visit local streams, creeks, rivers, or beaches.

Read about marine life/river life.

Read about your local water sources, learn about the water cycle.

Collect rain water.

Stand in the rain, feel it on you, let it ground you.

Listen to music about water/with water sounds/the ocean/the beach

Have pictures in your home/space of the ocean.

If you visit the ocean, collect some water and sand and seashells (make sure you follow your own personal gratitude system) to have in your home.

Don't fret if you're landlocked, your practice is valid, you don't need to be at the ocean all the time to feel it's presence. The rain clouds blow in from hundreds of miles away. The ocean is always with you.

Drink water.

Carry a small vial of water with you (could be ocean water, river water, or tap water with or without salt in it) you can keep it in your car, in your pocket, or wear it as a necklace, etc.

Carry a small vial of salt with you (could be hand harvested from the ocean, table salt, or any kind of off the shelf salt).

FOR SKY / WIND / AIR DEITIES: 

Let the air in, open windows when possible

Offerings of air, such as burning incense, smoking tobacco, or using essential oils.

Reading poetry, mythology, or other writings about the deity.

Let yourself be free.

Sit outside for a few minutes a day, or longer.

Playing wind instruments, like flutes or panpipes.

Making offerings of feathers, wings, or other things related to birds or mythical sky beings.

Participating in sky-related activities, such as skydiving, flying, or hot-air balloon rides, to feel closer to the sky deity.

Building or using a wind chime or wind sculpture to connect with the energies of the sky and the wind.

Engaging in outdoor activities like biking, sailing, or kite flying to appreciate the gift of air and sky.

Flying kites or sky lanterns. 

FOR TRAVELER DEITIES: 

Pick something up for them on your travels, could be a rock, could be a souvenir.

Put a symbol of them in your car.

Wear shoes that are good for walking.

Drive/walk around to explore new places (you don't even have to leave your town).

Take backroads.

Be a respectful tourist in every new place that you visit, don't be afraid of looking stupid.

FOR QUEER DEITIES:

Educate yourself on queer history.

Express yourself truthfully.

Listen to queer music.

Read queer books.

Embrace your identity.

Read queer poetry, like that of Sappho.

Keep yourself safe in spaces that are less open to identities.

Support local queer owned businesses or artists.

Queer art.

Love yourself and take care of yourself.

Go to drag shows.

Relish in the fact that queerness has been around since the very first civilizations.

[stradlixnw]

  Darker apollo epithets that I love

           Apollon Loimios            bringer of plagues

           Apollon Agraeus             Of the Hunt

[stradlixnw]

Reblog if your looking for more pagan friends!

[stradlixnw]

for uhm personal reasons I need to know all about feminine apollo so please tell me more

Aha, that's something I love to talk about. I was about to make a post about this anyway so: There's a lot of ancient greek vase paintings that show Apollo wearing feminine robes and accessories that were usually worn by women. For example,

a veil

(Heracles ascending to Olympus)

Multi pinned sleeve

(Apollo helping Hector in the Trojan war)

Cross sash

(The musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas)

Periskelis (the thigh band)

(Orestes seeking shelter at Delphi)

Here, he is wearing the chiton in a way that girls wore

And these lithographs of ancient art have him wear such pretty dresses

Since he is an eternal youth, 99% of the times he has long hair and youthful face - those are the very important physical traits of Apollo. There are many paintings where you will confuse Apollo for a girl.

Apart from these, I have found quite a few statues and marble reliefs too. Many of these are from Hellenistic Greece and Roman era:

As you can notice, most of these present Apollo as a musician, so maybe music played a part in Apollo being effeminte? Did the Muses have a lot of influence on him?Idk, food for thought I guess. Oh and there are a number of headless statues identified as Apollo Patroos (fatherly), where again Apollo is wearing long robes.

Lastly, some quotes from literary sources (FYI I have not included the hundreds of quotes describing Apollo's long hair and smooth chin):

"And ever beautiful is he and ever young: never on the girl cheeks of Apollo hath come so much as the down of manhood."

- Callimachus, Hymn to Artemis (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.)

"Apollo puts his hair in order by shaping his flowing locks with soft foliage and braiding it with a golden diadem."

- Virgil, Aeneid 4.147 (trans. Ingo Gildenhard) (Latin poet C1st B.C.)

"These children Niobe placed above those of Latona [Leto], and spoke rather contemptuously against Apollo and Diana [Artemis] because Diana was girt in man's attire, and Apollo wore long hair and a woman's gown."

- Hyginus, Fabulae 9 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.)

[describing an effeminate man]: giving himself excessive airs of daintiness and indulging in all sorts of effeminacy; sometimes darting his eyes about; sometimes throwing his hands hither and thither...sometimes personating Aphrodite, sometimes Apollo"

- Tatian, Address to the Greeks 22 (trans. Pratten) (Assyrian Theologist C2nd A.D)

"[in the fragments of Lucilius' satires (C2nd B.C)]: Taking issue with Apollo, whom Romulus mocks as a pretty boy (pulcher) with a fondness for effete dance, Romulus rants against foreign luxuries"

- The Cambridge Companion to Seneca (ed. Shadi Bartsch, Alessandro Schiesaro)

fair number of Renaissance paintings continued this tradition by making Apollo look feminine and beautiful. But for some reason most of the modern adaptations make him macho, the typical Manly Man 🙄 (just like they make Dionysus either old or obese, or both). Come on people, you're throwing away the potential here! I wanna see an Apollo who can rock a suit and a pretty dress. Give me more of Apollo and Dionysus hanging out together at drag parties.

[stradlixnw]

OMG SAM IS SO ME

Finally finished this!

It's a little messy but I'm glad to finally get it out of my WIP folder

Sam is all of us

[stradlixnw]

Digital offering to Lord Ares 🩸⚔️

[stradlixnw]

Apollo, the bright-voiced lord of song.

[stradlixnw]

Attention Apollo Worshippers 🔆☀️🌻

I normally wouldn't make a post like this but there's a user on here who is obviously deep in religious psychosis and truly believes that he is Apollo. He may comment on your posts related to Lord Apollon and say "thanks" or "nice" or something of the sort, as if he is accepting your worship for himself (again, he thinks he really is apollo). After a VERY brief look at his page, he is not only SAYING he is apollo (which could absolutely be him bullshitting and trolling) he is claiming that he has given people illnesses for calling him out and that he caused COVID-19 itself. He also calls Zeus his father and says he created hellenic polytheism and without him the gods wouldn't exist. On top of that he seems to be both homophobic and transphobic, which our true Lord Apollon would never stand for, considering his mythos and how his present day worshippers are largely members of the LGBTQ community.

Please do not attack this person. Trying to break a person out of this sort of thing can be dangerous and is something that needs to be handled by the people around him in real life. Please just block and move on. I'm hoping that he's just bullshitting but I still don't want to give him a platform.

The user is cryptik-mercenary.

[stradlixnw]

sometimes i wish i could hug lord ares very very tight, i feel so protected thinking about him

[stradlixnw]

Me, existing as a trans person: :)

CisHet Folks: hAvE yOu GoTtEn SuRgErY yEt? wHaT's In YoUr PaNtS? wHaT's YoUr OpInIoN oN eVeRy TrAnS-rElAtEd PoLiTiCaL iSsUe ThAt'S eVeR eXiStEd??

Me: >:(