aphrodite-sparkles
aphrodite-sparkles
Aphrodite Sparkles
252 posts
(She/her, 20) hellenic pagan who mainly posts pagan content and sometimes other stuff because this is my main blog. Also unlabeled queer!
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aphrodite-sparkles · 15 hours ago
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Am I correct in assuming Dionysus is 1000% a lady gaga fan?
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aphrodite-sparkles · 16 hours ago
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HOMERIC HYMN #7
TO LORD DIONYSUS
I shall recall to mind how Dionysos, son of glorious Semele,
appeared on the shore of the barren sea,
on a jutting headland, looking like a young man
in the first bloom of manhood. His beautiful dark hair
danced about him, and on his stout shoulders he wore
a purple cloak. Soon on a well-benched ship
pirates moved forward swiftly on the wine-dark sea;
they were Tyrsenians led by an evil doom. When they saw him
they signaled to each other and then leapt out and quickly seized him
and put him on board their ship, glad in their hearts.
They thought he was the son of a Zeus-cherished king
and wanted to bind him with painfulshackles.
But the shackles could not hold him and the withes fell far away
from his hands and feet; and he sat there smiling and dark-eyed.
When the helmsman perceived what this meant,
he quickly called upon his shipmates and said:
“Why do you seize and bind this mighty god, you crazy men?
Our well-made ship cannot even carry him!
He is either Zeus or Apollon of the silver bow,
or Poseidon, because he looks not like a mortal
but like a god who has his home on Olympos.
But come! Let us leave him upon the black mainland
at once! Do not lay hands on him; he might be angered
and he might raise violent winds and a great storm.”
So he spoke, but the captain scolded him with harsh words:
“Madman! Keep your mind on the tail wind, and hold all the lines
and hoist the sails of the ship. The men will take care of him.
I reckon Egypt or Cyprus is his destination,
or the Hyperboreans or yet some more distant land.
When we are through with him he will talk about his friends
and brothers, and all his goods, since some god has sent him our way.”
This said, he hoisted mast and sail on the ship,
and the wind blew the mainsail full as they pulled the lines
tight on both sides. But soon wondrous deeds unfolded before their eyes:
first throughout the swift black ship sweet and fragrant wine
formed a gurgling stream and a divine smell
arose as all the crew watched in mute wonder.
And next on the topmost sail a vine spread about,
all over, and many grapes were hanging down
in clusters. Then round the mast dark ivy twined,
luxuriant with flowers and lovely growing berries;
the thole-pins were crowned with wreaths. When they saw this
they ordered the helmsman to put the ship to shore.
Now the god became a fearsome, loud-roaring lion
in the bow of the ship and then amidships
a shaggy bear he caused to appear as a portent.
The bear reared with fury and the lion scowled dreadfully
on the topmost bench. The crew hastened in fear to the stern
and stood dumbfounded round the helmsman,
a man of prudent mind, as the lion swiftly lunged
at the captain and seized him. When they saw this,
they escaped evil fate by jumping overboard into the shining sea
and turning into dolphins. But, pitying the helmsman,
the god held him back and made him most happy with these words:
“Courage! . . . you are dear to my heart.
I am loud-roaring Dionysos, born of the daughter of Kadmos,
Semele, who found love in the arms of Zeus.”
Hail, lovely-faced child of Semele! There is no way
one can forget you and still compose sweet songs.
(trans. by Apostolos Athanassakis)
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aphrodite-sparkles · 16 hours ago
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do you ever pray to a specific god and end up being all giddy and teehee
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aphrodite-sparkles · 16 hours ago
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In honor of Anthesteria, here is a collage I made a couple years back for Dionysus!!
(I literally do not remember why I added the possum in there, it was probably to showcase his feralness LMAO (possum be like :V))
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aphrodite-sparkles · 23 hours ago
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Feel free to print and distribute this image
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aphrodite-sparkles · 2 days ago
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𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚
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⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠄⠄⠂⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁
What is Anthesteria?
Anthesteria, celebrated from the 11th to the 13th of Anthesterion (February–March), was one of the biggest festivals dedicated to Dionysus. Known as the Festival of Flowers, it marked the arrival of spring, the opening of the new wine casks, and the renewal of life. But it wasn’t just about feasting and drinking, it was also a time of purification, fertility, and remembrance, when the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin.
At the heart of the festival was the ritual opening of the wine casks that had been fermenting since the last harvest. This wasn’t just practical; it was symbolic. The wine had been maturing underground, just like Dionysus himself had once been carried in Zeus' thigh before being "born again." Bringing the wine to the surface was more than just a tradition,it was a reflection of Dionysus’ own myth.
But Anthesteria wasn’t all joy and celebration. It was believed that during these days, spirits wandered freely, so while people enjoyed the festivities, they also took precautions to protect themselves. The festival was a strange mix of life and death, revelry and ritual, perfectly embodying the nature of Dionysus, a God of both wild celebration and deep mystery. During Anthesteria, it was also said that the maenads celebrated privately in the mountains and forests. In some legends, Dionysus' marriage to Ariadne was held during Anthesteria.
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠄⠄⠂⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁
Days of Anthesteria
Day 1: Pithoigia (Jar-Opening) 🌸
The first day of Anthesteria, Pithoigia, was centered around the ritual opening of the pithoi, large clay jars that contained the previous year’s wine. These casks had spent months underground, and now, they were unearthed and brought to the sanctuary of Dionysus. A portion of the wine was poured out as an offering, and the rest was shared by all members of the household.
The day was filled with flowers, marking the beginning of the season. Everyone over the age of three was invited to participate in the first taste of the new wine, and the mood was communal and joyous.
Day 2: Choës (Pitchers) 🏺
The second day of the festival, Choës, was a time of popular merrymaking, characterized by wine-drinking contests in which even slaves and children participated. People dressed in their finest clothes, with some even embodying figures from myth connected to Dionysus. There were visits to friends and drinking contests, where participants had to drink an entire chous (about 3 liters) in complete silence. This day was open to everyone, even slaves, highlighting how Dionysus transcended the boundaries of class and status.
For children, Choës marked a special rite of passage. Boys reaching their second year were crowned with flowers and given small drinking vessels, symbolizing their gradual initiation into the community. Meanwhile, the devoted followers of Dionysus, his maenads and priestesses, took part in private, sacred rituals that marked the spiritual union between them and the god.
Day 3: Chytroi (Pots) 💀
The final day, Chytroi, was dedicated to the spirits of the dead. Pots filled with a sacred mix of seeds and grains, called panspermia, were offered to Hermes Chthonios and the wandering souls of the deceased. During this time, it was believed that the spirits of the underworld walked among the living. To protect against any malevolent spirits, people chewed on hawthorn leaves and smeared their doorways with tar. The festival came to a close with the dismissal of the spirits: "Away with you, Keres, it is no longer Anthesteria!"
With these words, the spirits were sent back to the underworld, and life in Athens returned to normal, marking the end of the brief but intense period when the living and the dead had shared the same space.
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Activities To Do:
🍷 Drink wine, or any liquid that you like.
🍷 Place flowers on your altar.
🍷 Honor God Dionysus.
🍷 Go to pottery.
🍷 Make a special mask for Lord Dionysus.
🍷 Do a libation in nature.
🍷 Go to the theater.
🍷 Collect flowers from nature.
🍷 Read and recite the hymns to Dionysus.
🍷 Honor both life and death.
🍷 Take a walk in nature and/or in the mountains.
🍷 Draw Dionysus's symbol or carve His name in stones or wood.
🍷 Make art for Dionysus.
🍷 Make a flower crown.
🍷 Honor your deceased loved ones.
🍷 Leave offerings for spirits.
🍷 Light candles.
🍷 Plant seeds in your garden.
🍷 Plan a feast and celebrate with your loved ones.
🍷 Sing and dance while listening to your favorite songs.
🍷 Do creative activities like art or poetry.
🍷 Go wild and celebrate it as you wish, Kala Anthesteria!
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aphrodite-sparkles · 2 days ago
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A Year of Pagan Prayer
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I purchased this book by Barbara Nolan from my local metaphysical shop a while ago, but I finally sat down and picked out some of my favorite prayers to Aphrodite, Hermes, and Apollo.
There are a lot more featured than just these three deities, it even included other pantheons, but I decided to focus on the deities I worship regularly!
I picked two for each deity:
Aphrodite
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Hermes
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Apollo
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Like I said, there are a lot more deities mentioned in the book than just these three!
If anyone would like me to find a prayer for a specific deity that hasn’t been showcased above, feel free to ask! <3
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aphrodite-sparkles · 2 days ago
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I know people say tumblr is a hellsite but tumblr is like those emergency shelters in the middle of the Alaskan mountains during a blizzard for me. Like other social media platforms force me to see things that will ruin my day but with tumblr I can tell tumblr to not show me day ruining things. Tumblr is the closest thing the internet has to a user run social media site and not AI or algorithm run social media.
Tumblr is the only place where it feels like pagans have a community to themselves, I mean there's reddit too...but reddit is....you know..... (・・;)
I love this place and I hope tumblr never disappears.
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aphrodite-sparkles · 2 days ago
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Hii!! This is a pinned post of things you should know! I will edit this over time!
This blog has a cycle of being active to being inactive (then becoming active again and repeating the cycle) because I have ADHD and I am physically unable to stay consistent 24/7 BUT I DO COME BACK so if you see that I haven't posted in a while don't worry this doesn't mean my blog is dead!
You can call me Lynn!
I have a more casual style of worship because of religious anxiety. I believe people should worship in the way them and their deities are most comfortable as long as it's not disrespectful. If you don't like that then maybe don't follow.
I may able to be answer some questions!
I worship Aphrodite and Apollo right now, I will update this if it changes in the future
I DO NOT want transphobes/TERFS to follow or interact with me or anyone who's homophobic, racist, etc. I am not trans but I am a huge ally!
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aphrodite-sparkles · 2 days ago
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aphrodite-sparkles · 3 days ago
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Off topic: do you ever delete posts from your blog? And NOT because they were bad or controversial but because your old posts were cringe because you were cringe and you've grown a lot since then? I don't want future people going through my blog and seeing how cringe I was. I am still cringe but I am completely different than I was 2ish years ago because I lived a pretty sheltered life and only recently I had the opportunity to actually grow.
If you're reading this in the future you're the reason I did that since you're going through my account and I knew this would happen LMAO.
I'd like to say I don't know what happens in the future, but at the same time I keep being told repeatedly what my future is. Only the future can tell me if I'm insane or not but things have been right so far and I have to wait for the future.
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aphrodite-sparkles · 3 days ago
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Mmmm Buffalo chicken dip
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aphrodite-sparkles · 3 days ago
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I discovered the Iliad is free on the internet, but I did not know it was close to 800 pages long L.MAO the Iliad and the Odyssey are the closest thing hellenic pagans have to a religious Bible type book 😭
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aphrodite-sparkles · 4 days ago
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Trying to power through no motivation to do an assignment and WHAT THE FUCK IS A SMORGASBORD?? It sounds like a goofy name for a fantasy character
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aphrodite-sparkles · 4 days ago
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I saw this and thought immediately of Lord Ares- I laughed for way lounger and louder than I should have 💀
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aphrodite-sparkles · 4 days ago
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Who would be a good deity to pray to for doing well in a hostess job? Like being supportive and welcoming and maybe help getting out of my comfort zone?
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aphrodite-sparkles · 6 days ago
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Me when a deity I don't worship feels stuck to me in some way and I don't have room for another altar:
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