belladonna-moon - Tumblr blog

[belladonna-moon]

Having a relationship with the gods feels like making your room ice cold and snuggling into all your blankets. Exposed to the outside, you are freezing, uncomfortable, unable to rest. But within the safety of the blankets you have never been more comfortable and content. In the back of your mind you know you can’t always be wrapped up in your blankets. That in the morning, you will need to leave and face the world. But just as we need sleep, we will always eventually return to their embrace, and when you do, for a moment, you don’t care about morn’ or anything outside, and you are finally present just before you take their hands and allow yourself to slip away.

[belladonna-moon]

[belladonna-moon]

Dionysus appears to people in a vast number of ways. His appearance changes depending on who He appears to and where.

This is something that is historically true: we see very different depictions of Him in writing, sculptures, mosaics, ceramics, and other mediums of Ancient art. In those pieces of art He takes a large number of forms: young and old, bearded and beardless, fat and slim, without visible muscle and with prominent musculature, tall and short, naked and dressed, with and without an ivy wreath, with soft features and with sharp features, long-haired and short-haired, and so on and so forth.

In writing, He is referred to as androgynous and spoken of as possessing multiple feminine qualities, be it of looks or character. Euripides has Him referred to as "girl-faced" (The Bacchae, lines 400-799) while inscriptions from Beroea dated 248-264 AD give Him the title Ψευδάνωρ ("effeminate man", lit. "false man"). Some researchers add that He is the only Deity whose domain doesn't correlate with His gender in the Greek language: the only word related to Dionysus that is masculine in grammar is ο κισσός, which means "ivy"; all of the other words related to Him are feminine.

I will attach some of His depictions to show just how Diverse Ancient perception of Him was. Dionysus is a God that is constantly changing His appearance, which is why whatever way He chooses to present Himself to you is valid.

Regardless of what gender presentation, body type, facial features, height, weight, or skin color you see Him as; none of these are wrong because He's choosing to appear to you a personal way.

[belladonna-moon]

Y'know I don't think my friend quite understood what they were getting into when they told me "Hey, you know how you like infodumping about witchcraft? Could you just put together a google doc of 'the basics' and resources and such for me, if that's something you'd enjoy? People keep telling me to learn the basics first and I still haven't heard someone say what those are."

The doc is three pages long already, I've warned them that there will be an overwhelming amount of information and links for them to explore. They said they're excited. They're laughing. I have 45 tabs open, all witchy information, and they're laughing.

[belladonna-moon]

Witchcraft and poetry are inseparable for me. What is a poem but a spell, every word woven with care and intention? A poem has the potential to craft new worlds, to open a portal into unseen realities, to rewild our hearts and souls. Poetry is spellcraft.

[belladonna-moon]

The 7 Pillars of Hellenism.

Xenia - This is the pillar that signifies hospitality, generosity and reciprocity. It's typically demonstrated in a guest/host dynamic.

Kharis - This is the pillar that signifies appreciation and gratitude. It entails giving to the gods and and expressing gratitude when you receive something from them.

Eusebia - This is the pillar that signifies reverence and veneration towards the gods. It can be translated to 'piety' or 'reverant conduct' meaning that you show respect for them.

Hagneia - This is the pillar that signifies purifying yourself. It entails having moral, perhaps physical too, purity and avoiding miasma where possible.

Arete - This is the pillar that signifies excellence and brilliance. It entails trying to reach your highest potential and this can be in any field.

Sophia - This is the pillar that signifies the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

Sophrosyne - This is the pillar that signifies self-control and prudence. It involves being of sound mind and remaining balanced, which can further lead to other positive qualities to have.

I hope these are right and that I didn't misunderstand their meanings! Hopefully this is useful to anyone, I certainly enjoyed making the post!

[belladonna-moon]

Things that have helped me feel closer to my deities:

Praying before their altars (bonus points if you write your own)

Read books other than their myths (books you think they’d enjoy themselves)

Meditating with them

Learn about magickal subjects related to them

Dedicate a journal for notes and document experiences you have with that deity (including moments where they’ve assisted you and any divination conversations you’ve had with them)

Listen to their messages and follow through with them

Light incense that reminds you of them

Find artwork that feels like that deity and hang, print or save them

Divination Methods (Runes, Tarot, Pendulums, Bone Throwing, etc.)

Watch content on different subjects they’re related to (documentaries on death, relationships, crime, etc.)

Dedicate, care, and/or name pets, plants, plushies, etc to them

Learn not just their pantheon and myths but the culture that influenced them

Wear jewelry dedicated to them (bonus if you have that deity enchant them with protection)

Share meals with them

Thinking of them in passing (like “hey that thing reminds me of *insert deity*”)

Talk casually at their altars and give them an itinerary of your day

Define your relationship with that deity and refer to them accordingly (if its a more formal/in reverence, use a formal title. if it’s warm/personal, use an affectionate name.)

[belladonna-moon]

something i wish i had realized earlier: you can write poems on the same subject more than once. you can write, paint, draw the same thing over and over if you want to. you can spend your whole life making art about oranges. i think i always felt this pressure to get it right the first time like i couldn’t go back and use that inspiration again. but you can. you can go back and revisit it. you can pick up the conversation again and again if you have more to say.

[belladonna-moon]

Me giving an offering to an ancient deity at three in the morning

[belladonna-moon]

Ares teaches us to take our anger and harness it, allowing it to fuel us further and push us farther than we previously thought possible. Ares teaches us that, within anger, we can find the strength we need to move forward.

[belladonna-moon]

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

[belladonna-moon]

Happy International Asexuality Day to my fellow ace pagans and witches🖤🤍💜

[belladonna-moon]

“The aspens have eyes and the trees bark.”

Decided to animate this piece

[belladonna-moon]

To my pagan/polythiest friends, heres a reminder to actually sit and chat with your deity about what you want/need and what would make life easier for you. They cant read minds most of the time (when you're not actively quietly communicating with them) and communication can only strengthen bonds. Go say that thing youre terrified to say or admit that you dont like some aspect of your practice. 90% of the time life gets easier when you do. And they're genuinely happy to see you succeed how you want to.

I see u, you're doin great

-Grey ♡

[belladonna-moon]

Being able to keep my peace in the midst of chaos and respecting the way my mind and energy levels work instead of forcing myself to overwork until I get anxious and burnout

What was the last thing you did that you could literally feel your deities being proud of you?

In my case, I literally felt a huge energy and pull toward my altars when I maintained boundaries and kept my peace. Could feel my deities being like “HOLY SHIT !!! THEY FINALLY DID IT”

[belladonna-moon]

The person who re-blogged this wants you to know that they are open to questions regarding their spiritual path, witchcraft and faith, and in fact, would love to talk about their spiritual path with you and have a casual talk!!

(this applies to me pspspsps HMU , don't hesitate, i am always open to respectful discussion of our spiritual paths and just being friends!!)

[belladonna-moon]

Friendly reminder that if you cannot explain, discuss, or celebrate your beliefs without shitting on someone else's, you neither understand nor truly believe in your chosen path.

Yes, even if you have trauma.

And no, you don't get to claim the suffering of people who died during witch trials because those were not secret pagan witches.

Also, learn your history. Not everything was originally a pagan sex festival, the Wheel of the Year is a recent invention, Christians did not steal our holidays, and cultural development doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Don't be a pick-me witch. You're better than that. So do better.