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[confused-theist]

Musings on Dionysus from last night:

—

Dionysus is young and old.

He is, in his earliest myths, a son of Persephone. It is with her that the seasons change, and he does also.

In the spring he is flowering and young, emblazoned with youthful vigor and excitement. Dionysus Intonsus. Dionysus the unshorn youth.

In summer, he is fertile- ripe and ready. Drunk and enticing in the warmest months. It is with him that your cares are taken from you, and celebration is an order. Dionysus Lyaeus. He who frees us from care.

In the fall, it is the slow descent into the cold. The vine is plucked, the wind turns. It is here he is pressed and he provides for all in the feast. Here he sits at the head of the table and offers council and comfort to all- Dionysus Hestius. Dionysus of the feast.

Finally, death is in winter. It is this time when the warmth of mulled wine is sweetest- when it fills the heart, even in the absence of the growing vine. It is when he guides through the cold and dark, encouraging in the final moments before he is born again that we can follow this cycle. He lights our way, and shows us through. Dionysus Lampterus- he of the torches.

—

Personally, I have always viewed Dionysus as a teacher and mature more figure- in line with his Bronze Age depictions. This is not to say that the younger depictions of him are incorrect- not at all. These concepts and aspects of him can exist simultaneously. They are not at odds, but instead work in tandem to create the full picture.

Dionysus isn’t only the young and carefree God. He is a God of Good Counsel, and he who guides the wild growth carefully.

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Things I imagine my Deities doing: Part 4

(Please remember this is a silly little skit, based on my real experiences.)

Me: *Showing off my Kandi to Lord Hypnos.* "And then we have this rainbow cuff! It was my first one! And then we have this star..."

Lord Hypnos: "Very Nice my child, very well done."

Me: "And then we have this one! And this set of singles that I made!"

Lord Hypnos: "Very Nice sweetie."

Lord Hypnos: *After I'm done ranting and talking.* "Now how about you go lay in bed and I'll hold you? How does that sound?"

Me: *Blows out my candle and climbs into bed. Feels the sensation of being held in his lap.* "Very nice Father."

*Side note: I love the feeling of being held by my deities.

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When you are manic, Dionysos is with you

When you are depressed, Dionysos is with you

When you are delusional, Dionysos is with you

When you are euphoric, Dionysos is with you

When you are splitting, Dionysos is with you

When you are in a rage, Dionysos is with you

When you are struggling with your mental health in any way, Dionysos is right there with you. He will never be angry about your mental illness.

**I know all the gods are with you but as the god of madness, Dionysos feels most fitting.**

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"Soft-eyed Hypnos came, embracing all his limbs, as a mother on seeing her dear son after a long absence folds him with her wings to her loving breast."

— Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragment 929g (Rainer papyrus) (trans. Campbell)

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⋆˙⟡ One day . . .

I'm going to have my own place with altars for all my deities on prominent display.

My bedroom will be dedicated to Hypnos, with my bed and dressers decorated as shrines for Him - the altar being the room's centrepiece.

I will have a garden with lavender and poppies dedicated to my Lord.

I will have shelves and shelves of books; historical, medicinal, and on sleep science. All used and loved.

I will speak prayers and hymns and recite poetry aloud without fear of judgement or being found.

My home will be a sanctuary of comfort and respite from the outside world. Open to all.

One day, I'm going to rest well. I will be at peace.

-> divider by @/strangergraphics

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the gods are so real. the gods are so real and they love you. if you're looking for a sign that the gods are holding your hand, here it is. they are here with you. they are looking for a way to help you in the best way possible. stay strong, it's going to be okay.

[confused-theist]

i made a tiny figurine of Lord Hypnos to put by my bed. he is very smol.

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🍷Hail Lord Dionysos!🍷

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If I could give Him roses to show how much I care, I would. But for now, pictures of them will have to do.

To my Lord, whom I'm devoted. Your patience and care, Love and presence, Serenity and mystery; Are but few things that put in me in awe of you.

I wait for your embrace each night, Knowing I am forever safe in your arms. O Sleep, ruling the unconscious mind, How I wish I could show you as much love And duty that you do to us.

Praise be blessed Hypnos ♡

-> divider by @/huraxy

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Poem I've made for Lord Hypnos

Those sleepless nights are no longer here. The nightmares and bad dreams, I don’t need to fear. O’ kind sleep, blessed be your gentleness. Now because of you, my nights aren’t restless. All hail lord Hypnos Paean. The lord of sleep, and the reason I became a Pagan.

Never made a poem before, this my first try! And of course I would dedicate my first poem to Lord Hypnos :)

(English is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes, and sorry if it sucks, this was rlly my fisrt try!)

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Xenia means you help your neighbours escape immigration police

Xenia means you feed, house, and respect the homeless, regardless of what got them there

Xenia means you do the work to unlearn racism, misogyny, homophobia, ableism and transphobia

Xenia means (with obvious exceptions) you treat criminals and felons as human beings worthy of dignity and respect

Xenia means you make your environments less overstimulating if you know you’ll be with an autistic person

Xenia means Fuck the police

Xenia means you talk to the elderly neighbour who’s living on their own, and has nobody in their life

Xenia means respecting your trans friends identity even when they’re not present

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Anonymous (🦋) requested a prayer for mental illness, specifically feeling overwhelmed, so naturally I wrote two prayers!

PRAYER FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

See me, Dionysus Bromios, Dionysus Eleuthereus, loud-roaring god of liberation: long have I slumbered in darkness, consumed by shadow, dreaming of nothing, numb to your revelry and joy... Shake loose that which binds me to this emptiness, to this sorrow, to this lack of self-fulfillment— wake me! Wake me so that I may once again see the stars, hear birdsong at dawn, feel the morning sun on my skin, and remember who I am and what it means to live.

PRAYER FOR FEELING OVERWHELMED

Hear me, Dionysus Bromios, Dionysus Lyaeus, boisterous god who frees me from care and worry: when the world hums too loud, my heart drums too wild, and my head spins, remind me to breathe and return to a moment of stillness; show me that this cage I've outgrown has always been unlocked, that I am free to fly where I please without burden; be the wind beneath my wings that carries me through bluer skies to highest branches untouched by fears and anxiety! O Dionysus Dimetor, twice-born from the violence of being rent asunder: remind me that I am whole in all my pieces.

Prayer requests are open at my discretion! Tips and prayer commissions can be paid through ko-fi~

You may use this prayer in your personal practice, but please do not alter, copy, or repost.

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｡°‧ Community Announcement ‧°｡

Hello hello everyone, I hope you're all well!

I'm very excited to be announcing a community-offering project with the shrine! After some deliberation and testing; a magazine (?) has been made - well, in the process of being made.

- The Somnolent Journal -

-> More info under the cut!

This is where YOU come in! It's a community-based project, which means you can submit any prayers, poems, devotional writing, artwork, cohesive rants, reflection, etc. for / inspired by Lord Hypnos.

Works surrounding His family will also be accepted, however for this first issue, I'd like to keep it more Hypnos-centric, given that the project is dedicated to Him.

Also feel free to submit (only if you're comfortable of course) any dreams that you've had recently. You can submit just the dream or the dream and an interpretation; it's up to you!

You can enter any submissions on the google form below:

The Somnolent Journal - Issue 01 Submissions

ISSUE 01 COVER

This also means there's a new tag for any updates regarding the journal -> #the somnolent journal

Sweet dreams . . . 💙

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hellenic polytheism: good resource posts from tumblr

tumblr should not be a one stop shop for information about hellenic polytheism! however, these are some amazing posts i've found that come with a wealth resources from across the site.

hellenic witch and magic reading list

ancient greek religion and hellenic polytheism: a reading guide

hellenism resources

hermes google drive

hellenic polytheism - free (and reliable) resources

would love to see if others have posts they suggest as well.

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Lord Hypnos and his epithets

Lord Hypnos is the personification of sleep, child of Nyx, brother of death, Thanatos. He and death are often represented as two youths sleeping, or holding inverted torches in their hands. He does not boast a lot of Epithets, but these are the ones I could find.

List of Epithets:

Epidotes - Bountiful

Pannikitis - All-Vanquisher

Melamkhrotos - Black-skin

Latin Names:

Hypnus, Somnus, Sopor

Titles:

Soft-eyed, Black-winged, Sluggish, Drowsy, Bold, Lazy, Youthful, Sweet, Empty, Gloomy, Shadowy, Vagrant;

All-Vanquisher, Defeater of Woes, Rest of the Soul, Balm of the Soul, Peace of All the World, Stranger to Anguish, Gentlest of the Gods, Quietest of the Gods, God who knows no pain, the blackskin, the painless, son of Nyx, brother of Death, King of Slumber.

sources:

I wrote this entire post in class, please keep that in mind.

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Deity Journaling Masterlist (General)

15 Day Devotional Challenge

Deity Journal

Devotional Journaling

Pagan Prayer Journal Prompts

The Ultimate Deity Journal

What to put in Your Hellenic Journal

Some More Ideas

Devotional Journal Tips

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"Hermes is the god of thieves so he's fine with art theft!" No.

"Dionysos wouldn't mind it he's chaotic!" No.

"Hephaistos is a machinery god and AI is machinery so it's okay!" No.

"The gods wouldn't even care they just want offerings!" No.

There is not, and never has been, a reason to offer the gods AI art. It requires absolutely no effort or thought on your part as a worshipper, which defeats the purpose of an offering.

Do not support the use of AI art at ALL, much less as something given to Them.

"But it's all I can give!" Water. The Theoi fully accept a glass of water.

Sing.

Do a craft.

Write a letter.

Draw.

Dedicate a task.

Please do not offer those you worship something so lackluster and thoughtless as a computer generated image that destroys our environment and piggybacks off the works of others.