hats-off-to-hermes

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Botanical [ 8 colors ]

Nature doesn't hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

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I sat down to draw without any plan and I got... Hermes? Hello?

If there are any of his followers here, then here you go, this is for you.

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An Etruscan mirror where Ariadne and Dionysus are kissing while Semele and a satyr look on

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When I was little my mom’s meatloaf was my favorite food. But ONLY her meatloaf. I didn’t like anyone else’s, and she told me that she would teach me how to make it when I was older. And when I was like 19? She finally taught me, but she told me never to tell anyone else and I was like weird but okay

Anyway, she was super fucking homophobic and abusive to me when I told her I was gay, so here’s the recipe

4-6 lbs of Hamburger/turkey burger

1 pk onion soup mix OR ranch mix

1 TBs ketchup

1 Tbs spicy brown mustard,

1 Tbs bbq sauce

1 Tbs steak sauce

1 egg

mix, shape into a loaf in a big pan, and bake at 350 for 2 hrs (maybe 2 and a half if you’re feeling dangerous)

You can get almost all of these ingredients at the dollar store, and have leftovers if it’s just you. The leftovers make great tacos if (taco seasoning is also like a dollar). Enjoy your revenge loaf

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King of Swords reversed and Six of Cups

Don't worry about whether it makes sense, it's just a game.

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On Godspouses

Godspouse discourse has existed for as long as godspouses have, so decades, if not hundreds of years.

This is a post to say: my blogs are godspouse-safe and I am a godspouse-friendly practitioner!

And for the many years to come of discourse — positive and negative, as discourse only means discussion — may this be here for friends and strangers alike.

I personally think it's possible to critique the bastardisation of religion via social media at the same time as not invalidating the experiences of godspouses.

It's possible to not only attribute the existence of godspouses to social media. Social media is our window to the experiences of others including those who have these connections with the gods, but that doesn't make social media the primary motivator.

At the same time, because social media has become an accessible platform of sharing our experiences with the world, I'm sure there are godspouses out there who realised what their relationships with the gods were through places like these, or learnt about the term, or used it as a jumping pad for research, or — in finding out more about this — maybe that's how their deity decided it was time to reach out about it.

We can acknowledge a lack of historical sources at the same time as knowing that there is information that's been destroyed or lost, that we may never see again.

And some of the history we do have may very well be what we know godspousing as today, even if the words are different. Even if language has evolved.

And if it turns out that we don't have much on it historically? That's okay. Mortals, religion, and gods all change. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here today worshipping our lovely divinities.

We can be respectful of the gods and utterly pious while knowing that from the beginning of time, both mortals and gods have sought connection with one another.

That connection can take on a variety of appearances!

That includes if someone doesn't want to use the word godspouse but the concept is close to what their relationship is. It includes not having anything to do with godspousing and still having meaningful connections with the gods. It includes using the word proudly with deep, deep resonance. It includes the word being "good enough". It includes the in-between and vague, blurry lines.

We can express caution to young people diving into this path, because it's true, growing up takes a lot of time (see: forever). I do believe young people (especially those under-age) should seek to learn more about themselves, about life, about love, about education, about career, about family, about their values in life first — because perhaps they will find what they desire once they move out of home and have an income of their own and a social circle that isn't restricted (if that might be the case under one's household). A deity doesn't have to be all or any of the above for them.

(So that there is no doubt about it: I don't think minors should engage with godspousing)

I don't worry about "the ones on tiktok" or those who get referenced in anti posts because, chances are, they'll realise how cringe they are one day (we all have before and we all will continue to). Or they might learn and learn and learn and realise that it's not for them, or maybe that there is something meaningful there for them. In any case, the gods will handle it better than we can.

At the same time, I commend the godspouses/consorts/partners and more (even those involved with other spirits: infernal, angelic, fae or beyond) who post about their experiences and talk about them. It is a privilege to have access to another person's website or blog or platform. I think it's great for combating misinformation (whether intended or not), and I think it's great if they just want to exist rather than educate anyone.

Not all see this (these opinions, this post, this topic) in the same way I do. Not all see the gods as individual beings who enjoy relations with mortals, or see the gods as beings who can express these desires or emotions in a reciprocal manner. That's all okay.

Maybe you can find what you're looking for here — a bit of validation, some food for thought, a different perspective.

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think that everyone has their own personal theme in life

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Queen of the Dead part 2, 73

Here are two characters we haven't seen in a while. ^^

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What colours are the archangels?

These are not anything "official" but the colours I see the archangels as! Let me know what colours they appear as to you.

Archangel Samael: Red Archangel Haniel: Pink Archangel Raphael: Green Archangel Gabriel: Blue and silver Archangel Michael: Reddish-orange and blue Archangel Zadkiel: Dark blue and purple Archangel Cassiel: Yellow and light blue Archangel Azrael: Red and black Archangel Uriel: Cyan

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Wheel of Fortune. Art by Jesse Lonergan, from The Unveiled Tarot.

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“I don’t want to be a burden” you’re more like a relief, a gift, a blessing actually

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Temperance and The Fool

Without even meaning to, you've stumbled into a really great combination of things.

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Hey imagine having a garden separated from the street by a high wall, and then building a ramp to your garden with a cat door at human head level, both at just the right height so your dog can peer outside without bothering anyone.

This way, the dog can safely observe the world outside and judge everyone without any risk of someone getting out or in. And why would you want the cat flap on human head level? Simple. Anubis mural.

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IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE: DIONYSUS/THE KID

Monkey Man dir. Dev Patel; The Bacchae by Euripides trans. Anne Carson; The Bacchae by Euripedes trans. William Arrowsmith; gif by @gongyussy

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Info-dump on starting angel work Because it's been a while since I've posted about angel work!

I love angels!

People particularly work with Archangels because they are the leaders of their domains. There are theoretically infinite angels and you could really pray to any in any domain but we'll get back to that.

There are many different groups of Archangels, rather than one agreed upon "pantheon"

I work with the Ars Paulina system, which includes but isn't limited to (because there are many): Archangel Samael = Angel of Execution Archangel Haniel = Angel of Grace Archangel Raphael = Angel of Healing Archangel Gabriel = Messenger Angel Archangel Michael = Angel of Protection Archangel Zadkiel = Angel of Mercy Archangel Cassiel = Angel of Temperance Archangel Azrael = Angel of Death Archangel Uriel = Angel of Wisdom

Lists in this post courtesy of my friend @angelmilkdreams <- amazing blog for angel work btw

Ars Paulina is the angel version of Ars Goetia and is part of the Lesser Key of Solomon

You can also look into your birth angels or sun & moon angels through this system! They're your teaching angels, so they can sort of tell you what you may do in this life or something about your energy. The angels are assigned by zodiac:

Traditional: Aries & Scorpio = Samael Taurus & Libra = Haniel Gemini & Virgo = Raphael Cancer = Gabriel Leo = Michael Sagittarius & Pisces = Zadkiel Capricorn & Aquarius = Cassiel

Modern: Scorpio = Azrael Aquarius = Uriel Pisces = Asariel

For more about your birth angels, I suggest checking out Ariel Gatoga. I still recommend him after all this time.

If you ever get into angel work, you might want to explore different sets of angels to see who resonates with you. You also don't have to work with every angel in a pantheon. The main ones I call upon are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel and Haniel. I bring in other angels for prayers to others, though

Practitioners have different opinions about this, but I think angels are one of the easiest spirits to work with!

Because they love unconditionally. They love to help us and their purpose is assisting creation! They do still exist beyond this material world though - so it's not like strict servitude to humans

Another great reason: they don't require ceremony to be summoned. You may come across things like ceremonial magic for angels, or enochian magic etc. Ars Paulina also has rituals for summoning but I found you don't need them (maybe if you're asking for huge stuff).

That's cool if people want to do that though you simply need to use your words. Just invite them into your life, or your space, or something (like job, if relevant). There's no structure to prayers but you can be inspired by helpol prayer format if you so choose.

"Archangel Haniel, Archangel of Grace and Harmony, I invite you and your blessings into my life."

This is a good enough prayer to say to start a devotional connection with Archangel Haniel.

Angels don't need offerings but they're still nice to give. We usually say you venerate angels or work with angels rather than worship. But it's up to you as well - this way is just more common.

Some offerings can include angelic imagery or icons, flowers, things that remind you of angels, items that are specific to certain archangels (oils, sachets of herbs, amulets and talismans), incense!

Where do they come from? Who knows? /hj Depends on your belief system.

I believe angels come from a variety of sources. I believe angels came from the universal source, I believe they probably came from God too. I believe pagan gods have angels. I believe Hermes, Iris, Eros and Thanatos are angels who have their own angels. It doesn't really matter to me where they came from - I just know they exist in different forms across religions

Fun fact: Did you know the most common hierarchy of angels was written by a guy named Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite? His book was called On the Celestial Hierarchy

Extra fun fact: His inspiration is said to be the Chaldean Oracles and Hekate's triad of angels. The iynges (don't know too much about these ones), the synochesis (intercessors and guides) and teletarchai (something to do with initiation, probably with mysteries).

Extra extra fun fact: Zeus was said to have an angel (angelos) in inscriptions at Stratonikeia, Hekate's most significant town as a civic/patron goddess. Some scholars theorise the unnamed angel in Stratonikeian inscriptions could be Hekate herself

Anyway, angels like devotional acts too! Prayers are a good way to communicate with them. It is possible to sense the energy of angels! I noticed a difference in my room when I started working with angels - I could tell they were around, and they made things a little brighter

Can you use prayers from Christianity and Catholicism for the angels if they resonate? Yeah sure

You can also get into astrology with angels. It's a pretty big part of Ars Paulina (the planetary aspect). If you want to work with Haniel at a peak time, do it on a Friday when the planetary hour is aligned with Venus. If you want to do the same for Gabriel, Monday on Moon hours. For Raphael, Wednesday on Mercury hours.

Angels have sigils and symbols. You can use the planetary symbols as sigils for them too. I've attached a couple sigils for Raphael here

This website has information from Ars Paulina - another I still recommend after all these years: https://www.archangels-and-angels.com/

Ariel Gatoga's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/arielgatoga

Let me know if you'd like to know anything else about angel work! Practitioners can have varying opinions about all this, so be sure to research and consider what works for you. It can also change over time.

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