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[morselmint]

Advice for beginner Hellenists

This isn't necessarily a post where I include a list of Gods, epithets, resources, and offerings for said Gods, but rather, hopefully soothing the worries of those of us who are starting the journey into the religion. As someone who was once in a religion that made other religions sound like something absolutely terrifying, my journey into Hellenism was once which was also... pretty terrifying, and this fear was mostly just from my own mind.

Anyways, my list of Advice:

You can literally just start praying. If you want to get more formal, you can absolutely get more formal, but you very much don't have to. I've definitely had my first prayers to some Gods be "hello, [God or Goddess's name], I want to worship You! Please lead me in my journey. Thanks!" I can promise you, the Gods are much kinder and more understanding than any of us fully know.

You can also just start worshiping in general. I feel like I've seen on occasion people worried about the Gods not "calling" to them. This is definitely not something that needs to happen pre-worship. If you find them interesting enough to pray to, then that in and of itself is enough.

In a similar vein, I wouldn't be too concerned about the idea of "signs". I feel like there's a tendency for folks to be incredibly worried about everything when first starting out - the behavior of a candle, the sighting of an animal, a strange dream, all can suddenly seem to take on jarring significance. But I can promise you, the Gods don't constantly give out signs, and frequently, these strange occurrences can be attributed to the mundane. When something comes from the Gods, you will know, trust me!

You don't have to worry too much about the idea of cleanliness, be it spiritual or physical. Khernips are cool, and I'd definitely recommend integrating them into your practice sooner or later. Hygiene is cool too! But if I'm being honest, we in the modern day are far more physically clean, and a lot less likely to regularly encounter the type of pollution that would have been encountered in ancient Greece.

The Gods will be at varying distances over the course of your worship. Sometimes, They will feel close, joyfully, burningly so. And sometimes, They will feel far, and prayers may even feel a bit futile. Both of those are perfectly okay, and neither of those will be permanent.

And, once again in a similar vein, you will likely not find yourself having constant, close mystical experiences with the Gods (i.e., conversations, visions, etc.). These experiences are rare and far between, and I would advise that you not make them a central part of your worship. They will come when the Gods deem you're ready for them, and you definitely won't be expecting it. Focus on the little things!

My final thing (for now) is that you also shouldn't put undue pressure on yourself to be doing some sort of big offering to the Gods. If that's what you can afford, that's great! But if not, fresh water, a small wildflower that you came across and picked*, or a small bit of a meal also count as a good offering!

And with that, my (much longer than I was previously planning on) list of things for beginners to keep in mind! A lot of this list is made up of things which I picked up along the way, and a lot of it is also made from my own personal hindsight being 20/20. I hope this is helpful to someone, and that it maybe soothes some of the (incredibly common) worries which so often accompany those who are venturing into the world of Hellenic polytheism!

[morselmint]

Hypnos & Thanatos by ofensky

[morselmint]

a tip for beginners since it worried me when i first started: its important to note that while there are deities that are heavily connected to each other, you’re not obligated to work with both of them.

many people speak on specifically married deities (ex: hades & persephone, zeus & hera, odin & frigg). a lot of people refer to them as a “package deal” since they are heavily entwined. but it’s important for those just starting out, this does not mean you have to work with both.

as someone who works with hades, some of my offerings to him are related to persephone but i don’t worship her. in fact, when i had the opportunity to meet her and ask, she smiled and said, “you’re not mine”. we both mutually understood that we didn’t have a connection to one another but we have mutual respect and kindness for one another.

the “package deal” part is where i offer my coffee that is too sweet for hades so he said he’ll hand it to persephone instead. which is the cutest fucking thing btw omg

this is all just in an effort to say, please do not worry about having to work with two deities rather than one. don’t get overwhelmed.

[morselmint]

Something that always irks me is when people act like Ancient Greek religion DOESNT have rules. Or that they varied too much to be applicable.

Obviously, that’s not true.  Rules did vary depending upon region (sacred laws). But they’re still rules. There’s some pretty overarching rules such as these, which are historical:

Do not violate Xenia

Do not break your oaths 

Do not abuse supplicants 

Do not allow agos

Do not allow murderers 

Try to approach the gods while washed (which there is leeway here depending upon the situation but for example, priests HAD to be ritually ‘pure’).

Bury the dead 

Respect the Pythia 

Do not steal from temples 

Obey sacred laws (temple-specific rules)

Etc etc

Sacred laws did vary some. Certain sanctuaries required a different level of ritual purity than others, and some allowed you to take the wood for example from temples. But that’s the exception — not the rule. There was also multiple different levels of purity. Also blood isn’t polluting, it’s actually purifying.  Pagan religions actually do have rules. Even if they’re not applicable anymore (such as ‘respect the Pythia’ because there is no Pythia), knowing why they’re there is so important. These rules can take on new meaning, especially for revivalists, but they still exist. Sources: Understanding Greek religion, The Oath in Ancient Greece, On Greek Religion, The Seer in Ancient Greece, A companion to Greek religion, Inner purity and pollution in Greek religion, etc.

[morselmint]

Artemis and apollo.

[morselmint]

BRO. I was in the shop thinking to myself "it would be nice if I could get some honey to offer Apollo," and then my eye caught on a local honey display. There's this beautiful jar of creamed honey with cinnamon that looks absolutely delightful. I think "hey, that looks perfect," and I look at the label.

The label reads "Aristaeus creamed honey"

ARISTAEUS AS IN THE HELLENIC GOD OF BEEKEEPING??? ARISTAEUS AS IN THE SON OF APOLLO?????

[morselmint]

7 Virtues 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!

[morselmint]

[morselmint]

“Lucky I passed by, traveller. I got a message for you..”

[morselmint]

Wood Engraving Wednesday

JOHN AUSTEN

In the 1930s, the Limited Editions Club sent out a list of titles to selected artists and asked them to choose a book to illustrate and present their ideas for illustrations. The well-established English book illustrator and wood engraver John Austen replied that he wished to illustrate The Frogs by Aristophanes even though it did not appear on the list. His proposal and preliminary designs were so strong that the Club agreed. Austin provided 28 wood engravings and an edition of 1500 copies were printed at the venerable Haarlem, Netherlands, printing house of Joh. Enschedé en Zonen and signed by the artist.

View all 28 engravings at the Book Graphics blogspot.

View our other posts with illustrations by John Austen.

View more posts on works by the Limited Editions Club.

View other posts related to the Enschedé firm.

View more posts with wood engravings!

[morselmint]

bro i asked if anyone wanted a piece of my dinner (chilli with rice) and the pendulum said "yes" so i went to put it on Marzanna's altar since i thought it was her who wanted it but she said she didn't want it so i was like "then who asked for this" and i asked if Apollo wanyed this and the pendulum said yes so i gave it to him and i wasnt sure if he likes it so i asked if he likes it and he said "yes" and now im dumbfounded cus aint nowhere any info about whether Apollo likes spicy food and im sitting here and asking for the third time if he really likes it cus im so dumbfounded 💀 doesnt help that ive read somewhere that he rarely likes food offerings

does any Apollo devotee have any info about that?

[morselmint]

God of trade, God of trickery, thieves and travelers revere this mystery  ☿

[morselmint]

[morselmint]

Greek Gods series by RuiRiel

[morselmint]

Due to something I had shared recently, I do want to state that Athena is often a very kind, compassionate goddess. I don't want to give the idea that you can't rely on Athena or that her standards are much higher than anyone could feasibly achieve. I am no hero. I am no great soldier of old. Yet Athena stands by me anyway. She assured me that I don't need to be a "hero" to have value. You don't need to be some "great legend" to catch her eye or win her favor. She is not scrutinous. She is not filled with disdain upon the sight of a person who doesn't fit the within "the norm". She is a great goddess, and her good traits don't overshadow any other deity's.

I dislike the idea of comparing gods or pinning them against each other, so I just wanted to make these things clear.

[morselmint]

ALL OF THESE REQUIRE GETTING OUT OF BED

[morselmint]

"I've received mail under that name, and if the USPS can find me, I believe the spell can find me."

-some new taglock knowledge I just dropped [made up]