persephonecats

[persephonecats]

Hey, hi, hello. So, just wanted to reiterate this again.

The Greek Gods are not their myths.

Myths were not written by the gods.

Myths were written by flawed ancient men who really didn't like women and it shows.

Your goddesses are not vain, petty, or shallow.

They are not bound to the myths written by flawed men.

[persephonecats]

Deity Devotional Playlists

So I’ve been working with the Gods quite a bit recently, and I’ve made some devotional playlists for them. 

I’m adding to them almost every day and some playlists have more songs than others, but I wanted to share them with you all. They help me when I work with them, so hopefully they’ll help you all too.

Theoi Playlists:

Zeus ⚡️

Hera 💍

Poseidon 🌊

Hades 💀

Demeter ❄️

Persephone 🌸

Athena 🦉

Ares ⚔️

Apollo ☀️

Artemis 🌙

Hestia 🏠

Dionysus 🍷

Hermes ✈️

Hephaestus 🔨

Aphrodite 💗

Hypnos 😴

Aesir Playlists:

Thor ⚡️

I really hope you all like these! They’re songs I associate with them, respectively. If you have any song suggestions or recommendations please let me know 💕

[persephonecats]

Grimoire ideas

About you:

How you got started in the craft

Your spiritual journey

Things you connect to (animals, elements, plants, ect)

Types of magic you do

Your natal chart

Your deities (if you have any)

Correspondences:

Remember, you don't need to write down correspondences you will never need! So instead, write about...

Crystals you have/want

Plants you can grow yourself/already have around you. Check your spice cabinet

And list things to use those for! So that would be herb bundles to burn, salves, recipes, and so on.

Other things you can use in magic that you already have

This would be things like sea shells, snail shells, grass, dirt, candles. Get creative!

Other witchcraft stuff:

Your sigils

Planets

The sun/moon +moon phases

Zodiac signs

The elements

Symbolism (animals, shapes, and whatever else you wish to add)

Spells:

What makes a spell that works!!! This should help with making your own spells

What NOT to do

Different types of spells

Spells you will actually use

Divination:

A section on tarot cards and their meanings

How to use a pendulum

Meanings of oracle cards

Rune meanings and how to cast them

Lesser known forms of divination!!!

Mental health:

Grounding and centering

Burn out care and being energy efficient

A list of what motivates you to do your craft

Small spells for self care

Astral work:

Your astral space (a map, a description, drawings of important locations)

Your astral body, if it's any different than your physical one

A list of spirits and important information about them

Protection, sheilding, banishing, and safety

Manners when interacting with spirits and what NOT to do

Methods of projection/travel that work for you

Post-astral grounding methods

General spirit work:

How to interact with spirits and how NOT to interact with spirits

Protection, banishing, shielding, and other safety things

How to give offerings (there's more than one way!)

Methods of communicating with spirits

Signs of spirits

Ways spirits can send signs and messages (animals, dreams, and so on)

A list of different kinds of spirits you work with/have encountered

A section for research, especially if you're doing deity work.

Grounding, if it helps you afterwards

A log of interaction with spirits. This can be like a divination journal but with spirits, if that's what you do.

[persephonecats]

Modern Male Witch Project, by Brenna-Ivy on Tumblr and Society6

[persephonecats]

[persephonecats]

Praise be to Hera! Khrysothronos

your palace high above, yet you walk close with me

You are the tart sweetness of summer fruit

sun warmed blushing skin and rich flesh

effortlessly appearing the demure bride

but when your rallying cry calls my name

I could march to any tune you choose

my queen upon Olympos

[persephonecats]

Things I’ve learnt so far working with Hera

She doesn’t take your bullshit. If you’re procrastinating, or putting off doing something important because you just don’t wanna, Hera will make sure you do it. 

She’s very motherly. She likes to fuss over her worshippers, and make sure that they’re safe, warm, comfortable, etc. Today, I had a ritual bath for her, and while I was meditating I kept getting the urge to get out. Turns out she was worried that I was going to overheat in the very warm bath, which was so lovely of her.

She’s incredibly protective of her devotees. If you’re dedicated to Hera, she will fight for you, tooth and nail. When I had an issue recently with a spirit, her and Set (another deity I worship) stopped the spirit immediately. She’s extremely loyal, but only if you pay her the respect she deserves (which heads up, is a hell of a lot. She’s the Queen of the Gods, and she knows how she should be treated). 

She’s extremely powerful. Hera walked right through the wards I had put up around my astral house. She may be written off as not very powerful, but she is Queen. Of. The. Gods. She has power and she knows how to use it. 

She’s nothing like the myths. Hera is not angry, or vengeful. She delivers the due justice that people deserve. If you disrespect her, you will feel her wrath. But if you’re kind, and respectful, and treat her well, you’ll have no problem. 

She’ll want you to get married. Boy, I should have seen this one coming. But Hera wants you to get married and start a family.

If she doesn’t like your partner, that could be an issue. Luckily, Hera likes my current partner. However if Hera doesn’t like your current partner if you have one, you may need to reconsider working with her, or look at your relationship. She wants what’s best for you, but you might not always agree on what that is. 

Her and Zeus are close. In fact, when I work with Hera, I can often feel Zeus along for the ride as well. 

Offerings offerings offerings! As I’ve said, Hera knows what she deserves, and she’s reminded of this at times when I’ve forgotten to give her adequate offerings. One thing I’ve found is that she’s a big fan of devotional acts as opposed to offerings, which is when you do an activity and dedicate to a god or goddess. For example, yesterday I played a board game with my family, for Hera, and today I had a ritual bath for her. As someone who is broke and a closeted witch, I can’t really give loads of offerings, but devotional acts seem to make her just as happy.

Dedicate some time to her. Leading on from my first point, spend some time with Hera for the gods’ sake. She wants to know you’re devoted to worshipping her. She’s not the type of goddess you can just pray to once and expect her to be raining down blessings on you left right and center.

The myth with Hephaestus paints an ugly picture, but as a person with disabilities, Hera has been nothing but understanding. I have severe mental health issues, including severe PTSD and psychosis, and this can make my worship difficult when there are days I can barely feed myself. However Hera has been lovely and so comforting during rough times, coming to me in dreams and when I’m meditating, and even just feeling her presence now feels me with a warmth that comes with motherly love. In short, Hera is a wonderful goddess, and I highly recommend reaching out to her if you have a calling to!

Reminder: this is all my personal experience (UPG) and may not reflect how you personally see Hera, but I wanted to share in case it could help someone!

[persephonecats]

How to Make an Offering as a Hellenic Polytheist (based on historical methods)

Get the attention of the deity you’re making an offering to, this is typically by calling out their name, and/or some epithets. You don’t have to use epithets, it’s more formal if you do though. Epithets can also give the advantage of telling the theos your calling on, exactly what it is about them you’re about to be praising.

Same some nice shit. Tell them why you’re about to make an offering to them. This can be anything from, “This is my weekly offering” to “I think you’re pretty cool” or “Thanks for your help on that test last Tuesday” ect…

Define the offering. This is where you usually tell them what the offering is. Juice, fruit, wine, a bit of jewelry you’re dedicating to them, a devotional act you’re planning on partaking, ect…

Give them the offering. If you don’t have an altar or shrine space, this one can be a bit more difficult. But, there’s always a way to make it work. You can, for example, declare that you’re dedicating a necklace to Aphrodite, and now wear it in her honor, and then put the actual necklace on; or put it in a jewelry box for safe keeping until you do wear it.

(optional) Make your petition if you have one. This is where you can say, please do me this favor or help me with this thing.

Thank them for paying attention and *hopefully* accepting your offering.

If you want, you can even write a devotional hymn, prayer, or poem, that follows same structure as making an offering, and recite that while making an offering. For example:

Dionysus Anthion(of the flowers),

Crowned in flowers and ivy,

Staphylitês (of the grape).

With fruit sweet on our tongues and wine dark in our glasses,

We call to thee,

Glorious God of fruit-bearing vines,

And ask that you bear witness to this offering.

We sing your praises in hymn,

As we pour libations of cream and honey,

Quenching the parched Earth’s thirst,

Feeding your sacred vine.

((optional lines)Drink of the cream,

Taste our sweet honey,

And bless these vines,

That we may have a bountiful harvest.)

We thank thee, Dionysus,

Your humble followers,

For your many glorious gifts.

It clearly outlines who you’re calling, what you like about them (in this particular context) what you’re giving them, how you’re giving it to them, and then thanks them. With the optional example in there of petitioning for something in return for the offering. It can be helpful for some folks, and it certainly makes it feel more ceremonial in my opinion; but it’s not a necessity.

Another form of offering format is much more for the sake of petition. It gets pretty straight to the point, asking for what you want. This is more like trying to cash in favors than it is a straight up offering, but is still a valid part of Hellenic Polytheism.

Call on the theos in question, by calling their name. You can also state epithets if you desire, or add a bit of praise. That way you’re not (metaphorically) walking up to a deity and saying, “Hey, remember that time I did X, well I want Y now.”

Call on your kharis or relationship with the particular theos you’re petitioning, and any of their connections you might be in good with. This is where you point out things you’ve done for them.

Make your petition, explain to them what you need. Make it clear, but realistic.

Make an offering or promise of future offerings upon completion of your request. Be clear about the offering, define it. It doesn’t work too well to say, “I’ll give you anything you want” because look at how hard it is for mortals to understand deities on any given day, we’re not likely to figure out exactly what they want, or we might not agree to their cost in hindsight. Offer what you think is fair trade, and what you’re willing and capable of giving, but keep in mind what the theos may want.

Keep in mind that the theoi have every right to ignore petitions, or simply decide they aren’t going to do it. Nothing we do as followers obligates the theoi to help us, but we can always ask when we need it.

Again, written or verbal devotions can be helpful for keeping this structured and making it more formal if you desire. I’ll provide another example:

Cunning Ariadne,

Wife of Wine-Dark Dionysus,

Sister to the Minotaur,

If ever I have poured libations in your honor,

I ask you to hear me now.

Aid me in unraveling this problem,

Show me the path I must take.

For when I pass this trouble unscathed,

I shall sing your glories,

Pouring out unmixed wine to you on every night the moon is dark,

Until the year passes to a close.

You can be as poetic or plain as you like if you decide to use hymns, prayers, or poems with your offerings and petitions. It’s all personal taste.

Ways of Making Offerings in Hellenic Polytheism

There are as many ways to make offerings in Hellenic Polytheism, as there are Hellenic Polytheists. Everyone ends up developing their own ways of doing things. These are some examples of common offerings though.

Burning Offerings:

Burning offerings is most common with food. An offering is declared for a theos, and then burned in a (typically) open flame. This is a great way to make offerings for any deity in the Hellenic pantheon. Both Ouranic and Khthonic deities, as well as pretty much every other entity in Hellenism, accepts offerings that have been burned. Always be safe when using fire, and especially when placing things in an open flame.

Libations:

Libations are liquids poured out to the theoi. There are a couple different ways to do libations.

Khthonic entities tend to prefer their libations poured directly onto soil. This includes not just Khthonic deities, but also some daimons and the dead. Neat fact, some ancient Grecian graves had a fancy jar above the grave, with a hollow bottom, so that family of the deceased could pour libations into the jar and it would fall directly into the soil.

Another way to do libations is to pour them into a drinking glass, or decorative vessel. This method is more common for Ouranic deities. In this method, you should dispose of the remaining liquid after a while, to keep it from getting gross.

Feeding the Theoi:

Food offerings for the theoi can be given in ways other than burning.

A method that I’m quiet fond of is to set an extra place for the theos you’re offering to to. This means that if everyone else gets a placemat, a plate, fork and knife, glass, and napkin, the place for the theos gets the same set up. You call on them before starting the meal, explaining you’ve set a place for them to join you, and asking them to partake of your meal. You then go about dinner as normal, not actually serving anything to the plate. This makes the dinner itself more of an offering than any specific food.

You can also share food with the theoi. If you’re worried about offending the theos you’re offering to, just ask them first, they will let you know if they’re unhappy with the idea. What I mean by sharing food with them, is to literally share. To eat the same food you offer them. In this instance you offer them the food, and then you can either explain that you are sharing it with them and dig right in, wait a little while before eating it, or share it with other people who might be there. This is a good way to make sure food doesn’t go to waste. Not every occasion is appropriate for sharing your food with the theoi, but ti’s also a great way to make food offerings if you’re worshiping on the down low.

Finally, we’ve got the method of setting out a plate or item of food, and not touching it. This is common for Khthonic deities and the dead, especially the dead. It was considered bad luck to share food with the dead, so food offerings for the deceased weren’t eaten.

Burial:

Another way of making offerings to Khthonic entities is to bury items that are being offered to them. Bury a few coins for an honored ancestor. Bury that roll you set our for Haides (just be aware something may very well eat it). People would make offerings to Khthonic entities in or on the ground, because it was symbolically closer to the entities themselves. So burying offerings is symbolic of basically handing them the offering.

Displayed:

Not all offerings are things that get disposed of. Some things are permanent items, and items we intend to keep for a long time. These items can be displayed almost anywhere. If you have an altar or shrine, then that’s a great place, but you can also put them anywhere you want. Maybe on top of a bookshelf? Or the kitchen counter?

What to Offer

I strongly suggest looking at the specific theoi you want to make offerings to, in order to find out what they would like. Different deities have preferences and favorites that they like to receive.

There are general offerings though that will be accepted by almost all the theoi.

Food

Drink

Incense

Coins (some theoi like coins a lot)

Writing

Art

Pretty Decorations

Flowers

How to Get Rid of Offerings

As mentioned above, not all offerings are disposed of in the act offering. When this happens, we need to look at how to respectfully dispose of an offer before it gets gross.

For libations, I’ll either pour them out into my garden, or let the act of washing my offering chalice remove the libation. The second form is the most common way I do it. I’ll start the sink running, and place the chalice underneath the water so it overflows until the water spilling out runs clear. Then I wash and dry my chalice, and put it back on my shrine.

For food offerings, it’s a bit harder. If you offered compostable items, then you can always put them into your compost bin as a respectful way of disposal. If you’ve offered things like meat, then you don’t have much choice but to burn it or throw it away. My recommendation for respectfully throwing away offerings is to offer a quick prayer when you remove the offering, throw it away, and then wash the offering plate it was on and clean the general area the offering was in. This makes it pretty clear that you’re not taking the offering away, but cleaning up instead.

[persephonecats]

in your head what colour is the number 7? thursday? the word 'opulence'?

[persephonecats]

REMINDER: Your grimoire/BOS does not need to be pretty.

It should be suited to your craft and lifestyle. It does not need to be perfect or ‘aesthetic’. It should be practical and do its job. If you want to make it super aesthetic, go ahead. But don’t feel pressured to. It doesn’t have to be a work of art. 

[persephonecats]

There are different types of deity work

I keep seeing debates about whether or not deity work is dangerous that approach the subject as if there is one level of deity work. Frankly, this is causing confusion and concern in classes and rituals that involve deities. There are different types and levels of deity work. I can’t hope to capture them all in a tumblr post but here’s a start.

Honoring / acknowledging a deity - this can be as simple as leaving an offering at a shrine, setting up your own small shrine or just being present when someone else calls on a deity. This often how people begin deity work. It is entirely safe for beginners and can even be politely done just to acknowledge someone else’s deity.

Deity work in ritual, either your own or a group ritual - a good example is Wiccan sabbats. Deities are typically called on during these and work down with those deities within the ritual itself. These rituals usually have a distinct beginning and ending point to say “now we’re working with the gods. and now we’ve stopped.” There should be no danger from deities in a well led ritual. There can be some leakage in a poorly run circle, but if you aren’t calling the deities yourself, that will generally dissipate once you leave.

Deities in meditation journeys - guided meditations to meet deities are popular. You may encounter deities you are unfamiliar with, don’t work with or who can even be a bit frightening. A good guided meditation will include a part to farewell and leave the deity. However, these meditations can be dangerous if this process of meditation is not healthy for you. Not because the deity is dangerous but because the person struggles with the process.

Patron deities - this is a commitment to do the work of a certain deity. It’s not dangerous as much as it can be demanding. It is generally not undertaken until you’ve spend several years doing the above working. It can involve life-altering changes.

Channeling deities - this is when a person calls a deity into themselves, usually in a ritual setting. Now this can be dangerous. it should only be done in situation where there is a priest/priestess or leader who knows how to help bring the person out of a channeling session. People who struggle with mental health issues should consider carefully and perhaps talk with a therapist before doing this. There are some traditions where this is a regular part of ceremony and others where this is seldom or never done. It is a technique to be approached carefully.

[persephonecats]

Hey, your Paganism is valid af.

Hellenic paganism? Valid. Roman paganism? Valid. Celtic paganism? Valid. Kemetic paganism? Valid. Norse paganism? Valid. Eclectic paganism? Valid. Paganism? V A L I D.

[persephonecats]

ee thanks love 

Everyone should check out @persephonecats

They have incredible information and they are so incredibly kind and good at their craft

If you want a solid source of info go check them out!

[persephonecats]

Hey, you know, veiling is a valid form of worship and like, i didn't know i had to say this, but as long as the person is choosing to veil because they want to (not out of fear or rejection) it's literally empowering so... fuck off people who say pagans (and other religious/spiritual people) can't veil or that veiling is oppressive.

[persephonecats]

Your deities hear you.

They hear every prayer. They hear every question, every wish, every whisper that is meant for them.

Even if it feels like there’s no one there sometimes. Even if it feels like your prayers aren’t being answered.

They hear you. They love you. They understand you. You don’t need to hear them for this to be true.

[persephonecats]

Don’t forget that the Netjeru love you!

[persephonecats]

Me: *takes a deep breath*

Me: I lo-

Anyone who has ever spent 5 seconds around me: Yes, you love your gods, we know, you love your gods so much, they are the light of your life, you love them so much, you just love your gods, we KNOW, you love your gods you fucking love your gods ok, we know, we get it. YOU LOVE YOUR GODS