singingcalliope

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"why do you write?" because it’s the only way to silence the characters pacing around my brain like victorian ghosts with unresolved issues that prevent them from moving on.

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Mahmoud Darwish - “Memory for Forgetfulness” 

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ancient greek word of the day: χρυσανθής (chrysanthēs), with flower of gold

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Ó Deusa que tudo é capaz de cumprir - Zeus tem-te estimada, filha de Perses e Astéria, mui amada! Ó Senhora dos mortos e caminhos - Chamam-te Enódia, de triplas estradas! Ó Protetora contra males funestos - Tens as tochas que afastam a vil intenção, guiando almas com a mão! Louvo-te no teu banquete, Salvadora dos Mortais, afasta de mim o impróprio e traz tua virtude sagrada!

english:

O all-accomplishing Goddess - Zeus holds you in high regard, daughter of Perses and Asteria, most beloved! O Lady of the dead and paths - They call you Enodia, of triple roads! O Protector against fatal evils - You have the torches that drive away vile intention, guiding souls with your hand!

I praise you at your supper, Saviour of Mortals, drive away from me the improper and bring your sacred virtue!

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A N T H E S P H O R I A    T R A D I T I O N S

Anthesphoria was a regional flower festival that may or may not have been connected to Persephone’s return from Haides as Kore. I embrace this festival in my personal practice as a celebration of the return of spring and hold it on the spring equinox. As one would expect I decorate my home and sacred spaces with a lot of flowers as well as include them in crafts, spell work, and recipes to live up to the name of “flower festival”. I include other seasonal practices such as a spring cleaning where I deep clean my apartment as much as I am able and take the opportunity to declutter and get rid of unnecessary items. Since I am cleaning I also take the time to cleanse my home and renew wards.

I start my spring cleaning, decluttering, decorating, and baking a few weeks before the festival itself to keep myself from being overwhelmed by the amount of things I tackle and to allow myself the opportunity to enjoy the many activities I like to do for this holiday. (Honestly it’s reminiscent of my Christmas/Boreiea celebrations in that it’s more like a multiple week long celebration instead of a day.) I make sure to finish any tasks I am in the middle of the day before Anthesphoria and the morning of I have a simple sunrise (or early morning) ritual that involves a formal welcome of Persephone’s return, cleansing of the home, and renewal of the house wards. I then have a nice brunch before dedicating some time to devotional writing or crafting, spell work, and/or divination.

W E L C O M E   T H E   S P R I N G

spring cleaning

deep cleaning

decluttering

bring spring into the home

open windows; light cleanse by air

bring flowers into the home; potted plants, bouquets, flower petals, et cetera

cleanse the house through cleaning, burning incense, misting with cleansing water, ringing a bell, et cetera

refresh wards and protections

seed starting and other early spring gardening activities

floral spell work or crafts (such as flower crowns); if ingesting be sure to source materials to be free of pesticides

spell work or crafts incorporating eggs

spell work focusing on growth, beginnings, and new ideas

divination and reflection

Prayers/Devotional Acts

Homeric 13 & Orphic Hymn 29

Hymn to Persephone by @poetryandarete​

[to persephone] by @iamidae​

Hymn to Persephone-of-the-Putrid-Thaw by @poetryandarete

Poem to Persephone in honor of her coming forth by @bastetsha

A Prayer to Persephone by @missingmunin

Kore, Maiden of Spring by @demeterspriestess

With light, nimble steps by@nightshadeandroses

Persephone Offerings/Devotional Acts by @thepastelpriestess

Offerings & Devotions | Persephone by @nymphetboricua

MC’s Persephone Devotional Tips by @sleepywitchmc

Small Devotional Activities: Persephone by @sandalclad

The 72 Adorations to Persephone by @lesbiandaydream

Persephone Spell Jar by @nymphetboricua

Ode to Persephone Body Oil by @waterwitchofthewoods

Crafts

colander planter

Natural Colored Eggs Tutorial by @the-summerland-angel

build/paint/decorate a bird house

birdseed feeder

make a flower crown (video)

press flowers

diy flower press

pounded flower scarf

flower petal candle holder

Recipes

I cook and bake recipes for Anthesphoria that heavily feature edible flowers, eggs, and/or fruit.

Kore Bites/Lemon-Violet Tarts

Floral Sun Tea

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Ostara Quiche

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Farmers Market Quiche

Artichoke Souffle

Deviled Eggs

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Earl Grey Lavender Cupcakes

Honey Blueberry Yogurt Custard

Raspberry Meltaway Cookies

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies

Lemon Butter Cookies

Lemon Bars

Cartomancy Spreads

The Seed Tarot Spread by @tarot-dreams

Self-Exploration Tarot Spread by @05009 

Self-Reflection Tarot Spread by @thecrossstitchwitch

Spring Garden Tarot Spread by @foolstarot

Suggest a Topic | Masterpost of My Personal Practice Posts | Support Me

Last updated 10/12/20

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Ancient Greek Religion & Hellenic Polytheism: A Reading Guide

I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long while, and talking to my friend @olympianbutch today gave me the push I needed to do so. When I was starting out as a Hellenic Polytheist years ago, this is the kind of resource I needed. So I hope you all enjoy and find this helpful!

Introductory Reading:

Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Athenian Popular Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Greek Religion by Jan N. Bremmer

On Greek Religion by Robert Parker

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship by LABRYS

Comprehensive Guides:

Greek Religion by Walter Burkert

Companion to Greek Religion edited by Daniel Ogden

Understanding Greek Religion by Jennifer Larson

Rethinking Greek Religion by Julia Klindt

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow and Julia Klindt

Polytheism and Society by Robert Parker

The Gods and Theology:

Ancient Greek Cults by Jennifer Larson

Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow, Julia Klindt, and Robin Osborne

Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion by Ellie Mackin Roberts

Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World (Routledge Series)

Offerings and Sacrifice:

Personal Experience and Materiality in Greek Religion by K.A. Rask

Singing for the Gods by Barbara Kowalzig

Smoke Signals for the Gods by F.S. Maiden

Sharing with the Gods by Theodora Suk Fong Jim

Primary Sources:

Theogony & Works and Days by Hesiod

The Homeric Hymns

The Orphic Hymns

Sources for the Study of Greek Religion by David Rice and John Stambaugh

Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Valerie M. Warrior

Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Emily Kearns

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Magic in Ancient Greece: An Introduction

I have seen some people claim that magic or witchcraft did not exist in Ancient Greece. This is not the case. So, I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce you all to the strange and wonderful world of Ancient Greek magic!

First, what do we mean by "magic"? Radcliffe Edmonds, one of the leading scholars on Ancient Greek magic, defines "magic" as "non-normative ritual behavior." In short, what makes something magic, and not just normal religion, is that people in a given culture think it's weird. The word "magic" itself refers to the magi, Zoroastrian priests — the Ancient Greeks thought they did magic because to them, Zoroastrianism was foreign and weird. They also thought that Ancient Egyptians could do magic for the same reason — what the Greeks thought was spooky magic was just normal religion in Egypt. Within their own culture, magic was basically heteropraxic religion. Magic was not considered hubristic, at least not inherently.

There are multiple Ancient Greek words that refer to magic. The word μάγος, magos, itself means "magician" or "charlatan." There's also γοητεία, goetia, usually translated as "sorcery." The word most often translated as "witchcraft" is φαρμακεία, pharmakeia, the use of drugs or herbs to transform or influence people. This is what Medea and Circe do.

One of our best sources on Ancient Greek magic is the Greek Magical Papyri, or PGM, a set of magical texts from Hellenistic Egypt. When I first learned about it, I thought it was too good to be true, but here it is: uncorrupted ancient pagan magic! Essentially, the PGM is one of the oldest known grimoires, and the ancestor of the entire Western magical tradition. The papyri contain spells and rituals for almost every purpose: curses, love spells, divination, dream oracles, summoning daimones, necromancy, even full mystical rites. Most of them include invocations to various gods, which are heavily syncretic. Helios/Apollo (treated interchangeably) is invoked the most often. Aphrodite appears pretty often, too. Hekate-Artemis-Selene-Persephone (conflated with a whole bunch of other chthonic goddesses, including Ereshkigal) has her own set of spells. You'll even find the names of Egyptian gods and Hebrew angels in there.

One of the most common features in PGM spells is voces magicae or barbarous names, nonsense words that are supposed to be the secret names of the gods, which give you the authority to call them up. They act almost like a written form of glossolalia. Most are supposed to be spoken or chanted aloud. Some sound like actual names, or are well-known magical epithets like ABRASAX. Some are just strings of Greek vowels. Some of them are palindromic; there's lots of spells that use the "abracadabra" disappearing-letter-triangle format. There's also charakteres, apparently-meaningless magical symbols, the distant ancestor of modern sigils.

Another major source for Ancient Greek magic are defixiones or katadesmoi, curse tablets. They're little lead leafs called lamellae, which are inscribed with curses and then deposited in wells, graves, and other chthonic places. Thousands of them have been found.

Here's the text of a curse tablet that invokes Hekate and Hermes Kthonios (copied from Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager):

Hermes Khthonios and Hekate Khthonia Let Pherenikos be bound before Hermes Khthonios and Hekate Khthonia. I bind Pherenikos’ [girl] Galene to Hermes Khthonios and to Hekate Khthonia I bind [her]. And just as this lead is worthless and cold, so let that man and his property be worthless and cold, and those who are with him who have spoken and counseled concerning me. Let Thersilochos, Oinophilos, Philotios, and any other supporter of Pherenikos be bound before Hermes Khthonios and Hekate Khthonia. Also Pherenikos’ soul and mind and tongue and plans and the things that he is doing and the things that he is planning concerning me. May everything be contrary for him and for those counseling and acting with…

Another curse tablet, which invokes Hekate to punish thieves, includes a drawing of her and charakteres. This is how she's depicted:

From Curse Tablets and Binding Spells in the Ancient World by John G. Gager

It's supposed to be a woman with three heads and six raised arms, but to me it looks like Cthulhu, which is honestly appropriate.

There was a very fine line between love spells and curses in Ancient Greece. Some love spells in the PGM call upon the spirits of the dead and chthonic gods to torture a poor girl until she submits to the magician. Just as many defixiones attempt to forcefully bind a lover. But there's another, gentler kind of love spell described by Theocritus in Idylls, in which a witch named Simaetha invokes the Moon and Hekate and uses an iynx wheel to make a man love her.

If you want to know how to apply all of this in modern practice, I'm still working that one out. I've found the PGM very hard to adapt, because a lot of its requirements are dangerous or impractical. Many of its spells require gross ingredients worthy of the Scottish play, or plants that scholars can't identify, or procedures that I don't plan on attempting. And if you haven't noticed by now, most of them fly in the face of modern magical ethics. (Don't let anyone tell you that the gods will punish you for doing baneful magic, because that's clearly bullshit.) On the other hand, Crowley adapted his Bornless Ritual almost word-for-word from PGM V. 96—172. So far, the best resource I've found on modernizing Ancient Greek magic is The Hekataeon by Jack Grayle. Its material is clearly historically-inspired, but still doable, and spiritually relevant. I really recommend getting it if you have the means, especially if you have an interest in Hekate specifically. I'm happy to have it as a model for how to adapt ancient magic for myself in the future. To me, it strikes the perfect balance between historically-informed and witchy, which is right where I want to be.

If you can't access that one, here's some other books I recommend:

Drawing Down the Moon: Magic in the Ancient Greco-Roman World by Radcliffe G. Edmonds III: An introduction to Ancient Greek magic, both scholarly and accessible. It covers the definitions and contexts of magic, curses, love spells, divination, theurgy, philosophy, basically everything you need to know.

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation by Hans Dieter Betz: The definitive English edition of the PGM. A must if you plan to study ancient magic in-depth, especially as a practitioner.

Curse Tablets and Binding Spells in the Ancient World by John G. Gager: An English edition of the texts of many curse tablets.

Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden: a sourcebook of ancient literature concerning magic.

The Golden Ass by Apuleius: A Roman novel about a man who is turned into a donkey by a witch. A very entertaining story, also our source for "Cupid and Psyche" and one of the best sources on the Mysteries of Isis that we have.

Ancient Magic: A Practitioners Guide to the Supernatural in Ancient Greece and Rome by Philip Matyszak: A simple and straightforward introduction to Ancient Greek magic, less scholarly but very easy to follow and directed at practitioners.

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100% sure that whenever Trump dies, that day will become a Tumblr holiday, and there will be posts that circulate annually with crab rave GIFs in the reblogs as far as the eye can see

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Prayers to the Theoi in light of the U.S Inauguration

May Father Zeus judge the actions of the United States and see those who abuse their status as leaders brought to justice. May He protect the vulnerable; may Zeus, patron of foreigners, stand guard over all those threatened by deportation and xenophobic violence. May tragedy fall on those who do not treat each foreigner as if they were a god in disguise, who violate the holy law of xenia. May He give us all the strength to resist injustice however possible. May He empower those underneath the boot of American imperialism and raise them up to freedom. Zeus loves the compassionate, generous, honest, humble leaders, and He despises the vicious, greedy, deceitful, and hubristic leaders.

May Lady Athena raise up the people, that they may govern themselves. May She cast her shining eyes on this government and, when it is found lacking, may it be transformed by Her. May Athena, the Maiden, strike down all those who seek to control women and those they see as women. May Athena bless all those who fight for justice. May She make them clever, brave, bold when needed and peaceful when possible. May She guide us to true wisdom, and give her favor to the people who seek deep knowledge and critical thought. May Athena tear down lies, deception, and all forms of trickery that seek to disguise vice as virtue.

May Lord Apollo see those who bring chaos and violence and take aim at them with His arrows. May Apollo, the Averter of Evil, defend the meek and oppressed. May he protect the elderly, disabled, and sick from disease, and may He inflict it on the corrupt and greedy. May Apollo, who helps those in distress, enact His justice on the healthcare companies that cause untold suffering. May Apollo, protector of fugitives, guard the imprisoned who are used as slaves, as well as the refugees who are met by hostility from every corner; may He guide them to safety.

May Lady Aphrodite foster unity amongst the people. May she fill the cities with love for one's neighbor, love which inspires noble actions. May Aphrodite bless the tongues of those who speak on behalf of love. May She, patron of sex workers, protect all those who will suffer from whorephobic laws. May Aphrodite punish greatly all those who seek to diminish Her domain, and in their hubris make claims about who can love who. May Aphroditos protect all of the transgender, intersex, and gender-non-conforming people, especially the children. May S/He cast her vengeance over all those who seek to diminish His/Her domain, and restrict the expression of the body and the mind. Aphrodite Pandemos blesses us through our relationships with one another. She gives her favor to those who devote themselves to their communities and seek unity through love.

Feel free to add your own prayers for this incoming time.

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All of the full moons of 2024

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hymn to persephone

Kore follows a winding path of somber nymph or waifish fawn,  tender loam crushed by crocus and lily and tulip and rose in her frantic step, step, steps sheer linen over flesh and ghostly form dressed to the letter I in innocence, gaiety, springtime, mania. the plot of Lover, wrathful as she, under helm of great shadow. the dark wisps, curling up from dying grass beneath his heavy step, step, steps with cursed chariot, through rotten earth, the King emerges, Agathos Daimon, Lord Adesius, rides to his Queen with a fervor, passion. his chaos-bringer, his Soteira the soft edges on a heavy gavel,  vines that crack sturdy stone. the plains of Hell bursting forth, hear the screams of the damned and the chains catching against those that flee the gates. an escape, power, good fortune. for a child of plenty–she has so little.

praise be her name! Persephone– the ripe fruit of chaos– seven seeds she eats, for the love of Death and fear of life above. the chthonius of spring, Empress of the Depths.

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Persephone 👸🍂💀🦇

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🏛Hellenic cheat sheets🏛

In construction

Here are some cheat sheets with general information about the Greek Gods which you might find useful in worship but not only!

There is plenty of information I did not include. These are just simple cheat sheets. I could not fit everything in there but this might come in handy if you’re just starting out or want to get to know the Hellenic Gods.

For more information about them, I highly recommend you check out the websites or books I listed in sources!

PSA: Some of the things listed in offerings and associations section are more modern, thus could be regarded as UPGs/SPGs

⚡ The Olympians ⚡

Zeus

Hera

Poseidon

Demeter

Athena

Apollo

Artemis

Ares

Hephaestus

Aphrodite

Hermes

Hestia

Dionysus

Mount Olympus - Home of the Gods

Hyperborea

🦴The Underworld🦴

Hades

Persephone

Hekate

Hypnos

Thanatos

Erinyes

House of Hades & the Afterlife

🌱 Minor deities & daimones 💫

Nemesis

Eris

Phobos & Deimos - bonus info

Eros

Nike

Asklepios

Pan

Iris

Hebe

Priapus

Amphitrite

Aristaios

Thetis

Tyche

Mousai [Muses]

Moirai [Fates]

Charites [Graces]

Anemoi [The Winds]

🌾 Titan & Primordial Gods 🌌

Helios

Selene

Hekate

Eos

Leto

Themis

Rhea

Cronus

Nyx

Gaia

👑 Heroes & deified mortals ⚔

Achilles

Heracles

Asklepios

Ganymede

Dioskouroi

Adonis

Hyacinthus

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[singingcalliope]

I should get to dance to Kiki Rockwell in a soft-grassed meadow in the woods under the full moon. Just once. As a treat.

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"skibidi toilet is ruining gen alpha" do none of you people remember asdf. i remember asdf.

[singingcalliope]

my bravest knighttt... come hither ..... mmmwah !! ok you are dismissed