#I lean towards polytheism

[gravehags]

i like to think that curator reader leans more towards paganism in terms of spirituality so she and copia have interesting discussions about polytheism and theistic satanism. with cardi gently nudging her into accepting lucifer into her pantheon lmao. not because he wants to see her front row during his sermons or on her knees in a confessional professing her most delicious of sins for his ears alone. surely not that.

[ohmerricat]

as a natural skeptic i’m gonna be real with you. i’m slamming the brakes on this whole religion thing before i figure out what it really is that i believe. one thing i know for certain is that i don’t think my experiences of the world relate to what you call “hard polytheism” at all, so i will be refraining from referring to myself as “pagan” or “heathen” or similar terms from here on out — as i learned from reddit, actual pagans, i.e. those of you who believe that the Gods from whatever pantheon you follow are literal, actual, 100% independent, non-anthropogenic, non-metaphoric entities, tend to frown upon talk of “archetypes” and co. i don’t want to be seen as insulting your Gods with my home-brewed eclectic woo-woo nonsense, so i’ll keep at an arm’s length until i’m one hundred percent sure that i can defend my own beliefs because i know what they are.

i personally lean towards the chaos magic side of approaching these concepts — although, truth be told, i need to do more reading. a lot more reading. but once again, i stress, personally, i find myself far more comfortable with the concept of egregores. metaphysical entities, congregations of energy and intent, that have been given power and consciousness through centuries of dedicated devotion and prayer from humans. if enough people direct their thoughts towards an idea for long enough, leave offerings for that idea, hold festivities in its honour, write poetry and paint artworks depicting and praising it, then it’s no wonder if it gains a mind and will of its own. i lean towards the idea of deities/other spirit entities as personified aspects of the universe, as currents of energy or patterns of thought or representations of natural phenomena that were given different (or many) names in different historical/geographic contexts and have taken on a semi-solid shape with time

which is to say, i don’t know whether the Presence that has been visiting me — the one that rekindled/sparked/ignited my interest in all of this, pun quite intended if you know who i’m talking about, is genuinely the ambiguous, controversial Norse deity that i have been referring to Them as; whether They are some kind of thoughtform or another separate spirit; a manifestation of my subconscious desire to “Aren’t You Tired Of Being Nice Don’t You Just Wanna Go A Little Apeshit”; or a character i Made Up In My Head (not outside of the scope of possibility, knowing my tendency to spot patterns where there aren’t any). i’m treading with caution. that’s what you do. because after doing some wider research, i really, really don’t wish to be associated with that sort of person — you know the one. edgy. rebellious kid. doesn’t know what they’re talking about. witchtoker

after all, i did come here through pop culture. so, maybe, all this ends up being is another hyperfixation on mythology. i’ve had those before as a way younger teen — thanks, uncle rick. don’t really know how to conclude this, so: i’ll get more educated and get back to you. if any of you (you know who you are) have any BOOK or ARTICLE RECOMMENDATIONS based on what i’ve said above, please don’t hesitate to PUT THEM IN THE COMMENT SECTION

xoxo, ivy

[ana-elle76]

Talking polytheism here

So I started my journey around 2022/2023 when I start seeing a LOT of videos on hellenism, so i decided to do some research but I really start practicing end of 2023/beginning of 2024.

I had a dream at that time with a woman who had a very mother-like aura and I had that feeling that she wasn't just a random woman so i re-start the research I made back in 2022.

And then while reading about the gods (at this time I was only leaning toward the greek pantheon), Lord Apollo catched my attention and then it felt like it was right, like I was supposed to met him

I then start doing more research on Him and His Sister Lady Artemis and again it felt like it was meant to be.

Then later on my journey, after I had really start working with Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis, Lord Loki made his appearance, He kinda appareared out of nowhere but I welcomed him very easily, making a bunch of research on him and since then he kinda teached me how to laugh about things where I would only see the bad things.

And more recently, I found Lord Anubis. I kept getting goosebumps when I saw or read something about Him and I wouldn't have paid attention to it if it happened when I read about others Gods. So I search Him and again, it felt like it was meant to be.

So that's basically how everything started. I have never been more grateful for me finding Them or Them finding me but They helped me a lot by now so I thank Them everyday for their support

[divine-crows]

- About Me -

Celtic Pagan -- Mild Animist -- Witch

Art/Main Blog: @corvidnothous

PAGANISM INFO

From a young age I always resonated with polytheism so I can't really pinpoint a time frame for when I was practicing because I prayed to deities on and off throughout my youth in secret.

As you can probably see already, I identify as a pagan, I also refer to myself as a polytheist at times but pagan just feels right to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I try to mainly approach my practice from a reconstructionist angle but I also sprinkle in UGP in areas I can't seem to find sources in

Mainly Irish-Celtic Pagan, Interested in Brythonic, Germanic, and Gaullic Paganism but not fully immersed into it yet.

Former Hellenic Pagan (no hard feelings, I just needed to move onto my next step in my path!)

I'm a closeted Pagan so I can't do too much fancy stuff (sad) but I try my best!

I post random thoughts relating to my faith, occasionally offering-type stuff to my deities, and I reblog a lot of pagan stuff I find neat/helpful!

I mainly venerate. . .

- Lugh (Irish Deity)

- Brigid (Irish Deity)

- Cernnunos (Gallo-Roman Deity)

- Belesama/Belisama (Gallo-Brythonic Deity)

WITCHCRAFT INFO

I've been on and off practicing for years starting some time in early middle school? My practice has grown a lot since then!

I kinda lean towards "Traditional/Folk" style methods of doing magic (I think thats the best way to put it?) A practical witch if you will.

Closeted witch so I can't do much fancy stuff, I have to keep it lowkey but I try my best!

I reblog tarot spreads I like, spellwork info, and witchy stuff I find neat. Occasionally I make posts that I think might be helpful to others!

My favorite witchy practices are. . .

- Divination

- Hedgework

- Working with 'the spirits of the land'

- Utilizing the Witches Compass

- Art magic

This is NOT the page for you if you are. . .

xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or fascist.

I do not tolerate 'folkish'/'volkish' ideology, and likewise I don't tolerate those who appropriate from practices.

[[DNI or I will block you as I see fit]]

[sag-dab-sar]

My Practice Overview

I am IzkurEreškigal, my religious name meaning "Ereškigal has called."

𒄑𒆳𒀭𒊩𒌆𒆠𒃲

I have been a polytheist for 13 years.

⚫️ My Understanding of The Divine

I am primarily a hard polytheism, the Gods are real, individual, powerful beings. They can be both imminently present in our world and transcendent beings in their divine realms. They are not always-everywhere, all-powerful, all-knowing, nor all-good; we as humans cannot fully understand them. They do not conduct their affairs solely for the benefit of humans. I feel not need to learn what The Divine would be outside of Earth.

⚫️ Sumerian and Hellenic Polytheist Revivalist

I worship them together as one practice.

My understanding, cosmology, & theology lean heavily towards Sumerian, in all my religious viewpoint. Specifically Ur III and prior but will take from later periods of Mesopotamian history.

I also learn the ancient Hellenic point of view and apply them as necessary in order to respect both 'pantheons', even if I lean Sumerian. I prefer earlier times in Greek history but am not academically versed enough to tell the difference.

I have made Hellenic household worship, influenced by Labrys, an important part of my practice.

I don't follow any ancient Sumerian or Greek calendar. Though try to incorporate some Greek festivals. Due to resources most of my practice is informed by Attic tradition.

⚫️ Additional Practices

▪️I practice Shinto. I am far away from any shrine but seek guidance from an official shrine (Jinja) via email if I feel I need it.

▪️I worship Mary, primarily as Our Lady of Sorrows, Mater Dolorosa. I worship her as a "hero" not a goddess.

▪️I like divination (haven't done any in awhile). Cartomancy— 78 Tarot, Oracle, French-suited Lenormand. Astragalomancy— Dice. I have others I could dabble in, a few pendulums, runes (though I's prefer to make greek alphabet), scrying ball. I'll be getting some academic books on Mesopotamian numerology eventually. I just don't have energy atm.

[thehexwitch]

I've been starting to relate more to deity and divinity in a more literal sense than before, and have been really leaning toward the idea that while the majority of spirits are tied toward land, more powerful divine spirits can travel and exist multiple places at once. My gut has been pulling me toward Celtic and Roman polytheism, though through a very traditional witchcraft-influenced lens.

I've been a practicing witch for almost 10 years now, but I still struggle with understanding what path I want to go down spiritually. In many ways, I still feel like a beginner. There are so many elements from folkloric and historical witchcraft and polytheistic practices that I relate to, but I need some sort of core to center my beliefs around and am so naturally skeptical. Constantly questioning how my beliefs fit together and can work.

Anyway, curious if people have experience with working with these pantheons. I'm definitely more of a soft polytheist, as I tend to view spirits as aspects of each other and divinity as somewhat of a hierarchical title in some ways. I still want to be respectful to the rituals and offerings these divine would appreciate and expect.

[lovelypearls]

30 Days of Aphrodite:

Day : Share the origin story of your relationship with Aphrodite?

I remember when I first started researching polytheism as a whole, the Greek Gods always stuck out to me because I was interested in them when I was little. I spent a while just kinda roaming the tags for some of the Gods that caught my eye, and I remember it being narrowed down to Persephone and Aphrodite as to who I wanted to reach out to first. I think originally I was leaning toward Persephone but I felt this pull in my brain toward Aphrodite, and as I researched more and more about her, my gut feeling told me that this was probably a sign from Aphrodite, and I've been a worshipper of Her ever since. This was...I wanna say 2019? 2018? so it's been about 4-5 years (though I am still a baby at this lol)

[asklepiean]

Hi! 12, 13 and 14 for the polytheism asks

12. What has been your favorite interaction with a deity so far?

The one I had with Njord one or two winters ago. I was reconsidering His place in my practice and He gave me the warmest, kindest fatherly vibe possible

13. What is your favorite devotional act?

All my studying hours are dedicated to Minerva, so I would say study

14. Would you say there’s a certain “type” of deity you follow? Or are you more broad, without rhyme or reason?

I lean toward solar/apollinean deities

Thanks for asking!

[ Polytheism Asks ]

[octoberbluegates-eng]

Welcome!

Si vous préférez le français, cliquez ici

The storyteller

You can call me October, or Tori for short. I've been writing for fun for years, in both english and french. I love all genres of fantasy, romance, tales and fanfictions. I identify as a pagan omnist, leaning towards hellenism and celtic polytheism. I am genderfluid and use he/she pronouns, though I mostly use 'she' in public.

The project

I love tales and legends about holidays. The story of Jack-o-Lantern at Halloween, or Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer at Christmas. Yet I find that the holidays of the wheel of the year lack their own little tales. Of course you can always find legends that fit more or less, but nothing beats a story made for the occasion.

So I decided to write my own little tales! For each sabbat of the year (solstices, equinoxes, etc.) I will write a series of five tales, inspired by several different traditions and pantheons, plus one free bonus tale that I will post here!

The blog

On this blog, you will get to follow the project, participate in polls and give suggestions for the next tales.

I also noticed many creators did a WIP Wednesday, so I will see if that helps me stick to my goals! ^^ In any case, it will allow you to check out what I'm writing.

[sachisei]

My parents started catching on my views on religion. And today my father attempted to confront me by asking if I am an atheist, but I wasn't sure if that was what he asked because the radio overlapped his voice. I was able to connect the dots however when he and mom talked in soft voices, but dad decided to drop the subject.

When dad asked me that question, he had an irritated voice. It was clear he has his prejudice against the idea of me being an atheist. Although I am not one, I am not very against atheists. It's more of just I don't prefer their view of a non-existent god. For me, it'll be better if there is a god. I am also not against polytheism, but for simplicity I am more inclined to perceive it as there being one god or one creator/overseer. That said, I don't want to rely on god for every little thing.

That's where my view against certain religious practices is at. For me, the things I think humanity can rely on god are matters beyond our hands. Things like safety against all harm, imminent death, intentions of others, disasters, good opportunities, etc. I am not fond of humanity depending on divine intervention for matters well within their own capability to achieve. It just seems dependent, inactive, and irresponsible to me. By attributing our successes or failures solely to a higher power, we may underestimate the importance of our own actions and the direct impact they can have on our lives and the world around us.

For me, faith is a means to guide humanity to fulfill a good life, but it's not what ensures in shaping our circumstances. So no, I don't believe that praying a certain number of times will do anything, if what was prayed for is achievable by our own actions. What will help is actually pursuing that outcome, not just pray for it.

"I pray that my husband will not beat my child tomorrow."

Prayers like that. Why wait for god to intervene? That's how I think people mistakenly utilize prayers.

I have a problem with how confessions are viewed by most Christians. For Christianity, the act of contrition is a sacramental activity. Most believe that god will only truly forgive if you confess through the priest. I find that bullshit. We are fully capable of asking god for forgiveness without needing the priest to tell us to pray Our Father and Holy Mary three times, which by the way is what most priests will just advice you to do, along with the "relinquish your sins." For me, a heart to heart talk with god seems more spiritually cleansing, is it not? What good is it to pray these prayers if you just pray out of habit.

Prayers, if you are looking to ask forgiveness, wouldn't it be better to start with, "God, I will do better. I realize what I did was selfish. Please help me to remember to be good" instead of "Please forgive me, Father. I have sinned. Please don't punish me. I promise to do better."

Now I don't necessarily think people should just stop relying on priests for confessions. No, that's not really the case. The priest's role is to enlighten you and help you recognize what you did wrong, and to guide you on a path that is good. And at best, he can only ask god to forgive you. That is not a guarantee, especially if you have remained unchanged because you only confessed out of communal practice.

Anyway, there are more religious practices that I think does not serve anybody well. God or us. Some of these beliefs seem self-serving or contradictory too. That is why I lean towards theistic agnosticism.

I understand it's not easy for everyone to find a common understanding when it comes to faith and religion, but I would have hoped that the people who practice their religions be open-minded and compassionate towards differing beliefs. After all, that should be part of your practices, no?

[nurserycot]

findings

ares has a playful and jealous side. seems to be more receptive to physical "proof" of praise (offerings, altars).

[watercolor-rainclouds]

trying to explain my stance on religion to two christian girls was...an experience especially because i didnt wanna mention possible religious trauma

[phaneseros]

About —

Vladimir. 30s. He/Him. Trans. Indigenous. This is a sideblog for Greek Polytheism.

Part e-shrine, part collecting information. I lean towards Orphism, but not rigidly.

Gods Dedicated Here —

Phanes, Eros, Zagreus, Dionysus, Antinous Apollo, Hyacinthus, Hephaestus Ares, Deimos, Phobos, Phrike Hades, Thanatos, Oneiroi, Hermes

I pay acknowledgment to others as well.

Personal Epithets / Prayers / Offerings / Altars / Journal

Witchcraft blog: @corazoncain

Fashion/aesthetic blog: @romanticfatale

[criophorus]

I USED TO BE WITCHY-QUEER

Hey y’all! My blog is going through a major update, and I wanted to give a heads up to minimize confusion. This blog will remain active! In fact, this change will include more original content.

SO WHAT’S GOING ON?

When I made this account, it was to motivate myself to learn more about witchcraft and pagan religions. I was a little more nervous about the former than the latter, so my blog leaned toward witchcraft. My life has changed a lot in the past 3 years since I started this blog, and so has my practice-- I’m far more religious and spend less time on witchcraft. This blog is shifting its focus from witchcraft toward Hellenic Polytheism.

I will still be posting content for BOTH. The primary focus of my blog is simply shifting.

As far as helpol goes, I lean further into recon than when I started. Thus, expect this blog to feature a lot more research, historical anecdotes, articles, etc. now!

CHANGES

My profile picture has changed! It used to be pink with an eye in the enter.

My URL has changed. I used to be witchy-queer.

More original content of research, hymns, and my updated praxis!

New desktop theme (soon)

I AM NOT REMOVING MY OLD POSTS. I don’t agree with all my old posts; some are simply incorrect. But I have thousands of posts, and I can’t reasonably filter through *all* of them without deleting my entire archive. Thus, my archive will remain.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

I have a Ko-Fi (research is hard work)! I may also start taking hymn and research commissions in the near future.

I’m working on a post series with another blog about Greek cosmology. Keep an eye out!

I’m considering opening a Patreon this summer if there’s an interest for it. It would include more extensive research including my personal annotations, devotional journal pages, Q&As, and more! (let me know what you think!)

tl;dr I’m doing a blog rework that will include a PFP and URL change, new original content, a Ko-Fi, and potentially a Patreon as my blog moves toward a helpol-recon focus. 

[dmitrifyodorovichkaramazov]

Which pantheon are you leaning toward, if not the Norse one? I’m definitely interested to see how your blog evolves! 😊

I wouldn’t say I’m leaning toward a pantheon exactly. Norse myth and practice appeal to me greatly and it would do a disservice to Heathenry and my relationship to it to say that I’m leaving it for another pantheon. Especially since I never really did limit myself to the Norse, nor would I advocate for any polytheist to limit themselves to a singular pantheon (which is a loaded word itself for many reasons)

What I’m realizing more and more is that. The gods that I previously worshiped and devoted myself to are, in my mind, a part of something.. bigger. I wish I knew exactly what tbh. I am finding, increasingly, that the direction I’m moving is looking more like an Abrahamic monotheism. Which is a pretty big change, ngl.

Basically, Norse polytheism no longer fits what I think to be true about the world and our place in it, much less the Beyond and our place in that.

I think this evolution (great word for it lol) will be, something for sure. I hope you stick around and see where this all goes