#deity familiars

[sharasflightrisingblog]

Year 11 Deity Familiars!

You can see the other compilations for the festival familiars by searching the tag festival familiars!

[starsambrosia]

Carrying a familiar soul.

[childofthewolvess]

Ares is a proud dad, I guess?

I was kind of shocked to realize that 80% of Ares’ altar are custom things I’ve made (protection balm, protection oil, offering jar, deity candle, deity oil, altar shaker bottle). Not only most of it curated by me, but it’s relatively minimal compared to Aphrodite’s expensive and elaborate altar right next to his. It’s like he specifically enjoys collecting things I’ve made.

I sat at Ares’ altar tonight and thanked him for his strength today. I was in pain and vastly struggling with my PTSD during a strenuous hike on the clock. But I persevered with Ares’ strength in mind, I pushed until my lungs burned and I felt the fire of determination ache in my legs. I was a leader today, guiding a family back to safety with a medical emergency. I was a protector. Trailing behind my group and carefully watching them while I swallowed my own pain, I was driven by Ares’ fighter spirit. Alongside me was my black wolf familiar spirit, teaching me the importance of why alpha wolves always lead their pack from the end of the line of wolves; to protect and guard most efficiently. Ares enjoys his (familiar) energy, one of a protector and leader, a guardian for me that Ares inherently loves. My familiar’s energy gently held me while I kneeled at Ares’ altar.

I shook his little altar shaker bottle and watched the glitter float around. Strange, I thought, about how glitter doesn’t exactly fit Ares’ aesthetic, but yet I was drawn to put some in his deity oil, protection balm, and shaker bottle. I felt like Ares was incredibly proud of me. He was proud of me like a dad is proud of their kid for doing their best with their crafts and art projects and giving them to their parents as a gift. Ares loves things I made, because I thought of him while I made them, each item receives so much love to be put on his altar.

Ares is like a dad who treasures his kid’s drawing by stapling it to the mostly empty and clean wall in his work cubicle to stare at every day when he feels lonely. It’s out of place, and it’s something that doesn’t fit his aesthetic, but that’s okay, because his kid made it, and that makes it special.

[chaos-bites]

There is comfort in the madness - a sort of familiarity. I find myself lost in it sometimes. I allow myself to be whisked away by the winds of the hurricane and embrace its cruelty, as if scratching my skin and breaking my bones was a proper way of showing affection.

I find comfort in the madness, until I don't. Until the pain and fear finally catches up to me, and my mind registers the danger of the situation. The sense of familiarity is comforting, but the winds battering my body and the debris slicing my cheeks pulls me out of the trance-like state I found myself in.

Chaos can be comforting, but recognizing when it's actually needed is an essential skill.

[yourwitchybrother]

Apollo and Loki tag-team

I know how the title sounds. Let me explain.

Last night, I was conducting a reading with Apollo on the topic of familiars and spirit guides. He was being very non-specific about everything, sort of dancing around things, and then he said, at some point, "ask Loki."

I have not worked with Loki for about a year. I assumed he had stepped out of my practice and left me after helping me reach all of our goals throughout our working relationship. Though, I never really got an explicit goodbye from him. But after a year of radio silence, I assumed the relationship was done. Apparently not?

I reached out to Loki afterward and welcomed him back into my life. I really have missed him this past year and seeing him pop back up is a very pleasant surprise! He and I chatted for a while about the same topic: Familiars. A spirit guide. And he had the following to say during an intuitive writing session.

I may have had a hand in the sending of a familiar :) For comfort and stability. Yes, I sent it. You need to give in to impulse. Forget everyones expectations of you. You have to be you. You have to. Not [partner] or [best friend]. You will find balance with him. Balance, unity, and harmony. Seek it with him. Your choice. ... .. Look to the future with him and you both shall see each other to success. I'd prefer a wold, but a fox is much more your speed. And please, ask his name before anything. Have a gay ol' time, young on, and happy pride. Enjoy your gift. You have certainly earned it.

I had to expunge some personal stuff and instruction but this is most of what was written and spoken to me. Now... I am not very well versed on spirit practice and familiars, so I've begun doing research. If anyone has any good sources - books, blogs, sites, anything reputable, please let me know!

Sometimes my divine team will do this. They'll send me things that I don't have much personal knowledge of to break me out of my comfort zone and send me on my way going, "You're ready!! You're just too comfortable right now!" And every single time it catches me off guard because they do it at the most unexpected moments.

Loki coming back was also incredibly unexpected! But looking back at it, with all the chaos that's been unfolding around me, it makes sense. I'm happy to welcome Loki back with open arms, I missed him a lot, and his presence is always an unexpected gift. And I suppose this means that my life is going to reach max chaos, especially as I get ready to move out and away from home for the first time. Hermes, Apollo, Bacchus, and Loki will make sure of that!

But I do still have times when things will be a little more relaxed. In the early hours of the morning, when the city streets are still and the street lights are on, everyone in the house is asleep, I get to sit in my room and confer with my team and check-in. It's the time when I'm most connected with them, and communication is most open. Hopefully, this time frame opens up when I'm in a more accepting location, but for now, this is the routine.

And in the near future, I suppose I should be keeping an eye out for fox-like spirits! Again, any and all resources are welcome and appreciated! Blessed be, and may the sun be your guide! A domani!

[moeblob]

Windy at my house + power flickering = no comm work = quick laptop doodle

[ask-order-ghostwalker]

(A god taking the form of a crow, looking to blow off some steam in a… productive manner)

(A magma filled Biograft that scouted ahead to help the god find the god of death)

(A Cocoagraft simply out for a walk, wandering right into the depths of the forest)

(A fellow death god who got a note from yet another version of herself, letting her be dragged into a rescue mission launched by her kin)

(All gathered here for one reason or another, dragged into this supposedly haunted forest. Only the duo that had first entered has been hunted by the beast within these monochrome woods…)

(Other than the 4 it’s quiet…. Not even a heavy rustling of the leaves on the trees or in the bushes.)

(And then… something flickered onto one of the trees in front of the group.. a message, dripping in a light yellow.)

“I KNOW WHY YOUR HERE.”

(… oh?…)

“YOU HAVE PUT YOUR LIVES IN DANGER.”

“YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE.”

(……..)

“IM SORRY.”

(the messages flicker out.. only to replaced by one, simple, sentence scrawled all over the trees.)

“BEHIND YOU.”

(As soon as that was said, a huge THUD like metal landing onto the ground was heard. Grabbing everyone’s attention.)

(Now heading the warning, the Invisibility gives away to a giant beast of metal and ink. A fox bearing 9 tails, each fading off into nothingness at the tip. It glares down at the group in front of it, its eyes scanning the intruders.. it dosnt make a sound however.)

(looks like the beast decided to finally show itself…)

SWORD EVENT:

THE FOREST WRAITH, SPECTERBLADE

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:

FOLLOW THE WISP: Brave the forest to get to him

[seventh-fantasy]

galaxy-brained mlc take of the day: mlc is wuxia, yes and maybeee not exactly? it very much is a wuxia aesthetically, but it's actually - conceptually - xianxia story in the core. (this is different from suggesting that it is a xianxia show.) however xianxia can (or should) be considered a subgenre of wuxia, not its own separate distinct genre despite the idea of 仙 xian being fundamentally at odds with the idea of 侠 xia, because they both stem from the same belief. (as seen in mlc, it works with the conventions of traditional wuxia aka li xiangyi the sigu sect leader, to get to the real bits of xianxia concept aka li lianhua's story.) so, mlc is wuxia through and through, inside out. send tweet 🫡👍

-

ok wait I can explain

so, this must be premised on the understanding that any discussion of "仙 xian/deities" in this context is only as its abstract idea of living a life distanced, detached from worldly, human woes instead of the possibility of immortality existing in mlcverse. (if you think about the deities in xianxia stories being basically human beings who have cultivated themselves into immortality.)

this is the explanation of xianxia as a wuxia subgenre (古仙武侠) in the baidu article of wuxia genre:

武侠中的侠，是脱胎于墨家“以天下为己任”的使命感；而仙侠的侠，通常是传达着“能力越大，责任也就越大”的朴素精神。侠乃入世，仙为出世，道教阴阳的无情大道（无情指寻求自我的不断体悟，以达精神的成仙，非没有感情之意）与武侠江湖的有情众生，即是矛盾也是循环，象征着太极之道，这也就是为何古仙武侠也属于正统仙侠流派的原因。

rough tl:

the xia of wuxia is born from the mohist ideal of bearing a sense of responsibility for the world

while the xia in xianxia focuses on the idea of "with great power comes great responsibility"

the idea of 侠 xia is secular. the idea of 仙 xian is beyond the secular - it is to pursue a life of suppressing/taming your own emotions (it does not mean to be completely removed of the ability to feel. it's a pursuit of self-realisation that makes one attain the status of a "deity" spiritually.) 仙 xian is then inherently at odds with wuxia jianghu's deep empathy and connection with the secular world, but it's also connected back to it. this is why 古仙武侠 is considered to be a part of the wuxia genre.

the relationship between xian and xia is conflicting because the former is all about distancing yourself from worldly issues while the latter necessitates an active effort to do something about them.

but it also means that both wuxia and xianxia acknowledge this weight of human emotions and connection to the world. it's just their respective responses and the outcomes they want that they differ in. what is the ideal person? wuxia says it's to be someone who can propagate and execute the ideal of doing something about this weight of your connection to the world, while xianxia says it's to learn to be at peace with that connection, and it's ok to not do anything about it actually - which might even be harder than trying to do something. (and focusing on your own cultivation can be a good thing for the world, in fact.)

with this, I hope it sounds less absurd that I'm connecting mlc's story to the concept of xianxia. lxy's life was a traditional wuxia archetype. (I've already harped on enough about how he fits into the quintessential mohist model of a xia leader.) what happens after, aka his journey as li lianhua, is the real story of mlc. it's a breakdown of that quintessential wuxia hero. it is a story in which the main conflict faced by the protagonist is to struggle with all the worldly woes including his own past and the cases' victims, in defense of the serenity he has found in the past 9 years. it is a natural battle to fight for someone such as llh because as long as you're still human, you will face the implications of human connections and the innate feeling of compassion and urge to do something about it (part of this, I guess, manifests physically in bicha breaking him down and the resistance to cure).

and relating that to an excerpt from an article discussing xianxia in relation to wuxia:

武侠剧的精神内核也是仙侠剧的精神内核，而“仙”实际上是实现新形式的“侠”的手段，由此扩展了“侠”的深度和其实施的时空范围。武侠之中的侠义精神，可以强调其自在，更强调其是自为的，前者是需要逐渐成长和觉醒的。然而对于高于人的仙而言，作为上位者的“侠”之精神，则应该是内在自觉且自为的。

rough tl:

the spirit of wuxia dramas should also be the spirit of xianxia dramas. xian should in fact be another way to bring out and explore the idea of xia.

the spirit of xia in wuxia can be an emphasis on the spirit of freedom, and even more so, the idea of agency and autonomy. the former is gained through growth and awareness. but for xian aka people who occupy a realm above the people on the ground, the xia spirit they embody should manifest in their inner awakening and agency.

it goes without saying that nobody is a deity in this show, and never will be. only in ep 40.5 it came so close to possessing that otherworldly, surreal edge, but that's all to it. deities do not exist in the mlcverse.

but but. it's interesting to point out in the ep 3 flashback when lxy walked through town in the aftermath of the sigu sect vs jym battle, commoners were heard describing it as 神仙打架 百姓遭殃 when immortals fight, commoners suffer. of course they didn't mean it literally but figuratively, that those people of wulin jianghu are high above, detached from the people on the ground. which is. contradictory to the idea of 侠 xia to begin with. so... it could even be interpreted that li lianhua living the spiritually "immortal" life embodied the xia spirit even more deeply than he did as li xiangyi the sigu sect leader, the "immortal" in the eyes of the commoners. actual immortals do not have any real attachment to the people, but a cultivated "immortal" does and is destined to feel and learn to deal with it over and over like llh did. it all comes back in a circle indeed.

[myceliumtoaster]

This is my clay familiar! He cleanse, he protect, and most of all, he silly!!

A little insight into my practice and how I use figurines!

I made this froggy out of clay and colored him with posca markers a while back!! He's been my familiar for a bit now. He sits on my nightstand and I give him little offerings whenever I can. I never expected to love this guy as much as I do, I'm so happy how he came out!

Besides this little guy I have a tiny ceramic dinosaur I painted (one of those $5 kits from michael's, my inner child was so excited about this one), a mini wolf figure (as you can probably guess, this one's for my shadow), and a ceramic sea turtle my partner gave me! The turtle is to remind me to take things slow and steady, and he's adorable, I love the crap out of him. Besides the frog, everyone else sits on my altar and I work with them individually depending on what I'm focusing on atm.

I had a sinus infection recently so my froggo held onto my ludens, my asthma pump, and my advil cold & sinus. As I'm writing this I'm realizing the irony- frogs are typically associated with cleansing + detoxification, as well as healing. So he was the perfect guy to keep with me in hindsight.

When I'm not sick, my nightstand ritual looks more like this:

1) Weekly I rotate the crystals I keep on my bedside table. I put the old ones next to the big selenite wand on my altar to cleanse, and charge the new ones as I add them to the nightstand. Usually it's a smoky quartz wand and a small selenite tower that occupy the table, but recently I started adding more guys! I keep the smoky quartz for grounding and the selenite for cleansing.

2) Every month or so I cleanse my dream protection bag in the same way (just plopping it next to the selenite wand for a good while), and occasionally I change up the crystals inside but currently it's a bismuth + a moonstone wand in a lavender colored bag. The bismuth is for transformation and the moonstone is for psychic protection! I like to get signs + symbolism in my dreams, but also run the risk of bad nightmares, so this is a good fit for me :)

3) My melatonin gummies + antidepressants always sit right next to froggo! He protec the meds >:)

4) I almost always keep a tarot or oracle deck on the table as well. Currently it's the Hush Tarot. I only change up my tarot when I feel called to work with a different deck.

Anyways just wanted to share bc this has been a great way for me to connect with animals even though I can't afford having a pet currently! And little figurines just bring me so much joy + serotonin how could I not love them. Hope this helps someone else out there!!

Note:

I wanna say thanks to @childofthewolvess for asking about this!! Loki knew I needed an extra push shsjsbbs

[baeshijima]

hsr kamisama kiss au.... yokai familiar!blade who has an undeniable soft spot for you, his god.... fellow god!jing yuan who allows himself to just be him when with you and shows off his lion familiars and eager apprentice!yanqing.... reincarnated/exiled god!dan heng who rediscovers his meaning through you....

[xnimnimsx]

Just sharing this because I love my lil fur baby especially when she acts like she's a big predator outside. :) ♥︎

[childofthewolvess]

a collage moodboard of how I see my god squad’s energies (Ares, Loki, Aphrodite, Apollo) and my two wolf familiars 💕 none of these photos belong to me, all found on Pinterest and compiled just for fun as a devotional act :)

[lohstandfound]

deities au but michael has a radio show that gives off the same vibes as welcome to night vale

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

Dimorphos

As Zagreus were You born Your first birth, O heavenly Dimorphos, And You gained knowledge in the halls of Hades, Knowing that which dwelled deep within. The paths of the Underworld were entrenched in Your mind, The secrets of Your Mother were whispered to You, And You befriended all the terrifying beings who dwell below, Securing a golden place for Your followers. As Zagreus did You die, Holy God torn to pieces by the Titans, Both a child and a man at once. You bore the pains that we bear as mortals, You knew the pains that we know as mortals, As You felt the white-hot pain, Searing Your body as Your limbs were torn apart, And as You lay there, bloody on the ground. As Dionysos were You born Your second birth, Grown within fair Semele, Whose family mocked her, Though she grew pregnant from a God. Her ashes adorned Your infant face, Before Heavenly Zeus sewed You into His thigh, Himself becoming both Mother and Father. When born You wandered the world, a maddened God, The din of joy and war followed wherever You wandered, And when finally Your footsteps came home to Olympos, Your madness died, its control over you loosened, And You became the madness. Hail, Dimorphos, Two-formed God whose glory we ever sing!

[30fury]

craft paper posters of my favorite dionysus epithets 🙇‍♂️ haven't been actively worshiping in a hot minute because finals so...!

ταυροκεφαλος (taurokephalos), ιαχκος (iakkhos), βαχκειος (bakkheios), διμητωρ (dimetor), σωτηρ (soter), and διονυσος (dionysos)!

[tariah23]

Well, I’m still glad that Gojo was always a character who was growing and learning at least. He’s literally one of my favorite characters of all time now. Like, he’s never been as perfect as how the fans would make him out to be despite canonically being viewed as an absolute nuisance to everyone around him (I don’t think his peers necessarily hate him but a lot of them probably hate to see him coming and the ones who’ve dealt with him long enough to consider him a friend, tolerate him and groan whenever he opens his mouth, too 😭… out of love. He’s extremely childish so there is only sm the other adults around him can take and to an extent, his students. I think the only characters in canon who adore him and their eye’s sparkle whenever he’s around, and being a silly teacher was Yuuji and Miwa (she asked him for his autograph (he’s the most famous sorcerer in the jjk world) and when she was alone, she did a little dance in the empty hallway 🥺…) from what we’ve seen even though the others still care about him, too. They just find him rather annoying, which he most definitely is. And he does it on purpose. He plays too much.)