#mesopagan

[thescarlettbitch]

Y'all I'm about to start crying (positively) there is a man who has tried to recreate recipes from Mesopotamia and is sharing stories and he wrote a whole cookbook and he is talking about the gods!! He's talking about Inanna! Here is his website it's called Table Of The Gods! The cookbook isn't out yet but I've got the recipe for cookies and I can't wait to make them because they! May have been made her honor!!

[trinitarianwicca]

The Magic of Yule

[lamassusoup]

I think the best thing to come from worship of Nergal is for Him to pay zero attention to you whatsoever.

Special attention from the plague god is not something I necessarily desire.

[pyroookinesis]

what being pagan means

the term “pagan” comes from the latin word paganus, which refers to those who lived in the country.

this term was assigned to them because, when christianity started to grow in the roman empire, it was primarily in cities, so those who lived outside of the cities kept believing in “the old ways” and were known as people who believed in things outside “mainstream” religions, like christianity or judaism.

they are known, primarily, for not having any official doctrine and believing in a divine presence in nature, and they mostly live by the wheel of the year rather than the roman calendar of months.

different types of paganism

historical paganism

paleopaganism

civilopaganism

mesopaganism

syncretopaganism

neopaganism

secular paganism

modern paganism

naturalistic paganism

humanistic paganism

paleopaganism is the standard of paganism. it’s a pagan culture that hasn’t been disrupted by “civilization” by another culture. for example: druidism (ancient celtic religion), the religions of the pre-patriarchal cultures of old europe, norse religion, pre-columbian native u.s. religions, etc.

civilopaganism is the beliefs of “civilized” communities which evolved in paleopagan cultures, such as: classical greco-roman religion, egyptian religion, middle-eastern paganism, aztec religion, etc.

mesopaganism consists of a group, which may or may not still constitute a separate culture, that has been influenced by a conquering culture, but has been able to maintain an independence of religious practice.

syncretopaganism, while similar to mesopaganism, had to tosubmerge itself into the dominant culture, and adopt the external practices and symbols of the other religion. for example, the various afro-diasporic traditions (voodoo, santeria, etc.), culdee christianity, etc.

the term neopaganism, a.k.a. contemporary paganism or modern paganism, was coined in the 19th century, when paganism resurfaces as a topic of fascination in romanticism. particularly in the context of the literary celtic and viking revivalism that portrayed historical celtic and germanic polytheists as noble savages.

revivalism, in architecture, is the use of visual styles that consciously echo the style of a previous architectural era.

by the mid-1930s it was used to refer to new religious movements, and by 1964 and 1965, it was used as self-designation in publications related to witchcraft. at the time it was used by revivalist witches in the u.s. and the u.k.

contemporary paganism attempts to reconnect with nature, using imagery and forms from other types of pagans but adjusting them to the needs of modern people. their practices and beliefs are said to be a collection of modern, religious, spiritual and magical traditions that are self-consciously inspired by the pre-judaic, pre-christian, and pre-islamic belief systems of europe, north africa, and the near east. some examples are:

wicca, in its many forms

neoshamanism

neodruidism

asatru and other forms of norse neopaganism

neonative u.s. practices

the range of practices labeled “women’s spirituality”

secular paganism is a form of neopaganism in which pagan deities are viewed as archetypes instead of real beings, but pagan virtues and principles are upheld. this means that secular pagans do not have a formal religion — they do not believe in any form of goddess or god. however, they remain pagan to its truest form.

notes:

historical paganism is passed down generation to generation, while neopaganism is self taught and closely related to historical paganism beliefs.

secular paganism is not atheist paganism, as secular pagans believe in energy —or chi— while atheists simply do not believe in anything. although secular means non-religious by definition, secular witches still believe in energy. religion is not the same as the belief in the supernatural. religion is also not synonymous with theism because there are non-theistic forms of religion, like buddhism and taoism.

the fifteen guiding principles of secular paganism, according to abby willoroot:

ethical behaviour does not require a religion

all living things have a unique spirit or soul

the equality of genders, races, and all humans

care must be taken in using nature’s resources

all Earth’s life is connected and inter-dependant

the Gaia Principle is an important, basic, truth

the cycles of Nature teach us what is important

balance must be maintained for all life to flourish

our health depends on the the environment’s health

our individual actions can and do have consequences

evolution is an ongoing process that occurs in all species

birth, living and death are natural cycles shared by all life

respect for ourselves requires respect for the Earth

all human cultures have value and can teach us

goddesses and gods can be seen as metaphors

“secular paganism is not a religion — it is an ethical view of the world, based on the belief that nature is sacred and must be respected and treasured. secular pagans hold many of the same views about nature that religious pagans and many people of other religions do. secular pagans believe that we are a part of nature, not her master. there are no particular religious views connected with secular paganism.”

—Abby Willowroot

naturalistic paganism is a form of philosophical naturalism, which seeks to explain the universe without resort to supernatural causes. for naturalistic pagans, “naturalistic” is synonymous with “scientific.” in general, they adopt the most current explanations of science and are skeptical of claims not supported by science.

naturalistic pagans are also skeptical about things like magic(k), psychic abilities or communication with spirit entities, attributing intention to inanimate nature to the extent that, when they speak about “magic(k)” or “gods,” they tend to use these words differently than their common usage. naturalistic pagans may understand “gods” as metaphors for natural phenomena.

in short, naturalistic paganism integrates mythic, editative, and ritual practices with a worldview based on the most compelling scientific evidence.

as well as naturalistic paganism, humanistic paganism describes the pagan path for those who are uncomfortable with or skeptical of the supernatural or metaphysical elements of contemporary paganism. they are pagans who are firmly rooted in the physical world. humanistic paganism “is a naturalistic path rooted in ancient paganism and contemporary science.” it is a form of religious or spiritual humanism.

religious humanism can describe any religion that takes a human-centered ethical perspective as contrasted with a deity-centered ethical perspective. what is good is defined in terms of human experience rather than the will of any goddess or god. religious humanists tend to be atheistic or non-theistic. for religious humanists, human experience and reason provide a more than sufficient basis for ethical action without supernatural revelation. humanistic paganism can embrace the notion that we humans are part of a much larger community of beings to whom we have ethical obligations. the adjective “humanistic” is intended to contrast with “theistic;” it excludes goddesses and gods, but not other living beings.

[tarots1ut]

Last night, I did my first curse!

Link right here! 

I’ve been wanting to dip my toe into, I guess, stronger  magic and spells, but just couldn’t think of anything. Mostly, I do sigils, jar spells, divination, and easier energy work. But I came across the curse above, and had the perfect person for it!

The person I cursed is malicious, a thief, a liar, has no regard for stuff that isn’t hers, is awful to her brother, and doesn’t clean up after herself. But people let her get away with it. I wanted to bring some things to light, and it sounded perfect. 

Alterations I made:                                                                                                ~ Instead of stabbing once for every vice I wrote down, due to circumstance, I did it twice. Once really quick, and when the coast cleared, I did it again and really but my energy into it.                                                                                    ~ I didn’t put salt in the container.                                                                        ~ I gathered the excess of the bag with the apple in it and shook the apple so the bag wouldn’t crinkle. It felt so good.                                                                ~ I added in a reversal! I put the apple stem in a jar with the nasty mixture, and when I empty the jar, the spell is done. I put it on my altar and will recite the incantation whenever I feel like I need to lol.                             ~ Instead of coffee, for an accelerator, I put some carnelian onto the jar.

I’ll keep you updated. Also, thank you @mesopaganism for your curse.

[lamassusoup]

I'm not certain how shrines in other traditions work, but Mesopotamian worshippers (and others if you feel these may help) could try a couple things!

Fashion an idol of yourself at the worship of your deity! Idols are inhabited by the gods they represent, and the same is true of humans. This way you are always worshipping, even when your physical form isn't present.

Wash the mouth of your idols! A clean mouth is important for communication, for obvious reasons. Clean the mouth of the idols so the souls that inhabit them can speak! Also, remember to brush your teeth before speaking to your gods!

Maintain the space your idols inhabit! This is important for all traditions, but in Mesopotamian tradition in particular. As humans were made to serve the gods, most offering was made in the maintenance of the ziggurat, where the gods were housed in ancient times. Your shrine is a scale-down temple, so maintain it well. Keep a water dish so your gods can drink, and keep the space clean. As well as keep anything on the altar that you feel your gods may need.

What happens if your altar/shrine feels like a void? Like your deities were never there? I've tired to connect with them through offerings, ritual and simply talking but I feel nothing. And it's very discouraging...

Hello,

So the first thing I that would say it to please try not to be disappointed. For most of us communicating with the gods is easy, but hearing back is extremely difficult. If you feel like your shrine/altar is a void then it may just be that, the gods are not currently present at your shrine.

There are a couple of things you can do;

Statues/images of the gods

☀️ Check none of your statues are broken/if they are repair and maybe do a Heka repair. If you’ve printed images off and they’re getting tatty, it might be time to replace the images.

☀️ Check your icons are clean and free of dust and grime. If you have physical statues washing them with cool water is a good exercise, take particular note of any details in their statues, what you like and what inspires you.

Other objects on your altar/shrine

☀️ Is there too much clutter?

☀️ Are there any significant objects your missing?

☀️ Are objects that are not meant to be there on your altar (remove them if so)

☀️ Check everything is clean and tidy

☀️ If you altar/shrine doesn’t have clear boundaries, it might be worth designating where it ends. Where the sacred means the mundane. For example, I keep my altar on a shelf, which nothing else is allowed onto :)

And even if you do all of that, it’s no guarantee that you will hear from the gods.

[unless you’re very experienced, please don’t be tempted to try an Opening of the Mouth. In some books and on a few websites it is presented as it if it the magical solution to bringing yourself closer to the gods - but if everything isn’t done extremely formally and properly it can end up damaging your relationship to the gods rather than making the relationship better]

I tend to imagine the statues/icons of the gods as empty seats into which the gods may take residence. If your altar/shrine seems like a void, to me that just means that the gods are not currently there. I like the world void, it actually describes my own experience of working with statues of deities that I am not partially close to. It’s empty, but full of potential. For a couple of my statues, my seated Hathor and blue Mehet Weret cow, there is always ‘something’ there, just because I am so close to those goddesses.

I personally find it easier to connect with deities away from shrines and altars sometimes. You can try incorporating divination into your practise, which ever you like, to function as a middle man.

I would also saw that you absolutely do not need a direct connection in this way is absolutely not a requirement to worship the gods. It isn’t a necessity and many kemetics may go through their whole lives in that way. I personally am very lucky that I do have that connection, but I have only developed that connection within the last year or so. Before that, I spent around 8-10 years with no direct connection.

☀️☀️☀️

I am sorry that you’re feeling disappointed, but give it some time and if you can don’t compare yourself to others.

I hope that this all made sense, and please let me know if anything doesn’t read right. I hope that this was helpful and please drop me a message if you have any more questions :)

[xcwhitewolf0172x]

Christian WiccaEdit A Pentacross seen in Christian Wicca Christian Wicca is a term coined in reference to Trinitarian Wicca, established in 1999. Since then, Christian Wicca has become the umbrella term for a variety of magickalChristian sects that began evolving in the Christopagan movement. Trinitarian Wicca is based on the merging of Alexandrian and Dianic traditions, forming their pantheon from the Kabballah, Gnosticism, and Ancient Christianity. Working within traditional Wiccan ritual structure, they observe the 8 sabbats, 13 esbats, and the Wiccan Rede without any concern for the dogmatic trappings of patriarchal Christianity. They have a devout reclaiming approach to a Goddess-inclusive Trinity, best described as Tritheist or Social Trinitarians. The term Christian merely reflects the pantheon best associated with the Trinitarian tradition, comparable to the term Celticamong Celtic Wiccan traditions. Despite the initial confusion, Trinitarian Wiccans consider themselves Wiccans not Christians, as their views of Christology was deemed heresy by the Catholic Church in the 3rd century CE. Trinitarian Wicca is not a blended path; they are a MesoPagan polytheistic 

[paganrenewal]

One Branch, Many Blossoms

One Branch, Many Blossoms #onceandfuturefaith

Reform Pagans often illustrate our place within Paganism through the metaphor of the “Great Tree of Paganism”: We speak of the Paleopagan roots, Mesopagan trunk, and Neopagan branches, and we distinguish our Neopagan branch of Reformism from the coequal branches of Traditionalism (generally including all forms of Pagan Reconstructionism, together with many varieties of Pagan Eclecticism) and…

[paganconnection-blog]

Pagan Religions and Their Categories

Pagan Religions and Their Categories

  Pagan Religion and Their Categories ~

The Pagan Religions have been divided into three categories by modern pagan researchers to make things a little bit easier to discern when trying to figure out what time period a pagan religion is based on. Not all pagan religions are based on the same time frame of pagan beliefs and in history. Some pagan religions are actually completely modern, but…

[thescarlettbitch]

Every day devotion

These are simple acts of devotion that I do, as a devotee of Inanna (goddess of sex and war). I always try to at least do one act of devotion a day. I have a lot of issues that Inanna (and Lady Ereshkigal) are helping me through.

Say goodmorning/goodnight - whether it is right when I wake up or an hour or say later, right before I close my eyes or right before I do my nightly doomscroll, I try to say goodmorning and goodnight every day.

Washing my face - I try to turn things I know are good for me into devotional acts so I will want to do them. I usually only have the time and energy to wash my face once a day, but even so, it's still something.

Listen to music with her - usually done on my way to or from work, I will play her playlist, or another one, but invite her to listen with me, and I almost always feel her presence. If I get the feeling she doesn't like a song, my car radio screws it up and repeatedly pauses it until I change the song.

Drinking water - water is a necessity in life, and access to clean, cold, safe water to drink is a luxury that people who originally worked with her didn't have access to the way I do.

Eating food - I've made a post before about how Inanna is sad when I don't eat if I'm hungry, so if I was feeling her presence I will devote the act of eating to her.

Wearing jewelry - I have a lapis lazuli necklace I wear for her every day. It's simple, I got it off of etsy, but you could easily dedicate anything you have to them. I've had a (locally and ethically sourced) coyote Claw bracelet for a few years now and I am thinking wearing it for Lady Ereshkigal.

Veiling - I don't veil every day, I used to but it ended up causing me issues with my hair. Currently I veil about once a week, but it is something small that can fairly easily be done every day

Libation - libations are the act of pouring a liquid directly onto the earth, and it can be done with anything from tap water to top shelf Whiskey. If you have the means to pour out $100+ of liquor you go right ahead, I will continue giving my goddess(es) the first like ounce/ounce and a half of my daily coffee from my local shop. Or, if there is anything I try and do not like, they get the rest of it. Some people might think it rude to give them things you don't like, but I don't. If it doesn't go towards my gods it's getting thrown away, and that doesn't sit right with me. It's not getting drank by me so it might as well go to them.

Reading/writing/playing video games - I read a lot and I have a couple books I'm writing, one of which is specifically dedicated to Inanna. And I recently built a temple to her in the Sims 4, so whenever I feel like dedicating the time to her, I play in that save.

[trinitarianwicca]

I stand at my altar on this Corn Moon Celebrating Guadalupe, The Goddess of the Harvest and Abundance Cherished by those who seek her blessings  As a Giver, Healer, and Nurturer.  The spirit of the Corn dominates this Moon,  Sustainer of Bodies and Souls,  Bounteous and Generous. The Energies of this Moon are both  Rich and sustaining, just as 

Guadalupe blesses the fields and fills the granaries.  She is at ease with her nourishing mission,  Her giving side as a Goddess of the Harvest and 

Her healing side encourages health and prosperity. Generous and life-giving,  The matron of harvests and the protector of growers.

[lamassusoup]

Exclusive spaces are just as important as inclusive ones

Especially when it comes to paganism and reconstructionism. Individual faiths need exclusive spaces in order to discuss certain things without the unneeded opinions of people from other faiths.

People can’t help but put forth what they think when it has to do with how people should interact with them. If a group of Kemetics asked each other “should we let non-Kemetics participate in our rituals?” and I, a mesopagan interjected and said “well I think the Egyptian gods would want EVERYONE to participate!” Would that be useful? Would that be a welcome addition to the conversation? Would I have the authority to assume what gods that I don’t worship nor have a connection with, want?

No, right? Right.

Polytheists should interact with others outside their faith, but we all need our own spaces to discuss our own issues independent from other religions and their opinions on our individual pantheons.

[thescarlettbitch]

(this is going to discuss blood)

I'm working on a post about offerings, and I'd like to get the community's thoughts on using blood in your practice

I've seen pretty mixed opinions, some people say it's the most dangerous form, some say its natural, it's not inherently good or inherently bad, etc. In my mind, I view it as a neutral thing. It depends on the situation, but honestly I've never thought about it much.

I've had the thought of giving my deity (a feminine goddess of sex, fertility, and war) my own menstrual blood as an offering, and from what I've felt from her, she'd like it/wouldn't be offended (ive seen some people say it would be offensive?). I haven't yet, but I put it on a post (that hasn't been shared yet) for offering ideas. I figured it would be best to ask the community their thoughts first, that way I'm not encouraging something that is wildly believed to be dangerous.

- I am a Mesopotamian/Sumerian Pagan. I am using the tags for other beliefs to reach a larger section of the community. This is not a question about blood purity or whatever, or that afabs are inherently more mystical or whatever. This is a genuine question, and I would like serious answers

Be respectful, thank you for your input, share so I can have a bigger sample size please, and blessed be <3

[thescarlettbitch]

Sources

A good deal of my posts are research driven, and it's rather difficult to find sources, so I figured I would make a whole post dedicated to listing them. This will get added to as I find more.

General information

First and foremost, Wikipedia - unlearn what your middle and high school teachers taught you, Wikipedia is a free source that is highly edited and reviewed by professionals and it lists their sources. (Also they are fighting to keep the site up, support them if you can) Should it be your only source of information? Hell no. But it will give you more information than you had before. It's a great starting point.

World History Encyclopedia

The Collector

Britannica - this site now has a chatbot feature that it didn't before. Do with that what you will.

The Open Richly Annotated Cunieform Corpus - I haven't delved deep on this source, but I don't want to lose it.

The Electronic Text Corpus Of Sumerian Literature

Mifologia - this one I am unsure about, it seems to be accurate as far as I can tell, but the images they use strike me as AI (I have no proof other than a vibe so correct me if I'm wrong) which is a red flag.

Specific Mythos

The Descent of Inanna PDF

The Epic of Gilgamesh PDF

Inanna and Su-Kale-Tuda

Inanna and the Huluupu Tree

A breakdown of Inanna Prefers The Farmer

Inanna Prefers The Farmer

Dumuzid and Emkidu

Ereshkigal and Nergal

Enuma Elish PDF

Atra-Hasis PDF

More to come!

[thescarlettbitch]

Grabbed a pomegranate for Lady Ereshkigal today at the store and when I turned onto the highway I realized I didn't yet have a specific offering dish for her, and started worrying about how I was going to give it to her properly.

Only to be interrupted mid panic with an image flashing in my mind of a brand new still in the plastic glass candle holder I bought literally years ago and never used, and the exact place that it was in my room. Again, hadn't seen the thing in years.

Lady Ereshkigal now has an offering dish.

[thescarlettbitch]

Honorifics in my Practice

My name is Red and if you've seen any of my posts, you may have noticed a few things regarding how I refer to my Deities. This is just a post explaining what these titles are, and how I use them.

What are Honorifics?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, honorifics are conferring or conveying honor or belonging to or constituting a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior.

Examples of honorifics (from wikipedia):

Mr.; Mrs.; Mx.; Ms.

Master; Mistress; Messrs

Sir; Ma'am

Lord; Lady

Gentlemen; Dame

Dr.; Esq.

And so on. These can also be referred to as "titles".

What purpose do they serve in Paganism?

As the dictionary states, they convey respect and a sense of "superiority" towards the receiver, in this case, towards the deities or spirits one works with. It establishes that you respect whoever you're referring to, that you hold them in a place of esteem, that they are important.

How I use them

As you may have noticed in previous posts, I rarely use honorifics when referring to Inanna, and I only ever use honorifics when referring to Lady Ereshkigal, or anyone else in the pantheon I worship. Why?

I don't use them with Inanna because of our relationship. She has walked with me for my entire life, but I have worked with her extensively and exclusively for about five years (pardon me if my math is wrong). During that time our relationship has become incredibly casual. We are constantly talking, she and I refer to each other as "bitch" and "slut" and "whore" and a million other curse words that would be offensive if said to someone out of the context of friendship. That's what it is. She's more of my best friend or an older sister than anything else, and that is how our relationship works.

I use titles for Lady Ereshkigal because our relationship is far more new and formal. I've been working with Lady Ereshkigal for five months, I wanna say. She's more a teacher than a friend at this point in our relationship, helping me connect with my ancestors, process my past, and use the past as a guide for my future. I would NEVER call her any of the things Inanna and I call each other, in fact I rarely ever swear at all when in discussion with her, just as I would never swear in front of my teacher or my parents.

For similar reasons, I use titles for the rest of the pantheon because I have little to no relationship with them. I do not know what they do or do not like, I do not know their boundaries, they do not know mine.

I default to honorifics when referring to deities from other pantheons as well, a practice I am just now starting. In the past I have not, mostly because I wasn't aware of it being a "thing" and spoke to every deity the same. I have since learned that all deities are not the same. They have preferences.

Should I be using honorifics?

Honestly, like most other things in our practice, that is completely up to you. If you feel like you should, then do it. If it feels wrong, don't. If your deities prefer it, do it. If they don't, don't. It's as simple as that.