#polish pagan polytheism

[theancientgod]

Bóg Swiętowid!!!’ Super metalowa piosenka - Polski zespół Krasnolud

[orangepunkwitch-blog]

I highly recommend that all Pagans and magick practitioners watch this, whether you have anything involving Slavic practices or not. Because this applies to more than just Slavic polytheism.

Also, check out the rest of her channel if you're a bit pressed for some info about Slavic cultures! Especially her first video "What do Slavic Polytheists Believe? | Slavic Polytheism 101." That video really helped me put things into perspective easier, as English sources for stuff like this topic are difficult to get a hold of without running into problematic or questionable people/sources.

[sisterofmercy]

Hi, so im looking for some witchy books in Polish or english about:

1. Hekate and hellenic polytheism

2. Folk witchcraft (mostly eastern european)/traditional witchcraft

4. Slavic paganism

5. Christian witchcraft

Andrew from sisters of mercy to catch your attention

[embalmingwitch]

about me

jade, 18, they/she

mediterranean polytheism

mortuary science/funeral service/embalming student

animist

connecting to polish + catholic heritage

folk catholicism + general practitioner

enthusiastic about my houseplants

i would love to talk and make friends on here :) i decided to bite the bullet and make a pagan/witch blog because i find myself more dedicated to my practice when i talk to other people, so feel free to talk to me and send me asks!!!

i don’t have a dni i don’t really care i’ll just block you if i don’t like you lol

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Rusałka - truth lies just beneath the surface by Kamil Jadczak

[sundrunkwillow]

My prayer to Jarilo

Oh fair Jarilo god of spring, in your merciful nature bring

Love and life, warmth and light into my home this vernal night.

Lively singing flows on the breeze as you return from across the seas.

Bring wet greenery and boundless love, from the land of Nav to us above.

Lead me to be merciful, kind and true. Allow me to learn these traits through you.

[yuugosvida]

Jaryla's week stars from today so I'll make him lots of offerings (candles, burned seeds, prayers, maybe I'll make a figurine for him etc) and ask him for some things which are important to me and my friends!!! I'm excited for this week. It's also a great time to practice divination

[slavicafire]

I like your page. I am a whisperer, Polish American female shaman and I don't follow any male paganism or religions.

dividing reconstructionist polytheism into "female" and "male" might be the most boring thing I read this week - and that's hoping it's just boring and arbitrary, and not actually a euphemism for some more insidious idea.

[skaldish]

so I don't feel like taking part in the discussion in that post you reblogged, but since you do have quite a following and many people who are into norse heathenry are also interested in slavic paganism, I'd like to say, as a polish person, that slavic polytheism is not at all closed practice; many sources will claim that, but they're alt right and nazi leaning, and many people will believe them, because they're doing great job being convincing (I can sometimes discern them only because I had misfortune to see workings of such groups from the inside. It was pretty horrifying experience. I never identified as slavic pagan, but this messed me up).

obviously there are slavic pagans who aren't like that, just. be careful, people.

Good to hear, and it matches with what I know.

(I have heard that Slavic Paganism is heavily guarded from Nazi appropriation, so it’s harder to get a hold of. But that can actually be said about Norse Paganism too. A lot of the stuff we think we know about Norse Paganism is stuff white nationalists like Guido Von List made up.)

[deadlydop]

Doppelganger’s Masterlist

Hey guys! I have spent literally almost all afternoon composing a masterlist! This masterlist contains subjects I find important to a chthonic witch myself (earth and spirit), and a little extra stuff I also study.

Updated on 8.30.19

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

💀Death Magic💀

Offering Tea For Spirits

Banishment Wash

Essential Oils in Death Magic

Basic Offering Ideas For Spirits

Warding 101

Basic Understanding of Conjuring Spiritual Entities

Samhain Spirit Summoning

Controlled General Summoning Spell 

House Rules

Grief Vessel

To Receive a Message From a Loved One

Death Meditation

Honoring the Dead

Vulture Culture

Etiquette for the Dead

Graveyard Superstitions

Building a Magical Nexus

Blood Magic 101

Blood Salt

Wells

Bone Correspondences

Death Omens in Polish Folklore

“Malignant Spirits Begone” Sigil

Important Spirit Work Shit

“I am protected from spirits with bad intentions” Sigil

Skulls in Death Witchcraft

Water in Necromancy

Uses for Graveyard Dirt

Offerings for the Dead

Safe Crossings Spell

Spirit Work Incense

Storing Death Energy

Death Energy Shield

Simple Spirit Work

Graveyard Tip

Crystals in Death Magic

Unusual Death Witchcraft

Getting to Know a Cemetery

Death Witch Self Care Tips

“Farewell and Last Words” Spell

“Throw Away the Key”- a Spell to Banish Grief

Spell For Passing and Mourning

The Elements Within Death Work

Spirit Work Red Flags

Basic How to Banish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🕷Devotion🕷

Why learning Hellenic Polytheism (or really any other pagan current) on Tumblr aint a good idea

Chthonic Worship Etiquette

Persephone Devotional Acts

Persephone Altar Ideas

Nyx Offering Suggestions

Who is Hecate

Hades Devotional Activities

Persephone Devotional Activities

72 Adorations to Persephone

80 Adorations to Hades

Hymn to Persephone

Prayer to Hades and Persephone

Chthonic Devotionals

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🌿Green Magic🌿

Actions of an Herbalist

Green Magic for the Home

Baneful Herbs

Herb and Plant Listing by Purpose

Big Witchy Guide on Herbs and Flowers

What’s Wrong With Your Plants?

Plant Care 101

Magical Folk Names for Herbs

Edible Flowers and their Properties

Herbal Amulets

Plant Chant

Fruit Magic

Herbs You Can Grow Indoors

Remember to Love Your Houseplants!

Cacti and Succulent Correspondences

Everyday Plant Magic

Dirt Correspondences

Lullaby to Aid a Dying Plant

Succulent Magic

Don’t Forget!

Fern and Succulent Care Guide

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔮Tarot🔮

Playing Cards as Tarot

Tips, Tricks, and Shit to Remember

Court Cards and Who They Represent

What NOT to Ask

“WTF is going on?” Spread

Tips for More Effective Tarot Reading

Major Arcana Numerology

Beginner Tarot Tips

Huge Tarot Masterpost

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🌠Cosmic Deathcraft 🌠

Plutonian Magic

Plutonian Death Magic

Plutonian Moon Magic

Death Magic Constellations

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

👻Folk Magic👻

Appalachian Folklore, Wives Tales, and Superstitions

Appalachian Folk Beliefs

Southern Folk Magic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🦌Slavic Witchcraft🦌 

Slavic Polytheism and Magic Notes[Intro and basics]

Slavic Polytheism and magic notes [Spellwork]

Evil Eye

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[theancientgod]

Rod

[vaporicecream]

being a baby pagan

I remember my first experience with Thoth when I was about 13-14, I found his statuette in the living room, just about 8″ tall, black and gold. My mom had found it at some yard sale and brought him home for some reason I still cannot justifiably understand. I read about him and found it so inspiring. God of the moon, poetry, and learning. I would dust off the statue when it got dirty, and talk to it sometimes, but I had no conceptual understanding of polytheism or revivalist efforts as a kid. I could just feel something that would make me take long pauses when I walked through the living room and saw him there. Some instinctual understanding of a something that I couldn’t see, couldn’t name, and couldn’t find on my own. 

Around that same time I was just starting to get into witchcraft, as many teenage girls do. I think it’s something that comes naturally to young people who discover a disenfranchisement with the imposed society around them so early. Black nail polish, black candles, and roving angry teenagers frightening the conservative small towns of the midwest. Wicca was appealing for a time, but it never really had the resonance I was looking for. There was always something under the surface of the vapid “blessed be’s” that felt like there was a trove of things to learn that just wasn’t laying on the surface. 

It took well over a decade of aimless spiritual wandering, pagan on again/off again, and being a bad influence on Christianity to finally find something that sunk its teeth in. I found a spiritual connection that just, felt like home.. in polytheism. I found something that resonated and was so beautiful I could never imagine it not being a part of my life again. My eyes have been opened to ancient religions and the gods that are a part of this world in a way that I had never had access to before, for which I’m grateful that Thoth, waited for me to find my way. I only wish to grow in my understanding of Kemeticism, Heathenry, and other pagan practices, and maybe I can help deepen the spiritual understanding of others who are also looking for something that seems missing. 

[hexandbalances]

Hi there! Your blog is really nice! Do you have tips for witches that'd like to work with Hekate? I started my research because I often think/dream about her but I am a bit at loss since I am a baby witch/pagan. Thank you ♡

Hello and thank you very much 💀🖤 I do and do not, unfortunately. When I suggest that practice must be endured and self-discovered, I flatly do not mean it to appear sagely. I’ve come to the very unsatisfying (especially to a new witch or pagan) conclusion that it is by nature a highly individual experience that will change over time. In general, the things I learned: 

Read everything but do not immediately/fully invest yourself in it. Everyone will have a different Definitive Guide™. Some unscrupulous authors or sects might even try to sell it as THE way and encourage or require you to forsake all other methods of practice. You can like some things they present but turn away from others. Resist anyone or anything that requires you to be “all in or else.”

You might find you like a particular style or practice for a time and then decide that it stops working quite as well or something else calls to you more. This is natural; you were never meant to be static. Be ready to leave some things behind and be at peace when you do.

Experiment.

Ask questions often, even if just internally. “Where does this belief come from? Why must it be done like this? What was the purpose of this part? So and so says XYZ, is that true? Is doing X serving me, my patron, or someone else?” I don’t mean you should be skeptical for the sake of being skeptical or contrarian, but critically analyzing the text/practice/metaphysical schema/culture/etc. will give you a better understanding and dismiss assumptions that might otherwise waste your time and resources.

You don’t need to buy anything. Witchcraft has/is becoming slowly consumed by the Wellness industry that will attempt to sell you everything from crystal phallus (porous! Do Not Use) to nail polish in the guise of self-care. There’s a lot of existing discussion about the benefits/detriments of this phenomenon but the take away is you don’t need to buy anything. Improvise. Try the next best thing and see if it works.

Do The Thing.

More specifically: Hekate wears many hats (so to speak). She will be very different for everyone. Intuit the role and manner you’re connecting with Her and explore that. If you are dreaming of Her perhaps meditation, lucid dreaming, flying ointments, or death walking might be fruitful things to explore.

You’ll become aware fairly quickly that there is a difference between Hellenismos (Hellenic polytheism), Hekatean Wicca, and Classical Greek reconstructionist magic practice. They’re going to have very different methods and objectives. 

If you’re interested in worshiping Hekate in a best-educated-guess traditional method Hellenismos is your best route. Baring the Aegis is a good starting platform.

If you’re interested in Wicca with a focus on Hekate Sorita d’Este, Tara Sanchez, and Cyndi Brannen have written books and articles on Patheos on the subject. I’ve listed them in order of more traditional to more modern leaning.

If you’re interested in Classical Greek magical practice start with the PGM (Papyri Graecae Magicae, or Greek Magical Papyri) with commentary, available free online. I also recommend work by Prof. Daniel Ogden (Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds) and John G. Gager.

I hope this was at least a little useful to you. Khaire 💀🖤

[hexwolfi]

Pagan-Themed Photoshoot By Polish Photographer Reveals The Beauty Of Slavic Culture

"Polish photographer Marcin Nagraba wanted to give the world a sneak peek of a more ancient view of Slavic people in his dark pictures; he took it all the way back to Pagan times. Before Christianity arrived in this world between the 7th and 12th centuries, the region was a hotbed of Slavic mythology and polytheism. Even though we only know a little about the Pegan [sic] rituals, accounts by early Byzantine explorers give us what we need to know. They describe the ancient Slavs as worshipers of thunder and earth, also referring to Perun, the highest god of the pantheon and the Slavic equivalent of the Greek Zeus."

See more photos in the article here

[hedgewitchgarden]

Slavic culture is very interesting. With vodka, fur hats, and the Orthodox Church, there are many more amazing aspects of the Slavic culture that will mesmerize you.

Polish photographer Marcin Nagraba wanted to give the world a sneak peek of a more ancient view of Slavic people in his dark pictures; he took it all the way back to Pagan times. Before Christianity arrived in this world between the 7th and 12th centuries, the region was a hotbed of Slavic mythology and polytheism. Even though we only know a little about the Pegan rituals, accounts by early Byzantine explorers give us what we need to know. They describe the ancient Slavs as worshipers of thunder and earth, also referring to Perun, the highest god of the pantheon and the Slavic equivalent of the Greek Zeus.

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Slavic beliefs about treshold and hearth

The negative role of the treshold

“Together with the door, the threshold co-created a part of the border between the two fragments of space. It was placed in a point where the continuity of the boundary was breached. The importance of the threshold resulted from its dual nature: the separation of spaces and the chance to move between the two created areas. In symbolic thinking, the threshold could be identified (and metonymically replaced) with the critical points that occur when switching between two states of affairs (e.g. nature/culture, night/day) or personal statuses (e.g. childhood/adolescence, single/ married). Being a fraction of the boundary and the exponent of its crossing, the threshold had the characteristics of a border area, and therefore it was ontologically insecure. And so, because every crossing of the border was related to the risk of contacting the undifferentiated chaos of the underworld, or with touching the sacred, the threshold required special protection and the ritualistic behaviours.

The significance of the threshold in family rituals is quite clearly written in ethnographic material. The threshold was one of the important elements of weddings or deaths, pregnant women were isolated from it. This boundary of the house did also need magical treatments. Apotropaic actions were also related to the thresholds of cowsheds and stables. The main motive of these activities was burying animals, coins, and/or unbaptized children underneath the threshold, or laying axes, garlic, brooms, knives, and/or herbs braided in a wreath on its surface.

Very few historical documents also describe the role of the threshold among Early Middle Ages Slavs. According to archaeological sources, its protective role (and, at the same time, protection over the whole house) can be confirmed by an auroch’s skull found in Gdańsk (circa 1230-1255), which was found near the south- eastern wall of a house, placed in parallel with it, in an alley between two hous- es; it could have been nailed to the top of the house as a hunting trophy. Wreaths made of twigs and hair could also fulfil an apotropaic function. A large number of wreaths made of phloem (9 pieces) was found during excavations in Gdańsk and Wolin. They were found on the streets, the square, and the vicinity of house walls in Early Middle Ages Gdańsk. Willow wreaths from Wolin were found near a wat- tle-and-daub house wall. In a nearby house some collections of wreaths placed on a corner peg were also found1. The wattle-and-daub buildings were built in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were 5 to 10 cm in diameter and were made of willow. A wicker wreath was in turn found in Szczecin inside a log cabin dating back to the first half of the 12th century. Identical wicker wreaths were present in Slavic buildings in Lund.

A possibly apotropaic meaning is connected with wreaths found in Gdańsk, Szczecin, and Wolin that were made of different materials, including horsehair. The incompleteness of archaeological material relating to the Early Middle Ages period does not allow to determine the exact role of this part of the house in apotropaic treatments. Deliberately omitted in this work is the ban on sweeping garbage over the threshold (the broom was treated as a cleanser), which is evident in ethnographic sources. According to Slavic beliefs the broom, when set on the threshold of a house or barn, defended the entrance against witches and protected from evil eyes.”

The symbolic role of the hearth

“The important part of the house was a place used for preparing meals and getting warm. According to ethnographic sources, the stove is a common component of beliefs and rituals. It was clearly a developed form of the hearth in the form of a fireplace and as such will continue to be considered, because fire was an inseparable companion of existence. Stanislaw Ciszewski assigned the following functions to the hearth:

1. it was a social environment and as such it merged individuals into a solidary group of people; 2. it was a symbol of life and existence; 3. it was a form of altar, and as such was an intermediary between a group of people and the spirits of their ancestors and the extrasensory world

The hearth discussed in this chapter has been treated in two ways: as a symbol of family life and spiritual life. The hearth constituted an integral part of life for a man and his family. It connected them to the extent that any important event was associated with it. In turn, the hearth manifested itself in spiritual life as the eternal worship of fire, seen as a god who must be adored. I am aware that this is an artificial division, but the clear application of it will help “organize” apotropaic magic activities connected with the cult of the hearth.

The fireplace or stove were a symbolic centre of family life, around which re- sided the guardian spirits of ancestors. Rituals associated with the hearth, which are the expression of a particular respect, have been observed in ethnographic material. The most archaic of them is the habit of “feeding” the fire, guardian spirits, clan, and family. These treatments are also confirmed by written sources, which speak about demons of destiny and a house spirit called uboże, which had to be taken care of by leaving food in right places. Also the available archaeological material of the Early Middle Ages allows to confirm the submission of different types of bloody and bloodless offerings near the stove and fireplaces.

Both atmospheric fire and the earthly one had sacred value, because the effect of contacting with them was the dissolution of all shapes, or, as a result, the liquidation of the opposition that characterized human oecumene: beginning-end, light-dark, right-left, and so on. This fire also had to be tamed by applying appropriate apotropaic treatments, which in this case took the form of prohibitions or commands with regard to handling fire. On the other hand fire, ashes, charcoal, or smoke were quite commonly believed to have purifying and protective powers. In the light of archaeological sources the worship of a deified fire within the house is probably the most difficult to detect. Over the centuries magical rites related to the worship of fire have changed. Perhaps the two vessels (from Wyszogród near War- saw and Radzim, Greater Poland Voivodeship) with special lightning-shaped and figural engravings on them were used during the protective magic rituals.”

Slavic protective magic in the Early Middle Ages on Polish territories by Joanna Wawrzeniuk