#polytheism 101

[thegrovecalls]

Tips for getting back into regular practice?

Been feeling the need to get back into this blog and really get back into a steady devotional practice again lately. Struggling AS ALWAYS with reading and researching too much and hyperfocusing and comparing my UPG/theories to other well-learned polytheists' and feeling inadequate because I don't have the executive function to write properly-cited essays and stuff :/ Maybe recon polytheism isn't for me lol. I get so bogged down in the academic side (which I do love and I am good at, mind you) that I get burned out before I can even get to the devotional and ~personal spiritual exploration~ side!

So yeah... I'm being called by the gods to spend some actual time with them with my nose out of a book/blog/journal for a change, and I'm realising that I barely know how to do that, and certainly don't have much confidence in myself and my spiritual agency anymore :(

Kinda feels like I need to go strictly cold turkey on research for a while (I've amassed enough notes the last few years; I should be perfectly happy that what I believe is 99% evidence-based and I'm not just wildly making stuff up), and really go back to polytheist devotion 101 stuff. I haven't made any formal offerings in a really long time and haven't done a recon-style ritual, well, ever.

So uh... What is polytheist devotion 101 stuff? Does anyone have any tips for someone like me who thinks too much and doesn't DO nearly enough? For letting go of polytheist perfectionism? In some ways I feel like a beginner (which, to put a positive spin on things, is a fairly exciting place to be). Does anyone know of any good beginner's exercises/programmes/routines that could be applicable for a Gaulpol/Brythpol lacking in confidence and connection?

[Also, one of the things I've been 'stuck' ruminating about lately is what to do with offerings after they've been offered: I live in a flat in a city with no real green space nearby, and it feels wrong to eat them myself or throw them out with mundane waste. I'm never very successful with indoor plants either. Should I just offer fire (i.e. candles in my situation), incense, and votive or 'devotional activity' offerings? Or if I do make libations or food offerings, can it just be a few drops or crumbs, that I might realistically be able to leave out for birds or on a tiny patch of urban nature (as long as they're safe for said wildlife)? Can water alone be a libation?]