theoi-crow

[theoi-crow]

This song makes me think of Apollo playing music and singing.

Its very cozy.

More information about the actual singer and history behind this song: Peter Pringle re-creates ancient Greek music with the kithara. This little snippet is apart of his extended video where he explains more about ancient music: (LINK)

[theoi-crow]

Me: Aphrodite is such a loving mother.

*Note: She's my patron deity and I always forget she's not always kind to others because the gods have autonomy and I'm so used to her being kind and funny. Also, I saw a Tik Tok video of a girl who was very vain and angry that Aphrodite refused to work with her saying things like, "I'm hot! I assumed she would love to have someone hot as a devotee but I guess she hates competition!" I was like, "no bestie, you're approaching her with so much vanity and hubris that even Narcissus himself would call you a narcissist."

[theoi-crow]

Tumblr vs Tiktok

For Hellenic Polytheist resources and information:

Please pay attention to where you are getting your information from and what the motives are for those giving it to you, and why. Also, please pay attention to how accessible it is for the platform to give information.

Tumblr:

- This platform makes it very easy to access information in posts via links.

- The people posting won't get much out of sharing information so the ones who share information tend to just do it because they want to, and their information is easy to analyze and determine if it's useful.

- The Format via Reblogs also makes it easy for others to challenge the information on posts who get popular. The button that lets you see the discussion and reblog history also makes it easy to see what previous people have said in case there have been challenges, which is good for those doing their research. You don't want one person to be the only one with that source, and if their information is not very concrete you want others to challenge that.

Setbacks: people who have reading disabilities like dyslexia or are visually impaired might have problems with long posts so getting information via a visual format might be better which is why Tiktok is popular.

Tiktok: is great for entertainment and inspiration but as a tool for information it can be a headache.

- getting links from videos is hard because the poster has to post their sources on the video itself, on the information about the video section or put the sources on a pinned comment which is very limited, so most people have a "trust me bro" attitude when giving information and not adding sources. This also makes it hard to determine which information is good and which isn't.

- challenging misinformation is difficult: You can't always count on stitched videos to challenge misinformation because someone's stitch feature might be disabled and the ones calling out the post might refuse to use OP's name so even when people try to do call out posts for misinformation it'll have a "he said, she said, but I won't say who," game of telephone vibe about it.

- People get paid via engagement so the information will often be hyperbolic and scary. Scare tactics trigger people's survival instincts which will make them more likely to engage in someone sounding the alarm and triggering your fight/flight instincts. Your fear makes them money so the information will be very volatile.

- Short Format for engagement: Even when there is an option for 10 min. videos, a lot of people will still choose to use short videos so you are forced to click on their other videos if you want the rest of the information. This will cause more engagement and thus more money for them. This is also a nightmare when the algorithm suggests part one of a video posted 3 years ago and you have to go looking for part 2, and the person didn't bother to make a playlist.

Video and Audio alternatives: YouTube and podcasts: YouTube videos can be very long in order to fit as much information as possible and often have links and resources added to the information about the video section and there are some podcasts that I've been told are very resourceful (I haven't listened to podcasts myself so please feel free to add suggestions if you have any!)

I'm not trying to discourage people who use Tiktok as a resource, there are some good videos out there, but because of the nature of the app, accessing that information without having people prey on your emotions is hard because you being upset makes them money and that's what bothers me the most about the app.

All I ask is for you to keep these in mind when you do open Tiktok for information. Tiktok is great for funny memes and cool videos but when you bump into a video warning you that "Hera hates devotees who," or "Artemis gets mad when devotees," or "so and so has declared war on Apollo," or "so and so is planning to curse the moon," please remember that it is an app design to rage-farm your attention and turn it into money so posters will say ANYTHING to get views and as people continue to get laid off, the videos will get even more desperate and the rage bait will be even more intense.

The gods are a lot more forgiving and accommodating than people on Tik Tok make them seem.

[theoi-crow]

Meta is big mad about Tumblr and everyone who thought Tumblr was dead are shocked to find out Gen Z is using it and since Gen Z is who they're targeting to promote their stuff, Tumblr might start to suffer from the crap-ification that's been affecting all other social media because they're about to start financially fighting for it because Gen Z is their target audience so you can potentially expect more bots and a shittier Tumblr experience as they start to hide the normal stuff behind a paywall.

I heard through the grapevine that something was going on with Tumblr and people should start backing up their blogs. Does anyone know what's going on this time? I've been away, so once I heard of this, I decided to check back in.

[theoi-crow]

Spiritual work tip: protect your peace

Use the block button!

AI is getting smarter and the bots are being better trained to sound human while actual people troll for attention/fun or are getting paid to cause chaos/feuds.

You will not reason with them so there is no point arguing with them. Do not engage in that sysiphean task because, like Sisyphus, it will never end and you will throw yourself into the pits of "um actually" and "what about"-ism hell trying to reason with someone or something (bot/AI) that refuses to engage in reason and comes with the purpose of tiring you out and bullying you off the internet.

Protect your peace and remember to block, block, block!

[theoi-crow]

Asked the gods for help last night. Had a dream of Persephone fighting a T*RF 🌹🌷🌻🌼 My girl said TRANS RIGHTS!

[theoi-crow]

Hey, there's a lot of videos going around on Tik Tok shaming people for not worshipping the Greek gods the way that they do. Remember! How you worship the gods is between you and your gods! Everyone else's opinions can get eaten by the same high horse they're currently sitting on!

[theoi-crow]

digital offering to lord ares ⚔️

───── ⋆⋅⚔︎⋅⋆ ─────

───── ⋆⋅⚔︎⋅⋆ ─────

Lord Ares is there when i'm angry towards all the injustices going on in the world. Lord Ares is there when i fight for the causes i believe in.

───── ⋆⋅⚔︎⋅⋆ ─────

[theoi-crow]

Medusa served so much cunt in older depictions with artists getting creative on her monstrosity yet ppl nowadays are so stuck up on depicting Medusa as a generic pretty snake lady that we are limiting ourselves from making unique and terrifying character designs.

[theoi-crow]

Very important!

Okay, since I'm reading a book that I hate, I feel the desire to make a post saying something that is obvious to the rest of us:

Just because an offering is made of food, that doesn't mean it's safe to leave out in nature.

Please do not sprinkle cakes and leave out cookies meant for human consumption in wild areas, especially in ones frequented by animals. Do not put them in wild waters. Do not leave them in fields. Do not put them in forests.

Do not leave human food for animals.

It is not that hard to get things meant for animal consumption to leave for animals.

It is not that hard to do research on the animals in your area and their diets to tailor offerings so that they'll be appropriate for that.

It's not hard to leave an offering that is not food but is also safe for nature.

Just don't be stupid. Don't be stupid like the author of this book.

[theoi-crow]

Hey, to all the people who are sad we as Hellenic Polytheists don't have a temple to worship in:

We never had temples to worship in, that was never a thing.

I keep seeing posts of people lamenting that we no longer have places to worship the gods in, in the same way people use churches and other places of worship today, but as someone with a degree in this, that was never officially a thing. This is what I mean when I say people need to deconstruct from their previous religion because the religions are different and what you might miss from one, you'll bring to the other, like missing a place of worship.

The temples were solely places to either hold things given to the gods, like thank you offerings, etc. or in some cases, where you got your prophecy told (Delphi), or some people slept in temples for Asclepius in order to dream of cures they believed the god would give them.

The ancient Greeks worshipped the gods in nature and had little altars in their homes.

This is why there were so many sacrificial altars outside in nature or outside the temples.

I understand it can be frustrating not having a place to worship because religious places of worship are great places to find like-minded people and find community, but the ancient Greeks didn't have to do that because the religion was a government mandated religion. Their literal governments would do things with the whole city-state outside of the temples. The closest thing we got to that were mystery cults but those were usually for the elite and still did things outside just in more secluded areas: (LINK)

Most of the time people weren't allowed to go into the temples, just priests, and the very few people that were allowed (to either drop off a gift, dream of a cure or get their fortune told) had very strict rules on making sure they were super clean because the priests would have to clean after them and they really didn't want to do that.

My point is that if you are worshipping the gods in nature (especially outdoor areas that inspire you because they believed a god resided in those areas) or in front of your altar at home, you're already doing what the ancient Greeks did.

Places of worship later got popularized with the rise of mystery cults in Rome and Roman Christians needing a secret place to worship, usually in someone's house which would later get converted as official places because of the persecutions.

I understand it can be frustrating to not have what more modern religions around you have but I need Hellenic Polytheists to understand that official places of worship were never a thing in the ancient Greek world.

They are worshipped in nature because the gods ARE nature itself.

So understand that your place of worship is all around you, and the gods will always be with you whenever you need them, as soon as you need them, and I think that's beautiful.

[theoi-crow]

Holy shit!

Have you guys heard the voice of the original Orpheus from Hadestown before they changed the songs for Broadway and Reeve Carney took over as Orpheus?!

OMG!!! 😳 It's insanely beautiful!!!

[theoi-crow]

[theoi-crow]

Tumblr vs Tiktok

For Hellenic Polytheist resources and information:

Please pay attention to where you are getting your information from and what the motives are for those giving it to you, and why. Also, please pay attention to how accessible it is for the platform to give information.

Tumblr:

- This platform makes it very easy to access information in posts via links.

- The people posting won't get much out of sharing information so the ones who share information tend to just do it because they want to, and their information is easy to analyze and determine if it's useful.

- The Format via Reblogs also makes it easy for others to challenge the information on posts who get popular. The button that lets you see the discussion and reblog history also makes it easy to see what previous people have said in case there have been challenges, which is good for those doing their research. You don't want one person to be the only one with that source, and if their information is not very concrete you want others to challenge that.

Setbacks: people who have reading disabilities like dyslexia or are visually impaired might have problems with long posts so getting information via a visual format might be better which is why Tiktok is popular.

Tiktok: is great for entertainment and inspiration but as a tool for information it can be a headache.

- getting links from videos is hard because the poster has to post their sources on the video itself, on the information about the video section or put the sources on a pinned comment which is very limited, so most people have a "trust me bro" attitude when giving information and not adding sources. This also makes it hard to determine which information is good and which isn't.

- challenging misinformation is difficult: You can't always count on stitched videos to challenge misinformation because someone's stitch feature might be disabled and the ones calling out the post might refuse to use OP's name so even when people try to do call out posts for misinformation it'll have a "he said, she said, but I won't say who," game of telephone vibe about it.

- People get paid via engagement so the information will often be hyperbolic and scary. Scare tactics trigger people's survival instincts which will make them more likely to engage in someone sounding the alarm and triggering your fight/flight instincts. Your fear makes them money so the information will be very volatile.

- Short Format for engagement: Even when there is an option for 10 min. videos, a lot of people will still choose to use short videos so you are forced to click on their other videos if you want the rest of the information. This will cause more engagement and thus more money for them. This is also a nightmare when the algorithm suggests part one of a video posted 3 years ago and you have to go looking for part 2, and the person didn't bother to make a playlist.

Video and Audio alternatives: YouTube and podcasts: YouTube videos can be very long in order to fit as much information as possible and often have links and resources added to the information about the video section and there are some podcasts that I've been told are very resourceful (I haven't listened to podcasts myself so please feel free to add suggestions if you have any!)

I'm not trying to discourage people who use Tiktok as a resource, there are some good videos out there, but because of the nature of the app, accessing that information without having people prey on your emotions is hard because you being upset makes them money and that's what bothers me the most about the app.

All I ask is for you to keep these in mind when you do open Tiktok for information. Tiktok is great for funny memes and cool videos but when you bump into a video warning you that "Hera hates devotees who," or "Artemis gets mad when devotees," or "so and so has declared war on Apollo," or "so and so is planning to curse the moon," please remember that it is an app design to rage-farm your attention and turn it into money so posters will say ANYTHING to get views and as people continue to get laid off, the videos will get even more desperate and the rage bait will be even more intense.

The gods are a lot more forgiving and accommodating than people on Tik Tok make them seem.

[theoi-crow]

Tips for closeted HelPol (in Muslim households)

I'm in the same boat, lad. So here are my tips for those who are in Muslim households.

I'm making this because I mostly see people give tips for those in Christian households. It is somewhat worse for those in Islamic countries because of there is lack of freedom and how strict Muslim parents are..

⁜ Namaz/Prayer - yes, you have to do Namaz. But in this case, do the act of Namaz but address your deities when you do the act of making dua.

⁜ Roza/Fasting - this, too, you have to do. It is a good way to cleanse yourself spiritually from miasma (spiritual filth).

⁜ If your parents ask why you have Greco-Roman stuff, you can say its for the aesthetic, or because you think it's interesting. If they ask why you have so many books relating to Ancient Greece, you can say you like classical literature from the Mediterranean, or you like history. Give vague answers.

⁜ Be discreet, obviously. In this case, make your altars hidden. Use gum or mint containers such Altoids tins, Trident, etc. Paste an image of your deity and a prayer. Put birthday candles, broken incense, and a little incense holder. BAM LAD you got yourself a little altar!

⁜ If you don't have access to little altars, you can make a Pinterest board with images and prayers of your deity.

⁜ If you want to do little acts for your deities, user khaire-traveler has a lovely masterpost about subtle deity worship!

⁜ Use symbolic imagery for your deities. If you worship Lady Athena, use owl or snake imagery. If you worship Lord Kronos, use scythe or sickle imagery. If you worship Lady Gaia, use flower imagery

⁜ Lastly for my AFAB pookies, if you are doing the hijab, keep doing it. Veiling is a method to protect your energy.

If i remember anything else, I'll be sure to add!

[theoi-crow]

Thank you for the mention and the suggestions!

Following now! ☺️

Hi! I love your blog and find it very beneficial, do you have any recommendations for blogs that are pagan? The pantheon does not matter. Thank you, have a great day/night!

Khaire! Hope you have a great day/night as well! And I'm glad you find my blog helpful. :3

Sure, there are a few I can recommend! If one isn't mentioned here (especially one that I follow), that doesn't mean that they aren't a great resource; I just don't want to get marked as spam on accident. ^^;

Below the cut is the list! If you were tagged in this post, it's because I recommended you to this person! If a deity name is mentioned, it's because I've seen the blog focus a bit more on that deity, though that doesn't mean they don't worship others on their blog.

@wanderingskemetic - Kemetic Polytheism (Egyptian Deities)

@devildevotee - Demonolatry (demon worship/work); does talk about other practices as well

@notthesomefather - Norse Heathenry (Norse Deities)

@broomsick - Norse Heathenry

@bowldrips - Norse Heathenry

@lokavisi - Norse Heathenry; Loki

@sephospaganplace - Hellenic Polytheism; Apollon

@captainkaltar - Hellenic Polytheism (Greek Deities)

@mylifeforawinegod - Hellenic Polytheism; Dionysus

@dionysianfreak - Hellenic Polytheism; Dionysus

@screeching-0wl - Hellenic Polytheism; this person may not return to Tumblr, as an FYI, but their resources are fantastic; miss them a lot

@greekpagan - Hellenic Polytheism; I don't think this person will return either, but they have some great prayers available

@theoi-crow - Hellenic Polytheism

@athenaeum-of-the-herald - Hellenic Polytheism

@travelingthief - Hellenic Polytheism

@i-got-the-sky-i-got-the-road - Hellenic Polytheism; Hermes

@artemis-potnia-theron - Hellenic Polytheism; Artemis

@hyakinthou-naos - Hellenic Polytheism; Hyacinthus

@olympianbutch - Hellenic Polytheism; Zeus

@honeyandhestia - Hellenic Polytheism; Hestia

There are literally SO many more, but if I tag more people in this post, I think I'm gonna get marked as spam, so this will do for now. I also think this is a pretty long list as is. XD Hope this helps! 🧡

[theoi-crow]

Friendly reminder that your devotional acts don’t have to make sense to anyone but you. 💖