theoiswitchydevotee - Tumblr blog

[theoiswitchydevotee]

It may seem like the future is bleak and maybe you have felt this way for a while, but things can change, things can better, you still will have more opportunities and life will have more possibilities instead of only closed doors. There is hope. Allow yourself to have hope, to stick around, to revisit this post in a year and think about how much has changed.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

New statue of Aphrodite discovered in Turkey. People thought it was originally meant for a nymph. It was found this year around February. Greek art is so beautiful.

I find it really admirable how detailed Greek art is and how they can last this long in such beautiful condition. I hope one day, if it wasn't burnt like some theories say it was, the real Athena Parthenos is found. Just to see something that old in beautiful condition would be amazing.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

New statue of Aphrodite discovered in Turkey. People thought it was originally meant for a nymph. It was found this year around February. Greek art is so beautiful.

I find it really admirable how detailed Greek art is and how they can last this long in such beautiful condition. I hope one day, if it wasn't burnt like some theories say it was, the real Athena Parthenos is found. Just to see something that old in beautiful condition would be amazing.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Hellenism Books I have compiled

ahhh so public library for beginners and closet pagans

Also anyone who wants to find an epub file or send one here and DM me :D

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Hi there! Black hellenic polytheist here. We exist and we are valid. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Are there any Black witches that have Greek deities? I am now down the loophole of spiritual tok, and everyone is saying something different, and I am just confused 😔

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Dealing With Executive Dysfunction - A Masterpost

The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.

The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.

The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.

The “get stuff done while you wait” method.

The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.

The “break the task into smaller steps” method.

The “treat yourself like a pet” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.

The “put on a persona” method.

The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.

The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.

The “wait for a trigger” method.

The “do it for your future self” method.

The “might as well” method.

The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.

The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.

The “make it easy” method.

The “junebugging” method.

The “just show up” method.

The “accept when you need help” method.

The “make it into a game” method.

The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.

The “trick yourself” method.

The “break it into even smaller steps” method.

The “let go of should” method.

The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.

The “fork theory” method.

The “effectivity over aesthetics” method.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Writing Notes: Hamartia & Hubris

HAMARTIA: A term from Greek tragedy that literally means "missing the mark." Originally applied to an archer who misses the target, a hamartia came to signify a tragic flaw, especially an error in perception, a lack of some important insight, or some blindness that ironically results from one's own strengths and abilities. In Greek tragedy, the protagonist frequently possesses some sort of hamartia that causes catastrophic results after he fails to recognize some fact or truth that could have saved him if he recognized it earlier. The idea of hamartia is often ironic; it frequently implies the very trait that makes the individual noteworthy is what ultimately causes the protagonist's decline into disaster. For instance, for the character of Macbeth, the same ambition that makes him so admired is the trait that also allows Lady Macbeth to lure him to murder and treason. Similarly, what ennobles Brutus is his unstinting love of the Roman Republic, but this same patriotism causes him to kill his best friend, Julius Caesar. These normally positive traits of self-motivation and patriotism caused the two protagonists to "miss the mark" and realize too late the ethical and spiritual consequences of their actions.

HUBRIS (sometimes spelled Hybris): The Greek term hubris is difficult to translate directly into English. It is a negative term implying both arrogant, excessive self-pride or self-confidence, and also a hamartia, a lack of some important perception or insight due to pride in one's abilities. It is the opposite of the Greek term arête, which implies a humble and constant striving for perfection and self-improvement combined with a realistic awareness that such perfection cannot be reached. As long as an individual strives to do and be the best, that individual has arête. As soon as the individual believes he has actually achieved arête, however, he or she has lost that exalted state and fallen into hubris, unable to recognize personal limitations or the humble need to improve constantly. This leads to overwhelming pride, and this in turn leads to a downfall.

Source

[theoiswitchydevotee]

who are the chthonic deities?

HADES: the god of the dead, riches, and King of the Underworld

PERSEPHONE: the goddess of springtime and flowers, Queen of the Underworld

HERMES: messenger of the gods, god of commerce, luck, thieves, and travel. under his Chthonius epithet his role in guiding the dead to the Underworld is emphasized

DEMETER: some sources consider the goddess of agriculture and fertility a chthonic deity because of her relation to the earth and as Persephone's mother

HEKATE: goddess of magic, crossroads, necromancy, and ghosts, she is a close companion of Persephone

TARTARUS: the primordial god of the abyss and personification of the deepest level of the Underworld

NYX: the primordial goddess of night

EREBUS: the primordial god of darkness, husband of Nyx

HYPNOS: son of Nyx and Erebus, the god of sleep

NEMESIS: daughter of Nyx and Erebus, goddess/daemon of revenge

CHARON: son of Nyx and Erebus, the ferryman that carries the dead across the river Acheron to the Underworld

THANATOS: son of Nyx and Erebus, the god of death

dividers by @vibeswithrenai

[theoiswitchydevotee]

More "good dad Zeus" from my casual Iliad skimming-through, as a reminder:

(trans. by Emily Wilson)

You cannot pay me enough to call Zeus a bad dad.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

The Watermelon Woman (1996) dir. Cheryl Dunye

[theoiswitchydevotee]

I fixed up this older portrait called "Demeter" and softened things a bit, it's not perfect but I like how it turned out.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

“You worship so many deities how do you keep up with them all?”

Yes, that is kind of the point of polytheism.

Polytheistic worship includes a massive web of Gods who are all connected in some way or another, their domains overlapping as they work together.

You are just one person so you only have so much time and energy, of course you would worship one Deity who is linked heavily to your journey more than others.

You dont have to be every Deity’s devotee, just like you dont have to be everyones best friend. Sometimes you worship for a specific time, purpose or to bond with a loved one who worships that Deity.

Like I said in my previous post, the Gods will not get angry or clingy if you dont pay attention to them, they existed and have been worshipped way before you were born and way after you are dead.

If you devote yourself to a deity, dont be afraid to acknowledge their family, in fact they will encourage it.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Eleusinia

~ 15-18 Metageitnion ~

Unrelated to Eleusinian Mysteries, Eleusinia similarly celebrated Demeter as the Goddess of the Harvest. On these days a thanksgiving was held to honor the Goddess. Commonly, grain and wheat as well as baked good were given in offering.

Eleusinia did not take place every year. The festival takes place every two years; once on the last year of the Olympiad as Greater Eleusinia, and once on the second year of the Olympiad as Eleusinia. Greater Eleusinia held the only difference of a larger and complex observance to Demeter.

Both festivals consisted of games held with prizes, a procession and a sacrifice. Winners were said to take home large amounts of grain.

Traditional Offerings:

- Grain/Wheat or Baked Goods

- Imagery of Demeter

- Hymns to Demeter

- Libations to Demeter

Traditional Acts:

- Hymns to Demeter

- Libations to Demeter

- Playing of games observed in Ancient Greece (such as footraces or wrestling)

Khaire Demeter! Happy Eleusinia! 🌾🐍🌻

[theoiswitchydevotee]

Origins of Modern Greek folk sayings

NOTE: By "origins" here I do not mean absolute exact origin as this would be impossible to know. It rather signifies the likely first documented usage of the saying in the Greek literary heritage.

Ένα χελιδόνι (ή ένας κούκος) δεν φέρνει την άνοιξη. Meaning: A single swallow (or a single cuckoo) does not bring the spring. This is where the english idiom "one swallow does not a summer make" come from as well. Origin: Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεἶ ( A single swallow does not create the spring) - Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (384 - 322 BC). Aristotle said this phrase inspired by one of Aesop's tales (620 - 564 BC).

Το ένα χέρι νίβει το άλλο. Meaning: Each hand washes the other. It exists in English as well as in other languages, spread through Latin "Manus manam lavat". Origin: ἁ δὲ χεὶρ τὰν χεῖρα νίζει - Epicharmus, 5th century BC.

Ό,τι σπείρεις θα θερίσεις. Meaning: You will reap what you sow. Widespread proverb. Origin: Εί κακά τις σπείραι κακά κέρδια αμήσειν (If one sows bad things, he will reap bad things) - Hesiod (~ 750 - 650 BC).

Κάλλιο να σε ζηλεύουνε παρά να σε λυπούνται Meaning: It's better to be envied than to be pitied by others. Origin: κρέσσον γὰρ οἰκτιρμοῦ φθόνος (for envy is better than pity) - Pindar, (~ 518 –  438 BC).

Έπαθε και έμαθε Meaning: He suffered so he learned Origin: τὸν πάθει μάθος (the suffering becomes a lesson) - Aeschylus (~ 525 - 455 BC)

Μη με συγχίζεις Meaning: Don't confound me, meaning "don't make me upset" Origin: μή μοι σύγχει - Homer (8th century BC)

Μη με σκοτίζεις Meaning: "Don't put me in the dark" meaning "don't annoy / bother me" Origin: Αποσκότησον με ("Get me out of the dark" AKA the notorious "Don't hide the sun and gtfo" line) - Diogenes to Alexander the Great

βίος αβίωτος Meaning: "Unlivable life", unbearable life Origin: Ἀβίωτον ζῶμεν βίον (We live an unlivable life) - Philemon (362 BC – c. 262 BC)

Ἐχει και του πουλιού το γάλα Meaning: "It even has the bird's milk" meaning it has anything you can imagine Origin: δώσομεν ὑμῖν γάλα τ᾽ ὀρνίθων (We will give you even the milk of birds / hens) - Aristophanes (446 - 386 BC)

Άει στον κόρακα Meaning: Go to the crow, an equivalent of "go to hell" Origin: ἔρρʼ ἐς κόρακας! (go to the crows) - standard phrase, frequently used by Aristophanes

Κάθε αρχή και δύσκολη Meaning: Every beginning is also difficult Origin: Αρχή δήπου παντός έργου χαλεπωτέρα (the beginning of every project is the hardest) - ancient saying

Η αλήθεια είναι πικρή Meaning: Truth is bitter Origin: ἔχει τι πικρὸν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος (there is something bitter in the words of truth) - Demades (380 - 318 BC)

Η αλήθεια δεν κρύβεται Meaning: Truth cannot be hidden Origin: Ἀδύνατον τ' ἀληθές λαθεῖν (It is impossible to hide the true thing) - Menander (342 - 291 BC)

Φοβάται και την σκιά του Meaning: He's even afraid of his shadow (used when someone is afraid all the time) Origin: τὴν αὐτοῦ σκιὰν δέδοικεν (he's afraid of his own shadow) - Aristophanes (446 - 386 BC)

Καμιά δουλειά δεν είναι ντροπή Meaning: No job is shameful Origin: Έργον δ' ουδέν όνειδος - Hesiod (~ 750 - 650 BC)

Χτίζεις στην άμμο Meaning: You build in the sand, meaning you're doing something pointless, that will be ruined or over very soon. Origin: Εἰς ψάμμον οἰκοδομεῖς - Plutarch (46 - 119 AD)

[theoiswitchydevotee]

🏺 On Fear of Gods.

Specific religion: ancient Greek polytheism.

Unsourced claims that "actual fear of the Gods was frowned upon in ancient times" remind me badly of the "everything before Christianity was good and now we have fear instilled in us by Evil Monotheism" and it bothers me so much so why don't we look at our sources.

I don't think it's wise to look at just poetic sources for votive claims, though poetry does show us another perspective on the feared and respected Gods, so I am using Homeric Hymns (trans. by Apostolos N. Athanassakis, *just my personal preference) as a source. Previous commentators in [ this post ] have already mentioned that many festivals, such as the beloved by many Thargelia, were festivals to appease Gods and shoo away the dangers awaiting old communities.

Let us look at cases of the Gods causing fear in the very people that do respect them:

Awe, reverence, and pale fear seized the mother; and she yielded her seat to the goddess and asked her to sit.

(to Demeter, 190-191)

All night long they propitiated the glorious goddess, quaking with fear, and as soon as dawn appeared they told the truth to Keleos, whose power reached far, as the fair-wreathed goddess Demeter had ordered them.

(to Demeter, 292-295)

Demeter is among feared Goddesses not just because she is amazing and deeply awed (though she is); her wrath brings devastation. Appeasing Demeter out of fear of what happens if you don't is simply a norm of the society her cult thrived in: one reliant on agricultural luck.

When you are here you shall be mistress of everything that lives and moves; your honors among the immortals shall be the greatest, and those who wrong you shall always be punished, if they do not appease your spirit with sacrifices, performing sacred rites and making due offerings.

(to Demeter, 364-369)

Persephone's becoming as the queen of the underworld is marked, with the words put into the mouth of God of the dead himself, by this statement: they will honor you or they will be punished. Aside from being a sweet thing to say to your newly-made-queen wife, it's a reflection of an ancient belief that non-appeased Gods are terrifying.

Through the precious tripods he entered his temple and lighted a flame to guide the ships, enveloping all of Krisa in light; and the wives and fair-girded daughters of the Krisians raised a cry at the radiance of Phoibos, for he instilled in them great fear.

(to Apollo, 443-447)

Apollo is not at all posing danger to these people. In fact, a few lines below, he wonders why they hide away in fear and instills courage in their hearts so they may speak. But he is feared for such is the nature of a God. His voice is "loud", his presence is "mighty". Like other immortals, he overwhelms you with the very presence.

When he saw Aphrodite’s neck and lovely eyes, he was seized with fear and turned his gaze aside.

(to Aphrodite, 181-182)

I should provide context: Anchises feels fear upon realizing that Aphrodite is divine. The very fact alone is enough to instill this primal reaction in him, because she is so much above him.

Now the god became a fearsome, loud-roaring lion in the bow of the ship and then amidships a shaggy bear he caused to appear as a portent. The bear reared with fury and the lion scowled dreadfully on the topmost bench.

(to Dionysus, 44-48)

Dionysus is probably the most obvious God to be afraid of: he turns into terrifying creatures most often, instills frenzy, and causes disruption and desolation if he's displeased frequently. Most people know the account of Pentheus or the story of Minyas' daughters. Dionysus is a notoriously fearful God.

A lot of mythical narratives serve to instill fear of misdemeanor, it is not a thing that only existed in Christianity: the idea of hubris is the idea of not crossing the clear-cut line between mortal and divine. If you do, you are punished as so many were, in myth. Ancient Gods are feared while being respected and beloved, those are not opposites of each other because the divine beings are not human despite sometimes appearing human-like. They are forces of nature, patrons of inter-human relationships, ones who control how things are done. And it just happens so that if things are done wrongly, they let humans know through signs, messengers, or punishment depending on the wrongdoing.

There's cultural background behind religions that cannot be overlooked just because it reminds you of aspects of Christianity and to say that recorded aspect of fear within many religions is an invention of Christian faith is simply disrespectful to these religions.

I'm not going to police your personal religious practice, this is not my business; so please do not make it about that. But there's a difference between having no fear in religion personally and claiming that it's historically a "Christian invention" that did not exist in some magical glorious ancient past.

[theoiswitchydevotee]

i cannot express this enough, have a plan for the potential of the fire in your rituals turning into BIG fire

[theoiswitchydevotee]

a trend I've noticed that I'm so fascinated by is that so many people (myself included) seem to have UPGs of Dionysus using they/them pronouns - specifically that they'll respond to any but seemingly (?) has a preference for they/them

and I'm not just talking about on tumblr... I've encountered this on other platforms and when talking to other worshippers irl

obviously historically Dionysus is referred to with he/him pretty exclusively

but this phenomena is so common I'm tempted to call it SPG

so I'm curious...