thetelesterion

[thetelesterion]

O glorious, mighty, all-powerful Zeus, you who are lord of all creation! You who preside over and see all things, grant me an audience and hear my prayer. Mightiest son of Kronos, Pantokrator, Basileios, you hold all things within yourself. Incline your ear to me.

I pray on behalf of my house, that you may strengthen it and protect it with your steady hand. You preside over the home and hearth, for that is why mortals call you “Herkeios.”

I pray also for the strangers, the refugees, those who have no home or have fled theirs out of desperation and fear. You are a friend to the stranger, the foreigner, and the immigrant-- that is why mortals call you “Xenios,” and “Phyxios.” You are a refuge to all who suffer at the hands of the wicked and the tyrants.

O mighty one, who wields blinding bolts of lightning, save the oppressed and cast down the tyrants! Deliver those who cry out to you, and save those who weep and suffer in darkness. Those whose homes have been destroyed, whose families have been torn apart, whose lives have been broken. You who despise wickedness and desire order and justice, deliver and save the innocent from the hands of wicked men. You are the liberator and redeemer, for that is why we call you “Eleutherios.”

I praise you, I call to you, let the smoke of my incense carry this prayer to you, the golden-throned king of all. Bring justice to the Earth, O great god.

[thetelesterion]

what are the gods who you are devoted to

Hello anon!

I worship Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollon, Asklepios, Pan, Hekate, Hestia, Dionysos and Artemis.

In addition to those Greek deities, I worship a few Kemetic deities as well. Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Horus, and Ra.

Aaand finally, I venerate Lord Shakyamuni Buddha, and Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

[thetelesterion]

Something a bit different from what I usually post.

I based this drawing off of old photographs and medieval art that shows the Great Sphinx half buried in the sands of Giza, a monolithic human face emerging from the desert waves.

I imagine people stumbling across this sight and being in total awe and amazement.

[thetelesterion]

I had a similar experience. I started out my journey by worshipping Haides and Persephone, but refused to incorporate Zeus into my praxis because I found myself falling for the "Hades good, Zeus bad" mentality that is popular in Greek mythology spaces.

Nevertheless, as my practices and beliefs became more solid, my views on Zeus changed dramatically. I recognized him for the loving, benevolent father he is. Not only that, but I grew to revere his might and his power over the cosmos.

Praised be Zeus, ruler of the deathless gods and lord of all things! Hail, Zeus Pater, hail Zeus Pantokrator!

when i first entered hellenic polytheism, i was wary of Zeus. of course, i’ve grown to love him— lately, i’ve been feeling His presence heavily, specifically drawn to the epithet Zeus Pater.

what has your experience worshipping and approaching Zeus been like?

[thetelesterion]

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!

This perfectly encapsulates how I see them. A divine pair as strong and as capable as Zeus and Hera. A king and queen, rulers of a vast realm, both givers of many blessings.

Matthew Kocvara, Hades and Persephone

[thetelesterion]

for the record i am not friendly to zionism as an ideology, anyone who supports it can kindly disappear from my page and skedaddle off elsewhere! :3

[thetelesterion]

The gods detest genocide. The gods despise tyrants. The gods despise evil. They despise lawlessness, and the trampling of individual rights and freedoms. Our gods destest the shedding of innocent blood in the name of wicked regimes and evil men. Our gods PUNISH those who do evil, and strike down tyrants with their power.

We are exposed to an ongoing genocide each and every day. It is our job to keep that in the forefront of our minds. The gods will surely punish those responsible for the horrors inflicted by Israel on the Palestinian people, in due time. But all we can do is speak, and act, in any way we can. Donate, protest, never let your voice be silenced.

[thetelesterion]

zeus the thunderer, the avenger of the wronged-- king of kings and lord of lords, most perfect of the perfect powers, hear our prayer and for the sake of us your children, keep us safe from the violence of wicked men whose deeds you so rightly despise. bring order to this chaotic world, bring peace to mankind. i cry to you, o blessed king and ruler of all, stretch forth your strong hand and cast down the tyrants, the despots, and the dictators. save us from the oppressors, o mighty one.

[thetelesterion]

To Zeus Eleutherios, the Liberator

Zeus Eleutherios, divine liberator of mankind

You who breaks chains and brings freedom to the masses

It is you who gives us the strength and the understanding to free ourselves from tyranny

And it is you who intervenes to free humankind from the yoke of slavery and oppression

In these times of trouble I turn to you, that you might grant to us your guidance and intervention now

To you I pray, oh lightning-wielding patron of the freedom struggle

I beg of you, bestow upon us the strength, the skill, the power, and knowledge to free ourselves

To free our world from the tyranny of fascism, imperialism, and zionism,

To overcome and destroy oppression in all its forms

Grant the people inspiration, that we might be able to rise up and defeat those who hold us down

That we might be delivered from all those who exploit, murder, and marginalize

Just and Revolutionary Zeus, who with your son Dionysos, carries the title of Liberator

May all the enemies of the people be laid low, may they be disarmed and disempowered

May they pay for their crimes in this life, in this generation, and not the next

Bring swift justice and vengeance on those who deceive us,

and upon the forces that render us complicit in violence and the destruction of our siblings

May all who defile the Sacred Earth with bloodshed and pollution be cast into the deepest depths of Tartaros

Oh great King of the Heavens, wolf-like and serpentine, avenging the wrongs and corruption of mortal leaders

It is to you I pray, that we shall arrive at freedom in our lifetimes

And that through your divine inspiration we may build the struggle to create a better world

Strike down with your shining scepter all those in power who subdue the coming of justice

That our path to freedom be one not far from us, but near at hand

Oh Lord Zeus, you who delivers freedom and justice, hear this my prayer

(Art by Heinrich Friedrich Füger)

[thetelesterion]

Hiii, I'm new to helpol. What are the guidelines around prayer? I know you're supposed to wash your hands first, so I always do, but are there other things I'm supposed to do? I'm coming from a Christian upbringing where the sentiment was very "you could pray while taking a shit and God wouldn't mind it"

Hello anon!

I'm no scholar or expert on anything related to Hellenic Polytheism but I will do my best to answer this, as well as give examples from my own practices.

So, while there are no strict "guidelines" on how to pray, we have ancient sources which help us understand how the ancient Greeks would have prayed and worshipped.

Firstly, like you pointed out, washing one's hands was essential. I'm not gonna get into the whole "miasma" thing, as there are others who cover that far more gracefully and informatively than I ever could. Ordinary water is fine for this.

Secondly, there is the structure of prayer. The basic components of a prayer are:

1. Invocation (Calling upon the god/gods, usually with their epithets and titles)

2. Argument (Basically saying why the god/gods should listen to your prayer)

3. The Petition (This is where you ask the gods for any requests, favors, or anything else you're praying to them for)

"Casual" prayers are also historically attested and don't always follow this structure. Essentially, you can pray to the gods whenever you wish, but personally I like to follow a basic structure like that when I pray in front of my altar at home. But, in short, formal prayers are not the only acceptable prayers.

I will give a link to this wonderfully detailed post by @ olympianbutch that covers the structure of prayer in a lot more depth!

Finally, on the topic of gestures and postures made during prayer, there are a few that we know of historically. There is the "orans" posture involves the raising of both arms towards the heavens, and is meant for prayers and rituals involving the Ouranic, or heavenly gods. For Khthonic/Underworld deities, a worshipper would bow low to the ground or fully prostrate, and yell into the earth so the gods below would hear them.

Now... that last one obviously is tricky in most modern settings, and I usually don't do the yelling bit myself. But I do a mixture of both postures since I have several Ouranic and Khthonic deities on my altar.

When it comes to saying silent prayers or saying prayers out loud, I do a mix of both. Sometimes, I don't feel the energy to say anything out loud, and I sit in front of my altar and let the smell of my incense fill the air. It puts me in a good state of mind, and helps me focus on the gods.

Overall, if you take any of this advice and incorporate it into your own practices, always be sure to avoid pushing yourself. Do what you're able to do. The Theoi see and appreciate all the effort we give, even if we think we're not doing enough. And keep learning! Keep digging, keep reading, and keep asking. There's always something to learn.

[thetelesterion]

have you read about sacred prostitution? i know you have opinions on sexual devotion to the gods. i also totes recognize that like, the culture was WILDLY different then, and i guess maybe they were more "vetted," for lack of a better term? i'll admit i haven't done the absolute most reading on aphrodite's connection with prostitutes in ancient greece. i'd just like to hear what you have to say about it considering your stance on masturbation as a devotional act.

I have, and the scholarly consensus is that "scared prostitution" was a myth.

If "sacred prostitutes" existed in ancient Greece, they were enslaved girls. And they didn't dedicate the act of sex to Aphrodite. They dedicated their commission (which they weren't allowed to keep) and the tools of their trade to her.

There's an entire book about this called "The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity" by Stephanie Lynn Budin. The premise is that there was no sacred prostitution in any sense of the word.

[thetelesterion]

Quick little doodle of Agathos Daimon! I really enjoyed making this and learning more about the little snake god. :3

[thetelesterion]

Nah because this shit genuinely pisses me off. I used to be one of those "Hades is good, Zeus is bad!" types when I first started on my polytheistic journey. I'm gonna *hope* that this person is taking their baby steps into this, and that, given time, they will stop viewing Zeus through the lens of mythic literalism and pop culture portrayals. Zeus is not an "asshole." Why the fuck would Ancient Greek people build so many goddamn temples, offer so many sacrifices, and write so many hymns and poems, all to an "asshole" god?? A GOD WHOSE EPITHETS AND TITLES INCLUDE "THE GOOD GOD?"

I wish all Zeus haters to be cursed with never ending thunderstorms for the rest of their lives!!!

Can we like, stop making Hades out to be a bad guy in Greek myth and zues to be a good guy. Honestly Hades is like not even evil in most Greek iterations. Zues is the one who fucked everyone and caused issues. Zues is the fuckup, Hades mostly just wanted a wife. And in most iterations she willingly went no trickery and willingly wanted to stay. And after thousands of years Demeter is still upset about it. Persephone willingly stayed Hades isn't evil, and neither is the location known by the same name.

[thetelesterion]

Something I find so funny (it's not really funny, moreso frustrating, really,) is one of the most prevailing arguments against "idolatry" from monotheistic faiths, especially Christianity. The argument being, "You worship stone, wood, and metal. How do you expect such hollow, lifeless things to save you?"

It's incredibly ironic when it comes from the mouths of Christians, mainly Orthodox and Catholics. They, as well as other liturgical Christians get around the idolatry accusations with their own religious iconography by saying nearly the exact same things that we would about our images.

They say stuff like "They're objects of veneration, not worship," "They're tools that bring our minds closer to God during worship," etc etc.

All things that are equally applicable to many polytheistic faiths, including Hellenic Polytheism. We do not worship stone, wood, or metal. We worship the gods who create and inhabit those elements.

We do not call upon agalmata or eikones to save us. We call upon the gods to save us, nothing more. The idea that we worship statues or worship materials like stone or wood is such a false and uninformed narrative that has been hurled against polytheistic faiths for centuries.

Even if you are of the stance that these images are "false" because you believe the beings behind them to be demons, or some other form of evil spirit... you can still get rid of the myth that we worship the statues themselves.

It's simply untrue.

[thetelesterion]

A burial shroud depicting a deceased man alongside the gods Osiris and Anubis, circa. 2nd century CE.

[thetelesterion]

Why you make fun of people with NPD 💔💔💔

Hi! I don't. If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, that was an out of context screenshot. This drama is over and I'd appreciate not being bombarded by people beating a long dead horse! Thanks. :3

[thetelesterion]

Uncovering the Gorgon: Monster or Protector?

One of the most widely known and recognizable characters from Ancient Greek mythology has to be none other than Medusa. The terrible monster whose mere gaze turned men to stone, frozen in place where they stood. And what of her origins? According to Ovid, she was once a beautiful woman, before being transformed into a gorgon by Athena/Minerva.

She was once most beautiful, and the jealous aspiration of many suitors. Of all her beauties none was more admired than her hair: I came across a man who recalled having seen her. They say that Neptune, lord of the seas, violated her in the temple of Minerva. Jupiter’s daughter turned away, and hid her chaste eyes behind her aegis. So that it might not go unpunished, she changed the Gorgon’s hair to foul snakes. 

Ovid, Metamorphoses, Bk IV:753-803 While this story has become the most popular element of Medusa's character today, both she and the Gorgons have a far older and deeper history. In myths that predate Ovid, i.e. prior to the 8th century CE, Medusa is unilaterally portrayed as having been a gorgon from birth, alongside her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale.

In many Ancient Greek artifacts, as well as on temples and other forms of architecture, the heads and faces of Gorgons can be seen. This motif is known as a "Gorgoneion," (Γοργόνειον). For most of Ancient Greek history, it seems, the Gorgoneion was viewed as a powerful symbol used to ward against evils. It was an "apotropaic" symbol.

The face of the Gorgon is depicted as truly monstrous, with a snarling, grinning mouth, sharp tusks, and of course, the twisted snake hair. And oftentimes, it sports a beard. In some depictions that show more of the Gorgon's body, they are shown with wings, giving us an almost "angel-like" appearance.

So, how are Medusa and the gorgons relevant to us today? How should we, as Hellenic Polytheists, view this symbol? I have heard of some people who worship Medusa, for various reasons, including viewing her as a protector of victims of S/A. This mainly draws from Ovid's portrayal of her. While this is a completely valid approach, it must be noted that within historical records, there is no real evidence that Medusa or her sisters were ever worshipped, save for a passing mention by the historian and traveler Pausanias of a mound of earth located in Argos, which was believed to be the resting spot for Medusa's head. The text is vague and it is unclear if the site was a shrine, altar or just a mythological landmark known to the locals.

In any case, the symbol of the Gorgoneion is one that I have found myself extremely fascinated by as of late, and I am eagerly awaiting a necklace depicting it, which should be arriving soon... if it doesn't get lost in the mail. The apotropaic nature of the Gorgoneion persists to this day. I think we as polytheists should embrace its history and continue to use the symbol, on our altars, homes, and on our bodies. May the gods give us the strength to ward off and defend ourselves from any evils that come our way.