thrasys

[thrasys]

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[thrasys]

on the validity of recognizing emotions

[thrasys]

Obscure Gods: Misa/Mise/Mises

It isn’t hard to find information on Iakkhos, considering His identification with the ever-popular Dionysos, but try finding information on Misa, the feminine portion of the God Iakkhos.

The Orphic Hymns give us the following hymn to Mises:

The fumigation of storax. Call Thesmophorus, spermatic God [Dionysos], of various names, who bears the leafy rod: Mises [Misa], ineffable, pure, sacred queen, two-fold Iacchus, male and female seen: Illustr’ous, whether to rejoice is thine in incense offer’d, in the fane divine; Or if in Phrygia most thy soul delights, performing with thy mother sacred rites; Or if the land of Cyprus is thy care, well pleas’d to dwell with Cytheria fair; Or if exulting in the fertile plains with thy dark mother Isis, where she reigns, With nurses pure attended, near the flood of sacred Egypt, thy divine abode: Wherever resident, blest pow’r attend, and with benignant mind these labours end. - Orphic Hymn XLI, trans. Thomas Taylor

This is the Goddess who is the femininity of Dionysos. She is described as a maiden, called Kore. Asklepiades of Tragilos says she’s a daughter of Dysaules and Baubo. In the 19th century, scholars wondered if Misa was not Cybele or Persephone under an Orphic gloss. She is also understood to be one of the attendants of Demeter.

As a deity of the Orphics, Misa is sometimes understood as both male and female. Understood as both stable and generative. In spite of Her androgyny, Mise is repeatedly referred to by feminine terms. She is hardly alone in this trait. There is bearded Aphrodite, and Hermaphrodite, as well as many others.

Some think that Misa originated as a local deity, who became adopted by the mystes of Orpheus.

With Her connection with Cybele, it is possible that her origin lay in Phrygia.

Normally, I would here talk about Her cult, but the truth is that the Orphics were varied and are not a singular practice, but are rather a multiplicity that vary, centered around Dionysos and of the Two Goddesses, Demeter and Kore. Speculations are rampant. This is all made more difficult by the fact that Orphism overlapped with other groups of the day, including the Pythagoreans. Additionally, the Mystery cults held their secrets close, and so little survives that some, such as Martin West, believe that Orphism was little more than dabbling.

Orphics took food restrictions and taboos on activities that other Hellenes accepted readily. There was an emphasis on purity, much like many cults of the era. We know that incense and libations were offered, and that in Misa’s case, storax was a useful offering. More is difficult to say, though many have produced speculation and fantasy over the ages.

So we know that Mises is a Goddess with characteristics of two genders, that she is a Queen, and a powerful one at that. We know she has the quality of purity, but not much about what that really means. In light of Her possible conflation with Cybele, it seems she is a Great Mother type of deity. And we know that She receives offerings of Storax. I find myself wondering if her androgyny has not made some scholars reluctant to dig into her origins and history in more depth. Perhaps, perhaps not. It may be, that there simply is nothing that survives.

 Sources:

Theoi.com

Athanassakis, Apostolos and Benjamin Wolkow. The Orphic Hymns, Johns Hopkins, 2013. Dowden, Ken and Niall Livingstone, eds. A Companion to Greek Mythology. Wiley, 2011. Edmonds, III, Radcliffe G. Redefining Ancient Orphism: A Study in Greek Religion, Cambridge, 2013. Faber, G-S. A dissertation on the mysteries of the Cabiri; or the great gods of Phenicia, Samothrace, Egypt, Troas, Grece, Italy and Crete (etc.), Rivington, 1803. Guthrie, W. K. C. Orpheus and Greek Religion. Princeton, 1935. Harrison, Jane Ellen. Prolegomena to the study of Greek religion, University Press, 1908. Herrero de Jauregui, Miguel. Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity, de Gruyter, 2010. Lindsay, Jack. The Ancient World: Manners and Morals, Putnam, 1968. Nelson, Marie C. and Jean Ikenberry. Psychosexual Imperatives: their role in identity formation, Human Sciences, 1979. West, Martin. The Orphic Poems, Clarendon, 1983.

Image:

Koryakov Yuri, “Number of Genders in the Languages of the World: 256 Languages sample.” Map, in public domain, via wikicommons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Number_genders.png

[thrasys]

Dionysus

– My Favourite Epithets

Areion - 'Warlike'

Boukeros - 'The bull-horned one'

Bromios - 'He who roars'

Choreutes - 'The dancer'

Dikerotes - 'The two-horned one'

Dithyrambos - 'Hymned by the Dithyramb'

Euanthes - 'The fair blossoming one'

Euios - 'The reveler'

Gethosynos - 'The joyful'

Intonsus - 'Unshorn', 'of eternal youth'

Kissokomes - 'The ivy-crowned one'

Kryphios - 'The hidden one'

Lampter - 'Light-bringer'

Lyseus - 'The liberator'

Mainomenos - 'The maddened one'

Manikos - 'The manic one'

Meilichios - 'The gentle one'

Melanaigis - 'He of the black goatskin'

Nyktelios - 'He of the night'

Perikionios - 'He who is entwined around the pillars'

Phleon - 'Giver of plenty'

Psilas - 'Giver of wings'

[thrasys]

Dionysus Phleon

(a dithyramb. kinda.)

The thunder of spring rolls across the land, boisterous as your merry singing band. Rain drenches the ground and those praising your name. You laugh and tilt your face up, drinking it in. Your blessings are catastrophe. Pentheus’ dismembered corpse blazes with the remnant of your touch. Kissios, ivy-crowned and garlanded in flowering grapevines, dark-haired, you are a vision of loveliness; you are sweetness to the senses. All delight in the gifts you bestow with a liberal grace.  Those who scorn you or dismiss your rightful worship, you destroy and use their own madness as tools.

Lovely Anthion who purifies men from insanity and impure acts, who leads souls through the secret rites, come walk the earth as it flowers; raise vessels of heady wine to these lips that sing hymns of your wine-dark grace.

[thrasys]

Strict Tarot Rules My Grandma Taught Me

Sweep the floor with a whisk broom before every reading. It shows respect for the old gods who will be coming in.

Answer only three questions for a querent in one seating. Revealing too much sacred information will dilute its meaning.

Always use the Celtic Cross for a personal reading. “You cannot truly appreciate the weight of the advice you are giving if you don’t fully understand the way the querent is feeling.”

Make an offering to the querent’s higher self before proceeding. “The body may want a reading, but the soul may be unwilling.” A piece of chocolate or anything sweet should be appropriate.

Ensure the querent’s hands are clean. Prepare a hot towel or a water basin. It rids their body of negative energy and keeps your cards from getting dirty.

Dim the lights before you deal the cards. “The Fates live next to Hades. They are not used to harsh lighting.”

Play soft and quiet music. It calms the mind and encourages the querent to bravely tell you what they really seek.

You shuffle, they cut. Shuffling lets the cards connect you to the source. Cutting allows the cards to feel the querent’s life force.

Honesty is better than sympathy. Exaggerating hopes and softening harsh truths do more harm than good.

Never forget to thank your cards afterwards. “The messages come from the goddesses, yes. But your cards make the effort to speak them in the way you can understand best.”

[thrasys]

I made these to help me get back into things!!!

(They were made on shuffles)

[thrasys]

extremely serious question, nathan! HOW DO YOU GIVE THE GODS HUGS???-WHAT!!? this is like-!! so happy for my heart you must tell me the details<333

Oh my gods, I never realized how much I've been waiting for someone to ask me this!

I believe developing an emotional connection with the gods can help establish a spiritual relationship that can help one grow, not just as a follower, but as a person as well.

(Like everything else, different followers will have different beliefs and won't agree with the above sentiment, so these methods are for those who want to add them to their practice. Everyone honors the gods differently).

Why these methods were developed in the first place:

I grew up in a very Catholic environment that utilized fear and formality as an appropriate form of worship. This combined with the physical discipline my family incorporated during religious events often left me feeling paranoid about my behavior around religious figures, eventually leading to spiritual imposter syndrome and the inability to talk about my own problems because neurodiversity was a taboo subject since, according to the family priest, would lead to "improper behavior before the Lord."

I wasn't able to be properly diagnosed until years after moving out, and it took me even more years to finally convince my family to seek much needed therapy.

Part of the reason why I was able to do all of this was because Ares taught me:

"Formality does not always equal a good relationship, especially when the follower requires affection to create strong bonds with their gods."

This does not mean that formality never works for anyone because there are people who prefer having a set schedule, strict rules and rituals with a more esoteric or ancient aesthetic.

This post is aimed more toward those of us who feel paralyzed in such environments that lack a more relaxed atmosphere that would allow room for mistakes, practice and improvement. Those who prefer gods that understand our disabilities, executive dysfunction and hold us when the world feels distant.

Depending on the follower and the god:

-Some gods might prefer a more formal relationship while others will hug and hold you as soon as you start crying.

-Likewise, some devotees prefer a more formal relationship while others, like myself, prefer a godly hug whenever I feel like the world is crashing around me.

So keep a clear communication regarding consent, be honest about how comfortable you are with the idea of being hugged and if you're not, please be sure to establish that boundary with the gods.

Note: Boundaries are there to help create clearer communication and will not offend the gods. If you feel like setting boundaries will negatively affect your relationship with the gods, please look into your personal history and feelings with setting boundaries. Oftentimes growing up with authoritative figures like parents, caretakers or teachers who might have caused fear when boundaries were needed, often lead to feelings of discomfort when needing to set spiritual boundaries with beings we perceive to be far more powerful than we are, much like how we previously perceived caregivers when we were children. I talk a bit more about this here: (LINK) and (LINK)

And finally, please be respectful of the gods who do decline affection but also be honest with yourself regarding your needs requiring affection.

For example: As previously established, I have a lot of religious trauma regarding the need to be formal in front of a god. Due to this, I mostly work with gods who like affection while I occasionally work with those who don't because it keeps me from falling back into old religious patterns of guilt and perfectionism.

While there are formal gods who are very understanding of those of us with disabilities, the strict atmosphere makes me forget that my Depression, Executive Dysfunction and PTSD are allowed to coexist within my practice.

A formal form of honoring the gods and a more relaxed affectionate form are just a matter of preference that can also coexist.

There are special occasions where my practice is as formal as a midnight ball while other days, dedicating an act of getting out of bed and high five-ing a god is as spiritual as it gets due to my depression.

So without further ado here are the methods I learned from Ares to show and receive affection:

How to Hug Gods:

The Mental Method:

This is by far the easiest method because it only requires you to imagine you are hugging your god.

You could be doing anything but as long as you imagine you're hugging your god, you're doing it, the god doesn't even have to be present but they'll still receive it, much like a virtual hug.

Pay very close attention to sensations!

Sometimes you'll suddenly get a mental image of a god hugging you or showing affection.

-For example: Sometimes I'll be doing my own thing and suddenly get a tingling feeling on my forehead with a mental image of Aphrodite kissing my forehead.

Sometimes I'll feel Ares' warmth on me much like how he did during this moment, posted by @thepastelpriestess : (LINK)

Note: There are also people who have gods that do not take on a human form when they interact with them: (LINK) If you're someone who has a god that does this, politely ask them to please take on an animal form or whatever other form you associate with them that you're able to hug.

As a child, there would be times where I'd hug Ares in his wolf form.

If you do this enough times, your body will start to remember and be conditioned to mentally see godly affection triggered by your emotions which leads to the next method...

The Emotional Method:

This method is a conditioned response to the previous method but requires you to practice with sensations that get triggered by your emotions. Your emotions can be as simple or as complicated as you need them to be.

You can be happy, mad, sad, etc. You don't always have to stick to just one emotion and it's healthier if you allow yourself to truly feel your emotions. This can also be used as a form of healing in order to process whatever triggered that emotion.

Having a god comfort you during these times can help you feel like you're not alone and remind you that you are allowed to be human in order to really feel your feelings. Especially when society encourages us to ignore our emotions and shames us for having and showing raw emotions.

For example: whenever I start crying, I often sense Aphrodite lending me her lap or shoulder to cry on as she strokes my hair or rubs my back. I also feel Aphrodite when I see something so beautiful it makes my heart feel like it's being filled with warmth while my eyes fill with tears.

This method has helped me on days when I don't know what to do but need the gods to be there for me.

It has also helped me remember that I'm not alone in my journey because it triggers an automatic hug from Aphrodite who kindly reminds me that emotions are there to tell me when it's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, listen to my needs and practice self-care because I'm worth my own love too.

The Physical Method:

This is the most dynamic of the methods and requires something physical to hug. This can be a pillow, a stuffed animal, a willing pet, a willing person, etc.

What you do is ask the gods to temporarily take the place of whatever you're about to hug and hug it.

You can hug it for as long as you two have agreed on (remember to ask for a longer time if you need it, just make sure all parties are in agreement).

This is the first form that I used when I was little because it helped me practice using my imagination because it helps you remember the sensation of hugging or being hugged.

There are other methods as well, but these are the big three that I have been consistently using since I was little.

I hope these helps and please remember that your practice is between you and the gods.

[thrasys]

i think we’ll be able to grow a lot more as a community once folks recognize that there isn’t one correct way to conceptualize and believe in the gods and that disagreeing on certain points is good actually. not everything is an argument to be won and your objective is not to sound the most correct out of everyone on a topic.

[thrasys]

journal of my other self, rainer maria rilke / zarina situmorang / my brother my wound, natalie diaz / beekeeping, sara eliza johnson / the lights v, truls espedal / bluets, maggie nelson / the apparition, james tissot / crush, richard siken / the song of achilles, madeline miller

[thrasys]

“...and when we become evil we make the gods our enemies— not because they are angered against us, but because our sins prevent the light of the gods from shining upon us, and put us in communion with spirits of punishment.”

Sallustius, On the Gods and the World. Extract from Patrick Dunn’s The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy.

I want all of you to read that extract many times, and understand the impact of it in our lives, and what we have been discussing about punishment and the Gods since we see a lot of dangerous experiences being told on TikTok. Sallustius explains it: when we “become evil” we make the gods our “enemies” —in the sense that we become the opposite of what they are: good, not in the sense of fighting with them, or them fighting with us—, because our sins (please do not read this word in the christian sense of “sin”. Sin here means almost literally criminal, narcissistic, abusing behavior. It means we are constantly rejecting goodness, justice, and wellbeing for ourselves and others. It does not mean making a small mistake, it means harming just for the sake of harming, it means not learning that we are acting wrong, it means choosing to not change) prevents us from coming close to them. This lowering of our “vibes” or our soul, prevents the Gods from reaching out to us. You can understand this in terms of miasma —not lyma— that gets you so obscure the Gods cannot reach out to you to help. The result is, that this lower vibration, this abandonment of the soul, puts you at danger of encountering “spirits of punishment” as Sallustius call them. These are lower spirits that focus on guilt, shame, and severity, instead of acceptance, change, and justice. This spirits may disguise themselves as deities.

The Gods don't punish you. You punish yourself by getting so far away from Them that you start being available for lower entities that can manipulate you.

The way to resolve this? Reach the Gods out. It won't be easy. Learn and change. Become better, and good. And you will have genuine experiences with genuine deities.

[thrasys]

What would life filled with the gods look like?

From almost 2 decades of being agnostic, I found my way to faith again in such a way I did not want to just casually pray when convenient. I wanted to know what it felt like to worship again, honestly, truly, and not out of fear.

Dionysus isn't the first god I prayed to. There are others after Christianity.

There was Fushimi-Inari when I climbed their mountain for hours to reach the summit, I prayed fervently then for my business to be successful and now I come back every year to thank them. I have a fox tattooed on my arm in their honor.

There were other gods too, or spirits, or daemons that had no names. Images of snakes, of wolves, of thunderbirds - mantras I would repeat to myself when I struggled, when there was only pain, when the only way out was to move forward.

Dionysus feels like he's been here all my life, like I've been gently led here and I'm not even mad that he let me know in the exact moment he knew I wouldn't reject him as a delusion.

So, I want to try for a year what would life look like, how this would change me.

2024 Dionysian Calendar

Hellenism Calendar