whatkindoftrickeryisthis

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

chat, it's okay if the gods have a ""dark"" side. like I've been seeing people trying to cover the "immoral" part of them and that doesn't make any sense.

some of you have the christianised idea of god being merciful, generous and good like that religion tells others, but in reality that statement doesn't fit in the theoi (not even in christianity lol but I'm not the one to tell)!

Hermes is a thief, Apollo is a plague god, Dionysus is a madness god... let them be, why are you trying to make them look good? they're gods, understand their nature if you want them to be around you

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

I finally re-did my website on Norse paganism.

It only took me 5 years to finalize how I wanted to organize information. Go frolic in the pastures of my efforts.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

You. I like you. This is an excellent write up and it makes a bean pouch of sense! (And that’s a lot of beans).

I’ve a genuine question for the polytheist community.

I see people say so often, “Don’t take the myths literally, that’s not what they were meant for.” — yet, at the same time, those same people seemingly tend to take the myths literally (e.g suggesting certain gods don’t work well together because ‘x’ myth says they are enemies/they had a fight in ‘x’ myth, or talking about the god’s myths as if they’re 100% factual and still relevant to who they are today—like with myths regarding non-consensual acts—etc). I’m really curious as to why this is.

Something someone said a while ago really provoked thought as well; they said that the gods aren’t static, and holding them to their myths is essentially pointless. So why do we do it? Why do we adhere to them so closely, talking about them as if they’re still so relevant in this time? Do the gods not possess the ability to change and evolve like we do? I do understand that reading them has its own importance and relevance, but why do we talk about them as if they’re factual while simultaneously pushing that they are not? (And this isn’t just relating to creation events and such, I have seen the notion that the myths regarding the gods are factual as well, but how is this so if they were simply made up by people like us?).

I’m someone who doesn’t feel the need to put a lot of stock in the myths. I enjoy some of them, but I don’t read them as hardline fact, because to me, what makes them any different to any other story? They’re made up just the same. I find it a hard line to walk, because on one hand I feel that disregarding them entirely could mean the gods don’t exist (since the stories are made up), or they only exist as a concept to help people understand the world around them—but then on the other hand, I feel that taking them into account while not believing them as fact, in some respect, is hard to do.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I also apologise if anything comes off rudely, it is 100% not my intention, I am merely someone who overthinks and overanalyses things and I like things to make some level of sense 😅

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

One of the good things about worshipping the god of madness is that I often have intrusive thoughts about him and some of the other gods, but I know that he knows that's all they are, and I won't be judged or punished for it.

I can't tell you how many times an unwanted crude or sexual image has flashed into my mind, or a thought of defiance and disrespect and I've gone, "That was an intrusive thought, I'm sorry," but there was never a feeling of disappointment from him, it always felt understanding.

It feels like, yeah, he's been around for thousands of years, he's seen mental illness, he's relieved it, he's inflicted it, he's felt and experienced it, he knows that intrusive thoughts aren't wanted or controlled, and he knows that they go directly against your morality.

Part of why I'm writing this is not only to document my experience with Dionysus, but it's also for others who may be in the same anxious boat.

No, the gods are not mad at you for thoughts you cannot control, no matter how bad they are, because they know you can't control them. They have been around long enough, and they are wise enough to understand intention. And I also need more people to understand that they aren't looking into your mind 24/7, they see what you allow them to see or directly send to them, plus they just have their own lives to go about and duties to attend to

And if you feel you may have "accidentally sent them an intrusive thought," don't worry about it, because like I said, they are wise and understand intention. If you did not mean the thought, they will know. They've been watching over humans for as long as humans have been around to be watched, they've seen it all.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

I’ve a genuine question for the polytheist community.

I see people say so often, “Don’t take the myths literally, that’s not what they were meant for.” — yet, at the same time, those same people seemingly tend to take the myths literally (e.g suggesting certain gods don’t work well together because ‘x’ myth says they are enemies/they had a fight in ‘x’ myth, or talking about the god’s myths as if they’re 100% factual and still relevant to who they are today—like with myths regarding non-consensual acts—etc). I’m really curious as to why this is.

Something someone said a while ago really provoked thought as well; they said that the gods aren’t static, and holding them to their myths is essentially pointless. So why do we do it? Why do we adhere to them so closely, talking about them as if they’re still so relevant in this time? Do the gods not possess the ability to change and evolve like we do? I do understand that reading them has its own importance and relevance, but why do we talk about them as if they’re factual while simultaneously pushing that they are not? (And this isn’t just relating to creation events and such, I have seen the notion that the myths regarding the gods are factual as well, but how is this so if they were simply made up by people like us?).

I’m someone who doesn’t feel the need to put a lot of stock in the myths. I enjoy some of them, but I don’t read them as hardline fact, because to me, what makes them any different to any other story? They’re made up just the same. I find it a hard line to walk, because on one hand I feel that disregarding them entirely could mean the gods don’t exist (since the stories are made up), or they only exist as a concept to help people understand the world around them—but then on the other hand, I feel that taking them into account while not believing them as fact, in some respect, is hard to do.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I also apologise if anything comes off rudely, it is 100% not my intention, I am merely someone who overthinks and overanalyses things and I like things to make some level of sense 😅

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

Oh my god holy shit...

Holy shit, I fucking understand the impact the Norse myths have...oh my god, I'm sobbing. 😭

I get it now. Like actually.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

The bane of my existence—the notion that Loki is a "god of fire"—was apparently first proposed by Jacob Grimm.

I'm beginning to notice that if the things in Heathenry don't lead back to Blavatsky, then they lead back to the Grimm Brothers.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

Don't be afraid to engage with the wonder and whimsy of the world, even if people judge you. One time, I was amazed by the sight of fireflies for the first time, and the person I was with judged me for it. But you know what? That shit is cool as hell. Keep living your life happy and full of whimsy, everybody. 🧡

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

Healing doesn't mean you will never be triggered again.

Progress isn’t about erasing your past. It’s about learning how to respond with awareness instead of shame. Needing skills doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re healing.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

i have this unrealistic fantasy in my head where if you calmly and logically explain something to someone perfectly they will understand your position and gain knowledge from the exchange. unfortunately in the real world this does not happen often

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

kids deserve so much more respect and it turns out that saying that is a great way to locate the horrible people in any community <3

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

hera still loves polyamorus people

aphrodite still loves aroace people

zeus still loves people who are scared of thunder

poseidon still loves people who can't swim

apollo still loves people who aren't musical

helios still loves people who sunburn easily

artemis still loves people who aren't virgins

persephone still loves people who are allergic to pollen

hades still loves people who are afraid of death

athena still loves people who aren't academic

ares still loves people who don't like to be angry

hephaestus still loves people who can't craft things

being who you are is not offensive to the gods. they still love you.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

BPD or other disorders can make bad days feel like proof that you’re “too much” or “failing again.” But the truth is… bad days happen to everyone. Your worth doesn’t vanish just because you’re struggling.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

I grew up in the Christian Jehovah’s Witness cult.

I came to find polytheism/paganism through Marvel. It started with an interest in Marvel’s Loki, and grew from there into me reading Loki’s mythology, then coming to learn that they were, in fact, a worship-able and very real deity (cannot begin to describe how ecstatic that made me). Eventually, I came to find Apollo and Artemis, then Dionysus, then Hermes.

At first, I thought Norse, Greek and other such gods were just fictional characters. Growing up a Jehovah’s Witness, I was taught the bible as a pure fact of life, much like one would view science (except science is real). We took its myths literally, and there was no room to ever assume anything different could possibly be true. Paganism/polytheism were demonised practises, and I distinctly remember being taught that if you ever think you’ve encountered or are communicating with a pagan deity, then you are communicating with the devil or his demons. Same went for if you thought you were communicating with Yahweh. Simple, really. This teaching fucked me up for a long time, and sometimes still does. I have cPTSD from that place and its teachings.

I began practising—very clumsily—polytheism in 2021, sometime. Loki was the first god I reached out to, and the one I trust most. It has often been a very on and off practise, because I struggle with mental illnesses and trauma that convince me I am worthless and should stop reaching out. I recently took a years-long break and am slowly inching my way back into things, still with the same old struggles. Despite the many times I have pulled away, I always feel pulled back—ever so gently. It feels right. It feels like this is what I was always meant to follow.

I had my beliefs chosen and enforced for me until I was 17. I had my world view moulded for me without a choice. Somehow, I still managed to find this path after leaving that hellhole, and I’m grateful for that. Now I’m slowly learning more about myself and what I believe in, and I’ve got Loki by my side while I do (well, I like to think she does, anyway).

pagans, i'm curious: what religion did you grow up in? how did you come to find paganism as something that fit you?

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

I genuinely don't know who needs to hear this but praying while menstruating is not going to get you struck down. Your gods do not view you as unclean.

I've been practicing for years. I pray like I breathe. I do not stop, and will never stop. It's such a non-issue that I did not even fathom such a discussion.

The gods chose you. A human being with biological functions. I assure you they do not care.

[whatkindoftrickeryisthis]

"As a Hellenic Polytheist, you can't-"

Well, what if I want to, man? What if I'm tired of these random rules people are pulling out of their asses? What if I no longer want to be made to feel like my body itself is impure for being made of flesh and bone, rather than the ichor that the gods have running through their veins? What if I'm frustrated by the idea that the gods are so far above us mortals that they're entirely out of reach? What if I don't want to believe that I have to beg the gods for attention or bribe them with gifts for them to even acknowledge my existence? What if I just flat-out don't want to think that way and never wanted to? What then?

Does that mean I'm not a Hellenic Polytheist in your eyes or that I am now abandoned by the gods I thoroughly love, as much as you do? Does that mean that all of my religious experiences are immediately made invalid because you have deemed it so? Does that devalue the years of devotion and learning that I've done on my own time, just because you, a random Tumblr user, have decided that I don't fit well enough into your neat little mold of what a Hellenic Polytheist should be? I never wanted to fit into that mold.

I am so sick and tired of the rules people have been trying to force onto others. I'm frustrated by the intolerance. I'm exhausted by the drama. Sometimes, I don't want to even speak in this community anymore because of how judgemental and scrutinous some people are. There's being blunt, and there's being an asshole. There's being informative, and there's being defensive. There's correcting someone politely, and there's attacking them. Just let people breathe, good gods.