what is done with love is done well

at last i have found my calling! my calling is love!

[aphroditekallipugos]

it is with much regret that i’ll be going on hiatus for an indefinite period of time. i’m struggling to manage basic human activities between school, work, and managing my mental health, and will be taking a break for some time. please feel free to reblog what you wish, and may you have a good day. 

[dailywomen]

Lorde by Arkan Zakharov for Fashion magazine September 2017

[nightcalicos]

All of the Romantics could not have prepared me for this kind of wild beauty.

[malnedott]

cutest tiny lamp 💕💕💕

[toastchild]

(Pssst Love Story by Taylor Swift turns 10 years old this year)

[teacrush]

somebody left roses for the art room, naturally the roses themselves became art

[detailedart]

Details of Idylle (1890), Leon Bonnat.

[inkxlenses]

Peach Elegance (Teuta Matoshi Duriqi)

[fashionarmies]

‘In Soft Focus’ Neelam Gill by Stephanie Galea for VOGUE Arabia February 2018.

[hawtgyal]

i love eye flirting

[ovulous-blog]

[hopeforlove]

Miu Miu Love Wallet

[figdays]

“Daisy” Sunglasses // ban.do

[sk-lumen]

Venusian aesthetics:

pale rosegold silk, the softest of materials to wrap around your skin.

rosewater as face mist, perfume, on the pillow for sweeter dreams.

iridescent silver nails, like seashells.

layers of delicate silver/gold necklaces glimmering around the neck, to accentuate its slender length and shape.

rose crystal quartz jewelry sets, for that extra magic.

silver glitter body spray, for a touch of celestial spark.

the sound of oceanwaves, harp melodies, lyre, the soft voices of men and women singing in unison.

sunday morning vibes with sunlight streaming into the room.

handwritten letters to your soulmate, a future lover, a forgotten friend or your child self; letting go of burdens, confessing dreams, sharing reassurances of comfort.

blush-colored faux fur coats.

honoring the temple of your body, offering nourishment which makes it happy, applying your favorite lotion that makes you feel like a goddess.

walking as if you are light and weightless floating aloft, with the assurance of your wide-stretching wings at each side.

[floral-laurel-posts]

blocking terfs is a self-care devotion to aphrodite

[wistful-giselle]

the summer of aphrodite

♡ skin and white cotton stained with sticky juices from overripe blood oranges and mulberries

♡ laying lethargic and barely clothed in bed in a heatwave, sheets tangled and a cool relief

♡ flushed skin, pale lips, bright eyes and hair stiff with sea salt and cold water from the ocean

♡ the calls of cicadas a backdrop to whispered truth or dares and stifled tipsy laughter

♡ lighting candles and incense, drawing a bath and drinking herbal tea- all in the heat of summer dusk

♡ slightly disintegrating glamour- dark lipstick smudged slightly on a wine glass at a party, a smartphone amidst a 20s vintage dress, anger and passion and disgust breaking through a beautiful face

♡ a picnic of cool sicilian lemonade and crumbling homemade cakes, served on a chipped 19th century tea set

[antlering]

Something that baffles me is when people compare Aphrodite to “bloody” goddesses (Anat, Inanna, Sekhmet, etc.) as a way to say Aphrodite is just a demure love goddess teehee, look how badass my warrior goddess is instead.

Aphrodite Ourania rose out of blood and the ocean and walked to land fully-formed. This Aphrodite is a Titaness, older even than the generation of Zeus. She has no mother. She is never an infant. She is the ultimate generative power, the fish, born from a male (upending societal norms) and wielding the power of creation and invention.

Aphrodite Areia is a war goddess - this is the title made famous by Athena and Ares, but Aphrodite does not get this title from her lover. She is a goddess of soldiers and fights on the battlefield of Troy. She is also Aphrodite Hoplismena, the armed, depicted in full armor with a shield and sword. This is the Aphrodite of Sparta.

Aphrodite Nikephoros is not only Aphrodite armored and armed, but Aphrodite commanding the power of Nike - Nike, the goddess usually found at Zeus’s side, ensuring victory. This Aphrodite is not one to be crossed on the battlefield, because you will not win.

Or maybe we just aren’t on the same page as the ancients when it comes to a “love goddess.” Aphrodite Pandemos is a goddess of frenzy, a goddess who incites war and madness, a goddess to whom it was said even the Fates would bend their will. To some Hellenes, Aphrodite was the goddess of creation because she is the spark of all love and desire - and to others, she was the creator of all.

There’s nothing wrong in calling Aphrodite a goddess of love - she is, truly. But this doesn’t make her timid. She is not clawless. She is a complex goddess, inextricably linked to the awesome war goddesses of the Ancient Near East. Do not dilute her just because you’re not familiar with her or with the domain of love goddesses. I know this may seem trivial to some people, but don’t reduce one goddess to make another look more powerful - they don’t need it.