izzy's playlists!
JBB: An Artblog!
Not today Justin
titsay
occasionally subtle
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
🪼
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
i don't do bad sauce passes
blake kathryn
d e v o n
Three Goblin Art
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DEAR READER
Andulka
Stranger Things
we're not kids anymore.
if i look back, i am lost
tumblr dot com
KIROKAZE
seen from Germany
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Austria
seen from United States
seen from Vietnam
seen from United States
seen from Peru
seen from China
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seen from Australia
seen from Germany
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Guatemala
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Germany
@captain-chaos-turtle
When we visited the Vatican, my husband and I took a tour of the Necropolis, and it included pre-christian tombs. There was an incredible mosaic of Hades and Persephone (Pluto and Proserpina) in their chariot in one of the tombs. It was so well preserved. Unfortunately I can't find a photo of it anywhere. I wish I could get a print out of it to add to my altar. They said no photos, and my dumb ass listened, because I thought the Vatican Museum would have them.
Spiritual protection in the Greco-Roman world
This was this week’s hot topic, so I’m using the opportunity to make some things clear from a purely hellenic and historical perspective. Needless to say I am tired of seeing modern magical concepts being slapped on ancient beliefs and I am not writing this post unbiased.
Amulets Etymologically, the word amulet probably means “something that can be carried”. It’s, personally speaking, my favorite type of protection. Technically speaking, an amulet could, therefore, be a lot of different things as long as they serve two main purposes: tutelage (protection) and prophylaxis (preventive).
Let’s go through some of the most common types:
Bulla: typically given to male roman children 9 days after birth. It is worn like a locket where other amulets are placed (typically phalluses).
Lunula: a crescent moon pendant worn by little and young roman girls until their mariage.
Fascinum, tintinnabula and other phalli: the symbol of protection par excellence, found in many shapes and forms. The tintinnabula is more potent, as it also has bells, which are considered apotropaic as well. Bells could also be put around children’s and animal’s neck for a similar protective effect.
The Eye (mati): still widely in use, it appears as soon as the 6th century BC on Greek cups. Sometimes added on the phallus for a double protective effect (also true for wings).
Gorgoneion: Often worn simply as a pendant and easily found a bit everywhere, from house thresholds to carved on bullae.
Hercules’ Club: late Antiquity amulets shaped like wooden clubs and most common in Roman Germany between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. An examplary speciment bears the inscription “Deo Herculi”, thus confirming its link to Hercules hero worship.
Amulet strings: Mostly seen for Athenian children. It is a cord with several amulets attached to it that is worn diagonally (or on the chest) instead of around the neck so the child can’t choke on it.
Garter and waist amulet strings: Mostly worn by Greek women. Their function is debated, but it seems that amulets that were worn this way might have had something to do with easing childbirth, menstruation and sexuality in general (eg. to avoid miscarriages or, the opposite, as a contraceptive).
Coiled snake ring/bracelet: Common protection for young Roman women.
Depiction of gods on medaillons and other objects: quite a straightforward way to put yourself under the protection of a deity. Helios and Semele together seem to both have been a popular choice.
Coins: Especially old reused coins, sometimes pierced in the middle but not always. This is especially the case for coins which have the image of a deity or hero (Alexander the Great got very popular for this function). Other notable examples include Fortuna, Nike or Helios. The image on the coin matters more than the coin itself.
This is not even an extensive list, but it’s worth noting that when we’re talking about the ancients, we’re talking about people who have been put under some kind of magical protection since their first days of life. I personally have used 2 types of amulet cited above so far, a silver coiled snake ring which I worn until it broke, which I replaced by a fascinum. This one travels with me, as I keep it with my apartment keys but I have 2 consecrated phalli in my apartment that also serve a purpose: one to Dionysus and one to Priapus. The latter being by definition, a protective deity.
Protection starts at the threshold
I know this can be hard to pull off, but in ideal conditions, you’d want to have a small altar or shrine by the main door of your place. Amulets are meant to follow you around, but protecting your space is just as important. In one of the ridiculous arguments I’ve witnessed this week, someone said, and I paraphrase, that “you could have negative entity living in your house and fucking your life up” when trying to honor the gods, which is “why you should banish“. The problem here is banish against what? If the answer here is "negative spirits”, then, by hellenic standards, this is a whole other process that:
1) Doesn’t happen at the altar 2) Protects the household on the long term instead of a one shot thing
This, alongside other elements of ancient greek theology, is why you don’t need to “protect yourself when you approach the gods” and other ridiculous claims I’ve seen. If you need to protect yourself in such manner, it means you never either 1) developped kharis with a deity to protect you or 2) took care of protecting your place.
The first protection for a typical greek door would be an aniconic pillar dedicated to Apollo Agyieus aka “of the street” because that pillar was outside of the house. This Apollo, protector of entrances is also called Thyraios in later sources:
Apud Graecos Apollo colitur qui Θυραῖος vocatur, eiusque aras ante fores suas celebrant, ipsum exitus et introitus demonstrantes potentem. The Greeks worship Apollo under the name Thyraios and tend his altars in front of their doors, thereby showing that entrances and exits are under his power.
-Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.9.6
It’s important to note that the same epithet is attested for Hermes, which makes total sense since he and Hekate are also traditionally linked to the protection of thresholds (represented by hekataia and herms).
Why am I insisting so much on doors? To quote Johnston:
“Divinities who guard the entrances to cities or private dwellings would be expected to avert all sorts of dangers that might threaten those dwelling within, from burglars to mice, but in ancient Greece (like many other places), they were particularly expected to ward off unhappy souls and other demonic creatures, who were believed to congregate at entrances for two reasons. First, because inhabitants vigilantly used protective devices to keep them out, these creatures were imagined to lurk near entrances, patiently awaiting those rare moments of laxity when they might dart back inside.”
It’s important to note that the protection granted by threshold deities, whether it is Hecate, Hermes or Apollo is that it concerns both the mundane and the spiritual, restless spirits are one thing but it seems to extend to general ills.
Conclusion
I should add, before wrapping this up, that there is an evolution in time with how the Ancients considered their protection to work. As such, between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, amulets weren’t so prevalent. The gods were considered the only ones who had the ability to protect. After the end of the 5th century onwards, there is a gradual shift towards a more “DIY” approach to protection, where human action is considered impactful, thus making the use of atropopaic amulets relevant.
Further reading:
Faraone C., The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times, 2018
Habib R. R., Protective Magic in Ancient Greece: Patterns in the Material Culture of Apotropaia from the Archaic to Hellenistic Periods, 2017
Johnston I. S., Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece, 1999
Kerr M. D., Gods, Ghosts and Newlyweds: exploring the uses of the threshold in Greek and Roman superstition and folklore, 2018
Porto C, V., Material Culture as Amulets: Magical Elements and the Apotropaic in Ancient Roman World in: Philosophy Study, 2020
-P E R S E P H O N E- Third in my goddess series! I originally had a completely different concept for this one since she was the goddess that I actually started with, but I’m happy that I pushed myself and ended up with something I love rather than like. ✨
By Her Hand!
Scarlett is okay! Well, probably. The great fear was Wobblers Disease or a herniated disk. The second vet we saw - yeah, we had to go to two - thinks it might be a bulge, sprain, or pull. She prescribed an anti-inflammatory, pain meds, and bed rest. One day on the pills, and my girl said HECK bed rest so now we're having to try to make her sleep. She has also discovered that her cheese secretly holds pills *le gasp!* So now she eats the cheese and spits out the pills.
Seriously, don't get a Doberman unless you are prepared to have a child with all the intelligence, mischief, and spite of a human. They're too smart for anyone's good.
Thank you to everyone who wished my baby well and prayed for her recovery 💖 I am composing a few prayers to my Gods in honor of her recovery.
Those of you who pray, please pray for my dog, Scarlett. She has been in horrible pain all night, barely able to walk, barely able to lay down. We have a vet appointment in two hours and I am so freaked out. She's my baby.
FUCK COLUMBUS HAPPY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY
SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THE WISHTOYO CHUMASH WHOSE LAND I AM CURRENTLY LIVING ON
HERES A DONATION LINK TO HELP THEM OUT
I ENCOURAGE ALL OF MY AMERICAN FOLLOWERS TO LEARN WHO THEIR LOCAL TRIBES ARE AND DROP A LINK IN THE COMMENTS
Cheers to the Kwantlen First Nations!
Shout out to the Pauma Tribe
Most of the SF Bay Area is on Olone land!
And here’s to the Lenape
Happy day to the Osage Nation
Currently living on Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape land
Can I add the Tlingit and Haida tribes here?
second shout-out to the Chumash!
Okay, I was in a hurry earlier and neglected to check who’s land I’m on.
The primary tool for finding out is currently down.
So many of us are doing this that we’ve crashed Native Land.
According to my county’s history website, though, I need to give mine to the Patawomeck.
I’m on Newe (Goshute) land, but I don’t have a link
Chicago: land of the "Council of the Three Fires--comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations--as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations."
I was born on Tsalaguwetiyi (Now Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) land (and that's where my husband's family farm is). https://ebci.com/
I live on Catawba (Iswa) land or Congaree land (the territory was in flux a lot in this area) My Aunt K's family is Catawba.
https://www.catawbaindian.net
The Congaree people are now considered extinct.
The place I consider my home is on Patawomek and Manahoac (Monacan) land http://www.patawomeckindiantribeofvirginia.org/
https://www.monacannation.com/our-history.html
My husband's maternal family is Lumbee so I want to add them on here too. They often get lumped in with the Catawba, but they are a distinct nation with their own history and customs. https://www.lumbeetribe.com
The weirdest and best thing to come out of my full moon ceremony was that I've decided to go on an alcohol fast. The idea of abstaining from something you enjoy in order to ascend to a higher spiritual understanding is common across many religions, and I feel called to give it a try.
Figuring out what to give up was surprisingly easy. Hades told me. I asked Him for better financial security, and He basically said "You know what's draining your bank account without giving you anything in return? Craft beer." Of course He's right. So I am planning on giving up not just beer, but all alcohol, until I graduate in April, 2021.
Demeter's out here like "Oh son-in-law, when my daughter returns to the Underworld for the winter, she's bringing the President of the United States with her. Tidy up Tartarus."
The full moon is October 1st so I'm planning a big offering and prayer session. I've got two weeks so I'm trying to lay out everything I need to do:
Clean out altar room (it's a disaster so it might take me two weeks)
Visit my local witchery for incense, unscented candles, and herbs
Make new lustral water
Clean and then cleanse my altars
Hang up, cleanse, and dedicate my new Demeter altar
Arrange my altars and decorations for the coming season
Cleanse and store any altar decor that won't be used this season
Draft prayers and ceremony
Purchase offering wine
Decide if I really want to use pumpkin pasties and bat brownies as my food offering (I kinda do because, yes they're Little Debbie, but I love those pumpkin pasties and look forward to them coming out all year -I want to share the love)
Launder altar cloths
Decide on outfit for the ceremony
Choose between ceremonial kalyptrae
Have a nice bath, then go get a massage the day of
There is probably something I'm forgetting but I can't think of what.
the worst thing about being an atheist isn't the fear of no longer existing. it's the fact that you'll never see your loved ones again after they've gone and leave you behind
Genuine question, how do atheists cope with that? As someone who isn’t an atheist, that fills me with so much heartbreak and despair that I don’t even like thinking about it.
to be honest... not very well. i wish i could say that it makes you live in the moment and appreciate the time you have, but i still waste so much of it. i'm not afraid of death, exactly, but i'm afraid of dying. i'm afraid that my last moments will be pain and fear, that i'll regret everything. but the fear of losing other people is worse. i've been terrified of my parents dying ever since i was little, maybe since i watched my mom lose her mom. but the only thing i can do is try to appreciate it while they're here with me. everything ends, including me, and that means it won't hurt forever. we only have pain and regret while we're alive.
whenever we part ways with someone, it hurts. i'm hoping that a lifetime of parting ways with people will make me stronger. in a way, it's regret that i'm really scared of. so i'm trying very hard to make the memories i want to make, because they're the only thing i'll have in the end.
suppress all positive emotions relating to other people
This is going to sound harsh: you make yourself get over it. Atheism is about accepting the cold reality of life being exactly what it is, and embracing the terrible beauty that comes from that.
You appreciate them while they're alive. You spend time with them while they're alive. You tell them you love them while they're alive. You love them while they're alive.
A human life is brief and fleeting. The worst thing we ever did was convince ourselves that it isn't. The entire concept of afterlives, resurrection, reincarnation....it steals this life from us. This life is the only one we know we have.
The only way to stave off the despair of not having an afterlife is to re-teach yourself that it doesn't matter. If you live a good life while you're alive - if you love and appreciate and spend time with the people you care about while you're alive - what do you even need an afterlife for?
It isn't easy. Unless you were raised an atheist, you have been indoctrinated to believe that life doesn't matter, only what comes after. Even if you were raised an atheist, you have undoubtedly had the ideas seep in like poison to the well. It's tempting. So tempting. Eternity in paradise with all the people you love and none of the people you hate -what could be more tempting? That's how religion manipulates and converts and controls. But it's a cop out. Why spend time with Grandma earth side when you will spend eternity with her later? It's nothing but false security driven by primal human need.
“The gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”
— Homer, The Iliad (or Brad Pitt, Troy. Not sure if it's a misattributed quote.)
My dog being a senior is the biggest spot of anxiety in my life. She is my everything. I been with her longer than any friend, longer than my husband. I don't know how old she was seven years ago when I adopted her and we became one, but she's over 10 now.
She is my guardian, my protector, my best friend.
I am her purpose, her provider, her best friend.
I beg Cerberus to protect her and give us many more years together. I almost lost it when my childhood dog died, but she was there for me. How could I come with losing her? Please, Guardian Dog, Great Protector, keep her with me. Keep us together for years. I need her more than she needs me. I can't be without her.
NGL this episode of What Would You Do on whether bisexuality exists hurts.
Two elder men at a table. One is bi, one is gay. The gay man says bisexuality isn't real. You can see how badly it hurts the bi man. I can only imagine if they're a couple.
Is this really a thing? Are there really a lot of gay and lesbian people who think bisexuality isn't real? I can get not liking it, and not being willing to date bisexuals, but to think it doesn't even exist?
Let’s have a civil and adult conversation here: realistically speaking in terms of covid, what are your predictions rn for how things will play out for September-December? I kinda think there’s gonna be another huge wave because of flu season. I also think there may be another lockdown. What do y’all think? Again, let’s keep it cute or put it on mute
The combination of schools opening, holiday season and flu season will be really bad. In most places everything has opened back up so people have stopped taking things seriously and in my city cases are rising again.
And you can't have people living up outside in the freezing cold so most stores are probably gonna relax their store capacity rules.
I just think it's going to be really bad and people have stopped caring which will make it so much worse
A teacher in my husband's district died today (09/07/2020). She was teaching through last Wednesday (09/02/2020). Yes, she died in 5 days.
Class begins in person in 10 hours but there has been no announcement from the school or district. We do not know whether or not she was an in-person teacher or an online teacher. The district has both. Tomorrow, students as young as 5 will be brought into that school for standardized testing. Parents have not been told. Parents likely will not be told until after school starts tomorrow.
How many other teachers was she in contact with during her transmission period? We don't know.
Many teachers are elderly. Many have preexisting conditions. Children are carriers. Even children are dying now. I don't see this going well.
Pomegranate in Silk & Goldwork by Mary Corbet
hand embroidery
From Olympus
Photo: Ana Martinez
Styling and Creative Direction: Mario Ville (Kattaca)
Makeup design and make up artist: Lewis Amarante for Kryolan and Pankr0
Makeup and hairdressing: Sergio Jiménez
Models: Ricardo Nkosi, Mary Ruiz, Lewis Amarante, Aya Gueye, Juana Mum, Karina Soro, Ruben Buika, Virginia Buika, Isabella Menam, Oliver Lewis, Megane Mercury, Mendes Vieira, Claudia Duharte, Taylor Oscar Ruiz, David Durrant, Marina Gomes, Oscar Chibuike, Guille Gibbs, Lil Bambina, Elian Coiscou and Tigi.
But wait! There’s MORE!
I try to live by the words
Let go or be dragged
But the truth is that I can never let go
And I am often dragged
But what a ride.
Tbh I have done it. I live in fear.
