[thelaziestwitchtolaze]

    You know what I love about Witchcraft, is that as soon as you realize Witches of old used what they had to do what they need, things just start to click into place. They used cauldron’s because that’s what was in their kitchen, they made a great deal of things, because that was cheaper then buying ready made, they wrote in those big ole leather bound books because that’s what they had. And if you ever stressed about not being a real Witch because you don’t have any of these things that goes right away. (I mean it still would be nice to own a nice cauldron but i don’t need to have one!)

    It’s just beautiful everything is beautiful and nothing is wrong, your path, your tools, your methods are valid.

[thegrapeandthefig]

I haven’t seen any post about this yet but I just want to remind everyone that Zeus is the god you want to pray to for rain. 

We know about the current fires in Australia, how devastating they are and clearly forest fires have become a concerning trend in the past years. 

Here are some appropriate epithets: Zeus Ombrios and Hyetios both mean “of the rain”. Zeus Aphesios means “releasing [rain]”. I also suggest Zeus Soter “Savior” and Zeus Phyxios “of refuge” for obvious reasons. 

[thegrapeandthefig]

For Greece this time.

[thegrapeandthefig]

#are we really going to keep track of devastating wildfires by the number of times I reblog this?

Looks like we are. For Rhodes, this year.

[what-even-is-thiss]

One possible explanation for the pomegranate tying Persephone to the underworld has to do with Ancient Greek Marriage ceremonies.

At the end of the wedding there was a procession between the bride’s old house and her husband’s house. Sometimes by foot, sometimes on a chariot. Oftentimes the groom would drag the bride back to his house by her wrist, performing a ritual kidnapping of sorts.

When the bride reached her new home with her husband she would be offered a fruit. What kind and the general purpose of this part of the ceremony is inconsistent. But the bride taking a bite out of the fruit generally signified her acceptance of her new family and completed the wedding ceremony.

So why does the pomegranate tie Persephone to the underworld? We’ll never know for sure, but it’s possible that she didn’t accept fruit from him at first because she knew that would complete the marriage ceremony. So her eating the pomegranate, whether on purpose or because she was tricked, completes the ceremony and seals her to Hades’ household, making them officially married.

Did Persephone eat the pomegranate willingly? Idk make up your own mind on that one.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Think of eating the fruit as equivalent to kissing the bride. Seals off the union. A public signal that both parties have committed to this for real and the wedding is over now.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Pulling the woman away by her wrist. Yes. Kidnapping was part of the marriage ceremony. Part of the transition from girlhood to womanhood was a ritualized kidnapping. Arguably the real crime in the story of Hades and Persephone was committed by Zeus for giving his permission for Persephone to be married without consulting with Demeter first. Hades did the correct thing. He asked permission from his bride’s father, kidnapped her, and offered her fruit to eat. Persephone did the correct thing. She ate the fruit and was a loyal wife and daughter. Demeter did the right thing. She was protective of her daughter and was angry that she as the mother had no say in the situation. If you follow this interpretation, Zeus is the asshole here. As usual.

[caduceussky-deactivated20240830]

Aaaa is it possible to worship both Aphrodite and Hephaestus at the same time?

I mean, I obviously won't give Them a shared altar, but like you know...being in the same room as your ex is quite awkward, isn't it?

look i’m not an authority or teacher or anything so i can’t give you a solid “this is absolutely the truth” answer but

in my personal opinion, you should be fine (especially since you’ll be giving them separate altars)!

[apolloandsunshine]

Worshipping them at the same altar would be perfectly fine too, but if you prefer separate altars go ahead. Ancient greeks worshipped their gods together, so there's no reason you couldn't too. You might want to check this post where they ask a similar question

[ombrokharis]

the ancient Greeks conceived their gods as a family. :] Gods engaged in any sort of conflict were considered to be inextricably linked, like Athena and Poseidon (who—despite fighting over the city of Athens—shared a temple on the Akropolis). The gods are not so easily isolated, and doing so would have been very foreign to our religious predecessors.

(Trying a new thing where I emphasize my main points using bold & italics :3)

[sapphickathryn-deactivated20260]

aphrodite loves trans people and queer people. thank u for attending my lecture

[messywitch-deactivated20251018]

are user boxes still a thing? no idea. but i made user boxes as my contribution to the community. they're matchy, too!! you're free to use them- just say Aterios made it.

i'm open to making these under request, just send me an ask with the deity you'd like a box for!! please be nice, too.

gods in this post: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes & Dionysus.

[thegrapeandthefig]

The timelapse from Linear B (estimated between 1600 and 1100BC) to the fall of the Roman Empire (475 AD) roughly corresponds to atleast 1500 years of history. 

1500 years for which we know that the Theoi were worshipped. First locally, but then brought along Empires to be extended to the whole Mediterraenan, from the Middle East to Spain and later, with the game of syncretism, up to Great Britain. 

You are reading this in 2020. There is as much time separating you from the year 520 AD then there was between a pagan of the late roman era to the first attested litterary presence of the Theoi in Linear B. 

What can you tell me of the state of humanity in 520 AD? Put this way it’s evident that your reality is not the same as your ancestor from the 6th century. In fact, for the grand majority, it’s so abstract that you have no clue of what life could be to them, even less so their religious life. 

All this mindfuck just to make this point: even if you choose to worship according to a specific timeframe, you need to be conscious that there has not been a single way to worship in 1500 years of history, but many different ways that both varied because of time and because of local cultures. 

[libraford]

I’m saying this from a place of genuine care: if you are seeing ghosts or shadows or having nightmares… and sageing, eggshells, Crystal’s, and psychics arent cutting it..

Please.. please… check for things like gas leaks, water damage, vermin. I’m not saying your house isnt haunted, I’m just saying that carbon monoxide poisoning looks a LOT like being haunted.

[libraford]

I know that, you know that, but when it looks like supernatural things you look to supernatural solutions and you might not be thinking clearly.

I’m having a conversation with a pagan mom right now who thinks that dark forces are after her, so she’s tried all the things that she knows… which apparently is not checking the hvac system for leaks.

[libraford]

Shes mad at me because I suggested getting an inspection because shes lived in the house for 14 years and she’s always seen things like this and it’s just gotten worse since she took over the house. Shes seeing entities, things are moving on their own, doors open and close on their own, people are being touched and scratched. ‘Mold and gas dont do that!’

Drafty house. Uneven floors. Pressure changes.

Toxic mold syndrome can mimic depression and anxiety, cause listlessness. Guess what extreme anxiety can do. It can mess with your head. It can mess with your memory.

If you have scratches on you and you dont know where they came from, see a doctor. See a doctor. I dont know why you wont see a doctor. They can tell you if it comes from an animal. They can tell you if you’re suffering from a mold allergy. They can tell you if you’re experiencing side effects of gas exposure.

I wholeheartedly believe in ghosts. Absolutley not debating that ghosts and spirits and whatever you think you’re seeing. I am posting this in a pagan facebook group. I 100% believe in ghosts.

I also believe in carbon monoxide.

Please check for gas leaks in your home. Please check for mold. Please check for critters. Like girl I believe you but please check these things.

[libraford]

She… got mad and deleted the post.

This is why we need to stress, and I mean really stress, that mundane explanations are just as important as superstitious ones, and why I genuinely worry about our echo chambers.

Yes, I know we all want to believe that the feelings of dread may be coming from an evil presence in the room, but also certain hvac systems hum at a frequency that causes confusion and anxiety.

Yes it seems reasonable that your doors open and close on their own because granmas ghost is still hanging around. But please consider that the foundation of your house might be shifting.

Yes, you might feel a sense that something bad is going to happen, but that can also be generalized anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder.

And being in a circle that refuses to accept that mundane explanations for supernatural problems feeds and triggers delusions. The pagan/witchcraft community is extremely neuro diverse, and these delusions can trigger spirals and put people in very… very bad places.

Please accept mundane explanations.

You are not ‘crazy’ for seeing ghosts and your house is not dirty for needing an inspection.

If you get an inspection and it comes back clean, you can feel smug about being right. If you dont get an inspection and you’re wrong you and your children could get sick and die.

Y'all I’m tired.

[nudityandnerdery]

This is relevant to something else I saw online today from Greg from How to Drink:

With a lot of things in the brain, we don’t have another person’s perspectives to know what’s usually experienced- this is why I know a lot of us have had the, “Wait, that’s an ADHD symptom?” moment. It’s never bad to check out your experiences with a doctor.

[khaire-traveler]

Here's a fun, simple devotion to Aphrodite!

All of my soap products are rose-scented - hand wash, shampoo, conditioner, body wash - as a way to honor Aphrodite when I am taking care of my body. 😌✨

[catchymemes]

[wereopossum]

The sheer energy. The beauty of this woman. The women hugging in the background. The man in rainbow parachute pants. This whole video is art.

[inthefallofasparrow]

XXI. The World

[filthyprotozoan]

one thing about orpheus and eurydice is you guys are all like “i’m different i wouldnt turn to look at her” because you are all familiar with the story of orpheus and eurydice. but orpheus wasnt familiar with the story because he was in it lol.

[filthyprotozoan]

“i wouldn’t look back bc logically if she’s not there it wouldnt help to look and if she is there looking back would cause me to lose her” cool so has love never made you stupid and insane

[filthyprotozoan]

another thing thats interesting is i think most people assume its a walk of reasonably short length that you have to resist looking back. but we dont know how long that walk was. its out of the underworld, time could work very differently. could be days. could be months. could you walk for months without looking back to see if your love is okay? i dont think you could

[filthyprotozoan]

exactly. like oh you’re not going to look back? have you never lost a love? there is so much looking back.

[thegrapeandthefig]

Another idea for bloodless animal offerings

Occasionally I have *ideas* and that’s just one of them. By now you all know I’m a fan of clay offerings, but they’re effort and making a clay animal a long process and can be difficult. 

And then I remembered those exist: 

I remember seeing those premade papier mache animals and other stuff in my local craft store and I feel so stupid for not thinking about this earlier because they would make such good offerings. They tend to be on the cheaper side, you can paint them or cover them with pretty paper and bam. You have a quick and easy animal figurine to offer without the long and intricate process of making/sculpting it yourself. 

[emthewyrd-deactivated20230805]

Inspired by this, with left newspaper and cardboards and some wool felt, I made these votive goats for Thor. They are held together by flour-glue and bast lines and everything should be 100% ecological friendly.

These bois can be burnt or buried.

In this picture they are not finished yet but in real they are and they can wait now for their mission.

[thegrapeandthefig]

THEY’RE SO GOOD!

[embervoices]

You have a quick and easy animal figurine to offer without the long and intricate process of making/sculpting it yourself.

On the one hand, this is kind of awesome. Yay for papier mache animals! So very burnable, excellent art, excellent tinder, Let’s Do This!

On the other hand… historically, animals for sacrifice would be ones you’d raised well over the course of years, yeah? I can see why replacing them with ceramics you shaped with your own hands makes some kind of sense.

Replacing them with something cheap, quick, and easy seems like… maybe… it’s missing something?

[thegrapeandthefig]

You do raise a point, but we need to remember that buying ready-to-offer offerings was a thing historically too (keep in mind I am only referring to ancient Greek and Roman practices here, since that’s my area of expertise and is the context I was using at the time of this old post). The same logic applied with animals. Sure, they could be yours and you could have raised them, but we know a fair number of sanctuaries leased commercial spaces within their sanctuaries (cf. the charter of shopkeepers of the Heraion of Samos which regulated lease conditions IG XII 6, 169). It wouldn’t have been uncommon for offerings to have been bought on the spot or shortly prior heading to the sanctuary.

Considering cheaper/easier possibility doesn’t mean replacing every single offering you make with easier options, it’s about practicality for some when you have a busy worship calendar but also affordability for others when offering food is too much of a financial commitment.

[lovelypearls]

Aphrodite Areia is so good and important to me I just *clenches fist* love a strong woman associated with beauty also being associated with blood and war and being powerful, slaying her enemies, giving me the strength to defeat mine...love her so goddamn fucking much 💖🗡️ it really makes me sad there's so little representation of her in art and things let me admire her ugh

[smitten-with-sonder]

Allowing yourself to freely stim is self-care, therefore, allowing yourself to freely stim is acceptable Aphrodite devotion/an acceptable offering 💗🌹

[thoodleoo]

dionysus big naturals

[thoodleoo]

hey so this is simultaneously the best and worst reply you could have ever made to my post

[nyaoi-warrior]

[traegorn]

How to vet Witchcraft sources

[evilvarric666-archive]

Literally obsessed with this image.