So hello, To reintroduce myself, my name is Augustine, I’m in my mid-twenties, and I have an education in history, philosophy and psychology.
For more interesting info, I’ve been a practicing witch for over 20 years of my life. I don’t put an actual label to the type of witch I am, and I don’t call myself an eclectic witch. I’m not a fan of labels in general, and that sentiment runs strong to my belief system.
Homeric Hymns Master list
A community for those beginning or deep into their journey of occult and esoteric teachings ☥ ꩜ ⚕
My belief system:
In the past, I’ve called myself pagan or a Hellenistic-polytheist. While both of those labels can be true of me, I choose not to use them anymore as my beliefs now have a broader range to them. I am a polytheist, and that’s probably the only label I’ll accept haha.
I generally follow hermetic/ occult/ Gnostic teachings
I don’t belong to any religion or group, though I am preferential to the Rosicrucians and their teachings
I generally only follow Egyptian/Greek deities with a catch:
I believe God isn’t exactly a man or woman, It is nothing and everything, nor do I use the word “God”, I use Universe
I worship the Goddess Isis as the Ancient creator Deity she originally was (not just a Goddess of fertility and magic)
I also worship the other deities that built off of her-as her-with different names i.e., Aphrodite, Venus, Demeter, Persephone, Proserpina, Hecate (the three headed Goddess), Hathor (which the Egyptians just melted into Isis), Kali Ma, Gaia, Mother Mary, Sophia, Ishtar (and related names), ETC.: ALL OF THESE GODDESS WERE THE SAME, they just had different names!
How do I worship all these Goddesses as one? The same way they did historically (give or take) Each name was just another name, but each name held an aspect: When I want to bless my veggies or need strength, I pray to the Aphrodite aspect. When I need help in magic, I go to Isis-Hecate. When I need warmth love and support, I generally go to Mary. When I need to know more about the mysterious, or work with them, I go to really any of them (but specifically Isis).
Do I worship any Gods? Not really. I do acknowledge Hermes/Jesus/Thoth as they were also one and the same and like many things in the universe, there needs to be a balance- a masculine and feminine. I work more with the feminine yes, as it calls to me more heavily, but I like my balance.
How does this look like in my practice? Well it can look like anything really. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a Hellenist. I like a lot of the info/rituals/prayers that came out of that period, but I prefer pre-Hellenistic information. Yes, it wasn’t as polished for some of these deities (Selene for example was almost completely lost), but I prefer less hatred to the Goddess (for example Aphrodite who was almost entirely striped of her actual duties. NO she wasn’t just some sex Goddess).
I want to be clear though, follow who you want, and worship how you want. Hellenism is supper attractive in many ways I will not deny, again, I used to consider myself a Hellenist. I just thought it was too reductional at the end of the day- it took away the meat of its Deities.
In the past I promised a list of books I loved and that have helped me make more informed decisions regarding my path, I hope to make a good list soon regarding these books. I had one starting, then decided to scrap it as the books no longer served me.
I’m sure as I go, I’ll add more to this little info dump about myself. If you’re interested in my general beliefs and the info I share about it, feel free to follow me and talk! I love hearing about others belief systems or how they worship deities and so on.
hi augustine!! just came across your blog for the first time. as a fellow follower of hermetic/gnostic belief, i was wondering if you could expand upon the statement in your pinned "hermes/jesus/osiris as one and the same." i've not yet heard of osiris being compared to these two and would love to hear more about this! :)
Hello welcome!! I’m so happy you pointed that out, it’s actually supposed to say Thoth instead of Osiris😭 I don’t know how I didn’t catch my mistake, so thank you for pointing that out.
Realistically there are ties to Osiris having some very loose ties to Jesus, more so when you compare Isis/Osiris to the Gnostic Sophia and her husband-son. It’s not a perfect 1:1 ratio, and I’m still trying to make it make sense in my head. I had read in some book awhile ago (I’ll have to resurface whichever book it was, I want to guess alchemy and mysticism by Alexander Roob, or the secret teachings of all ages by manly p. Hall), that compared the holy trinity Osiris (father), Horus (the son), and Isis (the Holy Spirit) to the Gnostic trinity God/logos (father), Jesus (son), and Sophia (Holy Spirit).
I don’t think there’s too much to it besides general dot connecting, but I wouldn’t put too much thought into it unless it was pertinent to your beliefs!
I feel like I actually have so much more to say about it but I’d actually need to think on it.
Once again, thank you for pointing out my mistake, I’m going to go fix that now :,)
Actually my husband is amending this as the person who more knows about Horus- “if you want to make this more about Kemeticism, you could see it as that classic trinity. If we’re talking Hellenism, while using the kemetic names, what you’d probably want to use is Horus the elder as the father, Isis as the Holy Spirit, and Horus the younger as the son (which he attributes much of the philosophy of Horus the elder to Thoth).
And then he kept talking and it went beyond anything I could type😭
hi augustine!! just came across your blog for the first time. as a fellow follower of hermetic/gnostic belief, i was wondering if you could expand upon the statement in your pinned "hermes/jesus/osiris as one and the same." i've not yet heard of osiris being compared to these two and would love to hear more about this! :)
Hello welcome!! I’m so happy you pointed that out, it’s actually supposed to say Thoth instead of Osiris😭 I don’t know how I didn’t catch my mistake, so thank you for pointing that out.
Realistically there are ties to Osiris having some very loose ties to Jesus, more so when you compare Isis/Osiris to the Gnostic Sophia and her husband-son. It’s not a perfect 1:1 ratio, and I’m still trying to make it make sense in my head. I had read in some book awhile ago (I’ll have to resurface whichever book it was, I want to guess alchemy and mysticism by Alexander Roob, or the secret teachings of all ages by manly p. Hall), that compared the holy trinity Osiris (father), Horus (the son), and Isis (the Holy Spirit) to the Gnostic trinity God/logos (father), Jesus (son), and Sophia (Holy Spirit).
I don’t think there’s too much to it besides general dot connecting, but I wouldn’t put too much thought into it unless it was pertinent to your beliefs!
I feel like I actually have so much more to say about it but I’d actually need to think on it.
Once again, thank you for pointing out my mistake, I’m going to go fix that now :,)
if you want to study the occult and spell work I fear that you have to start from published studies/books made by scholars and professors as well as institutions so you don't walk in on a closed practice because the likelihood that White Woman Fyre Wulfsliver knows the extensive history of the systemic oppression and discrimination of poc witches and medicine makers all across the globe is pretty low compared to you know. The 5 renowned historians who've been in the field since 1998 and have made Many Articles
I'm not saying to completely ignore what witches say within the community. I'm not saying that the books are 110% right and everything else is wrong. All I'm saying is that before you do your fun stuff like making jars or wards you have to LEARN. You can learn shit and build off of it from engaging with the community afterwards and not hear as many blind or misguided takes when you gain this knowledge. Literally the most powerful thing in spellwork is knowledge I'm being so for real it's even stronger than protection spells if I'm being honest here
Oh my GOD I could not have said it better myself. READ BOOKS READ BOOKS PLEASE READ BOOKS. And even beyond closed practices, there are things out there you do not want to mess with, and while you may never come in contact with them, it’s better to know they’re there.
Do you have to dive into years and years of research, no not really, occultism has a rich history and it would take you a lifetime to sift through all of that, but dip your toes, you’ll be better for it.
I think the actual web blog I create will be kind of a digital grimoire.
I keep seeing posts about it and honestly, i love the idea. I’ve struggled with creating a physical grimoire since the day i started practicing and I’m SICK OF IT.
My grimoire will be a digital blog where I can post helpful info, AND I can chronicle all my thoughts and info I’ve learned. I think I’ll start with a notion to categorize everything though.
It’ll take me awhile (as I said yesterday) but I can’t wait to create this :)
Hekate's Deipnon is coming up (for me at least) so here are some ways to celebrate:
1) Cleansing
This doesn't just have to be spiritual. It's a great time to clean your alter and home. Save the sweepings and make a point of throwing them out to symbolise getting rid of the old month in transition to the new.
2) Offerings
Traditional Offerings include raw eggs (+shell), leeks, onions, garlic, bread, and cakes as well as libations and honey. You can leave these offerings on your personal alter or at a 3 way crossroads for Hekate and the restless dead (make sure these offerings are animal safe if you leave them outside as garlic and onions can be poisonous to some animals). When you leave the offerings, say nothing, turn, and don't look back as you return home. The dead don't like to be seen.
3) Charity
Often left our offerings would be eaten by the poor/ less fortunate so now is a good time to give back. Donate to charity, or a food bank. Sponsor a person in need or make a 1 time donation. It's a time for humility and giving.
4) Reflection and shadow work
The dark moon is the space between the old and new month so a perfect time to reflect on past actions, thoughts, and patterns that don't serve you anymore. Meditate, journal, write a letter to your past self, ect. Now is the time of out with the old to make way for the new.
My most toxic witch trait is pretending I’m doing magic by looking at witch things on tumblr and pinterest but then not doing anything in the real world 👀
Because my alter is right underneath my fire alarm, and I also have cats and rats, I tend to use smokeless ways of cleansing.
🎶 Bells!
- I personally have this little bell shaped like a clown that was thrifted some time ago. I use it to cleanse my alter when I need to cleanse quickly.
👃 Smokeless Scents
- Because I can’t use smoke or incense in my apartment (for previous reasons), I often set out incense unused as an offering, or use it similarly to the bell, waving it around, imagining it cleansing.
- I also use a candle burner or wax burner. Wax burners are self explanatory, but nice smelling wax (or safe waxes without toxins) can be annoying to buy (atleast personally). With a candle burner I use a heat safe glass dish and add herbs/spices depending on intention.
🪨 Crystals
- This can also depend on intention, but using specific crystals (themselves cleaned by water/moon/light/or smoke if you so wish). I typically use a clear quartz or a herkimer diamond for cleansing, but feel free to use what works for you.
😀 Shear Willpower
- Yelling at your alter with pure love and reminding it to be cleansed. Bonus points if imagine it being cleaned with light and love :)
💧Water or specially made concoctions
- You can use sun/or moon water depends on your tastes. You can also mix oils or cooked spices and combine them in a water mix and spray it.
At the end of the day, it’s all about intention. Do a lot, or do the smallest amount, it’s up to you. I was inspired to make this post after seeing many others post similar ideas, I just wanted to add what I do!
A community for those beginning or deep into their journey of occult and esoteric teachings ☥ ꩜ ⚕
Hard in your will, hand, shield, and spear; bronze armored,
Staunch city saver, bulwark of Olympus,
Father of Victory, helper of Themis,
Tyrant to enemies, leader of good men,
King over manliness! Your fiery globe whirls
Among the seven planets’ tracks, your horses
Blazing forever over the third orbit.
Hear me, ally of mortals, maker of fine youth:
Rain gently from on high into my being
Brightness and martial strength. Let me have power
To shake out of my head the bitter panic,
Defeating with my mind my soul’s false impulse,
And yet keep down the temper that provokes me
Toward icy strife. But blessed god, give courage—
The kind that lives in peace among the mild laws,
Away from combat and death’s savage demons.
—————
Notes:
As a war God, Ares is often associated with bloodshed and savagery, in contrast to Athena, Goddess of just warfare. Here, in a hymn in his honor, he is presented more positively. 
Themis is the Goddess associated with order and justice. 
Each word, stanza, punctuation, capitalization (and lack thereof) and space, is intentional.
