The Crossroads Cleric

Hello! I'm an eclectic witch of 5 years and polytheistic pagan who’s just trying to figure herself and all this out. Devotee of Hestia, Nyx, and Aphrodite, worshipper of many. I mostly focus on energy work, kitchen witchcraft, sigil magic, stellar magic, and a touch of divination. Always learning. If you're homophobic, a TERF, a MAP, a Nazi, Alt-Right, anti-Semitic, racist, etc you’re not welcome here.

[mxmorbidmidnight]

Nazis will never be welcome in paganism. They have no space in our communities, we will have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to nazis. You have no right to the cultures, gods and religions you hijack to spread your disgusting ideologies. You will find no refuge or comraderie amongst pagans.

Reblog to let nazis know they’re not welcome here.

[homey-worshiper]

for lady hestia

[honeyandhestia]

May Hestia keep your inner fire warm enough that it sparks into your mind.

May your inner light burn the depression fog in your mind.

May you find mental health with Hestia by your side and in your heart.

[under-olympos-bodhi-tree]

On Noumenia

I more or less missed the entirety of Noumenia because work has been crazy lately and I'm saving money to visit my polycule, but I wanted to share a few words with each of you.

May Hestia's light and warmth light your life and your path forward always, may she keep you in a warm embrace that keeps you happy and healthy in all things you do. May the Theoi bless and keep each of you like parents with their worshippers as their beloved children, for you keep their message and their love alive in the minds of mankind. May you be safe, strong and secure always.

[deerundevotee]

a digital altar for hestia

[honeyandhestia]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Hestia is proud of you.

She is proud of your successes, however big or small they seem to you. She’s proud that you kept pushing through, and that you keep pushing through. She’s proud of when you said yes to something, and when you said no. Saying no is a powerful boundary.

She’s proud when you fail too. Failures can be tough, but she’s there by your side and is proud you put yourself out there enough to fail. Failures lead to different successes.

She’s proud of how you handle things, and how you learn. She’s proud of the days where you get some unpleasant, but needed, things done and she’s proud when you choose to spend the day focusing on you.

She’s proud of you for everything you do, even if you feel like you don’t deserve it. All of those things contribute to who you are, whether you are simply surviving it, embracing it, or learning from it.

HESTIA IS PROUD OF YOU.

[theoi-community-hymns]

“O, Great Hestia Humble goddess of the hearth Protector and creator of homes Mother of the wandering Guardian of the homeless Lay your veil upon my shoulders Place warmth into my heart O, Gracious Hestia whom I love, bring happiness to this home”

— @withlovetohestia

[petitesaffron-blog]

[allmythologies]

greek mythology: dionysus

dionysus is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre.

[hestiashearthfire]

“The goddess whom [the Greeks] call Hestia. Her power extends over altars and hearths, and therefore all prayers and all sacrifices end with this goddess, because she is the guardian of the innermost things.”

— Cicero, De Natura Deorum

[of-wine-and-war]

lit the fireplace for the first time this season as a little offering to Hestia

[seleniiium]

Hestia, virgin goddess of the hearth and the home.

[ombrokharis]

PRAYER IN HELLENIC POLYTHEISM

There are three main parts to prayer in ancient Greek religion: the invocation, the argument, and the petition.

THE INVOCATION —

This is where you address the god by name, including any honorifics, references, functions, or qualities you wish to entreat. Several stacking elements of identification are used here—including epithets.

THE ARGUMENT —

Why should the god listen to you? Remind the god of your prior relationship. If you haven’t yet built one, you should ask a friend or devotee to pray on your behalf. Better yet, use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself to the god and sing their praises.

THE PETITION —

State your purpose. This can include what you want the god to do, regardless of whether your request is specific or relatively intangible.

Of note is the fact that the petition is not a mandatory part of the prayer structure. “You might as easily invoke a god and remind them of your relationship, but not want anything specific, just to keep in touch as it were, and that would be totally fine” (Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts).

PRAYER GESTURES

According to Aristotle “we humans all stretch our hands towards the heavens when we make our prayers” (On the Cosmos). Pollux too suggests this, using the phrases “to pray to the gods” and “to stretch one’s hands upward” interchangeably.

That said, not every prayer was accompanied by a grand gesture. Simon Pulleyn relates how artistic depictions more commonly show the worshipper with one hand raised—not above the head, but “held out in front of [oneself] in a gesture like that used by a policeman to halt traffic” (Prayer in Greek Religion, 1997, pg. 189).

Don’t overthink hand gestures. More than anything, know that prayers were typically done when the individual was standing, their face tilted up towards the heavens (where the gods reside). When consulting the Underworld gods, though, it would make sense to direct your prayers downward. An example of this is seen in the ninth scroll of the Iliad when Althaea prays to Haides and dread Persephone by kneeling and beating her hands on the ground.

MORE ON PRAYER GESTURES

The following illustrations were made by @seedsandsprouts / @jellynymphh and show the many gestures that can accompany your prayers to the gods.

Spoken prayers are typically paired with more dynamic gesticulations, while those that are silent (or muttered) are done more discreetly.

Ancient peoples believed that the gods could hear silent prayers, but such a practice was regarded as anomalous and looked upon with great suspicion. Such suspicions are better left in antiquity, seeing as we live in an age where spoken prayer is no longer standard.

When praying with one hand raised to your lips or the heavens, the hand at your side can be balled into a fist with the thumb tucked into the fingers.

Happy praying! :)

[crimsonsongbird]

“Sit here by the fire, Warm your freezing bones, And have a meal with me. Share with me your woes. Lay down some of your load. You’ll feel better.”

- Hestia

[gone-arai]

To Hestia

Lady Hestia, grass-yellow, eternal watcher of the flame,

I call on you to come forth from your place at the central hearth

and join me at the heart of my home, at this humble altar,

to watch over these rites and lead me to my innermost self,

so that I may be vulnerable in the presence of the deathless gods.

You are the constancy of life and my stability at home.

Peace and stillness are created in your presence, O hospitable goddess,

and your protection over my house and family extends from wall to wall.

Never changing, everlasting, you help me to accept what I cannot change.

You hold me, glowing Hestia, and keep my mind from wandering astray.

I ask that you protect me as I confront the worst parts of myself

and thank you for your guiding hand as I navigate my emotions.

I praise you with comfortable familiarity and will look to you always,

for you are the focus around which I orbit day after day.

[vintagehomecollection]

The Cook’s Room: A Celebration of the Heart of the Home, 1991

[glazedeye-s]

the statues of apollo and athena, at the academy athens, in a full moon night.