°MantisDivinatio°

Ancient divination methods. Traditional astrology. I made my own oracle tools. Theurgy and Hellenism. I worship Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis and Apollon. Currently studying Ancient Greek. Request readings for famous people on my /ask For personal readings: [email protected] (natal chart / tarot addressing any sort of questions / messages from the Olympics)

[sisterofiris]

Is following the delphic maxims necessary? I have the pillars of hellenismos, but the delphic maxims don't resonate with me! I'm a revivalist, so I'm not as traditional as others, but idk

I’m a reconstructionist (or at least recon-leaning), so I can’t speak on what revivalists should or shouldn’t do. As far as I’m aware, that’s more or less up to you. But from a reconstructionist point of view, here’s my opinion: following the Delphic Maxims is useful, but strictly adhering to them and using them as the be-all-end-all of your beliefs is unnecessary. This is simply because the Delphic Maxims were never a universal code of behaviour, like the Ten Commandments or the Pillars of Islam. They’re simply sayings attributed to Apollon. Hardly any ancient authors even refer to them, and they don’t seem to have been regularly used as a source on how to behave morally.

But bearing this in mind, I would still argue that the Delphic Maxims should be used as general guidance. They express many important values of Hellenic polytheism, and Ancient Greek culture in general: #3 worship the Gods, #8 know yourself, #42 have respect for suppliants, etc. While you may not want to follow all of them (*cough* #95 rule your wife *cough*), most still reflect the basic code of behaviour that we, as Hellenic polytheists, should emulate. In essence, they’re also not that different from Timothy Jay Alexander’s Pillars of Hellenismos:

Ethike Arete (the practise of habitual excellence) is expressed in #8 know yourself, #14 control yourself, #21 cling to discipline, #27 practise what is just…

Eusebeia (reverence, loyalty, and sense of duty towards the Gods) is expressed in #3 worship the Gods, #13 honour the hearth/Hestia, #123 admire oracles…

Xenia (adherence to hospitality and the guest-host relationship) is expressed in #12 if you are a stranger act like one, #42 have respect for suppliants, #93 deal kindly with everyone…

and so on

I would even argue that Alexander used the Delphic Maxims as one of his sources for the Pillars of Hellenismos (it’s worth mentioning that the Pillars are a modern invention, meant to identify the main values expressed in ancient texts).

So all that said, as a revivalist, what to follow is up to you; but if you want a clear, ancient source on Hellenic values, the Delphic Maxims are a useful place to look to, or at least to draw inspiration from.

[lovecorekiss]

“Every person in ancient Greece was concerned, like Periander, to keep relations between the living and the dead in good order, but during the later archaic age there also arose a class of specialists, to whom the average person could turn when problems with the dead occurred, just as Periander turned to the officials at the oracle of the dead. Such a specialist was called a γόης and the art he practised was γοητεία. These are words that modern scholars often translate simply as ‘magician’ and ‘magic’. Their linguistic root, however, which is shared with γοâν, ‘to sing a lament’, indicates that the essence of ancient Greek magic involved communication with the dead. This communication could have several goals, depending on the problem that the γόης was hired to solve: sometimes he was required to appease the dead in order to avert their anger and ensure their help (the specialists at the oracle of the dead, whom Periander consulted, might well have been called γόητες). Sometimes he might rouse the dead into action against a living person, in order to serve the interests of a client whose enemy the victim was. Sometimes, finally, the γόης might advise people as to how they could perform rituals while they were still alive that would ensure that in their own afterlives, their ghosts would be happy.”

— Greek Magic: Ancient, Medieval, Modern

[s-c-r-ee-ch]

Pan teaching Apollo to play the syrinx

By Guillaume II Coustou,

Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris

[hellamagickal]

There is... Some sexual tension here that I've never sensed between these two before...

[theskepticalwitch]

Your power comes from you first.

No one else.

No other beings. No herbs or crystals or tools. It comes from you.

You are the pinnacle of your power, everything else is just something to channel it.

[phemonoi]

have tender hearted relationships with your gods. speak to them softly, giggle, let them ornament your life. drink tea with them, write love letters to them and share your secrets. wear flowers to honor them, walk barefoot. let your gods comfort you without fear, like old friends, like lovers.

[sapphothetical]

‘The Swan Maidens’ (details) | Walter Crane | 1894

[intergalactic-garbage]

what if the Olympians + Hades and Hestia were forced to all live in one house and act like an actual family?

‘Athena, come out of your room, you have to interact with people!’ -probably Hera at some point

Apollo playing the most obscure music at 3am and Ares, unable to fall asleep gets annoyed, so he blasts heavy metal from his room

‘Hades, no, you can’t just walk all over my garden! Your presence literally sucks the life out of it!’ -Demeter, forcefully pushing Hades off of her plants

Aphrodite bringing home a different person she’s dating every week or so

Zeus constantly downloading tinder on the family tablet and Hera always passively-aggressively deleting it

‘Where’s Hermes?’ ‘I don’t know, probably running somewhere again’

despite his best efforts, Hermes is always late everywhere

‘Hephaestus, where are all the forks?’ ‘…heh, whoops’

Dionysus hiding bottles of wine under his bed and thinking it’s a secret, but every time he’s not around, Hera takes the bottles away from him

‘Poseidon, get out of the bath, you’ve been in there for five hours and Ares has to shower too!’ ‘No, I don’t!’

‘HESTIA, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU CAN’T SET THE FUCKING HOUSE ON FIRE!’ ‘It’s a hearth’

[wodneswynn-deactivated-deactiva]

The gods did not breathe the breath of life into us and give us gifts of a shape, a will, and a voice just so we could pay bills and die.

[mantisdivinatio]

.WAITING. Lately it feels like all we do is wait. Wait for things to end, to change, to get better, to resemble what we've come to know as "normal" again. And it's okay if you allow yourself to sit around for a little bit and take it all in. Understand and embrace your humanity with all its perks and flaws and trust the will of the Gods and the weaving of the Fates: no matter the circumstances, humans always end up fulfilling their destinies, and you are no exception to that rule. So even if you think you're not exactly moving forward, accept that maybe your current adventure is one of patience and resilience. Hold on! We'll get there. (((( Personal readings: [email protected] )))) Art: "The little sea maid" Evelyn de Morgan 💖 #carryon #aphrodite #hellenism #dailymessage #sea #faith #religion #theurgy #daily #wednesday #wednesdaywisdom https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDUOgrHcq9/?utm_medium=tumblr

[piristephes]

I love the way that worshipping Gods of nature and all that messes up our brains. Like, yes, I’ll stand in the literal sun without feeling bothered for a bigger amount time anyone would just because I see Him as a God. I will talk to trees and to the lagoon too, what about it?

[thewildetyme-deactivated2021020]

“…There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, irresistible—magic to make the sanest man go mad.”

- Homer, The Iliad

[todaysbird]

the fact that chickens, who produce eggs for families and are fairly low-cost pets after initial expenses, are not allowed in many areas due to noise but dogs, who are considerably noisier and considerably more a risk to people are, is kind of ridiculous

[homeofhousechickens]

The banning of chickens in cities has definitely helped contribute to the creation of food deserts in said cities.

HOAs disallowing people to grow their own food is another example.

[great-and-small]

I recently read an article that argued against allowing chicken ownership in cities due to the fact that urban chicken owners might be more “ignorant of husbandry needs of chickens” and anyone could decide “on a whim” to purchase chickens 🙄

This is an absurd argument considering the VAST collection of extremely high-maintenance and fragile species that are freely available as pets without any concern for their husbandry requirements. It is incredibly easy to purchase a sugar glider or a chameleon on a whim, and both of these animals are far more difficult to keep happy than the sturdy chickens that humans literally domesticated thousands of years ago. Chickens are useful and personable animals that make great pets, and if you’re worried people won’t know how to care for them the solution is to improve education rather than thoughtlessly banning an animal that is actually a great option as a pet for low-income families. I would much prefer to see people choosing chickens as a pet over the dozens of high-maintenance and non-domesticated animals available at the corner pet shop.

[despazito]

there’s nothing barring you from bringing an endangered parrot into your home or even apartment that yells at <100db all day every day

However we had to convince my town that our 6 hens weren’t going to ruin our well (???) lmao. don’t worry you can dump pesticides on the same lawn and they won’t care.

[mellifexfarm]

I feel like its taken a pandemic to make some people (re lawmakers)  realize being able to grow your own food is absolutely necessary and that its absurd its illegal to do basic things like Have A Garden vs a lawn. or have backyard hens

anyway if you live in texas tell your representatives to vote yes for Texas House Bill 1686, which would make it legal for those on single family lots to grow fruits and veggies, and have 6 or less domestic fowl and/or 6 rabbits and/or 3 beehives EVEN IF they live under an HOA or municipality that doesn’t allow it

[todaysbird]

read the above again. you currently aren’t allowed to grow veggies. at your own home

[lovecorekiss]

[April] Helpol 101 Recommended Reading + Free resources

Ello Everyone! This is a rather simple post this week, focusing on my recommended reading for hellenic polytheism as of April. As I read, I will naturally expand or change around my recommendations. So, here is my recommended reading for beginners as April 2021.  Personally, I would read Understanding Greek Religion, The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion, and Devotionalism, Material Culture, and the Personal in Greek Religion to begin your studies.

BIPOC & Progressive Classics

I made a masterpost here. You should read it all.

General Ancient Greek Religion

Depew, M. (1997). Reading Greek Prayers. Classical Antiquity, 16(2), 229–258. [link]

Dignas, Beate, and Kai Trampedach, eds. 2008. Practitioners of the Divine: Greek Priests and Religious Figures from Homer to Heliodorus. Hellenic Studies Series 30. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. [link]

Eidinow, E., & Kindt, J. (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion (Oxford Handbooks) (Reprint ed.). Oxford University Press. [link] 

Henrichs, A. (2003). “Hieroi Logoi” and “Hierai Bibloi”: The (Un)Written Margins of the Sacred in Ancient Greece. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 101, 207-266. [link]

K.A. Rask, « Devotionalism, Material Culture, and the Personal in Greek Religion », Kernos [En ligne], 29 | 2016, mis en ligne le 01 octobre 2019 [link]

Larson, J. (2007). Ancient Greek Cults (1st ed.). Routledge. [link]

Larson, J. (2001). Greek Nymphs : Myth, Cult, Lore (1st ed.). Oxford University Press USA. [link]

Ogden, D. (2007). A Companion to Greek Religion (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) (1st ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. [link]

Parker, R. (2011). On Greek Religion (Cornell Studies in Classical Philology, 60) (Illustrated ed.). Cornell University Press. [link]

Pulleyn, S. (1998). Prayer in Greek Religion (Oxford Classical Monographs) (1st ed.). Clarendon Press.

Hestia

Brock G. (2018) Cosmopolitanism Beyond the Polis: Creative Memory Works and Reimagining the Relationship Between Xenia and Hestia. In: Giri A. (eds) Beyond Cosmopolitanism. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. [link]

Cross, Nicholas D. “The Hearth as a Place of Refuge in Ancient Greece.” Pallas (2020): 107–123. [link]

Çayir, Esra. The Study of the Concept of the Sacred Hearth and Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Their Association With the Prytaneion, Its Origins, and Its Development. Bilkent University, 2006. [link]

Kajava, M. (2004). Hestia Hearth, Goddess, and Cult. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 102, 1-20. doi:10.2307/4150030 [link]

Homeros

H., & Green, P. (2019). The Iliad: A New Translation by Peter Green (First ed.). University of California Press. [link]

H., & Wilson, E. (2018). The Odyssey (1st ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. [link]

Peter, Owen. (2015) Proportion and Apportionment: A Study in Homeric Values. McMaster University. [link]

Magic

Kerr M. D., (2018). Gods, Ghosts and Newlyweds: exploring the uses of the threshold in Greek and Roman superstition and folklore [link]

Ogden, D. (2009). Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. [link]

Petropoulos, J. (2014). Greek Magic (Monographs in Classical Studies) (1st ed.). Routledge. [link]

Mantikē

Beerden, K. (2013). Worlds Full of Signs: Ancient Greek Divination in Context (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World)(Approx. 272 Pp. ed.). BRILL. [link]

Flower, M. (2009). The Seer in Ancient Greece (First ed.). University of California Press. [link]

Johnston, S. I. (2008). Ancient Greek Divination (1st ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. [link]

Johnston, S. I., & Struck, P. T. (2005). Mantike: Studies in Ancient Divination (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World). Brill Academic Pub. [link]

Other Primary Sources

H., Scruton, R., Morrissey, C. S., & Voegelin, E. (2012). Theogony / Works and Days. Talonbooks. [link]

Rayor, D. J. (2014). The Homeric Hymns: A Translation, with Introduction and Notes (Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature) (First Edition, Updated ed.). University of California Press. [link]

Other

Bremmer, J. N. (2014). Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World (Münchner Vorlesungen zu Antiken Welten Book 1) (1st ed.). De Gruyter. [link]

Garland, R. (2001). The Greek Way of Death (Second ed.). Cornell University Press. [link]

Johnston, S. I. (2018). The Story of Myth (Illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. [link]

Sommerstein, A. H., & Torrance, I. C. (2014). Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (Beiträge Zur Altertumskunde, 307) (Digital original ed.). de Gruyter. [link]

Sourvinou-Inwood, C. (1996). “Reading” Greek Death: To the End of the Classical Period. Clarendon Press. [link]

wordpress link

[justineportraits]

Guillaume Dubufé     Diane     1893

[dionysianfreak]

I think offerings and relationships of intimacy in paganism are poggers and should be less "taboo" to talk about. the only time I see the population talk about this is with love Deities which ,, duh. I want to talk about how I think we should be more willing to accept more intimate relationships with the Gods, even if it's not your style. plus, intimacy =/= only sex so don't even start with me there.

I used to feel grossed out by the idea of godspousing or anything like that with a Deity. that changed with reading about @thepastelpriestess 's relationship with Aphrodite, and I realized that disgust was an outcome of my own insecurity of wishing I could have something in that realm. touch and physical affection are my primary love languages, I long for touch in even my most platonic of relationships. so, why was I restricting that from the Gods ?

I realized that disgust I felt had led to so much shame in myself and my own worship, I can look back and see how uncomfortable it felt to be stiff and robotic while worshipping, praying, offering, etc. opening up to the idea that my relationship with the Gods can be as unique and personal as we wish really changed my practice. it helped me realize my own insecurities and open myself up to worshipping in a very personal way that fits me perfectly. I truly feel connected to the gods this way, and I feel I've progressed a lot from this milestone alone. so now, I want to share it with you.

I encourage you challenge your ideas of what worship is, and what intimacy is. when I say I'm intimate with the Gods, it means that most often we're very physical. I give kisses as an offering of repetition and devotion, I despise clothing during meditation and rituals, cuddling is common on rough nights, soothing touch is often used as well during times of crisis, and it's not unusual for the Gods to get very close and weave on my body as we speak.

being more intimate doesn't mean you have to offer R rated things or have sex with the Gods, it just means it's okay to be a little more relaxed if it fits you. if not, then that's fine too. everyone is unique, and everyone will worship in a different way.

[hellenic-reconstructionism]

Beginner altar suggestions

Incense burner: Incense is a common and low-energy offering, so if your living situation allows for incense burning, I highly recommend it. I like to burn incense on a tripod, but any non-religiously specific incense burner should be fine. Just remember that incense is used in a myriad of religions, so make sure the incense burner you get isn’t from another religion to be respectful.

Source

A small replica tripod suitable for burning incense or candles on:

Source

Image of the theoi - can be a printer paper print, 3D print, statues, etc. Remember you can sculpt your own icons too!

Source

Plate for offering food - honestly any nice plate is good. Thrift stores tend to have cheap, pretty ones. You could also try to make your own, a la this replica of a Minoan plate.

Source

If possible, a place to safely burn meat/food offerings and herbs. One example. Depending on what you’re burning (i.e. small amounts of animal fat), you could use the stove in your home in combination with a ventilation system. Though anything involving fire requires caution!

A cup or glass for libations. Anything from this to this:

Just make sure whatever it is, it is clean!

Source

An olive oil lamp for Hestia, if it is safe to light one (and do not leave open flames unattended):

Source

[mantisdivinatio]

New moon in Aries 🌑♈ •Delightful new beginnings• You're allowed to feel uncomfortable. You're allowed to feel like you're being tested, because truth is that you are. This is the perfect time to START, GO, DO. As with every 🌑, make sure you pay your debts, clean your space and take out the trash as you create a clean slate for the next lunar month.  We send a prayer to Lady Hekate, the Queen of liminality, in her deipnon, her dinner night. May she bless us in this upcoming month by taking away everything that is evil, everything that holds us back from living up to our higher purpose and getting one step closer to our destinies.  °Happy new moon° Art: Agostino Tassi, Landscape with a scene of witchcraft #Hekate #witchcraft #goddess #newmoon #spirituality #traditional #hellenism #hellenic #Hecate #dark #darkmoon #deipnon #tarot #astrology #aries #zodiac #strega #witch #bruja #lunanueva  https://www.instagram.com/p/CNlXnBmn8rL/?igshid=lvdpt9gi7mt3