I saw a post about someone’s “hot takes” on the gods. And it was tagged in Hellenic Polytheism and such-
And just boldly claimed Lord Poseidon is a terrible person and King Zeus is worse? Like hello? Are we following the same religion?
Just a reminder, you don’t pick and choose what gods are “good.” You don’t get to decide that gods are ok or not to worship based on their portrayal in myth. The gods are not their myths. Myths were written by opinionated/biased people who intended to explain the unexplained at the time. Myths are metaphors. Myths are *myths.*
Of course there is some information and lessons that we can draw from myths but our entire religion is not centered around myth literalism like other religions are such as Christianity.
The gods are not bad. They aren’t assholes or terrible people. They are Gods and Goddesses. They are the (I don’t wanna say personification but I can’t think of a better way to phrase it) personification and guardians of nature and life and knowledge and all of the beautiful things we deal with in everyday life. They’re not big story time villains that you get to write headcanons on.
Please, please research our religion and understand mythic literalism and why it’s not what the religion is founded on. Take the time to actually learn and understand that the gods are not their myths. They’re so much more than that, and they don’t mean any ill will on their followers unless you’ve terribly wronged them or someone else in an incomprehensible way.
I’m sorry for the long post but it upsets me so much to see people calling gods that are genuinely so kind and have helped me and others through so much assholes when they are anything but that.
Does anyone have any tips about feeling closer to the Gods and building kharis? I've already looked into it and got some but I want as many opinions as I can gather. What are some things you guys do to feel closer to your deities?
being relatively new to helpol but believing in it more than I've ever believed in anything is crazy but it also has me nervous 😭
I have a tiny altar for Apollo in my windowsill and I like to dedicate my caffiene intake to Hermes. I open my curtains to let in the sun during the mornings, and I pray at night (with casual wording so my brain doesn't explode), and I'm planning to make some little e-altar/e-shrine things for each of them, since that's the most I can realistically manage for now. I'm happy with this in a way I'm not used to feeling, and I like it.
and then it rained, and I just went "oh. ty Zeus :)" and went about my day. and then it was windy when I went to grab a package, so I went "hi Aeolus, thanks!" and went back inside. I murmured something to Hypnos when I fell asleep last night and I don't even remember what, but I know I had the gods in my thoughts.
like. what is going on 😭 I'm grateful for the most random things now, more than I ever was before, and I'm thanking the gods for them even if I'm not sure I should be 😭
part of me is going ????? is this rude? is this disrespectful?? am I okay for doing this?? but then part of me is just like. I love the gods, and I don't need to be afraid of these things because the point is that I'm trying and I think they get that. plus it's a polytheistic religion, so it's totally okay to be thankful to gods I'm not actively worshipping <3
the gods are not mad at you (unless you recently killed someone, purposefully disrespected the gods, or destroyed a temple). they're not mad at you if you haven't been praying lately, they're not mad at you if you've been feeling less connected lately, they don't hate you.
the main/most important part of hellenic polytheism is worshipping the gods. you don't need to (and, tbh, shouldn't) be doing divination 24/7 and speaking with the gods all the time. just focus on praying and leaving offerings and feeling connected to your deities. focus on appreciating and loving and honoring them.
do research. (preferably not on tiktok.) look at sites like theoi.com and hellenicfaith.com and hellenion.org. learn about deities and festivals you're interested in. then maybe check out some longer form videos on youtube from creators like fel the blithe, or check out some longer posts on tumblr (there are a few great ones geared towards beginner helpols)
give yourself grace. you're still learning. you don't have to be perfect right away. you don't have to have big altars on day one, and you don't have to have everything figured out. the gods understand. they'll never be mad at you for being a beginner & learning as you go.
Khaire! This will be my first long post on this blog. I’ll talk about:
1) information on Psyche and her myth
2) debates on Psyche’s legitimacy
3) my personal beliefs on Psyche and the soul
3.5) some devotional acts and offering ideas
Who is Psyche?
Psyche is the goddess of the soul, married to Eros, mother of Hedone (spirit of sensual pleasure and enjoyment.)
Psyche's only literary mention is in 'The Golden Ass", also known as Metamorphoses, by Apuleius, written in the 2nd century AD (during the Roman Empire.) Her story is a subplot to a novel about a man called Lucius accidentally turning himself into a donkey. It takes a lot of inspiration from Ancient Greek mythology and literature.
Psyche's subplot follows her adventure to wed Eros.
Once a mortal princess, she was resented by Aphrodite as men turned their worship from the goddess to the girl. Aphrodite commanded Eros to make her fall in love with the most hideous of men.
However, Eros instead falls in love with her and carried her to his hidden palace, commanding her to never gaze at his face. Psyche's jealous sisters tricked her into disobeying and the angry god forsook her.
Desperate to find Eros, Psyche finds herself in the hands of Aphrodite, who commanded her to perform a series of seemingly impossibly tasks:
- To sort a pile of grains before nightfall. The ants take pity on her and help her complete it.
- To retrieve golden wool from a flesh-eating sheep.
Psyche achieved this by the river bank whilst the sheep are sleeping.
- Fetching water from the River Styx, with the help on an eagle.
- Obtaining a box of Proserpina's beauty ointment.
She is aided by various supernatural spirits.
Psyche was finally reunited with Eros and the couple were married in a ceremony by all the gods, rising to immortality and becoming goddess of the soul.
Debates on Psyche’s legitimacy
Psyche is never mentioned in any other Ancient
Greek works as a deity.
Homer mentions 'the psyche in him was divided' as a concept, but not a fleshed out entity.
There are also little to no archaeological evidence of temples, shrines, or cultic sites. She is shown as a concept, an allegorical figure, and never having the same level of power and cult worship as the pantheon.
However, her symbolic significance as the soul was incredibly important to Romans and Ancient Greeks alike.
The Hellenic polytheist pantheon is also full of minor deities, demonstrating the power given to abstract, allegorical deities.
Apuleius also has incredible authority and knowledge on Greek and Roman myth. His inclusion of Psyche as a character with a significant arc, even if subplot, gives credibility to her status as a deity.
My personal beliefs on Psyche and the soul
I believe that the soul is a fundamental part of identity and person. The soul is persobal, and a ouranic entity. It is you; and a separate part; and also an entirely separate deity. I believe that if you build kharis with your soul (know yourself basically), you will find yourself more confident, more content in yourself, more open to change and development in yourself.
Some devotional acts and offering ideas
- Meditation
- Bathing, fasting, cleansing places/body (on New/Full moons optional)
- Journaling/Writing a diary
- Creating art or self portraits specifically
- Writing or reading about self improvement
- Donate to bug conservations
- Visit butterfly conservatories
- Remember and honour your past selves/journey. Be kind to the version of you that was still learning.
- Learn about the embodiment/perception of the soul in different cultures
~~~~~~~~~~~
- Roses, jasmine, lilies, or spring flowers
- Lamps or lights
- Pomegranate seeds
- Doves/Swans
- Mirrors
- Pearls
- Laurel wreaths
- Rose quartz
- Amethyst
- Moonstone
- Labradorite
- Wheat/grains
Colours I associate with her:
- White
- Pink
- Purple
- Golden
- Orange
This will possibly be expanded and developed in future! Thank you for reading 💛
Ive seen a few people doing these before and as someone new to being hellenic polytheist (living with family and 0 money as well) this seemed like a good place to start
I also had this overwhelming sense of relief when I was making and posting this? So yeah
so i recently got into hellenic polytheism and i decided to make a pocket altar for Apollo! i have this Bob Ross candy tin that i got for Christmas which is perfect for what i was thinking
i read up a bit on altars and decided that i would crochet him a cloth type thing for the tin!
first attempt: slipknot went wrong
second attempt: something went wrong and knotted when i tried to move on to the second row
I sent out thanks to the greek gods and then got a bunch of specific dreams that i could identify as relating back to certain gods, a dream of healing wounds for apollo, a dream of hard coins and long roads for hermes, shining bright moon for artemis, the mystery and cold of a corpse from hades, large amounts of money for zeus or possibly also hades...
Each dream seemed so clear at the time but now that im waking they seem very far away like most dreams do.
I had been thinking about beginning to honor the gods and sent out the thanks as a kind of introduction and i guess it worked because ive never remembered so many dreams at once, at least none that could coherently be connected to anything. Im gonna take this as a sign my thanks were well received at least in part and try more small devotional acts
