#devotional piece

[thiloxavier]

Αφροδιτη Ευστεφανος

aphrodite eustephanus (richly crowned)

[none-gender-left-man]

A Prayer to Cernunnos

With your forked crown of antlers reaching for the sky as the crested branches of the mighty oak do, you perpetuate this dizzying, never ending cycle of exchange. Life grows, it dies, it decays, it is born again.

In your hands lie the wealth and bounty of the Earth, this world before us stands as your greatest endeavor, the first spark of creativity that led to such abundance.

You are the thrill of the chase, whether in the fear of the prey or the hunger of the hunter. Every rush of adrenaline but a glimpse of your essence, every step neath our feet a gift laid before us by your ancient and expansive power.

Within your presence there is the warmth of a candle's flame as there is the rage of a wildfire, the cool relief of a breeze and the biting chill of a blizzard, the shadow of the forest and the light of the clearing.

To know you is to know the love of a creator unto it's creation and the patient guidance and at times exasperated frustration of a friend who has always observed from afar as he waited for me to awake from my mindlessness.

You are feral yearning, primal instinct, and acceptance of the grim and brutal all while fostering the nurturing and compassionate glow of life among endless chaos and inevitable pains and losses. You are the sparks of joy and hope that make life worth living, the fortunes claimed after a long and arduous journey.

You bestow unto this world a bountiful display of things to behold and to consume respectfully and humbly. You are the urge to survive and the motivation to live for more than survival. You are ambition, intuition, and the balance of instinct and reason.

You are the trails that weave through the timbers left by beasts of all sizes, paths worn into the Earth by the many paws and hooves of the creatures that walk the lands.

You are the roots and the branches, a bridge between worlds that balances life within your aspect and gives breath to all things.

You are vitality incarnate, the rasp of a laboured breath, the ache of muscles well worked, the creaking of bones like that of a bent tree bough, the rush of primal passions, the thundering pulse of a racing heartbeat.

You are the first breath and the last words, the spark of life and the eternal sleep of death. You are the wealth of trade and crafts, but do not nurture greed or the abuse of the lands. You are the bounty of every harvest, the haul of every hunt, a giver of sustenance and stability.

You are the wanderlust in my soul, drawing me into the wilds and pulling me always closer to the incredible sights all across this wide and gorgeous world. You are the love and compassion I feel for every creature I encounter, and the caution and respect I feel for every beast that could bring my end. You are the urge to collect curios of nature as well as the morbid fascinations embedded in humanity.

Every feather, every leaf, every flower, every stone, shell, stick, and bone. They all are pieces of your domain, calling to mortals and reminding us of the truth of all things. All things die, and new things will always replace them, but this fact does not mean life is without meaning and is only suffering, for there will always be something to come in the place of what has been lost. The cycle must go on for life to be as it is, decay facilitates growth.

Yet you also burn within me a raging protectiveness of the Earth's condition, with every piece of rubbish, every careless wildfire, every greedy deforestation, every spoiled water source, every cruelly and needlessly harmed animal, I feel your anger and disappointment in humankind. On your path I am being led into the understanding of balance, the mutuality of our relationship with the world we live in, and respect for that exchange between the Wild and Civilization, between Life and Death, between past and present.

You are the majesty of the stag, the strength of the boar, the wit of the dog, the cunning of the serpent, the wisdom of the owl, the tenacity of the rat, the intelligence of the crow, the virility of the bull. You are the very embodiment of true masculinity, not that of boastfulness and posturing, but that of strength, confidence, and boldness. You manifest the traits of the mightiest and most agile beasts, a being of many shapes, many names, many guises.

I have heard your call, and wonder now how I didn't hear you sooner. I am listening, and will never again turn away from the Wild in me.

In your duality and constant state of change, you serve as an example of adaptation to mortals. Even in the loss of knowledge of the Old Ways that celebrated and honored you, your light persists and finds new devotees through your ever changing nature, such is your way.

[ajwildes]

Lokes.

This in another WIP lmao I can’t bring myself to properly shade the fluffy shawl maybe someday you’ll see the finished product

[malachitelibrary]

Juno is a goddess from the Roman Pantheon. Adapted to modern day, She supports the working woman, single mothers, and lost children. Learn to love, but with independence; healthy relationships are not codependent. If parents have done you wrong, She will be there. If a significant other has hurt you, She will guide you. If you are lost in any form of growing up, she will mother you- however, know that mothering isn’t always full warm hugs: it is also discipline and pushing you to grow ; it is not walking for you, it is helping you to walk on your own two legs.

A devotional moodboard for the Roman Goddess Juno

I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX

[thiloxavier]

Απολλων Αιγλητος

apollon aiglêtos (shining)

[thiloxavier]

intoxication with lilith has a different twinge to it.

i didn’t pray to her today. i just devoted to her in small ways, made it know she has claim with oils perfumes pride. i listened to her playlist. i lit her incense when i came home.

and now, as i burn bright and heavy with the beer i bought for her, i think of claim. i think of warm winds. i think of darkness.

i think she likes quiet devotion. i think she likes it when i just do, just act, just move in accordance to her will. i think she likes my impulsivity, that aries instinct to act before thinking, do before wanting. the moon smiles for those who can know her.

when i drove to work today, my house was cradled by the half moon. when i came home, the sun blazed brilliantly. when i came home, the clouds billowed, the clouds stretched, and my body pointed in the direction of my bedroom. my body rests, even as it aches.

i sit, with her ring on my finger and my heart next to hers. i think we have always known each other, in some way. she feels familiar, old in a way i don’t think i can quite quantify. i sing. because i still think of my love, because i know i chirp melodies when im fully myself.

i write to her. i read about her. i want to know her.

through her, through understanding, i know myself.

[thiloxavier]

i don’t quite remember what age i am, only that im in a church, playing soccer with two “imaginary” friends.

and perhaps one is imaginary, as his face blurs in my memory, indistinct impressions of childhood nostalgia and a winning grin.

but you. your face, to this day remains clear, as those same teeth have bared themselves in a smile time and time again. you are distinct, crystalline and catastrophic with that glimmer in your eye, that serpentine and sly tilt of your chin.

i watch the shadows in my room grow dark as my love bows his head in rest, and i wonder just how long you’ve been here. my mom saw your name on a book i bought, laughed and shook her head.

“i remember when you used to talk about her all the time.” she threw out, information flippant as if i hadn’t turned my head away from you in shame, if i didn’t look at you in dark corners and shy away, “she was always around.”

what does it say about me then, that you felt you had to follow me in holy spaces despite its irony ? how could i play soccer with you on hallowed ground ?

(who’s eyes did you shield me from ?)

i am twenty two in my new place, trying to cobble up the bits of myself to sew into a perfectly functional person suit. i breathe easier here, feel the forest and breeze sigh with me. i have dreams. i create peace.

there is war. there is pain. there is something so intrinsically destructive about humanity, and yet so irresistibly joyous.

you remind me of chaos. you remind me of lust. you remind me of all the sharp bits of myself i scraped sandpaper against in an attempt to become more palatable.

you remind me of power.

i am twenty two. i didn’t think i was going to live this long. i still don’t think im going to live very long. i look into your eyes again, feel your energy envelop me as surely as the night, and soothing as a song. i look at my heart, a reversed teacup, a open apology, a tender word.

you tell me i can live. you remind me i can do more than survive. you push me to thrive.

i’m twenty two. incense burns for you. i breathe.

i let my person suit unravel.

[msratcrust]

no one understands meh