Discover Top Posts Tagged with #hellenic priest

AUGHHH.

(Aggressive sighing in unmotivated to learn Greek myths and research the Theoi for hours but I have to because I’m a priest🧍)

#foryou #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #paganism #helpol #hellenic deities #hellenic gods #hellenic community #pagan witch #greek paganism #hellenic priest

♡ Saturday Service, Dec. 14 ♡

O radiant Aphrodite, lady born of seafoam

Heavenly beauty and warlike queen

Shine your loving light upon us

We pray to your for your guidance and wisdoms

O kind Aphrodite, lady of night

Bride of the Heavens and dark teacher

Bestow upon us your gently grace

We pray to you to embrace us with love

As we face the East, my friends

Let us pray to our Lady of Love, Aphrodite

Venerable goddess, guide to us all

#hellenic deities #hellenic pagan #hellenic worship #hellenic priest #hellenic polytheism #aphrodite #lady aphrodite #aphrodite devotee #aphrodite worship #maggie preaches #templeofherlove #temple service

Hellenic Priesthood: Temple Duties of a Priest

Today, from an idea given by the amazing @adri-le-chat, we'll be talking about the temple duties of a priest. While ancient Greek priesthood spans many topics and duties, those explicitly relating to the temple in which the priest served can sometimes be left to the wayside by studies of in favor of sacrifices and the like.

In ancient Greece, temples and priests went hand in hand. When a city wanted to install a new temple to honor a certain god or a new epithet of the same god, they also "installed" priests to serve in those temples. So, let's look more into that relationship!

In addition to performing regular sacrifices/offerings in the temple on behalf of the city in which they served, priests would also be tasked with looking after the temple and its contents. Priestesses in particular were kleidouchos or key-holders, bearing the (mostly decorative) key to their temple. If you want to know more about that, here is the post in which I talked about it more in detail.

Priests would also perform administrative duties in the beginning, although later on that moved into the domain of a magistrate:

As "sacristans for the gods", the priests in the beginning also administered temple property. In later legislation the administration of larger sanctuaries was entrusted to state functionaries" (pg. 37 of Priesthood)

Additionally, priests would appeal to the leader of their city for funding for their temple or other sacred expenses (mentioned often as sacred revenues, belonging to the god which they served).

The role of a priest also had overlap with that of a custodian in some ways, as priests were expected to clean and care for their temple as well, including the statue of its god:

[Part of a priest's original functions were] taking good care of the statue which represented the god and in which [the god] was thought to reside. It had to be washed, clothed, and protected. (pg. 37 of Priesthood)

Not only did priests care for the statue within their temple, they also worked on the temple in which they resided, caring for the altar, the space of the temple itself, and the ritual items and objects within.

Overall, along with their regular sacrificial duties. Priests cared for not only the statue of their temple, but the temple itself, advocating for their budgeting, guarding the temple and keeping the temple key, and taking care of the ritual elements within.

If you wish to learn about a specific aspect of priesthood, feel free to send in an ask!

Sources: Priesthood by Leopold Sabourin, On Greek Religion by Robert Parker, and Understanding Greek Religion by Jennifer Larson.

#hellenic priesthood #hellenic priest #hellenic paganism #hellenic pagan #dodekatheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic polytheism

♡ Friday Service, Nov. 8th ♡

O radiant Aphrodite, lady born of seafoam

Heavenly beauty and warlike queen

Shine your loving light upon us

We pray to your for your guidance and wisdoms

O kind Aphrodite, lady of night

Bride of the Heavens and dark teacher

Bestow upon us your gently grace

We pray to you to embrace us with love

As we face the East, my friends

Let us pray to our Lady of Love, Aphrodite

Venerable goddess, guide to us all

#hellenic pagan #hellenic deities #hellenic worship #hellenic priest #hellenic polytheism #aphrodite #lady aphrodite #aphrodite devotee #aphrodite worship #maggie preaches #templeofherlove

I wanted to share a small list of the 5 major things I have learned as a Priestess of Lady Aphrodite

1. Not everyone will like you or your practice, but as long as you are not causing harn, their opinions don't matter

2. One does not always have to be "love and light", you can still be human

3. The learning never stops, you will always have something new to discover

4. Two priests of the same deity will have two very different paths, practices and views of that deity. Do notcast judgement

5. NEVER let anyone police your practice, especially your priesthood. The Gods don't care how they are honored as long as you are respectful and true to yourself