#hellenic reconstructionism

[almighty-zeus-olympios]

New HelPol

new helpol: *Cries* please cleanse me. Rid me of my sins. Please Father, forgive me of my crimes.

Zeus looking very concerned: What. What the fuck.

Older HelPol: you must be new here.

[carpe-astrae]

O holy Noumenia! The beginning of a new lunar month, the renewal of life and of light. With the rising of each cycle of the moon, and the dawning of the sun each morning, we are blessed by all-shining Helios and Selene with the opportunity to begin anew, growing and arising from our pasts. As the flowers and fruits of the earth have their phases - not blooming constantly but each according to their season, not remaining wilted and drained but returning to life again and again - so too do we. I have felt as if I am withering lately, but as I was giving offerings and hymns to the blessed gods today, I was struck by this idea of a sort of eternal renewal. In a related vein, I've been thinking about a specific quote from Disco Elysium lately - "After life - death, after death - life again."

Being raised Christian, I was taught the concept of "being born again" through Jesus. But I think that in truth, we are always being born again, always renewing life. So as I come into a new month I pray to the radiant children of Hyperion and Theia, who drive their chariots across the skies, never ending but always continuing, for the light of that renewal. Illuminate and grow my heart, O holy gods!

[carpe-astrae]

Tonight I honor the great daughter of fearsome Perses and bright Asteria on the night of her holy Deipnon.

I have not much to offer you, goddess - rather, I come to you humbly, having gathered the strength to rise out of bed, out of the depression that haunts me. In your honor, I give a portion of my meal, fresh herbs from the garden, fragrant oil and beautiful treasures to your shrine.

You are Guide of the crossroads, of ever-changing realms, O Despoina. It is you who first guided me to the eternal, enduring temple of the holy Theoi, waiting patiently as I found my way, as is befitting to your name, O Worker from Afar.

Though you are fearsome, you are also kind. You comforted Demeter in her grief and anger, leading her through the darkness that threatens to suffocate with despair to her beloved daughter. You are the torch, the fiery pillar, which illuminates night and guides the lost through the wilderness. When royal Hecuba was made mad and terrified by cruel captivity, and fled from life, you looked upon her with holy mercy, granting her a new life through a new form, and made her your beloved companion. So too were you merciful to good-hearted Galinthias, cursed for her kindness towards Alkmene and deception towards the gods, making her your sacred servant.

And thus I honor you, Hekate. I praise you, and ask for your bright torches to guide me as well, to dispel the shadows from my mind and heart.

[carpe-astrae]

"To Aphrodite of the Sea"

I sing of Pontia, Anadyomene, foam-born Aphrodite, lady of the white-crested waves

Who draws her chariot to and fro over the jewel-toned, wind-tossed waters.

Ourania you are called, for heavenly your origin, and heavenly your power and dominion,

As great and delightful and worthy of praise, and even more so, as the clear blue sky

Stretching vast above the shore.

Where these shades of azure meet is where you dwell, O goddess,

Enthroned upon the horizon, queen equally of land, sea and sky;

But the fondest of these to you is the sea, for it is both your birthplace, and the epitome of your beauty and majesty.

Of that great genesis many poets have sung, a wholly worthy subject of sweet venerating hymns,

And I too will tell, of how the flesh of paternal Ouranos, he of the first line of blessed gods, fell from heaven into Thalassa's primordial domain.

It shone as it descended, a radiant arc of light,

The very first and very finest of that which men call shooting stars.

And when ruby drops of blood, and fluid of generation, mingled and became one with the purest of saltwater,

All the ancient spirits of the deep began to sing, knowing something miraculous was to occur.

At the peak of a great wave rose ribbons of brilliant foam, curling over themselves in a cascading bow,

Lowering their heads in reverence for the stirring of life, and all beings of the sea did the same, for from their midst

Rose the most beautiful form ever beheld by gods or men.

Carried upon the tides you brought yourself into existence,

O Aphrogenia,

Needing no mother or father's assistance.

And all the fish of the seas, and the birds of the air, and even the waves themselves, cried out in joy

At your splendor, wreathed in foam and mist, perfumed with sweet saltwater;

Droplets adorned your perfect wrists and ankles, and your eyes were like shining pearls, taking their hue from the sky and sea held you.

Your spotless form was radiant, illuminating even the dark depths from which you came,

Not like the sun or moon but a light all your own, the finest and brightest of stars upon the dawn horizon;

For that fairest of brilliance you are called goddess of the morning star, and for it I name you Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea.

No words, nor songs nor brushstrokes, can truly reflect that utmost moment of birth,

For your beauty, truest and most divine, can never be imitated.

Yet I still sing of you, O great and blessed goddess -

To honor your most heavenly being,

And to set the pure melody my heart sings in adoration of you into speech, as mortal and fallible as it may be.

And therefore, Hail to you, Aphrodite, goddess of my heart and of the hearts of all beings, goddess and beauty of the sea!

*Note - While Stella Maris is traditionally a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary, throughout my religious life it has become one I strongly associate with Aphrodite. I could go on forever about interpreting Mary in relation to Aphrodite but that's a discussion for another day - *

[carpe-astrae]

"To Zeus of the Thunderstorm"

O Ombrios, O Skotitas, O Keraunios, O Hypatos! Brilliant light in the heavens! Trumpet of thundering might! O great storm!

You who inspire equal parts fear and awe in the hearts of men,

As your great dark-clouded chariot rears on the horizon.

O roaring, luminous king, brightening the darkness with an incomparable gleam,

The sharp bolts of light that are yours alone to weild!

For no other among gods or mortals could bear such force and majesty.

Those flashing spears you throw with perfect aim, piercing through obscured skies,

And the fearsome rolling tremors that echo your great voice,

Herald your passing overhead, O holy Olympian Lord!

How blessed are we to be in the presence of your vigor, the just strength that sows life-giving rain upon the fields of the good,

And strikes down with fiery bolts the crude ambitions of the wicked!

Yours is the mercy to allow judgement to pass over us, and the right to let it pour down.

The storm is your greatest incarnation, O Zeus on High, for in it is your might, your glory, your justice and generosity, your venerable and unconquerable reign!

[rainyloreinfinity]

Happy Mounikhia

This is the second festival of today, the other being Brauronia. Both focus on Artemis.

Mounikhia celebrates Artemis in Her associations with the moon, nature, and wildlife. This festival occurs with the Full Moon Decade, specifically the 16th of Mounikhion. As the full moon is a major association for this celebration, round cakes were commonly offered with candles. (Funnily enough, this may be an origin story for the birthday cake).

How do you guys like to celebrate?

[rainyloreinfinity]

I'm still trying to figure out how people "misinterpret" the Hymn to Demeter to mean that Persephone wanted to go with Hades.

It very clearly shows otherwise. I can't be more blunt here. It's not nuanced like mythology commonly is. The hymn is very clear. Reading it made me shudder. It made my skin crawl.

"o but she wanted to go."

"She found a back door." How the fuck? Are you dumb?

The hymn very clearly stated the opposite. She cried out for her mom. She was terrified. She was forced. She was forcefully, sneakily, given the pomegranate seeds. She was not willing. End of story.

[rainyloreinfinity]

Rant about the Religious Side of Pinterest

I may just completely move from Pinterest over to here. I swear, that platform is ripe with false information.

Here's a rant for y'all.

I just came across a post about how veiling is only for women to honour female deity. Worded exactly like that. Not kidding.

Not to mention how they continue to misuse the terms lyma and miasma. If you haven't seen my rant of lyma v miasma v agos, I highly recommend you do. That's a separate rant so check it out if you want to get an idea of my rage on the matter.

VEILING itself is the concept of protecting yourself from miasma and agos. NOT LYMA (also known as lymata). Veiling can be used by anyone of any identity. Headcoverings are a means of veiling and are not required. Veiling does not mean headcoverings, these are not mutually exclusive. It's like saying all Celts are Irish. I even mentioned over there that such misinformation is akin to saying no one can use the term pagan because it's technically not a religious term. No it's not historically a religious term but it became one in response to idiocy of christians. If you want to know what an oxymoron is then look to the words godless heathen. Someone who is godless is thereby an atheist while a heathen is someone following the Nordic faith -- hence Norse Heathen.

Even regarding head coverings, amab folks can do it too and for GODS and not just GODDESSES or other DEITY.