#hellenicmagic

[kirkes-handmaiden]

First Experience With Aeëtes

Hello lovelies!

Just wanted to share my first experience with the Witch-King!

~

For the past few days, I’ve felt an extremely strong connection to Aeëtes, Witch-King of Colchis, golden son of Helios and brother to my main goddess, Kirke. You may recognize Him from the myths of Jason and the Argonauts—He’s most commonly known as the Keeper of the Golden Fleece. For three days or so, I’ve been getting various signs such as; his name randomly appearing in my searches (online), random associations with him including dragons and eagles, and his almost constant presence.

I’ve never really considered working with Him at all; Yes, I am well versed in the mythology and lore behind Him, but usually my mentions of Him were always in reference to Kirke, Helios, and to a lesser extent, Medea (whom I’ve worked with in the past). But many people forgot that He too is a gifted pharmakeia, or witch, and a child of Helios, which makes him, alongside Kirke, at least partially divine—a Titan, in a way. (This also includes Perses and Pasiphaë, of course, but I’ve never really connected to either of them.)

Originally, I assumed that the signs were from Kirke, as they usually are (it doesn’t help that have many similarities), so I didn’t think much of it. However, this morning, I was on a meditation walk; Connecting with Helios: the Sun and checking in on Kirke. I was planning on doing a simple ritual and offering for Her and was asking what She wanted. 

However, I kept feeling this energy that kept calling to me, the same that I had been feeling for days. It wasn’t aggressive at all, He was just trying to get my attention—in fact, it held a sort of familiarity to it (which is probably since His energy holds similarities with Kirke). I was a bit surprised when Kirke seemed relaxed with this new energy (this was the first time She had met with Him in my presence and She’s usually quite protective and cautious with new entities); She even wanted me to heed Him. So, I turned my attention to Him and I heard His name: Aeëtes—note that when I say I ‘heard’ His name, I mean it in a claircognizant (clear-knowing) manner (I’m an empath as well as claircognizant).

So, once I got home, I cleansed myself and my space, poured a libation of consecrated sunwater and pulled out my mandala book. I love using mandalas as a meditation tool as the repetition helps me concentrate. Once again, I meditated, this time, properly reaching out to Aeëtes. I’ve had one too many bad experiences with unfamiliar entities, so before I truly invited Him into my space, I wanted to get mine and Kirke’s full ‘okay’.

It was probably one of, if not, the most relaxing and lighthearted meditations I’ve ever done. I found a strange, yet comforting softness to His energy that I hadn’t been expecting. As I’m sure many of you know, Aeëtes has epithets such as; the Baleful, The Fearsome, etc. and is described as a warrior and even, a ruthless tyrant. But whilst analyzing the Argonautica, Aeëtes is, in fact, quite a mysterious, shifting character. He is known for being very kind and hospitable to strangers (deeply respecting the practice of Xenia), but is also extremely protective of His power. Also, he acts quite amiably towards Jason but in certain accounts, he plots to do him harm behind his back.

I personally felt no sort of threatening energy from Him in the slightest, and though I could feel His strong protectiveness, it was focused towards me (as in, He was protective of me). He was very jovial and pleasant to talk to. He seemed to connect really well with Kirke and they instantly bonded—She seemed very happy to be with Her brother. One thing I’d like to note is that despite not many mentions being made between the two, Aeëtes entrusted Kirke to teach pharmakeia to His daughter Medea and they are seen as very close, which was quite evident in their interactions. 

He did keep a distance during my mediation, respecting the boundaries I had put. Despite this, we were bonding so much to the point where I lost track of time and almost forgot to have lunch; My plan was to do a Theoxenia: offer both Kirke and Aeëtes a seat at my table.

There isn’t much information on specific offerings to Him (considering I’m pretty sure no one, or almost no one, really worships/worshipped Him) so I tried to base my meal off an excerpt from The Life and Death of Jason, Book VI (translated by William Morris) that describes Aeëtes’ Palace (Line 80-84): 

“Now midst these wonders were there tables spread,

Whither the wondering seafarers [Jason and the Argonauts] were led,

And there with meat and drink full delicate

Were feasted, and strange dainty things they ate,

Of unused savor, and drank godlike wine;”

Of course, that’s pretty vague, other than the wine part, but I did my best. I ended up having turkey slices, old-cheddar cheese, a sweet bread roll and various berries (blackberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds). I tried to be dainty as much as possible (unfortunately, I didn’t have wine). I wasn’t planning on this but Aeëtes insisted I also have green tea with a spoonful of honey (quick side note: I’ve been trying for weeks to get back into drinking green tea since it’s healthier than black, but I’ve been procrastinating so even if Him telling me to drink it seems small, I actually appreciated it a lot and thought it was sweet).

After setting out the offering, I ate beside them and had this overwhelming sense of happiness and affection from both of them. I’ve felt it from Kirke before, but never this strong as with their combined energies. Usually with new energies, I get sort of on-edge and tense, but I felt extremely comfortable with Him. I loved His calm, genuine vibe and immediately knew we’d build a good and honest relationship. (Also, He ADORED the blackberries and the tea)

Finally, I made an altar to them both, dedicating one half to each divinity. I let them decide what to put on the altar—they both seem to share a love for jasmine incense as well as the colours gold, purple and black. Aeëtes chose out my dried orchids, an onyx pyramid, a jade heart, black tourmaline and a peach pit (I have no idea why, maybe it’s the fruit thing). 

However, the two most interesting things He picked out was my golden oak wand, which has a golden knot attached to it, and a (obviously fake) dragon skull I had forgotten I had. I have four wands (maple, vine-wood, birch and of course, golden oak) and two staffs (ironwood (Kirke’s) and birch), but I’m not too surprised that He chose the golden oak wand. 

Oak is a strong and durable wood, associated with spiritual wisdom and true-sight (which we can infer refers to psychic abilities and prophecy). It also symbolizes leadership/sovereignty, will, dignity, courage, honesty and stability. Golden oak specifically has energies pertaining to the Sun (Helios) as well as hospitality (which makes sense considering his deep respect for the practice of Xenia, as I previously mentioned), charity and prosperity. But most importantly, the tree (in the sacred grove) on which the Golden Fleece was hung is an oak!

As for the dragon skull, He particularly loves this and it seems to be His most energetically charged item. He is deeply connected with dragons as He was gifted the ever-watchful Colchian Dragon by Ares to guard the Golden Fleece. Also, His father’s chariot in which He rides in to bring Kirke to Aeaea is pulled by dragons. Additionally, though slightly more far-fetched, His daughter Medea also rides in a chariot pulled by dragons.

In conclusion, I really loved starting to get to know Aeëtes: His energy is extremely genuine and relaxed, but extremely present (one of the main reasons why I work with lesser known divinities is because they are much more present and pay more attention than popular gods with mass followings). For the future, I’m going to continue working with Him and I’ll keep updating on the status of our relationship as it develops!

Lots of love and good intentions!

☀️Aurelia☀️

[kirkes-handmaiden]

Why I stopped using the term ‘magick’--and why I started using ‘magic’ and ‘pharmakeia’

Hi lovelies! 

Welcome to my witchy TED talk! Just wanted to rant really quickly about this because I see so many people in (particularly online) witchcraft/pagan/wiccan communities who use the term ‘magick’, without truly understanding the meaning or history behind it. I find it extremely important to know what sort of language (terms) you’re using when you talk about your Craft and that you should use that which actually applies to you and your beliefs.

*VERY IMPORTANT NOTE*: This is ABSOLUTELY NOT to dissuade you from using any term, it is simply to state the facts as well as my personal opinion on the terms and my reasons for working (or not) with each. Sorry for any bias beforehand!

So, here’s the difference between magick and magic (I’ll also mention my use of the term pharmakeia)! Let’s start with ‘magick’: 

~ This modern term was coined by Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), an occultist, mountaineer and writer who nicknamed himself ‘The Beast 666′ (to my knowledge, this was given to him by his mother and he liked it, continuing to address himself in that manner).

~ The reason Crowley spelled it 'magick’ was in order to differentiate it from stage magic (in other words, to show it was real and not some party trick).

~ He joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1898--A rosicrucian order, basically, it’s a combination of occultism with Hermeticism (a religious teaching based on the Egyptian God Thoth and Hermes Trismegistos (the Thrice-Greatest)), Jewish mysticism and Christian gnosticism (think the Gnostic Mass). 

~ The order claims to know esoteric (only for ‘Inner Circle’ members) wisdom handed down from ancient times, it appears to be, to the best of my knowledge, Egyptian in origin.

~ According to Crowley, during a visit to Egypt, he was met with a disembodied voice (possibly a guardian angel), Aiwass, who relayed to him (often said over the course of three days) the contents that he wrote in his book, The Book of the Law.

~ This book was the basis of his religion which he called Thelema, the Greek word for ‘will’. The book stated that Crowley was a prophet who would lead all the peoples of Earth and his most famous prose was: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”.

~ Crowley had a rivalry with poet W.B. Yeats because of Crowley’s supposed interest in ‘black magick’ as opposed to Yeats’ ‘white magic’ -- If you’re interested, look up ‘The Battle of Blythe Road’ a fight in which they are said to have fought hand to hand.

This is why I don’t personally use this term (obviously this is facts as well as my opinion, it’s not meant to be offensive, just to offer my viewpoint):

~ Using this term implies that you support Crowley or his Order/writings, which I personally do not. Crowley is a figure who has been seen as extremely controversial for various reasons:

~ Crowley seems to not have many (if any) credible sources that aren’t from his own mind. He is known for using multiple drugs such as opium and cannabis to induce trance-like states in order to have spiritual experiences (which is not necessarily totally problematic (though I don’t advise or encourage it) but it makes him seem less credible, as least in my eyes).

~ He has sexually assaulted various followers of his, often coercing them into having sex with him by making them believe that it was necessary for religious reasons. Two specific examples of which are: Elaine Simpson, with whom he apparently summoned Aiwass. Crowley convinced her that Aiwass wanted him to return to Egypt, however, before this, He also wanted them to sleep together. Then (this doesn’t include Crowley himself), he also convinced a boy in his Order that he would have to have sex with a goat as part of ritual (luckily, the goat wasn’t having it and it didn’t happen, but still) -- From my viewpoint, I would not want to use a word to describe my practice that was coined by a sexual predator and rapist.

~ Also, I’m a Hellenic (and Anatolian/Indo-European) witch and handmaiden to Kirke: I don’t practice Thelema and don’t agree with Crowley’s teachings, though if you do, go ahead! (I’m not saying there aren’t some good things about Crowley’s writings, there are, I just personally don’t follow them).

Now, we have ‘magic’:

~ The etymology of the word: “Middle English magique, from Middle French, from Latin magice, from Greek magikē, feminine of magikos Magian, magical, from magos magus, sorcerer, of Iranian origin; akin to Old Persian maguš sorcerer” “Magic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magic. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

~ As far as I’m aware, the oldest form of the word ‘magic’ comes from the Magi, Zoroastrian priests of Iranian origin: here’s an interesting article detailing more on the Magi themselves and the etymology behind the word: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/magi

~ The word was first used by Darius I the Great in a Bisotun inscription which referenced a Magus named Gaumāta from 522 BCE. (see link above)

~ According to Stephen E. Flowers Ph.D., author of Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi, “the ultimate aim of the original form of magic was not only individual wisdom, self-development, and empowerment, but also the overall betterment of the world.”

Why I choose to use this term (amongst other terms):

 ~ It has legitimate historical connotations that can be traced to an actual etymological source, unlike Crowley’s unnecessary adding of a ‘k’ (which has the same connotations but the addition makes no sense in my mind).

~ Its earliest records refer to Anatolia and Persia and I personally work with deities from that area (specifically Carian divinities such as Hekate), and it also influenced the Greeks.

~ It can be applied in a general context: despite my personal relation to its more ancient connections, magic (to me) is simply self-empowerment through the manipulation of energy combined with the will and intent to manifest our desires and I feel like Flowers puts it in a nice way.

Now, what about pharmakeia?

~ Okay, so this is a term I use almost exclusively in relation to Kirke (or any of the four witch-gods who were children of Helios by Perse: Aeëtes, Perses or Pasiphaë).

~ According to the article on Circe on Theoi.com, Pharmakeia is Greek for ‘sorcery’, usually in reference to the use of herbs and medicinal plants (pharmaka) in magic--however, Kirke is also described as being a ‘pharmakeia’, thus, the terminology not only describes Her practice, but it also is synonymous with the actual term ‘witch’. Kirke Herself is a pharmakeia. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html

~ Because of this, not only do I utilize this term in reference to my own Craft, but also as an epithet of Kirke and to describe myself.

In conclusion,

Whichever term(s) you decide to use, whether they are the three on this list or any other title, please make sure that you do research, check your sources. Be aware to insure you’re actually representing yourself and your Craft/practice with terms that are both appropriate and accurate.

Lots of love and good intentions!

☀️Aurelia☀️

[kirkes-handmaiden]

Dream Work

Hello lovelies!

Need some advice please!

For the past few days, I’ve been getting some extremely strange and vivid dreams; everything from an odd visit from coven members of mine to blood dripping down the walls with a corpse/someone sleeping covered in blood (I don’t remember who) in a bed (strangely enough, it wasn’t really a nightmare and I wasn’t particularly scared/worried, I felt quite calm actually (low-key concerning...). I attribute it (the blood one) to Kirke who had this particular dream (not the corpse part) before the arrival of Jason and Medea to Aiaia for purification of the murder of Medea’s brother Apsyrtos. So my interpretation is a familiar visitor to my door with bad news, or perhaps the death of a version of myself (though I'm sure it could be a number of things, if you have another interpretation, please let me know!).)

As far as I can tell, I have about 4-6/7 a night, but I only remember the specific details of the last few, and even then the ‘colors’ seem to blur (ex: I know there was someone in the bed and I’m aware that at the time I knew their identity but now I can’t seem to recall it). 

Also, keep in mind, I haven’t dreamed in months (talking about half a year here), and they’re never this vivid and detailed (not in many years), so this is quite strange for me. (I have kept dream journals in the past but that was more for fun and to keep a routine).

Despite that one about the blood (which might’ve been Kirke, I’m not sure though), I believe they’re messages from Aeëtes, not only did I literally express to Him my lack of dreaming, but signs of Him keep appearing much more frequently, I feel His presence (His energy) in my dreams and He mentioned dream work in our last tarot reading together. He’s also seen as having the ‘true-sight’ of Helios: He knows everything (omnipresence). Helios is depicted in Homeric verse as: “the god who sees and hears every thing” (https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Helios.html). He’s also extremely prophetic and psychic.

So, question!: Does anyone have any idea on dream recall/remembering your dreams? I’m going to start dream journalling again; any tips? Anything else that might be helpful in terms of dream work?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated! No pressure to answer a big, lengthy thing lol! Please dm me, not comment.

~~

Lots of love and good intentions,

☀️Aurelia☀️