#phemonoi

[teawiththegods]

Today I devoted my workout session to Hermes and burnt some incense for him, since I'm pretty bad at praying I prefer doing this type of stuff, but I wonder, how do you know if the Gods accepted your devotional acts? I mean, often just say in my mind “I devote this (action) to (god/dess), may they bless me and bring me their favor”, but I don't feel like that's enough? Man I wish I could speak directly to them in visions or smth 😭

Wouldn’t it be nice if they had smart phones and you could just text them?? 

You: Hey, I’m gonna do this thing for you. That cool?

Them: Yeah i’m down 

Life would be so much easier! Anyway, so for me a lot of the devotional acts I do are things the gods themselves told me to do so that’s one way I know they accept my offering. But the times when I go Turbo and do devotional acts on my own, I just know they accept it because I know them. If the act is something that benefits me, that moves me closer to my goals, or just makes me happy I KNOW they’re all for it. 

Also it kind of goes back to the previous ask I got about devotional acts feeling dishonest and how we seem to think that when something is too easy or simple it’s not enough or valid. But the point of devotional acts IS to be easy and simple. They’re meant to be accessible to everyone. And worship doesn’t need to be difficult or elaborate to be valid. Small acts of worship are just as meaningful and powerful as grand rituals. 

But of course if you want to add more elements to it you absolutely can. Like maybe also listen to a Hermes playlist while working out. You could even have a specific playlist for that devotional act! 

I hope my ramblings helped somewhat! xD

[2hotwings]

hii i saw your post that youre giving free readings and i would like to ask what my gods have to tell me about my shifting journey, is there anything i should have in mind? anything i should focus on? thank you very much in advance, love 💖

The nine of pentacles came out! It feels like you are shifting with a specific goal in mind? Or are manifesting something. The nine of pentacles is all about enjoying and seeing the fruits of your labor/efforts. It seems as though your gods may be telling you to take a second and appreciate all that you’ve done so far! Give yourself a pat on the back for getting to this point and having the drive to start the journey. Also getting a sense that there’s more abundance to come! So the focus right now should be on accepting that abundance and appreciating yourself and what you’ve accomplished <3

[thegrapeandthefig]

phemonoi replied to your post “Look, I’m not a witchcraft blog but let’s get something straight:...”

can you develop more on how the gods were seen as dangerous? I'm really curious.

Interesting question which asks for a long answer!

Let us remember first and foremost that the Ancients had no problem thinking of the gods as multi-layered (eg. Apollo is both the God of healing and plague, Dionysus both linked to a bountiful harvest and yet the giver of madness etc...). This duality is shown in myths, where a god’s wrath can be as great as a god’s gift, but it is also visible in historical cult. We can observe that in the way the Greeks would decide where to make a new settlement (by making sure the gods were okay with the location) or, in the Roman tradition, the way they would look out for signs of the gods’ satisfaction and make sure to carry out whatever sacrifices/ritual were needed if they thought the gods were angry. Livy gives plenty of examples of this, where, for example,  the birth of a double-headed cow (or goat or whatever) would be interpreted as a bad omen. 

So let’s jump into the magic aspect of things. I’ll start by quoting Derek Collins in Magic in the Ancient Greek World: 

“Because sudden, unpredictable events could have multiple and invisible causes, and certain types of magic such as purification or curse tablets actually relied on divine intervention for their efficacy, it was difficult to know in any given circumstance the exact combination of divine and human causes that were responsible. In this respect, the invisible world was more important to the Greeks than the visible one, and misfortune for which an immediate and tangible cause could be found did not necessarily take precedence over an invisible and magical one.”

“By the classical period, a number of named and unnamed divinities are invoked in the curse tablets in different but conventional ways. It is understood that they will intervene in the desired action, although their exact role as agents is still not fully understood. The most common divinities mentioned in the early Attic texts, for example, are Hermes, Persephone, and Hekate, but even in Attica other divinities like Ge, Erinyes, and Dike are sporadically mentioned. More precisely to characterize the role of the divinities in accomplishing magic, attention has been paid to the formula ‘in the presence of (named divinity)’ [...]”

Binding magic is rarely, if ever, used for morally advisable means. The magician, whoever they may be, is trying to reach a specific goal: winning a courtcase, getting someone to shut up, getting someone to lose their possessions, getting someone to fall for them/be opened to sexual advances etc... The magician who writes a binding tablet is basically asking the divine to comply to his will, even if that will is to fuck someone up. Granted, we have no way of knowing whether or not the spells we know about have worked. But the fact that archeologists have found sooo many curse tablets does indicate that it was a common belief that you could call on the wrath of a deity for your own bidings. 

[teawiththegods]

(1/2) Hey Jessie! I wanna share something with you: I was reading Patrick Dunn's book on Theurgy for Hellenic Polytheists, and there's a part where he talks about Socrates and the concept of wisdom and beauty. And reading that I got to think that the practice of "Sex with the Gods" might be much more deep than we actually think! Because, as Socrates said, the Gods have no bodies, theyre not attracted to our physical beauty but the beauty of our souls! And that's so profoundl!!

2/2 Because while having sexual or erotic experiences with them, our souls are almost literally intertwining, they're somehow "returning" to them. So the "Sex with the Gods" thing is actually such a powerful spiritual experience! And I think it's nice to think that people don't necesarily even need to do it physically sexual (because some of us can't) but the single idea of being attracted to them is part of it too! What do you think?

Omg this is so beautiful and my Cancerian heart is so full of feelings right now!!! Honestly this concept really aligns a lot with my own beliefs on how the gods feel about us and why they not only help us and guide us but also pursue intimate relationships with us. Again me and Socrates are on the same page! I love this man! 

I also totally agree that viewing intimacy with the gods this way also allows everyone to be included since we don’t necessarily have to define it as “sex”. There’s def something more beyond that going on which makes sense since we are dealing with divine beings. 

Omg i just love everything about this so much and can’t wait to sit with it and think about it more especially how it relates to my own relationship with Aphrodite. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention

Also is this the book you’re reading because I’ve been debating reading it for awhile and now I’m thinking about finally doing so! 

[teawiththegods]

about the whole sex with the gods thing i remember when i started on this i used to have such a big crush on apollo. i confessed many times, i was incredibly awkward and i would actually try to avoid him as you would a real life crush. now looking back at it i realise how hilarious it was, because we're really good friends in a devotee-deity way, and he can be SO parental sometimes!!

I’ve had a huge crush on Apollo since I was like 10 lol! Which is why it’s hilarious to me that its Aphrodite that I have a relationship with. She just came in and stole my heart, took it for herself and stuck her tongue out at Apollo like “she’s mine now, bitch!” xDD But from hanging out on here it seems almost a rite of passage to be crushing on Apollo! It’s hard not to. He’s so dreamy!

But yeah he def has parental vibe. Or like for me it’s more like he’s my hunky tutor who’s in college and I’m the high schooler who is completely in love with him and i try to flirt and he’s like “The SATs are next week, Jessica! You’re gonna fail!” 

[teawiththegods]

I had a dream last night I was making out with a music teacher who was really hot (but it was weird because I would never think such things about an authority figure even if im into them) and I just remember that in the dream, Apollo wouldn't leave my mind. Like I was making out with that dude but my patron god would somehow managed to be there in my thoughts.

Was Apollo the music teacher maybe??? Like maybe you were actually making out with Apollo!?! 

[teawiththegods]

Hey Jessie! I just received a message that Aphrodite is no longer connecting to me due to some personal reasons, which has really made me cry (taurus moon, fear of change and abandonment) and I was wondering if you've ever gone to something like this with her? like a dark night of the soul? could you give me some advice if you have any? I'd greatly appreciate that 💞🕊️

Hello, hon! I’ve experienced disconnection with Aphrodite, but it was me who caused the disconnection, being back on my bullshit and all. 

I’m not sure what the situation is so I feel like I can’t give any specific advice but when it comes to Aphrodite especially, she’s always telling me to have faith in her. Have faith that whatever is happening is in your best interest even if it’s heartbreaking. 

I don’t know if this is a permanent thing or a temporary one, but if it is permanent, while it is sad, the benefit is that it leaves space now to form and explore new divine relationships. And if it’s temporary then at least you know she’ll be back once you do or learn whatever you need to. 

I think looking at it like a mutual breakup is a good way to go about it. Have your time of grieving but don’t spend too much time there. Cherish the relationship but don’t let the ghost of it stop you from moving on with your life. 

Hope you feel better soon, love! <3

[teawiththegods]

Hey darling! I was wondering if you by chance know of any ancient festivals in honor of Ares or Hermes (Besides the Hermaia)? Or if you know of any blog that could inform me? Thanks a lot! Have a beautiful day 💕

Hello, love!!

Hermaea is the only Hermes festival I know of. And as for Ares there are mentions of festivals but from my research not a lot is known which applies to most of the worship of Ares and his cults. 

If anyone has more information def feel free to add!