#polytheism asks

[yourlocalwitchstuff]

For the Polytheist asks you reblogged from me: 5, 15, and 20!

5- What’s your favorite snack to share with the gods?

Any kind of fruit, but particularly strawberries because that’s my personal favorite fruit. My absolute favorite things to offer and share with the gods are the things I personally love because I think that makes an offering most special.

15- Have you ever worked with a deity?

Currently, I mainly work with Lady Artemis. My altar is mainly offerings to Her and I mainly pray to Her. She sent me several messages that took me a while to pick up on (moon imagery everywhere, silver jewelry falling onto the floor, moonlight shining through my window and waking me in the middle of the night). However, I also work with Lord Apollo, Lord Ares, Lady Aphrodite, and Lady Athena. I give offerings and pray to them as well.

20- What’s something new you’d like to try in your worship?

I’d like to try offering jars and offering real food on my altars. I’d also like to use real candles, but I can’t right now because my cat will 100% knock them over and break them or set the house on fire. He’d also eat food if I left it out on an altar.

[marsdeathdefiances]

6, 7, 12, 13, 14

Thanks for the ask!

6: Do you pray daily? If so, do you have a prayer schedule? I, sadly, don’t pray daily. I wish I could, and I’ve tried, but it just doesn’t really work for me. Though I do say ‘good morning’ to my deities when I wake up and a ‘good night’ to them before I head to bed.

7: Do you do any rituals or celebrate any holidays/festivals? I try like hell to celebrate the many holidays and festivals and such that we have but for some reason it just never really…happens I guess? Idk I do acknowledge them though. Just in a more casual manner.

12: What has been your favorite interaction with a deity so far? This is a tough one to answer as I’ve had a lot of interactions with deities that have been amazing for several reasons. (If there’s one thing y’all are gonna learn about me it’s that I’m an absolute softie for the Gods) But honestly the one on my mind (aside from some of my first interactions with Zeus) is my very first interaction with Ares. I prayed to him the first time during a rough patch just asking Him to help me along and give me the courage and strength I needed to keep going and He definitely answered. And He’s been a pretty consistent presence in my life and He’s definitely not what everyone makes him out to be. It brought me to tears the first time. He’s amazing.

13: What is your favorite devotional act? At the moment it’s sitting outside and watching storms and watching it rain and things like that. (Obviously this is a devotional act to Zeus) We also get some lovely lightning storms this time of year in WI so that’s always a treat.

14: Would you say there’s a certain “type” of deity you follow? Or are you more broad, without rhyme or reason? I think I’m more broad. I mean I know I usually talk about only a handful of the gods I worship and honor. But I actually worship and honor more beyond the ones I post about. And it’s definitely a variety. Though I guess we could say my ‘main’ ones are pretty consistent (Zeus, Ares, Plouton, Phobos & Deimos).

[kharmophron]

For the polytheism asks, 17 and 24! ^^

thanks for asking, i loved these!

17. Do you have any UPGs?

oh ive got a hell lot of them. UPGs are a great part of my experience with religion, especially since my practice is always leaning to the "personal" area, not necessarily following tradition strictly. most recent one is Ares big fat hairy belly supremacy! love ur belly (and ur body hair!) for Ares 🫶

(also everyone feel free to ask me about UPGs on specific deities and aspects bc i love the gossip-y feeling that comes with sharing it lmao fkkdkdkd)

24. How do you define devotion vs worship?

this one is really interesting! i personally think that worship is a more general term, that encompasses a lot of aspects of adoration, going around honoring a deity (*or other being). i usually say worship when referring to my religious relationship with a deity* and how i praise, adore, and cherish them.

now devotion to me holds more serious undertones. it needs dedication, consistency, loyalty. it might also be something that you focus on more often than other general aspects of your praxis, or that holds a greater sense of importance, for the commitment alone! worship is a part of it, but not all of it.

(polytheism asks)

[kharmophron]

10, 19, and 25 for the polytheism asks :3

thanks for the asks!! the answers are longer than i expected, lol

10. Have you ever made a travel altar?

yes, actually! some time ago (two years? maybe?) i was away for christmas week so i made one to celebrate the summer solstice! i remember it was cute and i added some rocks to it, but i dont remember what exactly i took with me besides some rocks and shells, candles, and dice. i didnt really like how i used it, so i havent made any for when i was away more recently, but ive always liked to carry some trinkets that remind me of the gods, so ive been doing that instead. i love the concept of travel/pocket altars tho!! would love to work into something cute and functional to use in the future

19. Do you just worship deities, or do you worship heroes, spirits, etc. as well?

my worship is kind of rocky right now (has been for a while) but i did worship and do stuff with a bunch of heroes some time ago, and i still hold them very dearly! shoutout to achilles and patroklos my beloveds <3 ive also looked into atalanta (my workout go-to gal) and pelops (made me pay more attention to poseidon) and asterion (just love him and pasiphae and ariadne) and leukippos (im trans i love leto i had to), and i loooooove orpheus and eurydice (who made me interested in starting to look into nymph cult!!)

ive also been trying to make an effort to give thanks to nature spirits in general so i guess that counts

25. What is your favorite symbol of your deity(ies)?

cows!!!! the moomoos!!!!!!!1 i LOVE cows. and flowers!!

also, dick

(polytheism asks)

[marsdeathdefiances]

16, 17 (could you also explain what a UPG is please?), 19, 24, 25

please and thank you!!

Thanks for the ask!

16: Have you ever been to a religious site (for your deities)? Sadly I have not :( as I haven’t gotten the chance to leave America yet. But I’m really hoping that I’ll get to go to Greece someday and take a look at everything and all that. Like Crete is number one on my list as that’s where Zeus was born/hidden.

17: Do you have any UPGs? Okay, so a UPG is an Unverified Personal Gnosis it’s in the loosest terms possible essentially a religious headcanon made based off of personal experiences. That’s the best way I can describe it. So like there’s nothing official or set in stone about it, but the belief was gained through personal experiences with a deity or whatever. And as far as I can tell I really don’t think I have any? Unless Ares liking goth and phonk music can be considered one. Or Zeus having a fondness for spiked hot chocolate is one. Those are the only 2 coming to me at the moment.

19: Do you just worship deities, or do you worship heroes, spirits, etc. as well? I do worship heroes, yes! I worship Odysseus. And I’m currently in the works (as in I’m still trying to gather information) of starting to worship Achilles and Patroclus. And Chiron is another one I am looking into! They’re the only ones at the moment but I’m sure I’ll start to worship more in the future.

24: How do you define devotion vs worship? Honestly? I don’t know how to answer this one because I guess I’ve never really given it that much thought. But as someone who is devoted to a deity in my experience ‘devotion’ is a much more…intense feeling (to me! This is just my experience!). While worship (which can be intense, for sure) really isn’t to me. I don’t know let me think more on this and maybe I’ll update this answer.

25: What is your favorite symbol of your deity(ies)? The scales of justice for Zeus. Swords for Ares. Roses for Aphrodite. A chariot for Phobos and Deimos. Cerberus for Plouton.

[marsdeathdefiances]

1, 2, 4, 5

Thanks for the ask!

1: What’s your least favorite myth? I don’t know if I’d call this a ‘least-favorite’ rather than one I just outright don’t like and that is Ovid’s telling of Medusa. I have so much beef with that largely due to the fallout it’s caused in modern times. But I’m not going to go into specifics on that.

2: What’s your favorite myth? Hermes stealing Apollon’s cattle then creating the lyre. Then Apollon liking the lyre and giving Hermes the cattle back in exchange for it.

4: Who is your least favorite ancient poet/philosopher/old guy who said “smart” things? Aristotle.

5: What’s you favorite snack to share with the gods? To be honest, I don’t have a set favorite. If I’m snacking on something that I think is good, I’ll give Them a little bit. Whatever it is. Chocolate, jerky, pretzels, some yogurt, etc. I just like sharing things I enjoy with them.

[ringo-ichigo]

3, 9, and 18 for the polytheism asks :3

Thanks.

3. What pantheon(s) do you worship?

I worship the Greek pantheon.

9. How many altars you you currently have up, if any at all?

Just one at the moment but that's because I moved houses in the last year and my room still has things that need fixing before I can arrange everything how I want it. Before moving though, I had two. One that was a shared space for all the Ouranic deities (with sorta mini shrine areas for many of the deities) and same setup for the Khthonic. I can't wait to rearrange things though because I actually have a tiny bit more room for altar stuff in my new house.

18. What is your favorite way to communicate with the gods?

Beyond just… praying/talking, it would be tarot. I chalk this up to how in tune with the tarot I am. They’re my best divination tool of the ones I've tried (I’m okay with oracle decks, haven’t gotten into pendulums really, and am actual trash with rune casting) so it’s the easiest way for me to reach out. I usually do a yes/no system with tarot for questions.

[cryptid-your-local-nerd]

3 and 17 for the polytheism asks, please!

Sure! 3: what pantheon(s) do you worship? The Ancient Greek/Hellenic pantheon!

Do you have any UPGs? I have a couple! Mostly small ones having to do with my personal worship. I think the one that effects my practice the most is the connection between Hypnos and medication (this is sorta not upg, given His connection to poppies and temporary lack of suffering-which is how many ancient Greeks thought about sleep, but it’s still considered a UPG in modern practice given the difference in ancient vs modern medicine)