religions, philosophies, mythologies & more @worlddreligions - Tumblr Blog

Saint Olga by Nicholas Roerich - 1915

Olga (c. 890–925 – 969) was a regent of Kievan Rus' for her son Sviatoslav from 945 until 960. Following her baptism, Olga took the name Elenа. She is known for her subjugation of the Drevlians, a tribe that had killed her husband Igor of Kiev. Even though it was her grandson Vladimir who converted the entire nation to Christianity, because of her efforts to spread Christianity through Rus', Olga is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church with the epithet "Equal to the Apostles". Her feast day is 11 July.

#christianity #olga of kiev

7pleiades7

Juno Showering Gifts on Venetia (1554-1556) by Paolo Veronese (1528–1588), oil on canvas, 365 × 147 cm, Doge's Palace, Palazzo Ducale, Venice

#religio romana #juno

7pleiades7

The Coronation of Hebe, (1580-1589) by Paolo Veronese (Italian, 1528-1588), oil on canvas, 387 x 387 cm, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

#hellenism #hebe

venustapolis

Perseus and Andromeda (Paolo Veronese, 16th century)

#hellenism #perseus #andromeda

katirabhavesh05-blog

।। विष्णु ।।

Vishnu

#hinduism #vishnu

dumbbitchhour

Paolo Veronese, Venus and Adonis, 1580 x

#religio romana #venus #adonis

theraccolta

This day was born the glorious Virgin Mary, a child of the seed of Abraham, a daughter of the tribe of Judah, a Princess of the lineage of David.

#christianity #virgin mary #nativity of mary

roses--and--rue

16th century magical objects belonging to English polymath and alchemist John Dee: His black “spirit mirror,” a crystal ball, wax discs engraved with the Sigillum Dei Aemeth, and a gold disc engraved with medium Edward Kelly’s vision of the cosmos.

John Dee is perhaps best remembered for his obsidian mirror, but the mirror is actually Aztec. Mirrors have been associated with portals to other realms and used for divination and scrying for thousands of years all across various Mesoamerican cultures, but obsidian became the stone of choice during the Late Postclassic period (c.1200–1521) in Central Mexico. They were highly prized by ultra-wealthy curiosity collectors in Europe, which is how one found its way into the hands of John Dee.

These objects are on view at the British Museum.

#hermeticism #divination

ducissatenebrarum

Maya whistle in form of Moon Goddess and her rabbit consort.

Possibly Jaina Island, Mexico, c. AD 700

(Princeton Art Museum)

#maya religion #maya moon goddess

divinum-pacis

Devotees wade into the waters of Ramirez beach as part of a ritual honoring the African sea goddess Yemanja, in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Worshippers visit the beach on Yemanja's feast day, bearing candles, flowers, honey and fruit to honor the deity. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

#yemoja #afro american religion #uruguayan folk religion

natchrisartportfolio

“Terjunlah, Sita,” bentak-Mu,

“agar udara, air, api, dan tanah,

kembali murni.”

Tapi aku ingin juga terbebas

dari sihir Rama.

-Sapardi Djoko Damono

“Jump, Sita,” You barked, “so that air, water, fire and earth become pure once more.”

But I, too, want to be freed from Rama’s magic.

#hinduism #ramayana #sita

forgotten-amongs-the-stars

Orphic Hymn to Hypnos

Sleep, you are lord of all the blessed gods and mortal men, And of every living creature the broad earth nurtures, For you alone are master of all and you visit all, Binding their bodies with fetters unforged. You free us of cares, and, offering sweet respite from toil, You grant holy solace to our every sorrow. You save souls by easing them into the thought of death, Since to Death and Oblivion you are a true brother. But, O blessed one, I beseech you to come, sweet-tempered, And kindly save the initiates that they may serve the gods

#hellenism #hypnos #moodboards

thesageofabsurd

Mara, Ukrainian goddess of winter, death, and rebirth.

Photograph by Ola Olejnik, inspired by a drawing by an Ukrainian artist Margo Kai

(you can support Margo by buying her artworks here https://bit.ly/3KiFcyJ )

#slavic paganism #ukrainian mythology #morana

will-o-the-witch

Yads in Jewitchery

I was recently gifted a handmade yad with a lot of symbolism behind how it was made. (It's hand-carved from a tree which once stood where the Temple now does, and that same tree's wood was used to make a huge banner over the bimah in our sanctuary bearing the Shema. I'm extremely happy to have it.) It got me thinking about how to use in my magical practice, which is often intertwined with my Jewish one.

What is a yad? Pretty much just a pointer used for reading the Torah. It doesn't typically have a lot of religious symbolism behind it, it's much more a practical tool. Torah scrolls have tiny handwriting and it's easy to lose your place while reading. Scrolls are also built to last, so you're not supposed to touch it with your oily fingers. The yad helps.

Wands in witchcraft are pretty common, but they're conceptualized in a lot of different ways. The most common seem to use Wicca as a baseboard, where wands represet either the element of Air or Fire and are primarily used for focusing and directing energy. When gendered, it's typically used to represent masculinity and "the Male principle." (I don't really gender objects like that, but it's historically prominent enough to mention.)

I see my yad a little differently. To start, it has no gender, no inherent element. It is still, first and foremost, a practical tool. That said, I think its connection to the Torah gives it a powerful symbolism in magic use. It's a designated liaison between the person using it and a physical representation of the Divine. It helps us touch what we couldn't on our own. I think that makes it a great tool to sort of poke through "the veil," so to speak, keeping our work focused and accurate in the process. It helps increase that connection and "touch" things more effectively.

I don't think that mindset around wands has to be exclusive to Jewitchery by any means, but I think using a yad specifically makes that symbolic meaning a little more potent, especially if your specific yad has already been used to read from the Torah. Curious to hear other people's thoughts and the way other people use their wands!

-Gᴇɴᴛɪʟᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏɪɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴄᴜssɪᴏɴ!-

#judaism #witchcraft