aethereallynephilim

[aethereallynephilim]

30 days of deity devotion worship

day five: geneology

zeus - father

semele - mother

ariadne - wife

cadmus - father in law

harmonia - mother in law

kronos - grandfather

rhea - grandmother

dionysus has many children both mortal and divine! i'll list a few of them!

methe (goddess of drunkeness)

thysa (goddess of bacchic frenzy)

by ariadne

thoas (a king of lemnos)

keramos (lord of the potter's district of athens)

eurymedon (one of the argonauts)

oinopion (king of peparethos)

phanos (an argonaut)

philasos (another argonaut)

staphylos (a king of bubastos or thasos)

[aethereallynephilim]

What is Hellenic witchcraft?

If you're a witch, you've probably come across the term Hellenism or Hellenic Polytheism. This is the polytheist pagan religion where there is a belief that the Greek gods actually exist and govern aspects of the world, universe and life (The Pagan Federation, n.d). Central are the ways where the gods were worshipped in the Hellenic period (the time period where ancient Greece was at its height). Culture and values of the Hellenistic period also make their way into Hellenic Polytheism (Wingington, 2018). It is however different from organized religion like the Abrahamic faiths. Whereas in Abrahamic faiths, worshippers feel like they will get punished for not praying to God, worshipping him or committing “sins”, in Hellenism this is not the case. This post isn’t here to be an overview of Hellenism and I highly recommend doing your own research on what the religion exactly entails. A nice start for this is: Kharis Hellenic Polytheism Explored by Sara Kate Istra Winter or Fel the Blithe on YouTube as a free but amazing resource!

In my opinion, Hellenism surpasses deity work or worship. For example, worshipping or working with Hekate or her archetype doesn't immediately make you a Hellenist. It’s following the Hellenic values like Kharis, Miasma, Arete, Eusebia and Xenia (there are more but these are central to my practice). It’s good to note that different scholars and followers of the religion will have different ideas of what these values/concepts mean. Therefore I won’t go into too much detail of what each of these values and concepts mean but here is a quick overview for how I interpret them. Again, I highly recommend doing your own research on these as I should not be the end all, be all of your research and it’s about your practice/relationship with the gods.  

Kharis: The relationship between you and the gods. This is out of the goodwill of your heart and not necessarily because you expect something in return, which would be the case if you were to work with the gods for spell work. Kharis can be done by regular offerings and talking/meditating to the gods.

Miasma: Mundane pollution that we pick up on in our day-to-day lives. It is important to note that this is not sin! By purifying ourselves to various method we spiritually cleanse ourselves so we may draw closer to the gods. In my practice, this is as simple as washing myself.

Arete: Doing your best.

Eusebia: Piety or humility, this is were you are reverent to the gods. This again goes beyond working with a deity as we know in modern witchcraft and is part of the worship in Hellenism.

Xenia: Sacred hospitality. Meaning to be kind and generous to those we do not know.

So far I have mentioned multiple times that Hellenism goes beyond working with the gods, like in modern witchcraft. Now that we have covered Hellenism, let’s get into Hellenic witchcraft. There are two main “camps” within Hellenism. There is a group of revivalist, who see the Hellenic tradition as a living one, where practitioners decide what feels right for them and adapt the ancient practices to modern life (Johnston, 2011). Then you have the group of reconstructionist. They seek to follow the Hellenic tradition as it was practiced historically and try to stay as close as possible in modern times to the historic practice. From here it gets a bit tricky. As there is an existing debate between revivalists and reconstructionists as to whether witchcraft is against the religion or not. The main argument here is that you are quick to perceive yourself as equal to the gods or use powers similar to the gods. I honestly am in the camp of Hellenism and witchcraft can coexist as Hellenic witchcraft. However, just like any traditional witch path there are some limitations as you try to uphold the above mentioned concepts. Therefore, we often do not see ourselves as equals to the gods. Moreover many Hellenic witches stray away from baneful magic (though you can absolutely do it and nobody should ever look down upon you for it!). There are also multiple sources stating that historically, witches were among Hellenic practitioners. Hekate being a goddess of witchcraft as well as Medea and Circe are a popular example of this. Furthermore, a book compromised of ancient Greek-Egyptian spells, rituals and texts known as the Greek Magical Papyri is an excellent example of this.

Hellenic witches also choose to follow the Hellenic calendar and often celebrate festivities for the gods they follow or adapt the wheel of the year to suit their practice and gods. Hellenic witches furthermore do not divert to other pantheons, that would make them an eclectic pagan. Many Hellenic witches also do work with the gods, but not as an equal nor a pool of energy. Often instead of calling upon or requesting help during spell work, a god is prayed to within a spell or ritual. Then depending on the god, an exchange might or might not be needed, depending on the Kharis between the you and the god. Devotional acts (devoting an act/jewellery to a god) are also a thing within the practice and it is usual for Hellenic witches to have a matron or patron god (the main/central god to your practice).

Okay that’s a lot of information and if you made it this far thank you so much! There is so much more to touch on, but honestly then this post would be way too long. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or in my pms! I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sources cited: The Pagan Federation. (n.d). Hellenism. Retrieved on 30th of January from https://www.paganfed.org/hellenism/

Johnston, S. (2011). Whose gods are these? A classicist looks at Neopaganism. Genève, Canada: Labor et Fides. Wigington, P. (2018, march 12). Greek Paganism: Hellenic Polytheism. Learn religions. Retrieved on 30th of January from https://www.learnreligions.com/about-hellenic-polytheism-2562548

[aethereallynephilim]

30 days of deity devotion worship

day four: favourite myth(s)

my favourite myth is that of the play the bacchae. it shows the wrath of dionysus, it shows the duality of him. that's the main reason i love it and it is the reason (or one of them) that i started veiling.

[aethereallynephilim]

Me with lord Apollon!

I love being a Hellenic pagan <3 (any hate will be blocked and deleted)

[aethereallynephilim]

the gods understand your disabilities, mental health, and neurodiversities.

they understand if your disabilities, mental or physical, prevent you from being able to go outside.

they understand you even when you cannot articulate what you mean during prayer or cannot find the words to express gratitude and love.

they understand if you can't spend much time or stand still at their altars.

they understand if executive dysfunction keeps you from making offerings or doing a lot of active practice.

they understand if you have to take breaks and hiatuses from practicing to focus on yourself and your mental or physical health.

they understand if you lose focus during meditation/trance work or cannot do it to begin with.

they understand you and are with you when you cannot get out of bed for mental or physical reasons.

they understand you and are with you during times when you cannot care for yourself or love yourself.

the gods will always understand, love, and accept us for who we are. we are all valid, and we are seen and heard by the gods, even when it feels as if we are alone. 💙

[aethereallynephilim]

am i a monster for wanting to save my beloved? it feels like asking for help has made me evil. i mean i might be evil. i might be but i would do anything to try and make everything right.

but it may just be the reason i lose my family.

[aethereallynephilim]

30 days of deity devotion worship

day three: symbols and icons

thyrsos (a pinecone tipped staff)

grapes

theatre masks

wine glass/drinking cup

crown of ivy

leopards

figs (gods i love figs)

goat

donkey

wild bull

[aethereallynephilim]

30 days of deity devotion worship

day two: how did you become first aware of this deity?

it's time to get sappy! okay, i first became aware of dionysus when i was like thirteen, i had a friend who was obsessed with percy jackson and i think that was my first introduction to him, but she saw me as a child of apollo which is kind of sweet. but around the same time i was researching hellenic polytheism for the first time and i came across dionysus because i have always loved theatre.

i think that's the story anyway haha!

[aethereallynephilim]

30 days of deity devotion worship

before i begin i will make one thing clear, i am not a devotee of any deity not as of currently anyway. i would need to develop my relationships with the gods a lot more for me to feel ready for such a responsibility of being considered a devotee! so i am doing this challenge to in a way learn more about the deities i worship starting off with dionysus!

day one: basic introduction

dionysus, god of wine, the gods are real yippie skippy! - dionysus (the lightning theif musical)

but in all seriousness, dionysus is the god of wine, theatre, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy!

he is the twice-born son of zeus and semele. semele (his mother) is a mortal princess of thebes.

during her pregnancy she was killed by the lightning bolts of zeus when he was tricked by hera to do so (he believed that she wanted to see him in his divine form). he saved dionysus from the fires and sewed him into his thigh until he was full term and then he entrusted dionysus to hermes to be raised.

he married ariadne (who you can learn all about from @red-thread-and-constellations because they did this challenge about ariadne which you can find here.

his epithets include:

ado'neus - ruler

bacchus

phleon - giver of plenty

soter - saviour

lyaeus - who frees men from anxiety

that's all i've got for today! i hope it was a good introduction!

[aethereallynephilim]

30 Days of Deity Devotion

(Originally created by Arrin Deuognatos, who is no longer on Tumblr.)

A basic introduction of the deity

How did you become first aware of this deity?

Symbols and icons of this deity

A favorite myth or myths of this deity

Members of the family – genealogical connections

Other related deities and entities associated with this deity

Names and epithets

Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)

Common mistakes about this deity

Offerings – historical and UPG

Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity

Places associated with this deity and their worship

What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?

Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?

Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?

How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?

How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?

How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)

What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?

Art that reminds you of this deity

Music that makes you think of this deity

A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with

Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity

A time when this deity has helped you

A time when this deity has refused to help

How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?

Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered

Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently

Any interesting or unusual UPG to share?

Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?

[aethereallynephilim]

getting help doesn’t make you weak. getting help doesn’t make you lesser. getting help doesn’t mean you’re not a capable person.

[aethereallynephilim]

What is something that currently motivates you to learn/practice your target language(s)?

[aethereallynephilim]

PUHLEASE if anyone has ever had tips for grounding and hasn’t said them, please say them now. I’m stuck in the dirt part of grounding and can’t make it any farther, and it’s driving me bonkers.

[aethereallynephilim]

💐🌷🌸 sending flowers and love to anyone not feeling their best today

[aethereallynephilim]

Well fucks? Get to it!

[aethereallynephilim]

2025/02/02

happy sunday everyone!

this week has been amazing and stressful at the same time.

i was able to spend a lot of time with my boyfriend (who i can now say is my boyfriend) because he came to stay with me and that was lovely even if the weather was awful. we went on a date to a pub and i honestly can say that it was the happiest i have been in a while.

i applied for uni which is nervewracking but i am excited to see where this adventure leads. though i do have to think genuinely about whether i should leave home for uni. it's a dilemma to say the least. there's the safety of still being where it's familiar but the communte would be brutal depending on where i go.

i am brushing up on ballet technique because i know i'll be awfully behind if i don't, i've been away from the theatre for two years. i miss it dearly but i need to catch up, especially with my dancing. recovering from an injury as well, it's a lot to balance.

i've learned my monologues and my song, i just hope that the other places i have applied for don't ask for more than what i have prepared because it was a last minute decision to apply for more of them.

it's nice to know i have someone supporting me on my journey, it's unfortunate though it isn't my family. i'll be the first one of my family to go to uni. may the gods bless me with that.

i hope that this week is a good week.

[aethereallynephilim]

But what if… things work out, nothing bad happens, your hard work pays off, you get through this and prove yourself