chrissywitchnurse

[chrissywitchnurse]

and i’d start drinking wine and sleeping at night to keep your soul with mine—i’d do anything

[chrissywitchnurse]

hey helpol community, have some art i did of lady aphrodite :-)

[chrissywitchnurse]

Artemis art for you 🤲

[chrissywitchnurse]

are user boxes still a thing? no idea. but i made user boxes as my contribution to the community. they're matchy, too!! you're free to use them- just say Aterios made it.

i'm open to making these under request, just send me an ask with the deity you'd like a box for!! please be nice, too.

gods in this post: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes & Dionysus.

[chrissywitchnurse]

Demeter, godess of grains and fertility 🌾

[chrissywitchnurse]

Dionysus appears to people in a vast number of ways. His appearance changes depending on who He appears to and where.

This is something that is historically true: we see very different depictions of Him in writing, sculptures, mosaics, ceramics, and other mediums of Ancient art. In those pieces of art He takes a large number of forms: young and old, bearded and beardless, fat and slim, without visible muscle and with prominent musculature, tall and short, naked and dressed, with and without an ivy wreath, with soft features and with sharp features, long-haired and short-haired, and so on and so forth.

In writing, He is referred to as androgynous and spoken of as possessing multiple feminine qualities, be it of looks or character. Euripides has Him referred to as "girl-faced" (The Bacchae, lines 400-799) while inscriptions from Beroea dated 248-264 AD give Him the title Ψευδάνωρ ("effeminate man", lit. "false man"). Some researchers add that He is the only Deity whose domain doesn't correlate with His gender in the Greek language: the only word related to Dionysus that is masculine in grammar is ο κισσός, which means "ivy"; all of the other words related to Him are feminine.

I will attach some of His depictions to show just how Diverse Ancient perception of Him was. Dionysus is a God that is constantly changing His appearance, which is why whatever way He chooses to present Himself to you is valid.

Regardless of what gender presentation, body type, facial features, height, weight, or skin color you see Him as; none of these are wrong because He's choosing to appear to you a personal way.

[chrissywitchnurse]

An amazing birthday present from @nnobodiusart / @nnobodoodles (want to make sure they get all the credit). Who just made me have all sorts of feels and they spoil me! <3

Ariadne and Dionysus are hands down my favorite Greek mythology couple. They have so much untapped potential and my list for all my head cannons for them are ever growing.

I can guarantee that I will be staring at this multiple times as I get my inspo and creativity flowing to write my story for them!

[chrissywitchnurse]

Aphrodite Altar

[chrissywitchnurse]

Aphrodite Deity Guide

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, sex, fertility, and beauty. She is known by the Romans as Venus. I've become interested in working for Aphrodite recently.

This is from my personal grimoire but I tried to remove anything that is an opinion or bias.

Quote from Trisha Mateer's "Aphrodite Made Me Do It"; banner by me.

Who is Aphrodite?

Strongly associated with love and beauty, Aphrodite is also worshipped as a sea-fairing goddess as she is associated with the ocean.

Some places, most notably Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus honored her as a goddess of war.

In the epic Theogony, the author tells how Aphrodite was born from the severed genitals of Uranus, personification of heaven. The genitals were tossed into the sea by Cronus and out rose Aphrodite.

The goddess gets her namesake from the Greek work aphros which means “foam”.

Parents and Siblings of Aphrodite

Uranus

Sometimes it’s said that she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

If she was the daughter of Ouranos, her siblings include the Titans, such as Cronus, Rhea, Hyperion, and others.

If Aphrodite was one of the daughters of Zeus, she had many half siblings since he had multiple affairs. Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus and Persephone were all her half siblings, and she didn’t have any direct siblings

Aphrodite’s Lovers

Hephaestus is her husband

Ares is her most prominent affair

Anchises, a mortal with whom she gave birth to Aeneas

Adonis, a handsome young man who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia. (britannia)

Dionysus

Zeus

Hermes

Phaethon

Posideon

Butes

Aphrodite’s Children

From the mortal Anchises, Aeneas, a mythical hero of Troy and Rome, and Lyrus/Lyrnus.

From Butes, Eryx, Meligounis and several more unnamed daughters.

Hymenaios, Iacchus, Priapus, the Charites (Graces: Aglaea, Euphrosyne, Thalia) from Dionysus

Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, the Erotes (Eros), Anteros, Himeros, Pothos from Ares

Hermaphroditos, Priapus from Hermes

Rhodos from Posideon

Beroe, Golgos, Priapus (rarely) from Adonis

Astynous from Phaethon

Priapus from Zeus.

Peitho from an unknown father. Though Peitho is also considered one of Aphrodite’s epithets.

Epithets

“…she is Cythereia, she of Cythêra; and Cypria, she of Cyprus, where at Paphos she had her great sanctuary. Living in islands her way was ever on the sea.”

-Jane Harrison Myths of Greece and Rome

Aphrodite Urania (also spelt Ourania)

Aphrodite Pandemos

Venus Genatrix

Peitho, meaning persuasion,

Philommeidḗs, which means "smile-loving", but is sometimes mistranslated as "laughter-loving".

Cypris and Cythereia for her association of Cyprus and Cythera

On Cyprus, Aphrodite was sometimes called Eleemon

In Athens, she was known as Aphrodite en kopois ("Aphrodite of the Gardens”)

At Cape Colias, a town along the Attic coast, she was venerated as Genetyllis "Mother".

Aphrodite Euploia ('of the fair voyage')

Across the Greek world, she was known under epithets such as:

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The Spartans worshipped her as:

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Misc Notes

Many of the epithets are names or titles from various cults that worshipped Aphrodite.

Prostitutes identified Aphrodite as their patron deity.

A male version of Aphrodite known as Aphroditus was worshipped in the city of Amathus on Cyprus. Aphroditus was depicted with the figure and dress of a woman, but had a beard and was shown lifting his dress to reveal an erect phallus. This gesture was believed to be an apotropaic symbol, and was thought to convey good fortune upon the viewer. Eventually, the popularity of Aphroditus waned as the mainstream, fully feminine version of Aphrodite became more popular, but traces of his cult are preserved in the later legends of Hermaphroditus.

It’s likely that Aphrodite was brought over from the Eastern Mediterranean, hinting to Phoenician goddess Astarte or the near Eastern goddess Inanna (Ishtar).

The Petra Tou Romaniou also named “Aphrodite’s Rock” is a sea stack said to be a marker of where she was born. This rock is by a beach in Paphos, Cyrpus.

She was specifically the protectress of city magistrates.

Correspondences

Disclaimer - Not all of these are traditional or historic correspondences nor do they need to be. However, any correspondence that can be considered traditional will be marked with a (T).

Rocks/Stone/Crystals/Metals

Rose Quartz

Pearl

Aquamarine

Sapphire

Silver

Rose Gold

Gold

Sea Glass

Herbs/Plants

Roses (T)

Myrtle flowers(T)

Apples (T)

Pomegranates (T)

Rosemary

Animals

Dove (T)

Sparrows (T)

Water Fowls including swans, geese, and ducks (T)

Possible Dolphins, as she is often depicted with them.

Symbols

Conch shell (T)

Mirror (T)

Girdle (T)

Offerings

Statues or art of her

Incense (T)

Cakes or pastries (T)

Chocolate

Candles (T)

Strawberries

Traditional items like roses, wine, myrtle, apples, and pomegranates seeds. (T)

Jewelry

Olives, Olive oil, or olive branches (T)

Praise, just tell her how cool and how pretty she is!

Pretty things

Makeup

Honey

Acts of Devotion

Write or recite poetry about Aphrodite (T)

Read hymns written for her/create your own! (Here's Sappho's Hymn to Aphrodite) (T)

Practicing self care, dedicating that good energy to her

Dressing up/putting on an outfit that makes you feel attractive

Glamour spells

Putting on makeup inspired by her

Sex magic (proceed with caution)

Celebrate Adonia (T)

Research her history and mythology. (You can make notes from this post if you'd like, check out the links below, or feel free to do your own research!)

Keep in mind that these are only some ideas for offerings and correspondences! Items and activities that connect you to her in a more personal way are just as good, and often better, than those you find on the internet. As with any relationship, feel it out, ask questions, and be attentive and receptive!

References and Further Reading

Aphrodite - Britannia

Aphrodite (Venus) - Myths of Greece and Rome by Jane Harrison (via Sacred-Texts)

Poems of Sappho collection by J.B. Hare (via Sacred-Texts)

Aphrodite - World History Encyclopedia

Aphrodite - Theoi Project

Aphrodite - Wikipedia

Aphrodite - Greekmythology.com

Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trisha Mateer

[chrissywitchnurse]

🌩 ZEUS AITHIOPS 🌩

[chrissywitchnurse]

Gorgeous painting depicting Persephone

Περσεφόνη

[chrissywitchnurse]

In the Greek pantheon, Hekate is known as a protector of entryways, borders, and crossroads. She is also a Cthonic (underworld) goddess who exists on the peripheries of the pantheon, and teaches witches like Circe and Medea their magical crafts. Therefore, she has darker associations with death, the underworld, the moon, magic spells, and spirits.

In Hesiod’s Theogany, Hecate is the daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria. For defeating the giant Pergamon in the Gigantomauchy (epic battle between Olympians and Giants), Hekate is the only Titan to retain her powers under the rule of Zeus, who gives Hecate a share of earth, heaven and sea. Like Hermes, Hekate is one of the few deities to have the power to move between the realms of the living and the dead, thus, her portrayal holding divine keys.

One of the most famous myths involving Hecate is Hades’ abduction of Demeter’s daughter, Persephone. Hekate assists Demeter in the underworld by leading the way with torchlight, and later becomes an attendant to Persephone. Hecate’s sacred animal ally is a black dog, said to be Hecuba, Queen of Troy, who was reincarnated by Hekate after suicide. For this reason, dogs were sacrificed and eaten in Hekate’s honor. Another sacred animal servant is the Polecat (weasel), who was the handmaiden Galinthias punished for a deception involving the birth of Hercules.

Around the 5th century B.C.E. we see the first sculptural totem figures portraying Hekate in the triple body form surrounding a central column. These votive statues for the protection of travelers would be placed at crossroads with each figure facing a different path.

Hekate is associated with a variety of frightening Daimones (minor divinities or spirits which could be good or evil.) the Empusae was a shapeshifting specter with the body of a woman, and one leg of brass and the other of a donkey, with hopes of devouring a traveler. The Lamia was originally a vengeful Libyan serpentine woman who devoured children, but later was seen to take the form of attractive, voluptuous woman who would seduce a traveler and feast on their fresh blood. The Mormo was another phantom bogeyman said to be sent out by Hekate to nibble on misbehaving children. Hecate was also followed by a retinue of underworld torch bearing nymphs, called the Lampads. These attendants would accompany both Hekate and Persephone on their journeys between the realms, and also symbolically assist initiates of the Eleusinian mysteries.

Thanks for looking! to see more of my greek illustrations, click my linktree: https://linktr.ee/tylermileslockett

[chrissywitchnurse]

What makes JKR's shitshow even harder to process is that she didn't just ruin a book series. Harry Potter was an entire subculture. Like Star Wars and Star Trek fans, Harry Potter fans dedicated their lives and careers to the series. I don't know if I'd call it "underground," but liking Harry Potter got you beaten up when I was in school, so it was more of a dedicated indie culture than a mass-appeal fanbase.

Harry Potter was so huge that fan works developed their own followings. Potter Puppet Pals racked up hundreds of thousands of followers and was nearly as relevant as the series itself. For fanfiction, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality got so big that it has a Wikipedia page. The band Harry and the Potters spawned the wizard rock music genre. A Very Potter Musical developed a fanbase and launched Darren Criss's career.

Harry Potter also has extensive ties to fandom history. Everyone in my generation (millennials) remembers coming home from school to read Harry Potter fanfiction on the Internet. Today, most people just post their stories on Wattpad or Archive of Our Own. But at the time, the fanbase was splintered between fanfiction.net and dozens of individual websites and forums, some made for specific ships. Since they all had individual hosts, a lot of those sites have been lost to time.

And there's the infamous My Immortal fanfiction, which is an Internet legend with people still searching for the author. Everybody read that one (and laughed at it) in middle school.

Pre-social media, fan sites like The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet had massive followings because they were one of few sources for news, theories, essays and fan content. Some of these sites still exist after being around for over a decade and building their own legacy.

Before Deathly Hallows came out, fans were so desperate to know what happened that Mugglenet published a book called What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End? Yep...Harry Potter was so big that people wrote separate books about what would happen in an upcoming book.

And that's not mentioning all the book release parties, Harry Potter-themed events, monuments, fan films, restaurants and even a theme park. A lot of fandoms have those, but Harry Potter infiltrated every aspect of popular culture.

Today, there's a thriving culture of "Harry Potter adults" with themed weddings, baby showers and Etsy stores. Putting your Hogwarts house in your Instagram bio is pretty much a prerequisite for joining the "bookish" community. Warner still produces new content, like the Fantastic Beasts series, although we've all seen what a disaster that's been.

Everyone has at least a few memories associated with Harry Potter even if it's just watching the movies. I had great memories associated with Harry Potter. But looking back at the subculture, history and thousands of fan works, it doesn't seem fun anymore. Studying the fandom or being part of it comes with an awkward tension because you don't want to seem like you're condoning JKR's bigotry but can't divorce her from the series. This subculture was spawned by a woman who turned her legacy of magic and wonder into one of abuse and hatred.

I don't expect people to write paragraphs about how much they hate JKR every time they post about Harry Potter, but it's still uncomfortable to see people make new content or wear their Harry Potter Etsy tote bags like nothing happened. Even if they clarify that they don't support her, it's just a weird, tense situation for everybody.

People dedicated years of their lives to running Harry Potter fan sites, writing fanfiction, cosplaying characters and making fan movies. If I were in that situation, I'd have a mild identity crisis. I'd ask myself "Did I waste all those years? Should I delete my content? Where do I go from here?"

So ultimately, JKR didn't ruin "just" a book series or even "just" a fandom. She tanked an entire culture, which inspired people to look at Harry Potter more critically. The issues that people brought to the light tainted the series's legacy even without JKR's personal issues.

Once, Harry Potter was a series for generations. Now, former fans hope that the series fades into irrelevancy. Unfortunately, JKR didn't just tarnish her legacy--she took decades of history, millions of fans and a worldwide subculture along with her.

[chrissywitchnurse]

If you're in the United States, take today to go grocery shopping because we're about to have some billionaires fucking with the supply chain.

[chrissywitchnurse]

Secular Celebrations - Autumnal Equinox

From there, we move into the fall and come to the Autumnal Equinox and my favorite time of year. September brings the second harvest - more fruit, lots of gourds, and the rest of those autumn vegetables. Of course, there are some plants that will continue on well into the winter, but this is when most of the produce comes off the vine, and we begin storing them up for the colder months. The year begins to slide more noticeably toward winter, the leaves start to turn, and when the equinox comes, the day and night are equal once again.

This is a time for restoring balance. If things are feeling off in your home or in your life, take steps to restore that equilibrium and re-establish your routines. Cleanse your home of any lingering “summer grump” and make sure you air the place out once the weather isn’t so blazingly hot. I mean, who doesn’t love a bit of fresh autumn air in the house, especially when it has that little tinge of burning leaves to it? Mm, chef kiss, perfection. I mean, in 2020, we’re all sick of that because of the wildfires, but STILL. Do that end-of-summer cleanout, get ready for back-to-school if you have little ones, and start changing out your wardrobe.

There’s still time for a bit of last-blast outdoor fun, if you’re so inclined. Provided that the weather cooperates, you might plan one more beach day or camping trip or afternoon at the lake. Visit a farmer’s market or a harvest festival and have some fun. Visit that pick-your-own-produce farm again and bring from some seasonal fruits and veggies. I love apple-picking at this time of year, and it’s probably the thing I miss most about living in Pennsylvania. (Also, Stayman Winesaps are the tastiest apples on earth, and nothing you can say will change my mind.)

Go on a walk or a drive to view the changing leaves. Oh, and mark the day you first see leaves starting to turn. That’s a fun thing I do every year, I call it Turning Day. If there are maple trees in your area, those will probably be the ones that change first, so look for those. You can use fall foliage, acorns, and gourds to start decorating your home - real or silk, whatever works best for you.

This is another big holiday for bonfires as well - honestly, bonfires are pretty much part of ALL the holidays, they’re just fun - so if you can attend one or have one safely, that’s something to consider. Or maybe just have one more picnic or cookout before the weather turns too chilly for it to be feasible. Have a fall feast for your near-and-dear with lots of lovely seasonal produce and pies, maybe a roast fowl or brisket or fish, whatever you like best.

Speaking of food, this is my baking season. It’s finally cool enough to have the oven going without suffocating myself in the heat or running up a four-figure energy bill trying to keep the indoor temperature manageable. So if you’re a fan of baking, why not give that a try? There are plenty of recipes to choose from, like soda bread, pumpkin bread, spice cake, maple cookies, and so on.

Keep that sense of community going by making a little bit extra and sharing it with friends and neighbors. Some people do their autumn feasting around the equinox instead of in November, when Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. There is a holiday in September called Harvest Home that directly corresponds to this, so if you’d rather skip Thanksgiving but you still want to feast, that’s something to look into.

Start stocking your shelves for the winter too. Put up pickles and preserves. Refresh your canned goods and non-perishables, maybe save a few bottles of whatever libations you made earlier in the year. If you have kids, celebrate the idea of this gathering-in with a scavenger hunt. Have them help you find signs of autumn or needful items for the pantry.

As the year turns and the harvest comes in, meditate upon your own personal harvest. This might be a journaling activity. You’ve sown, you’ve tended, you’ve reaped. Now what is your harvest? What have you learned from the year? What abundance has entered your life? What have you lost? What surprised you? What didn’t go quite as you planned? What are you thankful for? What do you regret?

Meditate also upon the balance in your life. Do things FEEL balanced? Or are they out of whack? If so, how can you address this? Do you feel you need to change things, or is it more prudent to let them reach equilibrium on their own? What outside factors are affecting that balance, and what can you reasonably affect on your own?

- Hex Positive, Ep. 011 - Secular Celebrations (November 01, 2020)

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

[chrissywitchnurse]

So far - fictional novels that have witches/witchcraft as the plot/protagonist that I would recommend

- The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson; I cannot say enough good things about this book! Alexis is a wonderful author and the fact the main protagonist is a BIPOC Woman is amazing! The author herself is BIPOC as well and I binged this whole book in an evening. It shows what happens when a woman takes back her power and it is honestly a book to read over and over again.

- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow; This books while the protagonists are three sisters who grew up in an abusive home with their father and old wives/ fairy tales of their witchy grandmother this takes place post Salem witch trials and during the suffragist movement. It’s a good read and does justice to bring in more inclusion that should’ve been done during the true suffragist movement - inclusion of those in poverty and BIPOC. The mixture of new world meeting old magic is great.

***this list will be updated as I find new books to share with you all. Please feel free to share/reboot and add to as you see fit

[chrissywitchnurse]

hi! ive been getting back into the craft recently and i was wondering if you have any book reccomendations that i could learn more from! (i know youve published your own, which i will be checking out soon!!)

I have a book recs tag that contains most of the titles that I regularly recommend for witchcraft studies, but there are a few I could mention by name:

History:

Drawing Down The Moon (Margot Adler)

Triumph of the Moon (Ronald Hutton)

The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present (Ronald Hutton)

The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft, magic and culture 1736–1951 (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft:

The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft: Seeking an Intentional Magical Path Seeking an Intentional Magical Path (Fire Lyte aka Don Martin)

New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic (Cory Thomas Hutcheson)

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding (Althaea Sebastiani)

Sacred Actions: Living the Wheel of the Year through Earth-Centered Sustainable Practices (Dana O'Driscoll)

Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration (Mallorie Vaudoise)

Spellcrafting: Strengthen the Power of Your Craft by Creating and Casting Your Own Unique Spells (Arin Murphy-Hiscock)

The Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual (Lisa Marie Basile)

Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis (Lisa Marie Basile)

Sigil Witchery: A Witch's Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols (Laura Tempest Zakroff)

The Hearth Witch's Year: Rituals, Recipes & Remedies Through the Seasons (Anna Franklin)

Previous Posts:

Here are the Top Ten foundational texts that I started out with.

Here are the books I recommend if you want to work with plants.

Here are the three titles I have on the market.

Here is the Dropbox I made with free (legal) historical texts on witchcraft and magic.

And here is my personal library (slightly out of date) which might give you some more ideas!