hellenic-temple

[hellenic-temple]

[hellenic-temple]

i haven't been as active bc my mental health isn't the best atm, but I'll probably be better within the next week!

Digital temples and digital shrines of Tumblr. Please interact with this post if you are still active!!!

[hellenic-temple]

I wasn't able to do Service last Friday (i was out for 3 days straight) so this coming Friday service will be on last week's topic!

Religious Trauma in the World of Hellenic Polytheism

Thank you all for understanding! May Aphrodite Bless you!!

[hellenic-temple]

friday service starts this week!

sorry for inactivity lately, I've been very stressed and focusing on my personal life, but I'm much better now.

I'm gonna try to make service as real as possible, so that includes you guys being able to give your experience and input in comments/reblogs.

polls will be put up 3 days in advance for the topic of the week, and you can request topics in the asks section of the blog.

service will be more formal posts with an overview at the top in case you don't want to read everything.

[hellenic-temple]

the more i think about the gods the more i realise they have always been with me. 

Hephaestus was with me, brimming with excitement, as I grinned at my projects in wood work. Poseidon has been with me since my birth when i was born under the warm water of a bathtub and he has been with me every single time i went to the beach and felt such a distinct calling to the ocean. Demeter was with me as i played in the mud and played pretend in the forest as a child and now as i go for walks through nature. Aphrodite is holding my hand every step of the way as i try and find myself. it was her arms i cried into after every break up. she is tucking my hair back and adjusting my clothes as i look in the mirror and feel confident. she is swimming with me and Poseidon at the beach. she calls me to her birthplace like a moth to flame. Apollo has embraced me every time i smile up with the sun on my face. he grinned at me every time i thanked someone for saying my hair looked nice in the sun. it was his arms that held me upright through every performance and it is he who dances with me every time i dance around my house. Zeus is there when my breath catches as thunder strikes above me. He danced with me and my brother and my mum in the rain when i was a child. Athena is rocking out to bikini kill and green day with me. she lives through me in the rage i feel at the world. i feel her embrace when i get excited about finally understanding my maths work. she holds my hand through every exam. it is Hestia’s arms who cradle me when i am warm and cosy in my bed. she embodies the feeling of waking up when its chilly outside but im warm under my blanket. she is with me when i smell the candles i light. Hera sits beside me and grins over my shoulder when i look at wedding ideas on pinterest. she is the one cooing at baby pictures with me when i get bad bouts of baby fever. she is cradling me in her arms when i hear my parents argue and i feel scared. Artemis is watching curiously as i freeze for a moment when i see wildlife on girl guide camp. she is the complete awe on the younger girls faces when we see a kangaroo in the distance or a cool bug on the ground. she and her brother are adjusting my posture and footing when i hold a bow and aim for a target. she is the happiness i feel when i look up and see a bright moon. she is giggling at baby videos with me and Hera during my days of baby fever. Persephone is the giddy smile on my face when i realise its Spring! its finally my birthday season and i couldn’t be happier. she is holding my hand and laughing herself silly as my friends and i try and figure out the weather during school. she is sitting calmly with me as i weave flowers together to put in my hair. Hades is in the drop of my heart when i feel my life flash before my eyes. he embraces me when i am trying to wrap my head around the concept of death. he holds my friends close when they experience loss. Ares is alive and well in my mind as i type a snarky response to someone i cannot stand online. he is with me, cheering me on as i start arguments and fight for my beliefs. Hermes grins over my shoulder as i receive money for my birthday. he is with me when my father and i watch Italian telenovelas so we can learn Italian together. he embraces me when i am anxious about travelling or going somewhere. it is his arms that hold me close and soothe my panic as i realise how far away from home i am. 

I have always felt the gods around me. I have just never been able to put a word to the feelings I feel. I cherish their love so much ❤️

[hellenic-temple]

O Dionysus, You pick me up when I've fallen down You wipe away the tears on my cheek O Gracious God, O God of Wise Counsel, You bring me out of myself So I can see reality O Ivy-Crowned God, Whose hair smells of frankincense Whose piercing eyes see my spirit You offer freely your sweet wine, Your dear Ampelus, Which rejuvenates my soul O Dionysus, Peace-Loving God, May my offerings always be pleasing to You, And all I ask in return, Is that you continue to hold me in your Hands

[hellenic-temple]

God of war and of the war inside us,

Trigger warning for: Suicide, csa

It aches my heart that Father Ares is not very much talked about in Hellenic Polytheist spaces and oftentimes misundestood. Or that is just what I've seen so far wandering around the internet.

I just wanted to talk about how dear he is to me in many ways, even from the times where i was not yet a Hellenic Polytheist. I'll always be grateful to be able to feel the warmth and ease in my heart when I'm overly stressed and anxious. Muscle by muscle, tissue by tissue i feel the entirety of my heart with all its shape alter with the serenity he brings where I'm even at my worst. Even on the verge of ending my own life his warmth and protection prevented me from doing so. That was how i met him and I'm forever grateful for all he has done for me to protect and support me in every aspect of life.

Not only he has protected and leaded my way to come out victor from the battles inside me, he has protected me so much from harmful people, especially men. I know that he's not traditionally seen as the protector of women in the Greek world but I can say that I've experienced his protection on me as both a woman and a child of his on many occasions. I've been abused and used many times as a little child, ruined my self esteem and self respect over unnecessary men who are completely and utterly uncapable and neglectful. Though with him, brick by brick rebuilt myself and my image in the eyes of mine. With him i learned to not lower myself for the sake of love. With him i learned to be the primary source of love for myself. Now that I've came to learn many things with sometimes an unspeakable pain and yearning, i'm grateful that the love for men i once almost worshipped and idealize stayed unrequited. Because i know for a fact it was Father Ares protecting me and at the end the worst i experienced in matters of love was just rejection. He has done so much for me, made me go through a process of which i found my core self and cherished it eternally at the end.

He's my beloved father and i feel the most secure, protected and warm when i feel his presence around me. This is my first ever post on tumblr, on this account i had for ages. I just hope that it reaches for those who need and who are willing to seek help.

And please know that he is, of course, the god of war but also the war inside us. Which is for me the bloodiest and the most gruesome war where we are usually all the figures of war in the body of one. We are both the little soldier who got drafted to war the day they were talking about dreams of future with their friends at high school but also the experienced, unforgiving enemy general. We are both the scared infantryman on the frontline but also an obnoxious war criminal. But at the end both the oppressor and the oppressed is us and no one else. All the cruelty for nothing but anguish.

He is there for all. All those who are oppressed, who are scared and anxious. Never hesitate to reach out to him in times of distress and where it feels you're stuck completely in life. His hugs are the warmest and he will lead your way through the war inside you. I get intensely emotional when i talk about him, even wept some tears while writing this. I seriously love him so much.

[hellenic-temple]

OH MY GODS SHES SO PRETTY

I am so crazy about your Hermes and Athena designs! Your art is so good! Now I wonder what your Aphrodite looks like? 🤔

Quite a lot of people have asked for some Lady Aphrodite, so here’s finally some concept sketch for y’all !!

+ Bonus Eros🥺

[hellenic-temple]

OK GUYS

less formal post bc i need help

im doing a school project and I have to interview an expert on Apollo, and I cant really talk to him about it bc, yknow, paganism isn't really mainstream.

so reblog/comment answers to the questions if you want

how do you see apollo?

favorite myth and interpretation of that myth?

least favorite myth and interpretation of that myth?

what is your favorite hymn?

what is your favorite way ancient people honored him?

[hellenic-temple]

i feel really really bad but i still hate on christianity sometimes

and i try not to, but my religious trauma and all the years i was going to church 7 days a week got to me 💀

i quite literally roll my eyes whenever i see a post targeted for christianity anywhere

and again, i TRY not to do that

atp its involuntary

i don’t want to be those pagans that are like “im okay with every religion except christianity!!”

no, i want to at least tolerate it??

and support the people in it

i should be going to therapy in a couple months so hopefully this can be something i can talk about…

[hellenic-temple]

You are precious to the Gods, they love you dearly.

[hellenic-temple]

The gods aren't going to feel negatively towards you because your offerings aren't as big or extravagant as others

[hellenic-temple]

im gonna cry why are the gods so sweet

[hellenic-temple]

Apollo wanted me to share the polymer clay offering I made him. 🌼

[hellenic-temple]

OK GUYS

less formal post bc i need help

im doing a school project and I have to interview an expert on Apollo, and I cant really talk to him about it bc, yknow, paganism isn't really mainstream.

so reblog/comment answers to the questions if you want

how do you see apollo?

favorite myth and interpretation of that myth?

least favorite myth and interpretation of that myth?

what is your favorite hymn?

what is your favorite way ancient people honored him?

[hellenic-temple]

I really will never get how some people make ai generated images for their deities.

It's so weird. Sometimes, I'll see ai images of Hypnos when I'm looking for things related to him, and it always ends up making me feel super uncomfortable.

You're letting an ai take away the beauty in making something for your deity? Letting a soulless machine put zero love into it and steal from others? And you think the gods would like it?

Sorry for how ranty this is. I really hate ai "art," and seeing people use it as an offering is so off-putting to me.

[hellenic-temple]

I pray to Kind Hades, my sacred patron, savior of the dead

Please grant me protection this weekend

And help me avoid the negativities and anxieties I may encounter

Praise be to King Hades, benevolent ruler of the afterlife

Thank you, eternally