lavendersmusings

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"for a bitch with a car devoted to Hermès you sure don't know how to drive."

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To Lady Artemis for protection

Hear me, Far-Shooting Artemis,

Daughter of High-Throned Zeus and Blessed Leto,

Sister to Bright Apollon.

She who protected Iphigenia and defended Olympus from the Aloadai Gigantes,

If I have ever cared for your wilds, accept this prayer, Artemis of the Hunt,

I ask you to protect me like a doe in your forest and deliver me safely to my destination,

I ask for your favour with a token of my praise, I offer to you (offering)

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In Homeric Hymn 3, just before she leaves Olympos and asks the older gods to grant her a child more powerful than Zeus, Hera recounts how Thetis saved Hephaistos (whom Hera had thrown into the sea) and wishes that Thetis had done the gods some other favour.

Some have taken this, combined with the fact that the son of Thetis was to be stronger than his father and that Hera had raised her (described with the same words used in the Theogony to describe Gaia's nurture of Zeus), to possibly mean that Hera might actually have wanted Thetis to bear to Zeus that one son greater than his father.

Now I'll say that I find this an intriguing interpretation, but I'm not really convinced for a few reasons:

Thetis rejected Zeus' sexual advances out of consideration for Hera (the Cypria, the Hesiodic Corpus, Apollonios' Argonautica, the Bibliotheke).

Hera claims herself to be the one who gave Thetis as wife to Peleus (Iliad Book 24, the Argonautica of Apollonios Rhodios).

Hera attributes her love of Thetis at least in part to the fact that she had refused to sleep with Zeus (Argonautica).

If that was Hera's intention, why isn't it explicitly mentioned anywhere? It is not like the ancient Greeks were hesitant to show her conspiring against Zeus.

Would it really be considered a favour to the gods if a god mightier than Zeus were to be born? Would the siblings and other children of Zeus be happy to be ruled by the son of Thetis?

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A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

Prints & PDF

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My favorite epithets for Dionysus

Λυσιος - Lysios: Liberator, Bringer of Freedom

Νυκτελιος -  Nyktelios: Of the Night

Λαμπτηρος - Lamptêros: Of the Torches

Ἑστιως -  Hestiôs: Of the Feast

Κισσιος - Kissios: Of the Ivy

Ανθιον - Anthion: Of the Flowers

Διμητωρ - Dimêtôr: Twice-Born

Σαωτης - Saôtês: Savior

Σωτηριος - Sôtêrios: Saviour, Recovery (from Madness)

Αγυιευς - Agyieus: (Protector) of the Street, the Ways

Μυστης - Mystês: Of the Mysteries

Χθονιος -  Khthonios: Of the Earth, Chthonic

Μελπομενος - Melpomenos: Singer, Minstrel, Of the Tragedy Play

Αγαθοσ Δαιμον - Agathos Daimon: The Good Spirit

Paradoxos: The Unexpected One, the Paradoxical One

Philogelôs: Lover of Laughter

Philogaios: Lover of the Earth

Taurokerôs Theos: Bull-horned God

Thaumatourgos: Wonderworker

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When I say “free water, free food, free shelter, free healthcare, free education for everyone” in that “everyone” I even include the people I hate. Too many people get surprised at the idea that I do wish for the people I hate to have better lives.

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Artemis

“Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earth quakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, then the huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoibos Apollon.” - Homeric Hymn 27 to Artemis

🌲Artemis loves and protects trans people, disabled people, people of color, and all those who are marginalized🌲

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Queen of the hunt, holy Mistress of childbirth. Bestower of life and death alike, for your arrows always find their mark. Sacred lady of the moon and the wilds. Untamed, feral, and fire-eyed.

I find you in every dewy pink dawn. I feel you in the crisp, cold night air. I know you in the white breath of deer herds as they move through your forests.

To be embraced by you is to be cradled in my true mother's arms. For I know you as the architect of my soul and the eternal keeper of my heart.

On this day, I thank you for your presence. I thank you for teaching me the endless cycle of rebirth, of a mother's love, of the thrill of the hunt.

For you have stretched your divine hand through this universe to reach me, and I pray only to take shelter in your sublime spirit.

I love you, my lady. Always and forever with all of me.

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Atypical Deity Work Ideas

Tired of the same few examples of deity work? Here's a fresh list for you to take a peek at!

Make a devotional playlist. This could be songs that remind you of them specifically, songs you think they'd like, or songs that are reminiscent of the culture/time they come from.

Learn a skill or topic related to them. God of harvest? Browse the Farmer's Almanac! God of sleep? Learn about the different stages of sleep. God of light? Learn about light waves. God of darkness? Learn how to do shadow puppets.

Create a digital space for them. This can mean making a digital altar, creating a room themed after them in Animal Crossing, making a Google doc about them, creating a Notion page, or devoting a blog to them.

Make a collage! It could be a digital or physical collage, but slap some elements together that remind you of the deity or just make a collage that you think they'd enjoy aesthetically. Folks also call this a moodboard!

Create a list of items you personally associate with them. Then write why you associate these items with them. EX: I associate dandelions with Lugh because for a while I thought Lugh was Loki and dandelions tend to be associated with Loki lol.

Read a book you think they'd enjoy. It could be one you think they'd like based on their mythology or purely based on your intuition.

Invite them to watch a movie with you. Movie night, anyone? For real, though, get some popcorn or other movie snacks and drinks ready and let them know that they're more than welcome to watch the movie with you!

Make a language for them. This works best for written language, and requires a lot of time, patience, and energy, but wouldn't you be stoked if someone made a whole conlang for you?! You can even go the extra mile and write to them in that language. There are ways to turn these into fonts as well.

That's all I have for now, let me know what you think!

Enjoy my work? Support me for as little as $1 on my ko-fi!

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We NEED to put sex and magic back on the pride flag right now

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A god stops being a god when your heart calms at the thought of Them. A god stops being a god when you wake up to the thought of Them and you cannot help but to be soothed by Their presence.

That is when They become /your/ god. That is when you become Their devotee.

It’s a resonance in the soul that can’t be put to words. One day, They are a stranger. Another, you wake up and suddenly They are so much more. It’s the presence of choice and gradual devotion that makes it unclear when you cross that line.

A god does not become yours on the first day. You do not become Theirs on the first day. It’s like growing up: you can mark it with years, but it’s the days you can’t quite remember that are when you grow with divinity.

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Ok y’all, I need you to drop links for free binder services. It’s November which means that parents won’t think it’s odd for their children to request that they not inspect packages. They’ll simply assume it’s a present for whatever holiday they observe. So please do your part by dropping links in the reblogs and trying to get this seen by those who need it

edit: k, so I mean this in nicest way possible. Liking isn’t going to help anyone. This isn’t just for me, other people need these links. If you if you can’t/don’t have the energy to find and post links to ACTIVE donations. Please at least reblog so someone who follows you can. Please and thank you <3

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moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars 🌑✨

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I sing of goddess Hera,

Queen of the heavens above. Ruler of bride and groom.

Alluring protector of women. Star-eyed goddess.

Protect me my divine Queen. Protect me from the cruel world.

I seek your guidance, take me into your heavenly shelter.

So be it.

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saw a tiktok of a mother taking her very tiny daughter to an art museum and she’s just walking around going “whoooa” “woooaah” to everything but then they got to a marble statue of a nude woman lying on her back and the girl points and goes “mommy🫵” and i just immediately welled up with tears and all the comments are just laughing about it and of course it’s funny but how are you not insanely moved by the way art connects everyone on earth from a centuries-old sculptor to a toddler in 2023