not-oliwolly

[not-oliwolly]

TW: mentions of SH

small rant about the insane fear mongering i’ve seen in helpol spaces since the U.S presidential election.

I’m pretty bad with words, so i really hope this whole rant ends up coming out right.. but some people really need to realize that the U.S. isn't the only country in the world. America is NOT the main character. While i've definitely seen this less content about people fear mongering about the gods and the election since it’s passed..i still see a lot of people talking about it and it’s genuinely starting to piss me off.

Are the gods upset about the election results? yeah, probably a little bit.

Do the gods give a fuck enough to do anything further then helping their worshipers and being there for them? probably not.

"Ares is mad!!" "Athena is mad!!" "The gods are so mad!!" be so fucking for real. The gods have been around for LITERALLY ever. they've seen thousands of elections that ended in poor results. I really don't think they care.

Obviously i'm not saying they don't care about the practitioners who live hear and have to suffer due to the elections results and whatnot. I’m sure they definitely have something to say about things happening in this country that they aren’t favorable of, but.we really need to stop fear mongering. I saw a tiktok earlier today that was claiming things like "Hades is making people kill themselves because of the election!!" and "Apollo is making the weather gloomy and cloudy because of the election!!"

WHATTHE FUCK😭😭

i can guarantee you Hades is NOT making people kill themselevs because of the election bro. PLEASE get a grip of yourselves.

Telling people the gods were killing people and making them harm themselves is not ok. Spreading misinformation about the gods is not ok. Fear mongering is not ok.

[not-oliwolly]

this Apollon war shit on tiktok is so 2020 moon hex coded bcs WHAT😭😭

i wanna pick through that persons brain and figure out what in the gods green earth makes them think this is

A. a good idea

B. going to even get them anywhere

C. smart to bring Ares into this????

[not-oliwolly]

Finishing off days 24 through 31 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of helpol!! (ignore that this is 2 days late😭)

DAY TWENTY-FOUR QUESTION: What's an offering you've made that you're really proud of?

DAY TWENTY-FOUR ANSWER: currently working on making Lord Apollo a statue out of some airdry clay since i don’t have the money to buy him a new one! it’s still a. wip, but im happy with how it looks so far!! might also make one for Lord Eros too!

DAY TWENTY-FIVE QUESTION: What was the most surprising thing you've learnt about Hellenic Polytheism or your deities?

DAY TWENTY-FIVE ANSWER: that you CAN infact worship 2 deities who beef in mythology! seeing people shit on others for worshipping Lady Aphrodite and Queen Persephone at the same time pisses me off!! like, i worhsip both Lord Eros and Lord Apollo at the same time, and my house hasn’t like burnt down or something. you’ll be fine, it’s a polytheistic religion😭

DAY TWENTY-SIX QUESTION: Do you celebrate any festivals?Which ones or why not?

DAY TWENTY-SIX ANSWER: Currently, no..but i’m trying to get better with celebrating the festivals!

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN QUESTION: Share a fun fact about one or more of your deities which you think is underrated or not well-known

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN ANSWER: Lord Hypnos played a role in the Trojan war! he helped Queen Hera put King Zeus to sleep, allowing her to temporarily aid the Greeks in battle! Though this is probably more well known, i feel like any hypnos mention in mythology is a win!

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT QUESTION: What is your favourite myth?

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT ANSWER: Probably the story of Icarus. I’m planning on putting up an alter for him soon, so i’ve been dealing up on his mythology..and it’s super interesting!

DAY TWENTY-NINE QUESTION: What is an aspect of your deities you really appreciate?

DAY TWENTY-NINE ANSWER: Though i’m sure i’ve said it before, i apreceate being able to get physical answers and signs after praying, petitioning them, or even lighting their candle and thinking of them. It’s super reassuring to know they’re actually there, especially as someone who’s super paranoid and overthinks

DAY THIRTY QUESTION: Do you have a visual interpretation of your deities? Is this different from usual depictions you see of them?

DAY THIRTY ANSWER: Honestly, i don’t believe they’re too far off from most people’s interpretations. For Apollo, normally i depict him as a young man, probably mid 20’s with sunkissed skin, bright blue eyes, and long-ish curly blonde hair, usually in red robes. for Dionysus, i see him as slightly older than Apollo, sometimes with light facial hair, curly dark brown/black hair, usually wearing some type of leopard/large cat hide aswell as some purple robes. also, ivy and grapes everywhere!! for Hermes, usually i see him as younger then Apollo and Dionysus, around early 20’s with either light brown or dirty blonde hair, sunkissed skin with a bit of freckles, brown eyes and usually in robes that can protect him from the sun & wind since he travels so much. sometimes has sunscreen on his nose or some other comedic tourist souvenir from somewhere in the world. also classic winged sandals and wings on the side of his head!! Like Hermes, i also see Hypnos having wings on the sides of his head. I see him as semi pale since he’s in the underworld a lot, with curly brown hair and big black eyes. Usually in dark blue/purple robes & an eye mask, sometimes either barefoot or wearing slippers, and probably carries a pillow/blanket around with him. As for Thanatos, i usually see him as MUCH more pale then Hypnos, and rather boney. sometimes even with bone-like features showing like half of his face being a skull. semi-long while hair in contrast to Hypnos, aswell as layered black robes with a hood like a grim reaper. For Persephone, i see her with brown hair, green eyes and olive skin, usually with freckles. Clothing wise, this usually changes throughout the season. Darker, more modest clothing in the winter, brighter, more loose clothing in the spring.

DAY THIRTY-ONE QUESTION: Share a positive experience you've had this month/year with one or more of your deities

DAY THIRTY-ONE ANSWER: Last summer, i was out with my Dad and Sister. I had gotten some news deity candles and was on my way to the crystal shop, until we were rerended by a car going WAYY over the speed limit, like 70 in a 55. While the front of the car that hit us was completely totaled, not only was the back of our car literally completely fine besides needing a new bumper, but we where pushed a solid 10 ft because of the car and didn’t hit the one infront of us. Thankfully, the person who hit us was fine, and so where we. I had gotten a new candle for Lord Dionysus and was wearing my devotional jewelry to Lord Hermes that day, and firmly believe they helped ease the blow of the accident on my part, allowing me to walk out of that with nothing but soda all over me that spilt upon impact.

[not-oliwolly]

“i only worship 1 deity..not 500🙄” “you only worhsip 2 gods?? i worhsip the entire greek pantheon!” GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD

[not-oliwolly]

After being gone for a..very long time, here’s days 17 through 23 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of hellenic polytheism!! :D (TW!! mentions of animal remains on day 23!!)

DAY SEVENTEEN QUESTION: Send out some love! Are there any Helpol blogs here on tumblr that you follow and really like?

DAY SEVENTEEN ANSWER: @stalkerofthegods has amazing deep dives for a handful of deities!! forever thankful for them🙏

DAY EIGHTEEN QUESTION: How can you best describe your relationship with each of your deities?

DAY EIGHTEEN ANSWER: With Queen Persephone, it’s like a motherly type of relationship, or parental. When i really need to get something done like schoolwork or clean, i’ll usually light her candle since for me her presence is almost like a scolding mothers sometimes/pos😅 with Lord Dionysus, it feels like a more like a..”teenager and a slightly over the age of 20 adult who will most likely adopt them in the future”friendship? It’s hard to explain- and i’m afraid i’ll explain it wrong..but, that’s just kinda the vibe, yk? with Lord Hermes, i’d say its definitely a friendship. One of my favorite offerings to give him is showing him my favorite wolverine edits, if that says anything. With both Lord Hypnos and Lord Thanatos..i would say it’s more of a mentor/student relationship. Last thursday, i was super upset about something my parents said, and the both of them gave me the courage to go talk to them about it wich was something i almost never do. i am forever eternally grateful for them🙏🙏 And lastly..Lord Apollo. To be honest, i feel like my relationship with him is just a mix of all of the other relationships. A mix of parental, friendship, much older possibly soon to be adopted parent..mostly because i can’t really put my finger on a spesific one.

DAY NINETEEN QUESTION: If you had to assign one song to each of the deities you worship, what songs would you choose?

DAY NINETEEN ANSWER:

Apollo: Apollo-Momma

Dionysus: pretty much any/all showtune(s), also will wood

Hermes: upbeat/rock songs! I really like playing Speed Drive-Charli xcx for him spesifically

Persephone : Pomegranate Seeds-Julian Moon

Thanatos: Overture-Phantom of The Opera or anything mitski

Hypnos: anything mitski too tbh

DAY TWENTY QUESTION: Do you have a favourite aspect of Hellenic Polytheism?

DAY TWENTY ANSWER: I think i’d have to say the way you can have like..genuine one on one relationships with the gods. Ofcourse, not saying you can’t in other religions, but..i really enjoy being able to light a candle or set out an offering having the reassurance that they’re with me, yk? it’s really refreshing, especially after living 13-14 years of my life praying and nothing ever happening or ever getting a response.

DAY TWENTY-ONE QUESTION: Are there any retellings/ adaptations of greek mythology that you LIKE? Why/ why not?

DAY TWENTY ONE ANSWER: The song fo Achilles is super good…but besides that, im not sure i’ve seen/heard any others that has any good responses😭

DAY TWENTY-TWO QUESTION: Is there an aspect of Hellenic polytheism you haven't yet gotten to try but hope to in the future? Do you have any other Helpol-related goals for next new year?

DAY TWENTY TWO ANSWER: Celebrating the different festivals! Though i have high doubts in my ability to remeber to celebrate them (i can’t even remember the pagan holidays for hells sake) but i’m definitely going to try to remember!!

DAY TWENTY-THREE QUESTION: What's a bit of UPG you have with your deities?

DAY TWENTY-THREE ANSWER: i’ve been SOO excited for this question!! (most of these are quite random too LMAOO)

Apollo: dogs (spesifically golden retrievers), blue flowers, albedo from genshin impact, chappell roan, the smell of my watercolor paints

Dionysus: olive garden (thats basically it)

Hermes: Basically all birds (not sure if that’s upg tbh), my carnival cruise keycard collection (there’s literally only two but it’s ok), the feeling when i taste test my coffee in the morning to see if i need to put more creamer in it, a bracelet i got from Honduras with a coin on it and orange turtle beads (not really upg but i thought if ad it in since i love it so much)

Persephone: moths. idk they give me a very “queen persephone” typa vibe, this skull my mom got me from a trip to mexico that’s made out of fish bone and plaster and it’s so cool and there’s a little cave with TWO BABY DRAGONS in it it’s so awesome, this one squishmallow keychain my friend got me specifically for her (ilysm lorelei)

Thanatos: more moths!! ik he’s heavily associated with butterflies, but tbh moths give me a heavy underworld vibe i can’t explain it, Phantom of the Opera, this one hoodie that i have with a little grimm reaper embroidered on it

Hypnos: also moths (mostly because they’re night (??) creatures), asmr, anything aromatherapy, blue goldstone, anything nasa/space related, chocolate(?)

[not-oliwolly]

days 15 & 16 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of hellenic polytheism

DAY FIFTEEN QUESTION: How has your worship changed you?

DAY FIFTEEN ANSWER: I believe my worship has helped me see many of my (now ex) friends true colors. I had a pretty toxic friend group from middle school leading into highschool, and began my practice in my freshmen year (i think? i’m not 100% sure myself, but i’m pretty sure my freshmen year) and the entire group was riddled with drama, all being led and/or started by someone i can only describe as an energy vampire. Because of my practice, i was able to pull some strings and finally get away from them..and may or may not have broken off the entire friend group causing them to go completely no contact with the drama starter..but in my defense, they had it coming. In other words, my worship and practice has helped me overall with bad friends, and deciding which ones are worth my time and which ones are only going to cause stress and toxicity.

DAY SIXTEEN QUESTION: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who's just starting in Helpol, what would it be?

DAY SIXTEEN ANSWER: Not exactly advice, but if you wanna worship deities that don’t necessarily like each other..go for it! i see so many people say stuff like “you can’t worship with Aphrodite AND Persephone!!” or other deities that have had beef in mythology, and to that i have 2 things to say. Firstly, hellenism is a polytheistic religion. the gods are aware of that, and know that most practitioners are probably working with/worshiping more deities then just them. Secondly, mythology isn’t supposed to be taken seriously! i mean, there are a few stories you could take literally, such as Apollo and Hyacinthus or the story of Adonis (which is why people recommend to not work with/worship Aphrodite and Persephone simultaneously) but most are supposed to be metaphors. However..i would atlest give them separate alters just incase.

[not-oliwolly]

Days 13 & 14 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of hellenic polytheism!!

DAY THIRTEEN QUESTION: Do you write your own prayers?

DAY THIRTEEN ANSWER: I guess it sorta depends. I have a few personal prayers i’ve written, however for some deities i haven’t written any yet. Most of the time i just make up prayers on the spot too if there’s something specific i’m praying for🥲

DAY FOURTEEN QUESTION: Do you have any hobbies that fit any of your deities' domains?

DAY FOURTEEN ANSWER: yes! I’m very into drawing and in choir, so i would associate that with Apollo. I’m also very much a theatre kid lol..so i’m in theatre for Dionysus! Another hobby of mine is bone hunting, so i can make sure the animal remains i use for spell work/offerings are sourced ethically..so i suppose i could associate that with Thanatos or Persephone?

[not-oliwolly]

Days 11 & 12 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of Hellenic Polytheism!!

DAY ELEVEN QUESTION: What is the clearest sign you've received from a deity?

DAY ELEVEN ANSWER: Went from wanting to persue theatre to being utterly obsessed with mortuary science and wanted to be a mortician instead (i eventually did an entire science project on it LMAO), was obsessed with bone hunting (more then i usually am) and even got this hoodie with a little grim reaper embroidered on it. took me..probably 3 weeks to realize i was being called out to by Lord Thanatos…😅

DAY TWELVE QUESTION: Do you do food offerings or libations? What do you do with the food/drink after you've offered it?

DAY TWELVE ANSWER: I suppose it depends on the deity. I personally worship a lot of Chthonic deities, so usually libations are poured outside like they were traditionally. However food wise, since i’ve found that most of them would prefer that i didn’t eat the offering after giving it to them, i usually will give them a small piece of whatever i’m eating and then eat the rest of it. It’s sorta like sharing the meal with said deity, and honestly i like doing that far more then giving the whole thing to them!

[not-oliwolly]

While i know @wisdom-devotee‘s 31 days of Hellenic Polytheism was supposed to be done in December..i ended up finding it late, so i’ve decided to do it in January instead! so..here’s days 1 through 10!

DAY ONE QUESTION: Who was the first deity you began worshipping? Do you still worship them now?

DAY ONE ANSWER: Lord Apollo!! He was the first deity to ever reach out to me, and has been with me since the beginning of my practice. I’m also very proud to say that i still worship him!! He’s probably the biggest influence in my practice (Next to Queen Persephone, lol) and has helped me get through a lot.

DAY TWO QUESTION: Which deity did you most recently start worshipping? Were you called to them or did you reach out first? Do you think there were specific reasons behind why you were drawn to them?

DAY TWO ANSWER: I recently ended up getting back in contact with Lord Hypnos! I used to worship him, however ended up taking a break for personal reasons, and recently decided to worship him again. I’m glad i did, considering i’ve finally gotten my sleep schedule back in shape ever since i did!

DAY THREE QUESTION: How long ago did you start Hellenic Polytheism?

DAY THREE ANSWER: I personally wouldn’t consider myself a hellenic polythiest, but rather a pagan polytheist as a whole since i currently do find interest in gods from other pantheons (Lord Cernnunos, spesifically) and have worshipped gods from other pantheons in the past like Lord Loki. However, most of the deities in my practice and worship are Greek.

DAY FOUR QUESTION: Are there any deities you don't currently worship but want to learn about?

DAY FOUR ANSWER: Definetly Lord Ares. I’m highkey debating on reaching out to worship him..mostly because i think he’s just super interesting!! i don’t see alot of people talk about him despite him being an olympian. Also Lord Aristaeus! He’s a minor god, which explains why i he also dosnet have a lot of information circling about him..however he’s a pretty minor god, so finding said information as a whole is a hassle.

DAY FIVE QUESTION: How much have you bonded with your deities?

DAY FIVE ANSWER: Unfortunately, i’m very forgetful, so remembering to do things like pray and meditate are hard for me..so i’m honestly unsure about how much i’ve bonded with my deities. Ofcourse, there are some i feel much closer to then others..yet i still almost feel like a stranger to some of them, which is super disappointing. This year, i really plan to crack down on meditation, journaling, even writing them letters! i really want to have a good and close relationship to the gods i worship, and hopefully end up working with them 1 on 1 once i start getting more into genuine witchcraft and learn from them.

DAY SIX QUESTION: What's one way you incorporate Hellenic Polytheism into your routine (daily, weekly, monthly, etc?)

DAY SIX ANSWER: I usually will do weekly offerings, having a set day for each deity. Wednesdays for Hermes, Thursdays for both Thanatos and Hypnos, Fridays for Dionysus, Saturdays for Persephone, and Sundays for Apollo. I also say goodmorning/goodnight when i remeber to!

DAY SEVEN QUESTION: Are you openly a Hellenic Polytheist offline? How does being open/not being open effect your worship?

DAY SEVEN ANSWER: I guess it depends. Obviously i’m not going to tell everyone i practice witchcraft and worship deities, however i do often talk about it to people i trust and are comfortable with. However…if people can’t tell im a witch by the pentacles and crystals, im not sure how else i can make that clear😅 And honestly it dosent really effect my worship. I mean, i usually dont share things like alters online, and if i have a friend over they’re going to see said alters since they’re in my room…but like, it dosent exactly directly effect my worship.

DAY EIGHT QUESTION: Do you have altar(s)? If you do, how do you use it? If you don't have one, do you want one?

DAY EIGHT ANSWER: yes! I have one alter for each deity i worship, aswell as one for myself to practice my general witchcraft.

DAY NINE QUESTION: Is there a practice that's common among other Hellenic Polytheists that you're skeptical about?

DAY NINE ANSWER: Not that i can personally think of.

DAY TEN QUESTION: What's something you've learned about Hellenic Polytheism that you wish you knew sooner?

DAY TEN ANSWER: Myths aren’t supposed to be taken literally!! I was so afraid to be reached out to by certain gods cough cough zeus cough cough because of common myths surrounding them, mostly because i was raised heavily christian, so stories where supposed to be taken literally and not metaphorically.

[not-oliwolly]

|| Welcome! ||

|| ABOUT THIS BLOG ||

Hello and welcome !! this is my secondary blog, dedicated to:

⟡ my craft

⟡ my deities

⟡ online/art related deity offerings that i’m given permission to share

⟡ general yapping abt my deities bcs i love them so much

⟡ anything witchcraft related tbh

⟡ etc etc

this blog is NOT:

⟡ a fandom blog

⟡ a space for bigotry, hatred, and general toxicity against the gods/other people

⟡ a space for general dni people (proshippers, maps, etc etc)

As said before, this is merely my secondary blog for things related to my witchcraft and practice, my main is @oliwolly!!

|| ABOUT MYSELF & MY CRAFT ||

⟡ My name is Mason :D

⟡ I’m a trans man, and use He/Him pronouns

⟡ leo ☉ || virgo ☾ || libra⭡

⟡ I’ve been a practicing pagan for about 3 years now, so if i get any information incorrect (which i probably will😅) please do not hesitate to correct me!

⟡ As of right now, i’m trying to get back into my general practice. I’m also trying to look more into genuine witchcraft (spells, rituals, etc) since most of my practice is purely devotional!

⟡ some things i’m looking into are death work/spirit work & herbalism

⟡ Most of my deity knowledge is about Hellenic gods, however i’ve dabbled into other (open) pantheons aswell!

|| DEITIES I WORSHIP ||

⟡ Lord Apollo

⟡ Queen Persephone

⟡ Lord Thanatos

⟡ Lord Hypnos

⟡ Lord Hermes

⟡ Lord Dionysus

⟡ Lord Eros

⟡ Lady Athena

⟡ Lady Demeter

|| DEITIES/HEROS I HONOR ||

⟡ King Hades

⟡ Lady Aphrodite

⟡ Hyacinthus

⟡ Icarus

⟡ Lord Charon