#greco-roman deities

[thedepartmentofdiscoveries]

#1 & #2: A Greek Terracotta Aphrodite, Hellenistic Period, Circa 3rd Century B.C. from Christie's.

#3: "The Birth of Venus" an Italian carved and tinted and carved Carrara marble table lamp, Florence, late 19th century/early 20th century, from Sotheby's.

🐚🌊💖💘🫧🦪✨️

[sleepnowmychild]

I could write a whole text book on Echo and Narcissus. They were BOTH wronged by the gods.

Narcissus was just ace. He didn’t have any attraction to not just Echo but ANYONE. And was sick of people trying to date him even after he made it clear he wasn’t into that at all.

Echos curse caused some major miscommunication between them, Narcissus snapped in frustration accidentally hurting Echo in the process which lead to HIS curse because the gods saw a Nymph (who are often very sacred to the gods as they’re usually offspring of more major gods) that’d been heartbroken by him.

Echo was wronged by being cursed for simply trusting the wrong god and getting caught up in the crossfire and subsequently getting very harshly and hurtfully rejected thanks to a big old misunderstanding.

Narcissus was wronged by being cursed for a misunderstanding and being ace.

They both met tragic deaths when the whole situation could have been avoided by 1) patience and communication and 2) the gods staying out of it. Even then, the gods were just trying to help in their own twisted way.

Quite frankly, pre curse, narcissus wasn’t even that bad of a guy. He was multi talented and did his own thing, didn’t want any romance in his life and got understandably annoyed by people trying to force it on him. Post curse, he did get a bit difficult, being so self obsessed. But was that even his fault? He didn’t ask to be cursed with falling in love with his own reflection. Tbh I wouldn’t even call him much of a narcissist, egoistical maybe, but a full blown narcissist? The condition literally named after him? I think he, just like actual people with NPD are majorly misunderstood.

And Echo? The poor girl is kind of like a parallel to people with echolalia and other verbal difficulties, they find it hard to communicate for reasons outside of their control and the people around them refuse to even try and understand them. She’s reasonably upset over the way she’s been treated, isolated herself because of it and ended up dead.

Echo and narcissus is both a majorly misunderstood story, but one about why effective communication is important to avoid tragic misunderstandings, the way the world forces romance on unwilling people, and good old fashioned abelism.

TLDR: free my girl Echo and my man Narcissus they did nothing wrong.

Edit: this is mainly me bitching about people misusing the term narcissist and using the story as an example. Yeah he’s egotistical, but definitely not a narcissist by modern standards.

[priestessofthepoeticprophesy]

[paganpillar]

Devotional moodboard: Liber

[zal-cryptid]

My fan design for Eos, goddess of the dawn.

[wigglepiggle7]

Greco Roman statues step on me please 🙏🏻

[the-indie-owl]

Hey, I was wondering if you've ever heard of Phorcys and Ceto, monstrous creatures of the sea and the supposed parents of Medusa and her sisters. If they appeared in SpongeBob, how would you interpret them?

Hmmm, I would probably change them into making the Couple as King and Queen of Sea Monsters like how they are Sea Monsters in the Show. It would be something on how Typhon and Echidna are known as the Parents of All Monsters (only in Land, that being both the Surface and Underworld as well), so think of it as if Phorycs and Typhon were actually Two Rulers of Different Types of Monsters (Land and Sea) similar to how Neptune and Poseidon are shown in the Universe when said Gods are both Rulers of the Sea.

I would likely have to scrap off of the idea of the Two Sea Monster Couple having The Graeae Sisters and the Gorgons (including Medusa) as their Daughters and even have Medusa be biological raised by Humans since she was born a Human in the First Place before Athena cursed her. (Maybe they could at least adopt the Gorgon Sisters?)

Mythology maybe weird in its own unique way, but if Companies like Nickelodeon itself would change some of the Myths and Relations, you would probably best have to scrap off the Incest and even make some of the Characters have different families since Monsters/Beasts can't give birth to Humans in Real Life which is the same as how Humans can't give birth to Animals in Real Life.

Anyway, you're probably asking as to how I would view their portrayals if Nickelodeon were to touch them in their most iconic show about Sea Creatures. I'd say they would probably make them into Ruthless Rulers of Sea Monsters like I mentioned, with Phorcys as the Main King of the Deep Seas of the Ocean and that he is somehow looking out for revenge (possibly for Neptune). Of course, maybe Phorycs could be Rock Bottom's own version of Neptune since he is the God of Hidden Dangers of the Deep, so I think maybe somewhere in this universe The Rock Bottomites would have their own Main God that being the God of the Deep Seas himself.

If there was at least an Episode featuring Phorycs and Ceto, I would at least see it as a Special like how they did with "The Clash of Triton" (even though it was lame but I still liked it). Phorycs and Ceto in my view would be portrayed as Antagonists and that they are out looking for Revenge on one of the Two Main Sea Kings.

Upon realizing that the Bikini Bottom is somehow in Danger, SpongeBob would have to at least face up the Greek Gods of Sea Monsters themselves with the help of his Friends. In order to save their own City, SpongeBob would somehow face up the Trials that Phorycs challenges him with a Couple of Sea Monsters since I think Ceto would suggest her Husband to why not give the Sponge and his Friends a challenge?

SpongeBob has faced a lot of Hard and Easy Challenges over the Years, so I think the Trials that he would have to face up that Phorycs ordered would possibly be hard than you expect, It wouldn't be that easy compare to "Neptune's Spatula" since Phorycs would be more brutal than Neptune and Poseidon.

Of course, SpongeBob does win these Harsh Trials after defeating the Other Sea Monsters especially with the Last Trial as Phorycs betrayals his promise that he and his gang would have the Bikini Bottom back as Phorycs and Ceto would have to take over the entire town with the help of their Sea Monster folks.

However, that quickly gets ruined all in the End since Neptune comes in and stops Phorycs as he banishes him, his wife, and the Other Sea Monsters down beneath the Depths of the Ocean where they wouldn't wreck the entire Sea with SpongeBob finally having his entire City back thanks to their Main God.

I will probably have them in my own prequel, with Phorycs as Neptune's Arch-Enemy (and even have Ceto be Rivals with Amphitrite). I think that would be something that Nickelodeon would do if they ever touched The Water Deities of Sea Monsters, make them more Antagonistic with them being Ruthless and Cruel, and perhaps have them as Evil Versions of Neptune and Amphitrite (or at least a Rock Bottom version if we're going for an other suggestion of Rock Bottom having their own Dark Neptune).

[thesirenisles]

Examining the "Feminine"

mythology & meaning of venus, taurus, and libra ♀

by thesirenisles

Dark/Night Mode recommended. Do not steal, rewrite, or copy any of my original writing. Photos are from Pinterest or collaged by me. If it does not apply, let it fly. All rights reserved. © 2024 The Siren Isles

Your Majesty,

It is as if you manifested in this world to be adored and cherished. Blessed with royal charisma and a natural grace, your Venusian energy is often happily welcomed. Even with afflictions, there is just something(s) about you that others value.

A Venusian is blessed to enjoy the material aesthetics and splendors of this world. They understand high-quality, material value in items and prefer the nicer things. They have an inherent taste for what is aesthetically pleasing. The Venusian tends to collect all of these things... while being on the journey to understanding that they can't collect people.

At your core… you are here to create and increase the value, beauty, harmony, and love in the world around you.

It's all about life’s pleasures when you’re a child of Venus and they float diplomatically, steadily seeking pleasure of all forms, whether this be from material means, the five senses, or even the addictive taste of social relevance.

╰┈➤ Think: Serena VDW from Gossip Girl, waltzing around with her “Golden Retriever” energy lol. Beyoncé, (Venus 1H) no matter the rumors... honestly can she actually ever be canceled? Jasmine Tookes (model) has such a Venusian complex, Venus 1H)

With this energy dominant in the natal chart, you can become a natural feminine role model for the women in your life. Venus is a benefic and a lucky chart ruler energy. But, this does not come without its lessons usually involving worth, value, and balance.

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

In astrology, the gifts of Venus manifest in:

⋆˚⋆˚ ❥ TAURUS (fixed Earth) 2nd House (Possessions, Values, Skills) understands tangible & personal worth but is seeking to understand the value of intangible beauty in life.

⋆˚⋆ ❥ LIBRA (cardinal Air) 7th House (Marriage and Partnership) understands how to create beautiful social and romantic relationships based on justice, but is seeking to understand the true value of self love & worth.

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

If you control the feminine deity,

you control the feminine.

VENUS (Aphrodite to the Greeks, Hathor to Ancient Egyptians) is the Goddess of love, feminine energy, erotic desire, harmony, balance, and to some motherhood.

Greco- Roman Mythology:

When consuming any ancient mythological texts, one must consider the social and political attitudes or even agendas during that time period to add context. This female social status very clearly carries over into their mythology.

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

🐚 In Ancient Greece: "Greek women had virtually no political rights of any kind and were controlled by men at nearly every stage of their lives." (source)

🐚 In Ancient Rome: "Unlike society in ancient Egypt, Rome did not regard women as equal to men before the law." (source)

Glamour is the enemy of truth.

Her sordid birth is GLAMOURIZED in an undeniably gorgeous painting: “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli; 1486 (see below).

🐚 This beautiful portrayal led to Venus being OFTEN glamourized by women, especially here on Tumblr. We feel empowered by her, which is justified. But, her Greco-Roman mythology is anything but empowering. No shade, but it embodies the social limits and pain for women within the dominant European culture. 🐚 The Goddess is often presented on display, (as above) her womanhood made a spectacle! Her very "feminine" form is written to have manifested from the discarded sexual organs of a male God, (Uranus), Also then.. technically her father.

This is a DIVINE Goddess and YET ...

Her adoptive father, Jupiter (Zeus), literally sold her to her "husband", Hephaestus (Vulcan), like property.

She has petty grudges stemming from vanity, tormenting beautiful young maidens.

She engages in frequent, extramarital love trysts with a sibling, Ares (Mars)

... & we're supposed to romanticize this??? ✋🏾(It's giving Cersei Lannister).

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

🐚 Negative divine feminine imagery creates a space to demonize the many beautiful traits associated with Venus! This became especially apparent after the bloody global shift into Christian and Catholic dominance.

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

and alas life imitates art:

"HOTTENTOT" VENUS

🐚 The Greco-Roman/ European depiction of Venus being on full display makes a disgusting reappearance in their humiliation, brutalization, and rape of naturally curvy and voluptuous African women. 🐚 Most notably, a South African Khoikhoi (or Khoisan) woman named Saartjie (or Sara) Baartman, who was fiendishly deemed the: "Hottentot Venus." (a racial slur; see image below) Her divinely feminine body was, like Venus , put on live display and defiled for ANY paying Europeans. Most all had never witnessed such divine beauty, 1810. (source) 🐚 They were socially conditioned to gawk, hyper-sexualize, and inflict pain upon the female form. Even after death, she was taken in 1816 and displayed in a French museum until as late as 1985."

Venus Figurine:

🐚 This grotesque misuse of Venus in the news article title takes its inspiration from: The Upper Paleolithic “Venusian figurine”, an example the “Venus of Willendorf” (28-25,000 BCE; see below) which also shows pronounced hips and figure. Men were said to carry these in thought of women. However, the exposure is none short than Venus' own in the Botticelli painting.

🐚 While similar in their representation, the Greco Roman translation of this Goddess is far too crass and none of Venus' listed Greco-Roman origin stories have any symbolic feminine connection or adoration to the actual bull or scales! LOL. So, I went on my search to connect the lost ancient mythological mysteries that did not make it past the Euro-Colonialism eradication and re-naming. 🔎🕵️

"Mother of the Pharaohs"

taurus: the horned cow🐄

HATHOR is the (Ancient Egyptian Goddess of the Divine Feminine, Love, Fertility, and even expression of female sexual desire). The Goddess is a cow or a maiden with cow horns, typical symbol of Taurus.

How is Venus connected to Hathor?

🐄 Since the moment they step foot in the "ancient New York City" that was Ancient Egypt, their European neighbors were enamored of Ancient Egypt's Neter (Gods), especially the "Mother of the Pharoah's". The Greco-Roman nations would come to conquer Egypt. Under Alexander the "gr8" in 332 B.C., they renamed one of the seven major African cities that worshipped Hathor: "Aphroditopolis" or City of Venus and made it a CAPITAL of its district. 🐄 The Venus planet symbol ♀ is literally the African Ankh. This fascination and renaming is like the renaming of Thoth into Mercury, Hermes, or "Hermes Trismegistus". (some say they explain it with "reincarnation.") You, as the reader, decide which mythology matches the energy best for yourself.

Mythological Origins:

🐄 Hathor is said to be born from the eye of Ra, like Sekhmet. She was thought of as beauty, love, grace incarnate. Her presence is said to exude an aura of allure, femininity, and attraction. She embodies passionate expressions of desire, love, and the pursuit of exquisite living. 🐄 A maternal symbol, she is considered the mother or nourisher of all of the Pharaohs. The presence of the Goddess in a Pharaoh's royal court is essential to ensure the connection to the divine. 🐄 Music and dance are another keystone of Hathor's energy. The female body is created to release tension and trauma with the very movement of your hips! Connect with your inner Goddess! 🐄 Symbols for Hathor: Cows, Sun disk with Cow Horns, Lotus Flower, Sistrum, Protective Cobra, Mirrors, and Cosmetic jars.

Why the cow? 🐄

🐄 Ancient Kemet (Egypt) connected their Gods to the natural skills, gifts, and talents of the animals within their ecosystem. This is the reason their Gods’ are called Neter, like “Nature". (For example: Lions of Leo are native to Africa) 🐄 The African cattle breed: “Ankole-Watusi" has female cows with very large horns… similar to the male bull. These horns are depicted holding the sun disk upon the head of Hathor, (as seen above & below in the Egyptian bas reliefs).

🌷Cows are the mothers!🌷

┈➤ Bulls are the male cow. Heifers are the females without offspring.

🐄 The natural feminine physical traits associated with the cow are: plush eyelashes, a pretty symmetrical face, pronounced nipples that produce milk, and wide hips. 🐄 However, the cow also provides fertilizer, which brought forth the agriculture of the African Nile Valley. The cow , not bull...is a perfect fertility symbol.

Hathor provides the Pharaoh the ANKH or “Venus planet symbol.” ♀ (see below)

Bas Relief of the goddess Hathor, Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, c251 BC-c246 BC

"soft life"🐄

🐄 I imagine a Taurus (or 2nd houser) thriving in the energy of the cow, frolicking the lush green lands, eating their fill, and providing nourishment. If the 5 senses of a Taurus are satisfied, they are content. 🐄 They will create this value around them, often ensuring that their spaces smell good, the food is prepared excellently, and only the best to drink it down. Access to a Taurus is access to their natural value. 🐄 They will bless you with gifts that you need because they care enough to pay attention and want to increase your value too.. all while being loyal! I love Taurus energy, so similar to cancer... but less mood swings.

(noun). a person, especially a woman, who pursues a lifestyle of buying luxury items or of seeking them as gifts from lovers and admirers.

🐄 Taurus most often manifests Venusian gifts in the physical and sensual. This can be "classically" feminine physical traits, such as wider hips or ample bosoms, etc. On a negative, these traits can be hyper-sexualized or demonized while they are young, like their sister sign, Scorpio. But, it can also be literal material gifts and blessings.

🐄 On a positive, Venus will bless them with options! Many suitors will present these Earthly gifts, writing love poems to woo the feminine cow. Taurus may find pride in the flattery that comes with this treatment and beauty privilege. They are used to being adored (unless badly aspected).

Beware the love Bomb.

🐄 In love, these cows are especially vulnerable to being victims of love bombing. (When a potential suitor bombards one too quickly with serious promises, excessive flattery, and material gifts. This can be friends as well.🧿) The key here is to not allow flattery to falsely parade as love.

🐄 Taurus (2nd house) carries a natural royal energy and an air of grace. It’s your silent, but solid confidence of being a fixed sign. They are extremely loyal when they consider you kin. However, this dogmatic belief system can result in you charging your horns into sketchy territory. This reminds me of John Snow and his “honor” energy (from Game of Thrones).

it’s nearly impossible to change your mind.🌸

🐄  In love, this can be ignoring all of your friends over a partner who is not good for you. You find yourself giving all of your love, loyalty, and even money (most have a language of gift giving and receiving) to an undeserving soul. On the bright side, these tragedies will result in a tower moment marked with major transformation (also like sister sign Scorpio).🌷 🐄 Ultimately, I feel and often see that the Taurus (2nd house) native will be challenged to vacate the creature comforts in which they enjoy in order to transform like their sister sign, Scorpio. When in doubt, do NOT choose the Hephaestus (safe choice).

"Queen of the Earth"

libra: moral scales ⚖️

MA'AT (Ancient Egyptian Goddess rules balance, justice, harmony, law, order, and morality.) She is depicted as a maiden adorned with beautiful wings, very similar to Isis.

⚖️ I often find my beautiful Libran queens confused about the meaning of the scales and how it connects to femininity. I hope to be a light bearer. ⚖️ Ma'at represents the typical light feminine attributes in my opinion (elegance, forgiveness (justice), and nurturing energy (Venus). Similar to Librans, who inherently know how to enact these gifts create harmony in their social spaces and float amongst varying personalities. (Think: Lady Liberty or Lady Justice). However, the sign is the masculine side of Venus.

Mythological Origins:

⚖️ Ma'at is also a daughter of Ra, sometimes written as his wife. She manifested with Ra from the waters of Nun (Chaos). Her existence brought order to the realms . She is often depicted holding an ANKH and a scepter to symbolize power and eternal life. (See Below) Some sources say that she was married to Thoth (Mercury) and birthed 8 children, known as "The eight gods of Hermopolis." (Just like Aphroditopolis)

Why the Queen of the Earth?

⚖️ As mentioned, Ma'at was said to be present at the beginning. She was present when Ra stood upon her "mound" (seen above) for balance as he created the realm of Earth... ending chaos. This placed the Goddess in charge of the cycle of seasons, the movements of the sun, moon and stars, all parts of religion, relationships, and the moral actions of both mortal and God-alike. This is very powerful!

⚖️ The Libra native can carry very similar themes. In life, they may feel the need to regulate amongst their social circles and be the organized hostess. Cardinal energy blesses them with the drive to girl boss through anything!

⚖️ The ethical and spiritual foundation of Ancient Kemet was presented by a woman. The head of religious worship and justice was called "Priest of Ma'at". From this, you gather that Ancient Kemet was nothing as Egypt is today in terms of equality for women. Women were free to own their own properties, businesses, marry one-another, divorce their husbands, and even rose to be Pharaoh like in the case of Pharaoh Hatshepsut. (personal fave)

Why the scales? ⚖️

The Libran scales literally determined if a soul had lived their life with balance and morality! (7th House).

⚖️ The actions and morality of the Ancient Egyptian people were guided by a set list of commandments, known as the "42 Laws of Ma'at". These ancient texts predate the Bible, but have uncanny similarity in diction to the 10 Commandments. ⚖️ It was believed that Upon death, before one could enter the Duat (Underworld), the heart was weighed on the scales of Osiris (God of the Underworld) in comparison to a single feather of Ma'at. Osiris is linked to Saturn which is exalted in Libra. The weighing was done by Anubis (God of funerary practices and care of the dead).

“light as a feather”🪶

⚖️ If the heart weighed less or the same, the spirit was granted access to Aaru (a sort of heaven). This explains the scales of LIbra. If it did not, the heart was eaten and the native faded into nothingness.

(noun) a woman who acts as master of ceremonies, moderator, or who receives and entertains guests in her own home or elsewhere.

⚖️ The mythology of Ma'at is excellent... a little too excellent. She is like the oldest and favorite daughter who must be 100% perfect. Many Libra's may have father or projection issues in this way. The expectation of excellence begets pressure! ⚖️ This carries over into the relationships of course. This balancing act is where things get tricky for the Libra. This can manifest as people pleasing to keep the peace with friends, family, romantic partners, or co-workers. There can be a distaste for controversy or not wanting to damage the public image. It gives "Dollhouse" by Melanie Martinez vibes at its worse. Rich Auntie vibes at it's best!

Their scales will be tipped. ⚖️

⚖️ The Libras/7th housers will find themselves in situations where they have to STAND on their boundaries. It's like a self-actualization that has to happen. Venus is teaching them to respect and protect their Venusian gifts. Similar to Taurus. Venusian energy will bless you with generous suitors. BEWARE THE LOVEBOMBERS. ⚖️ They bear the reputation of almost needing to be in a relationship. This is obviously due to the 7th house ruling, but also stems from it's less favorable position with the sun.(Father). It is also kind of true, because it is apart of your life path. ⚖️ While it can be painful to have to experience relationship after relationship, these are apart of your life path and contribute to your glow up! To love and be loved is truly a blessing. You guys are blessed with so many loving friendships and romantic experiences!

Regina George?

⚖️ There can be some performative behavior and some judgment! After all, this is scales. Blessed with beauty, style, and grace... they can end up judging those who aren't. Mean Girl vibes. But, I believe this comes from the Libran urge to judge and lead the masses LOL. Ma'at energy. ⚖️ Despite any of this, Libra is the least slandered amongst the air signs (unless it’s Libra moon… I see quite a bit of slander? LOL.) Ma'at seems to bless the Libran with this air of favor. It's like they can really do no wrong, even sometimes after doing so. People are going to think the better of them 9/10 because the Libra has already established their character and value amongst social groups. The air just adds a bit more flow, allowing more harmonious energy in their relations.

Conclusion

♀ The intention of this post is to shed some light on lesser known mythology and symbolism of the planet Venus. I also believe that it is worth noting a very beautiful pattern among Venus and her signs.

♀ The Libran scales and Taurus Cow horns both resemble the female reproductive system. They also resemble the African Ankh symbol (of fertility and eternal life). Nature makes no mistakes and everything has duality, just as the Ancient Egyptians understood so well. It’s beautiful. (See below).

Thank you for reading!! Wishing you blessings!

@thesirenisles | masterlist | Enjoyed? Support!🧜🏾‍♀️

All rights reserved. © 2024 The Siren Isles

[chthonic-sorcery]

PSA for new Pagans❗️🚩🚩🚩

(Overlooked pagan holidays)

Paganism isn't a singular religion,

it is an umbrella term for thousands of different pre-christian polytheistic faiths that span Antiquity. Heathenry (Norse polytheism) Mesopotamian, Phonecian, Hellenic Polytheism, Kemeticism/Netjerism, Slavic Polytheism, Celtic, Roman, Basque, etc. It goes on and on. Sometimes, these religions are even combined or synchronized, like Greco-Egyptian polytheism.

So, no, not all pagans celebrate Yule, or Beltane, or whatever.

Yule itself seems to be more of a Wiccan (new age) revival than a continued tradition.

There are quite literally thousands of holidays and traditions celebrated that no one talks about because people, especially newer converts, seem to believe paganism is its own singular religion.

So, here are some of my favorite holidays I celebrate that aren't usually talked about:

The Anthesteria:

A 3 day drunken celebration in honor of Dionysus and the Dead. Houses would be decorated with spring flowers, ghosts swept from the home; feasting and drinking no matter your status, and offerings given to the Dead and the Furies so that may not harm you, as they were said to roam the earth at this time.

Tar/pitch was also spread onto doorframes and black hellebore was hung to protect the home.

It was held each year from the 11th to the 13th of the month of Anthesterion, around the time of the first full moon of the year.

The Haloea:

The closest Greek equivalent of "Yule" celebrating the winter solstice and which honored Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, crops, fertility, and harvest.

During the festival, people would celebrate by preparing a rich meal with dough cakes in the shape of genitalia, telling lusty jokes and swearing with vulgarity, singing, drinking, and dancing.

The festival took place in Athens and ended in Eleusis during the month of Poseideon, which is December.

The Dionysia:

where plays originated! Comedy, tragedy, and drama.

The Festival of Dionysus, otherwise known as the “Greater Dionysia” took place in the spring (around our March) when playwrights would compete to entertain Athenian citizens,

complete with parades of giant phalluses and sacrifices of bulls!

The Feat of Sekhmet:

an annual festival at the beginning of the year, which began around August for the Egyptians following Wep Ronpet, or the New Year.

The festival was a time of drunkeness with red beer and wine, where Egyptians would dance, play music.

The goal was to imitate the drunkenness that had once stopped the goddess Sekhmet from destroying humanity.

According to Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet became so bloodthirsty from humanity betraying her father Ra, that she nearly destroyed all humans on Earth. The other deities asked Ra to stop her, and he eventually pacified her by making her believe the wine or beer was blood and she drank herself to sleep, turning into either Hathor or Bastet.

the Aphrodisia:

The festival of Aphrodite! The festival occurred during the month of Hekatombaion, which modern scholars recognize as starting from the third week in July to the third week of August.

the first ritual of the festival would be to purify the temple with the blood from a dove, the sacred bird of Aphrodite. Afterwards, worshipers would carry sacred images of the goddess, as well as Peitho, in a procession to be washed.

During the festival it was not permitted to make bloody sacrifices, since the altar could not be polluted with the blood of the sacrifice victims, which were usually white male goats.

This of course excludes the blood of the sacred dove, made at the beginning of the ritual to purify the altar. In addition to live male goats, worshipers would offer fire, flowers, and incense.

This was even celebrated in Thebes, Egypt, where Aphrodite had a large cult following.

Wep Ronpet:

Wep Ronpet is the Kemetic New Year.

It falls usually somewhere btwn late July and mid-August. The date for Wep Ronpet varies each year, as it is marked by the rising of Sopdet, modernly known as Sirius. Wep Ronpet is in fact one day long.

However, there are 5 days of excitement leading up to Wep Ronpet that we typically call the Epagomenal Days, or the Intercalary Days.

The Epag. days came about from a myth where Nut got pregnant with 5 kids. Ra got upset about this and forbade her from giving birth on any day of the year. Thoth, being the tricky guy that he is played a game of Senet with the moon, and upon winning this game of Senet, he received a small portion of the moon which he used to create an extra 5 days which she can use to birth her five children.

Traditionally, these days are said to be a little weird because they are ‘outside of the norm’. Usually great care was taken not to take too many risks.

So, each day is dedicated to the god that was born on that particular day. The order that it goes in is:

Osiris

Heru-wer (Horus the Elder)

Set

Aset

Nebhet (Nephthys)

Normally, celebrations of Wep Ronpet include prayers to Sekhmet against the 7 arrow or plagues of the year: libations and offerings to the Netjeru, song, dance, feast.

Ritual bathing for purification is sometimes done afterwards.

Personally, I like to perform execration, banishing all the illness, negativity and harm from the previous and coming year.

[cloudselkie]

Worshipping the gods doesn't have to be super serious devotion level worship all the time. I see some people worry about having "too many deities", but you don't have to have a close relationship with a deity to work with them or pray to them. In fact, it was more common in ancient times to NOT be devoted to any specific deity at all if you weren't some kind of religious figure, like a priest or priestess. Most of the time, there were certain deities that a person would favor, but their worship was not the in-depth type of devotion we see on witchblr a lot. In fact, ancient people sometimes went to a temple for a specific god once in their whole life to pray for something very specific and give offerings and then never needed that specific deity ever again. That's the very nature of these large pantheons. You will have favorites, but even then, you don't NEED to be devoted to them to ask for their help or pray to them.

I say this as mostly a Greco-Roman polytheist, but I'm sure it applies to other large pantheons as well. And, as always, certain gods may be an exception to the rule and require more, both historically and UPG-wise. But it is still a good general rule of thumb. There is no pressure to find a patron or become a devotee of any deity, unless you truly desire to do so.

[sleepnowmychild]

Sometimes I think about the fact that if Rome never became catholic/Christian back in ancient times, I’d probably have been raised Helpol…

[renegade-hierophant]

Sphinx of Pharaoh Amenemhat III (Imn-m-ḥꜣt, “Amun is in the front,” 12th dynasty, ruled 1829-1799 BCE), who would become divinized and worshipped in the Fayyum lake region of Egypt well into the Greco-Roman period and known in Greek as Poimandres (Ποιμάνδρης), from Egyptian pr-ꜥꜣ (ni)-mꜣꜥt-rꜥ, “Pharaoh of the Ma’at of Ra,” which was his ruling throne name.

In the Fayyum there are statues of him standing together with the god Thoth (Greek Hermes) next to a larger statue of Sobek (Suchos), the primordial deity.

[paganpillar]

Your sweet melody is that of the meadowlark bird, and it is the sweetest hymn I've ever heard.

[actualarcanist]

Norse Symbolism in Reverse: 1999

Sorry, this post has nothing to do with Erick since I still hasn't even saw her anecdote. However, I did notice that the Insight symbol is a Valknut, which has several interesting implications. The symbol of three interlocked triangles is so ancient its name and meaning are lost to history, with the term "Valknut" ("knot of the slain") being a modern creation representing its connection to the Norse god Odin, which connects it linguistically to both his Valkyries ("choosers of the slain") and his Valhalla ("hall of the slain"). Now Odin as a deity is a lot more complex than what white supremacists would have you think.

When you max out a character in the game, they reach "the bottom of insight." Why bottom of Insight instead of the peak of insight or the perfection of insight? Is it because they're all bottoms? This may allude to the story of how Odin put one of his eyes at the bottom of the Well of Mimir for a drink from the spring of wisdom; henceforth, while the eye in his head looks down upon the happenstance of the phenomenal world from the height of Asgard, his eye at the bottom of the well looks up and see the essence of all things. In the words of the Apeiron School, his lost eye sees gnosis while his good eye sees pneuma. In fact, the root word of the name "Odin" means "breath, spirit, life force", which is equivalent to the Greek word pneuma.

The well at the bottom of the world tree Yggdrasil is the dwelling of the three Norns of fate: Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. Originally they're described as gardeners who irrigate the root of the world tree with the water from the well, but with the introduction of Greco-Roman mythologies by ways of Christian missionaries, the figures of the Norns eventually became synthesized and conflated with the Greek Moirai, who are described as seamstresses who spin, weave, and cut the threads of fate for gods and mortals alike. The combination of these mythologies conjure the image of the Norns as seamstresses who spin the loom of destiny over the water at the bottom of the well, similar to the loom suspended over a lake in Vertin's suitcase.

One of Odin's most intriguing aspect is as the wanderer, who seems to be absent from Asgard and the company of the gods most of the time as he wanders the worlds in various disguises, testing the limits to the sanctity of hospitality - a necessary survival skill in the harsh cold of the North. As the wanderer, Odin is often depicted as wearing a wide-brimmed hat that occlude his missing eye, like how Vertin's pimp hat sometimes occlude one of her eyes. Odin is not actually that concerned with the disputes between mortals or even gods; for the most part, he has only one job: preparing for Ragnarok, the war between the gods and Jotnar that will see the world being remade. Jotnar, often translated as giants, are similar to the Greek Titans: living embodiment of outsize concepts such as fate, time, or storm.

[ad-caelestia]

What is a Cosmic Witch? ✨🔮

updated post

A cosmic witch, by my own definition, is a witch who utilizes planetary and celestial energy in their practice. While some witches tend to feel a connection with elements like earth, air, fire, and water, cosmic witches feel this connection with celestial bodies instead.

Some practitioners who practice planetary magic focus on the seven classic “planets” (I know the sun and moon aren’t planets but: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn), whereas a cosmic witch might include the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) as well.

A cosmic witch may also utilize the energy of other celestial bodies when appropriate, such as comets, asteroids, meteors, supernovas, stars/star clusters, galaxies, black holes, etc. We may not be able to see these specific occurrences with the naked eye (most of the time), but we know they exist and can harness energy from them when we see fit.

A cosmic witch may use a combination of both astrology and astronomy in their practice. The big difference here is that astrology, by definition, is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world; which can be seen as a form of divination. Astronomy, on the other hand, is a science that examines the positions, motions, and properties of these celestial bodies.

Astrology may be a cosmic witch’s preferred form of divination, but other mediums can be used. I like to use an oracle deck whose meanings are based on astrology, but I also enjoy using Elder Futhark runes and tarot cards. Perhaps a cosmic witch with a strong affinity for Lunar or Neptunian energy might take up water scrying; a cosmic witch who connects with Jupiter may want to use a pair of dice or playing cards; a cosmic witch who connects with Plutonian energy may utilize reading bones as a form of divination, etc.

Cosmic witches may worship deities and call upon them for assistance, the most common and relatable being those of Greco-Roman origin considering the planets were named after Roman and Greek Gods. Many cosmic witches may lean towards paganism, pantheism, or astrolatry but religious affiliation is not required and we are not bound by such.

Aside from deities, the belief in alien beings is totally plausible in the same way that some witches believe in fae or angels.

Cosmic witches are not limited to what kind of items they use in their practice: herbs, crystals, incense, sigils, charged water, and other things can be used to utilize and represent celestial energy.

The timing used for spells can be based on a variety of things, such as planetary positions/alignments, lunar cycles, days of the week as they correspond to the planet the day was named for, or planetary hours.

Astral travel is useful for cosmic witches if they decide to travel within the cosmos, being able to “visit” and visualize the different celestial bodies in their own way.

Cosmic witches may use celestial energy to ground, center, and cleanse themselves (and other objects), instead of “earth grounding” or other common methods.

This was adapted from an ask I received in ~2016.

© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 𝙰𝙳-𝙲𝙰𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰

[coinandcandle]

Hathor Deep Dive

One of the most popular deities in Ancient Egypt and still popular among Kemetic followers today, Hathor (𓉡) is the Egyptian Goddess of women, love, and many other things.

Let’s get to know this Kemetic queen!

Parents and Siblings

Ra is her father in most mythology

Shu (brother)

Tefnut (sister)

Sekhmet (sister)

Mafdet (sister)

Bastet (sister)

Satet (sister)

Anhur (brother)

Ma'at (sister)

Mut (sister)

Lovers or Partners

Due to her role as a “queen” goddess, she often subsumed the role of other goddesses and was commonly said to be the wife of whoever the ruling god of the city was.

Horus the Elder - The most popular version

Thoth - in Hermopolis

Atum

Amun

Khonsu

Children

Ihy

Neferhotep of Hu

Horus the Child (sometimes)

Epithets

Being as popular and ancient comes with many names, here is a non-exhaustive list of some:

Lady of Dendera

Eye of Ra (an epithet shared with other goddesses)

Lady of the sky

Ruler of all gods

Lady of the Two Lands

Lady of bread, who brews beer

Lady of Dance

Ruler of the jba-dance

Lady of drunkenness

Lady of making music

Lady of jubilation

Ruler of joy

The Primeval

The Lady of All

Lady of the West

Lady of the Holy Country

The Foremost One in the Barque of Millions

The Distant Goddess

Hathor of the Sycamore

Lady of the Southern Sycamore

Hathor of the Sycamore in All Her Places

Hathor in All Her Places

Hathor Mistress of the Desert

Hathor Mistress of Heaven

Notes

Hathor’s worship likely started in the early dynastic times.

Her name means “Estate/House of Horus”--referring to both the sky and the royal family.

She is one of the oldest gods in the comedic pantheon.

She is depicted as a woman with a bull's head, a woman with cow ears, a cow, a woman with cow horns and a sundisc.

She was also portrayed as a lioness, a serpent, a papyrus plant and a sycamore tree.

She is associated with the constellation Ursa Major or Mesketiu.

She is regarded as a goddess of love, fertility, marriage and motherhood.

She was also known as a goddess of gratitude and as a sky goddess.

She also represents a vengeful aspect protecting Ra from his enemies.

She would be considered a psychopomp helping deceased souls transition to the afterlife.

In Greco-Roman times, she was seen as a manifestation or another version of Aphrodite.

She is also the goddess of pleasure and music with the sistrum being an important part of her worship.

Her imagery was found often on beer or wine containers, and she is linked to alcohol.

She is often seen wearing a menat, which is a beaded necklace representing rebirth.

Hawthorne's cult became popular in the 4th and 5th dynasty, and her cult believed that she played a huge role in the creation of the universe. They also believed due to her role in the creation of the Earth that she is her own mother.

She was considered to some as being connected to foreign lands.

She is often misrepresented and conflated with Isis.

She was the main deity in Gebelein, Denderah, and had separate temples in Memphis and Heliopolis.

Her most prominent temple was located in Denderah.

In Imu/Kom el-Hisn she was fused with Sekhmet.

Daily offerings were common in Ancient Egypt.

Goods such as incense, semi precious stones and other votive offerings were a part of her worship.

She is connected to the dead and said to nourish those in the afterlife by providing food and milk from her seven sacred cows.

These these seven cows were called the Seven Hawthorns and were named in the Book of the Dead: 

Lady of the Universe

Sky-storm

The Hidden One-Presiding Over her place

“You from Khemmis”

Red-hair

Bright-red

"Your Name Prevails Over the West."

The Seven Hathors may or may not also represent the Pleiades constellations. The Seven Hathors were said to have a red ribbon that binds evil.

She was often depicted wearing red, the color of passion.

She is honored in the festival of sacred marriage, which is 18 days into the month of Paoni.

As mentioned earlier, she often absorbed the roles of other goddesses as her popularity grew. Some of these roles included Seshat's role of a witness at the judgment of the dead.

While she was worshiped among all social classes. She was especially popular among the poor.

She had both priests and priestesses, which was uncommon since most clergy had to be the same sex as the god they served.

In the funerary text known as the Book of the Heavenly Cow, her father, Ra, sends her to punish humans for plotting against his rule. She is sent as Sekhmet, the lioness goddess, and massacres the rebellious humans relentlessly. But in order to prevent the wiping out of all of humanity, Ra orders that beer be dyed red and poured all over the land to mimic blood for the (literally) blood-thirsty goddess. Sekhmet then sees the “blood” and drinks all of it. In an inebriated state she passes out and reverts to a benign and calm Hathor.

Correspondences

Rocks/crystals/metals

Selenite, hematite, gold, turquoise

Plants

Papyrus, sycamore tree, lotus flower

Animals

Bull, cow, snake

Symbols

Sistrum, Bull horns with sundisc

Offerings

Milk

Gold

Makeup

Mirrors

Beads

Incense

Stones, especially those worn by royalty in Ancient Egypt such as turquoise or carnelian.

Jewelry

Acts of Devotion

Read the Book of the Heavenly Cow

Daily prayers

Show and share gratitude

Donate either money, clothes, or time to those less fortunate

Dance

Play music

Create a song for her (or a playlist!)

References and Further Reading

Ancient Egypt Online - Hathor

Britannica - Hathor

Hathor and Music

Hathor Epithets

Music and Dance in Ancient Egypt

Mythopedia - Hathor

The Complete Gods And Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Umair Mirza

The Pleiades: the celestial herd of ancient timekeepers. By Amelia Sparavigna

Wikipedia