#hellenism has made me feel so much better about my life-

[rivermoonmythos]

Tarot with Lady Athena today :) she's made me feel way better about something going on in my life...im so thankful for her

[khaire-traveler]

Hello there! I'm very new to hellenic polytheism and came across a question that I am not sure how to approach. I would be really grateful if you could let me know your thoughts on this (please don't feel obligated or anything, tho. I know I am just a random person asking a random question 🫣). So, for a while now, I've been getting more into greek mythology and from there into fandoms that depict the deities (e.g. Epic the musical which I love a lot). Would you say it is inappropriate to seek out fanfiction or fanart (especially those including ships) in those fandoms, or should I refrain from doing that as it would be disrespectful? Or are there limits I should be aware of? Thank you so much should you choose to answer this 💜 (I apologise for missing paragraphs. I am not sure how to do those on mobile.) (Also, is there a right way to end these kinds of letters/messages/questions? Like a way to express my gratefulness?) (Sorry if none of this makes sense. I always get anxious messaging strangers, but I couldn't find answers anywhere, so I thought I'd just ask🫣)

Khaire, Melie!

Ah, yes. The age-old question. How sinful is fanfiction, exactly? /joke (wanted to start this off light-hearted)

In all seriousness, I'll start with this: If you want to know how the gods feel about it, ask them. There is no better answer than the one that comes directly from the source. I understand the nerves around asking this question; some Hellenic Polytheists feel VERY strongly about it, and honestly, seeing their strong opinions has made me doubt my own interests in such media. Remember that some rando's opinion online, however, isn't the law, regardless of how strongly they feel about it or how desperately they want you to do exactly what they're doing. Opinions are opinions; facts are facts - they are separate things. Personally - and this is MY opinion -I think never engaging with modern media depicting the gods is a little too strict of an approach, and by following that, I feel that a lot of people are banning themselves from engaging with fictional media that they might enjoy. Each piece of modern media about the gods is a creative interpretation of Greek mythology, and people have been doing this kind of thing with other religions - that they don't believe in - for AGES. It's entirely normal, even if it is kind of annoying sometimes. Now, some retellings, games, shows, etc. genuinely take things too far, in my opinion, and warp the mythology so completely that it might as well be a different story entirely. I'm bordering on a tangent, so I'll move on.

Modern media about the gods isn't an inherently abhorrent, evil thing that should always be avoided, however, but personally, I do draw the line of engagement at shipping.

First and foremost, live your life the way you want to. Engage with your practice however you wish. I'm not the law-maker of this religion - no one is - and while I might disagree with someone's approach, I'm not going to shit all over them for doing things differently from myself. Now, into my opinion. I don't think shipping gods - be it from a modern form of media or not - that you worship is appropriate, personally. In my experience, it will blur your actual perception of those gods. I've seen it happen over and over again that people confuse the fictional representation of their God in media with the actual god, then feel the need to distance themselves from the media in order to regain something they feel that they lost. Like I said, you do whatever you wish, but I find it's just better to avoid the awkwardness of shipping entirely.

If you want to read fanfiction about the gods in fictional media, go for it, but I'm not personally a big fan of that. I don't know how the gods feel about it; I can't speak for them (no one can). For all I know, they could be reading the fanfiction themselves and laughing their asses off, who knows? But as a worshipper, I'm not personally comfortable with the idea of reading it. Again, do what you want with your life. If you want to read some spicy fanfic of one god with another, I'm literally not going to stop you, but make sure you're able to separate the fictional characters from the gods you actually worship before you do so - that's my advice. Too often, people end up conflating the two. When a fandom or fanfiction begins affecting your worship, practice, or even just the way you view the gods, that's when it's a problem.

I think the community has been torn on the topic of modern media for a while. Some people love it, while others utterly despise it, and you'll notice that answers will vary from person to person. In my opinion, these pieces of media become problematic when they swarm the fuck out of a small religious community that already struggles to be taken seriously. An example of this is what happened with Lore Olympus a while back. When the comic got popular, a ton of people would swarm and attack worshippers of Apollo online, calling them all sorts of extremely vile things, all because of a comic that literally wasn't even mythologically accurate. In my opinion, fandoms can get out of control sometimes, and when you're engaging with one based around the gods, I advise you to just be careful and aware. For some people, fanart and fanfiction of the gods are extremely uncomfortable, similarly to if someone were to ship Buddha with Jesus in the regard that it just...feels weird for people who actually worship those figures. Other people could care less, being able to fully separate the fictional characters from the gods they worship. Base it on your comfort, and the comfort of your gods.

I hope this helped to give you my perspective. I'm not going to tell you what is or isn't the right choice because honestly, different people will give you a different answer, and I'm anything but a religious authority. You're allowed to do as you wish, but I will always advise you to tread with caution and check in with yourself about how it feels for you personally. Reach out to your gods and directly ask them (such as through tarot, or another form of divination), "Hey, how do you feel about me engaging with this?" Asking directly is ALWAYS a good idea, in my experience. Take care, Melie. 🧡

[wordsmithic]

Hi, sorry if this comes out as a ramble, but your Troy ask made me rewatch the movie (for the umpteenth time, lol), and it brought a lot of old feelings back, both good and bad. The good is how much I adored the Iliad as a child and that's something that still thrives today—since I was a kid, I loved Greek mythology in general, partly because I'm Palestinian/a fellow Eastern Mediterranean, so there is a lot of overlap in our histories, cultures, customs and myths, but the Iliad has always been a favorite. Hektor is my favorite character (and I love him and Andromache), but I also have an immense soft spot for Briseis... and now to get to the bad, rewatching Troy reminded me how a lot of people erase her and her role—and her romance—to Achilles in modern retellings. Now, I'm not going to argue which Achilles ship is the best (especially because that man is a hoe, if we're being honest), I don't care. My problem is the modern erasure of Briseis and the other women in Achilles's life that are romantically entangled with him being reduced to, "He's gay, actually." It reads biphobic if you believe him queer (Patroclus too, who had many named women concubines/slaves), first off, misogynist second. He has a son with his foster "sister," Deidamia, and in some versions even married. In the Iliad especially, Patroclus tells Briseis Achilles will marry her and Achilles himself refers to her as his wife/bride, stopping a whole war when she's taken, and she's even allowed to aid in Patroclus's funeral rights. In some versions, Achilles falls for Polyxena, and tries to make peace with Troy so he can marry her. In the afterlife, Achilles chooses Helen as his wife for some reason. Just... all these women, with complex situations and feelings, are all reduced or erased in modern tellings (and usually for a man/Patroclus), and it makes me want to scream. People use the excuse of, "We don't like the romantic situation they're in," but then claim to "better" it by... erasing or reducing these women and their complex roles and feelings from the story overall? Brieseis, for example, mutually loved Achilles and saw him as a husband... he also killed her first husband and brothers, and you can argue part of her love is out of the need for survival. Yet, she greatly mourned him when he was killed, too. And if exploring this complexity is still not your yum, what about Polyxena? Wouldn't she fit the girlboss archetype of using Achilles' affections to gain his trust, before stabbing him in the back (literally)? Or Deidamia, who's young and left at home, bereft of her husband and son? Heck, try and fill in the gaps how Achilles x Hellen happened, if you must. All these women have an important role in the story, and to Achilles, that could be explored—but people don't because they dismiss what's already there or don't know anything about The Iliad outside modern retellings (mainly The Song of Achilles). So, we get people claiming things that are untrue ("Achilles and Patroclus are exclusively gay!"... in some myths, they're actually relatives/distant cousins, fun fact 😭), and acting like they fixed something by "adding" onto "flat female characters" in a way that reads inauthentic and ignorant to the source material. I get wanting to prop up one's chosen ship, it's just the hypocrisy of promising to be more progressive in one area, but diminishing the progressiveness of another, that kills me. Anyway! Sorry for the rant, I just have a lot of feelings I wanted to share because of the movie and I know you've talked about all this before—it's just something hard to discuss on the internet without people coming down your throat 🥲. Anyhow, justice for Briseis, is my rallying cry, I love her so much, queen made a whole war stop for her and managed to escape from Agamemnon unscathed. Queen who launched a thousand ships to my heart 🫶🏻.

I'm glad you re-watched it! It's a beloved of many Greeks since the movie is quite epic and makes you understand some of the original's glory. Hector, Andromache and Briseis are some of my fave characters in the movie, and it made me also look out for those characters when they appear in the text.

Btw, I would love to know a Palestinian's pov on our shared traditions and myths, how do you guys learn the Greek myths, what parts of them have had perhaps an affect on your heritage and since when, etc! 😍

Briseis' situation is complicated one because many people won't catch the nuance of her living in a patriarchal society as a war captive and thus developing a strange co-dependence to her captors. In addition, the Homeric Epics are a work changed by time in the Greek society, as people added and altered stuff, so many storylines have been affected by other layers of patriarchal societies. So of course the notion of "slave girl mourning her captor's friend" would seem natural, because they probably don't consider a slave woman's POV. Or perhaps she was in the mourning because she had to be there as a woman "belonging" to the Greeks, and the text does not mention it explicitly because it a given for the era. (I don't recall the whole relevant text sorry)

I am not sure if the average author - judging by what is published in the Anglophone market - can handle the complexity of Briseis and other women in the Trojan war. For Briseis one could go for a romance there but they'd have to depict all of her psychosynthesis properly, so it doesn't come off as "Achilles killed my family but he is hot so I love him". To be fair, it is a challenging task but I am still sad that I haven't heard retellings that do this well. Such a retelling done well would be chef's kiss!

As you said, unfortunately, the writers for now focus on the couple Achilles x Patroclus which, ok, let's accept it since it's a ship and there is some background to it (although those guys are most likely 1) cousins 2) very close to each other like brethren in a way westerners misinterpret). I've enjoyed Song of Achilles and I am surely not against such works, but you are right that the female heroines are reduced to flat characters. A fandom full of women manages to be misogynistic - again. We shouldn't be surprised because misogynistic influences are very strong in our societies still, although many don't see it 😕

[hellenicrisis]

Hi! I've been debating worshipping Jesus alongside my hellenic deities. I'm just wondering, would it be odd for me to not consider the Bible word of God? I know it has been translated and re-written and I think of the Bible the same way I think of greek myths. Also, any advice on dealing with the idea of sin? I didn't grow up with the idea of sin and for some reason the idea of being born impure keeps messing up my thought process.

Thank you so much! and Happy Easter!

Hi there sunshine! ☀️

I don't know how long this has been in my inbox, so thank you for waiting until I came back from my break during Lent. Happy Easter to you too!

I don't think it's odd at all for someone blending Christian and pagan practices to view the Bible the way you do. I personally view the Bible as the word of man inspired by God, similar to the Greek myths as you mentioned. I have a post talking about that here, if you want to hear my thoughts.

The idea of sin also took me a while to wrestle with as I wasn't raised with it either. I can tell you what I believe and maybe it'll give you some clarity or comfort. Personally, I don't think we are born impure or that our flesh is vile. I believe that we are made in the image of the gods (Jesus and Yahweh included). If the gods crafted us, how are we impure? That never made sense to me.

I do believe however, that in falling away from the gods and not living in accordance with them and with virtue, we can make ourselves impure. I try to follow my gods as closely as possible and live my life in a way that glorifies them. I view things that aren't in accordance with the gods or aren't from them as sins, and I pray to my gods to lead me away from those temptations so that I may be better in their eyes.

The Greeks had similar(ish) concepts called miasma and agos. I have a post here talking about it, if you're interested. To me, learning that the pagans had something like 'sin' made the concept easier to process. But, in my opinion, you don't have to believe that we are born impure to grasp the concept of sin or to worship Jesus. He's a very joyful and patient deity, very much like a teacher or guardian. You'll find your feet with him and if you tumble, he will catch you.

I feel like my answer was a little vague, but those are my general thoughts. These are really important questions and I know I struggled with the same things when I started blending my practices into Christopaganism. Thank you so much for asking, sunshine! Please feel free to reach out again in future!

Khaire! ☀️

[skarlitt]

Hi! I wanted to ask how you figured everything out at the age of 19? I am a bit older yet feel so lost like I’m missing something, how did you figure out Hellenism is right for you? Thank you! Much love :)

Aw this is so sweet omg 🥹 well, if I'm honest, I still feel pretty lost myself half the time haha!

I think firstly, I'm inclined to look for signs/patterns from the gods and hidden meanings in everything. It's a natural habit of mine I guess lmao. Through my constant sign-seeking, I found myself being drawn to Dionysus more and more, and eventually I was finding his symbolism EVERYWHERE. I just had the feeling it was time to reach out to him, and though at this time I didn't know how to conduct a proper offering to a god, I decided it was better to try my best with what little knowledge I had of Hellenism, than to keep ignoring my gut feeling and the signs I was receiving. So I just lit a purple candle I had, made a libation of cheap merlot, and said 'hey, I hear your call Dionysus. I'm grateful for the signs you've given me. You're welcome in this space, if you'd like to be here'. Nothing super ritualistic, I just wanted to be kind. and I still have no clue *why* this pantheon of gods called to me honestly, this has all been super recent. I always knew the Greek myths, but I never had such a thirst for knowledge of these gods till I met Dionysus. But, in short, Hellenism was right for me because it just came into my life lol. I'm not complaining! This is the happiest I've been in a few years. I'm seeing things shift and synchronicities are happening before my eyes in a way that I've never experienced before in my spiritual journey.

Really, I'm just listening all the time. Paying attention to coincidences. And always searching for gnosis! Noticing how certain myths and dreams make me feel, keeping a dream journal, and jotting down little symbols I notice every day on my notes app have been super helpful.

I really don't believe there's a wrong way to do it. If you feel you're missing something, you should search for what it is. I used to spend a lot of time trying to be perfect at the Whole Spirituality Thing- memorizing tarot cards, spending a ton on things I didn't know how to use, etc... and it didn't help me. I think, it's useful to figure out what it is YOU want out of your practice, and stick to your own needs, because that will make a blueprint of what you prioritize and search for on your journey. Or, if you're in similar shoes as me, sometimes you have to sit back and let the practice speak for itself (lmao)! You don't have to have an answer or belief for everything. It's okay if your answer to some of your own questions is 'I don't know yet.' To me, the unknown is what it's all about. I'm just trying to better understand my own gifts cuz I want to serve my purpose to the fullest :)

Thank you for this question, I hope this helps! Sorry it's so long though!

[dionysus-is-my-dude]

Tell me of your love for Dionysus and how it begun (if you are comfortable with sharing) <3

I don't even remember how far back I even learned about Dionysus. It must have been in grade school when we learned about Ancient Greece as part of world history or something. I've been on stage since I was a toddler. My mom had me in ballet, tap, jazz, BOSS, you name it until we finally got me into our local park district's junior theatre. It felt like I was MEANT to be on stage, singing, dancing, performing. I got into Wicca when I was twelve and did a year and a day of training before self-initiating myself at thirteen. I practiced that all the way up until college when I got even more serious about theatre and was taking classes and doing more adult shows. theatre history brought me back to Ancient Greece and really introduced me to Dionysus.

After that, I got into Hellenic Paganism and prayed to Dionysus before shows. I was dealing with a LOT of stress from serious mental illnesses. I'd been diagnosed with depression and anxiety at fourteen, and then, at nineteen, I spent 10 days in a psych ward and got diagnosed with bipolar II, but wasn't told that. So my mental health was plummeting and my only joy in life was theatre. It was like a catch-22, y'know? I didn't have the energy or time outside of being a full-time student in clubs and theatre, plus a part-time job to really get into my practice. It also took SEVERAL years to get on a good medication regiment and getting away from bad therapists and uncaring psychiatrists. I also stopped and started finishing college many times, jumping from job-to-job. I was a MESS.

But, it wasn't until around 2015/2016-ish that I picked back up on Hellenic Polytheism, and I just KNEW from the get-go that Dionysus was my favourite. Theatre? Yes. Madness? Yes. Celebrating life's pleasures? Yes. I was still working on a good medication regiment, struggling to find a therapist, and my bipolar hypomania driving me to make bad choices. To this day, I don't really focus much on rituals, but my love for Dionysus has really just solidified. I now work with my local theatre group -the oldest in my town, whether on-stage or producing. I'd love to work back-stage at some point, as well. I'm now on a much better medication regiment, and I managed to get a virtual psych. I don't have therapy right now, but I'm doing alright right now. I work part-time instead of full-time, prioritize my mental AND physical health, and I practice my craft a bit more, like praying and manifesting. I have e-altars on my Pinterest account for the theoi I work with.

But Dionysus is still my patron god. I think of him everyday. I pray to him before shows still. His push for me to join this theatre group has not only reunited me with an old friend, but has given me a support group I'm so grateful to have. My relationships with my loved ones has improved, and with me working less, I have more time to spend with them. My physical health ain't that great, but my mental health is much better. All of this, I feel like Dionysus has helped provide for me. He has pushed me to reignite my passion for performing, helped me accept and actively work on my mental health, and has made me feel more comfortable in my body and my self-expression. I call him my goofy uncle and "my dude" because, whenever I think of him, normally, I see him dressed in flamboyant leopard prints, smiling wide at me and cheering a glass of wine encouragingly....and then cracks a joke to cheer me up. He makes me feel safe and free and accepted as I am, while still giving me a little nudge to be kinder to myself.

I'm not supposed to drink, so whenever I can, I either get sparkling grape juice or regular grape juice and give him a toast back! Hail Dionysus!

[mariamagdalenagf]

want to preface that this is more of a journaling situation that me making a statement about anything at all so please don't take it that way if you read it

religious ocd & questioning rambling below the cut. Also, please donate to the Palestinian gofundmes I've reblogged, or reblog them yourself if you can't.

so like i have no idea how many of you know me from my last blog, quite a few of you i'm sure, but for those of you who don't, the Lore is that I had a very very traumatising bout of religious ocd when I was like 16/17 that got me diagnosed and made me Sort Of Want to Kill Myself because I forced myself to be a Perfect Catholic for like a year. Including the not being gay bit. anyway to get myself out of it I just did a DIY religious studies degree, learning about every religion I could think of to find a way out-- I was never totally happy being catholic tbc. the first time I can remember feeling awe for a religion was when my school taught us about Islam when I was 12, spent years wishing I'd been born Muslim. Anyhow I went through a long while considering paganism-- Norse and Hellenic-- and then Islam again, and then decided to try to learn about Judaism since I had never learned anything much about it, and I fell so deeply in love with it that I genuinely think it both saved my life and my religiosity. I wouldn't be religious now or healthy now if it weren't for Judaism. I've talked to rabbis briefly and gone back and forth and chosen Hebrew names and gone through cycles and cycles of deciding to convert and backing out etc etc. I'm still Catholic now, five years on, and I do think my personal religion, my personal worldview, whatever, is informed by my being Latine, and by paganism, and in some ways by Islam, but the framework, bedrock, etc-- it *is* Judaism. I've been, lately, growing far more attached to my Catholicism, but it will never be a perfect or full Catholicism. The Church has done unspeakable harm; to me, personally, to my ancestors, is doing harm now-- I am beyond glad that the Church has taken a staunch stance against genocide, but it is impossible to forget that they once committed many, some against my own people. It's hard to forget how easily my love for myself and my faith splinters under the pressure of the company of those I am meant to share this faith with. I have found beautiful community with other religious people of colour and religious lgbt people, but that is never what I have experienced in church irl. Irl, church almost ruined me. It doesn't even matter to me anymore, really. G-d is bigger than that; I don't need anything other than Them and the people I love, and a quiet church to go to when I can. I'd like to get to a place where I can go to Mass without wanting to dissociate but that isn't what is missing. Something will always be missing, because the truth of the matter is that I was born to be no singular thing. Various polytheistic deities have visited my dreams, I read tarot, my mother saw ghosts, I am gay, I would have preferred to have been born a man. I'd like to go to Mass, but I'm never going to fully belong there, or even fully want it as much as I've wanted to be Jewish, which itself feels impossible, but I'm glad to want it-- or have wanted it-- if that makes sense. Wanting that has made me better. Made the rest of it worth it, even if I'm not sure I want it anymore.

It's winter now and G-d feels very close and the only name I have for what I am is Catholic because what else is there. That would be a lot to walk away from, I'm not sure there's anyone who would want to receive me were I to walk toward something else, so that's where I am now. All of this-- it kind of got away from me-- was really to say that the nativity is beautiful, but it feels empty, somehow. I'm glad it's happening, but something essential is rotting in the world, maybe? I don't know. I spent years and years and years refusing to do anything other than love the world, stubbornly, spitefully, and i do love the world but I do think I lost something somewhere over the last two years. Something splintered. The rot's always been there, I guess. I knew that; I'm a result of it. It stains me and my family and my homeland. I once saw someone say that we have always lived in the post-apocalypse which I think is what I have been feeling lately. All is aftermath. It could have been beautiful here, and sometimes it still is. Sometimes I could cry when the air is cold and I'm clean and everything is so quiet, I could cry or sing or just be so still and at peace with just how much I love life, and everyone, and everything. So like, I know it's worth it. I know the beauty will continue. I do think it's important, though, as the year comes to a close, to reckon with everything that's been lost, everything we've never had, everything that hurts.

Anyway, I don't know. None of this is about me. I'm listening to Visions of Gideon, it's December, G-d is rattling in the air with the wind. What else is there to do but think

[oviids]

pls share some of your spn fic recs 🥺🥺

ok, a few things first:

followers and mutuals who do not have supernatural brainworms, kindly avert your eyes

i don’t normally rec or even read much fanfic any more but this is a CRISIS ok (cont.)

there is so. much. content for deancas out there and i have incredibly high standards, several ancient ao3 bookmarks, can speedread, and want to spare you guys the experience of wading through it all.

i also have a section for spn femslash since I was pretty into that back in the day (sadly a lot less fan content for this :/)

I don’t really like au’s or pure smut (I honestly usually just skim or skip those scenes) so if you’re mainly looking for that kind of thing this probably won’t be very helpful to you. jsyk.

i’m not great at describing stuff but i’ll do my best, i’ll also try and add tw’s when neccesary.

i wil try and keep updating this with any other decent fics i find, feel free to rec stuff too since i’m like 7 years behind.(edit 1/25/21) this is getting looooong so i’m going to start making another list on my spn blog rather than update this one

(edit 1/3/21) since this has gotten pretty long i’ve added rating/approximate word counts and marked my particular favorites with an asterisk.

Dean/Cas fic:

So Says The Sword*** - explicit/85k. FUCK its good...au/time travel where dean is not pulled out of hell by cas and says yes to becoming the michael sword. honestly could serve as an alternative to actually watching the show, if you want to get into dean/cas without actually doing that to yourself.

Fata morgana.*  - teen/6k, pst s9 finale. very bela centric and i love it, she finds cas looking for dean in hell.

Redemption Road -misc/600+k. an incredibly long fic from a collaborative writing group back in the day. canon divergent from the end of s6 on, has a cool take on godstiel and the leviathans, as well as the lovecratian mythos connection. ngl when i reread it i only made it about 28% in but imo the casual reader can actually stop around there, the rest concerns a lovecraftian apocalypse that is still good (i think i don’t remember it very well) but not required to enjoy the first half. if you prefer i have an ebook version i can send you on gdrive.

Someone Who's Feeling For Me* - mature/45k, s12. they run into lisa braeden and dean thinks cas is into her while cas thinks dean still likes her. treats lisa way better than the show ever did and the miscommunication is pretty funny rather than annoying.

a turn of the earth - mature/95k. time travel fic where cas from s10 keeps showing up in deans life from a few years before s1 to right before the hellhounds take his soul.  slow burn, good character study, and at one point cas punches the dad in the face and it rules.

On the Wings of War - teen/85k, canon divergent s5. dean accidentally becomes the Horseman of War. plays fun, fast and loose with biblical lore, michael has some rights.

Named - mature/95k, alternate s5. EXTREMELY blasphemous in a fun sexy way. manages to predict metatron almost to a T. there’s one major character death and its literally jesus christ, everyone is very sad about it and it sets the rest of the story rolling. an alternate interpretation of cas’ mission to raise dean from hell which had me on the floor. ngl its kind of misogynistic at points, but its from 2010 and tracks with late oughts-2010 spn (sorry anna the author did you dirty here:/).

The Girlfriend Experience - explicit/15k. uhhh i don’t normally rec or even read smutty stuff unless someone i know is specifically asking for it but this has stuff like sam trying to be a good ally and dean thinking holding hands with cas is ‘kinda gay :/’ minutes after having gay sex with him.

i crippled your heart a hundred times - explicit/19k, s8. cas confesses his feelings and dean spends a long time getting his head out of his ass about it. truly hits different after the actual confession, despite being written six years early it feels like its actually what could have gone down more or less if the writers weren’t talentless demons who hate us.

My Roots Take Flight** - mature/125k. reverse au where cas is a hunter and dean’s an angel...OR IS IT???? an alternate retelling of s4. tw for briefly being set in a psychiatric hospital/the hospital being mentioned somewhat frequently throughout the fic, plus more references to torture in hell and heaven than usual.

The One Thing You Can't Lose* - teen/4k.you know those posts about how cas is a super-strong super-tough ancient warrior but he just lets dean tug him around because he likes it? thats it thats the fic.

Hands, From Which All Things Are Built - teen/14k, post s8′s ‘goodbye stranger.’ cas is on the run with the angel tablet but keeps in touch with sam and dean by text, he and dean still manage to be terrible at Actual communication.

Autrement, Danger - or, The Account of an Exceedingly Long Day - mature/30k, post s11. a monster that takes the appearance of your soulmate leads to some wild miscommunications and dealing with years of repression, also dean gets to see cas’ true form which is always cool. tw for non-graphic mentions of underage sexual assault/sex work.

Down to Agincourt - mature/explicit/900++++k, endverse continuation. endverse!cas survives his encounter with lucifer and discovers another time-displaced dean from s7. i’ve only read the two of four parts but its really good, veeeeery slow burn, has a lot of fun oc’s and takes a rather surprising but (imo) entertaining and intriguing turn into Hellenic history and mythology. usual tw’s for endverse/endverse!cas but nothing graphic, it’s actually pretty light-hearted (relatively speaking of course).

Nothing Equals the Splendor** - explicit/8k, THEE finale fix it fic you’ve been waiting for! posits that the entire final episode was just a (very bad and lame) djinn’s vision.

like moses and batman and james dean - explicit/31k, post s8. explores dean’s trauma and internalized homophoba from his technically canon experience with sex work and its impact on his relationship with cas. the sex work itself isn’t really shown in any detail but it’s still a relatively heavy fic.

Crazy Diamonds - explicit/25k, s4/alternate s14. fresh-out-of-hell dean and dean from 10 years in the future are displaced from time and sent to each other’s present.

where the weeds take root - explicit/30k. au where the men of letters kick them out of the bunker and they accidentally move out into the country, get over their codependence and semi retire. featuring chicken coop building, sam volunteering at a dog shelter, gardening, and blissfully mundane domesticity.

No Resting Place - teen/6k. djinn dream fic, switches back and forth between cas’ dream of being married to dean and retired from hunting to the aftermath when he wakes up. tw for brief mention of suicide since, y’know, djinn dream.

any port in a storm - mature/52k. post s8 finale. cas and dean have to pose as a couple going through a rough patch for a case and actually deal with their emotional baggage, cas struggles with being human and metatron is up to stuff.

all this and heaven too* - explicit/7k. in the author’s own words ‘...a love letter to every trans person who ever projected onto Dean Winchester.’ absolutely unzipped me emotionally and theologically, its just. so good. tw for very brief mentions of internalized transphobia/dysphoria.

Because it is* - mature/6k, finale fix it. killing chuck does not bring back anyone back and the winchesters spend a very long time dealing with what they’ve lost, cas and dean SOMEHOW still manage to have signifigant communication issues even after the confession. tw for suicidal thoughts/brief attempt.

Vena Amoris and Other Old-Fashioned Bullshit* - teen/4k, s6. when cas fell for dean it automatically soulbonded/angel married them, shenanigans ensue when dean finds out during the angel’s civil war. funny and actually written back when s6 was airing so cas is still (or at least pretending to be) kind of an OP asshole which is fun.

Rinse, Repeat - teen/3k, s8. angsty character study of cas as he’s reprogrammed and trained to kill dean. not really dean/cas since its just cas’ pov of canon events but its beautifully written and ends with him snapping out of it through the power of love (also now a canon event!).

Emergence - explicit/59k, canon divergent after s11. dean meets a hunter he only recognizes as their friend claire novak’s missing father, but soon realizes he might be the answer behind the mysterious void in his memories and feelings (aka everyone’s memories of cas are completely wiped away for three years).

Cuckoo And Nest - explicit/10k, early established relationship/character study, cas tries to figure out how he fits into dean’s life and space in the bunker.

Build a Home* - teen/20k, canon divergent s12. sam and eileen are cute and turn the bunker into men of letters/hunters hq and everyone but cas moves in, mutual miscommunication issues and pining ensues.

Down in the River - teen/5k, early s8, cas prays to dean in purgatory while sam and dean try to figure out a way to get him out.

Teaching Poetry to Fish* - mature/52k, ?? BC through the entire series/canon divergent s14 and 15. retelling of crucial scenes throughout the shows timeline from cas’ pov, feat. actual fish and poetry.

the minor fall, the major lift - gen/4k, post confession/finale fixit. dean goes into the empty to save cas and runs into several old friends (and enemies).

With the Kisses of His Mouth* - teen/3k, gen later seasons. dean and cas keep kissing by accident.

Remaining Grace - explicit/109k, alternate s6. au where cas asks dean for help with raphael and dean, of course, does. tw for temporary major character death/semi-graphic depictions of alcohol withdrawal.

The face of heaven.* - teen/10k, au, dean is a regular guy and cas is a fallen star (think ‘stardust’, kinda).

Stories Are Made of Mistakes*  - teen/5k. newly human cas has trouble getting used to a human body and humanity in general, but still figures out that he and dean are A Thing before dean does.

Hurry Up And Wait - mature/21k, canon divergent s12. a fairyland and quite possibly LOTR related case comes up and dean goes full fanboy, mary is introduced to the wonders of the peter jackson adaptions, many references and comparisons (including between cas and dean’s ‘friendship’ and arwen/aragon). also charle is still alive and has just been doing fairy stuff this whole time.

There Are Many Things - explicit/28k, s9. cas is extremely lonely/touch-starved and trying to figure out this whole human thing, as well as where he and dean stand after being kicked out of the bunker.

It's A Long Life to Always Be Longing - teen/40k, post s11 finale. amara helps dean by putting him in a magical coma so he can finally get some much needed rest and show him possible futures for him, sam and cas. meanwhile sam and cas go on a roadtrip (or several) to find componets for a spell to wake dean up. really good sam and cas friendship, they actually talk about their shared lucifer trauma and stuff.

Non-Photo Blue - gen/2k, s4/5/alternate s5. fifty moments from cas’ memories of dean.

Tall Grass - explicit/57k, canon divergent post series. cas becomes the ultimate plant dad. feat the wayward sisters gang, cathartic character growth, fun oc’s, domesticity, and lots of actual botanical info-dumping.

on vessels - no rating/gen/2k. established dean/cas, cas tells dean about how he used to imagine what it would be like to have him as his vessel.

search for tomorrow on every shore* - teen/11k, post-finale (extremely derogatory). some angels in jack’s new heaven act out and dean gets temporarily resurrected in 2003 and runs into his younger self.

Architecture of the Minotaur’s Heart - explicit/45k, very canon divergent post s1. dean’s new house seems to have a life and mind of its own, while in his dreams he sees glimpses of a world and apocalypse that never came to be and an angel that looks strangely like his mysterious neighbor, cas. loosely inspired by the book house of leaves (which i highly recommend for fans of weird horror).

The Distance Of The Setting Sun - explicit/17k, post s5. established dean/cas relationship, team free will finally takes advantage of cas’ abilities to go on vacation around the world.

diamond star halo - teen/5k, s11. dean lets cas use him as a temporary vessel while he recovers from rowena’s spell, sam is a long-suffering third-wheel.

Make Known** - teen/16k, s6/7. dean struggles to understand how cas could have become his enemy and whether he ever truly knew him in the first place.

blunt little instrument* - mature/1.4k, post finale. dean finally confronts his father in heaven, very cathartic.

my heart a compass*** - teen/10k, post confession. the empty forces cas to re-experience his most regretted moments while dean tries to snap him out of it and bring him home.

A Crash Course in Someone Else's History - teen/11k, s6. cas from the very start of s4 is brought forward in time by s6!cas to distract the brothers from his and crowley’s plans.

The Cuckoo Father - mature/8k, s7 au. the woman who found cas in the river post-leviathans does not marry him bc he was sent to her by god or whatever, but actually identifies him as jimmy novak and sends him back to claire and amelia.

The Dead Dean Clause* - teen/5k, post alt s5 ending. team free will celebrates surviving taking down lucifer by getting blitzed, cas lies to a cop and gets an impromptu driving lesson. title/description sound dark i know but it’s actually very funny and light.

Suck It, Judy Garland - mature/20k, s12 (after the ‘i love you...i love all of you’ episode). cas and sam have to pretend to be a couple for a case and dean is NOT happy about it.

By Daylight and In Dream - teen/16k, s5. pre-dean/cas, dean invites cas to use his dreams to hide from the other angels. tw for very brief mention of a memory/dream of alastair sexually assaulting dean.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven - mature/22k, post-canon. an actually happy (if sometimes bittersweet) heaven endgame written several years ago, though some details are rather eerily similar to the show’s ending.

heaven is a place on earth* - teen/2k. dean’s pov of some of the times cas left him behind throughout the show, and one alternate ending where he finally gets to stay.

I Cleanse The Mirror - teen/20k, alternate s6. dean’s body is stolen by an ancient elemental and his soul has to hitch a ride in cas’ vessel.

an exploration of gender; angelic*** - mature/4k. *oscar isaac voice* lets get into angel gender politics!! aka cas is trans.

Zenith - explicit/33k, s9. after 9x06 an angry witch curses cas with the ability to see supernatural beings and human souls.

La cucina. - gen/3k, alt s9. dean goes wild helping a newly-human cas find out what kinds of food he likes, or the early s9 domesticity we deserved!

Dean Winchester, Cocksucker at Rest***** - teen/7k, post-finale. john and mary finally come over for dinner and john reacts to dean/cas in a rather predictable fashion. SOOOOOOOOO good omg, its so funny and a little sad and very very cathartic. part of a series that has a few other really good short fics.

The Way You Didn't Go - teen/5k, s15. coda to 15.09, dean has nightmares about the moc!cas timeline.

On Drowning - teen/28k. dean saves cas after he nearly drowns, they both try and deal with the physical/mental fallout (aka the fic where thee iconic “you only touch me when you think I’m dead or dying” originates). tw for realistic depictions of drowning/triage/misc medical information.

The Thirty-Six Questions That Lead to Love* - mature/13k. claire has dean and cas pretend to be her gay dads for a case and they play the titular 36 question game, get mistaken for swingers, and birdwatch, among other things.

Assorted F/F stuff:

Deep Breaths* - mary/ellen, au where mary said no to azazel’s deal and let john stay dead, still becomes a milf.

Like Rebel Diamonds - krissy/claire, they become hunter gf’s on the hunt for cas to kick his ass for taking jimmy. not-so-stealth dean/cas as well.

To Ash and Bone - anna/ruby, same author as the previous fic (p much all of her stuff is good from what i recall). au where ruby is a witch and helps anna when she’s cursed.

Holy Clockwork Angels - jo/ruby, STEAMPUNK au with very cool worldbuiilding.

At Day's End - jo/anna (my fucking KINGDOM for more jo/anna content, the dean/cas parallels are allllll there), au where they are both at the camp in the endverse and gfs.

these posts - ok so not actually a fic but i’m now obsessed with this hannah/meg dynamic.

Tagelied - mary/ellen, the true story of how ellen got into hunting before angels interfered.

Hell's Bells** - meg/abaddon, alternate s8/9 where meg survives crowley’s attack with sam’s help and teams up with abaddon (who she has a sk year old crush on) to take back hell.

The Ecstasy of the Rose - anna/ruby, anna travels back in time to escape heaven and becomes a signifigant part of ruby’s old human life.

Angel Underground - anna/jo, kind of an urban fantasy au with a very intriguing premise (sadly its very short, i’d love to see more if this ‘verse).

Clover, Flame - billie/mary, billie was always the reaper that showed up to take mary after her death(s) over the years.

Drag Me To Heaven - anna/ruby, a variant on the ‘last night on earth’ thing with dean.

Come Home* - jo/anna, canon-divergent au where anna is the new waitress at the roadhouse and helps jo set up a (probably not really) haunted house for halloween.

[kharmophron]

I was curious on how quickly all of this stuff seemed to unfold for you?

Hermes and I made friends about 2-2.5 months ago, since then, Persephone has come forward (although she took me a little while to identify), and now Apollon seems to be showing me signs as well. All in just a few months. I’m a little worried about not having the time to keep up a quality worship for so many, as polytheism is very new to me as well. Do you have any recommendations on how to balance it all?

Do they tend to be pretty understanding? I don’t want to accidentally neglect any of them.

ok honestly this was pretty hard to answer because it involves a lot of things i also struggle with! so rant time

things did unfold quickly for me. a few years ago, once i started looking into magic and witchcraft, i quickly came in contact with polytheism, and started to look into deity work. then i kind of left the witchcraft part aside and tried to focus on practicing polytheism, and each time i looked into my worship i grew interested in more and more deities and other beings, and i would try and add them to my practice.

i wont go too much into detail because it has a lot to do with my mental health, but suffice to say im really not good at consistency. that would be my best tip: if you can, just be consistent with your worship. its a cliche, but its true and its something thats been signaled to me by the deities i [used to] worship many times - doing something very small every other day is better than doing big stuff and then vanishing for weeks. thats the best thing you can try to keep up in terms of quality when you're starting, i think. don't worry about setting aside too much time to do things, there's absolutely no problem if you can't do big things right off the bat!

another thing is: yes, they're very understanding. they know what you're struggling with, and if it helps, you can always talk to them / pray about it! and you can also get directly involved with the ""gentler"" aspects of the deities you're interested in. but don't forget, they might push you, and they might show that they're upset in some context, and that doesn't mean they don't understand what you're going through. they truly want the best for you, and sometimes getting to that is a hard journey, but they're by your side

there are deities that i've been meaning to actually worship for literal years now but i just can't stay consistent with my offerings and prayer, like Haides for example, and he's always been understanding as long as i talked to him and tried my best to set aside some time to at least think about my worship. i don't consider myself a worshipper of him or many of the deities i used to reach out to because of this time management / consistency / iniciative problem. i know the gods are always out there for me, and i eventually do pray and give thanks or the occasional offering, but i know im not ready to incorporate a lot of deities to my worship (specifically, at least). another thing that helped is that im very religiously eclectic, so "hellenic polytheistic" is not the only thing that describes it, as the orthopractic approach alone tends to make me very anxious. so i let myself be very free with the way i relate to the religion and with my practices, and it's something i talk about with the deities im in touch with.

also, its never a problem to adapt your practice to what's easier and best for you! when i first started getting into polytheistic devotion, i tried to take activities that were already a part of my life and routine and thought of what could "fit" with the deities i worshipped. going for a run? say a quick prayer to hermes before and/or afterwards! going to the beach? meditate and pray to poseidon! it's raining outside? give thanks to zeus! all of this made me feel way more connected to the gods, because i truly saw them in every part of my life.

i hope this helps, and i wish you all the luck Hermes can bring! just be sure to be kind to yourself, and try to stay honest with you and with them. im here if you want to talk about it too!!

everything will work out great, even if its not the way you think 💛

[littlefireofhestia]

hi! i'm sage and i was going through the "hestia devotee" tag and found a post of yours that said you were open for questions about her. i don't know how old that post is or if you're still taking questions, you can ignore this if you're not, but since i'm here i wanted to talk/ask about something.

i'm a baby witch (like the babiest of babies, almost a new born) and most of my experience is through reading and watching since i don't currently have time or resources to do any practice other than lighting incenses or candles or working with crystals. and i definitely don't know any form of divination, like tarot or pendulum, that would allow me to do actual deity work and properly communicate with them.

the thing is, i've researched deities from multiple pantheons multiple times, mostly out of curiosity, but the moment i came across a prayer to hestia my heart skipped a beat and i immediately felt a kind of comfort. it could have been nothing, but i still researched all i could about her and just. i've never felt this drawn to a deity before, much less felt a pull to actually worship one. but i feel very much that way about her.

i looked up ways to honour her and i'm genuinely shocked at how happy it's been making me. i'm finding joy in domestic activities i used to loathe, like washing the dishes or helping with house cleaning. i tried baking a cake all by myself for the first time and lit an orange candle for her while doing it. it turned out absolutely delicious, i discovered i actually really enjoy baking and even started my own cook notebook with some of my grandma's old recipes. i make a point to always tie my hair back when i'm doing something that makes me think of her or in her honour, like making tea or baking or making dinner for my family or cleaning, because i saw people talking about how she appreciates veiling but i don't know how to do it so i just tie my hair in a bun instead of putting on a scarf. and i used to hate tying my hair, but now i feel very good about it!

i've always struggled with feeling connected to religion and never really understood how that could bring peace to someone, but i haven't felt this grounded or loving towards my family and pets or in peace with myself as much as i have since i started doing things as acts of devotion to hestia.

now, on to the actual problem: i'm scared it's all in my head. i'm worried i'm not enough of a witch to worship a deity yet, since i'm still trying to learn ways of communication and can't directly ask her if she's with me. i'm scared that the little things i'm doing aren't enough and the comfort and faith i feel while doing them are my imagination and not actually her watching over me and appreciating my effort.

anyways, i'm really sorry for dumping these worries on you but i didn't see many hestia related blogs and i really needed to ask someone about this. is what i'm doing enough of a worship right now? do you have any tips on how to worship her better? thank you!

Hi Sage! I don’t know when you sent this ask so I’m sorry if it’s been a while since you sent it and my response is late. When I read this ask for the first time I nearly cried tears of joy. Before anything I do want to say that you’re doing amazing sweetie!

I’m always open to questions about Hestia.

First off, there is no prerequisite to worshipping deities. I am admittedly not a witch and worship the gods exclusively for religious reasons and not for witchcraft. I have not learned many divination methods yet (although I have used the very handy Greek Alphabet Oracle a few times) and my rituals are still relatively basic, mostly not even occurring on an altar. But I have felt Hestia. I have been in her presence. I have received dreams from other deities and signs. None of this is required to happen to believe in or worship the theoi, but I just want to assure you that beyond doing some research to figure out who you want to pray to and how to do prayer and ritual, there are no prerequisites to worship. My first prayer to Hestia was literally me throwing a scarf over my head and talking to her in the dark with a flashlight to represent a flame. No formal structure. Didn’t even know how to correctly hold my hands yet. And still she accepted me.

The vibe you get from Hestia is very much similar to my experience. I’ve been drawn to her for YEARS but didn’t know I could worship her. But she’s always felt like home and comfort and just right for me. I never ever had a reason why she was my favorite deity before becoming pagan. She just was. My connection to Hestia has been a fact for over a decade that I just didn’t know was religious until a year and a half ago. Me wondering if I could worship her is the reason why I started researching Hellenic Polytheism in the first place. She brought me to this faith and I am so thankful to her for that.

You finding joy in domestic activities you used to hate is something I’ve discovered through Hestia too, although it’s still a journey I’m early on due to depression and physical disability and having a lot of work to do on figuring out how to make things accessible for me. I’m excited to go further for and with Hestia.

I understand the thought about it being all in your head. I had those thoughts early in my practice too. Basically, belief is a process. It takes time to switch from whatever religious thought (or lack thereof) that you grew up with to polytheism and worshipping a variety of deities or even just one deity, and from there to truly believing in them. I’ve been practicing for a year and a half and it probably took me at least nine months to truly feel secure in my faith in the theoi. Research, pray, do ritual, devote acts to the gods, think about the gods, notice the influence of the theoi in your daily life, and gradually that belief will solidify. You may or may not receive signs, which may or may not speed this process up. I promise, if you want to believe in the gods, in Hestia, it just takes time.

Also on feeling that you aren’t doing enough, the video at the bottom of this post (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odhRRYqQo8Y) might help. And I promise: you are doing enough, you are enough, just as you are.

Now as for worship tips. You are honestly doing great so far. Thinking of her while doing household chores and tasks or dedicating those tasks for her is a great way to worship her. I’d also recommend checking out her Homeric and Orphic hymns, one translation of which can be found here, and a copy of the Homeric hymns can likely be found at a local bookstore or definitely through online ordering. The Homeric hymns can also start to teach you some stuff about prayer structure, but prayer doesn’t have to be formal. Sometimes I just sit and talk to Hestia, or to any of my other deities. Tell them about my day, thank them for things in my life or the world, and sometimes asking them for things (although I find that I ask for aid much more rarely than when I prayed as the Catholic I was raised to be). I also have perpetually in progress playlists I have made for my deities, and if I want to spend some non-ritual time just focusing on a deity I’ll put on their playlist and read something religious or talk in religious discords. I actually had my most profound spiritual experience with Hestia while doing this.

Last but not least, worshipping Hestia, or any other deity, is something you have your whole life ahead of you to do. Take it at your own pace. Faith is all about the journey. The destination is irrelevant. There is no deadline or leveling up system, no authority checking your progress. As I have experienced time and time again, the gods will very much meet you where you are. A few months ago I was in a deep depression and did not do any ritual for several months. When I finally did a ritual again, I felt Hestia’s warm hand on my shoulder, as if to say “I miss you, welcome home”. I promise, Hestia will always welcome you home.

P.S. I know this ask is anonymous but Sage, feel free to message me with any additional questions about Hestia or worshipping deities in general. I’m here if you need any more help.

[poormeowmeowcollector]

About Lore Olympus

Before I start, may I list two huge disclaimers. ONE, LORE OLYMPUS IS NOT PERFECT AND FLAWLESS. NOTHING IS PERFECT AND FLAWLESS. And two, just so you know who's yelling at you. My town of birth and childhood is Eleusis, a small town outside of Athens with a huge pagan history especially on Demeter and Persephone, where the Eleusinian Mysteries took place and where the Well which Persephone uses to go from the mortal to the Underworld and vica versa. So, you may say that my life and experience and beliefs (since I'm also a witch) give me some extra knowledge on that myth and that's the knowledge I'll use below

Now, are the characters in Lore Olympus flawed? Yes. They are not perfect even though they're gods and they make mistakes and present human flaws. Why's that? BECAUSE IN THE ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE AND MYTHOLOGY, THE PROJECTION OF HUMAN FLAWS INTO DEITIES WAS SO COMMON THAT WE EVEN SEE IT IN HOMER!

Also, may I remind you that Greek mythology is that. Mythology. Not a Bible. There's no official text, only a thousand versions of stories that change from the time and place and narrator. There is not one official truth that's universally accepted. So, what if Lore Olympus is not 100% accurate? The myths aren't accurate either. And why is it so bad that Smythe made her work hers and not a Wikipedia page? It never says it's an accurate retelling.

Thirdly, STOP JUDGING THE CHARACTERS ON THE MORALS OF CHRISTIANITY. HELLENIC SOCIETIES AND CHRISTIANITY HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES. First off, there's no concept of good or bad because the gods are flawed. There are some unbreakable unofficial rules, such as never leaving a dead body without a funeral or the rule of hybris. But, several things which the characters do are bad in the face of Christianity but fairly okay in the Hellenistic moral compass.

In addition and especially on Apollo. He's not the villain (even though he's often depicted as such and that's some Christian bs), he's just another flawed character like everyone else. Calling him a villain is putting Christian ideas into something that not only existed before chirstianity but was deeply hurt by Christianity. And, because I've heard that, Apollo from Lore Olympus is not the deity Apollo that people worship. And if you hate on a worshipper of Apollo based on just a comic, you may set your router on fire.

And lastly, you ableistic shits. Rachel Smythe has admitted that her drawing style is dynamic and on the heat of the moment and not consistent and that she has dyslexia. So, YOU'LL SEE SOME INCONSISTENCIES AND SPELLING ERRORS. HATING HER ON IT IS NOT ONLY IGNORANT BUT ALSO ABLEISTIC AND, AS ANOTHER DYSLEXIC WRITER, I WILL FUCKING SMITE YOU. What you do there is not criticism, unless pointing at the disabled kid in the schoolyard and laughing at them is what you shits call "criticism".

And, if you hate a comic so much, why do you spend your time and energy on hating it and not on something you love? You will find that your mood will get better, trust me. And if you used to hyperfixate and now hate it, find something else. The fact that you now hate it means the hyperfixation ended and you have to move on and find something that makes you feel better and makes you genuinely happy.

And, lastly, I acknowledge that Lore Olympus has flaws. Some I can list are, the way Apollo is villainized, the way the s.a. is treated, the way the toxic and abusive relationships and friendships are treated and the way trauma is treated. Tho, it is obvious that those flaws are rooted in little knowledge and not bad intends. There are warnings every time those are there and it is not done with a bad intend but just a lack of proper knowledge. But throwing tomatoes is not how this is fixed, but by letting the creator know with a way that shows that our intend is to make the work better, not tear it apart.

[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

Never heard of cultural magic before. That sounds so neat and cool! 😮😮😮 what exactly it is?

I'll post some links to read up on too incase you're interested.

But from my definition, and what my Anyhropology class has taught me, it's a specific cultures magic/witchcraft/etc. That adheres to their spiritual beliefs.

Since I don't want to be disrespectful of other cultures by misinterpreting something/getting it wrong/or just not having enough information so I'll use my own for an example.

We all have heard of the Greek/Hellenic Pantheon. And the ancient Greeks/Hellas of the time practiced what could be considered "cultural magic", but these practices still live on today. There's actually a fair amount of Olympians in Greece.

Anyways, cultural magics depend on the region of the area your looking at, kind of like how Greece believes in the Evil Eye. It's the most basic thing I could think of that many understand, but Evil Eye is when negative energy or spirits get attached to you when another has their eye on you. Hence the evil eye.

It can either be through admiration ( oh, that person is so cute! They were so nice to me. Their voice is beautiful, etc. ) or ill will ( they're so annoying, I just want them to get out of my life, I hate them, they're so disrespectful, etc. ). When you have it, you can experience headaches, negative emotions, dizziness, frustration, or an overall negative experience/feeling when you have the eye.

It can be removed in different ways, depending on how religious the person is. So, you can go the more Christian route and drink some water that has three drops of oil, that was made as a prayer was said, or you could say a chant/prayer in your head to cleanse a person. The cleansing is indicated by both parties yawning or becoming sleepy, before feeling much better.

The chant/prayer must be said in Greek, you can't say it out loud, and can be passed down through the writing of the opposite sex. I learned from my father, who learned from my mother, who learned from her father, who learned from his sister, etc. And it can only be passed on through writing, you can't speak the prayer to someone for them to memorize.

You can also prevent evil eye by wearing the charm as any piece of jewelry, have it hanging in your house/car, or even as a koumboloi.

Or even through "spitting" on people, saying small sayings in greek like, "but not the eye" after complimenting or speaking with someone, etc.

Its a cultural magic that's prevailed, and even takes a big part of the Greek Eastern Orthodox faith, though it is sometimes considered "witchcraft".

This is an example of cultural magic, modern and old, but there's more to it than things like this. I suggest picking a specific culture you like and learning about it in depth! Every culture has its own magics that are super interesting and beautiful!

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I’ve recently seen posts encouraging people to support Romani/Roma people in the Balkans and that’s supreme!!! With that in mind, I wanted to post about how the Roma identify in Greece (I repeat, this is solely for Greece). The dominant voices on this site are from the US, so we mostly hear about the identification of Romani / Americans with Romani heritage. But what is used by the Rom in Greece might surprise you.

I will use “Rom” as the proper identification for Roma/Romani in my text. For non-Rom people I will avoid using the Romani word gadje / gadjo / gadji, as it’s derogatory towards non-Rom people (it means “being of lower social class”, “barbaric”, “peasant”, used in a belittling way). I see Rom from other countries here using it often and that’s perhaps the meaning has been lost for them, but I don’t feel comfortable using it. In some Rom communities of Greece there is still some belief that being “pure”/”true” Rom by blood ratio is better, and I don’t want to enforce that either.

For the non-Rom I won’t use the words balamos (μπαλαμός) (m) / balami (μπαλαμή / μπαλαμοί) (f. / pl.) either because it means “White” and we all know that is a complicated issue for this site. But it’s worth mentioning that Greeks are usually considered “Whites” by the Rom of Greece, so balamos (m) / balami (f. / pl.) apply. I use the term “non-Rom”, as I think it’s better suited for an English text and for readers of different cultural backgrounds.

I will also use the full words of identification and slurs for educational purposes only and with no ill intent. If you don’t know much about Rom identification, you can’t know what words not to use if you don’t see anything more than the first letter! (And also “just google it”, especially for information on the communities of Greece, rarely helps foreigners). Also, whatever I am writing comes from my own experiences and may not apply to all the Rom communities of Greece.

The popular identification and self identification of the Rom in Greece is  tsiganos (τσιγγάνος) (m), tsigana (τσιγγάνα) (f), tsigani (τσιγγάνοι) (pl.). Yes, I know, it’s the word Rom from many countries tell you to never use. And please, don’t use it for Rom from the US or anywhere else Rom don’t want to be called that! But in Greece the identification has stuck and it’s not a slur (as of 2021). In fact, it’s currently acceptable for Rom and non-Rom to use in private and public life. This is how they introduce their heritage, or, if offer a service/sell anything they have made, they use the term to describe it - when speaking in Greek.

I will give examples from a PDF availiable online, the Greek-Romani Lexicon, written by the Rom (and Rom speaker) Ioannis. Georg. Alexiou. (2000s) (Find it >> here <<). He has collected phrases and words from different Rom communities in Greece and he includes the entry Τσιγγάνος (tsiganos) as simply meaning “Rom” and. He repeatedly uses the word Tσιγγάνος for any Rom (seen in the pic) , “Τσιγγανιά” for “Romanipen” (seen in the pic), and “Τσιγγάνικη” to describe the language, when he describes in the Greek language.

One of the many examples is the introduction of a Rom contestant in Greece’s Next Top Model (2020), where she identifies herself as “tsigana” and the other Rom women as “tsiganes” more than five times (0:13, 4:23 ++) and there is also no problem when non Rom use the term for her in front of her (5:12, 7:04, 7:08 ++) Yes, the judges are not the most knowledgeable people when it comes to the Rom culture(s) in Greece but I am using the example for demonstration purposes. Also notice all the people in the comments who use it naturally (search the words “τσιγγάνα”, “τσιγγάνοι”). No, they are not hate comments and they don’t use it as a slur. (Google translate exists, just translate them to make sure). >> Link to the video <<

Using it is not offensive to the Rom of Greece. It’s likely the most suitable word, as of 2021. (You will see later why the other terms don’t apply that much and/or might be confusing). Tsiganos is a word like any other, and yes, it can be used in a derogatory way, the way the word “woman” can be used in a derogatory way by sexists. It’s only about the tone and intent, and not about the etymology of the word. And, speaking about the etymology, you might already know that the word “tsiganos” comes from the Greek word αθίγγανος (athiganos) can mean “untouchable” / “not to be touched”. But it might not have come from the (indeed) bigoted Greeks around them.

The Greek philologist Dikaios Vagiakos (Δικαίος Βαγιακάκος) tells us that Athigganoi was called the religious group Melchizedekites (Manichaists) or Katharoi in Greek (”Clean ones”). The Athiganoi were practicing divination, and so it came that whoever was practicing divination at the time was also called Athiganos. (The word just stuck and the meaning left, because a divination practitioner wasn’t considered actually unclean). When the Rom came to the area, they also practiced divination, so they also were given that name. (Source in Greek - sorry it was super hard to find anything in English, as many parts of Greek history are obscure to the world).

No matter the origins, people in Greece (including the Rom) rarely know what it means (if you live in Greece, you must be very interested in linguistics to dig it up), as the meaning has been been lost in time for the Greek residents. It’s like the world “girl“ (κοπέλα) in Greece, which comes from the word “slave”, but Greek speakers use it because they have forgotten the meaning and have no idea where it comes from.

Roma (f) / Romis (m) / Rom (m. / pl.), Romalen (pl.), is many times the term the Roma of Greece use to refer to themselves in their own language (Romani / Tsigganika). In this article (where the word tsigganos / tsigganikos is again used casually, as various Greek articles) we find the word “Ρόμης” for the Rom man (and it can also be used as “husband”).

Greek speakers don’t use "Rom” and when they hear it they mostly get confused. “Rum” was the name of the regions were Greeks lived inside the Ottoman empire so that complicates things further for Greek speakers, as Rom and Rum sound very similar. What is more, the Hellenic region of the Byzantine Empire was called Romania, adding another “Rom-” to the Greek history.

“Roma” (singular and plural) is gaining popularity amongst the Greek Rom and Greeks alike. But still falls far behind “tsiganos“.

“Gyftos” (Γύφτος) (”Gypsy” in English) is a negative/derogatory term for the Greek Rom. Implying someone is from Egypt is not bad on its own, but the word has been weaponized against the Rom of Greece by the Greek speakers. What is also important, is that a lot of times “gyftos“ ISN’T meant to describe a Rom. This doesn’t make it any less of a slur against the Rom, but let me explain its other use. Greeks often use it for dirty, homeless people (and not those who beg for money necessarily). Of course, that is probably because historically the Greeks saw Rom people that way, and then they attached the stereotypical negative traits to other people. What is peculiar is that I’ve heard Greeks say “gyftos is the guy you see with rags on the street, Greek or not. The nomadic people are called Tsigganoi! It’s a different thing!”. So yes, anyone, even a super pasty Greek can also be called “gyftos”. It’s just worth mentioning that some Greek speakers have the word “gyftos” detached from the Rom (because meaning is lost and diverted as time passes) and so if you hear that word from a Greek, better ask them what they mean and if they know the origins of the word. There is a chance they might not actually know.

To my knowledge, the word “Romani” is not often used to identify a Rom person in Greece. I’ve only heard it for the language. But, again, I can’t know what happens in all Rom communities of Greece (and there are many, with different linguistic influences). “Romani” as someone’s identification is very slowly gaining some popularity among the Greeks because it’s used in nearby countries - and even because of the influence from the US. But still, it’s mostly among the Greeks and not the Rom. (At this point, I should also say that many Rom feel Greek and most have a Greek citizenship, I just that that distinction inside the Greek borders for simplicity’s sake.)

That’s all! Keep in mind that the identification of Rom in Greece might change the next decades, so always be aware of the changes and, if you can’t find any information simply ask the Rom person how they wish to be called!

>> Anyone can interact but if you are not part of or not close to a Rom community of *Greece*, I advise you against of trying to “correct” anything. This isn’t about your experiences or ways of expression. It’s about the Rom of Greece.

>> Rom from Greece or/and people close to a Rom community of Greece can, of course, add or correct stuff - always with respect to Rom sources and voices from Greece.

[rotzaprachim]

i realised i probably will never get here in in painter’s light so enjoy this my favorite fandom crossover/easter egg i’ve ever written:

(It’s from an au where declan stayed with his mother ergo canon + dialect differences)

6. Washington DC 

Age twenty, he gets a business call from a woman who has a statue to sell. Normally he doesn’t take these kinds of calls anymore, the ones that are meant to go straight to his mother’s number, but this woman sounds desperate in the way that has him thinking it’s better if he handles it than one of his mother’s hands in the city, so he buys two Amtrack tickets, and north he goes. Matthew gets sick after eating a microwaveable, foil-wrapped train burger from the snack car.  

He installs Matthew in the Met while he meets his contact. An old school deli, one of the kind that’s apparently disappearing fast, an endangered species, and she’s probably a local so it’ll be annoying or pretentious anyway, but she refused any of his options for fancier, more expensive wine-and-dine locations anyway so deli it is. He gets a lox bagel and a coffee and two black-and-whites in a bag to split with Matthew later while he sizes her up. She keeps looking at her hands but she’s calm with the person she called in from Boudicca, has something steely about her, like she’s dealt with bigger fish before and isn’t scared. There’s something about her that’s like him, he knows, thought they don’t say the magic word at all. He thinks she’s maybe thirty. 

“In the interest of not beating around the bush further, as it’s clear that’s what neither of us is here to do, let’s move on to the real action item.” 

“I have a statue to sell.” 

She shows him photos. The camera resolution isn’t quite what he needs to appraise it seriously, but he can see how shockingly life-like it is already. 

“How much d’you want for it?” 

“Fifty thousand.” 

He almost coughs up his coffee. 

“You haven’t been playing this game for long.” 

She doesn't’ say anything. 

“Fifty thousand, take it or leave it.” 

“What’s the material?” 

“Marble.” 

He considers. If it’s good up close he could probably resell it for four or five times that to some collector interested in neo-hellenic stuff. Not many people making original marble statuary these days compared to the market of the super-rich looking for shit to decorate their back gardens. 

“Can you show me?” 

Declan calls Matthew to tell him to go back to the hotel and get takeaway without him and follows the woman uptown on the bus. They get off in Spanish Harlem, a world away from the shiny robot skyscrapers downtown. She lives on the fourth floor of her building, in a narrow apartment somewhat rank with the smell of body odour and spilled beer, although she throws the windows open and has loads of potted plants about, like she’s trying very hard to get rid of the smell. 

“There.” 

The sculpture is unmissable. Life size and astonishingly, terribly ugly. Truly incredible in it’s attention to awful detail. A middle aged, balding, short man with a fan of cards in one hand and a beer swinging from the other, positioned exactly as if he’s just got up from sitting. Mouth opened, soundlessly screaming his head off. Declan sees it and flinches without even meaning too. His mother’s not had many men, but she had a few, when she was younger. But it’s just a statue. Just a statue. 

Still one of the weirdest goddamn things he’s ever fucking seen, and that’s saying something. 

Authentic marble though. 

“Formal education? Apprenticed to someone?” 

“Take it or leave it. Fifty thousand.” 

No more information. He knows exactly why she called him. He’s the kind of man you call when you don’t have information about the life-sized sculpture of a man in your sitting room and no information to give about how you made it, in the same year you report your husband missing to the police. When to the untrained eye, the two look identical. He’s that kind of man. 

He gets her three million USD for it. 

It’s all through an official channel so it’s harder to launder, get it looking legal. A million upfront, the rest leaked in increments over the next ten years. All shiny, all legal, all IRS-signed off. He personally takes out fifty thousand and puts it in a manila  envelope for when he meets her a few blocks off central station, an hour before his train’s scheduled to leave. He gives her the envelope. She gives him a white paper bag containing only blue sweets. It looks like a proper pick-n-mix haul, something he didn’t even think the States had. Whoppers, sour strings, taffy, gum, gummy sharks. He eats a sweet and sour wind-up before being able to stop himself, the sweet-sour crystals on his fingers like being a kid again. 

“You’re so young,” she says finally, like this didn’t occur to her the entire time he was selling what was probably her husband’s dead body. 

He shrugs, but he’s smiling. “But I got your done.” She can’t be more than ten years older than him, anyway, and most of her jobs have been harder. You don’t tell art world undergrounders your personal life, anyway, but he noticed all of the accoutrements of a maybe secondary-school aged kid lurking around her flat, Lucky Charms, mud scuffs on the floor in strange places, football jerseys in the hamper. She’d tried to hide the obvious things, no photos on the fridge or skateboard leaning against the door frame, but he had an eye for those kinds of details like other people had a head for figures, and he recognised the detritus of a teenager well, because he’d been one recently and he had one. 

She appraises him for a second. Her eyes are large and very dark brown, and they don’t let anything go. “Zeus?” she finally says, like she’s been thinking it for a long time, testing the waters. “Hera?” 

“Like the Greek gods?” 

He went through his greek mythology phase, for sure. Half of decoding what posh people write seems to be about knowing the ins and outs of the soap operatic turns of events people told each other for fun two thousand years ago, which is then called Classics. 

She looks at him longer, considers him. 

“Lugh, then? Bridgid?” 

“I don’t know what you mean by that.” 

She nods. “Sorry if- nevermind. Thank you for selling my statue.” 

“I hope you do well with it. With your… artistic career. Now, and I don’t fucking care if you blow throught he money in a year, never call me again. Never call this number again. Never call any number related to it. If your money never comes through do fine with a million and don’t go looking. Never.” They shake hands and part ways, and he never sees her again, but he does think about her a lot afterwards anyway, parsing their conversation out. No gods and no God either, as far as he knows. Strange fucking thing to ask. 

He’s learned enough by how Matthew is on trains - and on ferries, it transpires, and in strange taxis, and he doesn’t want to fucking think about the transatlantic flight he’s planning at some point - not to let him eat much before the train back to DC, for which he feels bad. While they were in New York he let Matthew choose a show and dutifully got some last minute Dear Evan Hansen tickets off a third party seller, got the good seats and the playbill they got signed after by the cast, Declan knows who to talk to for these kinds of things.

[undefined5posts]

Credit: Jordan J. Lloyd

I've been trying to dive deeper into politics, discover the genuine roots of our society, the origins of our beliefs, and the consequences of our economic system. It's a big, long, wide journey and through multiple sources such as articles, images, videos and multiple social media platforms, I've been trying to educate myself more on important subjects.

Communism, capitalism, libertarian, conservative, the left, the right, the history, the impact. It is scary to commit to everything because once you start, you simply cannot stop, once you start waking up your conscience about the horrible reality, the lies, the truths, you cannot put it back to sleep. You can't just ignore prejudice, especially when you're extremely conscious of it's omnipresence. I have continually tried to build my own opinions all while actively creating bullet point arguments in my mind because I just know that at some point I will have to defend my thinking, and I want to do it right.

Now, I am so far from being enlightened, I am a beginner and an amateur in all of those themes, but I am trying, which is the only way to start and grow.

So to tell you about my beliefs, I am a militant human rights activist, I believe in equal opportunities regardless of gender identity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race and disability. This is a fact, not a belief, but the system was obviously not built to protect all people, its wasn't created to serve everyone equally but to grant a privilege to some and harm others. The current state of the world is not a slip, an accident or a misfunction of our brilliant system but a testament of it operating remarkably well. I believe that equity leads to equality, and I believe that we cannot "fix" methodologies that were immorally created with absolutely no honor whatsoever. I believe in reproductive rights, in legal, safe abortions for anybody who needs one. I believe in the decriminalization of marijuana. I believe that the death penalty is a despicable punition that should be banned as soon as possible. I believe in defunding the police and the military. I believe that it is a shame that I even have to talk about police brutality, I don't want to have to say that it is one of the most horrible things our world has originated, I feel extremely dense when I do because it seems like the most obvious certitude and I refuse to believe that this is a controversial statement. I believe that everything I have just stated, along with many more, isn't anything grand but the bare minimum, the bar is low, and yet, we still have the fight for basic human decency.

Humanity has become an option. We have normalized supporting people that represent everything wrong in this world under the name of tolerance. The left has never claimed to be tolerant towards hateful beings, We have never accepted homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism and sexism. We cannot, for exemple, accept nazis, as too much tolerance inevitably leads to intolerance. This picture explains it perfectly:

I consider myself a communist/ socialist. The two terms still confuse me a little, some say they are the same, some say they differ quite a bit. What I know is that socialism is the transitional period between capitalism and communism. At the end of the day, the final result and goal is a stateless, moneyless and clasless society that will provide to each his need.

Our capitalistic society has brainwashed us way more than you may think. It is the root of so many of our issues, the underground demon of our problems. Every idea, thought, belief, and misconception of ours were all affected by our current economic system. It has sold us the billionnaire dream which is one of the most toxic things capitalism has offered. We have looked up to billionaires for way too long, why are they so idolized? Most of them come from high upper class families that can easily afford to invest in their inventions and creations. After starting up their companies and occasionnaly stealing other's people ideas to ultimately get undeserved merit, they then can start to properly exploit their hardworking employees's labour. And for unlimited hours and a minimum wage which probably won't even suffice you to survive, you will have to either pick up more shifts or a second or even third job, especially if you have a family to support. All while the CEO barely does any of the work and gets all the praise and money. So no, they don't all come from really poor families and have built everything for nothing.

The worst thing is that we've been so gaslit and brainwashed that we're proud of our own exploitation, we are wired to think that to be successful we have to suffer, work 10 jobs we all hate, constantly pick up extra hours, have 2 hours of sleep, have no free time to do anything we love, waste our entire youth, be depressed our entire adulthood, to finally have a few pennies to spend when we're eighty. We so strongly believe that this is the only right way to be successful that I don't think many of us have dared to question it's authority, and even if we do, we quickly accept that this a truth, a fact we cannot change and this is just the way things are.

We have capitalized water, food, land, forests, oceans, space, and everything in betweeen. Money is social construct and we have deliberately let it take over our lives. To think about the wasted opportunities and the misery that we have to endure so others can enjoy life truly angers me.

Also, communism is not an ideology that has every actually taken place. Despite what they say, there was never actually a communist country. However, every nation that has attempted a socialist system, for exemple Burkina Faso, has thrived. But of course, once capitalist countries noticed that, they decided to murder it's leader. So in conclusion, the only reason socialism failed is because of capitalism and it's interventions.

"As President (1983-1987), Sankara initiated economic reforms that shifted his country away from dependence on foreign aid and reduced the privileges of government officials; he cut salaries, including his own, decreed that there would be no more flying in first class or driving Mercedes as standard issue vehicles for Ministers and other government workers. He led a modest lifestyle and did not personally amass material wealth. President Sankara encouraged self-sufficiency, including the use of local resources to build clinics, schools and other needed infrastructure. [...] President Sankara promoted land reform, childhood vaccination, tree planting, communal school building, and nation-wide literacy campaigns. He was committed to gender equity and women’s rights and was the first African leader to publicly recognize the AIDS pandemic as a threat to African countries. Although Sankara became somewhat more authoritarian during his Presidency, his ideas, and the possibility that they could spread, were viewed by many as posing the greatest threat. President Sankara was assassinated during a coup led by a French-backed politician, Blaise Compaoré, in October 1987. Compaoré served as the President of Burkina Faso from October 1987 through October 2014, when he himself was overthrown."

Via:https://africandevelopmentsuccesses.wordpress.com/2015/02/28/success-story-from-burkina-faso-thomas-sankaras-legacy/

I have been reading and watching some amazing human rights activists, notably Angela Davis, Malcolm X and James Baldwin. The people that were villainized, labeled as violent and radical, when every single word that came out of their mouhs were pure facts. They are probably some of the most eloquent people I have had the pleasure of hearing. Every sentence, every argument, every single detail made so much sense and opened my mind to so many new realizations. This is the perfect exemple of how the media tarnishes the reputation of wise black women and men. I would strongly advise you to research more about them.

"Socialism & communism are demonized in the west to the point of erasing influential individuals' socialist advocacy. Heres a short list of people you may not have known were socialists/ communists:

MLK

Albert Einstein

Nelson Mandela

Frida Kahlo

Tupac Shakur

Mark Twain

Malcom X

Oscar Wilde

Bertrand Russell

Hellen Keller

Pablo Picasso

George Orwell

Shia LaBeouf

John Lennon

Woody Guthrie

Socialism & communism are not dirty words. Some of the most brilliant minds of our history were socialists and communists. Embrace it." Via @sleepisocialist on twitter

So what else can I say, capitalism has ruined our society and the way we act and think. I know a lot of people refuse to support communism because they think it's too much of a perfect ideal utopian world for it to ever actually exist. And to that I say, first of all, so you agree, it is a wonderful theory, and second of all, a world without racism, sexism, homophobia or any kind or discrimination could also be perceived as "too ideal to actually exist", but does that mean I'm giving up on talking, educating myself and others, protesting and trying to build a better future? Absolutely not. This is the objective, it would be so dumb to think that we just couldn't achieve that so let's not even try.

I want to talk more in detail about communism, theory, human rights, etc... but I don't want to make this post any longer. I will however be posting more about it soon enough.

I know this is a little different than what I usually post, but I want to speak, tell you all my own opinions, I don't want to just repost activism related stuff. I'll continue to do that, but not exclusively. I know it won't get as many interactions as my other posts, but this is what I needed at some point in my life, and if I could make understanding some basic informations easier to some people, it'll already be a great accomplishment.

Thank you for reading.

[gemsofgreece]

Yes the meme was about EU. Btw Ευχαριστώ for this blog & all you do. I still cant come to terms w/ it, but I've kept forgetting Hellenic things. B/c of US/west centrism & my personal circumstances. The more marginalized & isolated you are, and the more you turn to them for rep & comfort, the worse it is. Είμαι ακόμα στην χώρα μου κι όμως. Πώς το λέμε το deassimilate στα Ελληνικά τώρα. Πάν τα Ελληνικά μου Τζεμς. Πάει κι η ορθογραφία. Πάνε τόσα Ελληνικά πράγματα στη ζωή μου. Τα θέλω πίσω

You know, when I made this blog, my original intention was for it to be a travel blog and to be targeted mostly to aspiring foreign tourists. It was well into the process of running it that I realized it could have an additional and more important goal; that of keeping Greeks of diaspora and native Greeks close to their own culture, history and even the land. (Because let’s not forget - Greece might not be monster size but with all the islands and all the mountains, it is very hard to explore at length even for a local. And some people simply don’t get the chance to travel much. Period.) So at this point I started feeling so happy whenever I got asks / replies such as yours.

To come to your ask in specific ~ what you describe is a common problem, I am afraid. Not only among Greeks but in all smaller nations. But what I find particularly problematic in the Greek society is that there are mostly people with two different mindsets; 1) those who think there’s nothing better than being raised in the Greek culture who however know too little about it (!) and 2) those who think being proud or protective of the Greek culture is backwards, embarrassing and, even worse, nationalist / racist behaviour. As if the problem of the extreme influence of foreign media is not enough, we are often so polarized as a nation that we lose any chance of balancing between moving forward with an open mind while keeping our own identity with dignity.

All that matters to me regarding this topic is that balance. This balance is what I wish to you too and I hope my blog will help even a little finding it. Do not feel regret for enjoying US/Western centric things. Memes are truly hilarious, the movies are a visual feast and in general there are so many things to appreciate and welcome into your life.  And if there are things that in a foreign culture make you feel less isolated / marginalized, you should definitely embrace them. After all, what matters first and foremost is our well-being.

But there are so many things to keep you close to our own culture too. So many great authors. Nobel poets. Read old books, which means old Greek, which means better Greek (fight me). Listen to music. Our genres; entechno, rebetiko, laiko, Greek folk. I mean, is there anything cooler than rebetiko? American blues what? (jk I love the blues. Rebetiko is often called “the Greek blues” and it was created around the same time independently by the Greeks of Minor Asia. This was for the American followers.) Listen to Theodorakis and Hatzidakis and Skalkotas to make your brain expand three times. And then listen to Xarchakos to feel like the coolest cat out there, a mangas / mangissa of the streets hehe (No, no relation to Japan, no. This was also for foreign followers.)

Of course, these were just two recommendations. So many things you and I and we can do. For instance, even if you are not religious, find some beautiful and sweet Easter customs. Name them spring customs and follow some of these. They might make your house prettier and your mood better, who knows. It will be a win-win case, you’ll have fun and you will have learnt a custom of your region / ancestors. I guess I can summarize it to: take all the good stuff in. It doesn’t matter if it’s foreign or Greek, take them all in, when they are good and useful. Like I said, it’s a balance, and finding the balance is never easy. It needs work. I’m not writing all this as a guru who has found the perfect balance. I’m explaining how I try to cope myself and hope it might help you too.

Και δε θυμάσαι μια λέξη; Συμβουλέψου το λεξικό στην πρώτη ευκαιρία. Μπορεί να την ξαναξεχάσεις αλλά μπορεί και όχι. Καλό είναι να πιέζεις λίγο το μυαλό πριν καταφύγεις αμέσως στην Αγγλική λέξη. Άλλωστε, έτσι δεν κάναμε και όταν μαθαίναμε Αγγλικά; Πιεζόμασταν να θυμηθούμε μια λέξη και να μην την πούμε στα Ελληνικά. Ε, και η γλώσσα μας αξίζει την αντίστοιχη μικρή προσπάθεια. Και τα βιβλία και το έντεχνο τα ανέφερα για το γλωσσικό πρόβλημα. Έναν Θανάση Παπακωνσταντίνου να ακούσεις, θα γίνεις Μπαμπινιώτης!

ΥΓ.1: Τα καλά νέα: δεν υπάρχει έτσι κι αλλιώς deassimilate στα Αγγλικά. Υπάρχει μόνο disassimilate και είναι χημικός όρος. Οπότε αυτό που χρησιμοποίησες ήταν ένα επινοημένο σύνθετο, όπως συχνά γίνεται και όπως συχνά κάνουμε και στα Ελληνικά. Καλύτερα λοιπόν και η απόπειρα σύνθεσης στα Ελληνικά από το τίποτα. Άλλωστε, δεν υπάρχει ακριβές αντώνυμο του αφομοιώνομαι εκτός κι αν πεις “διαφοροποιούμαι”. Οπότε δεν ξέχασες καμία λέξη! Τίποτα δεν έχει πάει ακόμα, μην αποθαρρύνεσαι. Πες περιφραστικά ότι προσπαθείς να αποτινάξεις την ξενική αφομοιωτική επιρροή. Ή να ανακτήσεις την Ελληνική πολιτισμική σου ταυτότητα. 

ΥΓ.2: ΕΝΝΟΕΙΤΑΙ ότι τις πληροφορίες τις έψαξα. Ιδέα δεν είχα αν υπάρχει ή δεν υπάρχει deassimilate και αντώνυμο του αφομοιώνομαι.