#melinoe devotional

[theic-manic]

Greek Deities: The Spooky God-Squad Part 1: Melinoe

I am going to start posting about the lesser-known, chthonic and otherwise monstruous and/or spooky Greek deities, demigods etc. and the first proper post in this series is dedicated to none other than

Melinoe: Goddess of Ghosts, Spirits. Madness, Nightmares, Propitiations to the dead & haunting the living

Etymology:

Melinoë may derive from Greek mēlinos (μήλινος), "having the color of quince," from mēlon (μῆλον), "tree fruit". The fruit's yellowish-green color evoked the pallor of illness or death for the Greeks.

A name derived from melas, "black," would be melan-, not melin-. Melinoe: “Soothing One,” “Gentle-Minded,” or perhaps “of the Color of Quince” (6) (7)

Parentage

Mother: Persephone

Father: Hades* or Zeus disguised as Hades

Melinoe's parentage is giving Maury paternity test episode on mount Olympus.

Normally I wouldn't cover parentage much however the unique story behind Melinoe's paternity helps us to understand her better

(My personal bias for disclosure: my father is a human version of Zeus's unpleasant qualities and Jupiter aka Zeus is in my natal chart as well as being one of my Soul Parent deities)

Grab some popcorn and a cup of tea!

*Hades may have been thought to have been the father but Maury (Mythologists) have some news...

So how did Zeus father Melinoe?

Some say trickery (7) others say reincarceration/ Hades+ Zeus combination (1)

"In literature, Melinoe is known to be the daughter of Persephone and Zeus which seems quite simple but really is not. At the time, Zeus was reincarcerated in the Underworld and had multiple facets. Persephone was impregnated by Zeus in one of Hades’ avatars, a Plouton. This means that Zeus and Hades were two gods in one.

Persephone, therefore, was impregnated by Zeus, in the form of a Plouton, at the bank of the river Cocytus. In Greek mythology, the Underworld had five rivers flowing in and out of it. Among them is Cocytus which is known as a fierce river where Hermes was stationed to escort the newly deceased souls into the underworld. The impregnated Persephone lay there and birthed Melinoe, another one of the illegitimate children of Zeus.

The lust of Zeus had left Persephone stripped of her virginity and she felt angry at what had Zeus done to her. Melinoe who was the goddess of the Underworld, the wife of Hades, and the daughter of Zeus and Demeter was now bearing the child of his father, Zeus. Melinoe was thus born at the mouth of the river and because of her close relation to the underworld, her abilities and goddess powers were also highly influenced by it."

Note: Her brother Zagreus was conceived via more obvious trickery

"He was a son of Zeus and Persephone who had been seduced by the god in the guise of a serpent." (5) Her potential half-sibling Makaria (Goddess of Blessed Death) is considered to be the child of Hades in the Byzantine encyclopedia Suda. I say potential because no mother is ever named however in the Heracleidae, Makaria is the child of Heracles and offers herself to be sacrificed to Persephone to save her family. (8, 9)

Offspring:

None.

"Melinoe did not have any offspring, neither divine nor mortal. Her essence was more intertwined with the spirits she governed than with creating a lineage of her own." (4)

Physical Appearance:

Description of Melinoe further leans into the Zeus-paternity lore as below -

"Her limbs were black on one side and white on the other, a manifestation of her dual chthonic and heavenly nature." (2)

"The translation of Thomas Taylor (1792) has given rise to a conception of Melinoë as half-black, half-white, representing the duality of the heavenly Zeus and the infernal Hades. This had been the interpretation of Gottfried Hermann in his annotated text of the hymns in 1805" (7)

Sound familiar?

While the Hellenic gods have overlaps with many Norse deities (I was previously a Norse pagan) Melinoe is one of the few with a near identical Norse equivalent: Hel

Hel was the daughter of trickster god Loki, a death goddess, and also described as physically appearing to be half dead:

"The entity Hel is depicted as half beautiful woman and half blue, decomposing corpse" (3)

Unlike Hel, she has been described as being clad in saffron. (7)

Having followed Hel as a Norse pagan in the past, I am pleasantly surprised and grateful that Melinoe has approached me during my Hellenic practice which leads me to...

Melinoe's Domains:

Ghosts

Spirits

Nightmares

Madness

Propitiations and offerings to the dead

Fear & anxiety

Necromancy

The Night

Duality (courtesy of her parentage)

The Underworld

The soul's passage

Correspondences:

Caveat:

This list is a mixture of Mythology, what has been reported by others working with her and anything I have experienced I will add personal experiences where relevant however please know that as with all deity signs, symbolism etc. your own personal experiences are what counts, also factoring your geographical location etc.

E.g. Some of the traditional flora and fauna associated with many Hellenic deities may not be present if you reside somewhere these aren't native however local flora & fauna may apply based on their symbolism so please use your own intuition, discernment & research. - Days of the week: Saturday, Monday and the 13th.

Tarot Cards: The High Priestess Death The Moon Queen of Swords 5 of Swords

Animals: Dogs (usually when they're howling), Bats, Corvids (Ravens, Crows etc.), Snakes, Butterflies, Moths, Scarabs, Cicadas, Black cats

Symbols: Grave yards, cemeteries, ghosts, crescent moon. bones, black & white objects and visuals, Torch or candles, Vampires, Dracula, Vampirism (as a spiritual concept) and anything one would associate with death magick.

Foods (can be used as offerings): Milk, Pomegranates, Mint, Poppy seeds, wine, Honey

Herbs (teas and incense): Lavender, Mint

Signs Melinoe may be reaching out:

Disclaimer: Since Melinoe is associated with fear, anxiety, madness and other arguably terrifying phenomenon please ensure that you are ruling out mundane causes such as sleep deprivation, stress etc. & reach out to your treating doctor.

You start seeing her correspondences or feel drawn to them.

E.g. my work-friend's brother-in-law passed away recently and right before it dawned on me that Melinoe was reaching out to me (the Cthonic deities are so damn subtle) I felt called to buy this person butterfly themed gifts to express my condolences.

Also before I realised she was reaching out I had some very vivid dreams of Scarabs which has significance around death 7 rebirth and protection.

My linked tumblr post also includes some other synchronicities, such as on the day I recognised her I saw a lot of random bat symbols, felt drawn to wear my bat bracelet, had the urge to wear black & white, and was approached by a friend regarding topics such as nightmares and necrophilia.

You start seeing Hades and Persephone symbolism or you pull Hades & Persephone tarot cards (linked post on Tarot identification) but the energy/vibes don't feel like either of them.

E.g. I recently kept pulling Hades & Persephone cards while not feeling their energies, however by looking at other synchronicities and using some discernment I figured out that it was actually Melinoe reaching out.

Since she is a "lesser" deity & not a lot about her exists, it can take longer to recognise her since our discernment can be tainted by what we are exposed to, especially when looking up symbols to rule out who is and isn't reaching out.

Prior to this, earlier this year I felt called to create a Chthonic altar which I dedicated to Hades at first based on my knowledge at the time.

Looking back, especially adding my sudden interest in vampirism and other symbols I realise this was me becoming aligned with Melinoe rather than Hades or Persephone.

You have or you feel called to perform baneful magick that causes mental distress, nightmares, madness etc.

(Something I did against a rather unpleasant ex-colleague and HR around the time I felt drawn to Vampirism)

Modern ways to honour Melinoe:

As with all the Cthionic babes: Shadow work

Desktop/device background art you associate with her (unfortunately Hades II game has flooded the image databases)

Consume spooky content, especially horror (if you feel comfortable doing so).

Pray/talk to her, keeping in mind that she is often quiet (it turns out this is very much a Cthonic deity vibe and I will elaborate on this in a post on Neurodivergent deity practices).

Embrace Chaos

Creative expression (art, music etc.)

Create playlists for her or listen to spooky playlists. Personally, I like Ice Nine Kills

Horror & spooky movies Some suggestions based on what I could locate online: Movies that feature ghostly apparitions, necromancy, and the manipulation of the dead. Examples: The Frighteners (1996), The Others (2001), or Only Lovers Left Alive (2013). Blair Witch Project (any of them except Blair Witch Book of shadows imo) The Ring and/or Ringu (Series) Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - A classic horror movie that explores the realm of nightmares, fitting for Melinoe, the goddess of nightmares. The Witch (2015) - A horror film set in 17th-century New England, exploring themes of witchcraft, folklore, and the supernatural, which resonates with Melinoe's connection to magic and the unknown. Coraline (2009) - A stop-motion dark fantasy film that explores the idea of a parallel world, fitting for Melinoe's association with the underworld and the realm of the dead. The Devil's Backbone (2001) - A Spanish horror film set during the Spanish Civil War, exploring themes of death, loss, and the supernatural, which aligns with Melinoe's connection to the dead. Supernatural Thrillers: Films that incorporate elements of mystery, suspense, and the unknown, often featuring characters who interact with the dead or the supernatural. Hereditary (2018) - A psychological horror film that explores the themes of grief, loss, and the supernatural. Examples: The Sixth Sense (1999),  or The Orphanage (2007). Verónica (2017) - A Spanish horror film that explores the themes of witchcraft, folklore, and the supernatural. The Autopsy of Jane Doe Not an extensive list, go with what feels right.

Video games: Again, not extensive- Soma Amnesia (series) Silent Hill (series) Castlevania (Series) Outlast (Series) Phasmophobia Mundaun

Melinoe's communication style: From personal experience, I have found Melinoe to be non-verbal, and as such her communications tyle with me tends to be via Pendulum/Spirit boards, Tarot & imagery. This seems to align with her portrayal in Lore Olympus as deaf/mute (I've not read enough of the comic to know her full story there). Cthonic Deities in general tend to be fairly quiet and solemn, at least with casual worshippers rather than devotees however that's for another post. i have mentioned my communications with Melinoe recently

Notable posts about Melinoe:

Sources:

1. https://ancient-literature.com/melinoe-goddess/

2. https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Melinoe.html

3. https://www.worldhistory.org/Hel/

4. https://olympioi.com/demigods/melinoe

5. https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Zagreus.html

6. https://greekmythology.fandom.com/wiki/Melinoe

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melino%C3%AB

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaria 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Heracles

[theic-manic]

Dream tiger fan art really sums up my current deity work/communication I present the following to illustrate a point:

I love people sometimes

(Collection of Dream Tigers)

[boymanmaletheshequel]

Symbolism of Melinoe

💀💭💀💭💀💭💀💭💀💭💀💭💀💭💀💭

Dark goddess of funeral, of nightmares, and of ghosts and the dead, Melinoê is the dual goddess of the light and the day, said to be charred black on one side in her chthonic nature, and bright and white as snow on the other, contrasted by her heavenly half, Melinoe is a goddess to be revered and respected, and here are some of the symbols and sacred icons you can use to do so.

———————-————————————————

•🌈 Colors:

Representative of her dualistic nature, the analogous colors of black and white are the best colors, or rather lack there-of, to iconize and represent this frightening goddess, like a black and white tintype photograph from a nostalgic, forgotten era.

•🐴 Animals:

- Ravens: the most iconic bird of the dead, a specter and epiphet of all chthonic deities, crows are the most obvious choice for an animal to represent the power and idolatry of lady Melinoe.

- Moths: an insect of the night, bound and destined to follow the white light in the dark, moths are rather reminiscent of the lost souls and ghosts guided by melinoe to those who seek them from the afterlife.

•🌸 flowers & Herbs:

- White Poppies. Long considered a symbol of ancient afterlife, and a bringer of nightmares, poppies are often considered a deeply paranormal flower, and it makes since that because of this, they are often seen as being iconic of melinoe, especially the white ones.

- Mhyrr. An incense of great respect and value, myhrr has historically been left as an offering at funerals for the dead, a sign of luck and prospect in the afterlife. This was especially common in ancient Egypt, but there’s also evidence to suggest that it was regarded in a similar way in Ancient Greece during the Hellenistic period!

•🍗 food:

- Pomegranate: as the daughter of Persephone and Hades, pomegranates played a pivotal role in the conception of lady Melinoe, and are a great food offering or libation to her, if one wants to communicate or connect to her, perhaps a good way to do so would be to snack on a palm of pomegranate seeds, or to make a tea from its rind?

•💎 crystals & gemstones:

- Ancestralite. A somewhat rare natural combination of hematite and iron, Ancestralite is considered a great gateway stone to communicating with the spirits of dead ancestors or family members, as well as a stone of protection from death itself. These qualities make it a rather great option for a stone to use in crystal work with lady Melinoe!

- Snowflake Obsidian. Obsidian, a lavic stone that has long been used in darker magic, and especially Chthonic magic, is a natural fit for iconizing Melinoe? And the stones signature black and white “snowflake” speckles are great representation of her dual nature between light and dark, though, any variety of Obsidian will work in theory!

- Jet. Often worn to funerals as intricately carved mourning brooches during the Victorian era, jet is a stone of deep Black Death, and highly representative of mourning and the afterlife, with the history to back it up. I actually own one of these antique brooches, and have found it to hold a very dark, but not evil, energy! Jet is a great, and very absorbing stone to work with in chthonic or black magic!

•🪐 planets:

- The moon. Like almost all chthonic deities, the moon is iconic of lady Melinoe, as the domain of nightmares and ghosts she reigns over is most active when it is at its fullest phase! Take advantage of the moon cycles if you wish to communicate with any chthonic deity, Melinoe included.

•🏅other symbols:

- Graveyard dirt. A common offering or ingredient used in black divination, spirit work, and dark magic, a jar of (ethically sourced, pls don’t dig in peoples graves lmao) graveyard dirt is a perfect offering of loyalty and reverence, or iconic symbol of respect, to the goddess Melinoe, as funerals are perhaps her most sacred event!

So there you have it, some helpful starters to begin your reverence of the symbolism and iconography of lady Melinoe of Hades, daughter of Persephone and Hades, mother of ghosts and nightmares. I hope you learned something about her, and will consider her in your future practices! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more posts about the intriguing and powerful deities of Helen! 💙🏛️💙

@xxfox0-chillingxx

[theic-manic]

As much as it annoys me to become so busy at work I get less time to consciously honour the deities ...

I am grateful for their aid.

🌞 Thank you Apollo for keeping me healthy as a physically & neurologically disabled worker.

🪽 Praise Hermes for allowing me to readily locate required resources to perform my work after 8 months hiatus.

🌞 Thank you Apollo for enabling me to give advice on self-compassion & recognising then managing Neurodivergent burnout to clients who disclose being late diagnosed.

🪽 Thank you Hermes for enabling me to meet the communication needs of those who are a different type of ND and enabling me to also manage numerous complex bureaucratic tasks for these people.

Even if that meant crashing my Outlook to allow me to hyperfocus 😅

😎 Thank you Ares for helping me to calm my temper when I pick up on careless but critical mistakes by others.

😎 Thank you for accepting my hard work as a workplace devotional act, including when I offer to help my colleagues with the workload.

👀 Thank you, Pasithea, for helping me feel mostly chill & mostly vibe my way through the day.

👻 Praise Melinoe for helping me to support chaos* ... rather apt given my title by one colleague of "animal of chaos" & "bringer of calm into chaos".

* I meant to type "embrace chaos" but I'll accept the Hermes assisted message via typing.

[crazycatsiren]

Night goddess.

Curse them with nightmares.

Drive them mad with night terrors.

You know whom I mean.

[keysatthecrossroad]

Epithets of Hekáte

Melinoe – Soothing one

Hekáte, Mother of All,

Bring us solace and truth,

Melinoe, hold us close,

Let us warm in our devotion to You.

[czortofbaldmountain]

A devotional playlist for Melinoe, goddess of ghosts and nightmares, the bringer of madness and healer of the soul.

The order matters, so I strongly recommend turning the shuffle off.

1. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

2. Melinoe - Sleep of Monsters

3. Breaking Down - Florence + The Machine

4. Shadows - Twin Tribes

5. Moths - Darkher

6. Into the Mist - Eivor

7. In The Woods Somewhere - Hozier

8. Haunted House - Florence + The Machine

9. Spillways - Ghost

[sunwindandflowers]

words cannot express how beautiful I think melinoë is but also how FUCKING TERRIFYING SHE IS I cannot comprehend how this pretty woman also is fond of me aren’t u supposed to be haunting me in my sleeep?!!?

[theic-manic]

Thanks Apollo and Hermes

I asked them for divine signs and help understanding them right?

So when a tiktok tarot reader who has typically been very specific and spot on with my life events on the odd occasion they appear on my FYP tells me that cicadas will be significant, exhausted me just filed that away last night.

Last night (2 nights ago when I post this) I had a very Melinoe inspired dream (no cicadas) and seeing this post I suddenly recall the tiktok right?

Now, after spending a few hours writing a very in-depth post on deity consent and devotee experiences as an Apollo devotional I'm too mentally fried to look up cicada shit just yet... so I outsource some of the effort.

[Saves post in drafts for when I have sufficient executive function to rabbithole bloody Cicadas]

Okay now that I have rested, let's resume this shall we?

Right before Melinoe reached out to me, I dreamt of Scarabs. As a child, I freaking loved collecting Cicada shells and I loved Scarab jewellery etc. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when i find that these two insects are linked since a number of articles on the spiritual meaning of cicadas tend to also reference scarabs given that both have many overlaps in how they were perceived in relation to death, transformation and the likes. So here we come to something a little Melinoe-coded with cicadas:

Monstrosity has always had a place in religion, across cultures and eras. Monsters elicit a contradictory affectivity characterized by simultaneous fascination and repulsion -- "sacred horror." Cicadas are particularly apt for arousing such affections, embodying a host of monstrous characteristics. Giants among insects, and gigantic in number; grotesque in appearance (with red eyes bulging from malevolent, mask-like "faces"); and endowed with a collective clamor that verges on a roar, cicadas fascinate even as they frighten. (1)

And then we get to Apollo and Cicadas.

Oh but it doesn't stop there. Why else would Apollo like cicadas? Because he's a horny prick (respectfully) aka "Erotic Mania"

Every seventeen years, these cicadas mate in a single-minded frenzy, their orgiastic abundance ensuring future fecundity. It is not only their collective amatory life, however, but their imminent death that bespeaks eroticism. (1) See also:

What do i do with this information?

No bloody idea yet other than "okay so Apollo mentioning that he has been watching me since my youth may be somewhat noteworthy to my personal practice" And also remembering my post on deity devotion and consent I wrote yesterday, I am reminded of the need to ensure that I don't allow Apollo (or any deity) to push me past my limits:

Cicadas used to be men; after song was invented, they delighted so much in music that they forgot to eat and died. The Muses turned them into insects who sing continuously without needing sustenance. (2)

And I am also reminded to continue playing Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical as a break from my spiritual studies..

The second part of the myth takes this idea further. On my reading, the cicadas represent the paradox of carrying the work of the voice beyond death and allow us to think about the very essence of vocality: mortal in its phenomenology, but immortal in its power. The passage gives the key to its own reading in the last lines, by putting Calliope (the-one-with-the-beautiful-voice, who lets out καλλίστην φωνήν) above all other Muses, and by concluding with Phaedrus’ injunction to speak (λεκτέον). (2)

Note to self; I may need to also ponder all the Dionysus content that I've been seeing...

https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/cicada-complex-jeremy-biles

2. https://classicalstudies.org/mythologies-voice-plato%E2%80%99s-cicadas-and-nature-voice

I am now going to go ponder Cicadas and their symbolism of death, rebirth, music and manic fuck frenzies.

ancient greek cicada epithets

ἀναιμόσαρκος (anaimosarkos), with bloodless flesh

ἡλιομανής (hēliomanēs), sun-mad, mad for love of the sun

μελεσίπτερος (melesipteros), singing with its wings

ἠχέτης (ēchetēs), clear-sounding, musical, shrill; chirping

λακέτας (laketas), chirper

λιγυπτέρυγος (ligupterugos), chirping with the wings

μεσημβρινός (mesēmbrinos), belonging to noon

[diana-thyme]

Greek Gods 101: A Masterlist

This is a masterlist of the “Greek Gods 101” series. This series aims to provide basic information and worship ideas for both major and minor deities. This masterlist also involves heroes, deified mortals, spirits, and other figures of Greek mythology.

Aceso

Acheron

Acratos

Aedos

Aegle

Aeolus

Aether

Aglaea

Akhlys

Ampelus

Amphitrite

Ananke

Anemoi

Angelia

Anteros

Antheia

Aphrodite

Apollon

Aporia

Ares

Arete

Ariadne

Aristaeus

Artemis

Asklepios

Asteria

Astraeus

Astrape

Athena

Atlas

Bia

Britomartis

Calliope

Carpi

Cassandra

Ceraon

Cerberus

Ceto

Chaos

Charon

Chione

Chiron

Chloris

Chrysos

Circe

Clio

Clymene

Comus

Cratus

Cronos

Daphne

Deimus

Deipneus

Demeter

Dicaeosyne

Dike

Dionysus

Dysnomia

Ececheria

Eileithyia

Eirene

Ekho

Electryone

Eleos

Elpis

Endymion

Enyo

Eos

Epiales

Epione

Epiphron

Erato

Erebus

Eris

Eros

Ersa

Eucleia

Eudaemonia

Eunomia

Eupheme

Euphrosyne

Euporia

Eupraxia

Eurybia

Eurydice

Eusebia

Euterpe

Euthenia

Eutychia

Fates

Furies

Gaea

Galateia

Ganymedes

Gelus

Hades

Harmonia

Harpocrates

Hebe

Hecate

Hedone

Hedylogus

Helius

Hemera

Hephaestus

Hera

Heracles

Hermaphroditus

Hermes

Hestia

Hesychia

Himeros

Homonoia

Horae (Seasons)

Horae (Time)

Hormes

Hybris

Hydros

Hygieia

Hymenaeus

Hypnus

Iaso

Iris

Lelantus

Lethe

Leto

Macaria

Matton

Medusa

Melinoe

Melpomene

Methe

Mnemosyne

Morpheus

Nemesis

Nike

Nyx

Oizys

Orpheus

Orthannes

Ossa

Ourania

Ouranos

Ourea

Paeon

Paidia

Palaemon

Pallas

Pan

Panacea

Pandaisia

Pandora

Pannychis

Panopia

Paregoros

Pasithea

Pegasus

Peitho

Penia

Penthus

Persephone

Perses

Perseus

Phales

Phanes

Phaunus

Pheme

Philophrosyne

Philotes

Phobus

Phoebe

Phorcys

Phthonus

Phusis

Pistis

Plutus

Poena

Polemus

Polymnia

Pompe

Pontus

Ponus

Porus

Poseidon

Pothus

Priapus

Prometheus

Pronoea

Prophesis

Psamathe

Pseudologoi

Psyche

Ptocheia

Rhea

Selene

Silenos

Sophrosyne

Soter

Soteria

Styx

Tartarus

Telesphorus

Terpsichore

Tethys

Thalassa

Thalia (Mousai)

Thalia

Thallo

Thanatus

Thaumas

Thea

Themis

Theseus

Thesis

Thrasus

Thyone

Tithonus

Triptolemus

Triton

Tritopatores

Tyche

Tychon

Urania

Uranus

Zagreus

Zelus

Zeus

What is a “Universal Offering/Devotional Act?”

Feel free to request or suggest deities! This list will be done in order but you can ask for me to complete one that’s further down the list.

This list is subject to change. There are probably repeat deities (deities who go by multiple names, parts of groups like the Horae or Charities who are mostly grouped together, etc.) on this list. Some deities are not on here. Some names are spelt wrong or different.

[astra-ravana]

A Dive Into The Dark Feminine

The Dark Feminine is not the same as the Wounded or Shadow Feminine energy. No. She is deeply misunderstood because society represses her into shadow. She is liberation, rage, pleasure, and intuition. She is not a manipulation or a repackaging of the male gaze.

She is fierce grace, wild liberation, the sword of truth. She is blood, sex, and earth. The Lover and the Whore. She shakes the cage of "Good Girl" conditioning to unleash the full spectrum expression of woman.

She is Hekate, Kali, Lilith. The Creatrix and the Destroyer. She is the Shamaness, the Wild Woman, and the Wise Crone. Once a woman awakens to her there is no going back.

"Your rage is sacred.

Your grief is a holy gift.

Your full-spectrum depths,

hold your greatest power."

Dark Feminine Energy is:

Self sourced power, sensuality, chaos, devotion, magick, passion, rage, transformation, internal safety, fearlessness, sexual liberation, the unknown, regeneration, wholeness, sisterhood, authenticity, death

Checklist

• Cut off toxic people.

• Practice shadow work.

• Prioritize self-care.

• Healthy communication with loved ones.

• Practice manifestation.

• Try things out of your comfort zone.

Essential Dark Goddesses

• Lilith

• Hekate

• Morrigan

• Nyx

• Persephone

• Morgan le Fay

• Erish Kigal

• Baba Yaga

• Sekhmet

• Freya

• Circe

• Oya

• Hel

• Medusa

• Eris

• Kali

• Melinoe

• Angrboda

• Tiamat

"And in the death of her reputation,

She felt truly alive."

Pre and Post Patriarchy Views of Women and Sex

Pre-Patriarchy

• Sexuality and divinity were one; sex was seen as divine.

• The more sexual a woman, the more holy.

• Priestesses that were initiated into the highest Mystery (womb magick) were seen as livinf goddesses.

• The worth of a woman was inherent.

• Sacred priestesses in tune with their sexuality, having mastered the power of their bodies (Kundalini) were revered as a direct portal to spirit and the Gods/Energies of the Universe.

Post-Patriarchy

• Sexuality being taboo, seen as profane, filthy, even evil.

• The more sexual a woman, the more vulgar and profane.

• Priestesses turned to sex slaves, "prostitutes" for men to release upon their repressed sexualities and sexual tension.

• The worth of a woman is now in relation to a man; her value is in her chastity. The more lovers she has, the more worthless she becomes.

• The word "whore" is used as an insult for women who were comfortable with sexuality.

• The more a woman is sexual, associated with the taboos and repressed instincts of the collective, the less she is respected, seen as "not respecting herself", "being cheap", "easy", or "giving her most sacred possession away".

• Women with high sex drives said to have "fornicated with the Devil".

Someone who has a lot of sexual energy can also possess a powerful healing energy. This is because sexual energy IS healing energy at a spiritual level. The best healers have big sexual energy.

VINDICA TE TIBI - "Claim yourself"

The Secret Power of Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is actually good luck as it is associated with the 13 cycles of the moon in a lunar year, this is why a woman has 13 cycles a year, and ovulates on the 13th day. In 1487 free thinking and Divine Female Energy was suppressed and labeled witchcraft by Heinrich Kramer, who went forth to burn many healers on the stake due to forced ignorance and hatred for powerful female leaders. This is why Friday the 13th is actually a spiritual day of enlightenment, divine/dark feminine energy, and healing that should be sacred instead of hated.

Black Moon Lilith

In astrology, Black Moon Lilith plays the role of 'Guardian of the Threshold'. The term indicates a spectral image which manifests itself as soon as the student of the spirit ascends upon the path into the higher worlds of knowledge. Lilith, representing the testing of the feminine oracle, comes with temptations and promises for the ego, forcing the seeker to meet their own shadow.

"Darkness is the fertile soil of the feminine. Discomfort is the birth place of our shadows. Wild chaos catalyses true leadership. Raw emotions teach us how to feel. The deep void of our sex holds our primal hunger. So, what powerful darkness do you feel is wrong? "

[theic-manic]

I literally just shared a cthonic deities shitpost while thinking of Hekate & Melinoe so may these goddesses grant you ease in your suffering.

🦇🦇🦇

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇 ANTI DEPRESSION BAT ATTACK 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

NEW ABOUT ME:

-I'm genderfluid and audhd, borderline too (undiagnosed because the system sucks) and diagnosed schizophrenic

-godspoused! if you're anti fuck off

-I'm an age regressor but i curse a lot on this blog so age regressors feel free to follow my agere side blog @there-are-sharks-in-my-milk

-i don't discriminate anyone this is a safe space for minorities, poc, microlabels, systems, lgbt people, therians, everyone who is not a hateful jerk

-this blog is a mix of me posting about my deities, stray kids and other stuff i find interesting

-sometimes i vent make sure you're okay with it

blog rules are:

-if my practice looks different than yours and you don't like it you're free to unfollow

-if my vents annoy you and you feel the urge to tell me its my fault you're free to unfollow this is my shadow work free from censor space

-if you feel the need to tell me i seem psychotic you're free to fuck off

-don't fuckin curse me??? some of yall are not behaving and it's pissing me off

-other than that be kind and respectful to me and my friends

to interact with my blog make sure that you aren't:

racist, homophobic, terf, pedo, ableist, anti agere, a nsfw blog (it makes me uncomfortable), generally a hateful human

now the best part:

worshipping:

-Sekhmet

-Holy Mary

-Baba Jaga

-Medusa

-Kali

-Lilith

working with:

Marzanna, Apollo, Dionysus, Hecate, Persephone, Asclepius, Hel, Anat, Death, Satan, Leszy, Cernunnos, Horned God, Helios, Venus, Freyja, Asmodeus, Baphomet archangel Jophiel, Thoth, Fenrir, Dantalion, Buer, Beelzebub, Mut, Bes, Bacchus, Kogkipr (an unknown deity), Proserpina, Cnabetius Mars, Tegid Foel, angel Sariel, Hermanubis, Amun, Deimos and Phobos, Kvasir, Wepwawet, The Dagda, Swarożyc, Lucifer, Begotho (unknown deity), Aphrodite Areia, Stracchus (unknown deity), Ruadan, Somnia, Kek, Cerberus, Hestia, Nyx, Cerridwen, the Morrigan, Parvati, Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, RadhaRani, Lakshmi, archangel Gabriel, archangel Azrael, Nakir and Munkar, archangel Michael, archangel Israphil, Kiram and Katibun, Somnus, Loki, Mokosz, Allah, Brigid, Hermes, Shakti, Anubis, Weles, Baldur, Khnum, Poseidon, Amphitrite, Astaroth, Neith, Wenut, Ganesha, Perun, Khepri, Inanna, Dola/Niedola, Ariadne, Jaryło, Chors, Sleipnir, Zorza, Jormungandr, Odin, Czarnobóg, Blodeuwedd, Set, Mafdet, Idunn, Seshat, Dziewanna, Artemis, Arioch, Eros, Vesna, Selene, Luna, Leviathan, Behemoth, Nox, Mammon, Abaddon, Azazel, Kathos, Vesta, Sun, Moon, Minerva, Athena, Eosphorus, Stolas, Melinoe, Mary of Magdala

spirits that i work with:

-Pahiri (a white dragon spirit)

-Nkfofa (the mermaid spirit guide)

-a fae

-Fienon (a rusałka)

-Mo Xasii (familiar nr 1)

-Hilkog (spirit guide)

-Kalina (a harpy)

-Zanota (a mermaid spirit guide nr 2)

-Gawoż (hydra, familiar nr 2)

- Kiityk (upiór spirit guide)

-Xyo (a red fire dragon)

-Bemamo (a dragon shark)

devoting to:

-King Hades

-Bastet

-Aphrodite

I'm not really a hellenic polytheist, nor a kemetic one, not really a slavic one as well although i am hyperfixated on slavic paganism, yes, and i do wanna work with more slavic deities in the future but I don't label myself as anything I'm just a witch and a pagan i celebrate the slavic holidays and my deities holidays because they're the closest to me. if i were to label myself i would use "rodzimowierca"? but I'm just a witch, and well apparently a medium now too so 😀 fun uhh

i do free readings too! 5 a day to not burn out so quick but i wanna get more skilled since divination is my favourite skill to get one just dm me tp ask if im open!

I'm planning to master:

-cartomancy

-herbology

-moon magic

-blood magic

-protection

-palmistry

-reading more books...

-my fuckin research motivation...

i can do:

-tarot

-clairvoyance

-clairaudience

-spells and shit

-rituals

-sigils

-tea blends i guess

-motanki

-scrying

-oracle

-runes (both nordic and witch's runes)

-smoke reading

-crystal ball

-curses

sława! :]

[sunfoxfic]

More on Melinoe's unrealistic expectations for Zagreus: I'm increasingly becoming obsessed with Moros (genuinely pouring all of my resources into increasing my favor with him, it's a problem) and I think part of it is that Moros mirrors Melinoe so well; they are drawn to each other as water droplets are. But I also think it's so funny how Moros's devotion to his sisters could easily become Melinoe's baseline for normal; she thinks that's just how siblings are.

Don't get me wrong, I think Melinoe and Zagreus would easily die for one another (and in a way, does Melinoe not, over and over and over? in a way, is Zagreus's job not to die to ensure her safety?) but I also don't think they'd have quite the same level of quiet alignment that Moros has with the Fates. Zagreus would sleep for like 4 days (or nights) in a row and Melinoe would put runes under his ass just to get him out of bed. Zagreus would see Melinoe getting lost in trying to figure out this incantation and he'd ruin all of her work just to make sure she doesn't blow off her good arm. They'd be fighting one day and their fighting would trigger Cerberus into a fit that destroys the entire garden, and they'd both run to Hades to blame it on the other as soon as possible.

And I don't think Melinoe is prepared for that at all.

[theic-manic]

Establish communication boundaries with the deities: spooky club edition

Especially when you first get acquainted and if it's a death or cthonic deity.

E.g. Melinoe is known to inspire madness, anxiety and fear as well as being able to "haunt the living".

(Disclaimer: Please rule out mundane causes of the aforementioned symptoms first and speak to a trained mental health professional)

Me, feeling an anxiety attack build up after I start reaching out to her:

"Melinoe, I need you to find another way to communicate with me because I can't be freaking the fuck out whenever you try to reach out."

I start feeling calmer.

Melinoe is like those ghosts in certain horror movies who will cause absolute mayhem by making people hallucinate while going full poltergeist simply because she has some spooky neurodivergent communication styles and might just benefit from a white board and marker to write messages on instead.

(Thank you, Hermes, for helping me order a discounted spirit board just before I realised she has been trying to reach out to me)

I'm being told that she is also behind the Amityville murders and those type of events, though she won't elaborate just yet.

I was originally going to use the artwork by IrenHorrors featuring Melinoe and her squad of ghosts, however this artwork I found of her just quietly sitting in a chair feels better to me.

It's like those haunted house movies where the empty chair covered by the sheet isn't actually empty and there's a ghost just sitting there.

And the thing is, in many instances these ghosts mean no harm but our western society's perspective on death is so... tainted by fear and the likes that our fears can often be unfounded.

I'll write a post about Melinoe signs and devotions soon but I'd suggest watching non-western movies about hauntings and death such as "the rope curse" and others that tend to involve funerary rights and customs.

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! /Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here! / Part 12 Here! /Part 13 Here! / Part 14 Here! / Part 15 Here! / Part 16 Here ! / Part 17 Here! / Part 18 Here! / Part 19 Here! / Part 20 here! <This is Part 21!>

A/N: Next part is up, as a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

* Your finger taps against the cheap linoleum table.

* ‘I’m in a lot of shit.’

* The problems just keep stacking up, one after the other.

* The lost dog got you out to Colorado, but there are no more open tickets on trains or busses from here—it’s peak season and everyone seems to be moving in or out of the city.

* You’re not sixteen yet so you can’t rent a car, and the solstice is growing closer with every minute.

* So now you’re sitting in a shitty diner, in a shitty town, trying to find some way to shitty California so Percy can meet his degenerate Dad.

Not to mention that this asshole has to be here—you wrinkle your nose as another wave of violent emotion wafts over you

* ‘Can’t he keep it in his pants for ten minutes?’

* Ares grins back at you.

* He looks a lot like his mother, and a little like Maki. You catch pieces of Clarisse in him too. The shape of his nose, the curve of his lip.

* A yellow aura radiates off of him, perfect blond curls pressed against his head, and a bright red flush over the bridge of his nose.

* If he wasn’t being such an asshole tormenting Percy you’d say he was handsome.

* He gives you a wolfish grin, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, his leather jacket wrinkling as he leans forward.

* “I’ve been dying to meet you.”

* Annabeth flinches, Percy glowers, Grover looks like he wants to disappear, you only raise an eyebrow.

* “And why would that be?”

* Ares snorts, leaning back in his chair. “Humble like your old Underworld Daddy, huh?”

* You’d laugh if you weren’t so annoyed with him right now. The children look beside themselves with horror. Ares doesn’t seem to care, using a steak knife to clean his fingers. “You’re all anyone can talk about these days.” He whistles.

* “What about him?” You nod to Percy, who seems about a second from punching him in the face.

* Ares rolls his eyes.

*“Poseidon having a kid? That’s old news, old seaweeds notorious for getting caught up in the moment—everyone knows about his and Amphitrite's agreement.”

*‘Oh my god, Percy’s dad is a swinger.’

*“But Hades having a kid?” You catch a glimmer of Ares' eyes widening from behind his glasses. “That’s interesting.”

*‘Well, he’s not really my Dad.’

*But his fascination with you is starting to make sense. Hades is hopelessly devoted to Persephone, you’re fairly certain he’s never even glanced at someone in a romantic light after devoting himself to her.

*“What’s even more interesting is how they’ve all curled around you, protecting you from the others.” For the first time, you feel a shiver trail down your spine, teeth clenched hard to suppress the natural movement. Even though you can’t see them, you can feel Ares's eyes trained on you, studying every action you make.

*‘He’s suspicious.’

*Persephone did say he’s surprisingly astute for someone who acts like a moron.

*“Not to mention half of the Olympians have given you blessings.”

*That catches you off guard.

*“What?”

*You can feel him keen at your surprise.

*“It’s right there,” he nods towards your jacket-covered sleeve. As if they can only be ignited by a divine voice, the symbols glow.

*“There’s Makaira,” he says pointing to a pale yellow mark of a bird. “Melinoe,” a somber grey mark of a stone. “Hades,” Black with three skulls. “Persephone,” a bright pink peony. “Zagreus,” this one is said with a raised eyebrow at the red sword burned into your skin. “Circe,” an orange bay leaf. “Hecate—nice.” He remarks at the green crescent moon in your skin. “Dionysus,” This is punctuated by a soft smile, the purple strawberries glow under his gaze. “Hera.” The bright yellow dove on the back of your hand.

*Ares eyes squint like he sees something else, something he can’t quite make out. But he says nothing. Only mutters a soft: “That’s weird.”

*Noticing the weakness he’s shown, he grins again.

*‘So that’s the face he uses to hide his real feelings.’

*“Want to add another? I wouldn’t mind giving you a bit of wrath.” His hand glows with an ombré of yellow to red. Your hand instinctively goes to hold Percy back when he rises to smack some sense into the incorrigible god.

*“How about you stop tormenting my friend and tell me what the fuck it is you want.”

*The use of the swear has Grover’s fork clattering to the floor.

*‘It’s rude but at least one of these crappy blessings should protect me right?’

*Ares doesn’t seem to mind, his grin only widening, hands held up in truce, Percy relaxes next to you.

*“I need a simple favor from you.”

*You very much doubt anything that comes from this man’s mouth is going to be simple in the least.

*“I was on a date and—”

*“Oh my god you were harassing Aphrodite again weren’t you?”

*He grows flustered.

*“W-what no—”

*“Yes, you were.” You respond. “Makaria and Melinoe told me all about it, how last month she was having a quiet dinner with her family and you showed up drunk on her lawn slurring love ballads.” Percy actually muffled a snort at that, and Annabeth has to feign excessive interest in the window.

*Ares flushes red in embarrassment.

*“L-look do you want a ride to the west or not?!”

*You do need a ride out of town.

*‘But I’m starting to think it’s not a coincidence all modes of transportation for us are blocked.’

*“So what is it you need?” You ask leaning back in your chair.

*“I left my shield at the old abandoned water park, if you get it for me I’ll get you a ride to the west.”

*You lean back in your chair, he wants something from this—more than just getting a glance at a few demi-gods or his shield.

*‘Which means I can get a little more out of this.’

*“You get us a ride out west and you give Clarisse and her mom a call.”

*He’s baffled by the request, as are the other three children.

*Despite his confusion, he nods.

*“I can do that.”

*“Then we have a deal.”

*There’s a moment of awkward silence, the only sound of Grover half-slurping, half-chewing his plastic straw.

*“A-alright, I have an appointment, it was nice meeting you.” He gives you a slight bow before getting on his motorcycle and ripping his engine into the highway.

*“He’s nicer than I thought he would be.” You say biting one if Percy’s fries.

***

*People should really be more wary of a gaggle of children walking around a city unaccompanied

*Especially when they’re peeking over a wooden fence, eyes swinging right to left as they survey an old water park

*“I think the coast is clear,” Annabeth says.

*“I don’t hear anything.” Grover adds, his ears twitching.

*Your mouth opens, the words: “Let’s wait a few minutes to be sure.” Dancing on the tip of your tongue when Percy jumps the fence.

*The three of you look at him with dumbstruck expression, Annabeth smacks her forehead.

*“What? We were going to do it sooner or later anyway.”

*There’s something haunting about an abandoned water park, rides teaming with algae, inner tubes half inflated still rotating on a lazy River—it’s unsettling.

*What’s even more unsettling are Annabeth’s twinkling eyes when she spots an unlocked gift shop.

*“We can’t just take this stuff Annabeth!” Percy, ever the morally upright young man, says.

*“Watch me.” She hisses back, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

*“Hell yeah! We’re finally doing something fun, hey Annie let’s insight a riot on Main Street so we can loot there too!”

*“Oh man, not you too!” Percy groans. He looks hurt when Grover moved to join you both in your ransacking.

*“If you can’t beat em,” Grover shrugs.

*And that’s how the four of you ended up walking around an abandoned water park looking like ghosts of their catalog models.

*“It’s probably in there.” Grover nods to the Tunnel of Love, it’s one of the few rides they bothered to drain and turn off.

*‘That or Ares drained it himself.’

*Your staff glows in your hand.

*‘What kind of trick is this.’

*Annabeth and Percy race in front of you.

*“Not you too Annie!”

*“I just want to get out of this place! It gives me the creeps!” She calls back.

*That’s not exactly what you want to hear from a twelve-year-old child of Athena

*“Kids, am I right?” Grover says with a sheepish grin from beside you.

*You sigh.

*‘At least one of them has got more than one brain cell.’

*“Tell me about it.”

*You walk to the end of the tunnel, studying the walls and miscellaneous graffiti.

*“So what’s the deal with Aphrodite and Ares?”

*You scoff.

*“It’s just the usual thing, a woman finally figured out they deserve better and the degenerate they left behind thinks otherwise.” Grover looks at you with a puzzled expression,

*“I…I always heard the affair was reciprocated.”

*You scoff again.

*‘Ares would like people to think that.’

*“She woke up one day, all of her kids grown and independent, and realized the only child she was taking care of was her partner and that she’d spent most of her life taking care of other people—”

*Melinoe had a very inquisitive expression when she told you this, like it pained her too, like she was the one who lived through it.

*“—so she left him and married someone who would take care of her. And Ares is still pissed about it I guess because he keeps doing crap like this to win her back.”

*It’s almost abusive when you think about it.

*Grover is silent for a long while.

*“Why don’t people ever talk about this?”

*Your mouth stretches into a fine line.

*“Because maybe it’s easier to avert your eyes sometimes.”

*You don’t hold it against them, Ares is a powerful god, and while Aphrodite is coveted—she doesn’t hold much power on her own.

*‘It’s not easy to call out Zeus’ son for his poor behavior.’

*You both stop when you reach the end of the ride, a dome shaped enclave, gilded with mirrors.

*You and Percy share identical sneers

*‘That jerk really thought Aphrodite would want to meet up somewhere she could stare at herself…did he ever love her?’

*“Let’s go and get it, come on Annabeth—”

*“I’m not going in the Tunnel of Love with you.” She looks completely embarrassed at the notion.

*‘She is only 12 years old after all, it’s natural for her to be embarrassed.’

*“Let’s wait a minute.”

*You can’t just charge into a situation, you have to think things through.

*“So here’s the plan—” you’re positive old shitty blush has an ulterior motive it can’t be this easy to grab a shield. You look to the children, seeing a dash outline where Percy should be. “Where’s P—”

*A click echoed through the chamber.

*Percy’s standing in the middle of the empty pool, a massive silver shield in his hand.

*When he catches your gaze he gives a sheepish shrug.

*“I figured if we were going to die, we might as well die soon.”

*‘Hades, what are these kids watching to get such a negative outlook on life?’

*You’re about to open your mouth to tell him as much when you hear a rumble.

*“Shit.”

*It’s Annabeth’s idea to get on the shield, Grover’s legs that kick away water from you, and Percy’s total concentration on his blooming powers and Annabeth’s tact that keeps you from smashing into rock and riding the tide out the entrance.

*And even though the Cupid statues record you, completely drenched and a little humiliated, next to a sputtering Annabeth, a hyperventilating Grover, and a adrenaline overload Percy breathing fast—you grin.

*‘At least it’s never boring.’

*You point into the camera, still grinning.

*“You owe us.”

*Percy pops out from behind you, waving.

*“Yeah, shows over!”

*You grin.

*‘It’s good to have friends.’

A/N: As a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

*Tag List closed, looks like I’ve reached the max!*

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