#sophiemk22

[aphrodisianbaby]

Hi! I really like your blog, and I'm curious if you just worship deities, or do you worship heroes, spirits, etc. as well? Would you be interested in worshiping Sappho, for example? 

 I'm new to the Tumblr pagan/polytheist-sphere, and I was inspired by my research on Sappho and Aphrodite (I'm slowly working on defining modern Sapphic rhetoric and modern Sapphic online spaces) for my MA thesis to look into polytheism. I' also identify as a sapphic woman so this topic is in general very fun for me to learn about. Also, would it be okay if I included your answer in my project? If not, totally cool! ☺️ and if so, thats great too. (I can def give you more info about what I'm doing if you'd like as well.)

hello love !! apologies that this is so late, asks are anti-my executive functioning. i absolutely wouldnt mind you including my opinion or asking for more ! since you're focusing on sapphic themes, I'll make it clear that I'm a transmasc mlm not a sapphic or a woman ! I'm unsure if that matters to your thesis, but I wouldn't want to skew your data :)

for your question, i personally only really worship Deities. this isn't because I wouldn't worship a hero or a past human, but I have never really felt called to thus far. the closest I've come is contact with a spirit i consider an ancestor and spirit guide whom i refer to as "the fox" online for privacy reasons. even then, we don't have a consistent line of contact like i do with the Divine.

I do have an appreciation for Sappho absolutely. i honor her on this blog specifically because i have a UPG view* that Sappho was a lover of Aphrodite. i believe that Deities can share different levels of relationship with humans, and that Aphrodite had favor for Sappho. I can go more in depth on this if you're interested, or if anyone else is, but I won't clog up this ask with my upg

I think, in the future, I may be interested in hero worship**. i think there is something very healing and personal about forming relationships with energies that were once human, especially those who lived in completely different times than us now. I think it can really bridge the gap between the Divine and human experiences by adding a level of understanding that a Deity may never have, the experience of living as a human being. this was something I valued a lot when I worshiped Psykhe, the Goddess often considered the ruler of the human soul. when you're surrounded by big Divine energies all the time, having a familiar, mortal energy can be quite relieving.

on top of this, I think there's something unique about Sappho's position. it's one thing for a Goddess to tell you how much She loves and accepts you, it's another thing to speak with a queer spirit who lived, breathed, and was adored by others for their queerness. the ancient people loved Sappho's poetry and it was spread across the middle east, even if only fragments remain now. i think it can be an amazing experience for queer people to connect with someone who was adored for their sapphic identity so long ago. even if you don't personally identify as sapphic or even as femme/female. Sappho is the teacher who reminds us that being queer was and always will be something to honor and worship.

*UPG meaning unverified personal gnosis. it's a religious idea or practice that I carry without it being a verified belief or practice in antiquity.

**when I say "hero worship", im generally referring to the worship of influential humans or human figures.