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I <3 dog motifs. I <3 dog symbolism. I <3 dog imagery. I <3 devotion to the point of pain. I <3 unconditional love even in the face of violence.

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Just yesterday, an active duty Airforce member used self immolation to protest the genocide in Gaza in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. He yelled "I will no longer be complicit in th genocide." His last words were "Free Palestine", which he repeated until he could no longer speak.

Innocent men, women and children have died at the hands of a cruel, genocidal and ethnocentric regime. Americans have spoken. Our troops have spoken. We do not and cannot be complicit and silent in the events in the Middle East.

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The lack of in person community with paganism is so hard. Like christianity has that community aspect that I achingly long for but with my own beliefs. Like also the person right next to me could be pagan but I would have literally no idea bc it’s scary to put that information out there!

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Eugenicist and bioessentialist beliefs about magic

Like New Age, modern witchcraft developed at a time period when eugenics and so-called race science were highly popular ideas - and consequentially, some of these ideas influenced people’s beliefs about magic. These beliefs also influenced modern conspiracy theories about the occult, which in turn influenced perceptions of magic in general. Here’s some of these beliefs:

People are either born with magical gifts, or they’ll never have them at all.

People born with magical gifts are meant to be spiritual leaders and guide the world into a new age.

There are special bloodlines whose members are more capable of performing magic than others.

People who can perform magic are able to do so only because they have special ancestry.

Some racial groups are more capable of performing magic than others.

Some bloodlines or racial groups are more capable of performing certain kinds of magic than others (EG, so-called “light magic” or “dark magic”).

The traditions of your genetic ancestors will always come to you easily and intuitively, with little to no study required. (And if they don’t, you aren’t a “true witch.”)

Modern witchcraft was also hit by the gender essentialism stick, and claims that come from this line of thinking include:

Magic requires or at least massively benefits from some performance or symbolic representation of heterosexuality or heteronormativity; other forms of magic will be inherently weaker.

Literally all magic is a recreation of heterosexual reproduction.

The womb is a woman’s most potent source of magic.

There are only two important deities: the god and the goddess.

All goddesses represent the divine mother archetype, all gods represent the divine father archetype.

Feminine energies are soft and nurturing, masculine entities are aggressive and bold.

Masculine energies are too strong in the world, and are the reason for imperialism, violence, etc. The imbalance can be corrected by focusing on feminine energies.

So yeah, always watch out for claims like this because they don’t come from a good place.

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I made this video about how to start your hellenic polytheism journey, this is just based on my own experiences on how I got started so it may differ from others.

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I need everyone to read how Socrates described the etymology of Hades’ name. This is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful descriptions of the God in antiquity

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A Post Concerning

ARETE

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Arete is often translated to "moral virtue" in English.

However, it is better defined and understood as "striving for full realization of potential."

It is, simply put, striving to be the best version of yourself you can be.

You're probably asking yourself "hey, admin of this e-shrine, why should I care about arete as a modern person? What does an ancient belief have to offer in a world so different?"

Which is a fair question since we don't live in ancient Hellas nor are influenced by the culture that surrounded the time that the Theoi mythos was spoken.

This answer can differ for everyone, as no one person views arete and especially how to achieve arete the same way. Some may not even care about arete, nor include it in their practice and worship.

Arete, as define above, is the strive for perfection and excellence in what one does, and striving to be the best version of yourself you can be. I strongly believe that perfection is not realistic, and you should always know your abilities and stay within them, but progress is still extremely valuable. This means character development, self actualization, and happiness and peace within yourself.

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Arete and the Gods.

Arete has always been used as a way to please society and oneself, but most importantly to please the Gods. Arete is often correlated with how pious someone was, especially if they were a warrior, priest, or public speaker.

The word was associated with araomai, to pray, as well as aristos, meaning "the best". It is often associated with moral goodness, which when shown in mortals, is rewarded in living out the afterlife in Elysium. The ancient Hellenic peoples believed this was a way of being morally good and within favor with the Theoi.

This is still true today. Living within one's values and morals is very important to living a full life and avoiding cognitive dissonance and discomfort. Arete is living within your values, providing peace within yourself and for others, and pleasing to the Gods.

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Means of achieving arete in the modern world.

The means of achieving arete in the past has a long history of oppression, which I will get to later. The western world does not share all of the same values as the ancient Hellenic peoples did in the time of Odysseus, and we should not look to the traditional, old ways of bringing arete into our lives. It is important to stay in the times since we know much more about human psychology and abilities.

Arete can look different for everyone based on their capabilities. It truly is seeking excellence in what one does and how they live. I personally like to bring the principle of arete into my career as an addictions councilor, especially since striving for excellence means that I help people more efficiently and to the best of my ability. I also enjoy striving for arete in my school work (especially to make Athena proud of me.)

However, someone's arete could mean that they were able to get promoted, or they were able to get out of bed today and self-care. It could mean that you tried your best in activities and events, or at school, or anything you have attempted to do. It could be a person's craft, hobby, love life, family, career, finances, etc.

You don't "loose" arete for attempting and failing, or having a bad day, or falling just short of what your goal was. Your best is always good enough for society, yourself, and for the Gods.

Whatever form arete takes, the Gods are always walking this path with you, and are pleased by your efforts to be the best you can be.

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The means of achieving arete has a long history of oppression.

The ancient world didn't always have the best values. The ways that arete was acceptably achieved by individuals was often split on gender, sex and social class lines. Ancient Hellas was often a misogynistic society and did not regard women and slaves as favorably, nor were the poor.

The way that men achieved arete was through battle, public speaking and priesthood. It was often more acquirable by rich men, and one had to have arete to be an aristocrat, leaving women and slaves to be restricted to "smaller" roles.

Women achieved arete though managing their homes, children and slaves, and being an excellent wife.

I unfortunately could not find where slaves could find arete, although I don't think they were socially barred from being recognized as having arete since it is a little nebulous.

Objects could also have arete, if they were created well or functioned efficiently.

Arete itself isn't inherently oppressive, so long as the social pressure around it doesn't venture into abilism, but it certainly had a history of being gatekept through the means and boundaries in which individuals were able to self actualize.

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Conclusion.

Because arete is so important to how I live my life, I felt compelled to write about it. I felt like sharing this seemingly more obscure part of ancient Hellenic culture and religion, since it is still so applicable to our current age. If more people strived to be the best version of themselves they can be that day, I am sure life would be better for everyone.

I do want to hammer in that arete and someone's best is entirely subjective and looks different for each person, each day. If you can't reach the same level of excellence in something you did yesterday, always know that arete is a practice, and practice makes progress.

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Please leave feedback in the comments!

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Our lady of flowers bids farewell to her husband and departs the Underworld, fresh blooms follow her steps. We welcome her presence among us, and celebrate the warmer weather and longer days that she brings along. We wish her happy days to spend with her beloved mother, and pray for their blessings as we sow the first seeds of the new season.

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Persephone and Hades my design and interpretation 

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Hades Moodboard

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Hades: .. .----. -- / ... --- .-. .-. -.--

Persephone: what's that?

Hades: remorse code

Persephone: I'm even angrier now

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“Hades and Persephone” by jjlovely

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🖤Hades and Persephone.

Hades is my beloved Greek god.He is a calm introvert-works and does not touch anyone) And on Olympus every day-Mexican passions and showdowns.😅And he has only one wife and does not have a million children in every city.

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hades and persephone 3 by sandara

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King of the Underworld by IrenHorrors