dandthegods

[dandthegods]

What feelings do you get when you pray to the Theoi? I know that some people get happy feelings in their chests and I shiver sometimes.

I don’t really feel a whole lot in the act of prayer. I can feel nervous sometimes, but I also don’t do a whole lot of what would call “prayer”. Instead I do acts of worship. Some of that includes prayer, but it also includes doing something with them in mind like drawing, driving, or even just belting out a country song. i can get chills while listening to certain songs that remind me of them or their presence in my life. And I feel very happy when they are mentioned by name or the word “gods” is used by someone.

but I’m also kinda autistic and it’s hard to put my feelings and emotions into words when I haven’t experienced them recently enough to have that memory closely at hand. -D

#personal #blog #post #random #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic #hellenic polytheism #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #Prayer #ask #answer #anonymous #feelings #worship #practice

[dandthegods]

Hi! 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 and offline spaces) for my MA thesis to look into Hellenic polytheism. I' also identify as a sapphic woman so this topic is in general very fun for me to learn about. 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? 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.)

-Sophie 🌷

Hello, sorry if this comes to you late.

I personally don’t worship heroes or characters from myths (such as Sappho, Medusa, Hercules, Theseus, etc.). For me, the Gods are my focus, though I believe in and acknowledge other spirits around me and have a general animistic view on the world around me. And the myths in my view and practice are just stories. I don’t see worship potential in any character mentioned in them as I see the stories as meant to teach lessons, entertain, or try to explain things. This includes how the Gods can be depicted in the stories. Those stories use the Gods, their names and characteristics for the story telling purposes, but I don’t hold any version of them as the “true” version of the Gods that I worship. As a fiction writer, it is similar to writing a character with similar characteristics as one of my friends or the likeness of a specific actor, but understanding and viewing that character as a fictional and separate version from the real friend/actor. I hope that makes sense. Worship and belief is quite complicated, especially when you consider the implications of either mythic literalism or not. I personally wouldn’t worship Sappho or any such character, because of my views. BUT, I want to stress this, I will never and do not advocate for limiting what others view or wish to worship in their practice just because of my own views. If it works for you, makes you a better person and fulfills whatever you need in life, then fucking go for it and have a ball. Just understand that I come from a specific point of view and will engage in a conversation with that bias/views in mind but will do my best to not push my views/bias on someone else. Believe, worship, and love whatever you want, just let me do the same.

hope this all makes sense. Stay safe and well

-D

#personal #blog #post #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #Ask #answer #sappho #worship #deities #practice #paganism #polytheism #greek polytheism #views #opinions

[dandthegods]

So I got a dog…

Meet Pepper :)

#personal #blog #post #random #Dog #new dog #pet #love #dachshund #italian greyhound? #Black lab? #She’s two and only 20 pounds #Super shy girl but getting more comfy at home #Loves belly rubs from mom #Loves lap cuddles from dad #She’s a daddy’s girl #Black dog

[dandthegods]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my Litha post. I truly appreciate it. Hope all is well

#personal #blog #post #random #thanks #litha #appreciation

[dandthegods]

Litha 2023

Today is the summer solstice. Many people are celebrating the longest day and shortest night of the year. Every day now until the Winter Solstice will get short and the nights longer. It’s lovely if you like that sort of thing.

for me, though, today hits different. A year ago today, this very hour, I had to put my dog down. It’s still hard to deal with, living without him. The trauma from that time last year still hits me. My mind can shut off and all I can do is cry. There are places and routes I don’t dare go down because they were paths I went with him. Sometimes I look in the rear view mirror and think I can see him sleeping on the backseat.

he passed away on the summer solstice. It was bright and sunny and he got to sniff the wind one last time. He was with us in the end to say goodbye. I miss him. I still cry.

but it isn’t always black. It isn’t always bad. I have so many memories and can talk about him and smile. I can see his pictures and smile. I wrote a story for him, where he can live on as happy as I knew him. I still have to finish it, but I think he’s happy in it.

Today is a time to remember for me.

Happy Litha/Solstice. -D

#personal #blog #post #random #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #Loss #pet loss #dog #litha #summer #summer solstice #holiday #pagan #paganisn #Emotions #emotional #story #bruce

[dandthegods]

New Blog for My Writing!

I've made a new blog where I'll post about my writing and publishing news!

I'll still post initially when things happen, but if you're interested in more from me, follow there too!

@dar-almg

#personal #blog #post #random #writing #writer #writeblr #announcement #new blog #link

[dandthegods]

I did the same thing, only showing up to my 8AM anatomy class with half of my face and head burned off (amateur special effects makeup). Even went to my shift at a Michael’s craft store with the makeup on. No one batted an eye and no one else was dressed up.

my anatomy professor like the makeup though

when i was a freshman in college i wanted to dress up for halloween because i thought surely college students would have the spirit. so i elected to put a whole entire Skull Kid from legend of zelda majora’s mask cosplay together and wear that fucking ensemble to college on halloween.

i step on campus and realize immediately that not one other person is dressed up. not so much as a cat ear headband. so imagine this fucking dude sitting in a class of otherwise normally dressed people looking like this. that was me. this was my 9/11

[dandthegods]

My First Story

So I got published last month! So here’s the link to the kindle/ebook version of the story and the book it was published in:

Dark Mirrors: An Anthology of Horror (The Dark Series) https://a.co/d/aWJZ0yz

it would mean a whole lot if people would check it out and maybe buy a copy. I don’t do this for the money I just like to tell stories!

#personal #blog #post #random #writing #writer #art #publishing #bubblegum and citrus #Horror #Vampire #monster #ebook #kindle #announcement #non-religious #Darren almgren #Author #i can finally call myself an author

[dandthegods]

And bison are a reason American doesn’t have as many megafauna species as places like Africa and Asia have. We used to have mammoths and mastadons. But the bison out competed them because a) it could adapt to the changing temperatures at the end of the ice age and 2) it can get nutrients from almost anything edible. Like they were able to mow down huge swaths of land in a smaller amount of time than the elephantine species. AND they can get hydration from MUD. Like they can drink mud and remain hydrated - which meant they could basically go anywhere and eat/drink whereas elephants have to know where water is or stay near it.

Also bison are VICIOUSLY territorial and protective of their young, as are elephants and moose. Like the lengths herbivore species go to protect their young males the phrase “mama bear” not mean a whole lot in my opinion.

one of my favorite facts to show ppl is how fuckoff huge bison are compared to cattle

If you've ever wondered why the Americas don't have as many domesticated animals, this is why. Aurochs and wild boar were scary, but this thing is even scarier.

[dandthegods]

I feel this is also just an association thing. Like you said, they may have been associated with the Underworld and thus with its inhabitants.

but I also think it could just be an instance of Hades and Persephone and the Underworld being closely associated and represented with goth culture and symbolism - which bats have a large presence in.

there may also be an aspect of trying to associate everything to a god or goddess when maybe the ancients didn’t do that. The world has changed so much and modern polytheists have so much of their lives that either didn’t exist back then or didn’t have as much prominence in ancient lives that the modern tendency is to try and link our gods to those aspects of our lives. Which I’m totally for and do myself. Tattoos weren’t a huge thing back then (I don’t think) but I still associate tattoos with the Gods. Elephants are a huge part of my life and so is Hephaestus so I tend to think he likes them. And the dichotomy of spring culture and goth culture tends to ring some bells when it comes to the Ling and Queen of the Underworld.

this is all coming from a eclectic and simple polytheist. I dont have anything to back these up more than just my observations and assumptions. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and sorry.

Were bats sacred to Persephone? I'm asking bc someone on Reddit mentioned that bats were one of her symbols, I went to check theoi but couldn't find anything relating to bats, I tried looking in the internet for any leads and found a Tumblr post explaining how bats can be a symbol of Persephone, I'm still on the hunt but I want to hear your opinion

I know that I answered this question maybe a couple of years ago, but now I can't find it…

Anyway, I'm not sure where this idea of the bat as an animal sacred to Persephone comes from, because I have never read anything about it. In book 24 of The Odyssey the shades of the dead suitors are likened to bats.

He led the spirits and they followed, squeaking like bats in secret crannies of a cave, who cling together, and when one becomes detached and falls down from the rock, the rest flutter and squeak - just so the spirits squeaked, and hurried after Hermes, lord of healing (translated by Emily Wilson).

So maybe bats were associated with the Underworld, and thus could be said to be associated with its rulers as well? If anyone knows more than me, feel free to add.

#personal #blog #post #random #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #ask reply #reply #repsonse #Bats #Persephone #hades #gods #associations #religion #beliefs #symbolism

[dandthegods]

heyyy, I would like to know other ways to purify myself before worshiping the gods other than khernips. I don't feel that khernips is for me for a number of reasons, so it would help me to know other forms of cleansing

Hi there,

when it comes to my own practice, I purify myself just by a simple shower. In the shower or before I usually say or think a small prayer to Hestia or the Gods in general to let the water act as a purification of the normal mundanity and any miasma i may have accumulated. I ask for them to help me focus my thoughts during whatever ritual or altar related stuff I’m doing and letting exiting the shower be my entrance into a focused session with them.

if you dont/can’t do a full shower, even just washing your hands before you touch the objects intended for worship is enough in my opinion. It’s a sign of respect. I think “if I were with someone as a guest in my home, would I wash my hands before doing this for them?” Like if I’m laying out offerings, I think “if I were to be given food or were to be giving food to a guest, I would want the hands that touch the food directly to be clean.” If you want it to be a little more “intentional” then you can get a special thing of hand soap that you use exclusively for cleansing. It doesn’t even have to be a specific scent or brand. Just something you can have and be dedicated to the Gods so that when you use it, it’s a signal that you are dedicating your current actions to them.

you can also put on a fresh change of clothes. They don’t have to be a Grecian chiton or some crazy fancy clothes. They can just be a fresh set of underwear, socks, and some new clothes. Even if it’s just for that short period of time when you’re at your altar. Hell, I’ve worn pajamas or jeans while doing my altar stuff. If you can be comfortable, the easier time your mind can have focusing on the ritual or focusing on your thoughts to the Gods.

cleansing like this doesn’t have to be limited to when you’re at your altar. It can be around doing devotional activities. Or if you want you could do a cleansing thing as part of your regular morning routine and just say a prayer to dedicate that day’s activities (whatever they may be) to the Gods as an offering.

I dont think offerings need to be super fancy or isolated to your altar and neither does cleansing.

#personal #blog #random #post #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #Cleansing #rituals #offerings #ask #question #answer #anon

[dandthegods]

As someone who had/has a lot of issues regarding food and finances. These things can be life savers.

if you’re on a tight budget or food insecure, take this option as much as you can. Ask your friends or family to use it, make burner email accounts for it, work the loopholes. Hope it can you avoid those nights of “going to bed for dinner”.

for those who have eating disorders where maybe they can’t get themselves to eat anything otherwise or only can make themselves eat one thing, I hope you can use this. Just hope, even if it’s once, this gives you at least one more meal.

cheers

Hey all my food insecure and tight budget folks out there, Wendy's will be doing 1 CENT hamburgers May 26th through June 1st!

[dandthegods]

What a surprise!

so today’s my birthday and along with being able to get time off work to spend it with my amazing partner, these also came in the mail! They’re my contributor’s copies of the book I recently got published in! I had no idea it was even shipped and it arrived without warning ON MY BIRTHDAY.

I just wanted to share something that I think is super cool and a crazy coincidence.

#personal #blog #post #random #writer #book #birthday #Surprise #art #dark mirrors #Archer publishing #Anthology #horror #mail surprise #Birthday gift from the universe and fates #Happy #bubblegum and citrus #Short story #guess I can officially call myself an AUTHOR #author

[dandthegods]

Limitless

The Gods are everywhere, you just have to look. They’re not trapped stagnant in the myths and stories, nor in the stale histories of cultures long past. Omnipresent in their own ways, the Gods can connect with anyone at any time. 

Athena can be found walking the aisles of a Harvard library, in the study room with a first generation college student, or in between the cardboard pages of a child’s first board book. Knowledge isn’t limited to the elite or the privileged, and neither is Athena. 

Apollo can be found in the galleries of prestigious art museums, in the bedroom of an aspiring anime artist, or in the imagination of a child scribbling with crayons. He is on the stage of a sold out stadium as well as in the back row of the cheapest seats. Art and creativity isn’t limited to those with influence or connections, and neither is Apollo. 

Hephaestus can be found in the offices of any corporate building, under the machinery of a blue collar factory, or in the joy of a teenager as they receive their first paycheck. He is found in the Paralympics, boosting the athletes onward, and he is also sitting with the hospital and rehab rooms of those recently disabled. Hard work is not limited to anyone’s status or abilities, and neither is Hephaestus. 

Aphrodite can be found on the covers of fashion magazines, in the dreams of an hopeful makeup artist, and in the playfulness of a child playing with their mother’s lipstick. Aphrodite can be in the appeal of sexy fishnets or the allure of a well tailored suit. Beauty and love are not limited to one’s gender or skills, and neither is Aphrodite. 

Hermes can be found flying alongside the highest reaching airplanes, the fastest driving cars, and on a seat on public transit in rush hour. He is the luck that saves the lives of a vehicular accident, and the thrill in that first payment on a used car. Luck and speed are not limited to how far or how fancy your transportation can go, and neither is Hermes. 

Zeus can be found behind the bench of a supreme court case, in the office of an overworked pubic defender, and in the thunderous laughter of a new father. He is in the welcoming smile of a stranger to those in need, and in the homeless being invited in. Justice and hospitality are not limited to one’s power or status, and neither is Zeus. 

Hera can be found in a fabulous wedding with hundreds of guests, in the celebration of a long lasting marriage, or officiating the ceremony in a courthouse. She is in the “I love you”’s before bed, the hands held in the car after a first date, and in the hospital room of an elderly couple saying goodbye for the last time. Love is not limited to the length of one’s relationship, and neither is Hera. 

Artemis can be found in the fields and forests of nature, in the calm breath of a hunter, or in the tears of grief for a lost pet. She is the courage in the voices fighting for respect and in the cheer of progress made. Equal treatment peace is not limited to those who hold the power, and neither is Artemis. 

Hestia can be found in the jingle of a first-time homeowners’ new keys, in the shared dinner of a multi-generational home, or in the exhausted smile of a single parent. She is the warmth of a household and the love shared within its walls. Family and support is not limited to those you share blood with or in the size of your dwelling, and neither is Hestia. 

Ares can be found in the measured steps of a solider over seas, in the joyous tears of a spouse when their loved one comes home, and in the flag wrapped around a coffin. He is in the voices of those calling for change, in the recovery rooms of the wounded, and in the minds of those struggling with trauma. Safety and wellness are not limited to one’s demographics and neither is Ares. 

Hades can be found in the grief left behind after a death, in the weight of responsibility of leaders, and in the darkness of winter. He is with those who cry and fear for their lives, and in the scars left behind the pain can be too much. Loss and recovery is not limited to those strong enough to withstand it and neither is Hades. 

Persephone can be found in the joy at the first warm day, in the love bridging distance between lovers, and in the will of those daring to strive for their dreams. She is the wonderment of a child at a honeybee, and the beauty found in the darkness. Energy and strength is not limited to the times of light and color, and neither is Persephone. 

Demeter can be found in the engines of the machines in a field, in the bounty of a community garden harvest, and in the first sprouts of an amateur gardener. She is the change of the seasons and the rebirth of the new year. Change and plenty are not limited to those with capital or land, and neither is Demeter. 

Dionysus can be found on the floats of a pride parade, in the movements pushing for equality, and in the bedroom of a closeted teenager. He is both the euphoria and dysphoria felt by some in their bodies, and in the community embracing those who feel lost. Rights and identity are not limited to those who one loves or how one looks, and neither is Dionysus. 

Poseidon can be found on the decks of a ship in a storm, on the docks with a father teaching his son to fish, or in the serenity on a sandy beach. He is the joyful screams of children running from the waves and the persistence in one learning how to swim. Power and possibility is not limited to the oceans and or one’s skills, and neither is Poseidon. 

#personal #Blog #post #random #words #writing #hellenic polytheist #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic #hellenistic polytheist #thoughts #gods #goddesses #zeus #hera #poseidon #hades #persephone #aphrodite #hephaestus #ares #demeter #artemis #apollo #hestia #greek gods #greek pantheon #dionysus #hermes

[dandthegods]

How You Can Help

It's the question I'm getting most often. This was just up on Twitter:

Go to

Hit Donate, and when it asks where you want to donate to, Film and Television.

[dandthegods]

Working Class Gods

So I am fully aware that this will be so soaked through with bias and based on personal anecdotal “evidence” that it will start dripping down and staining the carpet. If you choose to engage with this, please remember that these are opinions, UPG, and completely pulled from my ass. 

This isn’t meant to be a “hot take”, merely an observation. I think the Gods (of any pagan belief but I’m talking about the Hellenic deities here) are more connected to and more present in the lives of working class and “middle class” people and have always been that way. Let me explain. 

This may just be my bias as someone who has only ever known a working class life, who doesn’t get caught up in the intensity of ritual and research, and has read American Gods about twenty times at this point, but I think the Gods as I know and see them are and always have been of the working classes of society. However you want to define that. I believe the Gods have a deeper and more organic relationship with pagans who identify and live lives at those sort of levels. I am not saying that those who would be considered “upper class” or those who could be categorized as “the 1%” in any given society can’t experience and connect with the Gods. I cant and won’t ever say that. Just the more it turns in my head and stews, the more I believe what I’ve said. 

The Gods are everywhere. They can be found literally anywhere if you look for them. They aren’t limited to the things humans create or the ways we’ve categorized ourselves and them. Aphrodite can just as easily be worshipped by a millionaire Instagram influencer as a teenager who works at Sephora as a job to help her parents pay the rent. Athena can be found walking the aisles of Harvard or Oxford just as much as being among the shelves of a small town bookmobile that is the closest that town has to a library for 100 miles. Dionysus can be found at the biggest and more glamorous galas and events just as well as being able to sit on the couch with a gay teen in Alabama who isn’t out to anyone but their best friend. Apollo can be on the stages of a sold out stadium show just as much as being in the furthest, cheapest back row seat. I could give examples for every Olympian and Titan with a name, but I’ll just leave it there. 

The stories we have are known to have originated as oral traditions. Oral stories told to people until someone wrote them down, and even then they still were told as bedtime stories or around a campfire. It was the populous, the working class, that told those stories most of the time. Sure, an emperor or a queen might tell their children stories sometimes, but a majority of what we have came from the continuous belief and propagation of stories by the farmers, smiths, fishermen and artists. And I think that’s the same as now. Anyone can become enthralled with the stories and mythologies retold, some across a book of retelling in any library. But I think it’s the kids who aren’t in the upper echelons of private school and trust funds are more prone to that discovery and for that to stick with them in a meaningful way. 

I’m lucky that my gods aren’t used by people in positions of power to control society. I’m lucky that my religion isn’t the dominant one and my gods names are being taken in vain to control others. I can’t speak for how the world was in the past when that WAS more likely the case, but for today I can say that I’m glad it isn’t. 

One thing that has always stuck with me about my favorite book, American Gods by Neil Gaiman is how the old gods are on the level of working class people. It has stuck with me into my own fiction writing as well as my beliefs. I do believe that if the Gods were to take physical form and function in today’s society (maybe they do, who knows. I’ve met people I could easily believe were Hephaestus or Hermes), they would take on a working class life and working blue collar jobs. I wouldn’t expect to see any of them taking high positions of power, being politicians or royalty. I would expect to run into them at the DMV, in line at the grocery store, or behind a cash register. I’d expect to see Apollo running a small Etsy shop, Hephaestus to work at a factory, Hermes to run a gas station or auto repair shop, Zeus to be a pilot, Poseidon to be a lifeguard or work at a community pool. 

I see the gods in the everyday. I see them in all the things of my life and connect with them in everything I do, not just when I’m at my altar. Seeing the spectacular in the mundane or the ordinary was how I was raised and how I still work today. The Gods are there in chipped nail polish, calm Sunday mornings, road trips in a cheap car, and in the lyrics of my favorite songs. I started thinking about this more as I was curating a small playlist on Spotify for what I call “My Hymns”. They are regular songs that I associate with the Gods. Some have some spiritual meaning intended for a different deity, and some are just match the ✨vibes✨of the Gods. I listen to that playlist as a devotional act, letting each song remind me of its own god or goddess, letting my singing along or quiet listening be like a hymn being belted out to the rafters of my own private temple. It just gets me thinking about my Gods and it makes me happy. 

I hope this all makes sense and I didn’t mince my words too much. 

Cheers

-D

#personal #blog #hellenism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic polytheism #thoughts #Post #paganism #blue collar #upg #gods #goddesses #theoi #deities #essay #rant #hellenic gods #working class

[dandthegods]

#I have at least ten funko pops #Never seen a single episode of supernatural #but thanks to this place I know which of the main characters are #My dogs growing up were named after #wallace and gromit #Betty boop #bruce from Finding Nemo #And if I get another one Gaz and Zim are in the name option pool