loverofdoves

[loverofdoves]

I love seeing people’s passion for their deities

I love seeing people’s eyes light up when their deities come up in conversation

I LOVE SEEING PEOPLE LOVING THEIR DEITIES 💞

#deity worship

[loverofdoves]

I think death and sea magick go so well together not just because Hades and Poseidon are brothers or that the ocean is literally full of corpses, but also because of this sense of beneath and of inevitability.

The general religious consensus tends to be that the/an afterlife exists below us on the cosmic map. The ocean is, obviously, deep. Too deep for us to have properly explored it. That fear of “We don’t know what’s down there” applies to both. Each lays far below us in an unknowable abyss.

The cycle of life leads us all to the underworld time and time again. The water cycle returns all water to the sea eventually. There’s no avoiding Hades or Poseidon. They are both completely, utterly, and comfortingly inevitable.

#hades* #poseidon*

[loverofdoves]

Hestia/Vesta

Small devotional acts.

Keep a tealight on you, light it wherever you may be

Clean one small area of your house

Savor a hot drink

Do small, unnoticed acts of kindness

Always greet animals, both big and small

Do anything by candlelight 

Get cozy and read a good book 

Wear colors you associate with her

Practice your patience, both external and internal

Be a listening ear or shoulder to cry on for those who need it

Make compromises when it is healthiest for both parties

Bake!

Become the one who always has a lighter or matches

Listen to music that reminds you of her

Spend time tending to your body

Leave a big tip the next time you have a chance

Practice kindness in all areas of your life - including driving

Host/organize a gathering of friends or family

Take a hot bath or shower with no time limit

Decorate a space

Dedicate the first bite of your food to her

Build a fire!

Veiling (can come in many, discreet forms)

Compliment people - both strangers and loved ones

Donate something, be it clothes, money, or your time 

Support those who have lost their homes in whatever way you can

Create something - I really like knitting!

Look at photos and embrace the happy nostalgia 

Wear makeup or jewelry that reminds you of her

Wake up early to see the sunrise - or watch the sunset

Watch/read about acts of kindess - be inspired!

PRACTICE LOVING YOURSELF

Many, many, many other things not said here

Additionally, this post is great!

Bedridden devotion to Hestia

#hestia* #devotional acts

[loverofdoves]

devotional moodboard for Hestia, goddess of the hearth

In thee the Gods have fixed their dwelling place; strong, stable basis of the mortal race. Eternal, much formed, ever florid queen, laughing and blessed, and of lovely mien.

#hestia*

[loverofdoves]

breaking out into a dance out of absolutely nowhere while doing the most mundane thing is a devotional act towards Lord Dionysus

#dionysus*

[loverofdoves]

a reminder to all the helpols, something i need to remember too; it's okay to not be able to worship and pray properly every single day, the gods will keep you in their blessings as long as you keep them in your hearts

#deity worship

[loverofdoves]

A prayer to Romanticize life

Oh heavenly Aphrodite,

You who who oversees the beauty in small things,

Whether in a child's laugh, in a good friend or somewhere in a field of flowers; We can see thy face everywhere.

Oh heavenly Aphrodite,

You who created our bodies along the sweet roses and the tranquility of holy starlight, I praise thee!

May you grant me to see thy beauty not only around me but to see the one you have created within me.

Oh heavenly Aphrodite,

May you grant me to see thy peace and grace in the small things so that I can appreciate the beauty of the deathless Gods.

#prayers #aphrodite*

[loverofdoves]

Special reminder that the most important step in devotion is thought.

THINK about your deities. Day dream about them. Imagine them. Ponder them!

Definitely learn everything you can, which offerings they prefer at which times, their sigils, symbols, etc. But it’s okay if you don’t have the means to do a huge ritual right now. It’s okay if you don’t have the time or energy. Daily devotion does not mean dedicating our lives to the idea of worshipping the Gods. It means keeping a special place in your mind and heart for them. The universe makes no distinction between thought and material, if you want to feel your God’s presence more in the material world, the very first step is to start THINKING about them. THINK about them and they will surely start to think about you.

#deity worship

[loverofdoves]

ares chain because we love ares :)

reblog with ares content <3

#ares* #art

[loverofdoves]

Lyre Sun of Apollo. May he bless us with his eternal light and radiance.

Hand drawn and inked in honor of and as tribute to Apollo, Son of Maya, Hellenic god of The Sun, Music, Prophecy, Medicine, Light, and more. Twin brother of Artemis.

#apollon* #art

[loverofdoves]

Heyy im new to Hellenic polytheism and I was wondering, what are some things I should research about I’ve researched stuff like , Key Concepts, Prayer and how to pray , the 8 pillars , divination ,and some of the rules but I’m not really sure what other things I’d need to research before I start worshiping the gods any suggestions? :,)

Hi friend! Thanks for asking this because I was thinking about making a post on this because I realized it’s officially 8 years since I started my worship! If you are looking for more resources after this, my #resources tag has some stuff! Also I try to tag everything so if you’re looking for epithets, I use #epithets, prayers are in #prayers, etc.

The first thing I would recommend is looking into reconstructionism vs revivalism. This can be a big thing on moving forward in exactly how you’re going to structure your practice. Revivalism and Reconstructionism are basically whether you are building a new, modern practice based on the old ideas, or trying to rebuild the practice of the past.

You mentioned prayers, and I think you’re on the right path with figuring out how to pray. One thing I would add in this section would be epithets and areas of influence. This helps makes prayer more specific to your needs and calls upon specific aspects of the gods. It also is great for getting an understanding of the whole scope of the gods you’re praying to. Like I am an Aphrodite devotee so praying to her Aphrodite Areia epithet is normally accompanied by a different request than say Aphrodite Pandemos.

For building personal practice, finding out about festivals, the lunar calendar, and holy days. For example, Hekate’s Deipnon and Noumenia happen at the new moon and the days following are sacred to different gods (Aphrodite is day 4 if you were wondering!) You don’t have to follow the lunar calendar if you choose, I just use it because I follow the lunar cycle for my witchcraft practice anyway. Festivals are also just fun to have, and the most common ones are the Athenian festivals, and I’m a sucker for a good celebration I will say.

For personal one on one worship and devotion, I recommend looking into historical offerings. Before you develop your own UPG and personal associations, the historical offerings can be a great place to start without worrying about whether they’ll like it or not. I also stand by the idea that research is worship, so seeing that you put time into looking into their past can be a great bonding moment.

Also I would say there’s not really any strict rules. The biggest thing for me is not eating/drinking offerings to the Chthonic gods (also look into what being Chthonic means) and maybe I would consider the Delphic Maxims to be rules, but there’s really no strict book of rules to be followed. If you’re respecting the gods, the culture, and the history, it’s pretty much a learn as you go kinda thing.

I think you’re on the right path though! If you have any questions after this, just send them in and I’ll do my best to answer! I have so much I could talk about but this post is getting so long, so I’ll just leave it here.

Thanks again for the ask <3

#deity worship #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #deity work #paganism #pagan #paganblr #helpol #resources #references #dove.txt #polytheism

[loverofdoves]

take your meds. do it for Apollo and Asklepios

#apollon* #asklepios*

[loverofdoves]

Hellenism Resources

This is by no means a complete list, it’s just a collection of some sites, articles, and books I’ve found online that are interesting or useful.

Ancient Greek Cults:A Guide by Jennifer Larson

Aristotle on Religion by Mor Segev

Brutality of Citizen Wives, The by Mary E. Naples, M.A.

Collection of Greek Ritual Norms

Dionysus and His Cult and Worship; a Gender Study by Leah Hatch  

Divine Appetites and Animal Sacrifice by Mat Carbon

Greek Philosophy and Religion by Gábor Betegh

Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies- Classical Inquires page 

Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies-Library

Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies- Research Bulletin

Homer’s Gods, Plato’s Gods by Dr. Garrett 

Households, Families, and Religion by Matthew Dillon

Human Transgression–Divine Retribution by Aslak Rostad  

Imagining the Afterlife by Radcliffe Edmonds

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Introduction to Inner Purity and Pollution in Ancient Greek Religion by Andrej Pertovic

Meaning of Reciprocity in Ancient Greek Religion, The by A. Koutoupas

Mortal and Divine In Early Greek Etymology  by Shaul Tor

Oracular Functioning and Architecture of Five Ancient Apollo Temples Through Archaeoastronomy: Novel Approach and Interpretation by Belen Martin Castro, Ioannis Liritzis, and Anne Nyquist

Pausanias’ Descriptions of Greece

Personal Religion in Ancient Greece by Emily Whitmore

Plato’s Writings

Pythagoreans, Orphism and Greek Religion by Gábor Betegh

Recovering the Past: The Origins of Greek Heroes and Hero Cult by Jorge Bravo

Rethinking Aphrodite as a Goddess at Work by Gabriella Pironti

Sacred and the Profane, The by Mircea Eliade

Theoi.com

Theoi.com- Library

Theophoric Names and the History of Greek Religion by Robert Parker

Unraveling the Eleusinian Mysteries by Mary E. Naples, M.A .

#*heavy breathing* so many resources!!! #resources

[loverofdoves]

thank you Lord Hermes for getting me to my therapy appointment quickly when i realized it was in 8 minutes and had completely forgot about it fucking hell 😮‍💨

#i prayed the entire time during the short drive from my house to the office #i was so fucking stressed out holy shit #hermes* #dove.txt

[loverofdoves]

Items for Lord Dionysus’ altar

Wine

Grapes

Statues and/or images of Dionysus

Apples

Goblets

Wine glasses

Ethically sourced furs

Statues of leopards, tigers, snakes, and/or bulls

Theater masks

Play programs

Phallic imagery

Fake or real plants

Pinecones

wildflowers

Wine corks, bottles, or labels

Bottle caps

Pride flags and/or pins

Condoms

Candles

Scripts

Garnet

Ruby

Amethyst

These are all suggestions and common associations of Dionysus. If you do not have some of these or don’t feel comfortable owning some of these, that is valid. We all have different practices and how you do yours will differ from mine.

#dionysus*

[loverofdoves]

Thanatos Deity Guide

Who is Thanatos?

Thanatos is the personification or the spirit of death. In this way, Thanatos is considered a daimon in the original meaning, a spirit.

Thanatos was often depicted as a young male with wings, but occasionally he was depicted as an older man with a beard. He as well as his twin brother, Hypnos, are seen in ancient art holding torches turned upside down.

His role in mythology is a psychopomp—a being who carries the souls of the dead to the underworld. Though he was often referred to in myths, he rarely appeared physically.

Parents and Siblings

Nyx (mother)

Erebos (father in some myths)

with his being mother, Nyx, has many siblings. Most notibly:

Hypnos (twin brother)

The Keres (sisters)

Geras (brother)

Eris (sister)

Nemesis (sister)

The Moirai (sisters)

Apate (sister)

Charon (brother)

Lovers or Partners

Makaria according to some

Children

None

Epithets

Mors (Roman)

Letum (Roman)

Paian (Healer or Striker)

Acherontis (Woeful)

Leukokhrotos (White-Skin)

Notes

Though there are no ancient cults known to be dedicated to Thanatos, there have been traces of sacrifices left to him as well as a temple in Sparta.

In one myth, Zeus commands Hypnos and Thanatos to carry the dead body of the warrior Sarpedon off of the battlefield and to the country of Lykia so that he could be given a proper burial.

Other popular stories involving Thanatos are the story of Sisyphus and the story of Hercules wrestling Thanatos.

Thanatos has been depicted in art as a youth holding a butterfly or an inverted torch. The former represents a soul (the greek word for butterfly can also mean life or soul), and the ladder represents a life having been extinguished. He is also seen with a wreath of poppies or a sword.

In art and literature, Thanatos is also depicted as a cloud or mist that hangs above a person’s head who is soon to die.

He lives in the Underworld with his twin brother.

In some myths he is considered cruel, in others, he is considered sweet, as he is peaceful death. The descriptors chosen would likely depend on the writer’s outlook on death.

Modern Deity Work

Since there is very little record of historical record, this list has been compiled based on Thanatos' myths as well as what is known about him historically. In this list I have also compiled items from modern witches' posts about Thanatos, these posts will be in the References and Further Reading section.

Rocks/Stone/Crystals

Porphyry

Onyx

Obsidian

Iron

Bronze

Herbs/Plants

Poppy

Cypress

Animals

Butterfly

Snakes

Vultures

Crows

Symbols

Upside down torch

Sword

Butterfly

Wreath of poppies

Offerings

Any of the items or depictions of the items listed above.

Dead things that died naturally or peacefully. Or dead things that were ethically sourced.

It was common for Greeks to offer honey, olive oil, freshwater, and milk to their deities.

An altar or corner of your personal altar dedicated to him.

Jewelry dedicated to him.

Bones

Acts of Devotion

Learn about him, his brother, and his mother.

Learn about thanatology (study of death and dying)

Take care of those in hospice.

Show respect and appreciation for hospice workers.

References and Further Reading

Britannica

Theoi Project

Greek Mythology

World History

Mythus

The Underworld Oracle

Amino - Thana

Devotee of Thanatos - Tumblr

If you or anyone you know works with Thanatos and you welcome questions about him please feel free to reach out to me so that I can add you to this post!

#thanatos*

[loverofdoves]

to my fellow disabled worshippers, for what it's worth, here's a reminder that you don't have to push yourself past your limits. worship should not come with so much physical pain, fatigue, or mental strain that you become overwhelmed - take care of yourself, who you worship will understand. ✨

#deity worship