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sabrinathepolytheist · 9 months

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In Defense of Aphrodite! - A Devotional Work!

Hello all, this is a thing I wrote a while back, but now that I have a blog, I figured I would share it! I get so annoyed by people giving Aphrodite flak and dishonoring her by the words they say. While I understand that most of these individuals are not pagans, or even Hellenist for that matter, I still think it is disrespectful. For those of you who are not Hellenist out there or worshipers of Aphrodite, please understand that she is a goddess, and that there are people who do honor and respect her. So, if you are a non-pagan and you put yourself in the shoes of an Aphrodite worshiper for a moment, you would see why we are annoyed, and quite frankly why we are angry about the recent trends spreading about our goddess on TikTok.

In Defense of Aphrodite:

What this post will cover:

What she is not!

How she shows love!

How she shows beauty!

She extends herself far beyond just love and beauty!

She is a mother figure!

She is not a monster!

What she is not!

People, pagans included seem to shun Aphrodite. They mock her and belittle her. They assume that because in myth she is portrayed as jealous, sadistic, and uptight, that it must be relative to her true nature. However, this is not, and never was the case. Aphrodite is not a monster; she doesn't "curse women who are compared to her in beauty". She definitely doesn't "take away your beauty if you ignore her". She is totally not the "whore" that modern media has reduced her to. She most certainly is not an advocate for the lesser-known toxic femininity that people often cast her with, otherwise known as a diva. She is SO much more than what people see!

How she shows love!

If you would just get to know her, and begin to be one within her bliss, she will show you her truly loving, caring, compassionate, patient, and unconditional nature. This is when you begin to love her as she loves you. When you get to know Aphrodite you see that there is more to life than just slugging through pay-check after pay-check, that there is more to life than what the media will advertise to you, that life itself is beautiful. Life is her gift to us, and thus we should cherish this gift. She animates our soul, and fills us with wonder, and amazement to explore the world, and to explore life with curiosity. Life is such a special and sacred thing. She cried for Adonis when he perished, but this is not just her sadness for the death of her mortal lover, this is the sadness that she feels when each and every one of us dies! That is how much she truly loves us! She cherishes every waking second she gets with us before it's our time to go. She is love incarnate!

How she shows beauty!

Aphrodite can teach us one major thing about beauty, that is, that it is subjective. Beauty is, and always has been in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is not the caked-up face that society has forced upon most women, true beauty comes naturally. You are already SO beautiful and you don't even know it. Beauty is not reserved for celebrities, or models. Beauty is not the stereotypical body standard that plagues society these days. Beauty is for all! Men, and women alike can rejoice, and appreciate the beauty in themselves, and in our world! There is beauty in us, in the rustling of the trees on a windy day, within the hearts of the ducks swimming gracefully upon the pond, within the eyes of any living creature. Aphrodite is beauty incarnate! If you just look for her, she is everywhere!

She extends herself far beyond just love and beauty!

Aphrodite is the goddess of all love and beauty, but she is SO much more than that. She is also the goddess of pleasure, passion, romance, and desire - none of which are inherently sexual in nature but can very well be sexual in nature if one wishes. she is the goddess of the self; self-love, self-care, self-adoration, self-confidence, even self-discipline - the list goes on. She is the goddess of the heart and is a heart healer. You can vent your sorrows to her, and she will listen, and she will guide you to healing. She will speak to you, be it in your subconscious, or in your heart itself, she will heal your sorrows and your pain.

She is a mother figure!

Aphrodite is a mother too, and if you are one who has a not-so-great mortal mother, Aphrodite will take you into her arms, and openly accept you as her own child - though you are not her blood born child, and most certainly are not a demi-god - she will still take you as her own, especially those who lacked the parental love they needed in childhood. She loves her children very much and will do anything in her power to protect them. If Eros is anything to look at in myth, she doesn't let him get away with Psyche so easily, and I feel that as a mother, she was just trying to better understand Psyche before letting Eros pursue her fully. She wouldn't want anyone to hurt Eros. She gives this same loving motherly protection to all her children. She loves us so very much!

She is not a monster!

As we can see, Aphrodite is not a monster, she is not the vile goddess myth portrays her as. She is lovely in nature to say the very least about her character. She loves all, and wants us to realize that beauty is subjective, and that everyone holds their own beauty inside and out. I pray that Aphrodite blesses and protects each and every person who reads this! <3

#aphrodite worship #aphrodite deity #aphrodite #hellenic devotion #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic gods #sabrinathepolytheist #hellenic worship #theoi #Ifyouignoreaphroditeshewilltakeyourbeautyaway #tiktok

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sabrinathepolytheist · 9 months

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Do you have to follow ancient tradition to be an Hellenic Polytheist?

Hello! Welcome to my very first official passion blog post! I hope you enjoy reading it and do let me know what you think! <3

I would like to start right off the bat and say that Hellenism, otherwise known as Hellenic Polytheism, can be a very vast topic to explore, and even with the depth that I provide in this post, I don't think I will ever be able to convey everything correctly. It is also important to note that this post is mostly theoretical, and philosophical in nature. My sources you may ask? Well, that's just it, my sources are the many things I have read, and learned over the past year about being a Hellenist. I cannot provide a direct source to what I know as to me it is now common knowledge.

I will go ahead and say that I do not represent the entirety of the community who worships these gods. I am just one person, and this post and my blog is just my perspective on our shared spirituality. I don't know everything, and frankly, I am sure neither do you, dear reader. Let us all remember a remarkable quite by Socrates;

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing" - Socrates

This post will discuss the following:

A general definition of what a Hellenic Polytheist is.

A description of what ancient traditions and customs were like.

How ancient tradition, and customs can change to accommodate our modern era

Do you have to practice ancient tradition to be considered a Hellenic Polytheist?

What is a Hellenic Polytheist?

To answer this question simply, an Hellenic Polytheist is a individual who practices Hellenism - the ancient Greek religion. A Hellenic Polytheist simply believes in the gods of Greece as being the divine powers over the universe itself. One who is not familiar with these gods may know their names from just pure happenstance. Their names consist of; Zeus, Hera, Apollon, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Athena, Dionysus, Poseidon, Demeter, and last but certainly never least, Hestia. Yet, there are countless of other gods, daemons, heroes, titans, and primordials that fall into the pantheon of the Greek gods. However, some Hellenist only worship a handful of gods, or all the gods, or just primordials, or perhaps just titians, and some even worship only one of the gods. The range of gods that you worship in Hellenism can vary from person to person, just as it varied from city to city in ancient times. Interestingly enough, Hellenism even has an element of animism to it.

A great example would be the many personified deities the Greeks had. Thanatos - the personification of death, and Hypnos - the personification of sleep, are just the tip of the iceberg when talking about personified deities. Another example of animism in Hellenism, would be the many nymphs whom are believed to frolic around in the forests, seas, rivers, and more. Both personified deities, and nymphs seem to be powers whom encompass the human condition, or nature itself. Mother Gaia is another example, whom is seen as mother nature, or the earth herself in some views.

What did ancient tradition look like?

What about the tradition behind the worship of these gods? Well in traditional Hellenism, there were structures in place that would determine if you were ready to approach the gods in worship. Typically, in ancient Hellenic tradition one would have to rid themselves of any "Miasma" or otherwise known as "spiritual dirtiness" before ever approaching the gods for worship or prayer. The concept of Miasma is not to be confused with the Christian concept of "sin", rather Miasma was seen as a spiritual fifth, often acquired by being among the dead - this included being in the presence of blood, death, illnesses, or fighting in a war. Some claim that Miasma can also come from sexual acts. With Miasma being such a feared thing in ancient times, purification became an essential part to the practice.

When addressing the gods after a purification of Miasma was completed, one would then commence in ritual, or prayer to the gods. Most often the first and last prayer of the ritual was given to Hestia - the goddess of the hearth and home. It was believed that Hestia was the center of the home, and without her fire burning within the home, the home would surly parish. Of course, a home does not have to be a building, it could also be a family, or a group of people you are close with. Most often after addressing and giving to Hestia, libations would then be poured to other gods.

Libations where an essential part of ancient Hellenic practice, and they were often the only type of offering given to the gods by some. For some, Hellenism is not Hellenism without the offering of libations. Libations were poured liquids. The liquids would consist of water, or wine most often. It was said that libations poured to the gods should not be drank, but instead poured into the ground to return the liquid to the gods. After all you offered the liquid to the gods, it is technically now theirs.

There were likely many other types of offerings given to the gods in ancient times. In fact, some have excavated votive offerings to the gods that were buried in the ground. There is so-so-so much more that goes into ancient Hellenic practice, however, I cannot go through them all here, as that would literally require me to write a book. Goodness, even the customs, and ancient traditions are a huge mouthful to explain - this is just the very tip of the iceberg.

How ancient tradition, and customs can change to accommodate our modern era

One might say that the ancient tradition never changed and will never change. However, is that really the case? How could it be? Everything changes at some point, right? Well, it depends on who you ask really. Re-constructionists (Recons) of the ancient Hellenic practice would argue that one should practice the exact way that the ancients practiced the tradition. The thing is this is a very hard thing to replicate to full accuracy in the modern day. There are people out there who have tried to replicate an ancient ritual to the gods to an absolute spitting-image. The problem? They still had to substitute items into the ritual because they simply didn't have access to the items that the ancients used for their honorings. So even Recons must stray away from tradition.

Revivalists are more lenient and would tell you to take what vibes with you and leave what doesn't vibe with you (for the most part). A revivalist is more likely to accept the fact we live in modern times, and our world is modernized, and because of this, we can honor the gods in modernized ways, as we see fit, so long as we remain respectful of the gods. The practice is modernized, but the gods are still ancient.

Other worshipers of the Greek gods may not even identify as Hellenists, and may be eclectic Witches, or Neo-pagans. This goes to show that Hellenism - the tradition, isn't what connects you to the gods. What connects you to the gods, is in fact - well, you! Yes, you have the ability to connect to the gods just as you are now.

In our modern world, it can be hard to cling to the past. This is why recons may be annoyed with revivalists, or Neo-pagans. Recons tend to have a harder time accepting the modernization of ancient practices, while revivalists, and other groups do not have this issue (again for the most part). A thing we must realize is, change is inevitable. Even the physical planet we live on itself has morphed its shape with tectonic movements countless times. The seasons too, are a great example of change. Everything goes through changes and phases. The sooner we take note of this the happier we will all be.

Do you have to practice ancient tradition to be considered a Hellenic Polytheist?

I must reveal for those who are concerned that I am not a Re-constructionist, although I am to a slight degree, I am mostly a revivalist. You could even consider me to be a hybrid; a Recon-Revivalist. it is my personal belief that tradition is only secondary to divine relationship and communication. You do not have to stress about performing an ancient ritual to absolute perfection in order to have a connection to the gods. To me, Hellenism is about the gods, and how you connect with them. In ancient times there would be communal rituals and cleansings of miasma, that multitudes of people would be able to participate as well as city-wide festival celebrations, and worship rituals. These people were capable of honoring the gods in the same environment, so it is no shock that they would have similar ways of worship to each other.

However, we live in a modern world, and we are modern people. While ancient tradition provides a much needed insight into the way the ancients went about worshiping their gods, and I do think it is only respectful that one would at least consider trying to do worship the way the ancients would have conducted it, that doesn't make it the end all be all for what Hellenism is. Think about the vast amount of philosophers, and philosophical wisdoms, and ideas passed down from the ancients. Not a single one of them thought about Hellenism, or the gods in the exact same way (to my knowledge). Due to this, we can come to realize that philosophical thinking is not something limited to the ancients. Everyone can think about life philosophically and come to see what they truly believe about themselves and about the world.

So, do I have a personal philosophy? Well, yes, but I would say as I learn, and grow myself, it can change as time goes on. I would say I have a tendency to take things from many different ancient philosophers. For example, I agree with Sallustius that the gods are pure good and are never the cause of unrest and heartache in our lives. That said, there are also many other things I believe in that are not of ancient context. I believe that true Hellenism in the modern day is most easily experienced in the eyes of the individual. In ancient times it was a communal tradition, now days it is harder to do so, and because of this it is much easier to be a solitary Hellenist rather than a Hellenist that is a part of a community. Not many of us have local temples to our gods, and that is a valid and real thing to understand. Our homes are our temples now.

I know the idea of straying away from strict ancient tradition may put some individuals off from my blog. However, I am willing to take that risk in order to be able to provide a safe place for fellow Hellenists to gather and read my blog; a blog written from the hands and mind of a Hellenic polytheist, for the eyes of other Hellenic Polytheists, or aspiring ones.

Conclusion - Do you need to practice ancient tradition?

So, in closing, to answer the question each and every one of you have been waiting for; no, you do not have to practice ancient tradition to be an Hellenic Polytheist. Just do you, stop batting around the thoughts and opinions of a million other people in your head, and get up, walk to your alter(s), and just pray. Connect with the gods, speak with the gods, grow a relationship with them. This is true Hellenism in my eyes. The relationship that you have with one or more of the gods is priceless, and it is something no human being could ever take away from you. So, cherish that relationship. Of course, this view could be seen as subjective, and that's okay, people deserve to think what they wish, but this will not change my personal viewpoint.

Above all respect each other's practices. A hardcore re-constructionist, and a more lenient revivalist are one in that when we consider that they worship the same gods. Neither of these groups should be viewed as any less of a Hellenic Polytheist either. We must learn to co-exist with one another without getting into arguments. Arguments only lead to a bad situation for each party involved. So, to settle this dispute, if at all possible, perhaps recons could be more lenient and accepting of revivalists and their more modernized traditions, and revivalists could perhaps explore parts of ancient tradition do resonate with their practice and incorporate those parts of ancient practice into their own.

I personally do find it important to consider ancient ways of practice when starting out your path, as the last thing we want to end up doing is appropriating a culture - that would be a no-no. That stated, I do also feel it is completely valid if one wishes to stray a bit away from tradition. Do you like offering libations? Yes? Good for you! Own it, it's your practice. Say you don't enjoy giving libations due to the possible inconvenience of having to return the liquid to the earth, or maybe you do not like that you can't consume the liquid offered to the Chthonic gods according to tradition. That's A-okay. You don't have to do libations, you can simply offer votive offerings like stones, rocks, crystals, anything physical really. Perhaps devotionals are more your speed. Good! Write a song, or a poem, or a story in honor of the gods and offer that work to them.

Whatever you are doing, you are doing it for you. You aren't doing it for anyone else but you. So, understand, especially those new to Hellenic Polytheism, that when I say it is okay to stray from tradition, that it is absolutely okay. Individual practice is individual practice, and it is very sacred to the individual, and no one can tell you how to do your individual practice. Don't listen to the people who try to control your practice for you. There is no way you can do your own personal practice wrong. The only way to go with your own practice is up.

-Sabrina the Polytheist

Thank you all for reading! If you wish to learn more about Hellenism, or perhaps start learning about Hellenism, here are some sources that I would recommend:

Hellenic Polytheism : Household Worship by Labrys https://www.amazon.com/Hellenic-Polytheism-Household-Worship-1/dp/1503121887/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UVH9MRG9RL5K&keywords=hellenic+polytheism+household+worship&qid=1691612186&sprefix=%2Caps%2C299&sr=8-1 (This is a stable in the Hellenic Polytheist community, this book tells you in detail how ancient tradition was conducted in the home: can be found on Amazon for $14.00 USD!)

https://www.theoi.com/ (A site to learn about the many gods of the Hellenic pantheon, as well as to read up on myths)

https://hellenicfaith.com/ (This site showcases a multitude of information about ancient tradition, philosophy, and worldviews)

Pic the Pagan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmVTgvWkXrbdod_Ni1XFUw (is a well-known Hellenic Polytheist content creator, he creates short form V-log style videos that are very insightful, I do recommend you check him out).

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic worship #hellenic pagan #hellenic polythiest #hellenic pantheon #sabrinathepolytheist #pagan #Hellenism #philosophy #hellenic community #hellenic devotion #hellenic gods #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic reconstructionism #helpol

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