#and its not pagan its helpol

[percabeth4life]

I’m a gay pagan! Why isn’t Camp Half Blood Pagan!? Chiron sucks! PERCABETH! Anti will solace don’t come at me. Just cuz Percy didn’t end up with the 12 year old or the adult who tried to kill him doesn’t mean he’s straight!

It's queer pagan

Impersonate me in my inbox

#and its not pagan its helpol #i use pagan at times but like its not how Id self describe #pagan is basically a classification of #not christian #and like #i dont vibe with basing my religious id around one that I very much dont like and is the one that tries to remove other religions #soooo #helpol not pagan #/nm #didnt feel like linking the post this time btw so you can just hit the tag #impersonate ask #for the link if you want it #or just do as the description says lol #side note: on the queer instead of gay #idk I prefer queer over gay like I call myself gay at times but iys more jokey #queer is a good blanket term for my ideneity cause its CoMpLiCaTeD #also queer is best :P

[nothoughtsgayboy]

I hear Hermes in the noise of a train when it stops in front of my platform.

I hear Apollo in the loud bass line in a song.

I hear Poseidon in the snorting of horses as they go past a car.

I hear Dionysus in the laughter coming from the bars.

I hear Ares in the noises of pride parades and protests.

#ik its not all of the gods but these are the ones I primarily worship atm #the theoi are all around you if you stop and listen #pagan #hellenic polythiest #helpol #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #dionysus #apollo deity #apollo #dionysus deity #ares #ares deity #hermes #hermes deity #father zeus #zeus #zeus deity #poseidon #poseidon deity #hellenic polytheist #hellenic paganism #hellenic deities #hellenic gods #hellenic polytheistic #hellenic pantheon #hellenic worship #paganism #paganblr

[moonsick-lovelight]

me praying to Apollo bc i have the slightest fever ever

#he has to deal with my hypochondriac ass every week and a half i swear #but its ok bc he cares and helps me regardless <3 #thank u lord apollo i love u #apollon deity #apollo deity #apollon devotee #apollo devotion #apollo devotee #helpol #helpol memes #hellenic deities #hellenic polythiest #hellenic pagan #hellenic gods #hellenic polytheism #i figure this is relatable enough to put tags on #apollo specific #deity stuff #mine #funny stuff

[nighthawk-feather]

Hypnos Stimboard

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #hypnos deity #hellenic pagan #hellenic deities #hellenic polytheist #hellenic paganism #hypnos stimboard #sleepycore stim #slime #id probably be doing 2 stimboards a week #the quality is so bad #but that adds to its charm ig #???

[jasperphoenixx]

my heart breaks a little every time I see photos of old Greek temples. My mind wanders to what it's like to have a community that follows the same religion as you, & what it would've been like to be able to worship there

#hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #helpol #gods #greek deity #deity worship #and like #i know greek society wasnt the most ideal #im not romanticizing it #but #its a nice thought

[20000milesabovetheocean]

Been working on a paper for an anthropology class on less common religions! My topic is hellenic polytheism, I made a survey about some areas of the religion that I'm writing about, thought I'd share it here in the hopes that some people might want to share their experiences

#its only like 23? questions #most of them are about the ways helpols tend to build communities but theres a couple of other ones thrown in #hellenic polytheism #wouldve done some polls but i ended up with to many questions #hellenic pagan #helpol #pagan #paganism #witchblr #greek mythology #paganblr

[kitisms]

created some picrews as a little devotional activity for how i interpret nyx and aphrodite !! 💜🩷

picrews used:

sushicore! https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/257476

toon me! https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1944831

#picrew #aphrodite devotee #nyx deity #paganism #helpol #hellenic polytheism #this was so fun to do!! #definitely recommend as a low energy devotional act #and its also nice to have an image to visualise!!

[sparagmosenthusiast]

Normalcy is setting up a secret altar for Dionysus at 1.20 am

#new year new me i guess. fuck it I've been interested in this guy since i was 7 its time i listen to myself #i keep worrying that trying to connect with a pagan god might be stupid but in my heart i know it isnt #my last year has been a constant religious crisis and Dionysus is the god that ive always felt most connected with #i dont know why im making a sideblog to even express this.i just want someone to listen I guess.i wanna listen to myself #dionysus #hellenic polytheism #helpol

[dionysianfreak]

who was going to tell me there was a cigarette brand named after Hestia ?????? and the graphic design ???? pop off my Goddess

#i cant believe my eyes its so terrible and ingenious at the same time #hestia #hestia deity #theoi #helpol #greek gods #hellenic polythism #pagan #hestia goddess #vestia #the most important and unimportant thing ive learned today

[thanatoseyes]

I wish I had room to put Brigid, Freyja, and Tiamat on their own separate altars. Right now they are all chilling with Persephone, Hades, Hermes, and Hekate.

#i imagine these four really getting along so its fine #but freyja and brigid and tiamat are very distinct entities that have their own thing #i mean i worship brigid in the kitchen too #and i honor freyja with my dedication to myself #im thinking of ways to really get to know her more she so important to me #and tiamat is a new edition but honestly she just makes sense to me #all these different facets of the deities have come and gone throughout my life #ugh any way im rambling #helpol #norse heathenry #celtic paganism #mesopotamian worship #i think its guilt that i cant live up to expectations and im worried im not enough

[sag-dab-sar]

Hi, i wanted to ask you what's it like worshipping Hygieia? There aren't many worshippers i can find. Could you recommend some blogs?

Hi 🤍

I've talked about not having much of a "godphone" many times, that I'm like idunno 90% headblind. However, surprisingly Hygeia is one of the few Gods who I have a lot of internal language/UPG experiences with. For the basics I'll mention her page on the Theoi Project.

I used to worship her as an extension of worshipping her father Asklepios and the rest of his family who were on a set of prayer beads. Until she figuratively knocked on my door and wanted her own proper recognition and full worship; it manifested as a sense of longing and urgency. So I did just that, I bought a statue for her and gave her a separate ritual to offer it as an idol in 2017 and begin worshipping, (the quality of this photo is horrendous because the original is buried in my laptop somewhere; side note don't feel the need for statues, this could have been a printed out picture or other simple object— I just wanted it):

She can be demanding and gentle simultaneously. In terms of "internal language" or UPG I've had some of the following experiences:

When I was considering getting incense I was thinking over different scents and looking at my altar— she glowed when my mind thought of vanilla. It felt as if she "wanted" some vanilla incense but I wasn't fully comfortable with incense yet and the next day my mom gifted me a vanilla scented candle ... its Hygeia's now. And when I say "its hers" I mean I don't dare take it away from her:

Lavender is important to me and my friend sent me some lavender in a pouch with a care package. I put that pouch on her for awhile, asking her to bless it. When I took the pouch off later I had this very strong emotion of uneasiness. I eventually put it back on her and the emotion faded. Another item that is now hers and I don't dare take it away:

She does not like it when I have an altar(s) with multiple idols but she is put away. I forgot to place her on my altar one day and like every few hour I was given a reminder of her. And each reminder made me feel ever so slightly confused/concerned about something. Until it clicked and I remember she was placed away and so I rectified the situation.

She likes clean water as a libation: be it bottled or filtered.

She likes oranges and other watery/juicy fruit.

In general she, like Athena, is very particular about her idol. She likes things a particular way and I try to pay attention to my emotions when caring for her. Here she is with her pouch and candle. Even if the candle seems hard to place on the altar I find a way. She is also placed with other health deities:

I pray to her for physical aspects of my health in particular hygiene which can be extremely difficult for me. I feel strength and happiness dedicating my showers to her; along with other hygiene tasks. She makes everything feel a little bit easier and more relaxed.

I just love Hygeia. Here are some small prayers I've written:

Gentle laughing Hygeia, I enter this shower so I may cleanse myself. I remember your beauty and wish to honor you with my actions, so you may look favorably upon me.

.🔹.

Hygeia, glowing goddess, faithful attendant, I seek your help. As I go about these tasks, be with me, lend me your strength. The strength of Good Health. I praise you.

.🔹.

Hygeia of Good Health, undefiled, much desired. Please bring health to this world, to its many countries, to its many people. Bless everyone who is working against this pandemic, health care professionals and many other workers and volunteers alike. They are fighting to maintain society, to fight this virus, to help us all. Hygeia, grant all these people your blessings, your favor, and peace of mind. See us through this unprecedented pandemic with your love. (except from a longer prayer)

As well as this which I used:

Hygeia, gentle goddess, guide me in my routine. Help me every day to remember you and honor you with cleanliness and with the hygiene of my body. Keep sickness at bay, and let my body be a temple, maintained with perfect care and pleasing to your eyes. - by @delphicsacrifice

As for other worshippers I honestly have no idea sorry 😅. I don't know if this is what you were looking for but I hope I somewhat answered your question its kinda hard to describe worship I suppose.

-not audio proof read-

#polytheism #paganism #hellenic polytheism #helpol #hygeia #mypractice #my prayer #original writing #mygod #ask #prayer #edit: #i removed some of my prayers because it felt wrong to publish #i have literally no clue how to answer this #its kinda like idunno i just do cuz shes cool #i feel like i should put more tags or whatever #but its 23:10 i cant think #im sure my non audio proof reading was totally effective/s

[bennyschmenny]

participated in my first deipnon!!!! it was DEFINETLY kind of chaotic because im not used to how offerings are given yet, but lady Hekate seemed pleased based off the tarot i pulled afterwards! i gave her (and lady Hestia) a slice of some artisian bread i made yesterday, as well as hymns, prayer, and a water libation.

i am not sure what is acceptable to ask for when giving your first offering to a deity? i asked for Her and lady Hestias protection due to everything goin on in the us and texas, and for Her favor. i guess I'll find out???

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic deities #hellenic worship #hellenic pagan #hekate #hestia #i really do i hope it turned out wel #i never felt negativity from Her candle so im sure its ok #hestia was loving it though her candle was dancing the whole time #i think/hope shes jus happy im beginning to give offering to other theoi

[ofsappho]

This might be kinda a weird question… so I’m aroace and I’ve been drawn to the Theoi for a long time so I’ve been on my HelPol journey recently and sometimes like… I guess I wanted to get some general thoughts since you worship Aphrodite? I recently saw a post about Aphrodite Pandemos that was kind of relieving and inspiring talking about love in more broad terms than we generally talk about in society. So I wanted to ask from your experience do you think there would be any problem with me trying to build a relationship with her being aroace? Idk it’s just an anxiety I have I guess and idk who to ask about this.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

Hey Anon, I'm really sorry, I just spent like an hour or so writing a very long and detailed answer to this ask only for Tumblr to eat it up. I can't find it in my drafts or anything which tells me all of it is gone now. I will try to rewrite it the best I can. (I actually might start crying because the post was very detailed and labor-intensive. Boo.)

IM SO SORRY ITS TAKEN ME SO LONG TO SIT DOWN AND ANSWER, I HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND BUSY. BUT HERE IT IS.

I'm glad my post about Aphrodite Pandemos resonated so much with you! That was definitely the intent. I have Very Strong Feelings about how I feel that Aphrodite has been reduced down solely to her romantic and sexual aspects by the modern day pagan/polytheist/witch/etc community at large. This both does her an immense disservice as a god and is emblematic of the western capitalist hyperfixation on monogamous romantic + sexual love. Which we should be leaning away from, not into.

But you definitely came to the right person with this ask. I have never worshipped Aphrodite in either her romantic or sexual aspects.

So, specifically, I am devoted to Aphrodite Areia, or Aphrodite the Warlike. And along with Aphrodite Areia, I also worship Aphrodite Hoplismene, or Armed Aphrodite, and Aphrodite Nikephoros, Aphrodite the bringer of victory.

She has never interacted with me as solely a goddess of romantic love or sexual love.

In my experience, she is truly a goddess of love and war, love for war and battle and bloodlust, the instinct to fight and struggle, and a representation of ALL facets of the human emotional experience, love and hate. And given that emotions and feelings are what make us human, I view her as goddess of humanity itself. Emotions and relationships are the literal backbone upon which civilization and communal living is made possible, and she governs them. No matter who wants to discredit that. And so she is one of the most important gods to humanity as a whole, thought highly underrated (to me, this is UPG)

As someone who has struggled with (and is now recovered from) borderline personality disorder, finding and worshipping Aphrodite Areia has been instrumental in my recovery and my path to an overall higher quality of life. BPD takes regular emotions and regular emotional responses and amps them up to ridiculous, hyperintense, overwhelming amounts. And that is so hard to live with and so destabilizing. Obviously I’ve done copious amounts of DBT and I’m on good meds now, but we live in a society that not only shames the expression of emotion but also greatly stigmatizes any expression of mental illness that is not “cute” or “harmless”. And one of the things that Aphrodite Areia has led me to do is accept my great capacity for goodness and harm without feeling shame. This is the way I am, and while I can choose to move away from being destructive and I can choose recovery, that doesn’t mean I am bad for being this way. To worship her was to love myself in all my facets.

I am capable of good and harm and that makes me powerful. And to someone like me, who has spent a lot of life either literally powerless or feeling powerless, recognizing your power is one of the best feelings ever.

And I’m not going to lie to you and shy away from her association with specifically war and violence. I do enjoy fighting. I do enjoy the parts of myself that aren’t optimal for living in a society with others. I view these qualities as a part of the animal I am, that cannot and should not be changed, and Aphrodite Areia helps me redirect them into more positive and productive goals. My life has not been easy and I suspect it never will be. Everyday has been a fight and I take the parts of me that long for a fight and apply it to getting up in the morning. I throw myself at my trauma and my life circumstances and my struggles with all the tenacity and ferocity of a soldier going into battle. And so far, I have won.

This is also the same impulse that induces me to do shit like bodycheck cops at protests because they won’t hurt me the same way they will hurt other protestors, that makes me yell back at guys being violent and aggressive on the bus, that spurs me on to fight for a better future everyday. Because in order to sustain a lifetime’s worth of struggle towards equity, towards decolonization, towards the end of white supremacy and racism, towards something better, you have to love the fight.

On a TW note, I was raped last year and since then, my relationship towards love/sex has obviously never been the same. She has been a comfort there too, helping me fight my trauma so my rapist will never truly win, in the end. I have also prayed to her to avenge me, and while I have no contact with him, I like to think that somehow, someway, she’ll get him.

So to return to your actual question, I think there are absolutely zero problems with you being aroace and building a relationship with Aphrodite. And anyone who tells you otherwise is, quite frankly, wrong. You just have to find the facet of her that rings the truest for you and your relationship with Aphrodite is no one’s business but your own. To be honest, you probably will be pretty disconnected to most (if not all) communities online and offline for Aphrodite worshippers and devotees because they are all unilaterally about her romantic/sexual aspects. it drives me up the wall and is the reason I don’t engage in any of these communities, because i don’t really have much in common with other worshippers and there’s no value for me in sharing space. i just do my own thing in the corner of my blog/life. But don’t let that deter you if you truly feel like this is a relationship you want to grow and nurture. In my beliefs and experience, Aphrodite is there for everyone, even if people devalue emotions/relationships and devalue her. You can find your own way and you can build an incredibly meaningful worship of her if that’s what you want and need. She has a million different aspects and they are not all about romance and sex. Please feel free to message me again if you’d like, anon, I’m happy to talk more and answer any further questions you have!!!

#anon #anon ask #aphrodite #aphrodite areia #aphrodite devotee #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #hellenic reconstructionism

[princesmeadow]

Hello friends!

@odetothetheoi @eclecticwitchlynn

I saw your tags, and i would like to let you both know that Theogamia, much like most ancient greek festivals, has a few possible celebration dates!

Not much is known on exact dates of festivals, so the helpol and hellenic pagan community tends to celebrate festivals in a 3 day to a week period of known dates from ancient Athens!

Also, for a bit of cultural knowledge, even ancient times, the dates were not exact, and many worshipers celebrated in small gatherings on days that fell generally close to the larger festivals held in places like Ancient Athens!

So essentially there is no pressure to celebrate on that exact day or time and im absolutely positive the gods are not and will not be upset at "late" offerings because its the spirit of the festival and the love of its preservation that really gets the energy across :)

Date conversion is complicated, and the ancient festivals were built for a world completly different from our current one

I belive the gods appriciate the thought and care to do it more than the time.

I hope this helps! I'm terribly sorry if i overstepped anyones boundaries.

#Prince speaks #greek pantheon #princesmeadow

[percabeth4life]

hi! currently reading atlop, and its lovely! i noticed you seemed really familiar with different varying hellenistic pagan traditions, and was wondering where you found them? wasnt sure if it was on the internet or like through physical books n stuff

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

I am myself a HelPol, so a lot has been absorbed through the last few years. Some of it is from talking with those more informed, a lot is from resources online (both historical, research based, and HelPol based), some is from hardcopy books (a lot of good ones of those are super expensive, but i have a few copies and can find more online if I dig enough)- I go all over to find the info, and I always try to find multiple sources to corroborate info.

A few things are from my own UPG, though I try not to add *too* much of that into my fic. Some of it is UPG I designed specifically for the story, because Camp would have grown over the thousands of years since HelPolism was popular.

You'll actually be getting some cool info on why the camp has such a lack of big worship stuff (like temples and statues) this book! I'm excited to explain that, and yes there's a reason connected to history that's already been partially told.

But yeah, a lot of digging for resources and talking with other HelPols.

#life answers #anon asks #atlop asks

[pyrphoros-library]

Types of worship

There are 3 main types of worship styles when it comes to Paganism as a whole: Reconstruction, Revivalism, and NeoPaganism.  Reconstruction is pretty simple to explain and it is one of the more popular paths within HelPol. It is basically the worship of the gods from a historical standpoint, where the practioner tries to replicate Ancient Greek Religion as closely as possible.  This method is typically research heavy, a skill that is useful no matter the religion or practice, and relies on academia. This turns away those who are unable to dedicate the time to research for the coveted accuracy or are unable to access closely guarded research papers within academia. If research in general isn't your thing or you don't have the time/access then perhaps reconstructionism isn’t the way to go for you.  Revivalism in HelPol, not to be confused with the Christian revival practice,  brings back ancient practices and rituals in some way, shape, or form in a modern way. This is a practice that is based loosely around research (which is used to gain the necessary cultural understanding to the religion as well as base knowledge). Research in this method is much lighter although still an integral part of the practice. This method also brings in concepts which do not have historical basis and were formed in the modern day, such as the use of Khernips in rituals.  NeoPaganism, as I understand it, is a blend of both with a twist of heavy UPG [Unverified Personal Gnosis: personal experience and beliefs not backed by evidence that is not shared by other people. A later post will go into more detail!]. While research is important, so is personal experiences with the gods (not saying its unimportant in the other methods, its just emphasized more in neopaganism). Neopaganism due to it being classed as a Pagan religion also puts a focus on the earth and nature in its practice and most “pagan” religions have a form of NeoPaganism included.  No matter what path you choose to go down, don't be discouraged if it changes. We started as a reconstructionist and slowly moved more towards NeoPaganism as our mental health tanked. No matter what happens though, I can promise you the gods will understand. So... welcome to the community, lets walk on together. Citations Below!

https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/104577

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_religion

Walter Burkert, Greek Religion (1985)

Blogs for Reconstructionism:

Hellenic-Reconstructionism- Tumblr

The definitions that are given here are a general consensus seen within the community. If you have any corrections or sources to provide we will gladly accept them and add them to this post in the future! Also as a note: Wikipedia while a great resource for generalized information should be used as a jumping off point and not necessarily as a primary resource in practice. -Rose

#hellenic reconstructionism #hellenism #ancient greek religion #neo-paganism #greek gods #hellenismos