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magnetothemagnificent · 1 year

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Sorry if this is an inappropriate or rude question, you don’t have to answer.

I’ve been dealing with internalised negative feelings about religion, due to being raised by very Christian family, when I’ve never believed what they said. It made me think that religion is an awful thing, a cult by sorts.

A few years back, I made a friend who is Jewish and he’s really cool and I respect him a lot. I also am trying my hardest to respect that he is religious but I can’t help that voice in my head, saying he’s corrupted. I don’t think I believe it anymore but I kind of want to ask, a reassurance I guess, what your views are in religion as a whole? Why do you believe it’s good?

First of all, it is not marginalized people's jobs to prove to why they deserve humanity. If you had asked any other Jew this question, they would have every right to ignore this quesiton and/or call you out on it.

However, I do put myself out there and try to educate people, so I'll answer your question.

Religion is part of human culture and history. For as long as humans have been humans, we've always had symbolic representation, taboos, and imagination. Paleolithic humans burying their dead with body paint and bead ornamentation- that's an example of spiritual belief. To be human is to be illogical, superstitious, and imaginative. Even other animals can sometimes act according to superstition or seemingly illogical motives. Humans are incredibley intelligent, and with our intelligence comes questions we cannot answer and fears we cannot explain. Where are we from? What is death? Where are we going? What is our purpose? These are all answers we seek, and having a religious belief set can help answer these questions. Religion is just a world view in the same way Western science is a world view, and they're not incompatible with each other. Many scientists are religious, I myself am a student of science and am religious.

Religion has brought people together for all of human history- it allows the sharing of ideas and resources. Harvest festivals, weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, funerals, all these religious events serve to reinforce the bonds in a community. A relationship must be maintained and reinforced, or it becomes stagnant. Having a shared spiritual belief system and coming together for ceremonies reignites communal bonds. Religion also allows for a community to have a shared moral system. While religion isn't necessary for morality, it definately helps define the values and morals of a person and community. If a community can come together and agree on a system of values, then there's less potential for violence due to incompatible values. Religion is a social contract. Religion is also a comfort, and can help with the immense wait of loneliness we face. If the trees and water have spirits, then you are not alone. If your loved one goes to an afterlife after death, then they are not alone.

Religion has as much potential for harm as any world view. Just as there have been countless atrocities committed in the name of religion, so too have there been countless atrocities committted in the name of science. Does that mean we should just toss out all of science? No. In the same way we shouldn't get rid of religion.

Additionally, "Religion" isn't a monolith. It's not one world view, but a category of world views. There are many forms of religion and each religion is different. Monotheism, polytheism, animism, ancestor veneration, etc- these are all different kinds of religion that can overlap with eachother too. A bad experience with one religion doesn't define all religions. With all due respect, your experience is anecdotal, and you can't apply your singular lived experience to every since religion in the world.

And for Jews, our religious identity is deeply important to us. We've been persecuted for thousands of years for our identities, and we've miraculously not disappeared from the face of the earth. You don't have to understand why your friend is religious, but you need to unpack why you think he's corrupted and why you think you have the right to apply your experience with religion to every religious person. The fact that you were raised Christian might be another contributing factor to your bias towards your friend- antisemitism is often deeply ingrained in aspects of Christianity.

#religion #anthropology #culture #human history #human behaviour #animal behavior #superstition #human condition #cultural anthropology #antisemitism

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imustbenuts · 7 months

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Reading Grima as an Abrahamic god stand-in in the world of Fire Emblem, and how that is filling in gaps in the narrative.

Preface: this is one possible interpretation out of many, and I will be talking about this pov as a person who resides in SEA.

To get to understand this worldview though, some very dry explanations need to be done, but I'll do my best.

First, an overview of Grima.

Grima in FE: Awakening's story functions as a god of annihilation/death. They are worshiped and brought back into the world by the Grimleals, an extremist religious group in Plegia, which is visually middle eastern desert-ish.

Meanwhile, their Japanese name is actually Gimlé, a reference to the Norse mythos of the place where survivors of Ragnarok (an end of the world apocalyptic event where gods duke it out way too hard) are foretold to live. It's a super pretty place, almost heavenly.

So there is some credence here to hint that Grimleals are the extremist sect, and that Grima inherently isn't good or evil, but possibly a death god closer to the likes of Anubis or Hades. This can then explain why Plegians who aren't extremists are said to be pretty chill.

Anyway, moving on, because I need to explain the next bit to really highlight how much he looks like an Abrahamic god to a someone like me.

FE's world is structurally polytheistic. Or, Shinto Buddhist.

On the surface, FE puts forth the idea of polytheism in the form of multiple Dragons, without a singular clear, definite distinction for what threshold exactly qualifies one to be a legit God vs just-a-dragon. In fact, it can be summed up as "this one is powerful enough to do things, and/or because we decided so" by the people.

So, that tracks with the belief system in place in Japan and really, the whole of Asia in general. Polytheism is the norm, rather than mono. In this view, any being which are not human all belong into the classification of supernatural, so the question of how god-like they are matters after they are able to pass a certain threshold of power or worshiping status.

A popularity contest of spirits/gods, if you want to put it that way. In fact, lots of eastern gods irl are like this. Power often doesn't factor into things, since these gods are very closely associated with nature in some form, and their popularity in history is very dependent on events.

In fact, Japan follows Shinto Buddhism, a polytheistic belief. Technically made of 2 parts.

Shinto supplies the idea that Gods (or rather, kamis) in general cannot be perceived, and that they must be loved and nurtured to gain their favor. Disregarding them brings instead disharmony and destruction. Shrines are one such places where the love and nurturing or the disregard can be seen/done. (Thebes labyrinth, anyone? 😉👌)

The other, Buddhism. Also polytheistic due to reframing gods as just other beings trying to break out of the cycle of samsara. Buddha is technically not a god, but a title, and an idol to look to to remember the teachings of how to break out of this cycle, by understanding suffering and how to end it.

In some ways, Naga, the biggest defacto "god" which is treated as the 'proper' God by the narrative, is actually more of a Buddha. Her voice lines in FEH even points to this:

Meanwhile, Libra uses the plural, gods. Frederick's famous crit quote is "Pick a god and pray."

That is what I mean by FE being structurally Shinto Buddhist.

Meanwhile, Abrahamic religion is monotheistic.

Without getting too deep into the details and scholarly debates of it, or even the multiple branches of religion, the singular God in this family does not want his followers to turn their eyes towards other false gods. One is meant to devote themself entirely to this God, follow his teachings and live a life he deems worthy to live with him in the beautiful, heavenly afterlife.

Failure to do so will mean a divine retribution of sorts, but often in the form of eternal damnation.

Another noteworthy bit, Abrahamic religion originated from the place we call the Cradle of Civilization, also known as the Middle East. Which, you know. Deserts.

And now, the pieces of Grima being a Abrahamic god stand-in starts to form. And that then explains a lot of other mundane unexplained bits too.

Basically, Grima is the patron deity of the Plegians, who reside in the harsh desert.

If we assume that normal Plegians are pretty chill despite Grima being associated with straight up annihilation, then a pretty good extrapolation would be that Grima is a watcher type deity of the afterlife for their worship. This type is typically popular as they soothe the anxiety of what happens to a person after death, explaining that there is something else other than pure emptiness, which frankly can kick many people's existential dread into overdrive.

Which, if one really thinks about it, the Abrahamic religion and their God kind of is this.

God watches a human, then judges them for their actions in life when their time is up. In some interpretations afaik, God can also be seen as a 'system' or a 'higher conscious', but the idea of being able to join with him is still the same. This is still the ultimate honor and bliss, ie, heavenly.

But in order to do so, one must wholly devote themself to him. Spread his word. Ignore all other Gods. You know how it goes.

With Grima, this bit manifests in how Grima kills Naga in the Future Past DLC. Even Tiki became a target, who wants to become the next Naga in it. (Which btw this wouldn't make sense unless one treats the word, Naga, as a title, which tracks.)

So. In conclusion.

What I'm trying to say here is that Grima is easily read as a monotheistic, or even a Christian god to many people on this side of the planet. Because there has been precedent in extremism when it comes to religion associated with Abrahamic religion, and this is how it's being expressed through the writers when they create FE.

And yet, because either the world of FE is structurally shinto buddhist, or the writers are, this is the result, and why I have interpreted Grima as this.

There are also elements of that mistreatment of a god narrative going on in FE:A that I think is worth talking about for Grima, too. I'm almost certain that the writers are not saying Grima is inherently evil, in fact, the narrative of good and evil in FE is often easily explained by characters being dreadfully flawed, and even human. And because of how Gods have this piece of humanity in them, it's possible for so many narratives to be the way they are.

And maaaybe why they decided to put Grima in a cat costume for Halloween banner with all the funny lines that comes with them. I think.

And that's about it, really. Ask is always open. Thanks for reading! 🎃🎃

#fire emblem awakening #grima fe #grima fire emblem awakening #analysis

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broomsick · 7 months

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second attempt at nordic polytheism anon (what a name...) here again! i totally forgot to ask: do you have any recommendations on necklaces/jewelry that one can wear which isn't too obvious but still represents the faith? i'm from germany, so stuff like thor's hammer or runes are either frowned upon or straight up illegal (like the tiwaz rune for example... which is a shame bc i really like tyr, i think he could help me with my job where i have to decide over justice and injustice)

Welcome back! I’m so sorry to hear that you cannot wear Tiwaz in the name of Týr. I have a friend who considers him her primary deity, and who loves him dearly, and she would be devastated if she couldn’t wear his most prominent symbol. Same goes for me, as I’ve worn the same Mjöllnir pendant for nearly eight years, now. It could be possible for you to acquire one such pendant, made using a minimalistic design! I find that wooden ones are generally more discreet, as well.

These are the types of discreet designs I mean! You'll notice that the very last one to the right has a low-key Tiwaz carved onto it. Just in case you're curious, here are the artists to each of these: Hunterbone, KykvendiByK, Pagafanshop.

The same type of logic could also apply to a Tiwaz pendant, though I can't know for sure how far this ban on nordic symbols goes. It's also possible for you to browse for jewelry inspired by norse mythology, but that might not be as well-known, or which hasn't been co-opted by wh1te supremacist groups. In this sense, there are so many fun symbols for you to choose from! And they can be as secular-looking as you need them to be. The cat or the falcon to represent Freyja, the raven or the wolf to represent Óðinn, the goat or a drinking horn to represent Thórr, the weaving spindle or a cloud to represent Frigg, the boar or any symbol of agriculture (sickles, wheat...) to represent Freyr and the elves, symbols of the sea (anchors, sailboats, compasses...) for Njörðr, etc etc.

Just doing a bit of digging around mythological sources could give you loads of ideas! Surprisingly enough, the wolf is a very prominent symbol of Týr! After all, according to myth, Týr was the only Áss who was brave enough to relentlessly care for Fenrir: he would feed him and help him grow when no one else would approach him, for fear of being attacked. In this sense, they shared a bond like no other. One of mutual respect. And in the end, Týr respected Fenrir to the point of keeping his oath to him and losing a limb in the process, for it was only fair for him to do so. With as little historical information as we have on Týr, we do with the cards we've been dealt.

Rings are also quite discreet, a lot more so than necklaces! I have a whole bunch of norse pagan-themed rings that I wear on a daily basis: I have one which depicts the Ægishjálmur, and one that's decorated with the Elder Futhark alphabet, for example. I also wear a serpent ring in honor of the Miðgarðsormr and of Loki, and a ring with a low-key dragon design (a dragon tail and wing wrapping around the finger) to represent the tale of Sigurðr, who is the hero I work with the most, and who is very dear to me.

I hope I could help you out a little, and I wish for you to have a fun and fulfilling journey on the nordic path!

#devotional jewelry #paganism #norse paganism #spirituality #deity work #heathenry #polytheism #norse gods #deities #ask #asks

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thegodsaremyhome · 4 months

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Hello!! I’m very very very new to Hellenism so I’m sorry if I get anything wrong! I’m very interested in working with Aphrodite but I have a few questions if you don’t mind!

1. I don’t know much about Greek mythology so do I need to know it to work with deities? (I think that’s the correct word feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). I know most of the names just not the whole background😊

2. I’ve been researching about working with Aphrodite and many people put candles and incense on their altars for Her, but in my household I am not allowed to have any of those unless it’s in the kitchen and that wouldn’t be my ideal place for an altar. So I’m wondering are they an absolute necessity to have or can I just skip out on that so I can have my altar elsewhere?

3. Does Aphrodite get angry easily? I know we aren’t supposed to compare Her to anybody and not allowed to say someone is as beautiful as Her but what if I accidentally do something that makes her mad and I didn’t know… also how do I know if she is angry?

Thank you so much for reading this, have a good day/night <3

Hi! First of all, I know this was a while ago, and you are probably not as new to Hellenic Polytheism now as you were then, but I would still like to welcome you! Hellenic Polytheism has offered me a lot of solace and comfort, and I hope it has done the same for you.

Now, to answer your questions!

So firstly, I would say you don't need to be an expert in The Mythology in order to worship Greek Deities(Gods, and Theoi are also proper terms to use!) However, you will want to look into it as it will be useful in many ways! One, reading a myth about a certain deity can help you learn more, and therefore grow closer to a deity. And as a result, it will help you learn things that are associated with said deity, and give you ideas on what you can offer them, decorate their alter with, etc. So basically, you don't need to know the whole span of Greek mythology before you start, but you should definitely learn as you go.

Second, you definitely don't need incense or candles on an altar in order for it to be complete. If you would like something that would give the candle effect without actually lighting one, you could always get those fake battery-powered candles. But it's definitely not a requirement.

And lastly, despite what the myths might tell you, Aphrodite does not get angry easily. In fact, in my experience she's very patient and understanding. Aphrodite exudes love and comfort, and you definitely don't have to walk on eggshells with Her. Of course, you should still show great respect, but if you slip up, She won't smite you or anything! Seriously, don't worry about it. However, if you do happen to do something upsetting to Her, I'm sure She'll just let you know about it! Otherwise, you're okay. Don't stress.

Again, I'm so sorry for the very late reply, but I hope you've been fairing well in your Hellenic Polytheism journey and I hope these answers still help you in some way.

#aphrodite deity #Aphrodite #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist

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orangepunkwitch-blog · 5 months

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youtube

Sharing this here in case any Lokean followers haven't seen this yet.

Everything Ocean Keltoi has explained, I already knew, but it's nice to hear him not only say it, but have all the points together in one video.

And as someone who, while a newbie Pagan, encountered and started working with Loki first, I never EVER got the whole anti-Loki stance some Heathens have (despite never interacting with them; I've only ever heard of them or saw comment threads and the like online).

The first I've ever heard of Loki was when I was a kid and heard his name mentioned in The Mask. A god that creates such a mask because he thought that was funny? I loved that concept as a kid (and my weird-ass logic made me think I wasn't allowed to convert since I was baptized in the Serbian Orthodox church; my parents never made it seem okay to explore other beliefs... ever). When I became a fully developed adult and my brother passed away in 2011, I became agnostic, until I once expressed to a friend that I wished one could still worship old gods again, because the Norse gods sounded so much nicer than the biblical god. That's when she told me that that's a thing, and I discovered what paganism was. And then I made it a point that, while I will open myself to any of the gods who listened (and even said to them it's okay if they don't want to interact with me, since I'm so used to no god ever listening to me), I still hoped Loki would be the one to answer, because I'd prefer a god with a sense of humor who doesn't judge a mortal for simply being human. The rest is history.

I've had 2 instances where I've asked him for help, as I was desperate and didn't know what else to do and couldn't figure things out for myself. Both times he helped, it sort of put me almost in a state of madness because of HOW he helped (he's helped me with some small stuff too but sometimes the big stuff is.. a LOT). The first one was we were not able to afford rent anymore, as rent kept going up while my muž and I lived in Pittsburgh, so I asked for help, thinking he'd either help with our financial situation (namely I was hoping for a decent-paying job similar to what my muž made) so we could afford to rent elsewhere or that a place would become available that had significantly lower rent. You know, something like that. Instead, he gave us bedbugs. Because he KNEW that our only option was to move in with my parents and I didn't want to resort to that, so he forced my hand. His reasoning roughly being, "It's either the bedbugs or a fire in the building, and I REALLY don't wanna be that guy, so you got bedbugs."

The second time, without going into detail, he induced a non-threatening medical "emergency" (as in, give me a spook bad enough to warrant my first trip in an ambulance) to get the ball rolling to lead me to getting the surgery I needed for my endometriosis. His reasoning being, "You finally have health insurance and there are vaccines available. You have no excuse now. Not even this pandemic."

I'm doing much better now and it's thanks to Loki. He basically was the kick in my ass needed to make the only decision that would actually work out for me, even if I didn't think it would.

Despite making my practice something along the lines of "Serbian Polytheism Pagan Edition," Loki is still in my practice, and helped me learn an awful lot regarding non-xtian beliefs and beings, including and especially the Trickster archetype.

Any Heathen that bans Loki, avoids him, etc. either have a lot of xtian baggage that they still need to work through, or they're the type of people that don't like being held accountable for their actions and kept in check. Xtianity (as it is commonly practiced and forced onto people by power-hungry assholes) has really affected how many look at non-xtian beliefs, because everything has to be compared to xtianity (even some atheists are guilty of this because everything is xtianity to them).

Lately, I haven't had a whole lot of interactions with Loki I feel could be worth-sharing because I'm not having a whole lot of interactions with him in general the past few years (except for everything regarding me getting my surgery) and that's because the gods are giving me space to learn and grow and figure some stuff out on my own. I do chat with them from time to time via divination, but in terms of actions, they're letting me do my thing for a bit.

#Loki #Lokean #Ocean Keltoi #Heathenry #paganism #I still haven't forgotten this blog!#making posts like this is difficult for me on my phone though #I like doing this on my computer #which I have #my health can be weird both mentally and physically #also I got other things to do as well #and I'm working through some autistic burnout #Youtube

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poimandresnous · 4 months

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Demiurgy and How a Confucian Passion for Learning Can be Considered As Such.

What is Demiurgy? As the author of Egyptian Mystic Polytheism so succinctly puts it:

Demiurgy is a type of “devotional act.” A devotional act is any activity outside of direct prayer with a religious purpose and significance. What makes “demiurgy” unique as a type of devotionalism is that it is principally concerned with the act of creation. Like theurgy, to mimic the gods and pursue likeness, one must participate in creativity as a lesser version of God’s creation. Producing, crafting, constructing, and creating are all acts that mimic the “Demiurge” or “Creator Deity.”

So, essentially, these are mundane activities that are performed with the intention to ritualize and devote said craft to the Demiurge, the Creator god of the Cosmos. As the quote above mentions, this is similar to theurgy in that these mundane activities help us mimic the Creator.

With that out of the way, lets take a look at Corpus Hermeticum XI.22, which I think supports such ritualized "demiurgy:

Mind is seen in the act of understanding, God in that act of making.

This sentence refers to God’s literal creation of All Things and how He is seen through His creation, as this whole preceding paragraph refutes the idea that God is entirely invisible and “unseen.” For context, here is the passage:

In Corpus Hermeticum V, we are told God is invisible and entirely visible. For us to understand God, we must become like Him (Corpus Hermeticum XI.20), as so much as that is possible, in each of our Fated predispositions. A way to do so is to create things ourselves through begetting, making music, writing, or exercising, i.e., our own Demiurgy. You can find a list here if the reader wants a more comprehensive list of things that can be considered a devotional act to the Demiurge -- Demiurgy. So essentially, if God is seen in His Creation, we too can see the Demiurge manifests itself via our lesser creations.

Also, possibly a Confucian passion for learning could be considered Demiurgy. Let me explain: To take this principle out of context and apply it to Hermetic thought, I'd like to talk about the Confucian disciple Yan Hui 顏回, who was unmatched in his genuine and effortless love of the Way and learning. In the Analects 6.3 we see a ruler inquiring to Confucius about a "disciple who loves learning":

There was one named Yan Hui who loved learning. He never misdirected his anger and never repeated a mistake twice. Unfortunately, he was fated to live a short life. Since he passed away, I have heard of no one who really loves learning.

Yan Hui is also praised for his love of learning in Analects 2.9 and 5.9. Generally speaking, in Confucian thought, learning, rites, and conforming to cultural adornments 文 do indeed change our native “stuff” 質, which Confucius thought contained inherent flaws that were corrected via rigorously conforming, yet also effortlessly loving social and cultural arts, rites and learning. So, if learning in and of itself can change us for the better; correct our inherent flaws, and make us more like God, then we should all try to emulate Yan Hui and his effortless love for learning because when we learn, we grow. According to Chapter 2 of Effortless Action: Wu-Wei as a Metaphorical Concept and Spiritual Ideal in Early China by Edward Slingerland, learning and instructions (and other things) are essential to constantly strive for and put effort into to abide by the Confucian Way. Learning and instruction change our inherent "stuffs" in a way that makes us effortlessly abide in the Way 道.

So, back to the Hermetica. In Corpus Hermeticum XI.20, we are told to:

“Make yourself grow to immeasurable immensity…”

Arguably, this can be done by a passion for learning (and, of course, many other things)— which cannot be taught but must be realized. And what do we see all throughout the Hermetica? A yearn for Gnosis. Gnosis differs from conventional knowledge, as gnosis is experienced rather than learned. Something that Edward Slingerland argues is the source of Confucius's frustration with the current age of the Zhou Dynasty in Analects 15.13:

I should just give up. I have yet to meet a person who loves ren 仁 as much as he loves the pleasures of the flesh.

Confucius is frustrated by the fact that you genuinely cannot teach a person ren 仁 or "humaneness." Whether we are talking about ren or gnosis (mind you, two completely different things), these things must be experienced and "recollected," as Edward Slingerland argues in Chapter 2. The idea that the gnosis of the gods, God, and the Demiurge is "recalled" is found in passages from Plato's Phaedo 73c-75e and other dialogues I have yet to read, such as the Phaedrus and Meno. Likewise, in Analects 7.30, Confucius exclaims:

Is ren really so far away? No sooner do I desire ren than it is here.

Recollection is also found in the Corpus Hermeticum IV.2:

The man became a spectator of God's work. He looked at it in astonishment and recognized its Maker.

Now that we have established that the Analects, Platonism, and Hermeticism are structured somewhat similarly, let's look at Corpus Hermeticum I.31, we read:

“Holy is God, who wishes to be known and is known by his own people…” Corpus Hermeticum I.32: “Grant my request not to fail in the knowledge (gnosis) that befits our essence.

This suggests that God wishes us to know Him as much as possible according to our inherent predispositions to gnosis. So what I’m getting at is that if we can realize and acquire a Confucian-style passion, such as Yan Hui, for learning, this can change us and make us become more like God. The love for learning. The yearning to know God and His creation and the sciences that we have developed to understand his creation is most certainly Demiurgy. We never stop learning, whether we continue education after high school or not.

So, now that we have established that learning can indeed change us and help us mimic and help us recognize God and the Demiurge's creation, here are some examples of how I use my love for learning (but this love cannot be compared to Yan Hui's) as Demiurgy:

Reading academic literature on my beliefs

Learning the mythologies of the Ancient Egyptian gods

Going to college to broaden my knowledge and to establish a career.

Learning about myself: both my corporeality (psychology/body/health) and my incorporeality (soul).

This list goes on and is certainly not limited to those few bullet points. But if it is not clear by now, learning helps us grow as individuals; learning allows us to better understand the world around us, from our own communities to other cultures around the world. Such a whole-hearted pursuit of learning can be considered Demiurgy because we are actively creating a better version of ourselves. Just as in my musings, I consider Demiurgy because I am creating writings that will go on to inform and help other people understand the topics I write about with an intention of devotion to the Demiurge. My active pursuit of learning also is Demiurgy because everything I learn is done in devotion to the Creator of a world I love so much, and He is ultimately responsible for the very things I choose to learn.

So, do you all think the yearn and love for learning in and of itself can be considered Demiurgy?

#hermeticism #confucianism #confucius #plato #platonism #neoplatonism #demiurge #demiurgy #philosophy #chinese philosophy #hermetic philosophy #learning #yan hui

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booksandwitchery · 1 year

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Not long ago, if someone said I'd be ordering a Tarot deck this year...

...I would laugh in their face because I am a die-hard, science-loving skeptic incapable of blind belief in the supernatural. But my tarot card deck should be coming in the mail today and I'm f***ing stoked, even though I don't think the cards are going to cause anything mystical to happen.

For anyone who is familiar with my posts, it should be no surprise that I've encountered a lot of information about Jungian psychology, specifically the concept of universal human archetypes and the effort to balance the conscious and unconscious aspects of our mind. In Anthony Alvarado's DIY Magic, which I posted about last year, a whole chapter is dedicated to tarot even though the author himself admits that magical experiences are merely "subconscious structures of our own making." He assures his readers these experiences are not "any less powerful or capricious" despite having been created by our own minds. Excuse me, but I think that is f***ing beautiful. WHAT.

Alvarado says tarot cards are effective because of their human universality: "Anyone can do it; you don't need special powers. . .the tarot deck works because it is filled with ancient archetypal symbols. That they are archetypal simply means that they represent basic fears, hopes, dreams and desires that are present in everybody's life."

I've been chewing on this idea for a while now, including how it pertains to modern archetypal polytheism (deities as aspects of our own self) and secular witchcraft in general. My greatest "aha" moment was when I connected this idea of tarot cards to the first principle of Atheopaganism: "I understand that the metaphorical is not the literal.. . . we do not automatically accept our subjective experiences as having objective reality. Does that mean, then, that the meaning derived from such experiences is necessarily invalid? No, it does not." - Mark Green

In other words, though our experiences using tarot decks are subjective and do not involve the supernatural, the meanings we derive from these readings are valid. We created the meaning, as opposed to the meaning being paranormally inherent in the experience.

So, my fellow humans--if I talk about tarot in my posts (as I am likely to do now that I've learned that magic is, in a sense, actually f***ing real) I am using it in this domain of thought. I am not using the cards to predict my future; I do not think that any supernatural entities are in control of the cards (though if you do, that's fine too and I respect your beliefs) because as Carl Jung once said, "It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves."

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rainsandrains · 7 months

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in all honesty, i'm having a hard time with my atheopaganism. it's nearly hallows, and my focus is still set up for spring - i was here (in cambridge) until july, then i went home (to my parents' house) until the start of october, and although i've been back for about two weeks i still haven't touched my focus except to put my two spiritual notebooks back on it. i have hardly engaged with any of the things i consider spiritual practices.

the last time i was in cambridge, i was extremely unhappy. i was still in limbo regarding issues with my phd, i was having issues with my relationship to certain close friends, and i was, to put it bluntly, bordering on suicidal. i then went through hell for two weeks in july, and spent all of august recovering from that. i finally got good news about my phd and in september i started studying again, and i managed to make a tiny bit of progress with another personal goal i won't talk about here in case it's triggering to people. i engaged in my first proper full moon ritual, and managed to keep the promise i made to myself that night - a certain set of tasks for an entire lunar cycle. things were looking up. and then i came back to cambridge, to the place where so much went wrong and where i had felt so so bad, and it all fell apart again. i relapsed into a very bad coping mechanism and haven't yet had the energy to feel bad about it. i'm struggling to enjoy my main hobby because the choir is full of new people and because i'm tired and drained.

so no wonder the whole "connecting to the natural world" thing has fallen away. i'm just trying to get through the days, get my work done, and not snap at the poor freshers who haven't done anything wrong. i don't feel guilty about abandoning my practice. but i do feel like i'm lacking something. i do feel sad, and regretful, that i'm not feeling connected to the world.

and, for some reason, when i feel this way (and when i feel low and lonely in general), i've recently (as in over the last year or so) found myself drawn to polytheism. i know that gods aren't real. but i wish they were. i find myself... playing pretend, for lack of a better word. talking to apollo and lighting a candle i imagine he'd like, and then catching myself and feeling stupid. when i have to sing christian music with my choir, i think "khaire apollon, if you want to take any of this music as an offering, even though it's about the wrong god on paper, feel free. your presence would be appreciated" - because i feel so isolated even in that space, and because i need something overtly pagan to counteract the icky feeling christianity gives me. i know plenty of naturalistic pagans engage with deity as myth, as story, as metaphor... but i want it to be more than metaphor. but it isn't, and it never will be. i need to find a new way to engage with these ideas, something that fills the emotional void but that aligns with my naturalist worldview. i never think about apollo this way when i'm at my parents' house, probably because i'm less lonely than here where i live alone. maybe i need to spend more time with my friends, but it's cambridge, they're so busy all the time...

i don't know. i may well delete this post - i've never rambled so personally on this blog before, and it's not really in line with my original intention that this would be for reference and inspiration. but i'm stuck, and frustrated, and struggling, and i don't have anyone irl i can talk to about it because i don't know any other naturalistic pagans irl. only a couple of people even know i'm pagan, and while both are open-minded and kind about it neither of them are remotely similar (one is my college chaplain, and the other is a friend who is jewish - both lovely, neither likely to be on the same page as me about naturalism).

#atheopaganism #suicide tw #e.txt

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sneezemonster15 · 2 years

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Okay so let's talk about some esoteric shit, the God Tree, the Infinite Tsukuyomi tree.

Some context. One can see the influence of Japanese folklores and mythology and various other belief systems/philosophies in Kishimoto's work, the way he draws inspiration from them and adorns his own story with these symbolic and narrative elements, whether it be South or East Asian philosophy (Buddhist Hinayana philosophy, Confucian philosophy, Shinto, ancient Chinese philosophy, Bushido etc). There are inspirations from Japanese mythology (Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Totsuka blade, Kusanagi sword) and literature, such as Chikamatsu, but also one can see the influence of modern phenomena. Art forms such as superflat art, pioneered by Takashi Murakami.

This is Murakami's art.

Or Kishi's funny little tribute to the greatest rock artist the world ever saw, Freddie Mercury. And he IS, I won't brook any arguments there.

Or his tribute to the most iconic pugilist Mohammed Ali aka Cassius Clay, in the character of Killer Bee. He didn't even miss the famous line said by the man, who "Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee."

So when I saw the God tree, I wondered if there was some context behind it that I didn't know about. I mean there's a hell lot of literature about trees and their significance in various cultures across the world. Whether it be Judeo- Christian mythology, South East Asian mythology, Germanic mythology or Celtic polytheism, Greek and Egyptian mythologies.

Japanese culture is no different, in fact they have a whole host of myths regarding trees, they have deep roots found in the concepts of both spirituality and doom, being considered indicators or harbingers of good or bad luck, fortune, having healing properties, and even for entertainment.

'Yokai' is a Japanese term that roughly translates into supernatural beings.

Yokai is a difficult term to translate into English and you will sometimes see it as demon, monster or goblin. However, yokai is much broader than that and encompass all manner of supernatural phenomena.

'Jubokko' is a kind of Yokai tree, its accounts have been recorded in Japanese folklores.

Sourced from Wikipedia :

According to folklore, Jubokko appears in former battlefields where many people have died, and its appearance does not differ that much from ordinary trees. Since it becomes a yōkai tree by sucking up large quantities of blood from the dead, it lives on human blood. When a human being happens to pass by, it supposedly captures the victim and, changing its branches into the shape of a tube, sucks the blood out of the victim. A Jubokko that sucks life out of human beings in such a way is said to always maintain a fresh appearance.

Sound familiar? We can see how Kishi might have drawn inspiration from this phenomenon, and who wouldn't, all of it sounds scrumptious. Creepy Japanese folklores and urban legends are just amazing and bone chilling to read about. Quite a lot of fun.

You know who famously contributed to Yokai art and made it really really popular in Japan?

Hokusai.

These are some of his Yokai woodblock prints.

Really, how delicious is this?

Yep, this is the same dude who created the most iconic and recognisable set of woodblock prints to come out of Japan, known all over the world as:

'Thirty six views of Mount Fuji'.

So we can certainly see the influence and the underlying concept behind Kishi's designs. And it's not just Kishimoto, other artists have also been inspired by tree folklores. Take Miyazaki in his 'My neighbour Totoro' (I can't put in words how much I love that film) wherein Totoro is depicted as a supernatural being taking the form of a camphor tree, or Princess Mononoke, the inclusion of the concept of Kodama, tree spirits that reside in special trees in ancient forests, a concept drawn from Shintoism.

However, a few days ago, I was doing a rerun of my favourite Monty Python's movies. By the way, shout out to my fellow Monty Python fans, you guys have the best taste.

So at the time, I was watching 'Life of Brian'. And guess what I found when I was watching the credit roll.

Look familiar???

Lol.

And I was intrigued. Really Kishi? Monty Python? Seriously? You? But well, not like you haven't taken me by surprise before. And Monty Python has been seriously popular all over the world for over fifty years. But I couldn't reconcile the thought of the Japanese appreciating the kind of humor that Monty Python pushes. If you have seen Monty Python, you know what I mean. But I was again proven wrong, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Apparently, Monty Python has been so popular in Japan, even Eric Idle couldn't help showing up for it. Honestly, I am not really that surprised after all. Monty Python is awesome. Hell, if I were reeling from a devastating war, I would religiously watch Monty Python too.

Ah, Kishi, peeling off those layers in your manga, quite a task, but worth it, heh?

Monty Python's style of animation and art was quite revolutionary at the time it was first featured. It started as a placeholder back in the days when Monty Python Flying Circus was just taking flight on BBC, but look how far it has come. And aren't we all the better for it?

I could still be missing something, but the theory still seems quite plausible to me. And I doubt there will be many counter points to something like this. This is what I am going to believe nevertheless. I like it, I like it very much. Kishi, you got good taste. But well, we already knew that.

P.S. - This again goes to show how ridiculous the opinion is that a professional artist can write or draw something accidentally. NOTHING is accidental. It's just that YOU in all your ignorant ass glory don't know what lies underneath. Or overneath really, you guys are seriously lame. People who say shit like this have no idea, NONE, about the kind of effort and inspiration that goes into creating art. Like I don't know how long you are gonna delude yourself, but why cut off your nose to spite your face? Is it really worth it? Tch.

#naruto #Kishimoto #infinite tsukuyomi #monty python #hokusai #superflat #freddie mercury #miyazaki movies #mohammed ali #my neighbour totoro #princess mononoke #deidara #killer bee

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questionsonislam · 2 months

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Some people do not give due importance to worshipping by saying, "Allah will forgive all sins except violation of other people's rights and polytheism (shirk); Allah will forgive us even if we do not perform prayers." What should we say to the people like that?

Worshipping is a kind of thanking the Lord in return for the boons He gives us. Man should be conscious of it whether Paradise and Hell exist or not.

The reason why we perform worshipping is that it is Allah's order. We should not worship in order to go to Paradise or to escape from Hell.

Every believer knows that he performs prayers for Allah. He stands in the presence of his Lord five times a day.

The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi will clarify the issue:

"I neither care for Paradise nor fear Hell."

To know that Allah's order is superior to everything will place the love of worshipping in our hearts.

Allah states the following in the Quran:

"I have only created jinn and men, that they may serve Me."(adh-Dhariyat, 51/56)

Every deed has a purpose. The reason why this universe was created and arranged is to give humans and jinn the duty of "worshipping Allah". Everybody who has consciousness and will needs to know and worship Allah. This is, so to speak, the divine purpose for the creation of things by Allah.

Worshipping means to fulfill the orders of God Almighty and to represent the responsibilities of being a slave of Allah. Servitude is interpreted as having the consciousness of a slave.

The religious meaning of worshipping is fulfilling the orders of Allah through a sincere intention, expecting to get rewards and thinking about being close to Allah. When we use the word worshipping, we mean both worshipping and being close to Allah. If we think of the fact that jinn and humans were created only to worship Allah, we can say that worshipping means obeying and fulfilling all of the orders Allah.

According to a widespread belief among people, worshipping consists of only prayers, fasting, zakah and hajj. Such a belief is sound but to restrict the scope of worshipping in terms of form and number will cause fruitlessness in terms of understanding. In fact, five principles that are regarded as the pillars of Islam can be accepted as a summary and basic principles of worshipping. When we expand them and take the other forms of worshipping into consideration, we will see that the whole religion of Islam appears.

Worshipping, which consists of man's turning toward Allah with all of his self, feelings, all of his inner and outer faculties, mental faculties, head and tongue, is a systematic way of acting. It is not possible to interpret worshipping as 'adoring/idolizing' since it encompasses all of the meanings above. Adoring and idolizing consist of a simple orientation and deeds done without a system that lacks real consciousness and intention. Idolaters' bowing down before some deities except Allah, living and non-living beings that they accept as mediators between themselves and Allah, adoring some objects can be called adoring and idolizing but not worshipping. For, worshipping is peculiar to Allah Almighty. Yes, only Him can we worship.

Servitude Exists in the Nature of Man

Religion is seen all the time and everywhere in the history of humanity no matter what it is called, how it is and how it is described. Religion has some common properties. They are belief, worshipping and community. That is, religion is a fact of man and community. Religion exists wherever man exists. However, religion is not only a belief or a system of beliefs. Worshipping is a very important and inseparable property of the religion.

Yes, servitude exists in the nature of man. When Allah created man, He created him with a nature suitable for being a servant of Allah. However, man often used this nature in bad and wrong ways. He transformed the beings like stones, trees, stars, the moon and the sun, which cannot be worshipped and which are weak creatures of Allah, into partners of Allah. When man could not find the real God, he invented some so-called gods and surrendered to them, which is a deviation from his natural state.

Belief consists of proclaiming Islam through the tongue and confirming it through the heart. However, it is necessary to strengthen and support belief by deeds in order to get the desired result. Some people's words like, "what matters is the cleanliness of the heart; worshipping is not so important" serves to destroy the indications (principles) of the religion.

Human life becomes significant as the duty of worshipping Allah is fulfilled. The deeds of worshipping that Allah orders us to perform serve to maintain our humane feelings and improve them. Man consists of both a body and a spirit; so, harmonious improvement and balanced development necessitate that man show attention toward and take care of both aspects of his personality equally.

According to the Quran, all beings worship. This fact is expressed as follows in the Quran:

"…There not a thing but celebrates His praise..." (al-Isra, 17/44)

The Quran also states that lengthening and shortening is a kind of worshipping peculiar to shadow. Prostration is a deed of worshipping by plants and their branches. Stars, mountains, birds, animals and many more creatures worship Lord in a way peculiar to them. Even the thunder glorifies Allah by praising Him.

Man, who has a distinguished place in the universe and who is equipped with the mind, thought and superior abilities, was created for a lofty purpose.This purpose is to know Allah and to worship Him.

Benefits of Worshipping:

Worshipping is performed only to fulfill the order of Allah and to attain His consent. The worshipping that is accepted by Allah is the worshipping that is performed sincerely, without having any interests in mind.

Sincerity is regarded as the spirit of worshipping. Worshipping without sincerity is something without a spirit. It has no value in the eye of Allah. Sincerity in worshipping means to perform it just because it is the order of Allah and it serves to attain the consent of Allah.

If a deed of worshipping is performed for a worldly benefit and advantage, its sincerity disappears and that deed of worshipping becomes invalid; that is, it is not accepted by Allah. However, it is certain that there are many wisdoms and material and spiritual benefits for us in the orders of our Lord.

Just as our body needs food so too does our spirit need food. The most important food of the spirit is a strong belief and worshipping. Worshipping serves to strengthen our belief and develop us ethically. The fruit of the tree of belief that is fed by worshipping is high ethics.

The light of belief shines in the heart of a person who keeps worshipping. Fear of Allah and the feeling of responsibility settle in his heart. Thanks to worshipping, our inner body becomes free of bad ideas and our outer body becomes free of the impurity of sins. Besides, when a Muslims performs financial worshipping (like giving alms), he is loved by others.

We need to eat and drink as long as we live; similarly, we need worshipping and spiritual food until we die. Allah states the following in the Quran:

"And serve thy Lord until there come unto thee the Hour that is Certain." (al-Hijr, 15/99)

Thanks to worshipping, a believer gets rid of the material bonds of the world and elevates spiritually; the bright way of the land of bliss opens for him after the obstacles are removed.

Worshipping, which is the indication of our belief and the food of our spirit, strengthens our belief and makes us mature believers with ethics and merits by freeing our inner bodies from bad thoughts and our outer bodies from the impurity of sins. Thus, it becomes a means of making us attain peace in the world, save from punishment in the hereafter and have an eternal and happy life in Paradise, which is the land of endless bliss.

The other benefits of worshipping for the individual and society are as follows:

1. Knowledge and decrees about belief and creed settle in man only through worshipping.

2. Worshipping plays an important role in the arrangement of individual life.

3. Worshipping plays an important role in binding individuals together and ensuring peace and harmony in society.

4. Worshipping has a positive effect on man's moral life and spiritual realm.

5. Worshipping is the greatest means of attaining personal perfection and maturity.

In addition, worshipping leads to happiness in the world and the hereafter along with being a high relation and an honorable bond between the Creator and His slaves. Fire and melting pot cause the gold in the soil to be distinguished; similarly, the world and worshipping help man attain Paradise. Yes, since man cannot change the road opened by wisdom, he needs to fulfill this very difficult and holy duty truly to deserve Paradise. In other words, the only way to deserve Paradise is worshipping and being a slave of Allah. For, worshipping makes man pure and liable for Paradise.

Form of Worshipping

No being in the universe was created without any purpose; no living being was left without a guide. Allah, who does not leave ants without a prince, bees without a queen, fish and birds without a guide, will definitely not leave human beings without prophets. Human beings can find Allah by looking at the incidents taking place in the universe and using their minds but they cannot know the purpose of their creation, where they come from and there they are going to and the forms of worshipping without prophets. Therefore, they do not perform worshipping randomly or without a system but based on a system and rules that they learn from their prophets; they present their respect and worshipping to God with awe and reverence.

Yes, worshipping means belief in Allah and knowledge about His divine personality, the arrangement and formulation of the things that need to be done with the love and admiration coming from this knowledge through the indication and guidance of God Almighty in accordance with His orders. That is, it is necessary to act and worship as it is required under the guidance of the Lord's clear verses and in the light of the lights emitted by the Prophet (pbuh) so as not to do anything wrong or inappropriate.

What are essential in man's relationship with his Lord are meaning, essence and spirit. However, what convey them are words, forms and molds. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to those words and molds. Those forms should convey the essential meanings. Therefore, it cannot be said that molds and forms have no meaning.

It is necessary to be balanced, moderate and to act in accordance with the criteria imposed by Allah while worshipping Him along with intention. The Messenger of Allah said,

"There are so many people standing while performing prayers that what they earn by it is nothing but tiredness; there are so many people who perform fasting that what they earn by it is nothing but hunger and thirst.

That is, the heart needs to turn to Allah. Zakah or sadaqah given without thinking of Him is nothing but wasting, and as the Quran puts it, becoming friends with Satan. To enjoin what is good and to forbid what is evil without having Him as a purpose in one's mind means to do dialectic and to deceive people by being engaged in demagoguery. Jihad without having Him as a purpose means show off, and wasting wealth and time. That is, the purpose of the spirit of worshipping needs to be the Creator; the servant needs to turn toward the Creator and worship Him.

In Islam, the scope of worshipping is wide. In Islam, worshipping does not consist of performing prayers and dhikr only. Every deed that is done in order to attain the consent of the Lord and to fulfill His orders is regarded as worshipping. For instance, a person can transform eating and drinking into worshipping as follows: If a person intends to eat, drink and travel by finding it sufficient to eat halal food and drink halal beverages, avoiding haram and fulfilling the orders of Allah, his deeds will be regarded as worshipping. A person who eats and drinks with this intention and becomes strong becomes the addressee of the following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh):

"A strong (due to worshipping properly) believer is better than a weak believer and he is more beloved in the eye of Allah." (Muslim, Qadar, 34; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 10; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 2:366)

When the deeds that the soul likes and takes pleasure from are done with such sincere intentions, they are regarded as worshipping and become means of getting thawabs (rewards). The servant takes pleasure from what he does and feels happy but he approaches Allah with every deed that he does because his intention is to attain the consent of Allah. Acting upon this fact, the fiqh scholars say, "A righteous intention transforms habitual deeds into worshipping."

Worshipping is classified as follows based on will, determination, intention and sincerity:

a. Worshipping performed with the desire of Paradise.

b. Worshipping performed due to the fear of Hell.

c.Worshipping performed with the feeling of awe, fear of Allah and love.

d. Worshipping performed as a necessity of the relationship of the Lord and the slave, the Creator and the creature.

No matter how it is performed, worshipping (servitude) is the color of man's honor and the greatest rank granted to him. There is no rank and position higher than worshipping (servitude).

The Privilege of the Religion of Islam in Worshipping

According to some religions, worshipping means to leave all of the pleasures of the world aside and live in seclusion (like the life of monks and nuns living in a monastery). In another religion, worshipping can be performed only in some special places of their temples. According to some other religions, worshipping can be performed only under the under the leadership of some clergymen. The people cannot worship alone and in congregation without the guidance of the clergymen.

In Islam, worshipping is free from intermediaries between Allah and His slaves. Man can apply to his Lord directly. In Islam, the clergy are not intermediaries between Allah and His slaves; the belief that worshipping can be accepted only through the mediation of the clergy only does not exist in Islam. In the eye of Allah, scholars, the clergy and ordinary people are equal in terms of worshipping. Superiority is based on taqwa (fear of Allah).

Islam has freed worshipping from the hands of the intermediaries and from the obligation of being performed in certain places. Every place, whether it is a mosque, a ship in the middle of the sea or a house, is suitable for worshipping as long as they are clean. Man can contact Allah by worshipping anywhere. The Messenger of Allah stated the following:

"The earth was made a mosque and a cleaner for me." (Bukhari, Tayammum, 1; Muslim, Masajid, 3)

That is, a person can perform prayers anywhere and he can use the earth (soil) to make tayammum instead of wudu and ghusl when there is no water.

The Relationship between Belief and Deeds

The principles that need to be believed in Islam do not consist of some abstract ideas only. The principles that need to be believed in Islam are some vital values that need to be done, thought, believed, internalized and used in order to reach Allah with submission. These vital values become deepened by meditation and dhikr, are fed by worshipping; deeds and manners are also included in this framework so that individual and human thoughts will not affect them. Thus, a believer is in a relationship with the circle of belief all the time and he turns around the main axis of belief.

According to Ahl as-Sunnah, worshipping is not a part of belief. Deeds are not a part of belief. This principle is a general decree. That is, if a man does not do any deeds and does not worship at all, he will not exit belief. However, it is necessary for him not to deny any worshipping and accept that all kinds of worshipping are true.

As it is seen, there is a difference between believing and doing. However, this is the last boundary. In fact, there is a close relationship between belief and deeds. A person can be treated as a Muslim based on his worshipping only. As it is known, the application of some decrees among the Muslims who live in a community is based on the lifestyles of individuals since the religion decides based on the outward appearance. A person who does not show any signs of being a Muslim will definitely not be treated as a Muslim. Besides, the real benefit of worshipping is to protect and improve the belief that exists. For, belief consists ofproclaiming Islam through the tongue and confirming it through the heart. It is a source of infinite power and strength. However, it is necessary to strengthen and support belief with deeds in order to obtain the fruits and results that are desired. Therefore, the following statement of some people means nothing but demolishing the signs and principles of the religion: "The cleanliness of the heart and intentions are important in religion. Worshipping like prayers and fasting are not so important; there is no harm in abandoning them." For, if this idea is accepted, any denier can claim that he is a distinguished believer.

Besides, though some people who lived in this age and who vulgarized the issue said, "My heart is clean and I believe in Allah" without worshipping, everybody saw that they fell into Hell. Yes, belief needs to be strengthened by prayers, hajj, jihad and other types of worshipping.

Only worshipping can transform decrees related to creed and belief into faculties by strengthening and maintaining them. Yes, if decrees related to belief, which are involved with conscience and mind, are not trained and strengthened by worshipping, which consists of fulfilling Allah's orders and keeping away from what He prohibits, its results and effects will be weak. The current situation of the Islamic world is evidence for it.

It is necessary for a believer to strengthen his belief with deeds sooner or later.

Islam has two aspects: belief and deeds. They are indispensible parts of Islam. Belief, or creed as it is mentioned in the Islamic literature, means to believe in all of the things in the system of Islam like Allah, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the Quran and the hereafter in a way that excludes the opposite possibilities.

As for deeds, or as the Quran puts it "amal salih (righteous deeds)", that is, complete, flawless, impeccable deeds, it is the second important element of Islam after belief.For instance, worshipping is an indispensible part of it.

Since man cannot change the road opened by wisdom, he needs to fulfill this very difficult and holy duty truly to deserve Paradise. In other words, the only way to deserve Paradise is worshipping and being a slave of Allah. For, worshipping makes man pure and liable for Paradise.

Deeds of worshipping are in a way like the blockage of the issues related to creed and in another like faculties that improve them. For, if worshipping is not performed and if religion is kept in the conscience only by acting upon a common view today, deviation and destruction - God forbid - and consequently losing the worldly and otherworldly life will be inevitable. Yes, man can be protected from various deviations and his belief can be maintained only through worshipping.

Man can believe in Allah as a result of scientific research but it will be a theoretical belief. It can be transformed into real belief and elevated to the desired level only through worshipping. From this point of view, it can be said that it is always possible for a person who has not made worshipping a part of his nature and who has not deepened in it to deviate and go astray. Acting upon this fact, we can say that those who say, "I believe in Allah but I drink alcohol or I cannot perform prayers" lack one of the bonds that protect them. Yes, if those people are sincere in their words, they need to support their belief with deeds and be loyal slaves at the door of God Almighty with their deeds of worshipping so that they will be real believers.

Consequently, it can be said that worshipping is necessary for belief to remain fresh in the hearts and not to wither. Belief can remain new without withering only through worshipping. Otherwise, it is unknown whether the belief of a person who does not worship can last until he dies.

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consceleratuswrites · 9 months

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Hi Hi hi ANOTHER ANON HERE (I just wanna be private) I just wanted to say I love your work and your writing rocks!

I was wondering, despite the obvious voice lines and what we kinda get from Galactic Emperor Sigma's depiction (for the crumb it was - thanks Blizzard) how do you go about characterizing him? I kinda like how you aren't afraid to make him into a bit of an asshole (lol) do you have a headcanon you go off?

There are quite a few of you guys! And it's all cool - as long as you're all comfortable! Never wanna force anyone x

This is an interesting one as it relates to my personal views on Sigma as a whole, which I could go on for HOURS ABOUT. Mainly because the trailer makes him come across as this maniacal hubris-based scientist who is incredibly intimidating and self-interested in his own research. Then you have the in-game characterisation which is this rather tragic figure being manipulated by an organisation that uses him as a weapon.

There is this beautiful dichotomy in his character (which is why he's so beloved, as he has this depth on a self-referential level). I do not doubt that he is equally as gentle and a tragic anti-hero as he is an egotistical and (at times) a vicious-mad-scientist force to be reckoned with. That's due to the in-game Canon!Sig voice lines range from quite endearing to being quite callous (to me at least). And I could go on and on about my personal feelings about the mental health allegories that can also be gleaned from him (I'm someone who has pretty bad anxiety and PTSD, so the drifting in and out of thoughts is something that got to me).

So for Emp!Sig, I wanted to magnify those aspects and dial them up to be more ruthless and more arrogant. And I loved that we got this antagonistic-bad-guy version who will call you a "pathetic worm" if you get in his way. But then I like the thought of him being multifaceted here too (I have this saying that I talk to my friends that I think of 'salty and sweet' when I write him). And I like giving him these little anxiety-fuelled moments where he's painfully vulnerable.

I have a lot to thank @akoiromanticstudent for (I tag her a lot as it's her help that's made her indulge this hard, and I love how she writes sig in his professor ways).

I have a literal page-by-page list in my notebook (because I'm crazy and do this for fun HAHA) of who I've taken some inspiration from for his characteristics so here we go I shall list a few (and this isn't even all of it so - lmao YOU ASKED)

Game of Thrones' Tywin Lannister is a massive influence on me as well. His dialogue is excellently written, and he was my favourite character in the series for being this rather diabolical yet magnificent bastard. I love how Charles Dance plays him as this character hardened by the world around him and too far gone with using violence as a means to an end. He's undoubtedly cruel and has this stubbornness that is fun to emulate and spar with.

I also take some inspiration from Hades - the Hellenic god (being a bit more of a neutral yet incredibly threatening force within ancient Greek polytheism). And his representation from the HADES game series and the Disney-fied version (for the back and fourth in his dialogue and dynamic).

I also really loved Peter Stormare's representation of Lucifer from the 05' Constantine film - I love how terrifying and threatening he is with his presence and invading personal spaces. Stormare plays him as this ancient, wise, sinister force, and I just adore it. Despite the film being of typical noughties-popcorn-movieness (but I love it for that too). So I've taken little pieces of that there as well.

Obviously, Star Wars plays as an influence (Darth Vader/Anakin being the tragic villain he is and Palpatine because I just love that silly evil old man.)

There's obviously a few Lovecraftian cosmic horror elements in there as well.

Also adding loads of representations of various Gods, Kings, and Emperors in history, Leonidas being one of them, Ceaser, Odin, Ra the list goes on and on all of which are in the mixing pot.

Thanks for reading this if you did I hope it was interesting - I get started on something and then it grows and grows because, as I said, I'm crazy.

#every day i wake up and think about galactic emperor sigma #and then i think about sigma #and then write in my stupid notebook every time i have an idea #asks #shut up conc #conc talks

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thatcryinggayboy · 3 months

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Alone in religion.

I think it’s kind of funny, how my faith progressively gets further and further from mainstream, and yet the only thing I want is a community. When I was a child, I was an atheist. Well, when I suppose when I was around 5 I thought that being Christian was just part of life because I was a gullible child, it wasn’t until my parents were like “no you silly child, that’s not the only religion” and when I realized it wasn’t just a fact of life, I quickly dropped it.

When I was older, maybe around 10, I learned what an atheist actually was as I began to use the internet more commonly. “YES, that’s it, I’m an atheist” but like, not a fully spiritless atheist. I still believed in ghosts, I have since I used to see them around my house. That was a belief I’ve never been without.

So in 2015 I was an angsty teenager, I used to make stupid jokes and one that I had for some reason was “I blame witchcraft”. It was my first pride and I was road tripping to the big city with a couple of friends from a local LGBTQ+ group.

When we arrived at our destination, my friend E informed me that our other friend W was a Wiccan. “What the hell is that?”, I was briefly explained it was a religion based on witchcraft. “THERE ARE WITCHES?!”. I apologized to W and when I got back home, I did some research.

Now for some context, my parents always said the male equivalent of witches were warlocks. I always thought that was dumb, I always in turn said “why aren’t they both witches” because functionally, they aren’t the same. So when I found out that male witches were just… witches, I found something that connected to me. I COULD BE A WITCH.

And yes, I knew it wasn’t like the movies, I’m not that silly.

Cool, now I’m a Wiccan…. Who is god? So I did a couple of very brief google searches. “The Horned God and The Moon Goddess”. And who are they?, well, according to the first website I checked, specifically Pan and Hekate. No explanation to the archetypes and roles they were meant to play, just Hekate and Pan. Well, okay, two Greek gods, I’m down with that.

I suppose I was never truly an atheist but I didn’t want to identify as agnostic, that term never felt like me.

So now I’m a 13 year old, still figuring out who he is and now he has a religion. I’m autistic and this just became MY WORLD. Immediately I was searching and searching; eventually I found out how the horned god and moon goddess worked but now that I have these two, I’m set…..

Well not exactly. I became obsessed with the images of fertility goddesses, something about it all was so fascinating to me. And then I looked into more gods, more goddesses, different pantheons… and I did something I’m not proud of.

I was unaware of the topic of cultural appropriation when it came to religious systems. It had never come across my feed and I was never told that it was a thing. I probably should’ve known but I didn’t.

I found a new goddess I felt really connected to.

Kali.

I made her offerings, burnt incense, listened to music about Kali, and yet outside of her own religion. She felt so motherly to me, but it was not my place and to say it simply, I learned from my mistake. I discovered how insensitive it was and I sang her goodbye, but she was never meant to be my goddess to begin with.

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So eventually I became less and less in love with Wicca. The practice wasn’t meant for me, I still practiced witchcraft but the community was not mine.

“Well, I already have a couple of Greek gods under my belt, what is that whole thing like” so now I’m looking into Hellenic Polytheism…. Sort of. I didn’t know that there was a full religious movement, so I kind of just, felt it out. AND THEN I FOUND IT, after a little while of winging it.

And you know what, this was my place, I never felt at home more with anything else. But over time, when you study and study and pray and think and read and just sit there, your world view will change drastically. As I learned, my beliefs were a little bit more complex over time. Basic Hellenic Polytheism might not be JUST IT.

I was looking into Orphism, the Eleusinian Mysteries, I was looking in as many cults as I could to see which one perfectly matched with how I believe. I would practice for a while, see how it felt, and move on if it didn’t feel right. And I would follow multiple gods at a time, I’ve always been a a devotee of Zeus since I became Hellenic. He was the one thing I felt was right.

But I became overwhelmed, and I burnt out.

I wasn’t making offerings, saying prayers, building Kharis, I wasn’t even thinking about the gods. I still called myself a Hellenic Polytheist, but was I?

————

Okay so side note, I love learning about religions, in an effort and interest in broadening my understanding and educating myself. And I found another love, that I didn’t think I would ever be a part of so I appreciated it from a distance. I really love Judaism. Everything about it, the laws, the cultures, the language, the fact that no Jewish person is the same and that’s embraced. But I was unaware that converts where a thing. For a while.

Eventually I found out that conversation to Judaism existed, but I still stood back.

In 2022 I went to work for a summer camp further up the coast from my hometown. I was so excited. I worked in the kitchen and while I didn’t interact with the counselors much, I wanted to befriend them. They were so full of life, they had that city energy that I so badly craved. And there were two in particular that I was able to become semi-closer with. Not by much because I don’t actively seek out friendship, I just hope it happens. But I still considered them the closest friends there. I’ll call them P and B.

One day in the kitchen, we were preparing lunch and P & B came in, they looked directly at me and asked me if I was “part of the tribe”, maybe they weren’t meaning to look at me because they were friendly with other kitchen staff but it felt like they were. I said “…huh?” And they asked “are you Jewish”. I told them no but I did like the religion. That was that and they moved on. But something in me didn’t.

It was almost as if my soul was looked into, I could feel that question in my very fibers.

Fuuuuuuck.

I just don’t know who I am do I? Will I ever? I feel like Trisha Paytas, I can’t just be playing dress up with religions, especially not closed ones. I didn’t want to take advantage of other people beliefs for my own benefit. That’s not chill.

——————

So back to where I was before. My religious beliefs were sort of fading. I wasn’t fully connected anymore, even if I still loved Zeus. Eventually, I stumbled my way onto Jewish TikTok.

So many creators who I enjoy, Jewitches, Danielle Silverstone, and Zara Zahavah (side note but it was like a dream come true when she answered my comment about whether or not furbys would be classified as kosher).

One night, while watching a Jewitches livestream, the switched kind of flipped, and I wanted to pursue this.

But wait? I live in a small town, there’s no synagogue for miles. The closest one is 4 hours away. There’s a community here, but I have really bad imposter syndrome and I don’t want to push my welcome. So I didn’t reach out.

I did however, start taking intro to Judaism classes online, and it was going well for a while, until I had a very uncomfortable conversation with one of the teachers. And I stopped going.

Eventually I reached out to that group in my town, but I left due to their overt Zionism, it didn’t come out fully until around the 3rd session. After that, I decided to go back to my place with the Greek gods.

It was shaky getting back into it, and as I went back into my research, I came across the cult of Hypsistos.

Hypsistarians believed in Zeus Hypsistos (most high), a monotheistic group that didn’t worship with statues but rather with the light of a flame. “But I still believe in Apollo, Aphrodité, Hermes, etc.”, as it turns out, so did they, not as gods per say but rather as angelic messenger manifestations out of Hypsistos. This fits perfectly with what I believe…. But there’s not much to work with.

There is a scarcity of sources about the group, and as far as I’ve been able to tell, I am the only one. All I’ve ever wanted is a community, people to worship with, talk about our experiences and share something so meaningful to me. And even if there were another one of me out there, I have to make educated guesses about Hypsistarians based on their ancient influences, so most things are up for interpretation.

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I suppose the real point of this post is to express something I can’t express to many, even if I’m speaking to the void.

Thank you.

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dionysianfreak · 2 years

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Hi there 👋 Asking for some advice!

I've been researching and (I guess you could say) dabbling in hellenic polytheism for the past...idk, 3 years? I've gotten into the philosophy behind it. I have a decent understanding of decorum, traditions, etc. I've had a few interactions with select deities.

...but, I never have the time to start a regular, meaningful practice. I really love the religion. I love research. But I never have time. And every time I feel like doing something - saying a prayer, for example - I don't feel adequately prepared. I do much less than I would like to, but can't really change my circumstances.

If you had 10mins a day to devote to helpol, how would you spend it? Why?

hellooo sunshine, I can sympathize with your situation to an extent. my life tends to go in phases of extremely busy to all the time in the world on my hands. between that and crippling neurodivergency, my practice is anything but regular. it's pretty much "when I can sit down long enough or muster the energy for it i do all I can in that small amount of time". sorry if this is a more complicated answer than you expected, but I want to give you a lot of ideas, because honoring the Gods can be very mundane.

the first day, I would create a Pinterest acc/boards for the Gods I wish to worship. this way, whenever I have a few moments of boredom or want to devoted some time to it, I could save art and images that I relate to Them and keep them as a devotion. I'd spend a few moments searching their names with "art", "Deity", or "aesthetic" with it to get a few pins for each to start off. then, you can use the more ideas button in the board to see directly related images to what you've already saved. your feed will naturally follow what you like across your whole account. if youd like a visual, or would like an example, this is my devoted Pinterest board.

the second day, (if you don't already have a music collection/app) I'd get a music streaming service such as Spotify, apple music, or YouTube music and collect a lot of music I like onto it. I would create playlists for the Gods I want to worship and I'd probably go through and save a few songs I think Theyd like/remind me of them. as time goes on, keep adding songs so that you can casually honor them while doing mundane things like cleaning, driving, or in between tasks. I'd you'd like a visual or example, this is my devotional playlist to Hermès

on day three, I'd clear a small space and speak words of dedication to begin a shrine. there doesn't need to be anything but dedication, which is something as simple as "i dedicate this space to Deity" or "Deity/Deities, this space is for you. it can be a whole table or a small spot on the counter. there can be small items or nothing at all. this way, i can give offerings whenever i have a chance. a very quick offering I like to give is sharing my meals. I'll cook my daily food and give a small portion to the Gods. if I'm eating a snack like crackers I'll leave a few for Them. this is all you need to start, or at all. from here the possibilities are endless for your space. I'm sure you've seen photos of people's large and lavish shrines, those too once started as a blank, empty spot on the counter.

on day 4, I'd spend a little time finding poetry or prayers that I like. I definitely find a lot on Pinterest but there's a lot more on Tumblr, you can also use Theoi.com for English versions of the ancient hymns. the reason i separate poetry and prayer is because I know many people are uncomfortable with it due to past experiences. I found prayer uncomfortable and alienating as a kid and that still follows me. instead I like to see them at poems for the Gods. words of dedication spoken under my breath or said in my mind. or, if you like to write, you could write a small poem in 10 minutes. prayer and poetry are very good ways of connecting with the Gods, if it's your thing.

in the days beyond this, i would spend time building my dedications. maybe picking up votives (physical, non-perishable offerings for your shrine) if they catch my eye in my daily life. I'd also maybe get a tarot app, or find a coin to use for simple divination. this takes getting used to, but having an on-the-go coin for yes/no divination has saved my butt a few times.

I hope this helps lovely. I tried to split it with color to make it easier to read. no matter how small an act may seem, it is your sacrifice of time and energy that the Gods will reward. after all, that is the one thing we can give Them that we will never be able to take back. happy travels and may the Theoi bless your days

#helpol #hellenic polytheist #hellenic polytheism #resources #devotional acts #lostlitte #ask #theoi #greek gods

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