oh to metaphysically hug my deities

Something that always irks me is when people act like Ancient Greek religion DOESNT have rules. Or that they varied too much to be applicable.

Obviously, that’s not true.  Rules did vary depending upon region (sacred laws). But they’re still rules. There’s some pretty overarching rules such as these, which are historical:

Do not violate Xenia

Do not break your oaths 

Do not abuse supplicants 

Do not allow agos

Do not allow murderers 

Try to approach the gods while washed (which there is leeway here depending upon the situation but for example, priests HAD to be ritually ‘pure’).

Bury the dead 

Respect the Pythia 

Do not steal from temples 

Obey sacred laws (temple-specific rules)

Etc etc

Sacred laws did vary some. Certain sanctuaries required a different level of ritual purity than others, and some allowed you to take the wood for example from temples. But that’s the exception — not the rule. There was also multiple different levels of purity. Also blood isn’t polluting, it’s actually purifying.  Pagan religions actually do have rules. Even if they’re not applicable anymore (such as ‘respect the Pythia’ because there is no Pythia), knowing why they’re there is so important. These rules can take on new meaning, especially for revivalists, but they still exist. Sources: Understanding Greek religion, The Oath in Ancient Greece, On Greek Religion, The Seer in Ancient Greece, A companion to Greek religion, Inner purity and pollution in Greek religion, etc.

This makes perfect sense 😊 you explained some things that I wanted to say better than I could have.

My issues is mostly, like you said, the lack of effort that some people put into stuff and not trying to learn why some things are the way they are (why some rites are made, why some festivals are celebrated, the meaning of myths...) so they can then chose what they want to apply to their daily practice.

I could've used a word different from individualism but it's what made sense in my first language.

On paganism and rules

Lately I've been seeing on Tumblr a series of posts that made me realise we're in a much individualistic (and hubris filled) society that I originally thought. These are just my thoughts as someone who sincretises Hellenic and Roman practices, so any debate in the comments is welcome, just as long as you're disrespectful.

I think a lot of people, mostly because of Abrahamic propaganda, think that the pagans religions are rule-less. That we can do whatever we want. I think this is why a lot of people that were raised in very strict Abrahamic households then change to paganism thinking this is the complete opposite and they can do whatever they want.

This is far from the truth. While we may not have a series of commandments or very strict rules, in modern Hellenismos there's a series of pillars we have to follow, one of them being Sophia (seeking wisdom).

Yesterday I saw someone say that you don't need to read the myths, as that's just “UPG from the past”. How do you plan on pursuing wisdom and knowledge when you can't even bring yourself to read the stories of your religious ancestors? How will you get to know the culture your religion comes from? How will you get to know the symbolism associated with each god throughout different territories? What separates you from a Lore Olympus fan?

When I see things like these I can't help but think that they come from people who don't wanna make the effort to learn. I see it as not wanting to step out of your comfort zone. I'm no revivalist, as I believe doing things exactly as they did it 2000 years ago is counterproductive in today's society. But I also see these acts as evidence of this individualistic society we live in and how it's infiltrating religious practices. I'm guilty of this myself too. But I think if we wanna change something in our personal practice or we wanna change a practice to fit into our daily lives, we also need to learn why our religious ancestors did things the way they did it. We need to stop calling everything “valid” because if everything is valid then that validity has no worth.

So in conclusion:

🌙 My Hellenic altar at night 🌙

On paganism and rules

Lately I've been seeing on Tumblr a series of posts that made me realise we're in a much individualistic (and hubris filled) society that I originally thought. These are just my thoughts as someone who sincretises Hellenic and Roman practices, so any debate in the comments is welcome, just as long as you're disrespectful.

I think a lot of people, mostly because of Abrahamic propaganda, think that the pagans religions are rule-less. That we can do whatever we want. I think this is why a lot of people that were raised in very strict Abrahamic households then change to paganism thinking this is the complete opposite and they can do whatever they want.

This is far from the truth. While we may not have a series of commandments or very strict rules, in modern Hellenismos there's a series of pillars we have to follow, one of them being Sophia (seeking wisdom).

Yesterday I saw someone say that you don't need to read the myths, as that's just “UPG from the past”. How do you plan on pursuing wisdom and knowledge when you can't even bring yourself to read the stories of your religious ancestors? How will you get to know the culture your religion comes from? How will you get to know the symbolism associated with each god throughout different territories? What separates you from a Lore Olympus fan?

When I see things like these I can't help but think that they come from people who don't wanna make the effort to learn. I see it as not wanting to step out of your comfort zone. I'm no revivalist, as I believe doing things exactly as they did it 2000 years ago is counterproductive in today's society. But I also see these acts as evidence of this individualistic society we live in and how it's infiltrating religious practices. I'm guilty of this myself too. But I think if we wanna change something in our personal practice or we wanna change a practice to fit into our daily lives, we also need to learn why our religious ancestors did things the way they did it. We need to stop calling everything “valid” because if everything is valid then that validity has no worth.

So in conclusion:

Sunday ☀️ activities! I wrote a song and did some tarot in honor of Apollo

Just saw a Chr*stian influencer complain about Disney never making a film about the Bible. Which is funny because for the longest time they have used the phrase “your gods are now property of Disney” against us. And I never understood that because, to me, what that signifies is that up until this day, even after thousand of years of not being the dominant religion, people still care about the gods and their stories.

It seems that Chr*stians have finally realised that and they don't like what that could translate to in the future.

fawn and mom

We have pop pagan music

So last week I made a post about how we as pagans don't really have pop music to listen to that relates to our beliefs and myths. All pagan music is pretty much folk, metal or reenactments of ancient and medival music. Nothing wrong with it, but some of us like to be basic from time to time.

Then I realised... That's not true. There's plenty of pop songs that reference the gods and the myths even though the singers themselves may not be polytheists and that's why I created this playlist. Here you can listen to mostly upbeat but also some pop ballads that you could relate to as a polytheists.

Of course I'm accepting recommendations but please only recommend songs of genres that are pop-adjacent (pop, pop-rock, K-pop, J-pop, dance pop...) or mainstream (r&b, rap, trap, hip hop). It'd be especially thankful in recommendations from other faiths like Kemetism, Norse, Celtic, etc. since I don't know much about those. Any language is good.

“But, since this is some poor wanderer who has come to us, we must now take care of him, since all strangers and wanderers are sacred in the sight of Zeus, and the gift is a light and a dear one.”

- The Odyssey, translated by Lattimore

Some of you are missing the point and it's probably my fault because I probably didn't explain myself properly.

When I say mainstream I mean mainstream. Not someone that makes folk-ish music or death metal. I know there's plenty of pagan artists in those genres.

I mean mainstream like a pagan Ariana Grande or a pagan Sabrina Carpenter.

I wish we had pop pagan music

Don't get me wrong, I love listening to those artists that reenact Celtic or Ancient Greek music from time to time. They're very skilled and it's a beautiful form of art.

But I also wish we had music that was more mainstream. Some upbeat pop music. R&B and hip-hop that referenced the gods without making the entire song revolve around them. Something you can actually play around your friends that aren't pagans but they would still like.

Ellooo! Just made a lil' something for Apollo! (AKA an offering!!)

I read it in Spanish so I didn't know. Thanks for sharing!

It's kind of mind boggling to me how every time I see book recommendations for Hellenic or Roman polytheist I never see On the gods and the world by Sallust.

It may not teach practical ways of worship but it answers a lot of philosophical questions about the gods that I think we, as pagans, have at some point asked ourselves. Seriously, some of the points made by Reddit ath3ists are answered in this essay, like they're 2000 years behind.

It's very short (like 50 pages long) so if you can buy it, pirate it or get it from your local library I'd highly recommend it. Here's an audiobook in case you prefer that.

It's kind of mind boggling to me how every time I see book recommendations for Hellenic or Roman polytheist I never see On the gods and the world by Sallust.

It may not teach practical ways of worship but it answers a lot of philosophical questions about the gods that I think we, as pagans, have at some point asked ourselves. Seriously, some of the points made by Reddit ath3ists are answered in this essay, like they're 2000 years behind.

It's very short (like 50 pages long) so if you can buy it, pirate it or get it from your local library I'd highly recommend it. Here's an audiobook in case you prefer that.

At night, the frogs croak loud enough to drive Dionysos mad twice-over.

The wind blows with the breath of Zephyrus, and Notos' cold breath no longer stings bare skin. Even the winds that are cold seem to come from a warmer source.

Apollo has returned to Delphi, and prophecies float freely through the ruins.

The Dryads slowly open their bleary red eyes from their long rest. By the time they are fully open, they will be green. In the meantime, their evergreen sisters tell them stories of the winter.

Artemis restrings Her bow, and carefully places perfect arrows into Her quiver. For now, She only hunts what grows in the forest - fiddlehead ferns, ramps, and water from sweet-flowing springs. But when the animals fully awaken, when the young are grown, She will take again to Her hunting grounds.

Athena receives Her yearly influx of frantic prayers from students as they embark on their end-of-the-year projects, be they theses or finals.

Hermes stands guard over muddy roads, stopping fools from going where their cars cannot.

Zeus sends down rain that is warm, that people can stand and dance in. This rain gives life, and never freezes. Below, blessed Hera laughs and picks the new flowers, and gently ushers Her peacock’s new chicks beneath Her skirt when the rain is too hard.

Below the Earth, Hades passes letters to Iris, each one carefully addressed to His beloved Wife, and Iris joyfully takes the letters in Her careful hands and springs up from the Underworld, leaving colorful arcs in the sky as She runs.

And, of course, Persephone returns to open-armed Demeter, whose joy echoes through the world along with that of Her Daughter's. How beautiful and blessed are the joys of the Gods!

At night, the frogs croak loud enough to drive Dionysos mad twice-over.

The wind blows with the breath of Zephyrus, and Notos' cold breath no longer stings bare skin. Even the winds that are cold seem to come from a warmer source.

Apollo has returned to Delphi, and prophecies float freely through the ruins.

The Dryads slowly open their bleary red eyes from their long rest. By the time they are fully open, they will be green. In the meantime, their evergreen sisters tell them stories of the winter.

Artemis restrings Her bow, and carefully places perfect arrows into Her quiver. For now, She only hunts what grows in the forest - fiddlehead ferns, ramps, and water from sweet-flowing springs. But when the animals fully awaken, when the young are grown, She will take again to Her hunting grounds.

Athena receives Her yearly influx of frantic prayers from students as they embark on their end-of-the-year projects, be they theses or finals.

Hermes stands guard over muddy roads, stopping fools from going where their cars cannot.

Zeus sends down rain that is warm, that people can stand and dance in. This rain gives life, and never freezes. Below, blessed Hera laughs and picks the new flowers, and gently ushers Her peacock’s new chicks beneath Her skirt when the rain is too hard.

Below the Earth, Hades passes letters to Iris, each one carefully addressed to His beloved Wife, and Iris joyfully takes the letters in Her careful hands and springs up from the Underworld, leaving colorful arcs in the sky as She runs.

And, of course, Persephone returns to open-armed Demeter, whose joy echoes through the world along with that of Her Daughter's. How beautiful and blessed are the joys of the Gods!

Ok that's it. I'm making a playlist.

First I'm gonna be making an upbeat one so I accept any recommendations on anything pop, r&b, trap, Kpop whatever. Especially seeking recommendations of pagans from other faiths like Norse paganism or kemeticism because since I don't go there I don't know many songs about those gods.

Next one I'll make another playlist for ballads and calm songs.

I wish we had pop pagan music

Don't get me wrong, I love listening to those artists that reenact Celtic or Ancient Greek music from time to time. They're very skilled and it's a beautiful form of art.

But I also wish we had music that was more mainstream. Some upbeat pop music. R&B and hip-hop that referenced the gods without making the entire song revolve around them. Something you can actually play around your friends that aren't pagans but they would still like.