I don’t think we are meant to fear the Gods. Not even Gods of storms, death, or war. To believe in them is to accept them as they are. Don’t let anybody convince you that polytheists should fear the Gods. Be awe-struck, be humble before them if it feels right, but in this modern day and age, spirituality shouldn’t feel unsafe.
I’ve seen numerous of people saying that there are beginner deities and hard deities. Here’s the thing: do not allow people to stop you from working with deities. You are allowed to work with any deities you wish, and there is no such thing as certain level deities.
When you step into sunlight, you honor Apollo. When you admire the moon, you honor Artemis. When you admire cloud shapes, you honor Hera. When you smell petrichor, you honor Zeus. When you laugh at a joke, you honor Hermes. When your body twitches to dance at a particularly upbeat music, you honor Dinoysus. When you enjoy the first bite of your breakfast, you honor Demeter. When you choose your peace over any conflict, you honor Athena. When you warm yourself up by sheltering yourself in blanket, you honor Hestia. When you listen to Ocean sounds, you honor Poseidon. When you smell flowers, you honor Persephone. When you admire the coolness of first day of Autumn, you honor Hades. When you wear your favourite jewellery, you honor Hephaestus. When you smile, you honor Aphrodite. When you exercise, you honor Ares. When you light a torch in a dark room, you honor Hekate.
Your body is a shrine to Gods, your being an act of devotion for them. You, by yourself, are enough for them.
Introduction Post
Hello! I’m displaced. You can just call me by my username. I’m 22. I lean more HelPol. I’m a devotee of Hades. Don’t mind me if you see me popping in every so often. I’m just an entity in a body that feels most at home with the gods. 🖤
Here are photos of my cats as a thank you for taking the time to pop in.
Their names are Patches, Hermes and Nightmind.
I love all of you and we are not going to give up, and we are not going to abandon each other. We're going to take each other's hands and squeeze as hard as we can and never let go. We hold each other. We carry each other.
We worship deathless gods, who held their worshippers through the falls of countless empires, though colonization, through the destruction of their festivals and temples, through the raging cruelties of oppression and war. We are not alone. We will survive. Take my hand. This is not the end.
No for real cause the amount of times people have gotten really aggressive about how you should fear the gods/guides/etc when I find the most comfort and I’m actually able to relax around them.
Frankly, I'm of the POV and opinion that you really shouldn't be scared of your spirit guides, gods or not. Yes, you should acknowledge their great, tremendous power and how that could harm you. Like it's good to acknowledge that Zeus could absolutely fuck you up if He wanted to. But at the same time... why would Zeus want to fuck you up? That's the question.
See, when you worship, work with, or otherwise interact with a spirit, you're gonna hopefully seek out a friendly relationship. Even if it's more vertical than horizontal, you're still on good terms with your spirit.
Your friends shouldn't want to hurt you. Your teachers shouldn't want to hurt you. Your coworkers shouldn't want to hurt you. Etc, etc, just fill in whatever relationship type you have. So essentially, your spirit guide shouldn't want to hurt you, and if they do, that's a problem entirely.
I kinda somewhat get the idea of fearful obeisance, where you provide humble respect but keep a healthy amount of fear. I get the concept. It just does not fit in with my preferred way to work with spirits.
This post isn't saying "If your spirit guides hurt you, you must have done something to deserve it" either. I think, personally, that's a really bad take. Harsh lessons exist, yes, but that's not the same, and the difference should be that it's being done for your genuine highest good and that your guide isn't getting some kick outta the hard parts of it. If your spirit guide is actively trying to harm you for funsies or some shit, there's a problem.
It's fine to be a bit nervous. It's fine to feel a bit of fear when faced with such intense power. But you shouldn't be scared of the person that holds the power, is my opinion. If you do feel scared, consider (A) if this is a person you want to work with, and (B) if this is even the person you think it is, because a fear response can mean a malefic spirit.
Having a himalayan salt lamp as an eternal flame for Hestia
Candles and incense are good low-energy offerings
Dedicating baths/showers to Aphrodite
If you have pets, devote taking care of them to Artemis
Do what you can and what feels right!! Each person's practice is different
You are in fact allowed to make mistakes
Making a snack/beverage and offering it to a deity/deities, or inviting them to share it with you
If you're learning a language (or multiple!) dedicate it to Hermes
Make playlists for your deities
If you make art/ play any musical instruments, dedicate those activities to Apollo
Try to look for the theoi in your everyday life, even in the mundane things
If you workout, dedicate that to Ares
Similarly, if you play sports, dedicate that play to Hermes
If you have a garden or plants, dedicate taking care of them to Demeter and Persephone
Books for Hellenic polytheists! 📚
For an easy overview of ancient Greek religion, read Jon D. Mikalson’s Ancient Greek Religion and Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide by Jennifer Larson.
For a complete overview of the key concepts of ancient Greek religion, read The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion and A Companion to Greek Religion.
Your offering is good enough.
Your prayer is perfect the way it is
Your altar does not have to be extravagant or expensive. Simple ones are just as powerful.
You are good enough. The gods love you and want the best for you. They are here to lift us up, so don’t beat yourself down.
I swear Poseidon likes to even do it when you just decide to stand in the water. He’s knocked me over idk how many times. lol. Love him tho. 💙
Heyo! I’m extremely new to being a Poseidon worshipper (I only realized that he’s been calling out to me a few days ago!) but I’m very much not new to god/deity work in general and I’ve been a witch since I was a teenager! (I’m 23 now! :3) Anyways, I’ve got a small silly story about Poseidon that I wished to tell as an offering of sorts to this neat little blog!
A few years ago, I was at the beach with my family, and we were riding out the waves. I was starting to feel pretty cocky and confident because I felt like I was easily surpassing the waters, so I said out loud “IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT POSEIDON?!” while pumping my fists out into the air.
Swiftly thereafter, I was sent tumbling upside down by the next wave, so hard that my family only saw my legs poking out of the water. I was fine, but by the time I got back up my family were all laughing their asses off at me. This is a fond memory for me nowadays, and I hope this counts as a good offer! It makes me smile whenever I think about it, and I can only hope it’ll bring some smiles to other people too 💙🌊
I will never stop talking about how he loves to dunk people😭💙