☀️

Note: My experiences with Apollo seem to be a bit different from other people’s. This post is about my UPG, my personal experiences, and yours may be different. And that’s ok! :)

Who is Apollo?

Apollo (sometimes Apollon) is the Greek god of many things: health and healing, music, dance, and poetry, prophecy, truth, and knowledge. He also represents light and pulls a chariot carrying Helios, the sun god, across the sky each day.

His personality in Greek mythology can vary from stern and easy-to-anger to kind and warm-hearted. He’s shown to take vengeance, to fall in love (usually with tragic results), and to act as an intermediary between gods and humans.

While many of his devotees describe him as intimidating, distant, moody, or scary, this hasn’t been my experience with him at all.

I find Apollo to be warm and brotherly, like a proud mentor, but we talk to each other like good, lifelong friends. He can be witty and outright hilarious, especially when bantering with Hermes. But he can also be serious and thoughtful and philosophical.

He aids me with research and writing, pushes me to grow in different areas I study, keeps me positive about my chronic illness, and boosts my confidence. He also grants inspired thought during my tarot sessions and provides insightul moments of strong intuition.

I hope that you can use the things I’ll talk about here to connect more closely with Apollo. I know that many people find him hard to connect with, but Apollo can be such a rewarding god to work with.

How do I interact with Apollo?

I practice my devotion to Apollo on a combined altar with the other gods I follow. This might not work for everyone, but for me, it feels like the gods are convened together in a sacred space that replicates Olympus.

On the altar, I offer Apollo handmade gifts, art inspired by his comics, and things that remind me of him. Some of my writing is also dedicated to Apollo, and I offer him the music I make when I play the piano. I play songs for him on Spotify, and I’m working on a playlist.

I ask Apollo for help with my health and the health of those I care about. I ask him for inspiration, especially if I have writer’s block. And I ask him for logic when my anxiety gets out of hand.

He speaks to me through strong intuitive pushes, sudden thoughts that appear in my mind, books that fall open to significant pages, or incidental signs or nudges that I notice around me. We also communicate through meditation and tarot.

Intuitive pushes and thoughts

By this I mean sudden predictive thoughts that appear in my mind. They’re not just “feelings.” They’re more like someone put all the facts together, considered all the logical posibilities, and then generated a thought based on the most objective probability. This is partly how my mind words and partly a function of Apollo, so I think this is why we work well together.

An example of this: I might put a glass of water on a table and then immediately see an image in my mind of the cup getting bumped and knocked over, spilling water everywhere. Inevitably, if I ignore this push, the cup will spill and I’ll be left cleaning up the mess and regretting not listening. If I do listen, the cup won’t be spilled and all will be well.

As another example, if I try to do something, like going out to eat, and everything seems to be going wrong – I stub my toe, I can’t find the shirt I wanted to wear, I’m running late – then I’ll decide not to go. Personally, these obstacles represent a larger trend and I feel like they’re a sign to just stop and take care of myself instead. Inevitably, I’ll have a flare up of my illness if I don’t listen and what was going to be a fun night out will become miserable.

Words

Sometimes I’ll feel a thought so loudly that I absolutely must say it out loud. While I may not even feel strongly about the subject or the words may not agree with my own opinion, I feel compelled to express them anyway.

Sometimes these words so clearly belong to Apollo that my wife has deemed them “inspired speech,” or the words of a god expressed through a devotee.

I’m not yet sure how I feel about thinking of it this way, but I’m open to the possibility. Apollo tends to be the main god who expresses themselves like this for me and I’m sometimes surprised by the things he says. If the connection is really strong, tears start flowing from my eyes for no reason.

Signs

Sometimes I’ll see something in the environment around me that just makes me think of Apollo. For example, like a sign on the subway or a comment on Twitter. Signs are very personal, and only you can know if what you’ve seen is a sign from a god or not. Apollo’s signs for me may include the image of a crow in a place I don’t expect it, a sudden reminder on Twitter to drink water or practice self-care, or the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

Books

As the god of knowledge and truth, I associate Apollo with learning, research, and books. I have an unquenchable thirst for learning new things, and I feel Apollo’s presence there every step of the way. Sometimes a book will open to a page I hadn’t intended and something will stand out to me. Or a book that I wasn’t looking for will suddenly stand out and I’ll know it’s what I need to read.

Meditation

When I want to communicate directly with Apollo, I stand before my altar or sit on the bed nearby and close my eyes. I picture Apollo or a representation of him in my head, like how he makes me feel or things I associate with him. I’m not very formal with him, and I talk directly to him. And we talk about how I’m feeling, self care, and ideas. He helps me work through my thoughts and understand them.

This is in addition to the normal constant mental conversation I have with all of my gods throughout the day. And meditation doesn’t have to look like traditional meditation. I consider anything that gets me into “flow” to be meditation. So if I’m writing and feeling particularly inspired, I think of that as meditation. If I’m soaking in a tub and feeling very relaxed and letting my thoughts flow, I think of that as meditation.

Tarot

I should say up front that I don’t believe humans have the ability to know the future as a pre-written timeline. (I reserve the right to change my mind, though, in case we discover something new about the nature of time and reality that convinces me.) This may seem like a contradiction since I work with Apollo, a god of prophecy, but let me explain.

I do think that we can make educated and/or intuitive guesses based on our experiences. And I work with Apollo to identify the possibilities and understand and plan for them.

I usually shuffle the cards until enough fall out on their own to fill in my spread. (I also work with Fortuna/Tyche and ask for her help in this part of the reading, to ensure the cards I need to see are the ones that appear.) Then, I walk through each card, what it means, and how it applies to my life and the current challenges I’m facing.

The cards help me look at my problems from a different perspective and get some distance from the emotional, stressful aspects. They let me look at it from a more objective point of view. I work with Apollo throughout the reading, asking him for advice, help with understanding how it’s all connected, and enlightenment as I use the reading to come up with solutions.

(I’ll post a separate post about how I read tarot based on intuitive nudges and prediction with Apollo. Please look out for it!)

Other ways

Sometimes Apollo’s presence feels like a warm glow or a feeling of well-being. I actively imagine my aura/spirit absorbing that feeling and making it part of myself.

Sometimes it’s more like a sudden brainstorm, where I need to write down all of the ideas before they’re gone. I have so many files of Apollo-inspired thoughts!

I also write poetry for him, then burn it in a small cauldron and offer the words up to him. No one else has ever read those words; I don’t post or publish them anywhere. They’re just between me and Apollo, an offering of creative energy.

There are so many ways to connect with Apollo. There’s no way I could list them all. The main thing to remember is that if you think you may be connecting with him, you probably are and you should follow that train of thought to see where it goes.

Thank you for reading!

It’s been so rewarding following a god like Apollo.

He’s inspired me to take better care of myself, go to doctors, and listen more to my body. He helps me with anxiety and insomnia. I’m truly grateful!

(this is not an exhaustive list, but i did include as many as possible! songs where ive physically felt his presence while listening are marked with a heart/multiple hearts if he really likes them! also, there’s not a lot of hard rock/metal in this list, so take that info as you will ^^; )

the sun and moon and obviously the arrows are for them. the sunny arrow is pointing toward me so I can draw in energy and the moon is going outward so I can project magick (i’ve always done magick by calling on the sun and projecting like the moon).

the arrows also represent that no matter how chaotic things will be, as long as there is a state of balance, you will exist within divine grace.

✨Iê Paean☀

As many may already know, Runes are a popular form of divination in order to communicate with the gods! However, aside from the popular Norse runes (elder futhark) that everyone might be aware of, did you know that there’s also a form of “rune casting divination” for the Greek alphabet?

First found inscribed in Olympos, a city in ancient Lycia, the Greek alphabet divination system uses the 24 letters from the Greek language and assigns them meanings, and based on what rune you pull, can give you advice from the gods on your current situation!

There were many Alphabet Oracles in ancient Greece, and the idea of reading the Greek alphabet for signs of the gods is one of the oldest divination methods that we know of.

How do I create my “runes?” 

To create your runes, any way of making them works! Historically, they would be painted onto pottery shards, but any way you can think of to have them accessible to throw/draw is completely okay. I have personally used black stones with gold paint on them.

You create one piece per letter, and in total there will be 24. Each letter will be listed and elaborated on later on in the post!

I’ve made my alphabet set. How do I use them?

In order to call upon the Theoi to get an answer, you can firstly call upon them in an invocation. After you have called upon them or asked your gods to give you an answer (sometimes no formal structure is needed) you can reach into a bag which contains the letters and pull out one at a time and read that, or you can grab them and throw them and look for patterns or groups of letters that are clumped together. 

THE LETTER MEANINGS

Α - Alpha - “The God Apollo [Apollon] says you will do everything successfully.” With his luck and good fortune, the current thing you are working on will turn out well and you will be the leader of your situation and have good transactions with others.

Β - Beta - “With the help of Tyche, you will have an assistant [Boêthos], who is the Pythian Apollon.” You might be at a time in your life where you’re struggling, but this divine-coded letter tells you that the gods that you worship are going to help you soon, so the signs you get might be more prophetic in nature. 

Γ - Gamma - “Gaia [Gê] will give you the ripe fruit of your labors.” It is time for you to take a break and admire the hard work you have put in. Gaia will reward you, and you will have abundance in happiness, emotional fulfillment, food, or all of the above. 

Δ - Delta - “In customs inopportune strength [Dunamis] is weak.” Timing is everything. Wait for the right time to act, and do not act to hastily. Wait for your time, but at the same time, use your strength for good to make a change in your situation.

Ε - Epsilon - “You desire [Eraô] to see the offspring of righteous marriages.” You need to surround yourself with good friendships, romances, allies, or relationships in general in order to get the most out of it. Surround yourself with positive people or situations to bring yourself up in a righteous way.

Ζ - Zeta - “Flee the very great storm [Zalê], lest you be hindered in some way.” If you’re already struggling, know when to pick your battles. Sometimes flight is better than fight, and only you know your own limitations. 

Η - Eta - “Bright Helios [Hêlios], who watches everything, watches you.” Helios knows that in the past you feel like you have been wronged. As the enforcer of oaths and promises, if you are honest with yourself and the situation the truth will come out and you will be aided.

Θ - Theta - “You have the helping Gods [Theoi] of this path.” If you are taking a plan of action do not worry! The Gods are guiding your way and you are in good hands. 

Ι - Iota - “There is sweat [’idrôs]; it excels more than everything.” Within your situation, there is going to be a lot of work. The gods recommend you buckle down and work as hard as you can, and it will not be easy. But it will be worth it.

Κ - Kappa - “To fight with the waves [Kuma] is difficult; endure, friend.” Now is not the time. You should wait until the vicious waves die down, and then take action.

Λ - Lambda - ““The one passing on the left [Laios] bodes well for everything.” Something that may seem really bad currently or in the future is actually going to turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Pay attention to your intuition!

Μ - Mu - “It is necessary to labor [Mokhtheô], but the change will be admirable.” You might feel distressed right now and that nothing is going right. But keep working to change either your situation or yourself, and the results will be in your favour.

Ν - Nu - ““The strife-bearing [Neikêphoros] gift fulfils the oracle.” Something will be given to you and enter your life. While it might not be obvious at first, this is the first domino in a line of changes that will happen in your life and make prophecy come true. 

Ξ - Xi - “There is no fruit to take from a withered [Xêros] shoot.” Being bitter and angry is not the way to go about things. Don’t keep trying to pull water out of a well that is empty, and know when to let go. 

Ο - Omicron - “There are no [Ou] crops to be reaped that were not sown.” In order to get things out of the situation, you have to plan ahead. What goes around comes around. 

Π - Pi - “Completing many [Polus] contests, you will seize the crown.” After many trials, you will achieve your goal. Persistence will give you your rewards, and do not be afraid to use your talents. 

Ρ - Rho - “You will go on more easily [Rhaion] if you wait a short time.” You should act, and quickly. Now is the best time and waiting longer is not a good idea. The stars are aligned and while it not be easy, there is no better time than the present. 

Σ - Sigma - “Phoibos Apollon speaks plainly [Saphôs], ‘Stay, friend.’” The gods want to inform you to wait for more information before you make any decisions. In this time, relax, and let the signs come to you.

Τ - Tau - “You will have a parting from the [Tôn] companions now around you.” Soon, people in your life might not stay the way they are. Friends might leave or enemies might leave. You might grow apart or distance or travel might force you away. Be wary of this, and act accordingly. 

Υ - Upsilon - “The affair holds a noble undertaking [Yposkhesis].” The task at hand is certainly a grand one, but with confidence, you, the hero of your own story, can pull through. You must acknowledge your strength, but also acknowledge the size of the task. 

Φ - Phi - “Having done something carelessly [Phaulos], you will thereafter blame the Gods.” Something is going wrong, and you may be trying to blame other things than the cause of the problem. Don’t resort to pointing fingers. The Gods will help you if you do not take out your anger on them or others needlessly. 

Χ - Khi - “Succeeding, friend, you will fulfill a golden [Khruseos] oracle.” Luck is on your side, and by mere chance, things might fall into place. The answer is positive, and you might be pleasantly surprised at all the riches that the world gives you in addition to your solution.

Ψ - Psi - “You have this righteous judgment [Psêphos] from the Gods.” Truth will be brought forwards, so be careful in your actions. The Gods are watching, and they will be fair, honest, and unforgiving to those who deserve it. This includes those who might be harming you, as well.

Ω - Omega - “You will have a difficult [Ômos] harvest season, not a useful one.” The times will be rough, and you will not get what you wish for at the end. You also might be forced to make tough decisions that you are not ready to make.

Of course I do. Doubt is a natural and necessary part of belief. Asking questions and challenging what you hold as true leads to self-reflection, and self-reflection is sorely needed for any belief, religious or otherwise. Without it, all you have is blind faith.

Honestly, I would think that any religious (or spiritual) person who has never, ever doubted the truth of what they believe is either lying, overly gullible, or deluded. This is because, as human beings, we simply can’t know for sure what is or isn’t out there. Has anyone ever seen Zeus in the flesh? Taken a picture of Hera? Touched Athena’s aegis? No. Even written accounts can’t be proven to be unmistakeably true. Religion is not something we know, and we shouldn’t expect it to be. Religion is something we believe.

And when we believe, we doubt. Maybe we are wrong. Maybe I am putting my faith in the wrong place, maybe the Theoi aren’t real, maybe the one true religion is orthodox Judaism, or Shaktism, or 4th century Arianism, or Māori polytheism, or maybe there are no Gods at all. Who knows? Certainly not me, nor you, nor any of us.

the gods love you if you’re a lesbian

the gods love you if you’re bisexual

the gods love you if you’re pansexual

the gods love you if you’re transgender

the gods love you if you’re nonbinary

the gods love you if you’re asexual

the gods love you if you’re aromantic

That’s wonderful, I’d be happy to! 

Personally, I never feel more close to Him than when I am unabashedly enjoying/working with things in His domain. For example, I’ve curated a playlist dedicated to Apollo that I listen to when I want to appreciate him and his gifts and also just rock tf out (I feel like this is when I feel his presence the most tbh, when I’m having my own little concert in my room or drumming a beat on the bus seat in front of me lmao).

I also feel a connection when I make an effort to create art! It can be any kind of art and your skill level doesn’t matter! While I’m quite creative I used to shy away from art because I’m not naturally talented, but when I started dedicating things to Apollo I began to really feel Him work through me and started enjoying myself and appreciate what I make! This is a strong bonding activity for me.

Formal prayer is not compulsory, especially if you are closeted and unable to have an altar etc. But If it’s possible, I’d encourage having little conversations with him (about whatever, tell him about your day), even just in your head is fine! He won’t always engage, but it’s a nice practice to get into. It may help to have something tangible as like a conduit to his energy if that makes sense? Like say lighting a candle (i have a gold pillar candle but it can be any type) and monitoring the flame, or a piece of jewellery to fiddle with that has one of his motifs (a sun, lyre, etc).

You can also share your meals with him! Note from a perpetually broke devotee, you don’t have to set aside a tangible segment of your food and “waste” it. In your head you can dedicate something to him in a spiritual/symbolic form, and when you feel it’s right you can take back the “physical form” of it yourself.

I do other things that I feel honour him too, like taking walks in the sun to appreciate it (and figuratively/literally feel His warmth), and I carry a pocket first aid kit and make sure I look after my physical and mental health.

But really, and this may sound like a cop out but bear with me, anything you can do where you are putting in effort and channelling your love and intent to him- that is what he will appreciate and respond to the most.