HELPOL JOURNALING/REFLECTION PROMPTS — heavy shadow work prompts, Olympian edition.
Featuring lesser-discussed aspects or sides of the gods. Massive "read to filth" warning!!
ZEUS – Forming pacts, promises, and oaths to others is an obligation, an action that puts integrity and trust on the line until what is agreed upon is fulfilled. Breaking an agreement breaks spirits and stability in relationships. So what have you promised yourself in the past that have never been put to fruition—any resolutions, goals, that you never got to fulfill? Why were they never completed?
POSEIDON – The very soil you stand on is supposedly the safest place to be, but the earth moves and shakes unapologetically, taking down all that towers above it. Have you had moments where what you built and stood for crumbled to the ground mercilessly, and you were left to pick up what had been destroyed? Could you have stopped it from breaking even if you couldn't prevent it from happening?
HERA – Life is a journey traversed through both familiar roads and unpaved paths. These journeys can be literal expeditions and long travels to be in new places, and for some, it is a long-winded path to a less physical but equally beautiful destination. Write a letter about your travels to your past self, who was yet to begin their long journey just to get to where you are now. Thank them, thank yourself.
HESTIA – Transparency is the lesser mentioned but equally important partner of communication as a key aspect of negotiation and bureaucracy. Is there ever a time when you or somebody else had twisted the truth or altered the manner in which to express it to raise the chances in your favour, or has somebody else done it against you? Do you think it was worth it to do so?
DEMETER – Abundance is never ensured or constant, and there will be inevitable periods of darkness and drought where one feels as if they are losing everything and gaining nothing at the same time. Whenever you are hopeless and feel as if nothing good will ever replenish all that you have lost, there are reasons as to why you're still here despite it. What or who are these reasons that stayed even when all else has vanished from you?
ARES – Respect for another person's inborn dignity is respect for human life and existence. Most of us attempt to be gracious and polite to preserve the dignity of others. Ignoring your own, and therefore disrespecting yourself, is not an exception to the rule. How many times in the past six months, up to a year ago, have you shamed yourself, been self-deprecating, and been cruel to yourself?
HEPHAESTUS – As much as our passions and specialties fuel us, there will be inevitable times when burnout exists. In periods of creative rut and artistic block, even the greatest artisans feel as if nothing they create is good enough. In the worst cases, these periods may last so long and so painfully that they stop altogether. If you are still a creative now, how do you get over these artistic dry spells? If you've given up and dropped an art form, is there still an ember of passion within you, or has it truly died out?
ATHENA – Intellect is not merely measured by academic excellence or the ability to quickly solve a problem on paper with genius skill. It also involves displaying a deep understanding of concepts and experiences, and the ability to apply learnings in profound ways. What are the greatest realizations, revelations, or life lessons you have had in the past year? Do you think understanding these has made you a smarter person about your life, or at the very least more aware?
APHRODITE – Passion and love are forces with no morality, only power. When harnessed healthily, these can fuel perseverance, healing, improvement, and even renewal. When left uncontrolled and unsupervised, they can quickly corrupt and turn irrational as fast as they can influence. Are you somebody who allows themself to be thoroughly ruined by its intensity, or do you attempt to rein it in as much as you can help it?
APOLLON – The excess of anything good becomes bad, and the indulgence in something seemingly beneficial can be blinding. Potent medication is administered with specific doses for a reason. And many good things in life are not meant to be had all at one time, though it is undeniably irresistible. Do you have any guilty pleasures or vices that you struggle with working on or experiencing, and are you aware of their long-term effects on you? Do you still take care of yourself regardless of or because of it?
ARTEMIS – Many people look down on others for reasons they cannot prevent, deny, or remove from themselves. Race, gender, sexuality, conditions, you name it, and some people feel the need to belittle those who are different from others. If you are not part of these minorities, or if you are somebody who experiences some forms of discrimination, how do you advocate and fight for yourself and those who are alienated by others?
DIONYSUS – Merely realizing the utter chaos and clamor of life can render even the most well-adjusted individuals in society to develop an existential crisis that uproots their motivations and reasons for being. In this ever-changing, ever maddening, potentially meaningless existence we live in modern day life, how do you keep grounded to reality, experiencing it, shaping this reality to be distinctly suited and meaningful to you?
HERMES – Luck is a leap of faith, and you never know which side of the probability you will end up having. There are times when the world leaves us no opportunity to choose wisely, and we are thrown into a fit of quick decision-making that may or may not end in catastrophe. Usually, they do end up horribly, but on the rare occasions that chance is on your side, recall a time you made a reckless, potentially dangerous, and non-advisable decision that, by a stroke of luck, ended better than expected. Would you ever dare do it again with the same stakes at hand?
I'll probably make more of these but with specific themes soon >:3. Khaire, self-love and enlightenment be with you! Happy journaling!