average Dionysus enjoyer

like i was reading through reddit and people kept saying that basically ‘i asked *insert deity* if i should *do an action* and they said “i should follow my heart”’

and i guess im confused because how do we know that they are telling us these things?

there are many ways the gods present and "speak" with us. they do so through general signs and experiences (think seeing crows, a clear sky and dolphin imagery as a sign of Lord Apollon; praying to Lord Zeus and getting light rain...) or through a general feelings (like the calmness/joy you get after making an offering. this is probably what the reddit users meant by "following your heart"). though if you really want an answer or to ask a question, you can do so through divination (I recommend using a pendulum, it's very beginner friendly)

talking to your preferred deitys is definitely something that takes time and practice, so don't feel bad if you dont feel an immediate connection. you can always try with another god, or in another time.

thanks for the question!!!

yeah, hellenism doesnt require an initiation or anything like that, so sure, go crazy, build your altar and make your offerings!!

HOWEVER, I do suggest making a lot of research before worshipping a deity. like learn their history, their myths... you can find out a lot of info by looking up your preferred deity on theoi.com (just look up the deity's name + theoi on Google and the first result should be their theoi page). there, youll find a summary of that deity, their family, their main myths, and most importantly the og sources!!!!

though when reading the myths remember that they didnt literally happen. the myths are human made stories that depict the relationships between gods (the gods being abstract concepts). these myths were written long ago in a culture with different ethic norms and standards to our current ones, so youll probably see a lot of things that are frowned upon in our current world (the big ones are r*pe and abduction. its very common to see stories where the gods just do that. thats because in the culture where those stories were created, those things infurtunately were very common). that doesnt mean they actually did those things, it just means that the people that told and wrote the stories decided that in their context, it made more sense to represent the relationships between the gods that way.

ALSO, not very deity is gonna vibe with you, and its something you just have to accept. if a god doesnt want you worshipping them youll know. that doesnt mean you can never interact with that deity, it just means that you have to give them space (or time. maybe a deity isnt clicking with you because its just not the right time for you to worship them, or maybe they just havent warmed up to you yet) best way to know is to just worship them. if they dont like it theyll let you know. or you could do some divination (tarot, pendulum...) to ask them directly. whatever works for you.