Through the grapevine

O1. usually, black or black-hided animals were offered to the deities. worshippers did not consume the meat themselves, but burned the entirety of the animal. some were also buried.

O2. altars were low or in a pit in the ground, offerings and sacrifices were given in the direction of the earth where chthonic deities would reside.

O3. the temples in which sacrifices were performed were usually built outside city walls, with caves and grottos being popular locations; which are believed to be openings for chthonic deities.

O4. worshippers lowered their palms and faced them downwards toward the earth and underworld, in the direction of the chthonic gods. the goal of chthonic worship was to interact with gods beneath the earth so offerings were directed toward the ground to reach the deities.

O5. incense was not used in chthonic worship, as the smoke rises upwards rather than downwards.

O6. wine was not utilized in this form of worship, but honey instead was a common libation used.

O7. some worshippers would stomp on the ground to wake the deities up.

it is important to note that there is no clear distinction between ouranic and chthonic deities (hermes & demeter are great examples), but chthonic worship can be identified with these signs.

🪶 nikê: victory, victorious.

🪶 ageleia: leader or protector of the people.

🪶 pallas: virgin, maiden or brandishing the spear or aegis.

🪶 pallantias: variation of pallas.

🪶 areia: of war, warlike.

🪶 sthenias: of strength, strong.

Lord Dionysus is the patron of those who live too much, of those who feel too much, too much for this dry, consumistic world without anymore ideals, sentiments, without anymore a sense of HUMANITY itself, you know?? Lord Dionysus of those who prefer the intoxication of the soul to the sleep of habit. Because we MUST rebel against this world that wishes to turn us all into an uniformed thing. He asks us to be alive. So will you be alive, dear devotee?

Hey folks! In the spirit of building community, @wayfind-er and I worked on a set of multi-day prompts and mini-challenges to help us all get to know each other a bit better!

There are 4 sets with 4 days' worth of questions each, plus a devotional mini-challenge! Each day has two questions: one that's explicitly related to Hellenic polytheism, and one that's not. The mini-challenges provide specific mediums to use (digital, writing, visual arts, etc) and an optional prompt. You are welcome to answer any, all, or none of the questions for each day and to participate in any, all, or none of the mini-challenges! Stepping out of your comfort zone is encouraged, but you are under no obligation or expectation to do something you're uncomfortable with or don't have the energy or time to do. Skip prompts if you'd like, switch which questions you do on which days, etc. Do what you want, I'm not your dad!

I will be starting on September 5th and welcome anyone who'd like to do it as a group to join me. But this challenge isn't tied to any sort of deadline: start and stop when and as you wish! Use the hashtag #helpol building blocks to share your answers and look through others'. Hope you enjoy!

SET 1: FOUNDATION

Day 1:

• How did you get started with Hellenic polytheism?

• Which interests and/or hobbies have you had the longest?

Day 2:

• What does your average daily/weekly practice look like? On a good day? On a bad day?

• What is a strong, but silly, opinion you have?

Day 3:

• Are there religions or traditions that you practice alongside helpol or syncretize with it? If so, what are they and why?

• What is your favorite season? Why?

Day 4:

• Do you pray daily? Why or why not?

• What are your favorite plants and/or animals? Why?

Day 5: Challenge!

• Medium: Performance/Digital.

This can mean anything from deity playlists, to virtual collages, to dancing, to reading part of your favorite play out loud!

• Prompt: Cycles

SET 2: WALLS

Day 6:

• What is your favorite food/drink offering to give to the gods?

• Are there any hobbies, activities, or pieces of media that you refuse to try? If so, why?

Day 7:

• What is your favorite non-edible offering to give to the gods?

• What is your favorite form of entertainment (podcast/reading/movies/etc.)? Does it change depending on the topic?

Day 8:

• Do you practice divination? If so, which technique(s)? Why?

• What is your favorite genre, if you have one? Why?

This question isn't limited to books or movies: it includes podcasts, art, music, etc!

Day 9:

• Are there specific colors, symbolism, or imagery you associate heavily with any of the god(s)? Why?

• What is your favorite weather? Why?

Day 10: Challenge!

• Medium: Written

• Prompt: Roots

SET 3: WINDOWS

Day 11:

• Do you practice ancestor veneration or worship? Why or why not?

• Which piece of media do you think has been the most influential for you?

Day 12:

• Is there a common helpol practice that you don't do? If so, why?

• What is your favorite flavor? Favorite scent?

Day 13:

• Is there a part of your practice that you do that is uncommon among helpols? If so, what is it and why?

• What is a hobby, interest, or activity you want to try but haven't been able to yet? Why?

Day 14:

• Do you dream and/or see mental images? Do you think that affects your practice? If so, how?

• What is your favorite activity to do with others?

Day 15: Challenge!

• Medium: Visual Arts

• Prompt: Flow

SET 4: ROOF

Day 16:

• How do you think the culture(s) you grew up in shaped your view of religion?

• How do you calm yourself down when you're going through a rough time?

Day 17:

• Is there a helpol-related resource that you don't see shared around or talked about often?

• Do you prefer to go out and about or to do things at home? Does that change based on the activity?

Day 18:

• Is there an epithet/aspect/domain of a deity that you don't see mentioned often or feel is overlooked? If so, what is it?

• What is your favorite place that you've visited? Why?

Day 19:

• Which epithet(s)/domain(s) of the gods you worship do you feel the most connected to? Why?

• If given the chance, would you go back and speak to your child self? Why or why not?

Day 20: Challenge!

• Medium: wild card! Any medium(s) you'd like.

𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐱 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐱

I'm a beginner, but from the start in my research I always was very close to Thanatos specifically (I'm also unable to openly worship/pray, as I'm in a toxic atheist household), so if you have maybe any advice?

hello darling!

im gonna start this off with an apology for being so late to respond. i’ve had such a hectic couple of weeks, and on top of that, i went and got sick a few days ago.

okay so i’ll try my best to respond to this ^^. as a Thanatos devotee, the best advice i can recommend is to approach Him just like you’d approach any other god. try building some kharis, an important first step. pray to Him, offer Him something physical, devote something you do in your everyday life, devote something specifically tied to His domain.

it’s always important to research or read up on His mythology and stories, so you can understand how people tend to view Him and the reasons they worship Him.

when it comes to ways of worship, especially if you’re looking for something discreet, i’ve made a post before about that:

i understand the challenges of worshipping in a household where you can’t be open about it— i’m going through the same thing. while it might be upsetting to see others online talking about their worship and showing off their altars and other stuff, it’s important to remind yourself of your current predicament. it’s also important to remember that everyone’s worship is different, specific, and special to their individual selves. what you’re doing is enough; even if it’s a small prayer, a devoted song, a devoted dance, researching mythology, or even a devoted section of whatever you’re currently studying or working on.

there are many subtle ways of worship that always work, because it’s the intent that counts rather than how explicit and extravagant the act or offering is.

I thank Him for His guidance and peace. I felt His call long before I knew of Him, yet I am grateful for His gentle hand to lead me through my life into this religion.

And even though my heart is filled with doubts, I don't feel them much, when His hand guides me.

I speak from experience when I say that there are plenty of things which can prevent you from doing some "easy" offerings. That doesn't make your practice lesser in any capacity.

Judging "value" of an offering is purely subjective. You can't know everyone's unique circumstances, whether that be where they live, their disabilities, the avaliablity of materials, and many other such things. You can't really view it from an objective standpoint, something that is easy to you might be nigh impossible for someone else.

When we make blanket statements, we are often hurting the most marginalized members of a community. When we make blanket statements discouraging one thing or another, but tack on "unless you're disabled!!" the harm has already been done, and frantically, stings a little more. Disabled people - and I can not stress this enough - are forgotten about in just about every aspect of society.

I think of it like this -

My partner - a wheelchair user - and I went to an event to meet new people, make art, and connect over our shared identities of queerness. My partner contacted the organizers ahead of time and asked about accessibility. They were told the place was wheelchair accessible, we'd just have to use a different entrance. Cool, fine, great! Time for a good night!

We get to the venue and the wheelchair-accessible entrance is locked (don't even get me started on the parking situation). So I go through the inaccessible entrance and get them to let my partner in. The event room was small, cramped, and everyone was at standing tables making art. The organizer, who knew a wheelchair user was coming, was flustered, and cleared off a table in the corner for us to sit at.

So there we were, in the corner of the room, ostracized from others. And the table wasn't even wheelchair accessible. It was just lower than the standing tables. Being shoved in a corner as an afterthought is not accessibility. We ended up leaving. The organizer? Surprised we didn't stay long. Gee, I wonder why we left.

So when we're in these online spaces, we have to ask ourselves - are we truly considering disabled people. When you make a post about how you feel something should be done, are you actually considering disabled people? Or are you gonna get flustered when they show up and clear off a table to act like you're an ally?

We've created these online spaces to share our love and worship of the gods. We all know full well that disabled worshippers are present and contribute beautiful things to our community, yet so often they are left out of the conversations; the door for them is locked. Then when they enter the conversation, they're faced with the grueling reality that no one stopped to consider them despite claiming to be an inclusive space. So they get shoved off in the corner. And when they speak up, abled-bodied people are taken aback.