Guest 1337

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I honor Hera when i celebrate my womanhood and when i seek out time with my family.

I honor Poseidon when i admire the beauty of the sea and when i clean garbage from the sand.

I honor Demeter when i sow seeds gently into the earth and water the soil, and when i eat the food of my own garden.

I honor Hephaistos when i use my hands to craft and create.

I honor Aphrodite in showing my love for others and in learning to love myself.

I honor Athena when i seek out a new course of study or skill, and in my pursuit of a higher education.

I honor Ares in my rage against the cruelty and injustice i see all around me, and in my relentless fight to defend against it.

I honor Apollon when i strum my guitar or sing along to my favorite song, and every time i lay a bandage over my skin.

I honor Artemis in my admiration of the moon, and when i step foot into the woods to observe the flora and fauna around me.

I honor Dionysus in my enjoyment of merriment and festivities, and in taking care of my mental health.

I honor Hermes when i inscribe my thoughts onto paper, and when i speak in a second or third tongue.

I honor Hestia when i tidy my home, knead bread or cook on my stove, and in every flame i light.

My very life is worship; my breaths are hymns and the Earth is my temple. May everything I do bring praise to the mighty and beloved Theoi.

I used to feel fear of god, I couldn’t be transparent, I was scared of being seen and being judged, I couldn’t feel accepted and nothing felt like home. Hellenic Polytheism and the whole concept of Xenia changed everything to me. Zeus made me feel welcomed, the myths made me feel understood, I feel seen and it’s such a bittersweet feeling but beautiful nonetheless.

It’s weird to be accepted, I’ve never thought that one day I’d really be welcomed by divinity with open arms (only in my childhood dreamscapes), sometimes I’m so scared that I hide, like a frightened rescued animal, but the deities are gentle, loving and welcoming. Apollo comforts me when I cry because my dream of being a doctor feels too far, Athena guides me when I’m lost in between all of my school duties and I seek her wisdom when I feel like I’m about to do something recklessly stupid, Zeus is the one who hugs me when my biological dad hurts me, Hera is the one who whisper sweet words when my mom’s words feels too bitter, Hermes is the one protecting me in the road and the one motivating me when I’m learning a new language, Hestia is the one who brings me warmth when my own house feels too cold, Aphrodite is the one by my side when I’m too insecure to even look in the mirror, Dionysus is the one smiling when I’m expressing and accepting my sexuality freely.

Even though showing myself to them; letting them see me and guide me was (and is) scary, there’s nothing as great as getting closer to them in this process. Despite them not being omnipresent, they’re everywhere. They are in nature and nature is our temple.

There’s much more for me to learn and experience with my deities, the heroes and ancestors but that is what excites me the most when I wake up and when I close my eyes to sleep.

I thank Zeus, King of the gods, for the kindness of people, the justice served for those tormented by the bigoted. I thank Father Zeus for safety. I thank him for the rain that comes after long, blazing summer nights.

I thank Hera for the protection of all of us. For the motherly, tender softness the world needs more of. I thank Hera, Queen of the gods, for sheltering love and marriage some others deem evil.

I thank Aphrodite for every type of love, the burst in your heart when you lay with a partner, the buzz the runs through you when you are with a friend. I thank Aphrodite for the courage to stand up for your worth, to see yourself through a kind lens.

I thank Hypnos, gentlest one, who guides woeful people into a peaceful sleep. For the nightmares and terrors he turns into dreams. I thank Hypnos for the soft pillows and blankets that keep us away from fear.

Delayed Preening

I'll finish this sketch some other time. I just like how it turned out

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