witch shit

Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, romance, pleasure (Greek)

Bastet: Goddess of dance, music, fertility, love, joy (Egyptian)

Freyja: Goddess of fertility, beauty, love, glory, magic, sex (Norse)

Eros: God of love, beauty, youth, desire, sexuality (Greek)

Oshun: Goddess of wealth, beauty, love, water, divination (Yoruba)

Yue Lao: God of marriage, love, moon (Chinese)

Brigid: Goddess of poetry, fire, love, spring, fertility (Irish)

Hera: Goddess of marriage, women, fidelity, love, family, childbirth (Greek)

Hathor: Goddess of women, fertility, love, dance, perfume, joy (Egyptian)

Branwen: Goddess of love, beauty, sovereignty, kindness (Celtic)

Venus: Goddess of sex, love, beauty, victory, fertility (Roman)

Bes: God of love, music, merriment, childbirth, humor (Egyptian)

Parvati: Goddess of marriage, family, beauty, fertility, the arts, dancing, love (Hindu)

Aengus: God of youth, love, poetry, summer (Irish)

Benzaiten/Benten: Goddess of arts, love, music, wealth, wisdom, fortune, water (Japanese)

Frigg: Goddess of marriage, love, childbirth, divination, fertility (Norse)

Xochiquetzal: Goddess of flowers, love, sex, fertility, beauty, pleasure (Aztec)

Cupid: God of love, affection, attraction, desire (Roman)

Aisyt: Goddess of love, beauty, childbirth (Yakut)

Ōkuninushi no Mikoto: God of happiness, love, wisdom, earth (Japanese)

Živa: Goddess of love, fertility, life, grace, gratitude (Slavic)

Áine: Goddess of fairies, fertility, love, beauty, wealth, summer, protection (Irish)

Ishtar: Goddess of sexuality, love, fertility, war (Mesopotamiam)

Rati: Goddess of desire, passion, love, sexual pleasure, beauty (Hindu)

Inanna: Goddess of love, sensuality, fertility, procreation, war (Sumarian)

Prende: Goddess of women, health, dawn, love, beauty (Albanian)

Siebog: God of love, marriage (Slavic)

Kamadeva: God of sensual desire, love, pleasure, beauty (Hindu)

Sjöfn: Goddess of affection, love, friendship, protector of children (Norse)

Juno: Goddess of love, marriage, women's health, childbirth, fertility (Roman)

Turan: Goddess of fertility, love, vitality, beauty (Etruscan)

Lada: Goddess of love, family, marriage, children, beauty, spring, fertility, protection (Slavic)

Αφροδιτη [Venus] War Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Procreation

Epithets: ⟡ Ourania - Heavenly ⟡ Pandemos - Common to All ⟡ Areia - of ares, Warlike ⟡ Hoplismene - Armed ⟡ Symmakhia - Ally (In Love) ⟡ Kypris - Of Cyprus ⟡ Philomeides - Laughter-Loving ⟡ Aphrogenia - Foam-born ⟡ Khysee - Golden ⟡ Pothon Meter - Mother of Desire

Domains: ⟡ love ⟡ Sex & procreation ⟡ Seduction ⟡ Beauty ⟡ Pleasure ⟡ War

Devotional acts: ⟡ Give compliments! ⟡ Create a skincare and bodycare routine ⟡ Collect pretty things ⟡ listen to music that makes you feel good, dance to it if you are able ⟡ have a dedicated chapstick, gloss, lip tint or lipstick!

Associations

Symbol: ⟡ Dove ; Apple ; Myrtle-wreath ; Flower

Color: ⟡ Pink ✧ Red ✧ Blue ✧ Green ✧ White ✧ Gold

Metal: ⟡ (upg) bronze

Crystals & stones: ⟡ Garnet ✧ Ruby ✧ Rose Quartz ✧ Pearls ✧ Diamond ✧ Sapphire ✧ Aquamarine

Fruits,Vegetables,Flowers,Herbs: ✧ Rose ✧ Anemone ✧ Apple ✧ Daffofil ✧ Myrtle ✧ Myrrh ✧ Lettuce ✧ Pomegranate

Animal: ✧ Hare ✧ Turtle - dove ✧ Sparrow ✧ Goose ✧ Swan

Incense: ✧ Frankincense ⟡ Rose ⟡ Myrrh ⟡ Vanilla ⟡ Cinnamon ⟡ Cypress ⟡ Jasmine

Food & Drinks: ✧ Pink ⟡ Red ⟡ Blue ⟡ Green ⟡ White ⟡ Gold

Day, Season, Time of Day: ✧ Venus ; Friday

Tarot: ✧ The Empress ✧ The Star ✧ The Lovers

offerings

◇ shells ◇ ocean imagery ◇ swan/dove/sparrow/goose imagery ◇ angel/cherub imagery ◇ heart imagery ◇ valentine's day gifts ◇ imagery/paintings of her ◇ roses/rose imagery ◇ rosehips/rose thorns ◇ rose quartz, amethyst, blue lace agate, ruby, moonstone ◇ skincare/hair care/body care ◇ perfume/cologne ◇ hair brush ◇ mirrors ◇ makeup ◇ water (moon/salt/sea water) ◇ honey ◇ wine ◇ hot chocolate/any chocolates ◇ apples ◇ strawberries/raspberries

devotional acts

◇ give compliments to strangers ◇ dedicate a glass of water to her ◇ collect all types of pretty things ◇ plan your outfits, wear things that make you feel like you ◇ wear jewelry that reminds you of her ◇ create a skincare and body care routine ◇ watch romantic movies or read romantic books ◇ listen to music that makes you feel good, dance to it if you are able ◇ give yourself love, forgive yourself for any mistakes ◇ wear perfume/cologne dedicated to her ◇ fall asleep to sounds of ocean waves or birdsong ◇ take a bath devoted to her ◇ spend time with your loved ones ◇ pour your heart out to someone, or pour your heart out in a journal ◇ donate to women's shelters ◇ create a Pinterest board ◇ eat foods that she likes (strawberries, chocolates, apples, & raspberries) ◇ write poetry about her ◇ talk to her ◇ create a playlist dedicated to her ◇ have a chapstick/lip gloss dedicated to her ◇ paint or draw something that reminds you of her

Building a kharis with gods using a religious journal is really helpful. It helped me keep my information and my thoughts related to the Gods organized. It can also help beginners if they are uncomfortable reciting hymns out loud.

What could be put inside it:

Every day write one delphic maxim and write how you interpret it or what you think about it

Make a shopping list for your altar and offerings

Compose prayers

Hymns/ prayers to your patrons and Hestia, Nyx, Helios, Hypnos

Write something as if you are conversating with the Gods.

Important information on deities

Favorite offerings, incenses, and libations of the Gods

Important Callendar events, festivals, and key info on celebration

Quotes from the most famous books of Gods that you relate to or want to remember

Instructions on composing prayers

What afterlife means in Hellenismos

What defines hubris, agos and miasma

7 pillars of Hellenismos and their meaning

Do some drawings for the Gods as a devotional act

Include your personal experiences with the divine and how it affected you

Write down the signs you saw during the week

You can also decorate it with the images of Gods

Delphic Maxims:

Her main festival is called Aphrodisia, which was an annual festival which happened during the month of Hekatombaion, which was sometime in July to August[1]. This festival would be started with the sacrifice of a dove, which is Lady Aphrodite’s sacred bird.

After the sacrifice, worshipers would carry in sacred images of the goddess and of Peitho (Persuasion), in a procession to be washed, due to Lady Aphrodite’s connection to the sea. After the first dove is sacrificed to signal the start of the festival, no sacrifice blood was allowed to be spilled, as they didn’t want the blood to pollute the altar. The reason the dove was allowed was because it was sacrificed to purify the temple. The offerings would include live male goats (as those were usually seen as a symbol of Aphrodite and were used a lot in worship of her), wildflowers and incense.

[1] In 2024, it’d be on the 10th of July according to the Hellenion Calendar

I genuinely need people to stop blaming ancient Greek religion/the gods for ancient Greek societal conventions like infanticide, slavery, and misogyny.

Exposed infants were protected by Kourotrophos gods!

Versions of the gods exist who were liberators of enslaved persons!

Women undeniably found the most freedom in the religious sphere!

Ecstasy and Possession: The Attraction of Women to the Cult of Dionysus, by RS Kraemer; touches on the worship of Dionysos by women, why women were drawn to it, their role in worship, etc. Can be found on JSTOR

The God of Ecstasy: Sex Roles and the Madness of Dionysos, by Arthur Evans; I’m only on the first chapter, but so far this touches on the worship of Dionysos by women, also touches on gender stuff in general in relation to Dionysos, as well as the lives of women in Greece. Can be found for free on the Internet Archive.

This is a masterlist of the “Greek Gods 101” series. This series aims to provide basic information and worship ideas for both major and minor deities. This masterlist also involves heroes, deified mortals, spirits, and other figures of Greek mythology.

Aceso

Acheron

Acratos

Aedos

Aegle

Aeolus

Aether

Aglaea

Akhlys

Ampelus

Amphitrite

Ananke

Anemoi

Angelia

Anteros

Antheia

Aphrodite

Apollon

Aporia

Ares

Arete

Ariadne

Aristaeus

Artemis

Asklepios

Asteria

Astraeus

Astrape

Athena

Atlas

Bia

Britomartis

Calliope

Carpi

Cassandra

Ceraon

Cerberus

Ceto

Chaos

Charon

Chione

Chiron

Chloris

Chrysos

Circe

Clio

Clymene

Comus

Cratus

Cronos

Daphne

Deimus

Deipneus

Demeter

Dicaeosyne

Dike

Dionysus

Dysnomia

Ececheria

Eileithyia

Eirene

Ekho

Electryone

Eleos

Elpis

Endymion

Enyo

Eos

Epiales

Epione

Epiphron

Erato

Erebus

Eris

Eros

Ersa

Eucleia

Eudaemonia

Eunomia

Eupheme

Euphrosyne

Euporia

Eupraxia

Eurybia

Eurydice

Eusebia

Euterpe

Euthenia

Eutychia

Fates

Furies

Gaea

Ganymedes

Gelus

Hades

Harmonia

Harpocrates

Hebe

Hecate

Hedone

Hedylogus

Helius

Hemera

Hephaestus

Hera

Heracles

Hermaphroditus

Hermes

Hestia

Hesychia

Himeros

Homonoia

Horae (Seasons)

Horae (Time)

Hormes

Hybris

Hydros

Hygeia

Hymenaeus

Hypnus

Iaso

Iris

Lelantus

Lethe

Leto

Macaria

Matton

Medusa

Melinoe

Melpomene

Methe

Mnemosyne

Morpheus

Nemesis

Nike

Nyx

Oizys

Orpheus

Orthannes

Ossa

Ourania

Ouranos

Ourea

Paeon

Paidia

Palaemon

Pallas

Pan

Panacea

Pandaisia

Pandora

Pannychis

Panopia

Paregoros

Pasithea

Pegasus

Peitho

Penia

Penthus

Persephone

Perses

Perseus

Phales

Phanes

Phaunus

Pheme

Philophrosyne

Philotes

Phobus

Phoebe

Phorcys

Phthonus

Phusis

Pistis

Plutus

Poena

Polemus

Polymnia

Pompe

Pontus

Ponus

Porus

Poseidon

Pothus

Priapus

Prometheus

Pronoea

Prophesis

Psamathe

Pseudologoi

Psyche

Ptocheia

Rhea

Selene

Silenos

Sophrosyne

Soter

Soteria

Styx

Tartarus

Telesphorus

Terpsichore

Tethys

Thalassa

Thalia

Thalia

Thallo

Thanatus

Thaumas

Thea

Themis

Theseus

Thesis

Thrasus

Thyone

Tithonus

Triptolemus

Triton

Tritopatores

Tyche

Tychon

Urania

Uranus

Zelus

Zeus

What is a “Universal Offering/Devotional Act?”

Feel free to request or suggest deities! This list will be done in order but you can ask for me to complete one that’s further down the list.

- Artemis has been associated with horses in the past.

- Ares has associations with owls.

- There are ancient gravestones with reliefs on them that historians still cannot tell if the art is of Dionysus or Jesus.

- It is common for historians to struggle identifying if a statue is of Artemis or Apollo because they often look so much alike.

- Hephaestus is a god of fire.

- Maia, the Mother of Hermes, was thought to assist in raising both Dionysus and Hephaestus.

- Hypnos is said to live in a massive cave, sleeping with thousands of his sons.

- Rather than blood, Greek gods are said to have something called Ichor running through their veins; no one is quite sure what "Ichor" actually is.

- Both Apollo and Artemis are deities of light; it is not just Apollo. Along with this, it is believed Leto may also be a goddess of light.

- It is commonly believed that the hyacinth flower is not actually the flower Hyacinthus was infamously transformed into; most sources seem to agree that it was likely either an iris or a larkspur.

- At one point in the Dionysiaca, Dionysus wages a war against India. The goddess Rhea is said to have gathered troops for him, and Zeus was said to have been the one to task Dionysus with going to war in order to allow him to join the gods on Mount Olympus.

- Demeter's chariot is pulled by two giant winged serpents; she has literal dragons pulling her around, and no one is talking about it.

- The Python was a child of Gaia, and before Apollo took up the Oracle in Delphi, there was actually an Oracle with Gaia in that location.

- The twins Castor and Pollux, who made up the Gemini constellation, were commonly worshipped throughout ancient Greece under the title of the "Dioscuri" or "Dioskouroi".

- Also regarding the Dioskouroi, the name "Castor" ("Kastor") may translate to "Beaver".

- The famous epithet "Paean" of Apollo was also listed on an ancient Mycenaean tablet that listed the names of separate deities. It is, therefore, possible that Paean was once a separate god who later became associated/merged with both Apollo and his son Ascelpius.

- Besides being an epithet, a Paean was also a type of devotional chant/song that was sung in honor of Apollo. Some ancient sources claim that the event of singing a Paean could actually be quite loud, involving clouds of stomping/banging and movement.

- The masculine version of Hekate's name, "Hekatos", was an epithet for the god Apollo; both names can be translated to "worker from afar".

- The first record of the more "traditional" view of a werewolf comes from the Greek myth about King Lycaon, when Zeus transformed into a wolf for ten years as punishment for tricking the gods into consuming human flesh (yes, you read that right).

- In the myths, Zeus and Hermes have a lovely Father-Son bonding trip of destroying an entire village (except for one home) for not showing either of the disguised gods hospitality as poor travellers.

- Both Apollo and Zeus were seen as gods who purified "blood-guilt" - a condition which was caused by the killing of another person and required immense purification.

- Cerberus is described as a fully sentient being who can communicate as other immensely powerful children of Gaia could, meaning he is akin to the gods in terms of intelligence rather than being like an overgrown dog.

- Hermes is said to be the inventor of offerings, specifically animal sacrifices.

- One origin of the Pegasus was Poseidon and Medusa doing the devil's tango.

- There is a tale that claims Hermes to be the one who granted Aesop his knowledge of fables.

- According to some ancient sources, Cerberus has as many as fifty heads, a mane of snakes, the claws of a lion, and a snake tail.

- Iris was not only the goddess of rainbows but was also the personal messenger of Hera and was prominently featured in The Iliad delivering many messages on behalf of the Olympian gods.

- Eros has been depicted as the child of Aphrodite and Ares, the child of Ouranos and Aphrodite, the child of solely Aphrodite, the child of Poros and Penia, the child of Ouranos and Gaia, the child of Zephyrus and Iris, and a primordial being who simply came into being. So, where did Eros actually come from? Your guess is as good as any.

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That's all for now! Let me know if y'all enjoyed these and would like more. 🧡

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|| Sources ||

- Theoi.com (of course)

- The Iliad by Homer

- Theogony by Hesiod

- The Dionysiaca by Nonnus

There is no necessary changes you need to make to your life in order to worship a deity.

There is no psychological preparation that needs to be done.

You don't need to break a habit. Reframe your psyche. Finish medical treatment. Reach a life 'milestone'. in order to worship a deity.

If anything you should approach a deity to help you through these things.

Learning the religion can occur at the same time as worship. They can be parallel events.

You can begin worshipping a deity the day you read this. There is no future point in time where you will somehow be more ready to approach a deity.

You are already ready.

And he does but he also feels like running to your big brother for help,

Crying into the chest of a man who won’t hurt you,

Someone teaching you how to throw a punch, with no judgement

Someone picking you up when you fall and scrape your self up

He feels like tattoos of a woman with snakes for hair to remind yourself you can’t be broken

He feels like someone finally recognizing the anger and rage inside you with honor and acceptance instead of demanding peace and forgiveness

I genuinely need people to stop blaming ancient Greek religion/the gods for ancient Greek societal conventions like infanticide, slavery, and misogyny.

Exposed infants were protected by Kourotrophos gods!

Versions of the gods exist who were liberators of enslaved persons!

Women undeniably found the most freedom in the religious sphere!

A little love for:

Apollon as the God of Foreigners (the Arcadian friendship's harmony with Hermes being the god of travelers/way-god couldn't be any louder)

Aphrodite as a Goddess of the Arts (anything love-themed falls to her by default)

Ares of Civil Order, Defender, and Of Courage

Artemis as the Goddess of Dancing and equal Leader of the Mousai

Athene as the Goddess of Carpentry, Metalwork, and Sculpting

Demeter as Friend of Peace and Law-Giver

Hephaistos as the one with a delicate touch that creates beautiful works of art (It isn't so much unknown but honestly the thing I love most and not the first thing one thinks of with his talents/image)

Hera as the Skillful Bender of Language, Bender of Oaths and Promises

Hermes, God of Peace/Diplomacy, Divine Protector of All, as well as a God of Poetry and Knowledge (rightfully the other half to Athene)

Hestia of the Earth, Earth Dwelling and Delighting in the Works of Man, The One That Made Buildings

Poseidon of Fertility, the Plant Nurturer, and Holder of the Earth

I never practiced Catholicism, but I became very intrigued by the rituals & routines within the practice, especially as an autistic person who finds comfort in routine.

I’ve been struggling with my control issues recently & needed a reminder to let things go & leave it to the gods, but it’s hard! So, I decided to create my own version of a ‘serenity prayer.’

May the sun rise in my heart,

May the wind guide me down my fated path,

And may love set me free from doubt.