Sunlight

Associations, Offerings, and Devotional Acts.

aphrodite still loves aroace people

zeus still loves people who are scared of thunder

poseidon still loves people who can't swim

apollo still loves people who aren't musical

helios still loves people who sunburn easily

artemis still loves people who aren't virgins

persephone still loves people who are allergic to pollen

hades still loves people who are afraid of death

athena still loves people who aren't academic

ares still loves people who don't like to be angry

hephaestus still loves people who can't craft things

I'm going to talk a little bit about the trend that I see a lot on tik tok. You know this one : " in the name of Father Zeus, blablabla, Mother Hera, blablabla, Moon blablabla, Sun blablabla, protect us blablabla"

I will be clear : this is absolutely ridiculous 😋

First, it's just a copy of the "In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" in the Christian religion. So it's stupid to use it, since it doesn't make any sense in our religion.

Second, the use of the terms "father" and "mother", these are terms that belong to the Christian religion, so it makes no sense to use them for our deities.

This is absolutely ridiculous, especially that most of the helpols who do it are these same people, who denigrate and strongly criticize the Christian religion and Christians. (I'll probably talk about it later in a post)

In addition, I see a lot of young practitioners in the comments asking if it's a prayer to be said or not, it only misleads people. In short, it's just another new age bullshit.

So please stop doing this, it makes no sense and it's absolutely ridiculous!!

In construction

Here are some cheat sheets with general information about the Greek Gods which you might find useful in worship but not only!

There is plenty of information I did not include. These are just simple cheat sheets. I could not fit everything in there but this might come in handy if you’re just starting out or want to get to know the Hellenic Gods.

For more information about them, I highly recommend you check out the websites or books I listed in sources!

PSA: Some of the things listed in offerings and associations section are more modern, thus could be regarded as UPGs/SPGs

⚡ The Olympians ⚡

Zeus

Hera

Poseidon

Demeter

Athena

Apollo

Artemis

Ares

Hephaestus

Aphrodite

Hermes

Hestia

Dionysus

Mount Olympus - Home of the Gods

Hyperborea

🦴The Underworld🦴

Hades

Persephone

Hekate

Hypnos

Thanatos

Erinyes

House of Hades & the Afterlife

🌱 Minor deities & daimones 💫

Nemesis

Eris

Phobos & Deimos - bonus info

Eros

Nike

Asklepios

Pan

Iris

Hebe

Priapus

Amphitrite

Aristaios

Thetis

Tyche

Mousai [Muses]

Moirai [Fates]

Charites [Graces]

Anemoi [The Winds]

🌾 Titan & Primordial Gods 🌌

Helios

Selene

Hekate

Eos

Leto

Themis

Rhea

Cronus

Nyx

Gaia

👑 Heroes & deified mortals ⚔

Achilles

Heracles

Asklepios

Ganymede

Dioskouroi

Adonis

Hyacinthus

Lord Apollon

As there is not a large, agreed upon set of pillars in Hellenic Polytheism, I will be using ones I am going to start using, based off my own research. A common theme from each pillar is the avoidance of *hubris*, which is excessive pride and the belief that you are better or equal to the Gods. (This is quite possibly the only “sin” in all of Hellenic Polytheism, as a lot of the stories against mortals in Hellenic myths deal with mortals with *hubris*.)

Arete - living to your fullest potential

Arete, meaning “excellence” or “valor”, is the belief that one should live up to the fullest potential of yourself. When one lives up to their fullest potential, and not comparing yourself to others, it is aimed to bring happiness to the individual. It is also about putting things in your own hands, and not being a bystander, watching life go by. It is such a core part of Hellenic ethics that almost every philosophical and religious work about ethics contains it.

Ethike Arete - live an ethical life

Ethike Arete, meaning “moral virtue” or “character virtue”, is the belief that one should follow ethics and an ethical life, and the word from the Gods. This is usually in relation to follow the Delphic Maxims, 147 maxims given to oracles of Delphi, said to be given by Apollo himself.

Eusebia - piety and love to the Gods

Eusebia, meaning “pious”, is the belief that one should have respect towards the Gods and praise and honor them, via festivals, prayers, sacrifice, and devotion. It also relates to knowing *why* you should be doing the ritual and how it helps the Gods.

Hagneia - purity before the Gods

Hagneia, meaning “cleanliness”, is the belief that in the presence of the Gods, one should be clean. This is related to the concept of miasma, meaning “pollution” but not akin to sin, and removing it before praying to the Gods, as not doing is so is considered highly disrespectful.

Kharis - giving to the Gods and our relationship with Them

Kharis, meaning “grace”, is the belief that one should always give to the Gods but do not expect things in return, but if something is given in return, be thankful for it. In Hellenic Polytheism, when you ask a God for something, you *always* leave an offering. You give so that They can bless you with something in return, but do not expect them to. It can also mean the relationship between the Gods and us, with many saying it is like how much trust a God has with you. If you have good kharis with a God, They will be more inclined to fulfill your request, as they can trust you. But, if your kharis is low, They probably won’t trust you due to thinking you won’t do anything with it.

Nomos Arkhaios - being as close to the original religion as possible

Nomos Arkhaios, meaning “ancient ways”, is the belief that the religion should not change that much over the time. It is the belief that even when governments and society changes, the religion will always remain the same and gives a sense of structure and belief. This is probably the biggest difference between reconstructionism and revivalism. 

Sophia - pursuit of wisdom

Sophia, meaning “wisdom”, is the belief that in order to not offend the Gods, you should always be trying to learn and understand more. This is to help get rid of an ignorant mindset and better prepare yourself before the Gods.

Sophrosyne - having self-control

Sophrosyne, meaning “temperance”, is the belief that you should do things in moderation. It is also the belief that one must moderate yourself so you do not cross the other pillars and become inflicted with hubris.

Xenia - hospitality

Xenia, meaning “hospitality”, is the biggest pillar here. It is the belief that one should always help someone out and treat them as a friend in the house, even if they are a complete foreigner. Many myths have the Gods punishing mortals for the lack of xenia.

I just want to raise awareness that these pillars aren’t from Hellenismos, they’re made up by Timothy Jay Alexander, who is an outspoken homophobe. They aren’t inherently a part of Hellenismos at all, and TJA certainly never practices them. Hellenismos as it existed didn’t have some kind of proto-Ten-Commandments, nor did it have a central, organized dogma – worship style, even the Olympians were regional.

My main problem with this list (aside from it’s creator and it’s proto-Ten-Commandments feel) is the gate-keepy things in it especially in reference to the low-spoony community:

1) Hagneia: “purity before the gods” - people with depression, executive dysfunction and other things that’ll keep you from being cleanly, will find this step especially hard since the times you need the gods the most is not when you’re having a good day and can manage to take a bath or shower. Also the idea of sinning changes depending on the god and region so it just sounds like needless barriers that will keep people away from actually connecting with their gods.

When’s the best time to contact the gods? When you NEED to (even the desire to want to connect stems from the feeling of needing to connect.)

Nomos Arkhaios - “being as close to the original religion as possible” - Which religion? What’s the definition of the religion? Which version of the religion? Ancient Greece didn’t have a set religion for the whole region. Each Polis had it’s own cult (not the same definition in how we mean “cult” today).

This shouldn’t be a “rule” it should be a potential option for those who want to experience what the ancient greeks did but I often see reconstructionists add anything and everything found in ancient Greek text regarding worship and this wasn’t how it was done back then because one is essentially mixing Athenian cult with corinthian or Spartan cult which is all very different.

Can you mix ancient traditions? If it’s part of your belief system, go ahead but this is my point: I’m majoring in Classical studies with a focus on the ancient Greek religion not because I’m a reconstructionist but because I’m a revivalist and want to see how to best modify and apply the ancient methods to modern times but that’s because it’s part of my beliefs.

If you wish to be a reconstructionist that’s 💯 okay! If you wish to be a revivalist that’s 💯 okay! Should revivalist study as much as reconstructionists in order to worship the gods? It has personally enriched my own beliefs and relationship with the gods as well as helped me differentiate them from the Roman gods so research will definitely benefit your beliefs but you do not have to recreate it if it’s not something you feel compelled to do.

These are the 2 main ones I had issues with but as OP said these are just suggestions.

If something doesn’t work well for you and your relationship with the gods go ahead and leave it behind, these suggestions can get you started but just like how Ancient Greece had no Bible, the religion varied from polis to polis.

in another universe i could be as loud as i want about my love for the gods,

Hello anon!

I'm no scholar or expert on anything related to Hellenic Polytheism but I will do my best to answer this, as well as give examples from my own practices.

So, while there are no strict "guidelines" on how to pray, we have ancient sources which help us understand how the ancient Greeks would have prayed and worshipped.

Firstly, like you pointed out, washing one's hands was essential. I'm not gonna get into the whole "miasma" thing, as there are others who cover that far more gracefully and informatively than I ever could. Ordinary water is fine for this.

Secondly, there is the structure of prayer. The basic components of a prayer are:

1. Invocation (Calling upon the god/gods, usually with their epithets and titles)

2. Argument (Basically saying why the god/gods should listen to your prayer)

3. The Petition (This is where you ask the gods for any requests, favors, or anything else you're praying to them for)

"Casual" prayers are also historically attested and don't always follow this structure. Essentially, you can pray to the gods whenever you wish, but personally I like to follow a basic structure like that when I pray in front of my altar at home. But, in short, formal prayers are not the only acceptable prayers.

I will give a link to this wonderfully detailed post by @ olympianbutch that covers the structure of prayer in a lot more depth!

Finally, on the topic of gestures and postures made during prayer, there are a few that we know of historically. There is the "orans" posture involves the raising of both arms towards the heavens, and is meant for prayers and rituals involving the Ouranic, or heavenly gods. For Khthonic/Underworld deities, a worshipper would bow low to the ground or fully prostrate, and yell into the earth so the gods below would hear them.

Now... that last one obviously is tricky in most modern settings, and I usually don't do the yelling bit myself. But I do a mixture of both postures since I have several Ouranic and Khthonic deities on my altar.

When it comes to saying silent prayers or saying prayers out loud, I do a mix of both. Sometimes, I don't feel the energy to say anything out loud, and I sit in front of my altar and let the smell of my incense fill the air. It puts me in a good state of mind, and helps me focus on the gods.

Working with Thanatos has given me time and insight into studying more about the Underworld. I have come to truly respect it, far more than I may fear it. The journey to the Underworld is not as simple as one may think. The Underworld actually has quite a delicate and sophisticated architecture. To begin, the spirits of the deceased must enter the Underworld through one of five surrounding rivers.

Acheron (Αχέρων): The river of woe. This is the river that the ferryman of the dead was paid to guide spirits across in the transition.

Kocytus (Κωκυτός): The river of lamentation. Those who could not pay the ferryman were destined to walk the banks of this river - a side river to the river Acheron - for one hundred years.

Phlegethon (Φλεγέθων): The river of fire. It’s a side river of the river Styx and is said to be permanently on fire, yet never burn anything it touches.

Lethe (Λήθη) - The river of forgetfulness. The dead have to drink from it to completely forget about their lives on Earth.

Styx (Στύξ) - The river of hate. The Styx joins with the Acheron at the exact juncture where the land of the living makes way for the Underword, and as such, it is a portal, and the most famous of the five rivers. The Styx is said to wrap around the Underworld nine times. The Styx was also the river upon which deities and mankind swore oaths which could not be broken. If one did break an oath made upon the river Styx, they were forced to drink from the river, upon which they lost their voice for an extended period of time.

Within the Underworld, there are various areas where the dead are actually housed (they don’t just wander aimlessly), but also where all the various deities of the Underworld - called “Theoi Khthonioi” - often resided. Immortals and the Moirai, deamons and nymphs…even some of the older Titans are all settled here as well.

Technically, there are three main parts to the Underworld.

Tartaros (Τάρταρος): where those who were punished for all eternity remained. The River Phlegethon is located here.

Asphodel Meadows (δομος Αιδαο): where everyone who had lived a good life wandered about. The River Lethe runs through here.

Elysian Fields (Πεδιον Ηλυσιον): where the children of deities, the blessed dead, and those who had lead extraordinarily honorable, brave or otherwise well-respected lives (such as heroes) resided. The Isles of the Blessed were also located here. It is said that when you achieved Elysium, you had a choice to either stay in Elysium, or to be reborn. If you were reborn three times and achieved Elysium all three times through those lives, then you were sent to the Isles of the Blessed and achieved eternal paradise.

tumblr should not be a one stop shop for information about hellenic polytheism! however, these are some amazing posts i've found that come with a wealth resources from across the site.

hellenic witch and magic reading list

ancient greek religion and hellenic polytheism: a reading guide

hellenism resources

hermes google drive

hellenic polytheism - free (and reliable) resources

added:

hellenic polytheism - free (and reliable) resources: updated

hellenic polytheism grimoire