Over the past couple of weeks we have seen a massive influx of Tumblr Temples being created. What was originally just The Temple of Hyacinthus and The Temple of Hypnos has now grown into over 7 Tumblr Temples (as least at the time this is being written).
This is exciting! It has been wonderful to see our community grow and see the creation of new spaces for worship, community, and education.
However, there are some things that we would like to say to the current and potential future Tumblr Temples that are being created.
When we created The Temple of Hyacinthus, we did so with the full knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a community educator and person of influence.
Hytheria Aön has a degree in Social Work, as well as minors in Psychology and Gender Studies. He is an experienced spiritualist who has been practicing witchcraft and paganism through the entirety of his teen years and adult life. He is also an experienced community educator, having worked as a professional public speaker and community organizer for several years.
To claim any title of influence - be that High Priest/High Priestess, Priest/Priestess, or even Cleric - is not something to be taken lightly. And we would like to express concern over the way these titles (and by extension these Temples) are being used.
We say the following not to offend or upset any member of our community, but to express a reality of spiritual and religious practice: You cannot be a clergy member of any faith if you have not studied that faith in depth - and you cannot be a clergy member of any faith if you are a minor.
To expand upon the second point, if you cannot legally consent to adult activities (physical, recreational, etc.,) then you cannot consent to be a clergy member.
Our Temple was not created in haste - we have a Code of Conduct and Community Rules, and have been working slowly and carefully to expand our Temple within this community.
We love being able to see our community grow, but we are concerned that others are "jumping on the trend" (for lack of a better phrase) of E-Temples/Tumblr Temples.
Please, take time to reflect on the choices you are making and the language you are using - are you really a Priest/Priestess or are you just a Devotee or Steward? Is the space your creating actually going to function as a Temple or is it more of a Shrine* - or is it just a blog?
*Information about what makes a Shrine different from a Temple can be found here
The reason we created the term 'Hytheria' is because Aön is not yet educated or learned enough to claim the title of Priest/Clergy.
The reason Aön only claims the title of Devotee in reference to Lord Apollo (and not the other Theoi he worships) is because becoming a Devotee is a serious - often lifelong commitment.
The reason we are making this post is not to shame or call out any individual or Temple - but to express our concerns and remind others that these commitments should be taken seriously.
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O Great Master of The Sea
Hear me now as I pray
May our temple members be under your protection
As your trident bares it's teeth
May I be of service to these kind folk,
and remain under your protection
as long as I help these people
Thank you, Lord Poseidon
For the waters you sway
Weâve all heard it before, right? If youâve been a beginner or are a beginner, weâve all heard it. We have our little cup of water, a stick and maybe a crystal as an altar and people scorn. I used to fall victim to this myself. I would sit in bed crying at night, what is it that iâm doing so wrong?Â
The answer? It was simply because my practice did not look like their practice. They had more grandiose altars, more experience, more more more. More than me. But they were hateful about it. Instead of treating a baby worshiper or witch with kindness, I was met with sincerely demeaning comments that made me want to quit. I did, for a while. It wasnât worth it.Â
However, here I am today. Running this temple, having my dreams as a leader come true. Donât give up just because someone in your comment section said nasty, demeaning things. Especially as a beginner. Donât fall to consumerism just because someone says that cup of water and stick isnât enough, because it is. Your altar grows with you, if you even have one. You donât need a single thing besides a search engine and a free pdf file of where you want to get started. You donât need the prettiest pinterest practice to be considered ârightâ. There is no right.Â
Now, donât get me wrong. There are definitely dos and donâts and especially if youâre white. There are closed practices that are sacred to those of color. Some common examples are smudging and voo-doo. I will leave a link to these closed practices, as an article explains it clearly and cut to the point. But if you arenât practicing out of those closed to you, what is so wrong?Â
Everyoneâs practice is different. Take me and my husband for example. We are both witches. We are both hellenic polytheists. This is very much true. However, if you think our practices even look similar? Iâll be the first to tell you that is not the case. We do not worship the same, pray the same or at the same time, we do not even worship on the same days. This is perfectly valid. Your practice is not defined by others. It is defined by you, and you alone. Sure, others can guide you and teach you and make sure you donât stray too far into practices that are unethical. This is valid as well, but you will stray from them and go on your own path as soon as their teachings are complete. Once youâve gained enough knowledge to be comfortable within yourself, your practice will be completely yours and no one else will practice the exact same.Â
Donât listen to those who are scornful and just want to scare you. Donât tolerate hate just because someone doesnât understand or is far more experienced than you. You are just as valid as any other practitioner in the community.Â
I've been seeing a lot of e-shrines on my dash lately and it seemed like something that Phoenix would like, so rnisosoup.tumblr.com/ and I made him one.
We'll be posting pics, videos and maybe music relating to Phoenix AKA Phenex as well as our experiences with working with him.
