Hey, I have some questions regarding deific relationships. I really do love the idea of having a relationship with a god but I’m also terrified? Like, the idea of being watched by a deity kind of horrifies me. Do you not feel like your thoughts are unsafe? Like you never have privacy? What happens if you aren’t a good worshipper? Do you worry about upsetting them at all? Or fear their retribution?
Sorry if any of this is insensitive. I just wanted to understand your perspective.
-☂️
no, it’s completely alright!! :) (i have a tl;dr at the bottom in italics and bold in case this is too much to read, lol)
usually i try not to overthink it, but that’s easier said than done. i believe the gods are watching us, of course, but only in situations where they should be watching. like… no, Lord Apollo isn’t going to be watching me while i’m in the shower (that would be weird), but maybe if im talking about him with friends, he’ll be watching!! or if your deity is trying to see if you make the right choice (ex. if you see someone drop their money, do you try and quickly grab it and steal it before they notice [even if you don’t need the money] or do you return it?)
i also think the gods understand privacy just as much as we want them to. i’m sure they don’t want to watch us every second of our lives. they’ll respect your privacy, dw <33
as for being a good worshipper and worrying about messing up, don’t worry, you’re probably doing just fine. treat your deities well and they will treat you well. they understand that we’re only human, we’re bound to mess up. maybe if you stole something from someone, you’ll lose something (or something like that), but i believe that’s just karma. as long as you aren’t some psychotic killer, they aren’t gonna punish you. i swear.
and i don’t think there’s any specific way to be a “bad worshipper”. i mean, if you’re talking poorly about the gods, ruining their alters, being disrespectful towards them, or anything like that, then i would say you just have room to grow and learn. if you’re doing that all on purpose though… maybe you’re a bad worshipper. but i believe that anyone can learn and grow past their mistakes.
if you want to be better at worshipping the gods or your deity, you can always pray to them, research them, do devotional acts towards them, or even just think about them throughout the day. they only expect you to do your best.
if your best is getting all your missing school assignments done, that’s enough. if you’re best is taking a day off to take care of yourself, that’s enough. even if your best is just waking up, even if you can’t get out of bed, that’s enough. if it’s you’re best, it’s enough. that’s all they want from you. for you to be the best version of yourself that you can be.
(TL;DR: dw, you’ve got privacy. they want you to have privacy just as much as you want to have privacy. and i promise you’re doing great. if you’re even having thoughts about doubting whether you’re a good worshipper or not, you’re a good worshipper, because that means you care. and they won’t punish you. you’re human, they get that. do your best, be your best, and your deities will love you for it <33)
if you want more info from people who know more and are more experienced, i recommend checking these blogs out:
@atheneum-of-you has just recently made their helpol discord server public and they have a huge library of free online books related to hellenic polytheism and the gods. they also make tons of informative posts and updates!!
@hyakinthou-naos is a super cool temple and they just recently have launched their website!! i can’t recommend checking it out enough. it’s so helpful and so beautifully designed
@khaire-traveler has amazing posts about worshipping the gods and a super cool guide to worshipping so many deities discreetly. (i’m pretty sure they’re on hiatus currently)
@screeching-0wl is my favorite resource for info on the gods. their cheat sheets are amazing!! (they’re on hiatus)
these are just my personal recommendations!! (i hope this isn’t too much info and i’m not stressing you out!!) just remember, you don’t have to be perfect. and please, for the love of all things good, do not overwork yourself. i did that and then i had to take a break for most of the year. be better than me please lol
good luck !! <33
