#helpol ask

Hey Mari!! It's no problem at all, I hardly ever get asks so if anybody has questions, I always have the time of day to answer :]

One thing I can say with certainty is this: It is *incredibly* hard to anger the Gods. They know we make mistakes. They know we aren't perfect. I believe that imperfection is such an important thing in Hellenic Polytheism. None of us are perfect, and yet, the Gods love us anyway. The only way I truly think you could actually anger the Gods is by repeatedly speaking ill of them and purposefully disrespecting them, and even then, I feel like forgiveness is in reach (bless the little Greek Mythology nerd I was before I became HelPol that constantly said mean things about King Zeus and then realized that that was not okay as soon I started practicing- Everything is just fine :)). It's okay to sometimes skip worship if you aren't up to it. It's okay to not leave an offering if you just can't. It's okay to not be perfect because that's normal. The Gods don't expect you to be perfect at all.

Onto the next thing! I'm closeted, so my answer may vary from a lot of other people. How I typically worship Lady Hestia is by cooking, cleaning and taking time to myself. I feed myself to honor Her. I tidy the space I live in to honor Her. I give myself the feeling of safety and comfort to honor Her. I know that a lot of other people who do openly worship may leave servings of whatever food they make to Her and that they light a flame for her. This could just mean lighting up a candle or starting your fireplace. As I do not have a fireplace (and if I did, it's summer and it's hot enough already) and I can't light candles, I usually turn a hearth visual on on my TV while I pray. The crackling sound of the flames, even if it's not real, brings me close to her.

I'm going to tag @pixilatedwitchery here because they truly helped me out SO MUCH when I started out with Hellenic Polytheism. They're super awesome and I think you could get some good advice from them too :)

And also, thank you! I try my hardest for my blog to be safe and sweet for everyone, so it means a lot that you enjoy it.

hi, you’re not a bother! i never mind asks or dms :)

to put it simply- we don’t take the myths as literal fact, they are stories about the gods and used for entertainment, life lessons, etc. but not stories that actually happened.

the gods don’t dislike each other as far as we can know, they’re incredibly powerful, wise, and old beings that we cannot understand. you can worship any of them, from any pantheon, and everything will be okay. if you choose not to worship a god because of a mythical dispute they had with a different god you’re already worshipping then that’s your personal preference, as long as you stay respectful to all. if it makes you even more comfortable to separate their altars you can do that, it’s your faith!

so you are right, it’s a nonissue and many (myself included) worship eros and apollo together. i know if you’re coming from christianity it can be a bit hard to separate the myths from the gods but take your time and find where you’re comfortable.

absolutely! journaling can be a way to better know yourself and better understand your emotions, i believe lady athena would love that.

i journal specifically things i study about hellenic polytheism because i have a bad memory and it’s easier to be able to go back and read/understand it if i put it into my own words. that journaling is a form a learning and understanding knowledge, i’ll occasionally use it as a devotional act to lady athena as well.

hi i’m so late to this but mentally/physically i’ve just been down & distant from tumblr, but this question is definitely not silly i think it’s one a lot of people have when starting out.

i see offerings, in overly simple & human terms, as a gift to say thanks for favors. if someone were to do smth nice for me, i’d give them smth back or return the favor in someway. that’s how i view offerings, a way to repay the gods for any and all ways they help out. they won’t be disappointed or upset for being gifted a rose or salt or a cup of water, they aren’t actually using these things they’re just signs of us returning their favor.

rose quarts is often gifted to lady aphrodite because it reminds people of her, i think giving any gifts that reminded you of your god is the best way to go about it. salt and a rose are great because both of them remind me of lady aphrodite. if you offer it, it’s an offering. a big one i also see for lady aphrodite is using perfume that reminds you of her, if you wear it of course.

for father zeus, i try to stay on top of politics and worldwide issues. he’s the god of law & order & justice, i try to respect those things and learn all i can to do better and to better what’s around me. i specifically like to pray when it’s storming, to of course ask for protection but to also acknowledge him and thank him for everything. i also enjoy candles so that’s something i’ll offer whenever i’m using them, i like to switch scents based on the god but using one scent/candle for all of the ones you worship is also okay i have done this plenty of times!

there’s no dumb questions, dw!

digital offerings are a little different to me bc it’s not something i’m putting onto an altar, so i don’t take cleanliness AS serious but i do try to keep clean hands.

in hellenistic polytheism, for most people, the gods aren’t ‘accepting’ offerings & offering is more of a way to give something to your god as a way to appreciate them or to ask them for their favor. i think of offering as more of giving back to someone who gave something to me, on a grander scale. i think acceptance of offerings is more a thing for practicers of witchcraft. i feel like i’m explaining this badly but i mean that the gods aren’t going to decline an offering, there’s things that are more associated with different gods and i like to use that when offering but even if it’s something not associated with them you won’t upset them. a big contradiction with that is blood, especially human blood, should not be offered.

this isn't stupid, sometimes we're too hard on ourselves! lady athena wouldn't be upset or angry at you for not preforming the best, so long as you're trying.

i was never the smartest but i devoted any study time to athena to make up for the help i always asked of her. slacking off is a human trait, no one can give 100% and all the gods understand humans as they are, so just try!

What would the term for that be!?

Polytheisic polytheism? /j

i’ve usually seen it as a polytheist who worships multiple pantheons, i’m only a hellenic polytheist myself so i’m not completely sure what the terminology others use.