So iām doing this separation spell as a favor for a friend to assist with a toxic relationship. this is my second time doing this spell for him. His candle is the one on the left . Hers is the one on the right Last time his candle was the last to go out and stayed taller longer and did not give any readable images in the wax, however her candle on the right has left obviously phalic shapes both last time and this time. unfortubatly I do not have documentation of last time. However if anyone has any ideas for interpretation of these images please let me know in the notes. Thank you
Her candle:
there is also a shape on her candle that resembles testicles, I donāt know if this is interpretable as part of the rest of the phalic shape or if it should be read as an upsidedown heart. I also donāt know what phalic shapes mean in spellwork in relation to women. So if you have any ideas I would love to hear them.
Also notice how the wax from her candle crosses the spell cirlcle
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When beginning Hellenism, I was told to look and pray to epithets. I didnāt really understand and I feel like I still donāt, so I am here now to try and learn along with you guys about what each epithet means and how to pray to it. So, for our first installment, I have here the first epithet listed on Theoi.com: Demeter Achaea.
As listed on Theoi.com, Demeter Achaea is describe as the following:
a surname of Demeter by which she was worshipped at Athens by the Gephyraeans who had emigrated thither front Boeotia
I did not really understand any of those words, so I did some digging. I knew Athens, obviously, and the Gephyraeans had to be a group of people, but how was it all connected?
I will say this: I did some research and got a LOT of answers, mostly for things I didnāt ask for. It was all pretty interesting though, and I think Lady Demeter wouldnāt mind so long as I was learning something. First, though, I will warn you that my rambling is pretty entertaining, but if you just want the epithet and how to pray / what to use the epithet for, feel free to scroll to the bottom.
The Research:
So first I wanted to know what Achaea meant. I found out it is a region. I look up the region, and it is located in north Peloponnese, Greeceās southern peninsula. It is a mountainous region with major cities of Patras and Dyme. Patras itself is huge in Greek history, and one of the most important cities behind Athens (seriously, I could write a whole paper on the history of Patras itself). Dyme had Oebotas, the first Achaean to win the Olympic Games, but no one in Achaea celebrated him, so he cursed them to never have another winner. This curse remained until Sostratus of Pellene won, after Achaea built a statue to honor Oebotas in Olympia. It is also a region referenced in the Old Testament.
This is all very interesting, but it really did not answer any of my questions, mostly because it had nothing to do with Boetia, Athens, or Gephyraeans. This led me to research the Gephyraeans, and there is barely anything of note except that they are from Boetia.
Boetia is, of course, another region in Greece, styled as Boeotia. This is the region where Thebes was located. Boeotia is another region where a whole paper could be written about it, as it is the location of many myths and legends, such as the Theban Cycle, the Muses, Dionysus and Semele, and more. However, there is still not a lot on the Gephyraeans.
One thing I could find on Gephyraeans were Harmodius and Aristogeiton, who were lovers and assassins of the tyrant Hipparchus and are known as heroes for Athenian democracy (of course, there are lots of political drama but that is also itās own page because the story is VERY very interesting). Herodotus mentions that they are Gephyraeans, which are Boetians of Syrian or Phoenician descent. However, Plutarch argues they are otherwise.
So, now we have some answers to our question. About Gephyraeans heading into Athens, I found this quote from Herodotus:
āIt was in the reign of this Laodamas, the son of Eteocles, that the Cadmeians were driven by the Argives out of their country, and found a shelter with the Encheleans. The Gephyraeans were left behind, but were later compelled by the Boeotians to withdraw to Athens; and they have certain set forms of worship at Athens, wherein the rest of the Athenians have no part; these, in especial the rites and mysteries of Achaean Demeter, are different from the other worships.ā Herod. v. 61
So it seems that the Gephyraeans, descendents of Syrians or Phoenicians, went to Athens and had a unique way of worshipping Lady Demeter. The Athenians had no part in this worship. However, why did they worship Demeter specificially? At first glance, it appears She has no hand in Achaea, but according to one of the myths, she does.
Triptolemus, an Eleusinian prince, was instructed by Demeter to spread agriculture and allowed him the use of her serpent-drawn chariot. This myth is incredibly interesting! For our purposes, Triptolemus went to Patras in Achaea. There He taught Eumelus how to cultivate corn. Eumelusā son, Antheias, took the dragon chariot and fell to his death. Eumelus named a city, Antheias, after him.
So we have a geographic region, the group of people that used this epithet, and some myths connected to Demeter surrounding it. But as I was researching, I kept thinking, āI should probably look up what the word achaea meansā. Not the region, just the etymology.
It took a bit of digging, rewriting, and stumbling onto questionable websites. I found a lot of sources for Bible naming websites, saying the origin was Hebrew and one even said African? I think I am safe in saying that these are inaccurate.
Finally, I found a Quora post, and though I would question secondary information, it was the best lead I could find. And in this I found the answer.
The Epithet:
Actually, no one is certain what achaea actually means. It is spelled ĪĻĪ±ĪĪ± and is derived from ĪĻĪ±Ī¹ĪæĪÆ (Achaeans), the Ancient Greek tribe that settled in the region. Achaea is used specifically for this and this only. But what does it mean?
According to some, it is derived from the word Ī±ĻĪæĻ (achos) which means pain or distress. They were named after Achaeus, the founder of Achaea, who was born in a time of great suffering. Also, as written by Hesichius, Demeter was called ĪĻĪ±ĪÆĪ± (achaea) because of her grief of losing Persephone.
In other circles, it is derived from the word Ī±ĻĪ±Ī¹Ī±Ī¹ (achaiai), which means āsurfā and refers to the rocky coastline.
It is also worth noting that when Homer refers to the Greeks, he mostly uses the word āAchaeansā. The word is also older than ĪĪĪĪĪ£ (hellas), meaning Greece.
According to HellenicGods.org, the epithet Akhaia is used for Demeterās grief for her daughter, but makes no mention of the Gephyraeans.
Long story short is, who knows? It is more likely the location and is something sacred to the Gephyraeans, but ancient etymology is hard to research since it is lost to time - it is, however, very interesting to look into these things. Itās sort of like connecting a puzzle.
What we do know is that there was worship and even sanctuaries dedicated to Demeter and Persephone in Achaea. All of this comes from Pausanias. He describes a sanctuary in Aegium dedicated to Persephone, and a connection from Zeus Homagyrios to Demeter Panakhaia. Also in Bura, there was a temple and drapery dedicated to Demeter. Additionally, there is a place near Pellene, but I thought it would be best for you to read it from Pausanias himself:
"About sixty stades distant from Pellene is the Mysaion, a sanctuary of Demeter Mysia. It is said that it was founded by Mysios, a man of Argos, who according to Argive tradition gave Demeter a welcome in his home. There is a grove in the Mysaion, containing trees of every kind, and in it rises a copious supply of water from springs. Here they also celebrate a seven days' festival in honor of Demeter. On the third day of the festival the men withdraw from the sanctuary, and the women are left to perform on that night the ritual that custom demands. Not only men are excluded, but even male dogs. On the following day the men come to the sanctuary, and the men and the women laugh and jeer at one another in turn.ā Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 27. 9
It is interesting to note that this last one held the Mysia festival, dedicated to Demeter Mysia!
How To Worship:
As it appears that this epithet is specific to a location, thereās probably not much you can do with this specific epithet unless you were:
In this region
Wanting to pay homage to the region/myths
Any other reason because I donāt control your worship, you do
Thatās not to say anything bad about this epithet. Itās so interesting to learn about the culture, geography, and history of Ancient Greece. At the very least, I know a lot more now than I did at the beginning of this. Also, now I know more about Lady Demeter and Her connection to locations. Plus, isnāt learning more about Her the whole point?
We could take inspiration from this and make our own epithet about the region we all personally live in. For example (and not to dox myself or anything), I live in the Appalachia region. Appalachia is beautiful and has a long history. We are known for our spooky forests, cryptids, and religion, but I think the presence of mountains, forests, nature, animals, and more is a perfect place for Demeter worship. I think honoring her by connecting with nature and cleaning up the environment is a great place to start.
For you, maybe you live in a city or a desert. Is it not still Earth? You can honor Demeter with the environment around you. Grow a cactus, buy a fake plant, clean up trash, or pour your leftover water on grass or plants. Maybe you will pray to Demeter Achaea, or any other epithet, or one unique to you!
Thanks for reading, and if I got something wrong, feel free to correct me. Iād love to hear what you all have to say!
Iāve been wanting to make an altar for Dionysus since I started worshipping him, but I canāt make a physical one (Iām a minor and in the broom closet).
Iāve seen how some people have made āmind altarsā or something, but I canāt really do that because I keep forgetting/my mind wanders a lot.
However, Iāve seen some people make virtual altars, which piqued my interest. HOWEVER AGAINāI have no idea what anyone uses for said virtual altars.
For those who have them/know people who have them, what apps/sites do you use?
Okay, so Iāve been trying to get in contact and work with gods, specifically Dionysus. Recently, Iāve been noticing a lot of signs, but Iām not sure if heās actually trying to contact me or not.
Basically Iāve been seeing a lot more wine as of recent, my parents usually donāt drink on a daily basis, yet theyāve been drinking wine pretty much anytime I have dinner with them. I also noticed some sort of store-bought wine concoction in the fridge this morning and wine glasses everywhere. Last night, I had a dream where I went to Greek ruins with a bunch of other people.
Although this is freaking me out, Iām not sure if itās a sign. Of course Iāll still look out for signs but Iām not sure if heās already began to try and make contact.
So, like, does anyone know what to do with offerings for spirits after Samhain???
I feel weird eating it/throwing it away, and I feel like burying it would be a bad idea since itās peanut m&ms (Iām broke and didnāt have anything else, okay), and I donāt want there to be bugs in my room. So, like, what do???
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What am I meant to do with pagan celebrations in the Southern Hemisphere? Do I celebrate Ostara instead of Mabon? Do I reverse the calendar or just go with it?
So I think I may be getting called by the Morrigan? (And also Lugh?)
I started this blog b/c I was interested in the spiritual aspect of witchcraft, but I wasnāt looking to work with any deities. At the time, I was a devout Christian, and I wanted to see if I could combine witchcraft and my religion.
I wasnāt looking to change religions, I was just reading about the various Celtic deities because they seemed interesting (and because lately Iāve been feeling very disconnected from my motherās irish heritage.) When I got to Lugh, I had this really weird sense of excitement, almost like I was feeling someone elseās, or like my subconscious recognized something Iāve been looking for without knowing.
As I read more about Lugh, specifically the story where he is admitted to the kingās court because he isnāt a master of any one thing, but a master of all the various trades, something kinda clicked: Here was someone like me, someone who could understand what I go through. Iām good at a lot of things, I have a lot of talents, but Iām not amazingly spectacular at any of them. If I make something really good, itās usually because I have to be really dedicated and tedious, as opposed to someone who can just whip out something amazing.
Later, I was reading about the Morrigan, and I didnāt have that same instant recognition, but my interest was definitely piqued. I read a few different articles on different websites and blogs, and the more I read, the more I received this sense of anxiety, and almost dread?
It was like I was a small animal, a rabbit or something, and this quiet, foreboding presence was there, watching me, and the only reason it didnāt harm me was because it thought I was a pitiful sight, a small, scared rabbit with a hurt leg (I donāt really, but I havenāt been doing great mentally b/c of corona.)
As I read more, I got the sense that this presence could help me with my ever-increasing anxiety, and could help me become more autonomous, could help me be my own person, could help me find courage to overcome and win the battles I face with mental illness. But I also knew that Iād have to put in the work, Iād have to do it their way, and it would be hard and it would hurt, but Iād be stronger in the end. Iād have to trust them to know what they wanted me to do, trust them to ensure that even if it hurt it wouldnāt do damage, because if I hesitated for even a second after I said yes, Iād risk losing myself, Iād risk falling and I wouldnāt get back up.
I also sensed that, while the first presence was there, and was definitely important, it kinda took a step back, maybe decided, āhey, this is mine, but I know that they need help that I canāt give them, but you canā?
Anyway, Iām kinda low key panicking, but I also have this sense of, āfinally, I actually have a chance of getting betterā?
And as I write this, I have to force myself not to cry, b/c Iām at work and my dad (whoās also my boss) is really catholic (but the bad kind)
EDIT: IMPORTANT UPDATE
So all this stuff went down last night, and, after doing a bunch of reading, and then having a kind of prayer/convo with whom I believed was the Morrigan, I decided to set up a little altar/offering as a thank you. I included a little, more formal prayer, and, not knowing how to sign it off, I decided to write,Ā āI am yours, in blood and spirit,ā (b/c my mother is irish and because I have always, no matter how nice and peaceful I am, been fueled by spite and rage)
Then, today comes, and I decide to do some more reading on the Morrigan and on othersā experiences with her. I come across an older article from one blog, written by John Beckett back in 2012, and come across this line:
I just recently got a restraining order on my roommate who was really mentally, emotionally and some rare times physically abusive. Not only toward me, but other friends of his. And the police got him out last night and now I am free of his influence. I am planning on getting therapy to recover the 10+ years of previous therapy that he took away from me which caused me to regress to where I was before I met my abusive roommate.
Now I can practice my spiritual and magical practice without criticism from him. But now I am free, I am now stuck and having trouble in figuring out where to get started next.Ā
I am an intermediate witch. I know my basics and narrowed my practice down, but I am kind of stuck on where to go now. Any suggestions to what I should do next since I am free and open to do so without judgement.
