#thargelia5

So due to the circumstances we face in the year 2020, or year 3 of the 699th Olympiad, I have been partially unable to celebrate Thargelia nor Beltane. I couldn’t veil, couldn’t bake things, couldn’t wear my symbolic clothing, fast, or offer things. 

However, instead of focussing on what I couldn’t do, it’s better to focus on the things that I did do. 

I was really excited because this year Beltane and the second day of Thargelia fell on the same day. However due to the circumstances my plans kind of fell apart and honestly for Beltane I didn’t really do anything, except for reading about Beltane and thinking about it throughout the day to still honor it. 

Beltane is also celebrated by the fae and other species of the fair folk. I couldn’t go out and buy flowers so I couldn’t really do anything. But since it’s seen as the start/ high point of spring and I was outside in the garden, to be honest only for a few seconds but okay, it’s still good that think about it. 

For Thargelia:

On Artemis’ day I started off by undergoing catharsis (purification) by washing up and putting on clothes. Then I created pharmakoi (representing the two scapegoats) by writing down the two things about me and my life that I wanted to get rid of. For this year particularly I wrote down

- selfdoubt about choices I make regarding the future, since that had been bothering me a lot, especially this year, now that I had to make some important decisions in university, and in general I had been plagued by self doubt, specifically regarding my future and future related decisions. 

- sickness, which I wanted to get rid of for myself and the entire world with the situation we’re facing now, and my personal health had been a bit bad this year so I definitely wanted to get rid of that. 

Then I also recited some homeric and orphic hymns to Artemis and Leto. 

On the second day of Thargelia, Apollo’s day:

I listened to music, as I usually do, but today especially I thought of Apollo whilst listening to and enjoying music since he is a deity associated strongly with the arts including music, so in order to honor him and as a sort of offering. Besides that I recited hymns to Apollo. 

So although unfortunately this Thargelia was how I had imagined it, I did do things that were possible for me given the circumstances and I did it with a sincere and devoted heart and mind, so I am happy about it. 

On both days I also studied religious things, about paganism, beltane, holidays and dodekatheism/ hellenismos which is always a good thing to do in order to grow as a person in your religious devotion and knowledge and also as an offering and honor to the deities.