Most of you probably know me as that one Psyche devotee, or that blog that info dumps about really niche ancient Greek practices.
I'm a third-generation witch who casts spells every now and then, and worships the Theoi. Astrolatry and Demonolatry are growing parts of my practice, but I'm still working it out. I venerate a whole laundry list of deities but I've devoted myself to Hermes for the last four years (06/14/22) and Psyche for two years (06/01/24).
Previously oathsworn to Psyche, partner of Hermes.
˚˖𓍢ִִ໋🌼🧿˚˖𓍢ִ🌿˚. asks = open / resource notebook / drama
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⠀⠀⠀ ⠀— Reconstructing the Arcadian Calendar (WIP) —
You should be warned that this reconstruction definitely has inaccuracies. I had to take a lot of personal liberties, most of which aren't backed by historical evidence.
To begin with, there's very little known about the local Arcadian calendar.
Sometime in the 2-century BC, many cities of Arcadia joined the Achaean League. As part of this coalition, the Achaean League's calendar was adopted and used alongside the local cultic one. Unsurprisingly, not much of either survived.
I've done my best to use the Achaean calendar as the foundation of this project and add the local Arcadian where possible. For the gaps that remain, I decided to incorporate parts of the Delphic and Attic calendars where it makes sense. Likewise, I've done my best to color-code what parts come from what calendars: standard text is Achaean, green is Arcadian, purple is Delphic, red is Attic and orange is Mycenaean/Macedonian.
Anything in blue is an unattested, personal liberty that I've taken.
COUNTING DAYS & WEEKS
For the everyday Arcadian, the exact date likely wasn't that important. When reconstructing a calendar, it's important to remember that most city-states used at least two calendars - one for civic purposes, and one for cultic tradition. In most cases, these calendars didn't match, and they certainly didn't match between city-states.
In antiquity, there was no such thing as a standardized calendar.
While leagues, such as the Achaean League, tried to enforce a uniform calendar to be used across all affiliated city-states, there was always going to be some level of variety.
Years started and ended according to local tradition. Every city-state had their own preferred way to keep track of the dates, and months often had names related to celebrated festivals in their specific areas. Broadly speaking, the average person didn't really have a reason to keep track of specific days.
There was no standard seven-day week like the one we are so used to.
From the first light of the crescent moon, a month lasted 29-30 days. The month would then be divided into three Decameron, periods of 10 days - or the ancient equivalent of a week. Each day ended with the setting of the sun, in which a new day could begin.
So rather than keeping an exact track of specific dates and numbers, it makes more sense that people let the moon phases guide them. Months began and ended with the crescent moon, and everything fell in place from there.
— 🌱 FIRST DECAMERON
The first Decameron was denotated as [number] + ίσταμένου (istaménou), which roughly translates to [number] day of - "the standing," "the waxing moon," "the beginning."
νουμηνια (nouminia) -> New Moon*
refers to the first light of the moon (crescent moon)
δευτέρα ίσταμένου (deutéra istaménou)
2nd Day of the Waxing Moon
τρίτα ίσταμένου (trita istaménou)
3rd Day of the Waxing Moon
τέτάς ίσταμένου (tétás istaménou)
4th Day of the Waxing Moon
πέμπτα ίσταμένου (pémpta istaménou)
5th Day of the Waxing Moon
έκτα ίσταμένου (ékta istaménou)
6th Day of the Waxing Moon
έβδομα ίσταμένου (évdoma istaménou)
7th Day of the Waxing Moon
ογδόα ίσταμένου (ogdóa istaménou)
8th Day of the Waxing Moon
ένατα ίσταμένου (énata istaménou)
9th Day of the Waxing Moon
δεκάτα ίσταμένου (dekáta istaménou)
10th Day of the Waxing Moon
δεκάται κατά σελάναν (dekátai katá selánan)
10th Day of the Moon
— 🌿 SECOND DECAMERON
Most of the second Achaean Decameron has been lost to time.
I've chosen to reconstruct this section using the Delphic Calendar due to it's similarities to the Achaean's, and their close proximity to each other. Similarly to the first Decameron, the second follows a pattern: [number] + και δεκάτα (kai dékata), translating to [number] day of the tenth.
In English, this can come across as very awkward and clunky, so I've opted to translate it just as the 13th, 14th, etc.
ένδεκάτα (éndekáta) -> 11th
δωδεκάτα (dodekáta) -> 12th
τρεισ και δεκάτα (treis kai dékata) -> 13th
τετταρες και δεκάτα (tettares kai dékáta) -> 14th
πεντε και δεκτάτα (pente kai déktáta) -> 15th
έκ και δεκτάτα (ék kai déktáta) -> 16th
έβδεμα και δεκάτα (évdema kai dékata) -> 17th
όκτ(ώ) καί δεκάτη (ókt(ó) kaí dekáti) -> 18th
έννεα και δεκάτα (énnea kai dekáta) -> 19th
έιχάς (éichás) -> 20th
— 🌾THIRD DECAMERON
The third Decameron follows the structure of the first almost exactly. [number] + άπιόντος (ápióntos), which roughly translates to [number] day of - "the falling," "the waning moon," "the end."
From the Achaean's Calendar, the 29th day has been lost. Similarly, the Delphic Calendar is missing the entire third Decameron.
I've chosen to reconstruct the 29th day using the old Attic/Athenian Calendar and introduce the concept of ενη καί υέα - the old and new [moon/month] into this calendar.
In the Attic calendar, ενη καί υέα represented the transition period between the ending of one month and the start of another. It was used during the new moon, which presumably lasted 2-3 days, depending on the month.
δεκάτα άπιόντος (dekáta ápióntos)
10th Day of the Waning Moon
άμφιδεκάτη (ámfidekáti) -> 21st
ένατα άπιόντος (énata ápióntos)
9th Day of the Waning Moon
ογδόα άπιόντος (ogdóa ápióntos)
8th Day of the Waning Moon
έβδομα άπιόντος (évdoma ápióntos)
7th Day of the Waning Moon
έκτα άπιόντος (ékta ápióntos)
6th Day of the Waning Moon
πέμπτα άπιόντος (pémpta ápióntos)
5th Day of the Waning Moon
τέτάς άπιόντος (tétás ápióntos)
4th Day of the Waning Moon
τρίτα άπιόντος (tríta ápióntos)
3rd Day of the Waning Moon
full: δευτέρα φθίνοντος (deftéra fthínontos)
hollowed: ενη καί υέα (eni kaí néa)* -> Old & New
τριακοστά (triakostá) / τριακάς (triakás) -> 30th
ενη καί υέα (eni kaí néa)* -> Old and New
ORGANIZING THE MONTHS
The Achaean calendar is structurally very similar to the Delphic calendar.
It had twelve total months, and was divided into two semesters or halves of six-month long periods. With the Delphic calendar, the choice to divide the calendar represented the seasons and the departure and eventual return of Apollo which punctuated the winter and summer seasons. It's my opinion that the semesters were likely used to show a similar departure and arrival of a deity, alongside the changing of seasons but more on that later.
On the Achaean calendar, the first six-months of the year were referred to as τάι πρώται έξαμήνωι (tái prótai éxamínoi), or "the first semester" or "the first half of the year." Unsurprisingly, the Achaean proper name for the latter half of the year has been lost to time. I saw it referred to as τδ δε λοιπδν (td de loipdn) or "the rest," however the information is too fragmented to say definitively.
If we continue to follow the Delphic tradition, the semesters would've been called πρώτη έζάμηνος (próti ézáminos) and δευτέρα έζάμηνος (deftéra ézáminos) translating to "first six months" and "second six months", respectively.
The Achaean calendar differs from the Delphic as none of the months have festival or deity-related names. Instead, the Achaeans used a numbered system and referred to the months as 1 through 12. This means we have no actual order for how the months occurred. From Arcadia, we know the local names of a handful of months: έκατόμβαιος (hekatombaios), παναγόρσιος (panagorsios), λεσχανάιος (leschanáios), Δῖος (dios) and λαπάτω (lapatos)³ with no discernable order.
The month of έκατόμβαιος (hekatombaios) has been attested elsewhere in Peloponnese, and makes sense in Arcadia. Etymology, έκατόμβαιος shares the same root with Ἑκατομβαιών (hekatombaion) - the first month on the Attic calendar.
In Attic, Ἑκατομβαιών referred to the grand sacrifice of 100 oxen to start the year. It was a large festival that was then followed by a massive public feast. In Arcadia, it was likely done in a similar fashion.
παναγόρσιος (panagorsios) refers to a specific month and festival in Tegea¹. In the month of παναγόρσιος, a πανήγυρις (panegyris) - or large public gathering, was held in Alea-Athena's honor on Mount Lykaion. During the festival, people from across the Peloponnese traveled to Arcadia to trade, give tribute, and otherwise mingle.
It's likely that the πανήγυρις was either trieteric and happened every three years or that it lasted a total of three days. The πανήγυρις was known as the τάι τριανβρί (trianbris)¹, too. It's been mentioned that the trianbris took place during the 7th month² of the year, although the information is too lacking to say definitively.
λεσχανάιος (leschanáios) is undoubtedly the most mysterious month out of the three.
It gets a mention in the "Inscriptiones Graecae," where someone mentions the seventh of λεσχανάιος - but there's not any other mention of the month. Assuming λεσχα comes from the word λέσχη (lesche) and λέσχαι (plural, leschai) then the month of λεσχανάιος and subsequent festival would be related to sitting in the sun idly and enjoying conversation among creatives. It could have been related to Apollo who bears the epithet λεσχηνόριος (leschenorius), or guardian of the meeting hall.
Δῖος (dios) is mentioned as a month in Arcadia. Δῖος is attested for in the Macedonian Calendar. On the Macedonian Calendar, Δῖος (later renamed to Kaisar³) starts the year sometime around the autumn/fall equinox (modern September).
along with the month of λαπάτω (lapatos), a month that originations from the Myceneans period, in Orchomenus.
In part due to the fact that the Achaean and Attic calendar share one month - and that month happens to be the first on the Attic calendar, I've decided to use the Attic calendar as my guide.
With that, I've chosen to mark the Achaean New Year with the first crescent after the summer solstice (modern July/August). I thought about creating names for the months and/or using existing festivals, but let's be real - there's no way I'll be celebrating monthly regardless. There's no evidence of any particular order, so I can only use personal preference and judgement to guide the next section.
πρώτη έζάμηνος / "FIRST SIX MONTHS"
πρώτος (prōtos) -> First
Modern July/August
έκατόμβαιος (hekatombaios)
δεύτερος (deúteros) -> Second
Modern August/September
τρίτος (tritos) -> Third
Modern September/October
Δῖος (dios)
τέταρτος (tétrătos) -> Fourth
Modern October/November
πέμπτος (pemptos) -> Fifth
Modern November/December
έκτος (éktos) -> Sixth
Modern December/January
λαπάτω (lapatos)
δευτέρα έζάμηνος / "SECOND SIX MONTHS"
έβδομος (hébdomos) -> Seventh
Modern January/February
παναγόρσιος (panagorsios)
όγδοος (ógdoos) -> Eighth
Modern February/March
ένατος (énatos) -> Ninth
Modern March/April
δέκατος (dékatos) -> Tenth
Modern April/May
ένδέκατος (endékatos) -> Eleventh
Modern May/June
δωδέκατος (dōdekatos) -> Twelfth
Modern June/July
λεσχανάιος (leschanáios)
[1] Chandezon, "Tegean Regulations for the Panegyris in Alea Athena’s Sanctuary," 59.
[2] Mahoney, "The New Arcadian Festival Calendar," 95.
[3] Hannah, "Ancient Greek Calendars," 138.
The strongest proof for the might and triumph of his [Dionysos] coming is his marriage at Athens with the wife of the Archon Basileus. This may have occurred on the same day of the Anthesteria on which he appeared as one who had sailed over the sea. Aristotle describes this act with words which convey the meaning of an actual marital union. . ., while the author of the Neaera speech speaks only of a wedding. . . We shall never ascertain what actually occurred here. That the divine bridegroom was represented by the Basileus, the rightful husband of the Basilinna, is not only unbelievable in itself, but the wording of our texts eliminates this possibility. There can be no doubt, however, that Dionysus was thought and felt to be present with overwhelming certainty. He whom the women attend, he who always has a favorite at his side, stepped over the threshold of his earthly home and took possession of the mistress of that house. The house in which the holy marriage was consummated, the Boukolion, was, according to Aristotle, formerly the official residence of the Archon Basileus. Aristotle knew what he was saying. Into the house, therefore, of the high official who had fallen heir to the title of the kings of old, the god set foot to claim the Archon's wife for his own. That is something quite different from the sacred nuptials of a god and a goddess celebrated in cult. . .
The Athenian Basilinna, however, does not belong to Dionysus in this way. She is not a woman whom the god has chosen as his companion, as was the case in Babylon—according to the express example of the Chaldeans in Herodotus. She is the wife of the distinguished official who has the name of king. Nor does she pay her respects to the god in his temple, but, on the contrary, he presents himself to her in the house of her husband, to make her his through his embrace. To say that "to a certain extent the whole community has been placed under the protection of her divine husband" through this act is to advance a hypothesis which is as arbitrary as it is meaningless. It is no better when others are of the opinion that this act was to bring fertility to the land. Dionysus puts himself in the position of king. He, the confidant of women, he, whose majesty is complete in the intoxicated gaze of the most beautiful of women, claims the queen in Athens, when he comes [emphasis added]
— Dionysus Myth and Cult / Walter F. Otto / p. 83-85
“The stranglehold of opinion impedes humans flourishing… the sage treads a middle path, where he neither takes up nor discards any view. He accepts the conclusions of those who are experts in their fields but treats them as provisional. ‘Not passionate, not dispassionate, he doesn’t posit anything as ‘ultimate’.”
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gentle reminder that your practice doesn't have to look like everyone else's. I haven't seen any evidence that the Theoi expect the exact same thing from everyone regardless of circumstance, or that they want us to over-extend or hurt ourselves in order to do things in the "proper" way. If anything, I've seen evidence of the opposite. If you need to adjust your practice do it: you deserve accommodations in your religious/spiritual life just as much as in other areas.
If all you can do is a prayer in your head, that's fine. If you oscillate between being able to do things constantly and only managing one offering a week, that's completely okay. Make khernips in a spray bottle. Use hand sanitizer or baby wipes instead of washing your hands. Offer the steam from your meal instead of burning a portion or leaving it out on your altar. Turn taking your meds into a devotional act. You can only offer once a month? Cool. Can't burn incense or scented candles because they're rough on your sensory issues? Perfectly fine. Whatever it is you need to do, do it. It's okay. If you're worried about it, you can always ask the gods. In my experience, and the experience of many others I've seen, they've been very understanding. Trying your best (sustainably, none of that "110%" bullshit) is enough. Existing as you are is enough.
I think I was meant to be back in this space and back in these shoes. I have reclaimed a thousand pieces of myself in a thousand ways, but coming back to this specific space, carrying this specific name, letting myself be vulnerable in ways I wouldn't have before. I think I was meant to reconnect with people who remind me of who I used to be and how deeply spiritual my practice used to be.
I changed a lot out of necessity, but I think I lost a lot too in the focus on academics and research. I feel like I've been given an opportunity to come back home to myself.
"Whether used to charm, seduce, confuse, teach, or transcend, music represents the raw, emotional force of creation. It disturbs, heals, transforms, and liberates. It is at once divine structure and dangerous freedom."
This is all very genuine and comes from a genuine place of curiosity!!!! I have a few questions for pagans :)
I’m a Christian, and mostly in school the religions they’ve briefly talked about, since they can’t teach specific religions in public school, they haven’t lingered much on paganism, and I don’t hear much about it outside of standard Greek mythology
I’ve also never met a pagan (that I know of) due to where I live not having many at all, so I’ve never been able to ask these questions to anyone. I’ve always been interested in mythology and ancient cultures, so I wonder about what it’s like to practice those religions. Mostly in this I’m referring to Hellenic polytheists, but any pagan or polytheist can answer.
PLEASE if I’ve used an offensive term or an uneducated one, please let me know and I’ll be happy to change it. I severely lack knowledge on this topic, so 100% tell me.
But anyway these are my questions :)
1.) do yall have any religious texts? Christians have the Bible, Jewish have the Torah and Talmund (and their other ones), the Muslims have the Quran, but I haven’t heard of one for pagans. If you do, what are they?
2.) how does your worship work? I’ve seen some people make shrines (if that’s the right term) but do you have temples for each god/goddess to go to on certain days, or just go whenever, or have any temples/churches at all?
3.) do you guys do similar things to “Wednesday night church” or “Sunday night youth”? I guess what I mean is like kids/teenagers getting together to worship?
4.) how does modern paganism compare to ancient paganism? Has anything changed drastically since (I figure some has to an extent, but curious)
5.) I won’t lie I think about this one a lot- do you have to like “pick” a god/goddess to worship, or do you have to worship all of them and know all of them. For monotheists it’s pretty simple, like know your guy, but for polytheists do you have to know like all of them and their stories? I have seen people talk about worshipping their goddess, but in the phrasing it almost implies that that’s the one in particular they focus on. I’m just curious how this works
6.) this is sort of a silly one, but briefly on the religious texts, would poetry by Homer for example be considered religious texts? Or is it more “Percy Jackson” telling stories with religious figures?
7.) if you guys do have places to meet and worship, is there specific clothing or symbols you have to wear? For Christians at church, we wear like nicer clothes and a cross necklace or jewelry, so do you guys have that for yours?
Again, all of this is coming from a place of genuine curiosity. I don’t know much about paganism, and in general I like to know the way other people live their lives since I’m part of the majority and live in such a bubble of people who are just Christians. If anyone wants to answer these, I’d really appreciate it and love to have a conversation :) if you’re younger than 25, feel free to dm me, but otherwise just reblog please
In Hellenic Polytheism, there's no religious text like a Bible or Torah.
Scholars and Academics have put in a lot of work and hours to provide a broad understanding of what actual ancient practice looked like, but all modern Hellenic Polytheism practice a reconstructed version, where the gaps are filled in according to personal preference, and chosen cultic traditions.
In antiquity, having a designated temple or shrine you could regularly visit was a luxury. In the present day, you'd be hard pressed to find a shrine local to you. Nowadays, most people have at-home altars or shrines where they pray, give offerings, etc. The regularity depends on the person and how often they chose to practice.
Modern Polytheism is a relatively lonely practice. You could find an online community somewhere to gather people - but finding a safe space in real life for a bunch of pagans to gather and practice is really hard. Moreso for children/the youth, who may not be able to freely say that they are pagan or believe in something other than what their family believes.
So much of ancient practice has been lost and just can never be recovered and what remains is very biased towards the affluent and social elites living in Athens. Comparatively, we know very little about how the average person (a merchant, a farmer, etc.) worshipped in the privacy of their own homes. In a way, yes - the modern practice looks vastly different from ancient ways but I think as people, we approach the gods with similar reverence. There's a big emphasis in the space to differentiate ancient practices and unverified personal gnosis (UPGs).
You definitely don't have to worship or even know all the deities. I only worship two and then give offerings to a handful of others as I remember them. I've only read the myths of the deities that interest me - meaning that there's a whole lot I haven't read and really have no interest in checking out.
It really depends who you ask. Homer, Hesiod, etc. are relevant because their literature reflect ancient sentiment towards the gods. It provides a story to go with symbolism and associations. It's different from Percy Jackson in the sense that there's something to be learned from the text, but it's similar in the way that they are both stories.
There's not universal rulebook. If you want to really be historically accurate then there are certain ways the ancients dress for worship depending on the gods they planned to honor, but for modern praxis, there's not really a guidebook for it. Everyone does what they please, for the most part.
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And idk, from my personal viewpoint, people don't have to love you or have very close relationships with you to help you with something. Sometimes they do it as a small act of kindness.
And i think , at least in my opinion, deities can do that too. Doesn't mean you shouldn't build a deep personal relationship with them, but that's not the only way of it. Sometimes they will give you a small blessing even if you just started worshipping them. They know we are mortal and less capable of some stuff, especially in this modern era. But when a deity sees that you need help with something, they will often help, maybe you don't realize it.
Idk, personally, when i find myself in a problem and it sometimes gets solved with an intervention of a deity, it does feel different in my experience.
This is written mostly from a perspective of a slavic pagan, but of course, it can relate to others too!
So much of my troubles have come from trying to force a sense of normalcy in abnormal situations. The average person isn't experiencing a deep spiritual connection with nature, or communicating with the spirits that inhabit it, or hearing the gods that surround us.
It's weird. It's not normal. It's a little bit strange, too. Does that make it wrong? Is it a crime to not conform to the standard? Sometimes it certainly feels like that.
When you reach a certain point in your journey with the gods/spirits there is no normal. Not many people will be able to relate to you because they aren't as invested in their craft/relationships as you. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's okay to have a weird/hard to explain relationship with magic and spirits/gods.
I have so many weird things happen now I have no idea who would even believe me besides my best friend. I would say do not let how others practice ruin your gods for you though! It happened to me and I regret it.
It feels like a constant war between wanting to find a community of like-minded people with similar experiences and understanding that the path that we are all in is so beautifully unique. I think I'm slowly settling into the idea of it, but sometimes it feels like we've been forever damned to keep those harder-to-understand aspects of practice tucked away in the shadows because other's just wouldn't understand.
I've been thinking about this lately too, because my practice is sort of hard to classify and doesn't fit very well into any one group, and a lot of my views & opinions are very different from what seems to be mainstream. and part of me definitely wishes that I could relate more to the community at large, but at the same time I love what my practice has become and I value the process of building it piece by piece in my own way. I'm sure it seems strange or difficult to parse for a lot of folks, but I don't expect (or want) most people to have every detail of the knowledge, experience, and values that led me here. I still try to share it, the parts of it I'm able to, because I think it's helpful to get an outside perspective - if only in the sense that knowing what I filter, translate, or omit in public generally points to the things I should be paying most attention to.
it can be lonesome, feeling like the odd one out, but I think almost everyone feels that way sometimes. there's no single, correct way to be a Hellenic (Norse, Egyptian, etc.) polytheist, or pagan, or diviner or magician or occultist - there are always rules, customs, norms, and trends, but they vary across time and place and are rarely static for long. at the end of the day, we're all just doing our best with incomplete information and our own fallible senses, and it's fine to not 'get' what someone else is doing and still respect and appreciate it. I think fear of receiving doubt or pushback prevents a lot of us from sharing, but facing that discomfort can be beneficial, too. I look at it as an opportunity to articulate and grow more secure in my beliefs, and I don't begrudge others their doubts when I myself am still coming to terms with a lot of my experiences. not that anyone is obligated to entertain feedback on their personal beliefs, but it also doesn't hurt to be capable of defending your positions!
I think fear of receiving doubt or pushback prevents a lot of us from sharing, but facing that discomfort can be beneficial, too.
This is the part I really need to internalize for myself. It feels like I've gotten so into my head about this hypothetical other that will tear me apart of sharing, that I'm terrified at the thought of being vulnerable on my main. You brought up a really good point - most people don't need every detail of your knowledge or experience. And, being able to defend your thoughts/to be questioned isn't the end of the world.
So much of my troubles have come from trying to force a sense of normalcy in abnormal situations. The average person isn't experiencing a deep spiritual connection with nature, or communicating with the spirits that inhabit it, or hearing the gods that surround us.
It's weird. It's not normal. It's a little bit strange, too. Does that make it wrong? Is it a crime to not conform to the standard? Sometimes it certainly feels like that.
When you reach a certain point in your journey with the gods/spirits there is no normal. Not many people will be able to relate to you because they aren't as invested in their craft/relationships as you. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's okay to have a weird/hard to explain relationship with magic and spirits/gods.
I have so many weird things happen now I have no idea who would even believe me besides my best friend. I would say do not let how others practice ruin your gods for you though! It happened to me and I regret it.
It feels like a constant war between wanting to find a community of like-minded people with similar experiences and understanding that the path that we are all in is so beautifully unique. I think I'm slowly settling into the idea of it, but sometimes it feels like we've been forever damned to keep those harder-to-understand aspects of practice tucked away in the shadows because other's just wouldn't understand.
I've been thinking about this lately too, because my practice is sort of hard to classify and doesn't fit very well into any one group, and a lot of my views & opinions are very different from what seems to be mainstream. and part of me definitely wishes that I could relate more to the community at large, but at the same time I love what my practice has become and I value the process of building it piece by piece in my own way. I'm sure it seems strange or difficult to parse for a lot of folks, but I don't expect (or want) most people to have every detail of the knowledge, experience, and values that led me here. I still try to share it, the parts of it I'm able to, because I think it's helpful to get an outside perspective - if only in the sense that knowing what I filter, translate, or omit in public generally points to the things I should be paying most attention to.
it can be lonesome, feeling like the odd one out, but I think almost everyone feels that way sometimes. there's no single, correct way to be a Hellenic (Norse, Egyptian, etc.) polytheist, or pagan, or diviner or magician or occultist - there are always rules, customs, norms, and trends, but they vary across time and place and are rarely static for long. at the end of the day, we're all just doing our best with incomplete information and our own fallible senses, and it's fine to not 'get' what someone else is doing and still respect and appreciate it. I think fear of receiving doubt or pushback prevents a lot of us from sharing, but facing that discomfort can be beneficial, too. I look at it as an opportunity to articulate and grow more secure in my beliefs, and I don't begrudge others their doubts when I myself am still coming to terms with a lot of my experiences. not that anyone is obligated to entertain feedback on their personal beliefs, but it also doesn't hurt to be capable of defending your positions!
I think fear of receiving doubt or pushback prevents a lot of us from sharing, but facing that discomfort can be beneficial, too.
This is the part I really need to internalize for myself. It feels like I've gotten so into my head about this hypothetical other that will tear me apart of sharing, that I'm terrified at the thought of being vulnerable on my main. You brought up a really good point - most people don't need every detail of your knowledge or experience. And, being able to defend your thoughts/to be questioned isn't the end of the world.
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I think pagans are very strong people. The lack of pagan representation, lack of temples, communities and overall acceptance of our religion hurts deeply. There is a reason why many people, including me, take big breaks from paganism. It is indeed very hard to stay consistent. The amount of doubts all of us are having when doing a certain practices is unimaginable, but we try, sometimes fail and try again. What I wanted to say is that no matter if you step away or feel like you are failing what you are doing is important . It keeps our religions alive and going. No matter how oppressed we are, we will not yield and we will continue to believe.
So much of my troubles have come from trying to force a sense of normalcy in abnormal situations. The average person isn't experiencing a deep spiritual connection with nature, or communicating with the spirits that inhabit it, or hearing the gods that surround us.
It's weird. It's not normal. It's a little bit strange, too. Does that make it wrong? Is it a crime to not conform to the standard? Sometimes it certainly feels like that.
When you reach a certain point in your journey with the gods/spirits there is no normal. Not many people will be able to relate to you because they aren't as invested in their craft/relationships as you. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's okay to have a weird/hard to explain relationship with magic and spirits/gods.
I have so many weird things happen now I have no idea who would even believe me besides my best friend. I would say do not let how others practice ruin your gods for you though! It happened to me and I regret it.
It feels like a constant war between wanting to find a community of like-minded people with similar experiences and understanding that the path that we are all in is so beautifully unique. I think I'm slowly settling into the idea of it, but sometimes it feels like we've been forever damned to keep those harder-to-understand aspects of practice tucked away in the shadows because other's just wouldn't understand.
