Witchy Sh!t

Witchy asks

Do you believe in ghosts and spirits? Any experience with them?

What do you believe happens to us after we die?

How would you describe your personal beliefs/path/practice?

Do you think life is guided by fate, free will or a mix of both?

Do you think dreams have meaning? If so, have you had any meaningful ones you can remember?

Do you carry any good luck charms/talismans on you? How did you get them if so?

Do you believe people can feel the energy others have? If so, do you think you're good at doing so?

Are there specific celebrations you observe (eg. Sabbats.)?

What deities do you worship (if any)? Can you talk about how you connected with them?

What tools do you think are the most important in your practice?

Do you have any stones you favor? If so, which ones?

Ignoring birth month associations, is there an element that you most heavily identify with? Why?

Do you prefer doing spells that are cast and then forgotten? Or do you prefer longer lasting ones, like jar spells, that you keep around?

Is there anywhere spiritually significant to you that you'd want to visit someday?

things will not always make perfect logical sense because the divine is not necessarily confined to earthly logic.

"Bury it outside your front door" I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT, I CAN'T DO THAT!

You can usually find books on witchcraft, yes, but there’s also field guides on local foraging and wildlife, cookbooks, books that teach you how to craft and DIY, books about environmental protection and stewardship, books on how to use herbs medicinally, books about other religions, cultures, and spiritual practices. My favorite local library even has a seed swapping program and fantastic resources to research your own family history!

Four Leaf clovers are very special to me, I've always wanted to find some of my own, Because I'm housebound because of my disability I decided to grow clover this year and hopefully grow my own four-leaf clovers. I ended up successfully growing two so far and they are my first ever naturally found 4 leaf clovers. I sacrificed one for a recent spell, And it worked fucking amazingly.

Can we please stop using AI images.

There is plenty of art of the gods, plenty of statues, plenty of fan art, PLENTY OF CONTENT.

STOP GENERATING AI CONTENT. IT IS GROSS. THE GODS WOULD NOT APPROVE.

This is your annual reminder that “The 7 Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism” were not made in antiquity. They hold no true binding to Hellenic Polytheism as a religion as these Pillars were not followed in Ancient Greece—Or at any time until the last decade or so

They are, of course, nice to have in mind, and everyone should be kind and humble when necessary, but I’m honestly kind of tired of hearing that these Pillars are “foundational” to the religion or included in “Helpol basics” posts

A man named Timothy Jay Alexander initially created these Pillars, and while he took inspiration from Ancient Greek philosophers, he very much was not one himself

He’s known to be intolerant of Revivalist views of Hellenic Polytheism, and because of his strict Recon perspective, believes that queer, ill and disabled people cannot or should not be allowed to hold the title of Priestx (link)

You are allowed to hold yourself to standards like the Pillars, but acting as though they are actual rules of Hellenic Polytheism, or, Gods forbid, pushing them on others, is so disheartening to see

Just because something has a Greek name, doesn’t automatically make it authentically Helpol or from antiquity

The closest thing from antiquity that we have like the Pillars are the Delphic Maxims, honestly

Anyway. Do you what you like, but this is just some information for those of you who are unaware

like as a non binary person it drives me nuts bc,, are you forgetting about dionysus androgynos and hapi

I think I've mentioned before that I love cleaning. I mean, don't get me wrong- if my home just stayed clean all the time without intervention, that would be the dream. But, for me, it's easy to really let everything else fall away while I clean, and that makes it that much more natural for me to weave a little extra magic into the mundane tasks.

One of my favorite ways to do this is by blessing whatever I'm using to clean with. It's a simple process. I'll pause and hold whatever I'm using in my hand. Duster, rag, mop, whatever. Then I set my intention. I remind myself that this isn't just about cleaning away physical dirt and dust. I ask that it helps me to cleanse away stagnant energy, lingering tensions and anxieties, and anything else that doesn't belong.

1. Beginnings Prehistory-900 BCE | "Greece's Earliest Cultures"

Chapter one starts out talking about the two cultures people tend to think of as the "precursor" or "ancestor" cultures of Ancient Greece— the Bronze Age Minoans & Mycenaeans.

By the start of the Early Bronze Age (c. 3200-2050 bce), distinct regional and cultural identities had emerged on Crete, on the Greek mainland, and in the Cyclades. (page 16)

Something I hadn't realized about these two cultures was how far apart they were despite being similar. As you can see on the timeline the first Minoan palaces are built c. 2000 bce while Mycenaean palaces started around c. 1470 bce. In fact, multiple Minoan palaces had been destroyed by natural disasters prior to the Mycenaeans even constructing theirs.

Both cultures had a palace-centered society and economy which is probably why I didn't think of the time difference.

Minoan palaces— the centers of consumption, storage, production, administration, and ritual that emerged around 2050 bce at places such as Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia... (page 16)

If the palace is a store house, government center, and religious center then it is easy to see how a natural disaster wiping one palace out could spell the downfall of that entire settlement. I also ponder about the hierarchy of the palace system; it seems almost like the ultimate wealth disparity— the palace has it all and the "commoners" are at its mercy. The book doesn't mention much more about the palace system yet. It's clear from table of contents it will (probably) elaborate.

Mycenaean culture was indebted to the Minoan model and to the weaponization of Minoan culture by competing mainland elites pursuing power and status. Organized societies emerged around 1420 bce, as competition abated with the consolidation of authority among a successful few groups, such as those occupying Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos. The palace centers that developed at these sites and elsewhere housed an administrative hierarchy with a ruler, or wanax, at its head. The system endured for around 200 years before implicit vulnerability and external pressure—likely from natural disasters, problems with long-distance trade, and opponents of the palace system—brought about its downfall. (page 16)

In this map I love how it differentiates Minoan palaces and Mycenaean Palaces it gave me a good visual conception of the palace system "spreading". I also didn't know the Minoans had a presence on mainland Anatolia in Miletus.

I think the trade lines—if you tilt your head to read them each—really showcase how the eastern Mediterranean Sea flanked by Greece and Anatolia (as well as Levant and Africa off map) really where a trading center of multiple major civilizations and the "crossroads" of Afro-Eurasia.

one of my absolute favorite things about being a hellenic polytheist is that the gods love you no matter how you identify.

like you're trans? cool, we have a god of people who fall outside of gender norms and people questioning gender (not that trans people are confused!).

you're gay? amazing, they accept all kinds of love.

oh, you're disabled? one of our gods is disabled too!

you're a therian? the goddess of wild animals would love you!

and there's no debate about it either. it's just truth that they love everyone.

hestia

comfort food feast - every participant brings their comfort and favourite food

breakfast for dinner feast - make pancakes, sandwiches, omelettes, and everything else that you usually eat for breakfast, and best of all, add coffee to that

pizza making feast - make a station for making your own pizza toppings

soup night feast - soup, soup and more soup

hera

culinary challenging feast - learn a new difficult recipe with your friends and then taste it together

zeus

back in time feast - each course comes from a different decade or time period

demeter

garden harvest feast - everything is prepared with fresh and seasonal vegetables, drinks are fruity

persephone

vegetarian/vegan feast - self-explanatory, vegetarian and vegan options only

hermes

around the world feast - each piece of the dinner represents a different country

street food feast - recreate your favourite street food

dionysus

wine and cheese feast - featuring a little wine/mocktail tasting and a few charcuterie boards full of snacks matching the wines

cocktail/mocktail making feast - prepare a little station for making drinks and, of course, a lot of snacks

poseidon

seafood feast - dishes where seafood is the main point

I have not committed sin.

I have not committed robbery with violence.

I have not stolen.

I have not slain men or women.

I have not stolen food.

I have not swindled offerings.

I have not stolen from God/Goddess.

I have not told lies.

I have not carried away food.

I have not cursed.

I have not closed my ears to truth.

I have not committed adultery.

I have not made anyone cry.

I have not felt sorrow without reason.

I have not assaulted anyone.

I am not deceitful.

I have not stolen anyone’s land.

I have not been an eavesdropper.

I have not falsely accused anyone.

I have not been angry without reason.

I have not seduced anyone’s wife.

I have not polluted myself.

I have not terrorized anyone.

I have not disobeyed the Law.

I have not been exclusively angry.

I have not cursed God/Goddess.

I have not behaved with violence.

I have not caused disruption of peace.

I have not acted hastily or without thought.

I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.

I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.

I have not worked evil.

I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.

I have not polluted the water.

I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.

I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.

I have not placed myself on a pedestal.

I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.

I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.

I have not taken food from a child.

I have not acted with insolence.

I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.