Talked to my friend about Hellenism today and they gave me some really good pointers/advice/reassurance etc because i am always ALWAYS second guessing myself about it 😭

Taping all of this to my FOREHEAD.!!!

traditionally in the old times offerings were either burned or buried, poured outside into and onto the earth. today most people can't do that due to lack of a garden. here are some ways you can dispose of offerings safely in my experience.

important thing is that you should collect trash selectively always if you are able ! and also think about the already insane food waste we all generate !

incense / candle / anything you burn : make sure the fire is fully out and the item is cold before throwing it out into the trash.

libation (wine, water, milk etc.) : you can dispose of water (water only!!) through house plants. other liquids once accepted / not in use should be poured down the sink.

food / edible offering : make sure it doesnt mold or rot ! once accepted / not in use anymore it should go to the communal trash. [if you dont like "throwing away" food you can donate food / ingredients to homeless shelters from what you have and don't need. and try offering other things than food for the Gods :]] this way you are helping out everyone ! also helping the helpless and poor is devotional in itself and just a nice thing to do !]

cut flowers, plants : once accepted / not in use anymore you should either dry them out or press them flat to preserve them. (it can be a nice home decor/permanent altar item)

seeds, grains : if they are still usable either plant them inside or scatter them during your next walk to feed the birds.

do NOT bury anything in house plant pots if its not composted, because it can rot and damage the plant ! always research eco-friendly ways from trustable sources !

please regularly dust off and clean your altar ! its both about respect and a clean sacred space ! spiders love altars with many items :p

All hail King Zeus. Master of the Heavens and the Skies. King over Olympus. Provider and Protector. Husband of the ever wise and beautiful Queen Hera, Queen of the Stars and the Family. Father of Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus among others. ⚡️

I'm going to tag my favorite pagan blogs in this post, which I really hope they don't mind, but nobody should feel obligated to reply to this, I just want to get what advise I can. I'm really sorry if this annoys anyone, please forgive me if it does.

My name is Tori, and lately I've been struggling with believing that I don't have the right as ask the Gods for anything because I feel like I can't give Them enough in return. I still live with my parents and the most common thing I can offer the Gods is incense, which I have a lot of, but it's hard to make libations, food or other bigger kinds of offerings because my parents will get upset. I also really struggle to do rituals or spells for the Gods, both because of my parents and also my own busy schedule and neurodivergent problems. Usually I'm fine with not asking for much when I give offerings, I try to show my respect and appreciation for the Gods more often than I make requests, but recently I've been going through a lot of things that I could definitely use some divine assistance with.

My Dad's health is deteriorating because of a severe genetic heart deformity that's literally killed his entire family (I swear I'm not exaggerating) and I've also been diagnosed with that exact same deformity so I'm paranoid about my heart giving out too soon. My Grandpa is also dying of cancer, I'm struggling to learn how to drive because my Dad was my teacher but he hasn't been able to teach me lately, and I'm trying to go to college while also working a job that pays me basically nothing (my average paycheck is less than $300).

Sorry for venting, but there's a lot of things I need help with right now, but I won't let myself ask the Gods for help because I feel like I can't offer anything substantial enough in return. How can I ask the Gods to save me from heart issues when the best I can offer is some frankincense and tears? I don't want to make requests if I can't give enough back in return. Does anybody have any advice for what I should do? I would appreciate any insight you can offer right now.

but it's also important to take the time to understand and accept that for many folks, especially those with unfavourable circumstances, that your love, thoughtfulness, consideration of them is enough. i am disabled, and i also live with very strict parents who would not hesitate to boot me out of the house if they saw i practiced demonolatry - most rituals are very difficult for me to complete due to disability, and equally if my parents saw me calling upon lucifer they would disown me and never speak to me again.

but in all my years of practicing, i have never had any spirit communicate to me that my love was inferior to a physical offering. physical offerings are an extra, a bonus if you will, especially considering i don't have a lot of money to spend on food + food is required to help with my chronic fatigue.

additionally, it's important not to consider a spirit to be so pompous that they would not understand your unique situation. spirits are better than that, and to force you into doing something that would put you in potential danger risks them losing you. at least, that's how i see it.

so all in all, i think they get it. i think they get you. i think they've known you for an eternity and more, and love you unconditionally as opposed to conditionally. they knew what they were getting themselves into, just as you had while learning about them.

it's important to remember that above all, your love and appreciation is so valuable. why can you taste love in cooking? why is laughter contagious? because love is the heart of everything, and if you love your spirits, that is giving a little piece of you to them - is that not a wonderful thing? to offer your heart itself?

⋆˚࿔ aphrodite loves your face no matter how much you pick at its flaws.

⋆˚࿔ apollo makes the sun shine for you even when you're at your lowest.

⋆˚࿔ artemis quiets the world around you when your aching body needs rest.

⋆˚࿔ ares watched every single atrocity that has happened on this planet so you wouldn't have to.

⋆˚࿔ athena tries to make you see the logic of getting better and not staying stuck where you are mentally when you've struggled too long.

⋆˚࿔ hades knows it's not your time yet.

⋆˚࿔ hermes has noticed you don't joke as often.

⋆˚࿔ hephaestus wonders if you'd find comfort in building things the way he does.

⋆˚࿔ nike is waiting for you to heal.

⋆˚࿔ hera would silence all of tartarus if it would ease your pain.

⋆˚࿔ zeus makes storms so you have reasons to stay in and rest when the world is far too much for you to handle.

⋆˚࿔ when hecate goes for walks with persephone, they discuss subtle little things to do to make you feel better.

⋆˚࿔ poseidon wishes you'd realize his oceans weren't as salty as your tears.

⋆˚࿔ dionysus gives your friends the idea to come over for a movie night and comfort you.

⋆˚࿔ eros constantly bothers his mother, asking if she'd help him find a lover for you and begging to know if it would ease your pain.

⋆˚࿔ asclepius nudges you towards finding help if things get that bad.

⋆˚࿔ the muses are there when you finally laugh at something you see, whether it's on TV, in public, with your friends or just on your fyp.

95% of my worship is listening to music as a devotional act and sharing my meals with the gods

Helpol is about what you do, not how you do it.

Most of my offerings are stupid things I find in my room or outside, i literally offered lady Epione a sonic plush

Lord Hermes rn, apparently: oooooooooo, you wanna give me some strawberry tea so bad, ooooooooo

aphrodite still loves aroace people

zeus still loves people who are scared of thunder

poseidon still loves people who can't swim

apollo still loves people who aren't musical

helios still loves people who sunburn easily

artemis still loves people who aren't virgins

persephone still loves people who are allergic to pollen

hades still loves people who are afraid of death

athena still loves people who aren't academic

ares still loves people who don't like to be angry

hephaestus still loves people who can't craft things

In fact, many Roman gods had different functions before they syncretised (got infused) with the Hellenic pantheon! For example, Mars used to be a protector of Rome and it's agriculture before he became associated with war due to his syncretism with Ares.

Plus, many deities have existed long before the city of Rome was even founded. For example Juno and Minerva: they're originally etruscan deities going by the names Uni (Juno) and Menrva (Minerva).

And also, some deities do not have an "equivalent" in the Hellenic pantheon. For example Janus, the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. Yes, he may be similar to Khronos, but no, he's not his "equivalent" (also since he exists since etruscan times).

for now; Father Zeus.

This is just my opinion as a huge consumer of pop culture and Hellenic practitioner. It’s OKAY to like seeing your deities in a secular form. What I mean is movies, music, games, whatever.

You’re an Epic fan and you legitimately worship Poseidon? That’s fine. You’re a Percy Jackson fan? Cool. Maybe Annabeth is your fav because your favorite goddess is Athena.

God of war player? Um. I’ve never played GOW so I don’t have one for that—but same deal.

There’s nothing embarrassing or worth judging about it. And let’s be honest, a lot of you probably got into Hellenic polytheism because as a kid, some modern retelling caught your interest! And that’s ok.

To me:

Aphrodite is pink and red

Athena is brown and pale green

Hermes is yellow and brown

Hypnos is blue