Born of Rhea, last of her children
A young god from the womb of an eldeer
Fathered by Kronos, king of the heavens
Of an era long gone now
Destined to be consumed were you
For your father feared the future
Not knowing he was the cause
Of his very own demise
Raised on Crete, that sacred land
Where spirits of the land were tasked with you
Fed the milk of Amaltheia, the goat
And kept hidden by the songs of the Kouretes
Destiny was no match for your mother saved you
A stone she gave your hungry father
Who subsumed it into himself
As he would have done to you
A young and powerful god you were
Told tales of your father’s guilt
And your mothers desperate gamble
You grew to beauteous godhood
Destiny once more exerted her power
You rose to high Olympus
And to your father presented yourself
A cupbearer to serve him as he ruled
A scheming god, wise and patient
A cup you prepared for your father
Herbs and spices in his beloved wine
To induce in him a need to set off your plans
Destiny spun its threads
And into the tapestry of life set your story
As god after god was born anew
From the father’s body expelled
With divine power and righteous anger
The children went to war with their father
From the depths others released
To fight for you in this holy time
Destiny wove your righteous actions into fate
The great mother advised you and yours
Thunder was forged for you
To win this holy war in the heavenly realm
The war won you took a wife
And betrayed the children of Earth
Whose weapons helped your cause
And into the dark pits did you send them
So Destiny once more turned its spindle
The threads once more she wove into life
A new perophecy, a new fate
One we pray will not come to pass
And so you rule, O Heavenly Zeus
God of the mountain peaks
Stirring the clouds to storming
Bearer of the thunder that none yet dare face
Many people believe that monotheism is inevitable - I actually believe #polytheism is inevitable.
The idea that the historical trend toward "oneness" is a theological event horizon in every religion doesn't make sense to me. Its plurality that's the ultimate state of existence and prior to creation: creation exists at the moment that a second thing comes into being in order to interact with the first, and no sooner.
So bc non-existence can't really exist, what does exist MUST be multiple.
When I started homeschooling my kids, I began a practice of offering to Odin just before we started lessons for the day. Odin is my god of wisdom: a teacher, a purveyor of life lessons, an orator.
I honestly felt sometimes that he would give me those bursts of inspiration that would help me to easily explain a difficult concept. While I had done some tutoring in college, I didn't have experience teaching children, so I wasn't sure I would be good at it. But Odin blessed me, because it turned out to be the best thing I have done with my life.
I still offer to him in the mornings a few days a week, and I still tutor here and there. At this point I consider myself a teacher, and I think that is a gift given to me by the Allfather.
One thing I like about the Norse pantheon of gods is that they are not as concerned with ‘respect’ as the gods of some monotheistic religions.
You can talk about them casually. You can take their names in vain, make jokes about their myths. You can depict them in cartoons; they might even find it amusing.
There's no promise of smiting or consequences for not being solemn enough. And if you don't love them or worship them, they're not out to make you. It means the relationship is more reciprocal; you get out of it what you put into it.
Menhit-Nebetuu the Divine Eye.
She is a large, primordial deity. Her consort is Khnum/Khnum-Ra. She has connections to the fields, plants, stars, and time. She is a combination of two goddesses, Menhit and Nebetuu. Just like Hethert and Sekhmet, these two are a angry and pacified combination.
Excited to share!
I worked on this book! A lot of love and care went into this. It has a lot to give! Anyone who is interested in the ancient Egyptian deities, this is for you. A life long reference. buy here: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738770796
Spring has truly come in (even though the chill is sticking a bit longer). Flowers, trees, animals, elements and more dance the season into being. What's more, the old teachers I had thought were done with me have returned. The support being offered to me by the spirits and deities at this time is deeply felt. However, the internal animal part of me wonders what this could all about. I hope this year is a good one.
Jaguar (and black panther) were one of my first teachers/protectors when I was just starting out. I find them coming back into my life and bringing with them a fierce inspiration and new lessons to learn.
Hail Freya, it's Friday!
Businesses don't close on Pagan holidays, unfortunately. So for today's #FridayPaganPoll I'm wondering what you usually do about work when they land during the middle of the week.
As Spring approaches, take a moment to put your hands on the earth, in soil, and remind yourself that from her you came and to her you will one day return. Therefore, you are part of her blessing to the world. #pagan#hellenismos#polytheism#gods#olympus#religion#prayer
Today as I was turning the clocks, it really felt like a ritual.
Since this is always a disruption, I wanted to incorporate it into ritual by making offerings to the Dagda. He is a god of time in the Welsh/Celtic pantheon, who restores balance to the seasons by playing his harp. It felt right after all the unseasonal weather.
We honor Astarte, an ancient goddess of sex, love, war, the chariot, and the horse. Who was brought to Egypt from distant lands and found a home there alongside the other deities. Becoming once of the wives of Set, who himself is connected to the creatures of the wild and untamed places. She is often depicted as a naked woman rising a horse holding some weapon, crowns may vary.
The priestess.
The temple she serves.
The people and the gods she loves.
Having given up her only child and her very identity to become a priestess in ancient Crete, an idealistic young woman struggles to find meaning in the day-to-day life of the temple; but when she is chosen to be the next High Priestess, she must call on both mystical and practical skills to protect her people from the encroaching Mycenaeans, who want to destroy the Minoans’ way of life.
In these pages you'll find the pantheon, rituals, symbols and practices of Ariadne's Tribe, an inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition.
With a pantheon headed by a triplicity of mother goddesses who embody the three sacred realms of land, sky, and sea, Minoan spirituality calls us to remember a time when women were valued as equals to men, when the Great Mothers took care of all their children (all means all), and when the sacred touched every person every day of their lives.
Minoan spirituality is so relevant to our times, when we’re doing our best to move forward and away from inequality and oppression.
I've been slowly making my way through Walter Burkert's Greek Religion for the first time. I just finished the section on mysteries, about which I knew little. I have no idea why, but I left the section feeling a little creeped out. Something about how he described some mindsets of the mystery (as distinct from polis) cults reminded me of today, and not in a good way. One of the paragraphs even made me think of incels. 😳 Definitely need to do some more reading to wash that away.
Anyone have favorite recommendations to learn about Greek (Roman, Egyptian too, but definitely closer to antiquity than medieval and later) mystery cults?
I have Hugh Bowden's Thames & Hudson text and Michael Cosmopoulos' work on the archaeology in my own collection. Should I next try Burkert's dedicated work on the mysteries? Anything else? Journal articles? Scholar specialists?
When Tlaozolteol presents the beheaded corn snake, a metaphor for desire - She is showing us its sacredness. Even the corn snake bleeds the sacred fluid.
In opening the snake, She reveals its inner divinity.
In opening the snake, She makes us and our desires whole.
Most pagans celebrate the cycle of the seasons. The thing about circles is that they don't really have an end/beginning, so everyone has their own idea on when a new cycle begins for them.
What day do you consider the seasonal ‘New Year’ in your practice?