I Did Not Touch A Physical Spell Component (other Than Paper And Pen For Sigil Work) For The First Year

totally agree there’s tons of stuff out there! let me further rephrase:

I work a lot 😂 kitchen jobs I can’t churn through audio versions of texts because no headphones, and while I do my best to read things, it takes me considerably longer to complete research than I would like.

I more was seeking your opinion and thoughts as a fellow practitioner looking to expand my knowledge! I always ask for help where I can, worst case scenario I don’t get it! but if I can give myself the leg up with peer review, i’ll always take that opportunity

so as a fellow long term hellenic polytheist (around 10 years of loosely dedicated practice) who has recently (1 year) decided to crack down and get more serious about learning the actual texts… what do you think is the best to start with?

we’ve all been inundated with tumblr terms for years, and when you learn the concepts with bad vocabulary, it’s hard to drop. it’s easier to replace. so what terms have you seen that you would recommend for the practice of decentrifying the tiktok/media-based “knowledge” that we all drown in everyday?

if there’s no specific terms, do you have any recommendations for sources that specifically helped you reach this point in your practice?

thanks for actually making this a conversation and entertaining my questions!

I hate a lot of terms adjacent to HelPol spaces. So many of them are indicative of 1. Being raised with Christianity 2. Lack of deconstruction of those beliefs and 3. Utter lack of research (what I call Tik-tokisms)

I do not like the terms deity, misuse of the term “altar”, ever using patron, “my gods or goddesses”, devotee, “reach out” (as in a spirit is reaching out), “talking to the gods”, offending the gods.

I’ve got some REALLLY unpopular opinions about Ares, some primordial spirits, Khaos, like.

I am selective about the term “god”, (Theos and Theoí are commonly more appropriate to my conversations). I’m also slightly apprehensive around the phrase “work with”, but that being said I don’t care as much.

Look! It's a Hypnos devotee running in with a message!

You are not a bad person for finding it difficult to go to sleep. You are not a bad peron for finding it difficult to wake up. You are not cursed by Hypnos or Morpheus of the Oneroi for having nightmares. You have not displeased them for not having or not remembering your dreams. Just because you had a nightmare or couldn't get to sleep does not mean you've angered any gods. You are human. Your mind still works on it's own accord. Yes, even if you prayed that night - yes, even if you're a devotee - yes, even if you give offerings - yes, even if they are your patrons - you are not expemt from science. Of course things can have spiritual meanings, but not everything does. Hypnos loves you. Morpheus loves you. The Oneroi love you; no matter any sleeping disorders or issues you may have. Stay safe and mundane before magical my friends.

[jerking off motion] look who acted disharmoniously with the oneness of all things

whoever said healing was a never-ending process can take a seat for a second, because i have something to say.

no, healing doesn't stop. but it's not linear either. take breaks from your healing.

you can't work out at the gym 24/7, you'd pass out and eventually die on the gym floor. you have to stop for food, water, bathroom breaks, and sleep bare minimum, not to mention that exercising outside of every bodily function WOULD kill you. you have to have days you don't go to the gym. why would deconstructing be any different?

if you are unpacking trauma and healing old bad habits, you have to have days where maybe you don't make considerable progress, but you take some time to feel good about the progress you've made already. maybe you sit outside for a bit and think about how you would have dealt with current situations as the old you vs how you handle them now. what has changed, about your surroundings and you?

recognizing your progress is just as an important part of growth as the growth itself is, and if you don't take some time to rest and heal from the healing, you will have no strength left to tackle those dark parts of you.

rest. take a breath. revel in your success so far, and get back up the next day. it's okay to pause and catch your balance before you stumble.

It's okay to take a break from deconstructing growing up in a cult and being terrified with the teachings of Christian fundamentalism and evangelicalism right?

I just need some reassurance because I feel like a failure because I'm so emotionally overwhelmed between this and my job.

tape can be taken down. a gluestick is more transportable, lasts longer, and cannot be peeled off once soaked into the paper.

question! if a workplace is violating labor laws (which they often are) is there anything that prevents an employee from:

printing out copies of the laws being violated, maybe with helpful highlights/summaries

(and a helpful reporting hotline, if possible)

taping these signs anonymously in the employee bathroom stalls

i know retaliation is something many workers worry about, but bathrooms at least still don't have security cameras. so is this a practical and anonymous thing to do? and if so, why isn't it more common?

Zeus has a lot of epithets.

Most of them about power, law, storms, kingship. Things you’d expect from the king of the gods.

But Zeus-Lekheatês stops me in my tracks. It’s one of the most unexpectedly tender epithets he has.

The name Lekheatês comes from lekheion, which refers to the bed where a woman would give birth. So Zeus-Lekheatês is, in essence, Zeus as the god of childbirth. The god who protects women during labor. Which, if you really think about it, is wildly fascinating because it’s so unlike the usual way Zeus is framed.

Birth was dangerous in the ancient world. No epidurals, no modern medicine. Just blood, pain, and the gods’ mercy. A mother could die. The baby could die. It was a moment of pure vulnerability, teetering on the edge between life and death. And here’s Zeus, not just presiding over grand cosmic fates or battles or oaths, but over this. Over the most raw, intimate struggle of all. Over the act of bringing life into the world.

And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Zeus is, above all else, the god of balance. The one who maintains order, who ensures the cosmos doesn’t spiral into chaos. And what is birth if not the ultimate balance between life and death? A single moment where fate could tip either way? Zeus doesn’t just decide who wins wars, he decides who lives, and that includes the smallest, most fragile of beginnings. It’s an aspect of him that feels strangely human, almost gentle. It’s not the Zeus of the thunderbolts or the one swearing unbreakable oaths on the Styx. It’s Zeus as a guardian. A protector.

And if that doesn’t change how you see him, even just a little, I don’t know what will.

mr steal your girl or whatevr

the Dude will always be the world’s buddy but will also just leave if he wants to be alone and I can never not respect the confidence in this age

also your magic concepts are dope af!