Dodekatheist concepts

persephxxne:

• Hubris/Being “hubristic”:

Hubris is arrogance, feeling superior to the Theoi. It is translated as “overconfidence” or “pride”. In some myths hubris was punished like in the myth of Arachne. 

• Miasma/Being miasmic: 

Miasma is a difficult concept to define, as it depends on the way each one defines it. It´s similar as making a definition of “love” because each person will tell you different things. 

Miasma is translated as “pollution” and some of the Theoi find it really gross and maybe avoid it. I have to say that this is not the same as “sin” as this word is purely (I think, I don´t know too much about christianity, sorry) christian. It´s like when you were a kid and played in a really dirty place and then coming back home where your parents told you to take a bath before dinner. 

Miasma is the distraction from the Theoi and being mortal, and we need to cleanse ourselves before praying or giving Them offerings. 

This purification could be taking a bath and washing your teeth, cleaning the place where you are going to pray/give offerings/libations or it could be washing your face and hands before doing all that stuff. Take into consideration that some Deities don´t care too much about miasma and other care TOO MUCH about it and it all depends in the person too. 

For example, Hades doesn´t care about me being miasmic as He deals with human mortality 24/7 (maybe He´s used to it) but with other Deities like Apollo I have to clean myself because it looks like He avoids it. 

• Sophia:

(One of my favorite concepts ^-^)

Sophia is the pursuit of knowledge, learning about things that we like. Staying curious about everything and trying to be more and more wise each day. Again, how to practise this concept depends on each person, for example, learning languages is a way of practising this, also questioning everything that happens in the world and trying to understand it.

Why is this important? Well apart from fulfilling a part of our life and achieving personal growth, I think it´s important to achieve Arete (I will explain this later)

• Eusebia:

Eusebia is praying, giving offerings and pouring libations. It´s the relationship with the Gods and Goddesses.

Eusebia is being curious about a Deity and taking your time to research about that certain Deity.

• Kharis:

Kharis is the relationship that the Theoi have with us. When you ask for something to the Theoi and then you give Them offerings in return, that´s kharis.

• Xenia

Xenia is taking care of our hosts, it´s hospitality and having good manners with them and also being a good guest. This not only applies in your house or in other´s house, but also in a restaurant or in other place where there´s people. It´s known that the Theoi punished those who treat their host badly.

By the way, you don´t have to treat them well if they are a toxic person or someone who bullied you somehow. 

Also, you don´t have to practise this concept just to only please the Theoi, but to be a decent human being. 

• Khernips

Khernips is lustral water that you use in formal rituals, and you just need a match, letting it extinguish in the water. Some people dedicate more time and add other things, but I personally use water and the match. (Please, be careful!!)

• Libation

Libation is a liquid offering, can be water or wine or juice. Or you can pour water into a bowl as an offering. And, depending on who you ask, you can drink it or leave it there and respectfully clean the bowl. 

I don´t drink the libations, I simply pour water in a plant pot after a prayer as it is discrete. 

• Arete

Using those other concepts like Sophia, Xenia, Eusebia and Kharis you can reach arete. It´s trying to reach your full potential, honouring the Theoi by doing so.