pomegranateandivy:

I get the question a lot, of “Where do I start if I’m interested in Hellenic Polytheism?” and it can be a difficult question to answer. Sure, I link them to helpful posts, some good e-resources, and book lists, but that gives them a pile of info and doesn’t really tell them how to use it. So this is going to be me attempting to address the question of:

How do I get started in Hellenic Polytheism?

Modern Hellenic Polytheism is a lot of “build your own worship” with a few concepts that stay relatively stationary. So there is no one way to get started in

Hellenic Polytheism

. I’d say it’s important to gain an understanding of how worship and offerings work in Hellenic Polytheism though, as well as the “core concepts” that you can include in your worship at varying degrees of significance depending on what’s important to you.

If you don’t have specific theoi in mind that you’re interested in worshiping, then you can always “test the waters” with a few different ones, or even move through the theoi, learning about them and introducing yourself until you find someone that you’re really interested in. So, before we get into anything else, I’m going to link you to a post on introducing yourself to Hellenic deities. @Soloontherocks also has a post on basic Hellenic prayer that follows a similar formula. Related to the above, I also get a lot of questions about what you need for an altar or shrine, and here’s the link for that too. 

So, now that you know how to set up a shrine or altar and introduce yourself, let’s talk about how Hellenic Polytheism differs from other religions, and take a look at the concepts in Hellenic Polytheism. baringtheaegis has an awesome page of Hellenic terminology that’s useful for this.

One concept of Hellenic Polytheism that I don’t talk about often is Arête, which is the concept of doing your best and reaching your full potential. It ties into Hellenic Polytheism when you start looking at how your actions and accomplishments can be seen as testaments to the theoi and using the gifts they’ve given you to your full abilities. This obviously deals with the concept that talents and skills we have are gifts from the theoi, and not everyone is going to involve arete in their practice.

There’s also Eusebia and

Kharis. Eusebia is the actual worship of the theoi, and maintaining piety. Kharis is the idea that we give to the theoi and honor them, simply as thanks for their existence and presence in our lives. We build a relationship with a theos through these two practices. I don’t talk about them a lot, and I rarely use the proper terms for them, instead talking about the concepts. 

Another concept in Hellenic Polytheism is Miasma. Miasma is uncleanliness and a form of spiritual gunk that we get simply from being human. With Miasma comes Hagneia, or ritual cleanliness through the avoidance and cleansing of Miasma. I talk about several ways of cleansing and miasma in the post linked above.

The next concept I want to mention is Hubris. Now, if you’re not familiar with Hellenic Polytheism, you’re probably thinking that sounds like a very Abrahamic concept. Hubris in the Hellenic sense refers to putting yourself on the same level as the theoi. When Arachne claimed to be a better weaver than Athena by challenging the Goddess, that was hubris. Hubris is an offense to the theoi, and something that they will certainly let you know if you’ve done. 

And the last one I’m going to talk about is Xenia, and by extension Theoxenia. Xenia is guest right. It’s the idea that you need to be a good host, to be kind to your guests and make them feel welcome. There is a flip side to that where guests have a responsibility to be polite and thankful of their hosts, not taking advantage of the host. Xenia is an important part of my practice, since by inviting the theoi into my home and life through worship, I’m basically asking them to be my guests for a short period of time, and that’s when Theoxenia comes into play. It’s an embarrassment, a dishonor, and can be taken as a personal slight if you treat your guests poorly.

My suggestion for anyone starting out in Hellenic Polytheism, is to figure out your own system based on the above concepts, and more that you may discover through research. Starting with eusebia is an easy and effective way to feel like you’re actually starting on your worship. I recommend picking one topic, concept, or idea in Hellenic Polytheism to learn about at a time. Pick one thing, learn about it, research it till you feel confident explaining it to someone else (even if you still have stuff you can learn on it), and then move on to another concept while trying to figure out how the previous one fits into your worship. This isn’t going to be the right way for everyone, and there’s plenty I didn’t mention in this, but I hope it helps a few people who are looking at Hellenic Polytheism.

pomegranateandivy:

I see so many people ask about what’s needed on a Hellenic altar or shrine, so I thought I’d share what I do real quick, since I changed up the altars in my house today.

1. The Most important thing in my altars and shrines is a bowl, plate, or chalice for offerings. knotted-vines and I have purple wine glasses, carnival glass chalices with grape designs on them, a clear glass dessert bowl on a stem, and a tiny silver ashtray I picked up at an antique shop that has grape designs that we alternate as offering dishes.
2. The next thing I try to have at my altar is a representation of the deity that altar is dedicated to. For the two of us, this usually consists of flowers that are sacred to Dionysus or Persephone. For Dionysus we also add ivy, and will usually use an old wine bottle as a vase. We also have a jar of amethyst shards we’ve been collecting from Micheal’s for years, and we use that to represent Dionysus too. This doesn’t have to be an image of your deity. Aphrodite? Try using shells. Hera? Peacock motifs are popular right now. Athena? Owls, shields, books, the list goes on. Hermes? A nice pair of shoes maybe. 

Those are the two elements I try to always incorporate. When my altar was nothing but a little wooden box in the back of my closet, I kept my jar of amethyst and a shot glass in it. Those two things were all I needed to feel like I’d set up an altar. 

Some other items I like to include are still functional and important though. I’ll usually place either candles or an incense holder on my altar. They can be used in katharmos, and add a nice feel to any ritual I do. When I decide to use a candle instead of incense I will usually go with one plain candle that I’ll light while I cleanse the area. When I go with incense I like to use incense cones, but that’s just me.

I also have a nice pitcher that I can use to hold khernips, but I don’t typically include it at my altar. I’ll include it when I set the whole table as an altar, and add a bowl so you can do the whole thing where you pour khernips over your hands and the water goes into the bowl. Otherwise though, when I use khernips I’ll typically just make a bowl of it and wash my hands and face with that. I don’t think it’s necessary to have khernips at your altar though.

Everything beyond that is just regular old decoration. I’ll sometimes include an altar cloth if I feel like it. I may also include candles and lights that are just to look pretty, not to be lit.

If you are planning on using it as a shrine, then you don’t need to worry too much about leaving any free space. If you’re wanting an altar, then I recommend leaving enough room near the front of the altar that you can prepare a bowl of khernips there. If you can prepare khernips on your altar then you should have room to do just about any other altar work you may want.

pomegranateandivy:

Alright, I get this question a LOT. So I’m actually gonna go a bit more in detail than you probably need, and then link this in my FAQ.

So, you’ve been reading up on a deity, and you’re ready to introduce yourself! The specific details will vary depending on the practice you’re coming from, and the deity you’re approaching, but the basic ideas will (usually) be the same.

1. Set up a shrine or altar, this can be temporary or something permanent, it’s just a place to introduce yourself. Think of it like setting up for a skype interview with a potential boss. You don’t have to clean the whole house, just the area that they’re gonna be seeing 
2. Invoke the deity. This can be calling their name and asking them to join you. This can be hymns or even just something along the lines of “Okay, okay, so I’m really feeling a bit silly right now but here goes. Um, Deity? I have an offering for you, so yeah, it’d be great if you would receive it.”
3. Make an offering of some kind. I don’t believe you have to make an offering every time you interact with a deity, but as an introduction, it’s a good way to go, even if you just burn a candle or some incense in their honor.
4. Tell them why you think they’re awesome. You can list of their epitaphs you know, you can talk about how/why you’re drawn to them, ect… Just kind of let them know why you want to work with them.
5. You can ask for a sign of their approval, you can make a promise to do this again some time, or even just talk to them. If you do divination you can pull out some tarot cards or whatever you prefer and see if they’re willing to have a conversation.
6. Thank them and clean up.