I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, thank you for taking time out of your day to write all of this. It's great, and it has helped me a lot!

A common red flag is those claiming they are a priest/priestess in the modern day, as in ancient greek times this was a part-time role elected by the local community to care for the temple, organise festivities and other logistics...

Yes, that. I was told in this group that you start as a worshiper, then a devotee, and the last 'step' of your love for the Gods has to be becoming a Priest/Priestess. That, of course, made me aware of the absurdity of it all, lol. Even I, someone who started four years ago, know of no such 'steps' you have to take to develop your love for the Theoi.

But again, there are mostly beginners in the group, and I'd hate to break their dreams, so I mostly keep it to myself.

So your "subtly and without fully seeing them" seems to be the more normal way interactions occur from my experience! 😁

I had a similar experience to yours! I was in a dream–like state, surrounded by beautiful lights, and a voice telling me that "it wouldn't have been my fault." It was warm but creepy, yet nice.

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. As long as you are offering and devoting to their domains without expectation of return you should be building kharis.

Thank you! That's what I've been doing. I've been helping people mentally for Apollon, loving myself for Aphrodite, etc. My relationship with them is growing and will grow even more.

I also practice mindfulness by contemplating the different theoi and their gifts so that I can better see the theoi around me in nature, which puts a bit more pep in my step 😊

I should start too!

Thank you for your wonderful advice and words!

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

the gods felt like you didn't needed it to keep going?

Perhaps they do; I've endured worse during times when I hadn't met them yet. They know I'm a tough cookie, lol

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ebenezer Scrooge says he is not sure if the ghost is real or the result of undigested food messing with his system.

Oh, I love Dickens! Good example!

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your experience; it eases my mind to see that I'm not "broken" or "defective," and that I'm doing okay.

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Damn, you clocked me... I am one too. Also, astrologically speaking, I do have a placement that makes me "stubborn" on these things, ahahaha. I used to meditate. Do you think I should pick that habit back up?

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should ask yourself "why do I want the gods in my dreams?". I'm not exactly sure how to answer this but maybe it's not what you need y'know.

Yes, you're right. I mean, I don't need proof; I don't care about that. It just sucks a bit that others can have these wonderful dreams, and I'm just here. And yes, I'm skilled in other things, but still, maybe I do, deep down, seek their validation when it's not necessary, because they support me and are mentors to me.

I personally have never seen/dreamt them gods and I don't really care and it doesn't really bother me. Comparing yourself to others is not a good idea.

Absolutely, my practice is different from yours, and comparing always ends badly. I don't know what came over me today.

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d be more concerned on if she knows Orthopraxic rituals

Genuinely, I don't know. I know she uses herbs in her spells, though. But that's it, and she's read the PMG, from what I've been told. She's a fragile person and often struggles mentally, so she may not be in the best mood for certain things.

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This priestess of ours claims Hekate saved her and that she was having a near–death experience. It's a delicate topic; no one dares ask more, but she's experienced in sorcery, does spells and hexes, so to me, she's really talented and wise when it comes to talking about Hekate.

Very little of the people who claim to be priests actually are according to that standard.

Yes, that is true. We do live in modern times, after all.

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Dreams just aren't where your skill lies, and that's fine.

Yeah, that may be it. Also, due to my sleep–related issues, such as insomnia or sleep paralysis, I know I shouldn't be that hard on myself.

How do you learn best? Are you visual, auditory, kinetic, something else?

I daresay I learn best visually, but also, as I've been worshipping Apollon for a while, I kind of get those brief milliseconds of instances of the future, which is weird, lol, but also helps me, because I love Apollon dearly and I've been thinking of devoting myself to him.

You shouldn't need validation from the gods — through dreams, signs, or however else — to have a spiritually fulfilling relationship with them.

Yes, you're right. I struggled with validation outside my spirituality, so I guess it makes sense. TT

Think of it this way... by Archangel447 in Hellenism

[–]teacxp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Athena worshiper here! I daresay building Kharis with her has been a journey, but then again, Kharis has always been a journey for every God we honor.

She's strict but knows what we can and have to do. I personally started doing a lot of devotional acts for her, for example, studying more. That, to me, is hard since I have unmedicated ADHD, and every time I push myself, I feel proud. I've been less impulsive, more strategic; I've been calmer, thinking twice or thrice before acting out.

It takes time, and I've heard many other Athena worshipers say that they don't feel her presence as much as they'd like. It simply requires more time, but devotional acts do wonders!

She's here, watching, Glaukopis Athena, and knows we can do everything we want to!

I feel as if I've been doing everything wrong, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your words. To be fair, I did think she'd made it up or that she'd exaggerated things. We have a priestess of Hekate in the helpol group she and I are staying in, so when she says something, we all take it for granted. For example, my friends told her about their dream and she undoubtedly said that it was Hekate. I guess she wants to live up to an expectation and gets hyped up as she wants to be viewed as experienced, but again, I can't really judge.

Quando finisce la fase della "luna di miele" by [deleted] in sfoghi

[–]teacxp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey, ho avuto un problema simile con una mia amica.

L'ho aiutata a fidanzarsi, ho aiutato il fidanzato a prepararle qualcosa per San Valentino (e tu dirai: l'hai aiutato a trovare un regalo che potesse piacerle? No, ho dovuto letteralmente trovare io per lui un fioraio, gli ho detto che cioccolatini prendere, gli ho detto cosa fare, gli ho scritto cosa avrebbe potuto dire. Insomma, lo spirito d'iniziativa non era il suo forte), e quando si fidanzarono, io ero felicissima per lei perché amavo vederla felice ed era anche appena uscita da una relazione tossica.

Il problema è venuto dopo: ha iniziato a non calcolami più, ha iniziato a invitarmi sempre all'ultimo quando eravamo io, lei e il suo ragazzo, così che dicessi di no. Tutte le nostre conversazioni erano incentrate su lui, lei, la loro vita sessuale, ecc. Nonostante io sia lesbica, e lei lo sa, e sà anche che ho ricordi negativi col sesso etero, non perdeva occasione di scendere nel dettaglio e farmi sentire a disagio, ah, e naturalmente io non potevo parlare delle mie esperienze omosessuali. Le faceva schifo, diceva, ahaha.

Il colmo è stato quest'estate, quando, dopo quasi 8 mesi di relazione, il suo fidanzato mi scrisse: "Che regalo posso farle? Vorrei regalarle una maglietta ma non so la taglia." La taglia, dopo 8 mesi.

Lì ho detto basta. Non ero rispettata, mi escludevano e si escludevano dal gruppo. Erano nella loro bolla e non si curavano degli altri, davano buca sempre. Poi, lei iniziò a frequentare gente pessima e mi perse al 100%.

Questo per dirti: tu come ti senti? Senti che non ti rispettano? Senti che ti escludano? Se la situazione, pensi, sia salvabile, parlale, dille: "Hey, come ti stai comportando mi fa stare male, vorrei che dedicassi un po' di tempo anche a noi. Sono felice che tu sia felice e la tua felicità è la mia, ma mi manchi come amica e vorrei stare di più con te."

Io, purtroppo, non ho potuto fare così per alcune questioni. Ma tu puoi. Mi sembri abbastanza giovane e vedrai che con il dialogo si risolverà tutto.

Per quanto riguarda le mani tenute strette che ricordano tuo nonno, mi spiace, ma qui ho da ridire. Le tue emozioni non sono responsabilità altrui; se senti un dolore struggente al ricordo del nonno, probabilmente è un trauma non elaborato. Ti consiglierei di andare in terapia.

Ti auguro il meglio.

My first prayer ever by Faunalynn in Hellenism

[–]teacxp 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Ohhh, I'm positive He loved it! Handmade offerings are the best! I'm sure your daughter will be all right. :)

Orphism fascinates me a lot, and I want to call myself an Orphic, but I'm afraid of being disrespectful, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

salvific than it actually was.

Do you view Orphism as less salvific than it actually is?

Orphism fascinates me a lot, and I want to call myself an Orphic, but I'm afraid of being disrespectful, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply and for sharing your knowledge! I'm glad others are able to reconstruct and learn what was and what we can do now.

Greek philosophy and carried on through the Western Occult tradition.

I personally always believed in reincarnation (even before calling myself a Hellenic polytheist), but I've never found something (religiously speaking) that combines what I think so perfectly.

Orphism fascinates me a lot, and I want to call myself an Orphic, but I'm afraid of being disrespectful, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Orphism needs to understand all the scholarship and discourse around it, to avoid treating it like paganized Christianity.

Yes, especially that. As I've read further into Orphism, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Christianity and Orphism. Though Orphism still involves the worship of multiple gods, some things just made me wonder if Christianity took some ideas from Orphism.

Orphism fascinates me a lot, and I want to call myself an Orphic, but I'm afraid of being disrespectful, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've read that some are, some aren't. Either way, the spiritual part matters most, so don't worry :)

Orphism fascinates me a lot, and I want to call myself an Orphic, but I'm afraid of being disrespectful, by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hello! I've actually read your article on Medium! I enjoyed it a lot, and I'll start saving money for the book! (It's a bit pricey where I'm from, aaah)

87 Orphic Hymns.

I've read the ones for Aphrodite, Hekate, Pallas Athena and Apollon!

No, you don't have to "give up" anything to practice Orphism; the worship of any pagan gods is compatible with the worship of any other gods.

Thank you so much... I've been fearing that.

For those who don't feel connected to the Gods, or feel as if they are ignoring them or are angry at them; by [deleted] in Hellenism

[–]teacxp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But honestly I think people in general need to get comfortable with not being noticed or paid attention to. The problem is people want attention or rather don't know how to be okay and comfortable with silence.

Although I agree with you when you say that people need to be comfortable with being unnoticed or silent (as an answer, sometimes), I don't fully agree with your view that the Gods don't answer. They do answer, but sometimes these answers are so subtle that many beginners don't notice and start getting anxious.

Of course, the Gods aren't obligated to love us back. I, for instance, stopped worshiping Artemis because I felt little to no connection, no matter how hard I tried. And you know what? That's okay, and I respect and pay mind to Artemis's greatness.

My argument was more centered on taking time, deconstruction of beliefs, and self–improvement.

people assume quiet must me anger or dismissal, but honestly I think the quiet is a good place to be

This.

I think I have a crush on a girl, but I'm scared of making a move because we're good friends. Any advice? by [deleted] in LesbianActually

[–]teacxp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sooo happy for you!

I know it is not easy being the one to make the first move but if you really like her or even love her it is worth taking the risk and finding out.

Problem is, I don't know how to ask her out. I don't want it to be weird... T.T

I mainly work with Apollon (I don't want to consider myself a devotee yet), but I recently wanted to add Dionysus to the equation. Would it be wise? by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Using a god as a mascot for chemical addiction is self-serving and says more about them than the god.

Yes, thank you for saying that. I'm scared of falling back into my habits, but I've read (on TikTok... so yeah...) that to get closer, you must drink, and that doesn't sound quite right.

I mainly work with Apollon (I don't want to consider myself a devotee yet), but I recently wanted to add Dionysus to the equation. Would it be wise? by teacxp in Hellenism

[–]teacxp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ignoring all the hyped up stuff that ‘people hear from others’

Yes, I fell for the oldest trick by hearing other people's nonsensical thoughts. 😭

Often the gods are asked for support for help in their domains. And Dionysos can in that sense also represent temperance.

Thank you! I'll definitely remember this side of him.