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I want to believe in the greek gods

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  • I want to believe in the greek gods

    But I have no idea how i've only practiced Asatru/Odinism. Zeus and Apollo are my favorites. Does anyone know what I should do to start I mean I have no idea what the religion is or how to practice I've just read the ancient greek myths and thats what I want to start doing. Can anyone point me in the right direction of what to do or what to read.
    whatcha listening to thread is my playlist for today music i mean

  • #2
    Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

    Same as any god. Figure out what they stand for and implement that in your daily life somehow. Dedicate offerings to them. Get a statue or something symbolic to represent them and add it to your alter if you have one. Meditate on them. Send them your prayers. Listen for their response, even if it's not a physical one. If you want to reconstruct the ancient path you can google Hellenic Reconstructionist and find some folks who are on that path to talk to.
    We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

    I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
    It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
    Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
    -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

    Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

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    • #3
      Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

      I love trolling Christians and I often make fun of their aspiration to be like their carpenter messiah who was killed by filthy mortals. I want to be like Zeus, to beat the crap out of titans, throw lightning bolts and make powerful half-god babies to gorgeous moral women and guide them while they change the course of history.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

        Originally posted by Muramasa View Post
        I love trolling Christians and I often make fun of their aspiration to be like their carpenter messiah who was killed by filthy mortals. I want to be like Zeus, to beat the crap out of titans, throw lightning bolts and make powerful half-god babies to gorgeous moral women and guide them while they change the course of history.
        WOW! When you put it like that... I laugh at this because it's spot on. If you had your choice of Gods.. who would you choose? Plus, there are just so many Christians that love being trolled. For my Christian friends: 1 Cor 1:18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work.

        @Apollo: Have you read this sub-forum? : http://www.paganforum.com/forumdispl...man-Traditions Sure to find something useful there?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

          First I'm going to differ, it's not about figuring out what they stand for regarding the Hellene divinities. First thing is figuring out do you want to practice as the Hellene's did or do you want to practice as a modern pagan? That will determine whether you want to be a Recon, want to be some combination of Recon and modern pagan or strictly modern pagan with no Recon influences.

          With Recon it's more about right living, right practice, right thoughts, right everything. That comes more into play than what the divinities actually stand for in many ways. Purification, Miasma, rituals, mean everything.

          But with Recon's you have basically Soft and Hard Recon's. Those who believe you have to follow things to the letter and those who try to follow the spirit of things basically. You can get into some serious arguments / debate's between the two groups and between Recon's and general practitioners.

          Pagan's talk about rituals and such, especially Wiccan's, but when you get down to specifics they don't hold a finger to Recon's when it comes to doing things by specified steps in most instances. Then when you look at many free form practices it's even less restrictive about how, what, when, where and contents.

          It's like I tend to follow Recon influences to a degree that means Chthonic aspects get burnt under the ground, Celestial burnt on a raised altar, libations into the ground or upon a raised altar. That includes separating libations & offerings into those aspects even for the same divinity when they are going to different aspects of the same divinity.

          Another thing to consider is which Apollo and Zeus? I'm not just talking about by time frame but also by region and function. The ancients knew both of them differently, its even possible to encounter multiple persona's at once with some of them. For instance the Oracle of Apollo at Didyma and the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi are both well known in the ancient world but sometimes they seem to be different Apollo's.

          For us today the divinities tend to get painted into composites. Yet we forget for the ancients they were more localized or regional in how they were viewed. You can't even say the 12 Olympian's were the same 12 across Hellas (Greece) much less all of the Greek world. For that matter you can't even say there was a universal calendar as pretty much each region had their own unique calendar and not all of them had the same holidays or observances. The most well known calendar is that of the Athenians so that seem's to be the one most people go by. Yet it is not the only known calendar or fragmented one.

          Right now your at the point where you have to decide basically...Is your practice going to be Orthodoxy or Orthopraxy? Do you want the right practice or do you want the right belief? Many Recon (Not Hellene Specific) practices tend to be an Orthopraxy type system as they focus upon issues of family, cultural integrity (could be racial) , the transmission of tradition (specific holidays especially) , sacrificial offerings (offerings & Libations), concerns of purity (Miasma) , ethical system, and the enforcement thereof. This gets into whether it is soft or hard Recon.

          Yet your Orthodoxy get more into right belief though it also holds some right practice concepts regarding dogma and ritualism.
          I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

            Originally posted by monsno_leedra View Post
            First I'm going to differ, it's not about figuring out what they stand for regarding the Hellene divinities. First thing is figuring out do you want to practice as the Hellene's did or do you want to practice as a modern pagan? That will determine whether you want to be a Recon, want to be some combination of Recon and modern pagan or strictly modern pagan with no Recon influences.

            With Recon it's more about right living, right practice, right thoughts, right everything. That comes more into play than what the divinities actually stand for in many ways. Purification, Miasma, rituals, mean everything.

            But with Recon's you have basically Soft and Hard Recon's. Those who believe you have to follow things to the letter and those who try to follow the spirit of things basically. You can get into some serious arguments / debate's between the two groups and between Recon's and general practitioners.

            Pagan's talk about rituals and such, especially Wiccan's, but when you get down to specifics they don't hold a finger to Recon's when it comes to doing things by specified steps in most instances. Then when you look at many free form practices it's even less restrictive about how, what, when, where and contents.

            It's like I tend to follow Recon influences to a degree that means Chthonic aspects get burnt under the ground, Celestial burnt on a raised altar, libations into the ground or upon a raised altar. That includes separating libations & offerings into those aspects even for the same divinity when they are going to different aspects of the same divinity.

            Another thing to consider is which Apollo and Zeus? I'm not just talking about by time frame but also by region and function. The ancients knew both of them differently, its even possible to encounter multiple persona's at once with some of them. For instance the Oracle of Apollo at Didyma and the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi are both well known in the ancient world but sometimes they seem to be different Apollo's.

            For us today the divinities tend to get painted into composites. Yet we forget for the ancients they were more localized or regional in how they were viewed. You can't even say the 12 Olympian's were the same 12 across Hellas (Greece) much less all of the Greek world. For that matter you can't even say there was a universal calendar as pretty much each region had their own unique calendar and not all of them had the same holidays or observances. The most well known calendar is that of the Athenians so that seem's to be the one most people go by. Yet it is not the only known calendar or fragmented one.

            Right now your at the point where you have to decide basically...Is your practice going to be Orthodoxy or Orthopraxy? Do you want the right practice or do you want the right belief? Many Recon (Not Hellene Specific) practices tend to be an Orthopraxy type system as they focus upon issues of family, cultural integrity (could be racial) , the transmission of tradition (specific holidays especially) , sacrificial offerings (offerings & Libations), concerns of purity (Miasma) , ethical system, and the enforcement thereof. This gets into whether it is soft or hard Recon.

            Yet your Orthodoxy get more into right belief though it also holds some right practice concepts regarding dogma and ritualism.
            I want to practice as a modern pagan. Thanks for the replies people!

            - - - Updated - - -

            I found this. I like it. http://www.hellenicgods.org/LivingTheHellenicTradition
            whatcha listening to thread is my playlist for today music i mean

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

              Originally posted by Azvanna View Post
              WOW! When you put it like that... I laugh at this because it's spot on. If you had your choice of Gods.. who would you choose? Plus, there are just so many Christians that love being trolled. For my Christian friends: 1 Cor 1:18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work.

              @Apollo: Have you read this sub-forum? : http://www.paganforum.com/forumdispl...man-Traditions Sure to find something useful there?
              Zeus, definitely!
              I am yet to see this sub-forum. Haven't been here in years, but I start to like this place.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

                The answer is just do it! Worshiping gods is much the same whether you are a Hellenist or a Hindu. You have an altar, you pray, you make offerings, you talk to them. In a minute I'll go to my altar. As I've been going for years, I've evolved a set of household gods — Hestia, Hekate, Asklepios, Tyche — for whom I've painted statues. Asklepios didn't like my first effort and had me re-do it! I currently have pictures of Hades and Persephone, whose festival falls this month, on the altar as well. I'll pray and offer incense, wine, and the food that I'm having for dinner. For the festival of Hades and Persephone, I bought them suitable flowers, sang hymns, and vowed to continue supporting a local hospice. When I need advice (usually as a result of hypochondria!) I pray and do a divination. Like any relationship, one with the gods requires that you keep in touch. Some don't take much notice, some send omens, and a few come up with the occasional miracle.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: I want to believe in the greek gods

                  Originally posted by DavidMcCann View Post
                  The answer is just do it! Worshiping gods is much the same whether you are a Hellenist or a Hindu. You have an altar, you pray, you make offerings, you talk to them. In a minute I'll go to my altar. As I've been going for years, I've evolved a set of household gods — Hestia, Hekate, Asklepios, Tyche — for whom I've painted statues. Asklepios didn't like my first effort and had me re-do it! I currently have pictures of Hades and Persephone, whose festival falls this month, on the altar as well. I'll pray and offer incense, wine, and the food that I'm having for dinner. For the festival of Hades and Persephone, I bought them suitable flowers, sang hymns, and vowed to continue supporting a local hospice. When I need advice (usually as a result of hypochondria!) I pray and do a divination. Like any relationship, one with the gods requires that you keep in touch. Some don't take much notice, some send omens, and a few come up with the occasional miracle.
                  Thanks alot that was exactly the answer I was looking for
                  whatcha listening to thread is my playlist for today music i mean

                  Comment

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