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Becoming a Hellenist

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    Becoming a Hellenist

    I've done some research and I feel comfortable with the Hellenic gods (been hemming and haaing the choice between Roman or Greek for some time now...). If I were to start worshiping these deities or any deities from this pantheon how would I start?

    is there a 'self dedication' ritual? Is there a particular deity I should introduce myself to before working with other deities I am more connected with? Is there a particular way to set up my altar and is there a design that's 'all-purpose' and specific to certain deities?

    things like that....any and all information would be good. lol

    thanks all in advance for your info and feel free to post your own stories about your hellenic experience (I'm nosy that way and like knowing people's life story lol )

    #2
    Re: Becoming a Hellenist

    Learn about miasma and the basic ritual formula most Hellenes use. I'll try to share some brief points about the two.

    Miasma
    Miasma is ritual impurity. Things like coming in contact with death, being on your period etc are causes of miasma. There's one train of thought that's started saying that miasma is anything that would draw your mind away from the Divine during ritual. The pre-ritual purification rites serve to focus the mind instead of rid it of any actual impurity. Personally, these rites make me feel connected to the past and signal that the following actions are separate from the mundane.

    Kernips is the typical way of riding yourself of miasma, but I've also seen people use incense. You can make kernips by mixing water and salt. Then put out a lit match in the water saying something along the lines of, "May this water be made pure under the eyes of the Immortal Gods." I follow the modern Roman formula after this. I dip my right fore and middle fingers into the water and wipe my left hand with it. I repeat the same thing but switch hands. Finally, I wipe my cheeks and forehead with the water before drying off with a towel set aside specifically for that purpose. The entire time I'm repeating the Purgation Prayer, and it goes

    "Haec aqua a corpore impuritates modo semele plumbo mutando ad aurum eluat" (May this water purify my body as lead it changed to gold)

    Ritual Formula
    This formula is basically the same for Hellenes as it is for those who follow the Cultus Deorum.

    -procession
    -calling of Hestia
    -offering to Hestia
    -calling of the deity the ritual is for
    -offering to the deity
    -prayer or petition to the deity
    -final offering
    -farewells

    This is a very very generic set. Most people don't offer the final offering and some don't even give the first offering to Hestia.

    General Junk
    There's isn't a dedication ritual. You dedicate yourself through your actions and your love of the Gods.

    There isn't an altar template. There is some speculation that temples and altars were oriented to face the east but rather that is fact or coincidence is up for debate. Only one of four altars faces east and that's pure coincidence.

    In all honesty, that thing I look for in people who call themselves Hellenes is how they approach the Gods. Ya, you should follow the traditions and the formulas since Hellenism is orthopraxic (practice not belief oriented), but not all of traditions are practical or safe. I look for people who do not humiliate themselves in front of the Gods by bowing or closing their eyes or people who don't muddle Hellenism and other paths. There is a particular worldview that is unique to each pagan faith and really does determine how far you'll go as a devotee and as a member of the community.

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      #3
      Re: Becoming a Hellenist

      As far as altars and such things: from what I understand, ancient Greek and Roman households were more like to have shrines than private altars. And likely separate shrines for the household spirits, for the goddess of the hearth, and for a patron god or goddess (if applicable). Though the household spirits is more common in Roman households--again, as far as I know.
      The distinction being that a shrine is more passive, and compact. Altars are typically more complex, and are part of an active practice--e.g. that of temples.

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        #4
        Re: Becoming a Hellenist

        What about 'holy days' and specific festivals?

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          #5
          Re: Becoming a Hellenist

          Originally posted by redhairjoe View Post
          What about 'holy days' and specific festivals?
          That varied greatly from city to city. The most complete calendar is the Athenian Calendar which lists their known holidays and many of their known festivals. Part of the issue you have to figure out is how often a festival was actually celebrated as some were years apart. There are quite a few of them to be found online as well as current fixed calendars that you can utilize. You also have to consider that the early Hellenic calendar was a Lunar calendar and later converted to a Solar Calendar so it almost starts in the mid point of the month today.

          I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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            #6
            Re: Becoming a Hellenist

            in some paths there are the sabbots and esbats like Samhain and the equinox. Is there a Hellenic version of this?

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              #7
              Re: Becoming a Hellenist

              Originally posted by redhairjoe View Post
              in some paths there are the sabbots and esbats like Samhain and the equinox. Is there a Hellenic version of this?
              If the person is a Hellenic Wiccan then they will have those Wiccan sabbots and Esbats. If they are a recon or hard Hellenic practitioner then typically no as most of those would have no meaning within the Hellenic year. While there are some observances that might fall on one of those dates it would have nothing in common with the Wiccan idea or the Wiccan concept of the Wheel of the Year from which they would be drawn.

              Edited to add:

              Consider the Wiccan calendar is based upon a more northern weather / planting cycle which has four seasons. FOr the Hellenic calendar the year would be based upon three seasonal conditions due to its location. Figure it would pretty much be a hot period, a wet period and a growing period with some higher points possibly having snow but not as a norm as a quarter season.
              I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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                #8
                Re: Becoming a Hellenist

                The problem there is that Wicca's liturgical calendar is a mixture of solar festivals and the Celtic agricultural calendar. But its mythological cycle is straight-up Frazerian, which took a lot of influence from Roman and Greek mythology, as well as some Celtic, Germanic, and Near Eastern myth-themes. So while it isn't terribly difficult to draw comparisons between the Wheel of the Year myths and Hellenistic mythology, the Wheel itself doesn't match to Mediterranean climate. For someone like me, who practises both Wicca and Hellenism (separately, but with some overlapping deities), it's certainly an issue that has to be addressed.

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