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How to introduce Hellenism into daily life?

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    How to introduce Hellenism into daily life?

    This is more a question for Rafe, but I know we have a few other people on the forum interested in this stuff also, so I'm asking publicly.

    It's a known fact that I don't believe in the gods as actual beings. I think of them as being archetypes, tools to help us access the divine, but I don't think of them as anything inferior, or anything less for this. They just aren't real, you know? (let's not open that can of worms)

    For those of you who follow the Hellenic calendar, how do you incorporate Grecian or Roman worship into your daily life? My partner and I talk about Dionysus a lot. I mean, a lot. A lot more often than two agnostic/atheist people would. I think worshipping him would do a lot for my inner self. I've always felt an affinity to Artemis. I have a tattoo of an ancient sun who's twelve points represent the olympians. I'm interested.

    But where do I start? I frankly don't have time to include all twelve, all the time. I barely manage the sabbats.

    So Hellenists, how do you incorporate the ancient ways into your smartphone living, 9-5 monday to friday, dog (or kid) owning lives?


    Mostly art.

    #2
    Re: How to introduce Hellenism into daily life?

    As far as festivals go: I selectively integrate a few from ancient calendars. I don't follow the Attic calendar, or really any specific ancient city-state's calendar, because they were all very centric around those particular regions. Precious few festivals were pan-Hellenic. I celebrate those, but I place them in times of the year appropriate to their meaning. For instance, Anthesteria is the major first-fruits and flower festival in Greece, but it was celebrated around February or March. That was springtime in Greece, but it's still freezing cold over here during those months. I celebrate it in late April, because that's when Spring comes around in my neck of the woods. Most of my festival calendar, actually, consists of American holidays translated into a Hellenistic mindset. Because the closest thing to a city-state is, well, my city and my country.

    As far as daily or regular practice goes, I try to do daily purification rituals and at least weekly offerings at my household shrines. I perform monthly devotions to the Olympian gods, by doing a libation ritual mid-month in honour of a specific Olympian. I'm basing that off of what the group Hellenion does, but with modifications. I don't quite agree with their sequence, among other things.
    The most common regular ritual thing, in Hellenic practice, is the Deipnon and Noumenia rituals. An offering to Hekate at the end of the month, ushering out all the bad; and a ritual the next day inviting Selene to welcome in the opportunities of the new month. Now, most do this around the actual new moon, but I'm not intuitively connected to lunar cycles like that. So, I do it at the beginning and end of a Gregorian calendar month.

    But if you don't want to go into Hellenic reconstructionism, and simply want to integrate the Greek gods into your life, then there are less complex and total ways to do that. The things I've outlined are just the things I do, and things similar to "standard" Hellenic and Hellenistic practice. It also really depends on what deities you have a focus on. For example, you mention Dionysos. A lot of modern Bacchants don't feel like they have to be Hellenic recons to worship Dionysos, and define their religion and practices differently. You don't have to go "full Hellenic" to honour Greek gods.

    PS) How do I find time for all this? Most of these rituals require less than an hour. They're really not that intensive.
    Last edited by Louisvillian; 09 Jan 2015, 00:40.

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      #3
      Re: How to introduce Hellenism into daily life?

      So my practices are a little...uuummmmm.....eclectic I guess? Lol! I think the reason I do the things I do is because of the way that I dabbled in Wicca. I preferred the way I learned how to honor the gods and goddess of the Wiccan belief, so when I fell (like literally fell...long story) into my true belief system, I felt like the gods and goddess were more like...this is going to sound weird...like royal friends lol! I feel so stupid for explaining it like this but my words are escaping me...

      Anyway, so what I do is I include them in my daily life. Hera is like a motherly figure to me, so I usually talk to her about my day. What I am excited about...not excited about...blah blah blah. I usually never interact with Demeter, Dionysus, Ares, etc. I pray to Hestia every morning...well..TRY to, to protect my home while I am gone and thank her for protecting me through the night. When a deity has helped me, I do a private ceremony for them. Monthly, I try to honor a specific god or goddess. I usually choose something they like that is either edible or I can consume. Usually it is wine, they all like wine, can't go wrong with wine :P

      When I spend time with a deity (which can sometimes just be that I really feel like I need to spend time with them) I pick out an incense they enjoy and either bring out a precious stone or a piece of nature (depends on the deity). I cleanse a nice glass and buy a bottle of wine. (BRAND new, I won't use left overs from the night before). I pour myself a cup and the deity a cup. I place their cup before the incense and I lift my cup up to the sky and do a "toast" to the deity. After that, I drink part of my glass and meditate. After I finish meditating, I finish my cup and leave the offering cup until the incense has burned out (if it hasn't already). Then, I go outside and pour the wine in the offering cup into the Earth and say "From where you came, you shall return. Please take this offering as a symbol of my love and appreciation". Then I watch as the Earth drinks the wine and usually I feel a rush of energy.

      I generally do not follow the ancient festivals and days. Just because I talk to them pretty often and do offerings pretty often. Sometimes, depending on the change of season, I will also throw celebrations for them all. On top of this, if I have something I am looking forward to and need their help (i.e. throwing a party and I want it to be great) I will offer something to the god that would suit the task (i.e. Dionysus) and invite them to enjoy the moment with me.

      I also view the gods and goddess more like friends than overlords...so...I try to treat them as such. Many would probably disapprove of me saying that but my relationship with them has been unstrained since accepting this kind of give and take relationship. Also, the Greek's were all about "eusebeia" and "charis" (piety and grace) which translates into your daily life with humans and deities.

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        #4
        Re: How to introduce Hellenism into daily life?

        I'm one of the few reconstructionists around here.

        Every night, before dinner, I light the candles and make an offering of incense, food, and wine to the household Gods (Hestia, Hekate, Asklepios, and Tyche) and "all the blessed Gods". I thank them for their gifts and pray for continued health and prosperity, that they may remain present, and that the food and wine we share may convey their presence to me.

        Each lunar month I celebrate Hekate on the last day and the other three household Gods on the next three days. On these occasions, I sing an Orphic hymn. Every month is dedicated to a God, or pair of Gods. I follow the Athenian calendar for its major festivals (as a link to those in Greece doing the same) and fit in the others where convenient. Last month was that of Athena (as in Greece), this has the festival of Hephaistos. On their festivals, I offer incense, wine, food, a hymn, flowers, and sometimes a donation to an appropriate charity (e.g. a hospice for Pluto and Persephone, a veteran's one for Ares).

        I also call on the Gods when I need their help: Asklepios when I'm out of sorts, Athena for the right election result, etc.

        And now I'm off to celebrate Tyche's day!

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