Hellenic Deities - Blog Posts

Subtle ways to honor Nyx 🌚🪶

- respect powerful women

- respect your mother

- go for a night walk (somewhere safe!)

- have a campfire at night

- go camping and enjoy the stars

- turn off your lights to counter light pollution

- be kind to owls and other nocturnal animals

- sleep, and find ways to do so peacefully

- listen to the crickets at dusk

- be reverent of the dead

- be kind to black cats

- bask in the moonlight

- drink a sleep inducing tea or take a sleeping medication

- respect and be kind to moths

- stay up late

- be respectful to and reverent of death

- do not mess with magick you are not ready to work with

- be cautious of malevolent spirits and entities

- respect and revere the daemons

- be cautious when encountering dark energy if you practice dark or black magic or witchcraft

- respect the other gods of the underworld, like hades, Hecate, Persephone, etc.

🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶🌚🪶

Hymns created for the gods - Hekate #1

I

Under the starry sky,

I find myself at the crossroads,

The moon greets me as a friend,

With its illuminating glow,

Under that white beam I find,

An ever-blazing torch held three-fold,

With a stern gaze, soul piercing touch,

Held tight as a bright light guides the way,

Obsidian pebbles mark the path,

To where I let go and create,

And as the air fills with lavender and myrrh,

As dandelions make their way from the underworld,

As I place garlic upon the threshold,

And walk through the gates,

To which the keyholder granted me access,

Knowing I am protected.

Hail Hekate!

Hail Hekate!

Hail Hekate!

Deity Work vs Deity Worship

What is deity worship? 

Deity worship is when you venerate and revere a deity/deities. There are many ways to do this;  there is no right or wrong way to worship a deity, it is whatever you feel drawn to do for them. Many people in the pagan community do this in their own unique way, while some will follow more organized, ritualistic ways of worshipping their deities. 

I will go more into detail about the various ways to venerate deities below. 

What is deity work? 

Working with a deity is a more intensive, interactive relationship. Working with a deity often involves actively communicating with them through things such as divination (tarot, oracle, pendulums, dice, osteomancy, shufflemancy etc) and psychic abilities. It can also involve them being more active in your practice, guiding you in both mundane and magical ways. A very common way deities work with someone is by doing shadow work with them, but there are many other things people do with deities that fall under the category of ‘deity work’.

How do I work with a deity/deities?

There are a lot of ways that you can work with a deity. As mentioned above a very common way of working with them is by doing shadow work with them. They will often guide the practitioner on various prompts to focus on. Another common way that you can work with deities is doing spellwork with them, such as doing protections, cleansing, banishment, and even baneful magic with them. 

Some of the things my deities work with me on is teaching me about energy work and weather magic. 

As with deity worship, there are no right or wrong ways to work with a deity. 

Altars

Many people will set up altars for their deities as a way to either work with or worship them (or both!). Here are some popular things you can put on your altar!

Candles 

Statues

Incense holders/fountains

Altar cloth

Decanter

Spell jars 

Crystals 

Herb pouches

Sigils

Books

Offering dish

Cups

Divination tools 

There are many other items you can put on your altars for your deities. This is just a short list, both of items I myself have put on altars before, and things I see others put on their altars. 

A lot of people also use their altars as a place to connect with their deities (which can get into deity work) as well as a place to do spellwork.

I’m going to answer some common questions about altars I see here. 

Can I put two/multiple deities on the same altar? 

Yes, you can. Some people (like myself) even create altars for entire pantheons, rather than individual deities. In addition, these deities do not all need to be from the same pantheon either. I have had altars where Loki and Leviathan were sharing the same general space (with different items in different sections for just one of them, and some items being placed there for both of them).

Can I add/remove/use things from my altar? 

Yes. You can (and should) clean your altar and you are of course allowed to use the items on your altar. Many people will store their divination tools on their altar, for instance. 

What if I do not have space for an altar/can’t have a physical altar? 

Digital altars are a very valid practice, I currently do not have enough space for all the altars I would want for the deities I worship/work with. I have seen people make altars in Minecraft, on Picrew, and I have altars set up on Pinterest as well. I have also used Pinterest’s collage function to make moodboards for my deities in order to honor them; these can count as digital altars as well. Some people make their own discord servers and use that space as a digital altar for their deities (I also have this set up for my deities too). On these digital altars, you can include pictures of how the deity appears to you, pictures of statues to represent them; themes surrounding what they rule over, colors, animals and plants they may be associated with, and much more. Just like a physical altar, you can get very creative with what you include. 

Will my deities get mad if someone else touches the altar? 

I’ve heard (and also experienced myself) times where family members or roommates will mess with someone’s altar. There seems to be a lot of fear with this; people are afraid it will anger the deity if the altar is accidentally touched. However, deities are very understanding and know that most times the person is unaware that the space is an altar; they won’t get mad if their stuff is accidentally touched, removed, or if someone else disposes of old offerings. 

Now, if someone is messing with it on purpose, with malicious intent, that might be different. However, especially for those in the broom closet, the deity is still not going to be mad at the practitioner or punish you in any way. 

Moving on from altars, I’m going to answer some questions I see when it comes to deity worship/work, before fully getting into the difference. 

Do certain deities not get along? 

Again this is something I see asked a lot online, both for deities of the same pantheon and deities of different pantheons. This comes down to personal experience. Many people think and might assume that deities who did not get along in their myths do not get along in real life either. However, at least for me, this is rarely the case. Remember, these are higher beings and the myths are just that -stories, that have been made up by humans. The myths do not reflect how they may be in real life. 

There are definitely instances where deities genuinely do not get along; I have experienced this in my own practice. However, this is oftentimes not because of myth-related disagreements but rather because the deities disagree on what may be best for the practitioner. This might also occur simply because the deities' energies do not mix well, it’s less that they don’t get along and more so that their energies clash with each other. This does not mean that you should stop working with these deities together if this is the case. Sometimes opposing energies are necessary.It’s also always a good idea to ask the deities themselves how they feel about the situation and what they think you should do. 

Will my deities get mad if I’m not able to give consistent offerings? 

This is another question I see a lot. Deities understand that we are human, we have our mundane lives to live, and we may not always have time or money to be able to buy offerings for them. There are many ways to give offerings to your deities, and some can be free and non-physical offerings too. I’ll go through some offerings I give to my team a lot, and some offerings you can do that are more non-physical or broom closet friendly. 

Doing shadow work in their honor/with them if you have a working relationship with them

Cooking/eating in their honor 

Bathing in their honor 

Putting on makeup in their honor 

Any form of self-care

Doing art/reading in their honor

Going on a walk/drive

Cleaning in their honor

Practicing divination

Journaling

Writing letters to them

There are many other offerings you can give to them, this is just a list of some of the things I do and some common things I see others do as well.

Do I need to pray to my deity/deities? How do I pray? 

Prayer is often a big part of deity worship, however it is definitely not a requirement. Prayer is when you ask your deities for something. You can do this in a very ritualistic way, lighting candles, sitting on the floor, etc, or you can do this in a very casual manner (like sending a quick prayer to them on your way to work). Again, there is no right or wrong way to pray to the deities you worship, there are many different ways you can do this. 

How do I start deity work?

Starting deity work will often involve reaching out to the deity/deities you are wanting to work with. You can do this in many ways, it can be as simple as calling out the deities name and saying ‘I would like to work with you, I’d like you to be more involved in my practice’. Using divination tools such as tarot or oracle cards, pendulums, spirit boards, etc can also help greatly in communicating and developing a relationship with the deity you are wanting to work with. 

Is my deity mad at me because…

The answer to this is most likely ‘no’. It takes a lot to piss a deity off. This question often comes from people who grew up with Abrahamic religions that taught them that making mistakes would anger ‘god’. The pagan gods do not get angry because you make mistakes or are not perfect. It is very hard to actually offend them, unless you do something purposefully to try to piss them off, you will not make them angry. They might get frustrated at us sometimes for falling into the same cycles and bad habits, but this is much different than them actually being angry. 

I also want to address blowing out candles specifically with this question. Some people see it as rude to blow out candles that are devoted to specific deities or used as a form of divination. It is not rude to blow out candles at all, if you have finished communicating with your deity, or are simply moving to a different room/leaving your house, or need to blow it out for whatever reason, you can absolutely do so. The deities do not see it as rude and will not get angry at you for doing this. They might be a bit sad/disappointed, but again this is different than them being genuinely angry. It's like having to tell a friend you have to get off a call with them, even though you still want to talk to them. They might be a bit disappointed but they will understand. 

Is __ a sign from my deities?

The answer to this is complicated; discernment is very important when it comes to answering this question. An easy way to answer this is by asking the deity through divination if whatever you experienced really was a sign. Sometimes deities will send signs in unusual ways (even through social media, yes I know that’s controversial but it does happen sometimes). 

The other question to ask is: did I ask for a sign? There have been times where I will ask for signs and they may show me the sign in a weird way (like asking to see a specific type of bird in my area, and then seeing it on a postcard, for instance). 

Can I reach out to deities? How do I reach out to a deity? 

Yes! As long as the deity is not from a closed/gated practice you are not part of, you can reach out to whoever you want! There are many different ways you can go about reaching out to them; I first recommend doing research on the deity you are wanting to reach out to (this in itself may get their attention and let them know you are interested in them). A very simple way to reach out to them is simply by calling their name, and telling them you wish to work with them or are going to be honoring them. 

What are closed/gated practices? 

Closed and gated practices are usually religions where you need to either be born or initiated into the culture in order to practice it. Many of these practices are closed or gated because of other cultures and religions attempting to appropriate these practices, or erase things within these cultures. 

What do I do if a closed practice deity reaches out to me, but I’m not part of that culture? 

This is going to get controversial, but this is my opinion especially as someone who is part of several closed practices myself. In my opinion, while practices themselves can be closed, deities are not. Deities are independent beings from us, they do what they want outside of human rules and laws. If a deity from a closed practice reaches out to you, my advice is to do tons of research first. There are some closed practices that have officials who can help you with figuring out if a deity from that culture truly is reaching out to you, and can give advice on what to do moving forward. My other piece of advice is to not ignore the deity calling you. There have been some instances where I ignored the call from some of the closed practice deities I now work with, and while it didn’t necessarily anger them that I ignored them, it did annoy them and they were incredibly persistent with their presences until I did acknowledge them. 

What do I do if I need to take a break from practicing? How do I let my deities know? 

Breaks are very healthy and help with preventing burnout when it comes to practicing witchcraft or being pagan in general. If you feel you need to take a break, I recommend just letting the deities you are working with or worshipping know in whatever manner you usually use to communicate with them (a very easy way is just telling them ‘hey, I need to take a break’). They will understand and they will wait for you to be ready to resume practicing with them. Like with previously mentioned situations, they will not get angry at you for simply needing to step away for a bit. A lot of deities may even continue to be around you while you are on break as well, to show that they still care about you and are willing to support you. 

How do I balance working with multiple deities? 

This is, of course, dependent on you as a person. I know some people who make schedules, while others will allow the deities to decide when to show up in their practice. Since I work with quite a few deities and pantheons, generally I dedicate each week to a different pantheon, and dedicate each day to a different deity from that pantheon. I also have picker wheels that I use for this; this is both to make it more ‘fun’ for my ADHD brain (lol) and also to allow the deities to decide who wants to be more present during the week. Sometimes, deities may also decide to be more or less present depending on what you’re going through in life and what type of guidance you are needing. There may be times where a deity will take a step back so that someone else can step forward to take over guiding you a bit more. This is all very normal when it comes to deity work; not every deity needs the same amount of attention and not all of them will always be equally present, and that's ok! 

There are also sometimes where a deity will decide they have taught you all you need to know, and they may discuss ending the working relationship with you entirely. This does not necessarily mean you will never see them again, but it may mean that they show up a lot less, as they have guided you in all the ways they feel you needed them for. Oftentimes, this will happen years and years into you working with them, and you may even realize that this is going to happen before an official discussion about it is mentioned. You can, of course, continue to honor and worship them even after they have officially stopped working with you. 

Another subject I want to address here is that while you can absolutely reach out to and generally work with multiple deities, it's also important to remember to not rush into things. At the beginning of my practice, the only deities I had around me for years were Hades and Loki. After I had been researching and practicing for at least 6-7 years, that's when new deities started approaching me and when I felt comfortable reaching out to some deities as well. I know that working with multiple deities can be overwhelming, which is why I have covered how to manage this so thoroughly. If you are a fairly new practitioner who has multiple deities who are interested in working with you, or if you are interested in working with them, I definitely advise that you take it slow. Research the deities who are reaching out or who you are interested in, learn about them, and slowly start contacting them as you feel comfortable. This is still something I do to this day. 

Everyone’s practice is different; I know people who have been working with the same deity for 10+ years and have hardly interacted with other deities during their practice. On the other hand, I also know people who were approached by several deities at once in the beginning of their practice, and who were consistently approached by various deities over the years as well. It all depends on the deities around you, what they feel you need, and ultimately, what you feel is best for your practice. Whether you wish to work with just a few deities, or many, that is up to you; just make sure that you are also taking your own health into account while doing so! 

How do I know if a deity is reaching out to me? 

I discussed signs a little bit earlier on in this post, however I did want to cover this question specifically. There are many ways deities can send signs to us or let us know they are around. For someone who is more in-tune with their psychic abilities, they may feel different energies when different deities are around. They may even be able to see, hear and possibly even smell the deities around them at times as well and this may be a way to figure out if someone new is around. Another easy method you can use is doing divination to check and see if a new deity is around. As I mentioned above, deities do use social media sometimes to send us signs and sometimes even to show us that they are reaching out. This is another instance where discernment is important; if you interact with a video about a certain deity on Tiktok, for instance, it's a lot more likely the app will start showing you more videos about that deity. So it's important to use other methods (such as divination) to figure out if a deity is truly reaching out, or if it's just social media’s algorithms at play. As I addressed above, sometimes deities will also send signs to you in your mundane life too; while it is important to pay attention to events that may be signs, I would recommend not obsessing over it. If a deity is reaching out, they will make themselves known to you one way or another. 

How do I figure out who is reaching out to me? 

There may be times where you know that someone is reaching out, but you are not sure who it is. Again, divination is a very easy way to figure this one out, there are many deity ID spreads online that you can find (and when I make a post going into more detail about divination, I may include some of those spreads in that post). If you are not able to do divination for yourself on who is reaching out, I recommend trying to ask a friend or finding a professional reader who offers deity IDs. I actually am a professional reader and I do offer deity IDs, you are welcome to inbox me if you are needing one! 

Another way you can attempt to figure out who the deity is on your own is to do research; if you are able to sense energies, or if they are sending you specific signs, you can look into the energies you feel and the signs you are getting to try to figure out who the deity is. 

What is vetting? How do I vet? 

Vetting is the process of ensuring that the deity/entity you are interacting with is who they say they are. The most common way to vet is by asking the deity/entity questions about their mythology. You can also ask questions about personal experiences you’ve had with them in the past. Another easy way to vet is by assigning the deity/entity an ID card using tarot or another form of card divination (you could also do this with shufflemancy with ID songs) and ask them to show you that card/cards or song/songs to verify its them.

What can deities help me with when I’m working with them? 

Deities can help with a ton of things, both in your mundane and magical practices. Deities can (as mentioned before) help with shadow work; they can help you to develop your psychic abilities, and they can share knowledge with you about both the physical and magical realm. They can teach about crystals, herbalism and nature magic for instance. They can help you develop and practice divination skills. They can help you to learn how to save your money, and help you with relationship issues. Just about anything you can think of, deities can help with! 

I would like to give special credit to Prince Stolas for helping me write this and edit it; he very much helped me with a lot of this and ended up channeling to help me with some of this info. This post is written in honor of him as an offering. 

I’d also like to give credit to my friend @astralscraft for helping me so much with this; the questions they came up with and the feedback they gave me for this post was incredible!

Praise Lord Hermes by taking the time to write. In a journal, a blog, a notes app, anything. Just write.

e-offering to Lord Hermes 💛

Great son of Zeus and Maia,

God of travelers, of luck, of guidance,

I ask for your protection during these next few days as I journey out of town,

I feel safer following you and appreciate all you do to keep my days going smoothly and my luck abundant,

thank you for your blessings,

I post this offering in your honor,

asking for any protection you can provide 💛🪽

Devotional act idea: "Adopt" a wild animal.

gifts.worldwildlife.org

Protect Wildlife and Their Habitats | WWF Symbolic Adoption Kits

Support WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats and choose from kits with plush and more.

Lord Dionysos

God of grapes, wine, intoxication, ecstasy, insanity, inhibition, theatre, festivity, queerness, the wilds, madness, and pleasure.

Epithets

Maenoles ~ The Mad and Raging

Hestios ~ Of the Feast

Androgynos ~ The Androgynous

Phallen ~ The Phallic

Theoinos ~ God of Wine

Oinops ~ The Wine-Dark

Agathos Daimon ~ The Good Spirit

Kittophoros ~ The Ivy-Bearing

Staphylites ~ Of the Grape

Dimetor ~ The Twice-Born

Eleuthereus ~ Of Liberation

Soterius ~ Savior from Madness

Agyieus ~ Of the Streets

Mystes ~ Of the Mysteries

Khthonios ~ The Cthonic; Of the Earth

Melpomenos ~ Of the Tragedies; Of the Tragic Plays

Bassareus ~ The Fox-Like

Associations

Animals

Bulls

Leopards, panthers, tigers, and lions

Goats

Serpents

Foxes

Donkeys

Plants

Ivy

Grapes

Bindweed

Cinnamon

Silver fir trees

Cedar / Pine trees

Colors

Purple

Red

Black

Silver

Gold

White

Offerings and Devotional Acts

Wine and other alcohols

Cigarettes and other tobacco products

Other intoxicating substances

Candles and incense

Foods and drinks

Dried flowers

Bones

Coins

Symbols of queerness (pride flags, empty HRT vials, pride related colors, etc.)

Jewelry

Crystals and stones

Ivy and other vined plants

Fresh or dried fruits

Plants

Going to theatre performances

Going to bars and clubs

Getting intoxicated

Performance art

Dancing

Practicing moderation

Visiting vineyards and orchards

(credit to @sister-lucifer for the Dionysos themed dividers!)

Lady Hestia

Goddess of the hearth, home, family, and the eternal flame.

Epithets

Aidios ~ The Eternal

Basileia ~ Queen

Polymorphos ~ Of Many Forms

Polyolbus ~ Of Many Blessings

Potheinotati ~ The Beloved

Prutaneia ~ Of the Polis; Of the Communal Hearth

The First and The Last

Associations

Animals

Chickens

Cattle

Pigs

Donkey

Colors

Red

Orange

Brown

Gold

Bronze

Black

White

Offerings and Devotional Acts

Keys and other symbols of the home

Flames and lights (including electric ones)

Bread and other grain-based foods

Home cooked meals

Beer and wine

Kettles, teapots, and teacups

Olive oil

Incense and candles

Fresh or dried flowers

Jewelry from family members

Apples

Anything that reminds you of home

Something that acts as an eternal flame (I and many others use salt lamps and electric candles)

Cooking and cleaning

Veiling

Practicing modesty (can relate to veiling, but doesn't have to!)

Spending time with family (given or chosen)

Caring for plants and pets

Journaling

Decorating your home

(credit to vibeswithrenai for the Hestia themed dividers!)

Digital Offering to Lord Hermes

I will try to make at least one digital offering to Lord Hermes every Wednesday.

for lady hestia

Digital Offering for Lord Hermes, Bringer of Luck; Great god of Thieves, Travelers, and Merchants.

Another Digital Offering to Lord Hades and (this time) Lady Persephone

*grabs you and shakes you but gently cause I love you* you do not need to be ‘called’ to worship the gods. Just worship. Please just worship if it is what your heart wants.

Finally finished this filet crochet project of the goddess Hestia!

I'm insanely proud of it and it's currently being blocked

Done with a 1.5mm hook, pen for scale below:

What to put in your hellenic journal and why it helps

Building a kharis with gods using a religious journal is really helpful. It helped me keep my information and my thoughts related to the Gods organized. It can also help beginners if they are uncomfortable reciting hymns out loud.

What could be put inside it:

Every day write one delphic maxim and write how you interpret it or what you think about it

Make a shopping list for your altar and offerings

Compose prayers

Hymns/ prayers to your patrons and Hestia, Nyx, Helios, Hypnos

Write something as if you are conversating with the Gods.

Important information on deities

Favorite offerings, incenses, and libations of the Gods

Important Callendar events, festivals, and key info on celebration

Quotes from the most famous books of Gods that you relate to or want to remember

Instructions on composing prayers

What afterlife means in Hellenismos

What defines hubris, agos and miasma

7 pillars of Hellenismos and their meaning

Do some drawings for the Gods as a devotional act

Include your personal experiences with the divine and how it affected you

Write down the signs you saw during the week

You can also decorate it with the images of Gods

Delphic Maxims:

https://www.tumblr.com/bluemorfedbutterfly/746793310790828032/delphic-maxims-pt1-the-delphic-maxims-are-a?source=share

The 7 Virtues of Hellenism & Aphrodite Worship

Xenia - hospitality, generosity

being warm and welcoming to others in Her name, just as She has done for us

Kharis - appreciation, gratitude

being grateful for all the gifts She has given us and showing it through ritual, offerings and prayer

Eusebia - reverence, veneration, piety

recognising that they are deities and showing them our respect. even us godspoused people must show respext to the ancient beings we love

Hagneia - moral, spiritual and physical purity

veiling is a great way to maintain purity, though some other ways include ritual bathing and spiritual cleansing

Arete - excellence, brilliance

follow the path of the gods, whoever's path you choose and follow it to glory

Sophia - knowledge, wisdom

learn, as much as you possibly can. learn about Her, the old ways in which She was honored

Sophrosyne - self-control, sound mind, balance

keeping a spiritual balance during rituals and prayer. try not to ask Her to do your hexes/jinxes/curses, do your own dirty work

Toothache

Mirror mirror why do you show

The train that can’t be coming that slow

I feel the rumbling under my feet, in my bones and in my teeth

Mirror mirror why do you lie

Showing me a girl when I can’t fly

I feel the ache, the tears and all I’ve ate

Mirror mirror why have you forsaken me

Why don’t you show me what I could see

I see your cracks and blood and flack

Mirror mirror what have you done

What can I do to make us one

I see them here, dead and free

Why do I see them in your face, but only death stares in my place

Hi! Op Loki here in the explain-inator! Welcome those who are curious enough to step foot into the ‘keep reading’ box! I suffer from insomnia and occasional hallucinations during said insomnia episodes, which often can be somewhat useful in helping me pinpoint which part of my mental state caused this little bout of insomnia. Recently (for when I wrote this) I’ve been suffering from bodily autonomy issues due to my education’s strict policies and many people demanding my time and effort for their own conveniences. I usually have a hard time saying no to these people because they’re usually closer to me, and it got to the point where it was like ‘hold on a minute, this is *deadname*, not Legion/Loki’. When I thought about myself. And, well, the hallucination wanted to highlight the unstoppable passage of time, my autonomy issues, and the inherent dysphoria that comes with being LGBT in general. And, to do that, it chose time, mirrors, and vampires. But who am I to question- would this be Apollo? Thanks, Apollo, ik I’m still new to worship, but this helped. A lot. And Ares, for giving me the strength to fight.

Yes this is so so so cool!!!!

i have a silly request. could you possibly make a sticker sheet with the greek gods, mostly ares? hes my favorite. so maybe red and bronzey colors?

not silly, im happy to make it!!

i love the greek gods, this mama worships hestia!

i have an altar to her and all<3

i think hypnos is one of the best gods for sleepy regressors, its always nice to be regresed ready for bed and just saying goodnight and falling asleep quickly sniffing the lavender by his altar, having the warm blanket embrace me while i have stuffies in my arms and drift to good dreams warm and safe <3

also i should add i will be starting to make DNI agere banners so if you have your gods/goddesses or patrons (no matter if ite hero worship or diety worship) i will make it for you ^^