PSA: Aphrodite Isn't Just Romantic Love, The Ancient Greeks Had 7 Words For Love!

“The Song of Mounykhia” - to Artemis.

Portuguese:

Canta, Ó Musa, de Ártemis do Arco Dourado A fugaz caçadora que do prado é dona Cujos olhos argutos de luar perscrutam o campo E identificam a presa ao qual seu alegre dardo encontra As passadas vorazes da Senhora das Feras Ecoam na batalha sanguinolenta O brilho dourado e Selene acima Ártemis sobre o campo impera e ilumina E agradecidos mortais entoam seu nome Queimando incenso, bolos e mel Sagrada Ártemis longiflecheira é honrada Pela clareza noturna que iluminou o céu

English:

Sing, O Muse, of Artemis of the Golden Bow The fleeting hunter who owns the meadow Whose sharp eyes of moonlight scan the field Identifying the prey that Her delightful dart finds

The voracious footsteps of the Mistress of Beasts Echo admist the bloody battle Her golden glow and Selene above Artemis over the field reigns and illuminates

And grateful mortals chant your name Burning incense, cakes and honey Sacred far-shooting Artemis is honored For the night clarity that lit up the sky

 The festival of Mounykhia is a celebration that occurs on the 16th lunar day of the hellenic month of Mounykhion. It’s about honouring Artemis as Potnia Theron, the Mistress of Beasts and (through the celebration of Arkteia) is also linked to a rite of passage of young girls. You can read about it more here.

hi! i love your blog so much. i am an aspiring kitchen witch:) i was wondering, do you have any recipes that would serves as a good offering to hermes, or recipes that he would like to be a part of in general? thank you for the amazing posts as always~❤️

Wellll he usually seems to like things like beer, honey, eggs, and clean water. So what about some honey beer-battered fish?

HERMES HONEY BEER BATTER FISH

Ingredients

5 cod fish fillets

12 oz bottle beer of choice (the alcohol with boil-off while cooking, please don’t have a heart attack yet)

1 beaten egg

4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

2 tbsp raw honey

2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp old bay seasoning

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 cup flour

Directions

In a pan or bowl, combine flour, old bay seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk in your beer, honey, and egg. Season your cod with salt and pepper.

Coat your codfish in batter one at a time, pour oil into a deep pan or pot. The oil should be about 3 inches deep. When your oil becomes very hot. Add your cod into the oil and let cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes, or until fully cooked. 

Plate with some fries and enjoy!

digital offering to Lord Árész

im praying to you, oh Swift and Mighty Árész, that you keep those who protest in the upcoming days safe, and that you can lend them your strenght to fight against the oppression 。.:*:・'°☆

Common Terms in Helpol!

Hello there! So... Hellenic polytheism has a lot of words, and they can get confusing. It's hard to keep track of so many things! So I thought I would make a list of a whole bunch of common, or maybe not-so-common terms in Hellenic polytheism! Honestly, I really just wanted to make a really long informative post, so here you all go!

If there is any term you would like me to add to this list, let me know and I will gladly add it! Also, at the bottom of this post, I will link other posts where people have done an absolutely amazing job going into detail about one or more of these terms, or maybe others I chose not to include in this list!

Hellenic/Hellenismos/Hellenistic/Helpol

If you’re on helpol tumblr, or really any helpol-focused social media, you’ve heard all of these terms, and you may be wondering… which is the right term for the religion?

Hellenic: of or relating to Greece, its people, or its language specifically: of or relating to ancient Greek history, culture, or art before the Hellenistic period (Merriam-Webster). Basically, Hellenic means Greek.

Hellenism: devotion to or imitation of ancient Greek thought, customs, or styles; Greek civilization especially as modified in the Hellenistic period by influences from southwestern Asia; a body of humanistic and classical ideals associated with ancient Greece and including reason, the pursuit of knowledge and the arts, moderation, civic responsibility, and bodily development (Merriam-Webster). Basically, Hellenism means relating to Greek culture.

Hellenismos: Hellenism, but closer to what the word is in Greek, to my understanding.

Hellenistic: of or relating to Greek history, culture, or art after Alexander the Great (Merriam-Webster) The Hellenistic Period refers to 323-31 BCE, from the death of Alexander the Great to the rise of Augustus in Rome.

Hellenic Polytheism (Helpol): Hellenic polytheism, which would literally mean "The worship of more than one Greek god" is generally thought to be the best term for the worship of Hellenic (Greek) gods. And in my opinion, it makes the most sense!

Theoi

Theoi is the ancient Greek word for the Gods. There are many "Types" (sort of) of Theoi, including Theoi Einalioi, Theoi Georgikoi, Theoi Gamelioi, Theoi Kthonioi, Theoi Ouranioi, Theoi Olympioi, Theoi Nomioi, and the Theoi Titanes (Theoi.com) Most commonly mentioned of these "types" of the theoi are Ouranic and Kthonic. Many (if not most or all) gods fit in to more than one of these categories, for example, Lady Aphrodite is part of the Theoi Einalioi (Sea), Theoi Gamelioi (Marriage), Theoi Ouranioi (Sky), and Theoi Olympioi (Olympian).

Ouranic: The Theoi Ouranioi, or Ouranic deities are the gods of the sky. Offerings to Ouranic deities can be eaten, and when praying, palms are traditionally facing up.

Kthonic: The Theoi Kthonioi, or Kthonic deities are the gods of the earth and underworld. Offerings shouldn’t be eaten and when praying, hands are typically down towards the ground.

Khaire/Xaire

Khaire, chaire, or xaire (Greek: χαίρε) Is a Greek greeting, meaning “hello”, “hail”, “rejoice”, “goodbye”, or “farewell”. However, to my understanding it is not used in modern Greek, though it’s plural, χαίρετε, is occasionally used in formal settings.

I have personally seen many helpols use the spelling “khaire” as a greeting, while the spelling “xaire” to mean hail or rejoice. As far as I can tell, this is just their personal preference.

Purification

Miasma: “Stain”, “Defilement”, “Pollution”. Miasma refers to being extremely ritually impure, and one who is miasmic should not approach the Gods. However, you likely do not have miasma. Miasma comes from murder, incest, assault, and other extremely serious crimes. Miasma affects its surroundings, and can make the area around it also impure, but being a victim to these crimes does not make one miasmic. Without the proper purification, miasmic individuals should not approach the Gods.

Lyma: “dirt”. Lyma is impurity one naturally picks up from the world around them. Humans are not naturally impure, but they can pick up lyma on a normal day to day basis. Examples of lyma include being around/giving birth, blood, being around death/the dead, literal dirt, etc. Having lyma is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s best to wash it away (most people in modern day and in ancient Greece to my knowledge simply wash their hands in running water) before approaching the Gods, similar to washing your hands before dinner. It’s just more respectful.

Khernips: Khernips refers to a flame doused in water and is basically a fancy way of purification. Most of the time, you don’t need to use khernips to rid yourself of lyma, you can just use regular running water, but some prefer to use khernips all the time.

Kharis

Kharis at its most basic definition is a reciprocal relationship with the gods. This means not asking for things without giving anything in return, such as praying for big things without an offering to go with it. Kharis goes both ways, so if you give an offering, a god will often respond to your request.

Xenia

Xenia, meaning “guest-friendship” and “hospitality”, is often thought to be an important ideal in Hellenic Polytheism. Many take it to mean inclusivity and kindness to everyone, including strangers. In ancient Greece, xenia was thought to be important because there was always a chance that a guest could be a god in disguise.

Hubris

“exaggerated pride or self-confidence […] In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality.” - Merriam-Webster. Basically, hubris is putting oneself at the same or higher level than the Theoi.

Offerings

Offerings: Gifts to the gods. Common offerings include foods, art, music, trinkets that remind you of the god the offering is for, etc.

Libations: Liquid offerings to the gods. Libations can be poured on the ground or into a container. Common libations include wine and water (though I personally like to offer Diet Coke, but that’s just me)

Devotional Acts: Things done in honor of the gods. Often, these are used as a more subtle way of offering. An example of a devotional act would be for Lady Aphrodite, doing one’s skincare/makeup, or spending time with a loved one.

Patron

In modern helpol spaces, I often see the word patron used to mean a god one closely worships. However, in ancient Greece, a patron god was one who held dominion over certain aspects of your life, such as your job, hobbies, identity, or where you lived. For example, Lady Athena is the patron of Athens, and Lord Hermes is the patron of travelers and thieves.

Epithets

An epithet is “a descriptive term (word or phrase) accompanying or occurring in place of a name”, sometimes described as a nickname. Epithets often refer to qualities of the one they are given too, whether by appearance (ex. Bright-Eyed Athena), personality (ex. Zeus the Merciful), history (ex. Sea foam born Aphrodite), or actions (Swift-Footed Achilles). Gods and some heroes have epithets.

Reconstructionism/Revivalism

Reconstructionism and Revivalism are two different ways of practicing helpol (not specific to helpol, but I’m just talking about that here). When done respectfully, neither is wrong, nor better/worse than the other.

Reconstructionism: “Reconstructionism attempts to re-establish genuine polytheistic religions in the modern world through a rediscovery of the rituals, practices and contextual worldviews of pre-Christian pagan religions.” In other words, reconstructionists attempt to recreate the religious practices of ancient times as closely as possible (while usually modifying some things such as animal sacrifice that aren’t as acceptable nowadays).

Revivalism: Revivalism refers to those who practice in a more modern way, while still keeping in mind the ancient traditions. An example of something that a revivalist might do is a digital offering, something that would not have been possible in ancient Greece.

UPG, SPG, and VPG

Unverified Personal Gnosis: UPG refers to an experience, belief, or association with a deity that isn't backed up historically. UPGs are personal, and others may or may not agree with or share them.

Shared Personal Gnosis: SPG, also known as PVPG (Peer Verified Personal Gnosis), refers to experiences, beliefs, or associations shared by many worshippers of certain deities. Though they don't hold as much weight as beliefs backed up historically, they tend to hold more weight than UPGs.

Verified Personal Gnosis: VPG means that an experience, belief, or association someone has is backed up by historical sources.

Great Helpol Resources

These are mostly just some amazing other tumblr posts that have helped me a lot and also explain some of these terms in more detail/better than I have.

Xenia and UPG vs SPG vs VPG ~ @beautyofaphrodite (me)

Miasma, Lyma, and Khernips ~ @sisterofiris

Beginner’s Guide to Hellenic Polytheism ~ @wisdom-devotee

Ouranic, Kthonic, and Einalic ~ @pietyandpearls

Blogs such as @khaire-traveler and @atheneum-of-you are also amazing! khaire-traveler has some great subtle worship posts, and atheneum-of-you has some amazing and very well researched informative posts.

As always, if something I mentioned is wrong, weirdly worded, confusing, I missed something, etc, please please please let me know and I’ll do my best to fix it! Much love 🫶

Floral Spell to Bring Joy to Another

A spell to bring a friend joy when they need it.

You will Need:

💐 Azaleas 💐 Lilies 💐 Witches Grass 💐 Orange Ribbon 💐 Yellow Ribbon

Steps:

💐 Lay out the flowers and organize them as you like best

💐 Take your orange and yellow and begin wrapping them around the stems

💐 “In your time of sadness and murky skies, I bring you light and joy. These flowers will give you the joy you deserve, and bluer skies.”

💐 Tie the ribbons in a bow and kiss the tie and hold the stems in your hands as you do. Visualize the bouquet glowing yellow like the sun and remember the times you saw your friend smiling, laughing and enjoying themselves. Put those memories into the kiss to bring back such things.

💐 Present the bouquet to your friend and have them keep it somewhere they can see it often.

♥ 𝔸 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕞𝕪 𝕂𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕁𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝 #𝟛 ♥

Sweet Cream Buns

This recipe was given to me by a friend awhile ago, and I feel it needs a little more appreciation. They’re super easy to make and are tasty too!

I feel one thing a kitchen witch has to master is their ability to make all sorts of bread. It’s such a staple, and is so versatile. Not to mention how much of a crowd pleaser it is.

This recipe is a tasty bun, that when bitten into, oozes vanilla custard. Whenever I make these, they are gone in the first ten minutes. I tweaked this recipe from one of my good friends who enlightened me on this yummy recipe. I highly recommend you to try these for yourself!

Now in this recipe I will be showing you three fillings that I’m sure you will love!

- Vanilla Custard

- Chocolate coffee cream

- Brown sugar maple custard

Ingredients

For the Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup bread flour

1 cup cake flour

A sprinkle of sea salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

½ cup warm almond milk (Or any type of milk)

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 egg

3 tbsp butter

For the Vanilla Custard

5 tbsp sugar

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Extract 

For the Chocolate Coffee Cream

6 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

½ cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

¼ cup expresso/ brewed coffee

Milk chocolate/ dark chocolate/ Semi-sweet chocolate (Its up to you)

For the Maple Syrup Custard

5 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions

To prepare: Set your butter and eggs out 10 minutes before you start so they enough time to come to room temperature. 

Start by filling a measuring cup with your milk and heat in your microwave for about 20 seconds, or until when you stick a (clean) finger in, it is just warm. If it is too hot, it will kill your yeast mixture. Add your dry yeast in and stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes to bloom.

Next, in a kitchen aid (If you have one) attach the dough hook and mix your flour, salt and sugar together. Now crack an egg into the yeast mixture and add it to the kitchen aid bowl on low speed. Add in warmed cream. Let the dough hook do its magic on medium low speed until the dough is very smooth and elastic.

Add in your butter 1 tablespoon at a time and let it mix until completely smooth. About 4-5 minutes.

Oil a bowl with some neutral oil, or with some butter and place the kneaded dough ball into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in oven with the light on, or in a warm area.

Leave it to rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

Ok, so now poke your dough and let the gas leak out from the dough. Cut it into equal sized pieces and place cling wrap on it and let it rise for another 15 minutes or more.

In the 15 minutes, now is the time to make your custard cream. On high heat, add your milk and butter and let it come to a boil. Then turn down your heat and whisk in sugar, egg, and flour. Add in your additives (Vanilla, maple syrup. etc.) and mix on low heat until it has reached a thick pudding like consistency. About 6-12 minutes. If you are doing chocolate, here is the time to melt your chocolate in, when it is off the heat. Let it cool completely.

With a rolling pin roll out the pieces of dough and place a dollop of custard in the center. Fold them over and press/pinch the sides together. Repeat the process until all of them are like this.

Place them on a tray and wrap cling wrap over them. Let them proof for about an hour, or until they’ve doubled in size again.

Now with a nonstick pan on medium low heat, place the bun in the pan and cover with lid. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, or until it is a nice golden brown. You can also cook this in an oven. 400 F for 8-15 minutes.

Now your done! Enjoy this hot and cold, they are tasty either way. It will be a little crispy when hot and soft when cold. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

I love you all! My DMs, mail, and comments are always open! 

xoxo, Angel

Magic For The Disabled

A few things that I do when I’m at my lowest. Made specifically for disabled people, but anyone can do these! See this post for low energy witchcraft ideas not directly related to disabilities.

Enchant your blanket for a good night’s rest

Enchant your coffee/juice/water/NyQuil/whatever you’re drinking to aid in recovery

Enchant food to aid in recovery

Place sigils around to aid in recovery, memory, etc.

Keep relaxing herbs/stones/etc. around

Cast a sleep aid spell (I have a bag with lavender and amethyst hanging on a bedpost)

Cast a recovery spell (I have another bag with a variety of protection and rest herbs and crystals)

Enchant fidgets or objects used to stim to calm you and to never break

Use energy magic instead of physical spells.

Use art/writing/etc. magic! Draw sigils, deities, write spells, recipes, shopping lists, etc.

Stir and infuse good energy/banishing into teas or coffees.

Keep some supplies nearby (i.e. tea lights, a lighter, grimoire, oils, etc.).

Use showers, washing of face/hands, etc. for cleansing.

Brush out the bad energy when brushing your hair.

Ward health aids or mobility aids against breaking and bless them to work quickly and well.

Use apps or websites for sigils, spells, etc. (VirtualCandleSpell for digital candle spells, Craiyon for sigils).

Keep room sprays near you and bless them to serve a certain purpose.

Make emoji/song spells! Use corresponding emojis and charge them with intent. Use corresponding songs, put them on a playlist, charge them, and listen to it whenever you want to cast it.

Use makeup/skincare as glamours.

Use sunscreen as protection!

Use wax warmers and melts instead of candles.

Use oils in diffusers instead of candles or incense.

Enchant anything you use daily.

A WITCH’S COZY BUTTERNUT WINTER SOUP

This soup is sooooo good! It really puts me in the spirit for yule, and the ending of fall, into the transition of winter. Stir in a clockwise motion to bring cozy vibes into your houses atmosphere and dance to some winter songs to release stagnate energy from a days hard work! P.S. Yule Log Cake recipe coming up in a few day so look out for that !

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

1 large yellow onion

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 red pepper

2 cloves garlic

Salt and Pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 sweet potato

3 cups chicken stock 

Sprigs of thyme and rosemary

2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Cut your butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeded part. Do the same for your red pepper and sweet potato. Brush with olive oil and season with the spices listed above. Bake for 1 ½ hours. 

2. In a deep large pot, cook your onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent. Transfer that into a large food blender and add your tomatoes, pepper, flesh of your butternut squash and the insides of your sweet potato. Blend until very smooth and transfer back into the pot.

3. Add more seasoning to taste, chicken stock, and your sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn it down to a lower heat, cover, and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

4. Serve with grated parmesan, toasted bread, and laddle into bowls. Enjoy!

FEEL BETTER CHICKEN SOUP

Today I woke up and felt a little ill. So I decided to make myself some good old feel-better chicken soup.

Being mixed, I've always grown up with two different versions of chicken noodle soup, so eventually when I grew up I just combined the two! Hispanic chicken soup usually uses tomatoes sazón, adobo, chicken thigh, lemon, and rice, but American chicken soup usually uses noodles, chicken breast, plain broth, salt, pepper, and celery.

So here's one way to twist the two together.

This recipe is pretty easy to make when you don't have a lot of energy because there is about an hour and a half of cooking where you can just sit down and relax while doing it.

3-4 Chicken Thighs or Legs (I prefer bone-in because it has more flavor and is more tender.)

3 tbsp Garlic honey (works well if fermented, it's fun and easy to make your own!) - Healing, Protection, Purification

One Goya Sazon Packet

1 Bay Leaf - Protection, Healing, Purification

1/2 Cup Baby Carrots (You could just chop up a regular carrot too lol)

1 yellow Onion

2 tsp grated Ginger - Cleansing, Energy, Healing

Half a bag of egg noodles (You could also use rice) - Longevity

4 cups chicken broth

2 green onions

Chicken Seasoning:

4 cloves garlic  - Protection, Healing

1/8 cup chopped parsley - Protection, Strength

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp adobo seasoning

1 tbsp thyme - Healing, Abundance, Health, Prosperity

2 tsp basil flakes - Abundance, Prosperity 

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper - Banish Negative Energy

Juice of half a lemon - For Healing

Hot Scallion Oil:

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp green onion

DIRECTIONS:

Blend the chicken seasonings listed above in a blender or in a mortar and pestle. Whichever you prefer. Rub on chicken and fry in a pot with oil until each side is browned. About 4 minutes on each side.

Add in yellow onion, ginger, and garlic honey, and cook until soft. Add in carrots and chicken stock. Add in Bay leaf and goya season packet. Cook for about an hour.

Add in green onions, and taste if the soup needs more seasoning. If it does, season to taste. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

When the chicken is tender enough to where it is falling off the bone, remove the chicken from the bone and discard the bones and bay leaf.

Add in egg noodles and cook for 7-9 minutes with the lid on, until the noodles are cooked.

Heat up 2 tbsp of oil until very hot. Add in green onion and cook for a little under a minute.

Laddel soup into a bowl and top with a spoonful of scallions and scallion oil.

Enjoy!

Editors Note: I'll never understand how people take such aesthetic photos of food loll.

hi ive moved out and im super broke do u have any cheap and easy/quick recipes for bringing luck or positivity

BRING ME POSITIVITY PECAN FRENCH TOAST BAKE

This recipe feeds a lot of mouths for cheap, you can also cover with foil and serve at later times, just pop it in the fridge, and when your ready to eat it again, just put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Ingredients

2 tsp cinnamon

positivity, luck, strength, abundance

5 eggs

1 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

attract positivity, heals

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

attract good things, self-love

1 loaf of any bread of choice (cut into cubes)

1 cup brown sugar

desirable outcomes, self-love, comfort, luck

1 tsp nutmeg

luck, money, prosperity

1 cup pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk the eggs, half and half, 1 tbsp brown sugar, spices, and vanilla. Pour 1/2 the mixture into a deep baking tray. Add in your cubed bread and pour the remaining mixture on top. Cover and refrigerate as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Bring to a slight boil then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add-in pecans.

Pour in the syrup on top of the french toast. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done.