“i’d Rather Be Self Centered Than Male Centered”

Happy Friday!

Friday is Aphrodite’s day every week and I like to honor Her by writing a little prayer. Today’s topic is self-care when it’s hard. I chose this because as someone with depression who is also a major people pleaser, it’s very hard for me to put myself first or care about myself at all, and I know I’m mot the only one who struggles with that.

Note: I do not write prayers often but am practicing, so this may not be good. Sorry!

Loving Goddess Aphrodite

Of the sea (Pontia)

Of the sky (Ourania)

Of the dark (Melainis)

I ask you to please help me with this request.

She who rules over love of all forms,

Assist me in caring for myself.

Help me to see me the way you do

Beautiful, Loving, and Human

And help me to treat myself like I deserve

with patience, kindness, and care.

For when the waves of my emotions

crash against my heart,

and when the skies are filled with sorrow

When all I can see is darkness,

You are the light.

I thank you for all that you have already done

for I now know how you see me.

I ask you to help me to take care of my mind and body

For I know that I am full of beauty.

what do i do with food offerings? How long do i leave them out? Taking it away immediately feels wrong but i dont want mold

I have answered this before, but the answers are all in amongst a bunch of other questions, so I’m going to try to make this one more focused and detailed

It depends on the deity. There’s two categories when it comes to this — ouranic (heavenly, basically anyone not of the underworld) and chthonic (underworld). Additionally, food offerings to heroes would fall under the chthonic category in my opinion, since they’re dead.

When it comes to deities who have both ouranic and chthonic aspects (Hermes being the main one people think of for that, but also Persephone and Melinoë, and even Zeus) I’d say it depends on which epithet/aspect you’re offering to. If you’re offering to the deity’s chthonic side, do it the chthonic way. If not, do it ouranically. For Persephone, though, you could also do it depending on season/time of year as that dictates whether she is in the underworld or not at the time of your offering.

Now into why it actually matters.

You can eat offerings to ouranic deities. You can’t eat offerings to chthonic ones. The ‘why’ is not something I’m completely sure on, just that that’s the way it is. However my bestie did suggest this last time I mentioned not knowing why:

@under-their-light hi, I love you

With ouranic deities, I always eat it. I see it as sharing food with my deity. I pray before I do it, saying the following:

“With the first and last to Lady Hestia, and a portion to Father Zeus, <name + epithet of the deity I’m specially offering to>, this <name of food> is for you. Take your fill, and I’ll eat the rest.”

You don’t have to say it like that, but I think this nicely covers all the bases and it works for me. Let me break down the structure.

Hestia is historically first and last in (ouranic) food offerings from what I’ve heard, due to her being the first to be eaten by Cronos and the last to be set free. This would be especially important if the food you’re offering is homemade, id imagine. I’ve also heard that a portion of all food offerings goes to Zeus, which is why he is included also.

Then I say the name of the deity I’m specifically offering to, as they can hear us when we say their names, and if I’ve a specific reason for the food offering, there’s usually a specific epithet to go along with that, so that would be added here. If I’m just offering food for the sake of it, which is most of the time (if I want something in return I tend to gravitate towards non-food offerings) then I will still use an epithet purely to make it sound more refined, but I’ll use a poetic one instead of a cult one, so that I’m complimenting the deity, not calling on a specific domain.

Then I tell them what I’m offering.

The ‘take your fill and I’ll eat the rest’ also comes from my aforementioned bestie and it’s been really helpful in making me feel more confident about it as I’m informing the deity that I am sharing it with them, so it doesn’t feel like I’m just rudely eating the thing I just gave them.

All this to say, you don’t HAVE to eat the food from an ouranic deity, but I find it to be the easiest method as I don’t have to worry about how long to leave it on an altar, and I don’t have to worry about ‘wasting’ food, or feel bad when I do eventually dispose of it.

So, onto chthonic. We can’t eat food to chthonic deities. I also have a massive thing about throwing food away. I know if it’s offered to a deity it isn’t technically waste, but it still feels wasteful. So I offer food a LOT less to my heroes and chthonic deities, I must admit.

But I still do it. And that’s by offering food that I know won’t get eaten. Leftovers of a meal? Offer them to a chthonic deity or to a hero. Something will go out of date before I have the chance to eat it? They can have it. Someone didn’t finish eating something that they’d never tried before because they didn’t like it? Offer it to a deity. Ran out of time to eat a thing while on my break and I can’t take it with me? My gods can have it. There’s almost endless scenarios. It actually LESSENS any guilt about wasting food, because it’s not getting eaten anyway, so at least they can have it.

This is also the same for libations (liquid offerings) you can drink to ouranic but not to chthonic. Pour it on the floor for chthonic deities (you can do this for ouranic too, but again, I usually don’t waste it if I have the opportunity not to)

If you didn’t want to eat them for the ouranic deities, I’d say my only rule for how long to leave something on an altar is ‘don’t let it rot’. Leave it out as long as you want, as long as it remains hygienic. And when you do decide to throw it out, inform your deities that’s what you’re doing.

Kagami!! I saw some outfits on Pinterest and put her in them but they definitely didn't translate as well into drawings because the real life pics are sm cuter. I still love these though!!

Quotes

"Pornography keeps sexism sexy." —John Stoltenberg 

“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” — Margaret Atwood

“The most oppressed man finds a being to oppress, his wife: she is the proletarian of the proletarian.” — Flora Tristán.

"Misandry and misogyny cannot be compared, quite simply because the former exists only in reaction to the latter." —Pauline Harmange

Help a Family in Need

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✅ Vetted by Association: @bilal-salah0

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🌱 Subtle Persephone Worship 🍂

Take a walk/drive through an area with lots of falling leaves during the Fall

Step in dry leaves to hear that satisfying crunch

Start a garden; tend to plants within your space

Pick flowers (not from other people's gardens!!!)

Make flower crowns

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Have a stuffed animal pig, rooster/hen, snake, or dog

Have imagery of spring, flowers, fall, winter, or pomegranates around

Eat pomegranate seeds or drink pomegranate juice

Learn to let go of shitty people, if able; assert your personal boundaries

Take a hike/walk in nature; visit a nature preserve

Honor your ancestors; learn about your family history

Keep family heirlooms; hold onto to objects given to by loved ones who've passed on

Become comfortable with change; take new risks and go outside your comfort zone

Make a list of goals at the end of each month; these goals are for the month ahead

Find simple joys in your day to day; make a list of things that you enjoy

Spend time with pets and loved ones; show appreciation for them

Volunteer at animal or homeless shelters

Support children-focused or environmental preservation organizations

Show yourself the same love you give to others

Practice standing up for yourself

During the winter, make yourself cozy; drink something warm, watch a favorite movie, curl up in a fuzzy blanket, etc.

Do spring-cleaning; keep your space clean

Donate things like blankets and coats to homeless shelters at the start of winter or fall

Cook a warm meal for someone in need, especially when it's cold out

Collect animal bones (thank the animal's spirit; I think that's just respectful)

Remember to regularly go outside/get some fresh air; take frequent breaks from technology throughout the day

Wear flowery perfumes/colognes

Have flowery scents for body wash, shampoo, conditioner, etc.

Take a self-care bath/shower

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I might add more down the line! For the time being, this is my list of ways to discreetly worship Persephone. Take care, and I hope this helps! 💚

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

consuming mass amounts of media related to my hyperfixation isnt enough i need to eat it

Sex work is work, right? And men, they have needs! Sexual ones!

So why are men not LINING the blocks to have sex AND get paid for it at the same time? It's win-win! It's empowering, right!?!?Why do lonely incel men go to brothels to be sex-buyers and not prostitutes when they would get paid for it?!?

Deep down everybody knows why. Sex trafficking is not work, and it is not empowering, otherwise men would be absolutely shitting themselves silly to get a slice of it.