I Think That The Resurgence Of Love For Hades Is Reflective Of How Much Hades Loves Humanity. Even After

21 Day Newbie Devotee Challenge!

Are you just starting a relationship with a deity? Or have you been working with a deity for a while, but feel as though you’re stuck in a rut? Or do you just want to take the time to research your deity a little bit more? Despite being called the “Newbie” Devotee Challenge, this challenge is perfect for both beginners and well-seasoned devotees! This challenge is perfect for helping you reflect on both your deity, and your practice.

Tag all posts with “newbie devotee challenge” so we can all see your hard work! And please reblog this post if you plan on doing this challenge!

Day 1: Name the deity you will be working with for the remainder of this challenge. Give a quick overview of your relationship with that deity.

Day 2: What initially drew you to that deity? (Did they call you? Did you call them? How did you discover their identity? Etc.)

Day 3: Does your deity have any alternate names or epithets? If they do, what are they, and what do they mean? What does the name you call your deity mean?

Day 4: What symbols/animals/plants/etc. are associated with your deity? Start out by listing the ones that you know. Then, do a little research to see if you can find more. In a separate list on the same post, list those ones, too. Make note of which ones you think fit and don’t fit your deity.

Day 5: Describe your favorite story/myth that involves your deity. Discuss why this one is your favorite, and if this story/myth somehow influences your practice.

Day 6: Describe your least favorite story/myth that involves your deity. Why is it your least favorite? (Is it because it shows a different aspect of your deity that you don’t see often?) Try to turn that negative into a positive, and use this as a learning experience.

Day 7: Discuss your UPG for your deity. What inspired those UPG? Afterwards, do a little research and try to find other popular UPG. Do you agree or disagree with that UPG, and why?

Day 8: Describe what you have placed on your altar for this deity. If you don’t have an altar yet, discuss what you would put on the altar if you had one. Is there anything “missing” on your altar/are there items you wish you could add? What are they, and why do you want to add them?

Day 9: Discuss your daily/weekly/monthly/etc. worship “schedule.” What do you do for your deity? What offerings do you give? How often do you pray? And so on. Are you happy with how much/little time you give your deity? If not, what could you do to change that?

Day 10: What method(s) do you usually use to contact your deity? (Tarot, godphone, etc.) Why do you like using that method?

Keep reading

Pagan pro-tips

Having been pagan and polytheistic for about 7 years, I can attest to these tips’ efficiency:

Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to devotional art

But don’t ever trust a single line of information on there.

Casually call out or whisper a deity’s name when something makes you think of them, so you can invite them to witness it!

If someone asks too many questions and you don’t feel like “coming-out” as pagan, tell them you’re ~more spiritual than religious~ and they’ll act like they get it.

Write your own prayers who tf cares

Playlists playlists playlists

I’m serious, even the simplest stuff people would label as “aesthetic” works well when you’re on a busy schedule but you want to stay casually connected to your faith.

Sure, paganism is deeply personal, but are there other people you could learn from? People you could help? Listening + sharing = community building!

please pause your scrolling to look at this ancient egyptian figurine of a cat with kittens currently in the brooklyn museum

okay you may continue

SMALL DEVOTIONAL ACTS I DO FOR MY DEITIES

(THIS IS NOT A GUIDE, THIS IS JUST WHAT I DO)

ALL

Made them all a Pinterest board of their aesthetic

Made them all a separate Pinterest board for things of their choosing

Made them playlists

APOLLON

Play him songs on my ukulele

Play video games with the sound up

Read poetry to him

Write him poetry

Bitch about people to him

Honour him while I take my medication

APHRODITE

Practice self-care

Practice self-love

Honour her while I masturbate

Make an extra cup of tea whenever I have one

Sit in the shower and relax

Gush about my crushes (If Applicable)

PERSEPHONE

Take walks around my local park

Pick up rocks that I find

Drink herbal tea

Use all natural face-masks

Honour her while I work

Tell her all the things I learnt in class

Use pomegranate washing up liquid

HADES

Honour the dead by preserving animal bones

Offer hospitality to anyone that enters my home

Honour him while I take a day for myself

Take walks when I am feeling down

Sit in my garden at night

Stream calming games on a discord server for people who can't sleep

Use pomegranate washing up liquid

Use mint shower gel

Hidden places for sigils

A lot of witches are in the broom closet and can't really have sigils just showing or you may just not want anyone to see your sigils. Whatever the reason may be you might want to keep them hidden or not super visible. Here are some places where you can put them.

On the lip of your shoes

Inside your phone case

In your wallet

Behind your watch

On your cosmetics

Tags of clothing

On your water bottle

On a key ring

Nail polish designs

Written on your skin in places others won't see or notice

On the bottom or on the heel of your shoes

Those are some places you can put sigils I hope this helps !!!

Low Effort Magic 🌙

I have a hard time doing something that involves magic every day, even though I've been on this path for quite some time.

Practicing magic a lot is by no means mandatory but it does help (in my opinion) to get better at it and it just helps with everyday problems. So here are some low effort activities you can do everyday that will hopefully help those of you with similar problems!

Write words like "protection", "healing" or whatever you want into your drink with a straw or spoon before you drink it. Or draw sigils in it.

If you feel super exhausted for no apparent reason, open a window and scream or, if you like it, put on some angry punk or metal music to banish whatever is feeding on your energy. While you're doing that, keep in mind that you want to banish. Otherwise you're just playing angry music. Yelling "Fuck off" also does the trick.

When you eat or drink something, try to pinpoint at least one magical property of each ingredient in your drink/food. It can also be one that has no historical evidence but is personal to you. That will help keep you in the magic mindset and also helps you to get all if that info into your long-term memory.

Open the window, stand in front of it and breathe in the air deeply with your eyes closed while you remind yourself that tge wind is part of nature and that you're connected to it. It doesn't have to be a half hour meditation, 5 seconds get the job done as well.

Offer everyday activities to your deities. For example: cooking for Hestia, standing up for yourself for Loki, practicing magic or **self care time** for Freyja, disposing of trash the correct way to your local nature spirits, etc

Take a shower or a bath, or just wash your face or brush your teeth with the intent of cleansing yourself from all that negative energy that has built up over the day.

That's all for this time. If you like it I'll do another one. :)

Reconnecting with your spirituality ✧̣̇˳·˖✶

Great for baby witches!

I gathered a few really simple rituals I do to reconnect with my spirituality after some time without practicing magic or when I feel like I lost my touch.

Firstly, it’s important to remember your place in the universe. If you’ve never taken some time to consider the nature around you, do that before trying anything else. Of course it’s ideal that you explore the nature that surrounds your home frequently, but it’s possible to connect with it while being someplace else. Ask yourself:

⭒ How do the seasons change where you live? Which changes can you see and feel throughout the year? How is it right now?

⭒ How does the moon influence you, in particular? Which phase of the moon is it today?

⭒ Which plants that are native to your region can you find around your neighborhood? Which ones are most abundant?

⭒ Which animals are native to your region? Do you see them around sometimes?

⭒ What’s the nearest body of water? In which direction is it located? How do you think it must be today? (The sea must be agitated because it’s a full moon, the river must be at high tide cause it rained, etc.)

Knowing the natural spaces around you is what forms the solid base you need to connect with nature on a larger scale. There’s some simple exercises that help you gradually build a relationship with the world around you, starting small and expanding as you gain experience:

To start 𓆸

Choose a plant or a rock that you’re already familiar with, like a house plant you may have. Approach it like it’s the first time you really see it. The purpose is to gain some form of intimacy with it. Pay attention to its appearance, texture and smell (and if it’s an edible plant, its taste), and to the sensations it gives you. After trying it with a plant or a rock you already know, move on to one you’ve never interacted with before.

Connecting with plants 𓆸

This method is used by a lot of witches to gather information about a plant’s energy based on their own energy. Different people may perceive the same plant differently cause each of us have our own, singular energy that’ll interact with it. That’s why gathering information from personal experience is so important. A herb that is said to help with something might affect you differently than it does to most witches, that’s normal. So:

❀ Choose a plant you’re already familiar with and touch it in a way that makes you comfortable.

❀ Close your eyes and imagine your palm glowing with light. Focus on how that feels. Some people say they feel their hand tingle or warm up at that. Either way, imagine your palm’s energy vibrating, into the plant.

❀ Visualize the plant is glowing as well, and that both your energies are connecting into one. When you feel you’ve achieved that, concentrate on how you feel. Is it an specific emotion or sensation? Do any thoughts or ideas pop into your head? It can be a pretty vague feeling, that’s okay; it’ll grow into something stronger and more defined as you work with it, if you decide to.

❀ When you feel you’ve observed enough, be thankful for the plant’s cooperation and visualize your energy separating from the one emanating from the plant and retrieving itself back into your palm as it stops glowing.

❀ Open your eyes and let go. You might want to shake your hand around as if you’re trying to dry it off after washing your hands; some witches do that to make sure they’ve really disconnected.

After trying it with a plant you’re familiar with, repeat the exercise with one you’ve never interacted with before.

Grounding 𓆸

Connecting with the earth helps you stay balanced. If you’re feeling anxious and all over the place, you can discharge that excess energy into the earth; if you’re feeling lethargic, the earth can energize you. To do that, you need to ground yourself. Some spells and rituals are so draining that you need to ground yourself beforehand so it doesn’t take too much of your energy. Here’s a simple grounding method I think pretty much every witch has used before:

❀ Take a deep breath, slowly, three times. Be aware of your own energy going through your body. You may close of eyes, if you want. Focus on your chest, and visualize a beam of light in its center. Imagine that’s your energy source.

❀ Visualize a branch growing from that center and reaching downwards, into the earth. Let it go beyond your body and touch the ground. I like to imagine that I’m a tree and that my roots are digging into the earth, and take a moment to appreciate how deep and strong they are, and how strong and stable that makes me.

❀ When you feel you’ve formed a connection, you can let your energy work with the earth, and let go of any excess that’s stressing you or receive what’s lacking.

Connecting with the elements 𓆸

There’s several ways to connect with the 4 elements, and a lot of witches renew their connection periodically with an exercise. For that, gather something to represent each element. For the element earth, use fresh dirt, salt, a rock or a crystal. For air, use an object that’ll make an air current; preferably a hand fan. For fire, a candle. For water, a small bowl of water will do. Touch each object, close your eyes, and visualize their energy connecting with yours. (Since you can’t touch fire, obviously, hold out your hand over the flame, from a safe distance where you can still feel the heat.) Do that for a minute or two, and try to put into words what you feel. Be sure to disconnect yourself from an element before connecting with the next one. What I said about the plants goes for the elements as well: different people may perceive them differently, which is why you need to gather information from personal experience, and build your own relationship with them.

✨Angel Numbers✨

Angel numerology is a universal code that higher entities (such as angels and spiritual guides) use to communicate with you. Different numbers have different meanings:

✨111✨ - The Intuition Number: follow your gut feeling and trust your heart. Follow your spirit and stay true to yourself.

✨222✨ - The Alignment Number: you are in the right place at the right time. Don't worry about the future, and trust in what you want.

✨333✨ - The Support Number: your spiritual guides and higher beings are sending you support and guidance. You're in good hands!

✨444✨ - The Protection Number: you are protected by your spiritual guides.

✨555✨ - The Change Number: the universe is moving around you, and change is coming. Trust this transition.

✨666✨ - The Reflection Number: take a step back and refocus your thoughts. Reconnect with your spirituality.

✨777✨ - The Lucky Number: great things are about to happen, and luck is on your side. Keep doing what you're doing!

✨888✨ - The Balance Number: everything is falling into place and your thoughts will be in harmony.

✨999✨ - The Release Number: it's time to let go of things that no longer serve you. Start a new journey and prepare for the next level.

I hope this guide helps a little :3

edit: for some reason this post has kinda blown up??? thanks :) anyway if you dont follow me, maybe consider checking out my blog :3

Energy Work: Energy Types and Sources

Independent Energy

Independent energy is a type of energy that never loses it’s charge or can recharge on its own with little to no help from outside sources.

Personal energy is the energy that your body makes by itself. It is most commonly recharged by sleeping and calorie consumption and can be easily used as a source in most aspects of witchcraft.

Organic energy is derived from life. This includes humans, plants, animals, and some entities. These can be used as sources. Personal energy falls under this category but is distinguished for crafting purposes.

Rooted energy is the most common source to recharge from and it has a substantial or near unlimited amount of energy. This includes planetary bodies, the elements, and the weather.

Artistic energy is a non-sentient type of energy created by an artist. Despite being able to affect the emotions of those who view or listen to it, the energy itself is trapped within the original product. This energy can be duplicated and used as a source for other creations and magical purposes. This includes things like music, paintings, movies, or stories.

Dependent Energy

Dependent energy is energy that depends on other sources of energy to prevent becoming stagnant with usage over time.

Natural energy is stored in objects not created by humans. It is limited as a source and has to be recharged to keep its individual characteristics. This includes things like crystals, stones, and dead matter.

Manufactured energy is stored in objects created by humans. This includes things like paper, clothing, and machines.

Spiritual energy is created from organic energy sources or nature itself. They heavily depend on other sources of energy in order to maintain themselves. This includes once-living spirits, thoughtforms, and nature spirits.

Programmed energy is a non-sentient energy that is created for a purpose. It can be crafted from any energy source and needs to be recharged in order to continue doing its duty. It can be a free-flowing energy or it can be stored in a vessel. This includes things like spells, curses, and enchantments.

Emotional energy is a non-sentient type of energy created by emotions, thoughts, and words. If fed into, it can turn into an energy parasite. If not fed into, it will neutralize. It can permeate into the world around it or stick to its creator.

Parasitic energy is a non-sentient type of energy and is generally an outcome of sustained emotional energy. It feeds on and encourages the original emotions it stems from and is stuck to a host.

Consumable energy is a non-sentient energy source that is stored in food products. This includes things like harvestable food and crafted food.

Hades devotion 102

Part 5- Upscaling your practice

(The entire Hades devotion masterpost)

If you reached here you probably initiated some kind of interaction with Hades by now. The relationship with our deities usually starts with a casual acquaintance at a business event. You stepped into a room full of strangers, walked around holding a glass of wine, and heard many snippets of conversations. When you found something that caught your attention- the Gods themselves, the topic of their discussion, the “business” opportunities they can offer you (by that I mean of course the business of spiritual development), or just plain good old-fashioned curiosity. Some of these relationships turned out to be a one-time interaction, maybe a tip or a lesson. But some of these relationships went on to be something more- a truly deep connection you carry with you wherever you go. 

All the terms I use in this part of used sometimes interchangeably by different people. This is my own personal interpretation of them, take them as it resonates with you or not at all.

How does a relationship with a deity is starting out?

Well, in the beginning, everything is more official. You might be having an easier time reciting a written prayer, offering by-the-book offerings, and using known forms of divination to communicate. You might start a routine of prayers and rituals, and build up your own records of experiences (“How I felt after offering dark chocolate to him?”), and your own associations (like a private joke you had that associated Hades with bears for some reason). The point is to build kharis, to feel this reciprocity. This should not feel completely one-sided for long periods of time (even though in my case I spent 8 years of one-sided devotion).

At this point you can feel like you are a follower,as opposed to a practitioner who honors him occasionally.

Those first steps are valuable. Follow your insights, gather them, study them, and analyze them. Research your own experience in this worship like a laborant.This will make it easier to learn more and deepen the relationship.

Worth-relationship

I once read somewhere that “worship” is a portmanteau of the words “worth” and “relationship”. I don’t know if that is true in any way, but I like the poetic sense of it and I agree. Our devotion should have some kind of worth to us. Worth can be an actual gain of spiritual lessons or progress you wished for, but it can also be just the comforting feeling you get while you pray. In a kind of deity-worshipper relationship I feel like it should be clear what you derive from it, and what are you in this connection for. Gods are not vending machines and not ingredients in a spell jar, but the effect they have on our daily life is so incredibly heavy and nothing less than transformational- before we go deeper into one of those relationships, we should understand what it stands for. If you figured it out, and you are willing to keep this thing going, you can call it devotion, or being a devotee. You are no longer a follower, you took the active decision to participate in a reciprocal partnership.

At this point, you might want to add more and more elements of your spiritual practice into your daily life. You’d want in immerse yourself in this experience and have the effects of it on every aspect of your life. This is a great time to select a few devotional acts to incorporate into your practice- start a new hobby dedicated to your Gods, and try to actively promote what they stand for. It can also be a great time to create connections with other devotees and work together on things related to your worship. Some people choose a professional path that aligns with their Gods, some choose a major based on that. Some people choose to sell their things and go live in a forest. No one can guarantee us we are doing the right thing for us, but no one but us can learn our lessons, and trusting our Gods to lead us to the best lessons for us out there, is a good way to go.

This could also mean that your narrative about your life story might alter and get some new adjustments based on the spiritual context. You are no longer living two separate narratives- the mundane one where you go to work and pay bills, and the spiritual one where you pray by your altar. Those two narratives are merged into one, enriching each other. Discernment is importamt here as in any stage of course.

End notes- Where do we go from here?

I couldn’t tell you even if I knew. When our devotion is such a big part of our lives, and the reciprocal relationship we have with our Gods is steady, there is no limit to where will go. The Gods are not some distant forces sitting on a cloud and sending us dreams, they are active participants in our lives, companions, teachers, bosses, and family members. And like human companionships, we can’t really know where things will get us. This is part of the mystery and the journey. Who we are as people will probably develop and evolve through time and adventures we will have, with our Gods and regardless of them. We can only hope that through these ties we will turn out to be better than we could've been without them.