Hades Devotion 101

Hellenic Pagan magic tip #1

Put the gorgoneion (gorgon’s head) on your grimoires, books, desks, altars, shrines, doorways, etc. You may sculpt one or simply draw one to seek protection. The Gorgon’s gaze will keep away negative spirits and dangers that seek to harm you. 

Full moons correspondences

Wolf moon (January) also known as cold moon, air

Inner power, insight, assess your journey, protection, personal developement

Ianna, Freyja, Skadi, the Morrigan, Hecate

Wolves, foxes, coyotes, blue jay, pheasants

Hematite, ruby, selenite, moonstone, opal, garnet, jet, onyx, obsidian

Black, white, silver, violet

Snow moon (February) also known as storm moon or hunger moon, air and water

New starts, ambition, change, creativity, reflection

Brighid, Diana, Juno

Otter, eagle, chickadee, unicorn

Amethyst, jasper, moonstone

Purple, light blue, yellow

Worm moon (March) also known as seed moon, water and fire

New growth, set intentions, renewal, balance, prospering

Mars, Tyr, Athena, Isis

Cougar, bear, hedgehog, sea crow, sea eagle

Aquamarine, bloodstone, jade

Pale green, red, violet

Pink moon (April) also known as hare moon, fire and earth

Rebirth, discovery, fertility, goals, openings, opportunities

Aphrodite, Venus, Hathor, Kali, Rhiannon

Bear, wolf, hawk, magpie

Diamond, quartz, emerald

Pale yellow, pink, gold

Flower moon (May) also known as fairy moon, earth and air

Abundance, gratitude, romance, maturity, intuition

Bast, Artemins, Pan, Cernunnos

Cats, lynx, leopard, swallow, dove, swan

Emerald, sapphire, agate

Pink, green, brown

Strawberry moon (June) also known as rose moon, air and water

Harvest, manifesting, dreams, love, good health, clarity, communication

Juno, Hera, Isis, Neith, Cerridwen

Monkey, butterfly, frog, toad, wren, peacock

Pearl, moonstone, citrine, blue lace agate

Yellow/green and orange

Buck moon (July) also known as hay moon, water and fire

Inner fire, long term goals, leadership, divination

Hel, Athena, Lugh, Khepri

Crab, turtle, dolphin, whale, starling, swallow

Ruby, carnelian, green calcite, peacock ore

Blue, gray, silver

Sturgeon moon (August) also known as barley moon, earth and air

Freedom, perseverance, cleansing, reaping, gratitude, peace, harmony

Demeter, Ceres, Hathor, Nemesis, Ganesha, Vulcan, Vesta

Lion, phoenix, sphinx, dragon, crane, falcon, eagle

Periodot, onyx, bronzite, green sapphire

Gold, yellow, green

Harvest moon (September) also known as corn moon, earth and air

Harvest, gratitude, balance, reflection, psychic work, home and hearth

Demeter, Ceres, Thor, Thoth, Persephone, Freyja, Isis

Snake, jackal, ibis, sparrow

Peridot, sapphire, bloodstone, chrysolite

Brown, yellow, amber

Hunters moon (October) also known as blood moon, air and water

Strength, protection, endurance, rebirth, ambition, ancestral work

Cernunnos, Hecate, the Morrigan, Osiris, Astarte, Ishtar, Lakshmi

Stag, jackal, elephant, ram, scorpion, wolf, heron, crow, robin, owl, raven

Opal, tourmaline, citrine, rose sapphire

Red, orange, deep blue, black, dark green, brown, gold

Beaver moon (November) also known as snow moon, water and fire

Preparation, security, grounding, fidelity, new beginnings, release

Cailleach, Circe, Sybele, Hel, Holda, Kali, Bast, Osiris

Unicorn, scorpion, crocodile, jackal, owl, goose, sparrow

Topaz, obsidian, onyx, apache tear

White, purple, gray, sage green, black

Cold moon (December) also known as oak moon, fire and water

Completion, renewal, reflection, shadow work, transitions, peace

Dionysus, Athena, Attis, Ixchel, Neith, Wodan, Osiris, Frey

Deer, mouse, horse, bear, snowy owl, robin, rook

Blue zircon, turquoise, serpentine, lazulite, smoky quartz

Blood red, green, white, black

TAROT GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Hi cuties! I tried to create an apposite blog for witchcraft/spiritual stuff but tumblr decided to be a bad bitch and marked my blog as a spammer, so I decided to post this guide here on my main blog. These observation are based on my 6+ years experience with tarot cards. I need some friends in the witchcraft community and more blog to follow, like this post and I will check your blog! <3

Sorry for my bad english.

MAJOR ARCANA: 

The Fool (0) :  This card is all about cycles, it could be referred to a new beginning in your life, a feeling of joy and excitement. It could also be associated with an happy ending followed by the beginning of something even better.

it’s usually a positive card and it’s energy’s able to protect you from the energy of negative cards. It suggests you to have faith, to act in a positive and optimistic way and to follow your instinct.

in some occasion it could mean impulsive and childish behavior and a return to “point zero”.

It’s referred to something that’s going to happen pretty soon.

The Magician (I) : This card’s about YOU and your ability to excel in a specific aspect of life. You have the ability to be successful and the strength to overcome obstacles, it reminds that you are the creator of your destiny. It’s also connected to intelligence and suggests you to connect to your higher self. It’s an invite to ACT NOW and to avoid procrastination.

In a negative scenario it could be referred to a manipulative person with bad intentions.

It’s referred to something that’s going to happen pretty soon.

The High Priestess (II) : This card’s all about secrets and things that are hidden from you. It could also mean that you’re not allowed to receive the answer for your question (I noticed that if this card come out frequently during your readings it’s signal to stop doing tarot for a while and to recharge your energy). It suggest you to connect with your spiritual side and to follow your intuition or that you’re going to receive a wise advice from someone that’s close to you.

The Empress (III) : It’s all about confidence, self-love and being happy with your yourself, sometimes it could be related to a mother or to a woman in your life. It announces a time of personal growth, self discovering and connection with your truer self. It’s related to a happy state of mind, creativity, new projects and love stories. It suggest you to believe in yourself and in your ability to create something new.

It’s related to spring/summer and announces that you’re going to see the product of your work in a while, changes will not be noticeable immediately.

The Emperor (IV) : This card suggests you to act in a strong and powerful way, to persist and to follow your goals. Like The Magician it suggests that the right time to act is NOW and that you should put your needs first. What you’re hoping to achieve is already yours.

In a negative scenario it could be related to a stubborn and closed minded individual who’s not going to compromise.

The Hierophant (V) : Like the High Priestess, this is a card about secrets and things that are hidden, in this case the card shows you that a secret’s going to be revealed pretty soon or a conflict will be solved. It reminds of a situation of peace and clarity. It’s also referred to a marriage or a long term relationship, to your father or an older man in your life, to a teacher, mentor or a guide. It announces the resolution of a problem.

In negative scenarios this card protects you from the negative cards and suggest you that the obstacles will be solved fast.

The Lovers (VI) : This card’s all about duality, choices and relationships. It could suggest a romantic relationship or romantic interests, but it’s not always the case, sometimes it suggest an important decision that’s going to change your life. It reminds that you should trust your emotions and follow them. It can talks about a partner or someone who’s in love with you, a reciprocated crush, good choices and happiness.

The Chariot (VII) : It’s a card about victory and overcoming fears. It suggests that you’re going to win and to excel, but first you need to overcame some obstacles. It could be related to travels. It reminds you that success is around the corner, your commitment will be repaid.

The Strength (VIII) : It’s a card about commitment, power and pride. In a love reading it reminds of a strong feeling, true love and honesty. It suggests to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude e to stay focused on your goals. In a reading about a specific problem it suggest that you need to be patience because the solution of the problem’s not there already, you need to wait for a while and to fight against your problem a little more, it suggest you to be optimistic because you have all the abilities to overcame your obstacles.

It’s usually referred to the summer.

The Hermit (IX) : It’s related to intelligence, being wise, loneliness and research. It suggests a lonely period and introspection, a transitioning phase in your life, you should take advantage of this period for studying something new and the card suggests you to read more books. If you are asking if you’re on the right path the answer is “yes”, it suggests that your soul chose a difficult path but you’re going to overcame all the obstacles. It’s the right time for counseling or seeing a psychologist.

It’s associated with waiting for a long time for an effective change in your life.

The Wheel of Fortune (X) : It’s about changes, new opportunities and the beginning of a new cycle, usually it’s a positive card but it’s pretty sensitive to the influence of other cards. It suggests that you’re entering in a new chapter of your life or that you’re going to move on in a painful situation.

The Justice (XI) : It’s a card about equality and fairness. It could be either a positive or negative card, it means that those who act good will be blessed with a positive change, those who act bad will be punished for their action. It could be related to authority and making choices, a marriage or a divorce. It suggests you that your problems will be solved in the right way, you just have to trust the universe and allow the divine energy to guide you. It’s about telling the truth and talk in a clear way.

It’s related to patience and long time waiting.

The Hanged Man (XII) : It’s a card about blockages, anxiety, bad periods, waiting for something, impossibility to act, stagnancy. It’s related to a bad situations, feeling trapped and problems that cannot be solved for now. It suggest you to wait for better occasions and to explore your spiritual side, the right intuition will come to you at the right time.

It’s associated with long time waiting.

The Death (XIII) : This card’s about the natural end of a cycle, radical changes, moving on and ending in general. It’s not always a bad card and generally it’s not related to an actual death, it will just bring a change in some aspects of your life or in a relationship. It suggests you to let go of the past. In some cases it could mean that someone of your past is going to get back into your life.

The Temperance (XIV) : It’s about finding a new balance after a bad period, healing and inner work. It suggest you to relax, to calm yourself, to stay in the present moment and to take care of yourself. It’s a positive card and announces a period of calm and peace of mind. It’s a good time for counseling, seeing a therapist, begin a diet or take care of yourself in general.

The Devil (XV) : It’s a card about obsession, secrets, negativity, manipulative behavior, gossips and bad energy in general. It announces an obstacle in a situation or that someone’s not being honest to you. It’s related to anxiety, being worried, hyper sexuality and toxicity.

In a good scenario it could be related to a passionate person, with persuasive manners and a charismatic personality.

The Tower (XVI) : It’s about destruction, surprises, shocking events. It’s not necessarily a bad card, it’s always associated to an unexpected event, in a good scenario it could mean “love at first sight”. As a mental state, it’s connected to depression, anger and mental breakdowns. It forces you to let go of something to make space for something better.

The Star (XVII) : It’s all about dreams, good luck, protection and hope. It’s a good card and encourages you to dream bigger and to trust the universe. It announces a dream that’s going to came true, a good opportunity and success. It’s connected to spirits and suggests that they’re protecting you. Everything will turn out fine. It suggests you to pray and to connect to your higher self.

In presence of bad cards, it could be referred to a dream that’s not going to came true or false hope.

A change will shows up into your life at the right time.

The Moon (XVIII) : It’s a card about fears, insecurities, danger and lies. Like The High Priestess, it suggests that the cards are not able to answer your question. The situation in unstable and it generates anxiety and fears. It suggests to connect with your spiritual side and make clarity inside you mind.

The Sun (XIX) : It’s a positive card that announces happiness, joy and clarity. It’s connected to a secret that’s going to be revealed, peace after a conflict, harmony, beauty, something good in your love life or good times with friends.

It’s related to summer.

The Judgement (XX) : It’s a positive card related to resurrection, resolutions, shocking news. In some ways it’s like a positive version of The Tower, it could be connected to love at first sight, someone of the past that get back into your life, insights and unexpected news. It could be referred to the internet.

It’s associated with something that happen in an unexpected way.

The World (XXI) : Like The Fool, it’s a card referred to cycles, ending a chapter, receiving gratification after hard times. It means that now you’re able to see the “biggest picture” and see things in perspective. It could be referred to an important gift, a resolution to a problem or a dream that came true. It’s connected with abundance and being wise.

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

Nothing I’ve read has changed me more than “you do people a favor by accepting their help” like I repeat this constantly to so many people because it’s true!!! People like to feel useful, they like to feel kind, they like to feel like they have an ability to impact people’s lives so just let them!! Not everything is a thing to be owed back — accept people’s kindness without making a competition out of it

Did Persephone willingly walk into the Underworld?

There is no story in Greek mythology about Persephone leaving her mother in which Hades was not part of the story. 

There is no story in Greek mythology in which Persephone willingly walked into the Underworld out of compassion for the souls of the dead. 

There is no  “pre-Hellenic original” version of any myth, and that includes myths about Persephone.

However, there is a modern story claiming to be a “pre-Hellenic” myth about Persephone. It was written by Charlene Spretnak around 1978 and it’s found in her book Lost Goddesses of Ancient Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths. (Google preview here, e-book available here) 

Charlene Spretnak’s M.A. is in English and American literature. In her introduction to Lost Goddesses, she records that she re-imagined some myths for her young daughter because didn’t think the versions by Homer and Hesiod were appropriate to read to a 4-year-old. Her stories are feminist-inspired fiction based on mythology that she presented as rediscovered “pre-Hellenic” myths.

Marjorie Graham retold and created splendid illustrations of Spretnak’s version of the myth in The Archetypal Myth of Demeter & Persephone: A Story for Mother & Daughter Celebrations. An addendum in recent copies of the book credits Spretnak’s inspiration.

No one knows for certain what stories pre-Hellenic peoples told, or the specifics things they believed about their deities, because there was no written language in Greece at that time. The earliest Greek script yet deciphered is Linear B, a Mycenaean language that dates to around 1450 BCE and was used mainly to record commodities and transactions. Greek literature - and “literature” means  “written works” - began in the 7th century BCE. The  Homeric Hymn to Demeter (X and X) was  composed in the late 7th or early 6th century BCE. It is the earliest version known of the myth of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades. 

There is a difference between a myth told long ago, and a modern work of fiction based on myth. The former distills cultural and religious beliefs of an ancient society, and the latter contains the creative imaginings and values of an individual from a modern culture, with 2000 years or so of monotheist and secularist bias filtering the original myth, its culture, and its religion.

I’m not here to enforce religious orthodoxy. If the story told by Spretnak and Graham resonates with you, that’s okay with me. If you want to base your practice on it, that’s fine, too. If you want to call that practice “Hellenic  polytheism”, we will disagree, because HP is based on ancient religious beliefs, not on modern fiction. 

I’m going to take this one step farther.

There is no ancient version of the myth of Persephone and Hades in which Persephone was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. This is a false impression created by translation of the ancient word for “to be carried away” as the word meaning “sexual assault”.

The story of Persephone reflects ancient Greek marriage customs. Marriages were arranged with the father of the bride, often when the woman was a teenager, usually without consulting her. After a ceremony at her home, the bride was carried off in the groom’s chariot to live at his home. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter confirms that this was the case with Persephone: “… cloud-gathering Zeus… gave her to Hades, her father’s brother, to be called his buxom wife.”

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hades is shown to treat Persephone with great respect. He tells her: 

“Go now, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, go, and feel kindly in your heart towards me: be not so exceedingly cast down; for I shall be no unfitting husband for you among the deathless gods, that am own brother to father Zeus. And while you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore.” 

In fact, their marriage was regarded as an ideal model for human marriages among the Greeks in southern Italy.

Please don’t take my word for this. If you’re interested in learning more, read Spretnak’s book and consult the academic resources - a list of some of those can be found here.

Please love Persephone enough to separate the modern fiction about her from ancient belief.

EDIT: To read my reply to comments on this post by @metvmorqhoses, who avers the existence of a myth in which Persephone entered the Underworld willingly  please click here:  https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/188435396046/did-persephone-willingly-walk-into-the-underworld

Hades devotion 101- part 2

Part 1

Read the Wikipedia page, the theoi.com page, or even the hellenicgods.org page, what we know about Hades from ancient writings is quite limited.

Much of what we know about Hades, is collected from various sources, in them, he is actually almost never mentioned as a deity, but as a place- the personification of the underworld. The most famous myth around him is the abduction of Persephone, his wife, and the Goddess of spring- which is part of the Hymn for Demeter and is told to explain the changing of seasons. After marrying Persephone, she receives the status of a queen and does most of the management of souls in the underworld (as can be seen in the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice). Hades is always in the background, wearing an invisibility helm that he got as a gift from his uncles, the cyclops (hence his epithet: the unseen).

Biographic details give us some valuable context- Hades is the oldest son of Rhea and Chronos, followed by his 5 siblings- Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and baby Zeus- all but the last consumed by their father right after their birth, in fear of a prophecy that one of his offsprings might rebel him. When Zeus freed them all and defeated their father, the war between the Gods and the predecessors- the titans, began. Once the war was over, the world was under the Olympians rein, and each of them received a realm to rule on- Zeus is the king of Gods and ruler the sky, Poseidon got the seas and oceans, and Hades got the underworld- the land of the dead.

The underworld itself is believed to have 3 different sections: Elysium- islands of the blessed, Asphodel plains, and Tartarus- the pit of the cursed. Around the underworld circled 5 different rivers: Styx separating it from the land of the living, Lethe is the river of oblivion or forgetfulness, The Acheron is the River of Misery, Phlegethon the river of fire that leads to Tartarus, and the Cocytus the River of Wailing, for the souls that Charon refused to ferry over because they had not received a proper burial. On the gates, stands Kerberos, a hellhound with 3 heads. This is the kingdom ruled by Hades.

Back in ancient times, Hades had only a few cults of his own. Usually, he was partnered with his wife and her mom to form a chthonic agricultural cult. 'Chthonic' means 'earthly', all agricultural and underworld Gods are chthonic in a sense. He was venerated both as an agricultural deity- his absences allow for abundance, and as the lord of the dead in any ritual that involved necromancy.

Now, modern interpretations keep a steady narrative about Hades as evil, devilish, cunning, deceptive, and most of all- as aspiring to leave the gloomy underworld, fight Zeus over the throne and become the king. Those views, obviously inspired by Christian belief, are not representing the ancient world view. It's not to say people in the past did not fear death or were afraid to speak Hades' name aloud so he won't pay his attention to them, but the God himself was one of the most just and level-headed in the pantheon. For example, he judges the souls that enter his realm with attentiveness and does not punish anyone just for the fun of it.

Regardless of what you knew of him before starting your practice- you are reading these lines. So you, just like me, must find him fascinating and admirable.

On the next post: what is this devotion thing all the kids or talking about- anout Hades in Hellenic polytheism context

I think that the resurgence of love for Hades is reflective of how much Hades loves humanity. Even after his image was slandered by christian society, getting reduced to “the greek equivalent of Satan”, and being made into the villain of countless pieces of media- people still love and talk about Hades.

And as they should! He is Nekrôn Sôtêr (the savior of the dead). He accepts everyone into his realm indiscriminately and gives them a home to spend the rest of eternity in. He rules by love, not fear. He keeps all of the monsters and cruel beings locked in Tartarus where they can’t hurt us. He gave his wife equal power and authority to him. He is the god of all the beauty in the earth, from the fertile soil with nourished the seed-grain to the mined wealth of gold, silver and crystals.

I adooooore Hades! and so should everyone !

🌿the myth of minthe

Types of “restless” dead, relatively active ghosts likely to manifest themselves (and convenient for magical exploitation):

1. Aoroi (from αωροσ, untimely): “those dead before their time.” Those cheated of their full stint of life bitterly stayed back to haunt the land of the living of which they had been deprived. In theory anyone who died of anything other than of natural causes in old age could generate a ghost restless qua aoros, although as a class aoroi tended to be conceptualized primarily as the ghosts of children or babies. 2. Bi(ai)othanatoi (from βιαιος and θανατος, violent and death): “those dead by violence.” The battle-dead and executed criminals, although murder victims and suicides provide the bitterest ghosts in this class. 3. Agamoi (from αγαμος, unmarried): “those dead before marriage.” Both male and female ghosts could be assigned this category, although the female ones were regarded as particularly bitter, insofar as marriage and the motherhood consequent upon it were a woman’s defining rights in antiquity. 4. Ataphoi (from αταφος, unburied): “those deprived of burial.” Whatever the circumstances of death, a ghost could not achieve rest without the due funeral rights. These were importantly distinct from the mere insertion of the corpse into a hole in the ground, and indeed the concealment of a dead body in precisely this way is often presented as the chief obstacle to the peace of its soul.

[Daniel Ogden, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds]