Have You Written A General Guide About Khernips? All I Do Is Extinguish A Wooden Match In Water Because
Have you written a general guide about khernips? All I do is extinguish a wooden match in water because snuffing a flaming brand has been referred to in mythology, but some people on Tumblr have very different ideas like incorporating all kinds of herbs or mixing ashes into it. I'd love to read your take on what was done in antiquity.
I haven’t, but I can! Because the concept of khernips is so linked to ritual purification–because khernips is the method through which we become ritually clean–we will also discuss the practice of katharmos and the notion of ritual pollution: miasma.
Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it’s often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It’s a mortal, human, thing.The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual. In modern practice, it usually starts with a shower, but this is not a historic necessity. Step two is the preparation and use of khernips. Beyond the practical, there is a large mental component to katharmos. It means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods. The greatest barrier in understanding miasma and katharmos, to me, is our modern frame of mind. On the one hand, we know too much about personal hygiene, about the human body and about science as a whole, on the other hand religion has become something separate from life in general. As a result, we colour ancient Hellas with our ‘hygiene brush’. Secondly, not everyone has faith, our society does no longer revolve around it, and as a result, we–as modern religious people–struggle for a mindset of simple, all-encompassing, unquestionable worship. There might be a few remnants of ‘Original Sin Thinking’ lodged in there as well.
After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that miasma is linked to distraction. Anything that takes your mind off of the Gods during ritual can be considered miasmic. For example, the ancient Hellenes agreed that murder causes miasma (when not committed as part of a war, soldiers were not tainted with miasma for killing their enemies), but only once other people became aware of the fact that you had committed an act of murder. As such, if you were exiled and you travelled to another town where no one knew what you had done, in essence, you were not miamic to the rites and people around you. We all incur miasma, every single day of our lives. It has nothing to do with sin, shame or guilt. Miasma is a consequence of living. We breath, make decisions, come in contact with others, and along the way, we become too human–for lack of a better term–to petition the Gods. The divide between the purity and cleanliness of the Theoi and our human mortality and imperfection keeps us away from Them. Miasma is not about being physically dirty, although that is a part of it, and katharmos is not about becoming physically clean, although that is a part of it as well. Katharmos is devotional. It not only helps you get in a ritualistic mood, it prepares the room and your body for it. Even if you do not understand the use, it’s a vital part of Hellenistic worship.
Khernips are the traditional way to cleanse yourself from miasma. As far as basic information goes, khernips is created by dropping smoldering incense or herb leaves into water. When throwing in the lit item, one can utter ‘xerniptosai’ (pronounced 'zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee’) which translates as ‘be purified’. Both hands are washed with khernips and you can wash the face as well. The vessel holding the khernips is called a khernibeionas (Χερνῐβεῖον).
Artwork has taught us that khernips was often applied just outside the temenos, with hands being washed in a bowl or water poured out of a jug while the supplicant washed their hands. The water was collected from a moving source of water, which could be a natural spring, a river, or even the sea. Moving water was considered sacred, and often viewed as an extension of the body of a stream/river/sea God(dess). For my video tutorial on how to prepare and apply khernips, go here.
As with anything concerning miasma, most books on ancient Hellas and/or Hellenic religion don’t mention khernips at all, or under a synonym. As with miasma, I am going to assume this is because the evidence of its existance is so flimsy besides a resounding 'it was used and important’. My rather vast collection of scholarly material is silent on any details beyond the basic information already provided. As such, I am forced to speculate based upon what I know. Personally, I tend to mix tap water with sea water into a large vessel from which I take a measure every evening to use throughout the day. I drop the smoldering firebrand (a match when traveling, a bit of burning wood or herbs when home) into the measure poured our, not the vessel itself. So, in short, I prepare the base in advance but the actual mixture on the spot. I only use one measure one day, after that, I dip it out onto the earth and replace it with a fresh batch before my evening rituals.
Khernips is important, and it’s important they are properly prepared, but in the large scheme of things, I feel it’s more important you actually perform the ritualistic motions without a specific part of it than skipping it altogether. So, no, you can’t make khernips without dropping something smouldering in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t wash before ritual and improvise a little. Drop herbs into the water and wash with that, drop essential oils in it, if you don’t have herbs. Find something to make the water special, and then use it to cleanse yourself. Just go through the motions and focus on the rites ahead. That is its function and it should be used as such.
More Posts from Thatgurlpersephonee and Others
ok wait wait wait wait wait
we all hate on master fu for choosing literal children, right
but what if they HAVE to be children.
think about it. Ladybug's power is creation. She basically runs off love. She's crazy, and unorganized, and the fact that she feels so much for everything is what makes her the perfect creation holder. She falls in love way too easily. She makes crazy plans. Her and her friends think they can save the world with a hijacked commercial, and they DO it. Because they believe they can. You can't tell me an adult would be able to pull off any of the crazy plans the Miracugang pulls off. (Honestly Miraculous Ladybug reawakened my inner child cuz I used to be just like Marinette and she's literally the reason I picked up sewing again but that's another rant for another time)
And then there's Adrien. His power is destruction. Freedom. (Go read drowning (in plain sight) by buggachat there's a whole character study on Plagg in there and it's beautiful.) Anyways. Imagine if Fu had waited another year or two, not to mention until Adrien was an adult with a 'fully functioning brain'. You can't tell me Adrien could've held out that long. He wouldn't have been chosen for the Chat miraculous, because he wouldn't have been trying to run away. He would have either been broken, or his father would have used his amok to force him into complete obedience by then. But in Origins, it's close enough to his mother's death that he still remembers her. He's still feeling. He's still rebelling. And then Plagg gives him the strength to keep doing that, and the outlet (as Chat Noir) to express himself so he doesn't lose himself.
And then there's the Lucky Charms. The plans that they come up with are frankly frickin bonkers. I mean, Rena's first mission (if I remember correctly) involved Chat Noir jumping off a roof on a unicycle. I honestly think Ladybug's lessened amount of life experience helps in those situations, because I'm only a couple years older than her and I would have never thought up any of those ideas. My brain is too fixed by the system at this point to think that much out of the box, although I'm working on fixing that. I can't imagine my mom, for example, coming up with any of that stuff, let alone finding a random pair of earrings and putting them on in the first place. Literally no one else would do that except for a super trusting teenager who's also into fashion. Not to mention the fact that they
TL;DR: The emotional capacity and limited life experience of the superheroes in ML are the only reason they even consented to being superheroes in the first place, and although I don't like it, Fu was working god mode when he picked them. Basically, you have to have the vision to see the possibilities without putting limits on yourself (because the holder sets the limits) and it's far easier for teenagers/younger people to imagine stuff like that. Also they're such dorks.
wow that's a long tldr sorry about that
Nazis will never be welcome in paganism. They have no space in our communities, we will have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to nazis. You have no right to the cultures, gods and religions you hijack to spread your disgusting ideologies. You will find no refuge or comraderie amongst pagans.
Reblog to let nazis know they’re not welcome here.
everyone thinking this persons a vampire but they’re just autistic.
‘you hate sunlight???’
‘yeah im super sensitive to it it gives me headaches’
‘but you hate garlic??’
‘mmh it gives me acid reflux, i have a bunch of gastrointestinal issues’
‘but- you only drink that weird red liquid!! which is obviously blood!!’
‘i have really bad sensory issues, that beetroot smoothie is the one of the only things that i can eat ://‘
‘YOU SLEEP. IN A COFFIN.’
‘….its comfy’
You might need some T.L.C. - Tigger Loving Care!!!
Tigger board for you sunshines :)
Isn’t it so fucked up how men will constantly try to deter any woman’s sense of safety or power? If a woman says she has big dogs to walk with at night, you’ll find men saying “Can it take a bullet” or if a woman has a gun they’ll say “I can just twist your wrist and take it from you”. They’re always intentionally trying to make us feel threatened and unsafe. Men will go the extra mile to find every possible way to antagonize and harm women, if we have the power to defend ourselves, they will do whatever it takes to undermine it because for them, putting women in danger, stripping us of our agency and safety, gives them power and control. And they have the audacity to call themselves protectors and actually delude themselves to believe it. The idea of women protecting themselves and taking precautions angers them, which is why they always feel the need to undermine it.
MIND REPROGRAMMING + ENTER VOID CHALLENGE
Another challenge for my babygorls😤✨cuz I'm bored and someone recommended me to make one after seeing on of my ask😐,I don't really like being very detail,cuz it get confusing.
🌷. I want you to take 1 hours or 30 min of your day and vaunt dramatically about how you always enter void,but no one believes you,be so dramatic that it start feeling real.( I used to vaunt without knowing when I wanted to skip class and no one believed that I had fever,which I never had then actually endup getting fever the next day🥲)
🌷. And when you're doing certain activities,like chores do this reprogramming exercise by @trynafindbarbiee.
🌷. Everyday throught out day when you're not not doing anything affirm if you are a+p girl or affirmation tapes. Or if you're a states girl then live in the end my love.
🌷. And at night do this mind reprogramming exercise,before going to sleep.
🌷. And when you feel "yes I will tap in the void tonight" without wavering, that's when the challenge ends .
That's pretty much it🙂,also their is no specific time to stop this challenge it will only end the moment you feel like you can tap in the void.Good luck babygorls💗🦋✨.
Also another challenge coming up next,bye👋🦋
Milo~
The rise in popularity of single childfree women should signal that we need to start preparing. I've spoken about this before but want to address a common concern of safety regarding maIe retaliation. At this point some women may think they'll be safer trying to get a maIe but the statistics show otherwise. There's a reason women fought for rights in the first place, we all know that maIes as a collective are horrible beings. If maIes were pleasant to be around & reproduce with, they wouldn't need to force women into it.
Now I dont have all the answers in terms of what to do in the face of maIe retaliation but where to start:
1 - Move in silence. MaIes dont need to know our every move. MaIes have enough power as is, them knowing our strategy on top of that wont help. Hell, play dumb sometimes. This also applies to other women, if they push marriage & kids bs be measured in your response, in the end you know your truth. At the end of the day most of these women are also aware of the danger maIes pose.
2 - Organise. This is tough, extremely tough i can't lie. For one we're scattered all over the world & people in our real lives wouldn't have the committment to this nor believe in deviating from the nuclear structure but it is something needed. Even if it's just online, find or build networks with likeminded women. I say this as a lone wolf but infrastructure & network is needed because the government will make it harder to survive alone so some would need to be able to lean on each other for support even if it's just verbal. Disassociate from maIes as far as you can. Take up learning how to defend yourself. If you're serious about this; be prepared to break the rules at some point because playing nice & by the law wont work. These things are set up by men for men and it wont help us. I'm not saying go out there & purposefuly break the law or put yourself in harms way, just saying prepare. It sounds far out now but the current system cant be counted on, blind eyes are turned when maIes abuse women, women are punished for defending themselves under the system. Even if you dont want to go down the route of community, learn to take care of yourself & hold your own down.
3 - Stop arguing with maIes. This doesnt mean that xys are right, I say this a lot but maIes are fully aware of everything. Arguing with maIes online is a waste of time, time that can go to building for yourself or likeminded women. MaIes denying female oppression is part of the game to keep you wasting your energy on them as opposed to working on yourself. It's to keep you in their hands; doesn't matter whether you're right or not, how many statistics you throw at them, you're still biting their bait.
4 - Stack up on resources & money. If you have resources & money and the priviledge to save then start now. If/when things go downhill it wont be a snap thing but a transition so this window needs to be used to the best of our advantage. Take advantage of the privileges you have now to set yourself for the future because that could very well be gone.
I doubt we'd win tbh but I'd rather die trying than live submitting. I will mention that I know it's scary but we have to think forward. Bear in mind the system has never worked for women, some will say things like "but when women leave maIes get more violent" but there is no safety in the first place. Women are sexually harrassed & assaulted any where at any time with no protection already. Women are constantly told of all the things they should or shouldn't do to avoid maIe violence and it doesnt work anyways, maIes will continue to abuse women & girls. No amount of listening & obeying has helped women because it doesn't matter what the reason for maIe violence is, if they cant find a reason they'll create a reason because their motive is to make women suffer in addition to reproduction & having labour.
Now I know many will speak about the violence of maIe retaliation which I'll address in part 3. This is part 2 of 'the rise in single childfree women' group of posts.
Part 1
🌙 Subtle Artemis Worship 🦌
Spend time out in nature (e.g. go on a hike, take a walk outside, visit a nature preserve, etc.)
Dancing, especially at night and to music that makes you feel wild and free
Playing an instrument (although this is more for Apollo, I believe it also works as a form of Artemis worship)
Wearing jewelry that reminds you of her
Having imagery of deer, horses, or dogs around
Having literally any sort of animal symbolism around (she is a Goddess of Animals)
Investing in nature/animal conservation efforts (can simply be spreading the word if you can't afford to donate or volunteer)
Creating art of your favorite flower, plant, or animal
Keeping a picture of her in your wallet
Taking a walk outside during the crescent or full moon (only if it is safe in your area to do so)
Learning about self-defense (I feel dedicating a pocket knife, if legal, to her is a great idea)
Learning archery
Befriending neighborhood animals, such as cats, birds, or dogs; leaving food out for them
Lighting a bonfire with friends and having a good time together; dancing around it is especially great (please be safe about doing so; I don't recommend drinking first)
Star-gazing and moon-gazing
Showing compassion to others, such as through volunteer work or holding doors
Taking a warm bath at night
Having a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)
Wearing animal-inspired outfits or doing animal-inspired makeup
Visiting a local zoo, aquarium, or butterfly pavilion; taking the time to learn about new creatures
Watching nature documentaries or movies about animals (it can be movies/shows starring anthropomorphic animals)
Being curious about local fauna and flora
Learning how to safely forage for food, such as picking berries or mushrooms
Meditating in the dark of the night, especially on a crescent or full moon
Making a list of your goals; focus on completing these one step at a time
Taking new risks, especially ones that give you a sense of thrill and excitement
Sending kind messages to loved ones, especially those having a difficult time
Learning to prioritize your own well-being; taking care of yourself first and foremost
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May add to this later! For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Artemis. I hope someone finds it helpful. Take care, everyone! 💚
Link to Subtle Worship Master list
🍇 Subtle Dionysus Worship 🥂
Drinking grape juice or wine; fruity drinks also work; raise a glass to him
Eating food that you love, especially comfort foods
Hosting or attending parties
Hanging out with loved ones
Celebrating your accomplishments, big or small
Having a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)
Putting on grape-scented or fruit-scented perfumes/colognes
Wearing jewelry that reminds you of him
Seeking community; LGBTQ+ support groups, gamer groups, fandom groups, etc.
Having a bull, leopard, goat, or cat stuffed animal
Decorating parts of your room with real or fake ivy vines
Growing a plant, especially ivy or vined plants
Wearing showy or lavish outfits; wearing outfits that make you feel good about yourself
Taking care of your mental health; finding new and healthy ways to cope with issues
Keeping a mental health journal
Keeping a picture of him in your wallet
Having leopard, bull, or big cat imagery around
Taking a hike/walk in a local forest or nature preserve
Taking a walk at night, especially on a new or full moon (only if safe in your area, please)
Dancing, especially to songs that make you feel wild, free, and expressive
Listening to energizing or expressive music
Watching/reading musicals or plays
Performing in a musical or play (including backstage and tech)
Taking your medications; setting reminders for them
Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally
Learning to accept both the "dark" and "light" parts of yourself
Being kind to those outcast by society, especially the homeless and addicts
Volunteering at a homeless shelter
Engaging in activities that bring you joy, especially those that are looked down upon
Finding ways to be rebellious, especially towards authority (don't do this if it risks your own safety)
Expressing yourself in little ways if unable to be open about it (wearing a bracelet that represents your gender identity, shoelaces that are pride flag colored, etc.)
Embracing all the unique things that make you who you are
Support LGBT, homeless shelter, environmental preservation, or humanitarian organizations
Volunteer at a homeless shelter
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May add more later! This is my list of discreet ways to worship Dionysus. I hope it helps, and take care! 💜
Link to Subtle Worship Master list
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•Delilah Paris •Audhd •any pronouns • the greek gods 🏛️ •fandoms: HP (the marauders), miraculous lb, pjo, Sherlock Holmes
423 posts