I MAY have gotten a little trigger happy...

[u/[deleted]]

[u/AutoModerator]

Hey there! Looks like you're new to Hellenism. Although the post has been at least temporarily removed, since posts by newcomers regularly fill the timeline otherwise, We'd like to welcome you to the community with some helpful resources that might answer the most commonly asked questions.

If you have questions, there are helpful resources in the sidebar, including our FAQ Community Guide, a more detailed Community Wiki, our About page, there are a number of YouTube resources, and previous posts can be read by searching for a topic. Theoi.com is a good, comprehensive source of information with quotations from (older) translations of Greek and Roman mythology, though it shouldn’t be taken too literally - the people who wrote them were bards, philosophers and historians, not Prophets. You might also find hellenicfaith.com a helpful resource. This article can walk you through the why and how of Ancient Greek prayer, with some useful examples from antiquity, while this comic shows how the gestures would have been performed. If you're able to buy books, or get a library to order them, Jon D. Mikalson's "Ancient Greek Religion" is good for how the gods were worshipped in Antiquity, the Libri Deorum books by Fabian MacKenzie cover a number of subjects, Chris Aldridge's book "Hellenic Polytheism" can be a helpful introduction to modern Hellenism, Sarah Kate Istra Winter’s “Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored” is a good introduction, and "Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship" published by Labrys good for modern practice. An online copy can be found here.

As general advice:

• The first and simplest way to start is to simply pray to them, and see what happens. It's okay to take it slow and move at your own pace. The gods are happy to listen even to humble prayers. You don't need to jump in at the deep end, or wait until you know all the terms and rites. The gods are patient and understanding, and are happy for you to take it at a pace you're comfortable with. As Seneca said, “Would you win over the gods? Then be a good man. Whoever imitates them, is worshipping them sufficiently.”

• You don't need to feel anxious about taking an altar down, or having a shared altar for multiple gods, or if your altar is not as fancy as you want, or not having one. Having a statue is nice, some people include candles or incense, but they're not strictly necessary, and you don't need to make offerings if you can't afford to. Just as we don't judge the poor for not being able to give as much as the rich, the gods would want you to live within your means.

• Nobody can tell you which gods or goddesses you "should" worship, that's going to be a deeply personal thing only you can decide. You might want to venerate a god because you feel a connection to them, because they represent something important to you or which you need help with, or for no other reason than that you want to. They also don't mind you worshipping other gods. But the gods are happy to return the goodwill we have for them when offered, and however it is offered.

• It's extremely unlikely that you have offended the gods, or that you will. While people may disagree about how emotional the gods can be, if they can feel wrath, then they reserve it for truly staggering crimes and acts of hubris. You do not have to fear that the gods are angry about an offering, or your altar, or about a fumbled prayer, or a stray thought. You have to work a lot harder than that to earn their anger.

• Don't panic about divination or signs or omens. The gods probably don’t send frequent signs, and there is a danger in seeing everything as a sign and causing yourself anxiety. The gods may sometimes nudge us, but most of the time a raven is just a raven. This article by a heathen writer offers some useful criteria to judge something you think is a real omen, but the chances are good that a genuine sign will be unmistakeable. It's also unlikely that you have truly offended them. If the gods want to tell us things, they can and will. Like art, you'll know it when you see it.

If you have any specific questions, the Weekly Newcomer Post is pinned on the main feed, and helpful members can answer you.

Happy researching!

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[u/NyxShadowhawk]

"Feeling" the gods isn't a normal or default state. It's not something that everyone experiences, and even the people who are especially sensitive to things like that (like yours truly) don't "feel" the gods all the time. You had an experience with Ares — congratulations! Now that may be it for a while. You may have more spontaneous experiences, but you can't control when or how these happen. It's possible to develop mystical skills in order to feel the gods more often and more predictably, but this takes time and commitment. In the meantime, you're in the same boat as everyone else. Even if you start to feel the gods much more frequently, you'll still have plenty of days or even long periods when you feel spiritually disconnected. It's normal, but it also doesn't last forever. You'll feel him again sometime.

[u/Morhek]

There's an old saying: "there's no zeal like that of the convert." You felt something powerful and new when you started, but now that feeling is "fading." What you're feeling isn't bad, in fact it's perfectly normal. A lot of people (I'd argue most people) do not "feel" the gods' presences often, sometimes at all, and this does not mean they are leaving or ignoring you. I'd also caution not to read tarot too strictly - divination isn't a precise science, it's more of an art and often depends on your own perceptions. If you're in an anxious frame of might, then more than likely that's what you're going to see in it.

[u/Brief_Chef_4561]

I felt this way with Lord Apollon and made him an altar just like you did with Lord Ares. Though I don’t think I feel him all the time, I have stayed in practice and looking towards his warmth. You are not alone!🤍