Approaching Deity

Whenever I decide to work with a deity, there are a few steps I tend to take.

1. Research

This includes digging into theoi.com and googling just about anything I can find about that deity.  I also look through my books to find any relevant holy days - Grandmother of Time is a pretty good one, but is not an authentic Hellenic source, so I usually take everything with a grain of salt and do independent research based on the things mentioned there.  I take time to learn about the cultural influences to the deity (whether they were part of an even more ancient civilization, imported from another civilization, and whether they are equated with any other deities of other cultures) and how they have changed through history and by interpretation of modern pagans.  Learning about their epiteths, names, and general demesnes is a big one, as well as becoming familiar with their place in the pantheon and mythos associated with them.  I make note of traditional offerings and worship, as well as symbols, colors, scents, flowers, incense, and any tools or acts that may be associated with them.

2. Book of Shadows Entry

Yes, I do have a BoS despite exploring Hellenismos.  I don't plan to change this; it's my working manual, a snapshot of my practice in time, and a wonderfully useful tool to have at my service.  Once I've started the researching process, I take all that I've learned and start up a page - or section - in my BoS dedicated to that deity.  It includes basic correspondences, references to historical books, myths, the deities role, power and demesne, as well as any historical invocations, songs, and poems.

3. Shrine/Altar

My shrines/altars tend to be very simplistic.  I try to incorporate colors, herbs, flowers, crystals, and symbols of the deity I am attempting to work with, but this cannot always be as ideal as I'd prefer based on my income and availability of some items.  They should always have a candle that is dedicated to them, an offering bowl and incense.  If I continue to work with them for longer than a few days, more things will slowly be added to this shrine, including but not limited to satchets, potpourri blends, custom oil blends, hand-made statuary, purchased items, and dedicated tools.   You can even create a prayer book to be laid on the shrine at all times holding only prayers, invocations songs and chants related to the deity (and only that deity), decorated appropriately.  The shrine/altar should always be dedicated and physically and energetically cleaned before use (and should be re-cleaned at the end of each lunar cycle, and energetically cleaned and physically cleaned whenever taking a particular shrine/altar down and/or erecting a new one in its place).

4. Formal Introduction

Now is the time to ritually invoke the deity, introduce myself to them, state why I want to work with them - what I hope to gain - and what I plan to offer them in exchange for this.  I view this very much like a contract; I outline what I want, what I'm willing to do to get it, and hope that the deity will consider this a fair exchange.  I am very specific during this exchange to outline exactly what the deity can expect from me - I set up specific days for offerings, for singing praises, for working with them.  I ask that if this proposal is acceptable, the deity send me an obvious undeniable sign of their assent.  I always leave an offering at the end of this ritual, and take some time to meditate on why I want to work with this deity.

5. Regular Offerings

In my introduction, I promise specific days of offering for a specific length of time (usually a lunar month).  This doesn't mean that it's the only day I make an offering, or that I ignore the deity every other day; it's a core minimum.  If nothing else, that deity can always expect me to pay respect on that specific day.  My goal is to devote a few minutes of each day to the deity, if not more.  The offerings themselves can be incense, food, flowers, herbs, crystals, tools, statuary, custom created crafts, dedicated tools, custom chants, poems, invocations, songs, or even gifts of raised energy.  It can also be in the form of doing things that the deity would approve of - volunteering at a dog kennel if working with Artemis, making my daily cleaning a ritual if working with Hestia, donating blood at a blood drive if I'm working with Apollo, etc.

6. Meditation

Most of my communication with the deities, and getting to know them, at least along a UPG vein, is done through meditation.  I have a shamanic viewpoint of the spiritual world consisting of the Upper World, Middle World and Lower World, which houses all lands included in all cultures; in Hellenic mythos, Olympus would be in the Upper World, Hades in the Lower World, and nature deities would be in the Middle World. Depending on the deity I'm working with, I would have a journey to that world on occasion and commune with them directly, if they so let me. Otherwise, it would be a few moments of silent meditation on the deity themselves.

7. Farewell

When I feel that the time I have spent with a deity has come to an end, I have a final ritual to show my gratitude to that deity for all that I have learned.  I give a final offering to show my appreciation and explain to them that I feel I have learned all I can for now, but would like to work with them again in the future, if they are so willing to allow it.  I treat this as more of a celebration than a solemn rite; food is cooked or baked, I bring out a drink or two, and I toast to that deity.  Music is played, or a movie is watched that falls under their demesne, or I'll otherwise do something that is aligned to the powers and energy of that deity.  When the celebration is over, I ritually and solemnly take down their shrine, clean it, and store their items safely away in a labeled box or container.


I figure that if, at some point, I feel a powerful connection to a deity to the point where I want to work with them long-term or permanently, I may consider having a dedication ritual and putting them in place as my matron or patron.  I have not yet worked with a deity that I have felt so strongly about, but I am open to the possibility.

So far, the above steps have worked well for me!  I will post if I experience any changes in my system.

About Me

I am a 28-year-old pagan witch who lives in northeast Ohio, USA with my boyfriend of 3 years and our two cats, Xerxes and Xena.  As of right now, I do not have a job, but when I worked, I was a cashier at a gas station and at a retail store.

My spiritual journey started when I was 13 years old and first discovered the religious section of my local library.  Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner was the first book on any pagan religion that I ever discovered and became the most influential book of my early development.  There was just something about the pagan path that really spoke to me, even at 13, that drew me in and captured my attention.  It aligned with my feminist leanings and ideals of equality that Christianity just lacked.

When my mother found out of my newfound interest in neopaganism, she did not approve.  I was raised in an environment where religion was not forced upon us; my mother and all of her brothers and sisters (there were 9 of them) were forced to go to church whether they wanted to or not, and she was raised a devout Protestant.  She, however, did not want to force a religion down our (mine and my younger sister's) throats, and took the stance that if we were interested, we could go; if not, we didn't have to.  She herself was not a practicing Protestant.

That being said, paganism in general made her nervous.  I think it was just because it was different and she didn't understand it; at that point in time, I was not mature enough to really have a healthy discussion on this topic, nor was I well-read enough to hold my own.  So when she told me she didn't mind if I read and researched, but preferred I didn't practice witchcraft or any pagan religion in her house, I assented.

In retrospect, this was a good thing for me.  I'm the sort who likes to just jump into things without doing proper research (which has gotten SO MUCH BETTER with age), and since I didn't understand a lot of the core principles and how things worked, this was the best course of action for me.  It gave me time to read about other types of Wicca and paganism and to decide if this path is for me.

The years passed by, and I moved out of my mother's house to my stepmother's, then to my great-aunt's in turn.  All of these places had the same basic rule: read what you want, but don't actively practice.  I respected these people, so I respected their terms.  This did not stop me from worshiping the religion that I chose to follow (Wicca); I lit a candle every now and then, collected stones and crystals, did some energetic exercises, and even got a tarot deck that I absolutely loved.  But I did not practice traditional witchcraft.  It wasn't because I was scared, or that I didn't want to create waves.  It was mostly because I was still in the active soul-searching seeker stage.  I was still figuring out where I belonged (even though I considered myself Wiccan, I never really felt like I belonged there 100%), what I believed.  This was a long process for me, and one that I did not rush - and one I'm glad I did not rush.

When I finally moved out of my family's home and into my own apartment with roommates, I began to actively practice witchcraft.  My practice took off.  I started a journal where I recorded all of my questions and things I wanted to look into and explore (which I still have), and I actively pursued those interests in my spare time (what little I had after holding two jobs).

After I moved in with my boyfriend (and subsequently quit my jobs since I was out of range from those branches and moved about an hour away from my old home), I discovered the online youtube pagan community.  And my path exploded.  Being able to communicate with others, to watch different points of view, to get recommended resources - and to have the time to actually pursue those sources - allowed me to finally come into my own.  I became more of an eclectic pagan, though I never really worked with any other deity outside of the Greek pantheon, I actively practiced witchcraft when it called to me, and I connected to the cycles of nature.  It was an amazing time.

Over the years, Hellenismos had popped up repeatedly for me.  Curious, I would look up a phrase or read a random article and move on.  But the Greek gods never left me, nor did the Greek mythology and influence.  And Hellenismos repeatedly popped up for me.  I was pretty daft, I admit it - I didn't even realize in the moment the connection, the pattern.  It wasn't until recently - during the Full Moon, while I was wearing selenite (which always seemed to help me see beyond the obvious and tap into my own intuition) that I realized: this is not coincidence.  There is a reason why I keep finding all these random things related to Hellenismos.  And I owe that intuitive feeling, that calling, respect.

And so, I started my current path of exploring Hellenismos.

Welcome to Adana Exploring Hellenismos!

If you have found your way to this particular blog, you probably are already aware that this is my personal journey discovering, following and implementing Hellenismos.

For those of you who do not know what Hellenismos is, it is a pagan reconstruction religion based on the Ancient Greek Hellenic practice.  Hellenismos is a modern movement that uses anything and everything that can be found from historical sources as a basis for modern practice - with a few adaptations to make the practice and religion fit into our modern lives.

The Olympian Gods (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, and Hermes) form the basis of the practice, as well as some other key deities, such as Hestia, Dionysus, Hecate, etc.  These deiteis are honored frequently (many honor the gods daily, sometimes twice a day) through hymns and sacrifices (of food, incense, wine, burnable objects, crafts in their honor, etc - no actual blood sacrifices are done).  Each of the main gods have their own festivals that are celebrated throughout the year, though many Hellenismos follow the ancient Greek lunar calendar rather than our modern one.

I have personally felt called to this branch of paganism multiple times throughout my path, with increasing frequency the past few years.  I have finally felt that the time was right to throw all of my precautions to the wind and involve myself in this religion.  I'm not sure why I have not done so up until now, other than the practices are completely foreign to me and not as easily accessible to some other religions; but I suddenly realized that "it's hard" was not an appropriate excuse, especially when I felt something calling to me so strongly.  Even though I had previously described myself as "pagan" and more specifically "Wiccan" I had always felt most connected to Greek deities and had a tendency to use historical information rather than Neo-Wiccan beliefs and practices.  It is time that I give this particular interest the attention it deserves.

And so, this blog was born.  Here, I will record what I discover as I discover it, post links to youtube videos, pinterest pins, tumblr pages, articles, blogs, and websites that I find particularly useful on my path.  As I progress and collect books, I will also share these, as well as a review (hopefully).

I welcome any and all questions, and I highly value any corrections that are made!  I am here to learn, to explore.  I have no doubt that there will be some misconceptions and some things that I do or find that are just plain wrong.  Constructive criticism and a gentle push in the right direction is key for seekers such as myself!  So please, if you feel so called, leave a comment or message me.  I will greatly appreciate it!

And as always, finding others who are of like mind, or who are also exploring this path, are a wonderful addition to my life.  I hope to make at least a few friends along the way!

Thank you for reading!  I will, hopefully, see you around very soon!