Thank you for your lovely words. I'm happy to put this out there--I know I struggled badly to find the proper way of doing things when I first started out, and helping others adopt Hellenismos is very rewarding. Thank you for watching!
Your videos are very helpful :) I'm coming to Hellenismos after watching my grandfather practice for years when I was younger. I've dabbled in many other religions - strongly with Hinduism which I found to be the closest - but I've felt more comfortable with my own heritage. My great grandmother came over from Greece when she was 11 in about 1901. She came from a farming area, and they still practiced the Old Ways so she passed that down to us...however we practiced in the guise of "Greek Orthodox" because where she moved was extremely Christian. It's interesting to see how that can be done, and it confirms - to me at least - that Greek Orthodox religion is paganism in a Christian shell. Our practice is a bit different than yours, but I think that's mostly because of locational differences and modifications that had to be made to 'hide' the practice. With the help of your videos, and the wonderful folks at Hellenion, I've been rebuilding my practice slowly over the last two years. I'm lucky enough to live in a rural area so I can practice outside, and you videos have been a blessing when I'm stuck with an interpretation of how to do something. Your channel is like a crash course in the basics of Hellenism. It's a wonderful resource for people just coming to the religion, or folks like me trying to perhaps shy away from the more specific folk aspects of practice and start practicing with a 'modernized' group. Thank you for having made these videos.
Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your story! I am very happy yo hear you are taking u the torch from your grandfather! I am always open to suggestions for other videos if you have somethign that would beneit from the visual over the written. Good luck in building your practice!
Sophia Willowood I loved your story! As a greek person newly to hellenism, I love reading stories about how our tradition survived christianity, it gives me hope and strength that following the old ways is the right thing to do no matter the amount of mockery I receive. Out of curiosity, may I ask how your family does the rituals?
Xaire Sophia! Please tell me more about your family's practice. It sounds fascinating. I am determined to learn modern Greek, so I can read the articles of the YSEE Hellenic reconstructionist organization. I myself am a White American Hindu and I have studied polytheism for almost 25 years. Yasou...
Thank you very much for this! I'm a person who appreciates a sense of structure and something to sort of "go by" and am very new to the tradition, so this has helped me greatly. :)
Lovely, lovely video. Very helpful for anyone and everyone about giving a sacrifice. (I am still very knew to practicing Hellenismos and worshiping the gods in a Hellenic way so I'm still finding my feet on how to properly preform cleanings and libations.) Also, it s lovely to see more videos on Hellenismos here on CZcams. Thank-you for taking the time to share this video.
I've been looking for a guide like this one when I first started in hellenismos years ago. I'll be improving on my ritual now and watching out for more. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video! I've seen offering a khoe in some of the Elaion PAT rituals. Would you mind doing a video on that sometime in the future?
thank you so much for the video I have subscribed to your channel! I have recently converted to the faith and have made an altar to Ares, the war God. my question is, when it comes to lighting how do you safely light the bowl without the bowl or the bowls contents being consumed? or controlling the spread of the fire? because If you were to pour a flamable liquid into the bowl wouldn't it spread all over?
At my local household goods store, in the candle section. I'm not sure how it is where you are, but finding (bio) ethanol in the Netherlands is very easy; it's everywhere. It's usually near the lamp oil or gel.
Very great and helpful video! As a beginner I have a question tho: do you only make offerings/libations to gods or goddesses you have some kind of relationshio with or that you work with or can you make an offering when a prayer has been answered for example?
He did, actually :) Most libations, especially those not poured onto a fire, ended up on the floor or ground, eventually, either after being poured into a libation bowl or directly onto the ground. Drinking and dinnertime offerings were typically poured onto the ground, for example. Perhaps, had Achilles been at home, he would have gotten a sacrificial fire going, or would have poured into the hearth. The act of giving was--and is--most important.
Would this work for Athena? She is my patron goddess (I am new to Hellenism) - P.S. I thought Hestia gave up her position as a deity. Or did she just cease to live on Mt. Olympus? Is it 0K for guys to worship her? Thanks, Harri
+priscillaboswell8 Khaire Harri. Of course any man can honour Hestia! In ancient Hellas, She was honoured by all as the goddess of the Home and Hearth. So yes, this would 'work' for her :) As for your other questions, please read these links :) baringtheaegis.blogspot.nl/2013/08/pbp-patronage-in-hellenism.html / baringtheaegis.blogspot.nl/2013/03/hestia-versus-dionysos.html
Hi, I been studying hellenic paganism and reconstruction forever it seems and I been making offerings and worship when ever I can. However I'm not ethnically greek. I love the theoi with all my heart and I'm not a witch or wiccan just a hellenic pagan but I want to know of what I'm doing is disrespectful to my fellow greeks. I mean it is your culture. Thank you and may the Theoi bless you always
if you want to follow hellenism, keep in mind that the greeks colonised an huge part of the Mediterranean Sea and Alexander conquered central Asia. So if you are from southern Italy, southern France, Catalonia, Northern Egypt or from a land formerly under Alexander's control it is highly probable you have greek ancestry (even if I suggest you to take a DNA test to be sure about it). If you are generally from southern Europe or from an area influenced by Latin culture (like the Rheinland or southern Germany) you can worship the roman pantheon, I know it is quite different, but roman religions took elements from the greek one too, so you won't have problems. Otherwise there's always your people's native religion you can follow. Every people before abrahamic religions diffusion had their native polytheistic gods.
There's two things that need to be kept in mind: 1. There is a pretty considerable cultural and even ethnic difference between the people of Greece today and the people of Ancient Greece (which in and of itself was not monolithic). The last Ancient Greek was taken to the Underworld a long, long time ago and with that person also went any legitimate claim that you could "appropriate" Ancient Greek culture. Anyone offended by Non-Greeks worshipping Greek Gods is getting offended over something their ancestors gave up generations ago. They have no claim to exclusivity. 2. The Ancient Greeks worshipped plenty of other Gods of other cultures and encouraged people to worship Greek Gods when living in Greek-ruled regions. Ever hear of the story of Hannukah? That conflict started because traditionalist Jews were upset over the hellenization of the Jewish people in the Seleucid Empire. The Greeks went as far as even encouraging Jewish men to undergo therapies with the aim of regrowing their foreskins so that they can participate in activities at local gymnasiums alongside Greeks (Greeks exercised in the nude but a man was considered indecent if the glans of his penis was showing). So literally if there were any Ancient Greeks around they wouldn't care if you were Greek. They'd be happy that you were aligning yourself with what they legitimately believed was the superior culture (their own).
I always find it difficult to answer that. According to ancient Hellenic orthopraxy, it's not okay to give sacrifice without fire; it's the fire that raises the fumes of the sacrifice up to the Gods, after all. But we don't live in ancient Hellas anymore. As much as I would like to, modern times make it impossible (and sometimes undesirable) to practice Hellenismos as the ancient Hellenes did. I practice as Traditional as I can but in some cases, that is just not possible. Is that okay? I don't know. We do what we can. I you can' tpractice with a fire, then you can't practice with a fire. It is what it is. The goal should--in my Traditional opinion--always be to practice with a fire but if you can't manage that, whatever you can do will have to be enough.
i'm really scared of doing this, i'm scared to start s fire, i was going to do this right now but i've got cold feet, do you have any tips how to do it as safe as posiblle?
You said that the reason you set the libations on fire was so that the flames would go UP to the gods. Would this still be an appropriate ritual for Haides, considering that he dwells in the underworld?
Didnt Achilles pour his libation on the ground in his tent in hopes his freind would fight great, and come back alive? Zeus only granted half of it. But still.
Thank you so much for this video! I've seen offering a khoe in some of the Elaion PAT rituals. Would you mind doing a video on that sometime in the future?
Thank you for your lovely words. I'm happy to put this out there--I know I struggled badly to find the proper way of doing things when I first started out, and helping others adopt Hellenismos is very rewarding. Thank you for watching!
Your videos are very helpful :) I'm coming to Hellenismos after watching my grandfather practice for years when I was younger. I've dabbled in many other religions - strongly with Hinduism which I found to be the closest - but I've felt more comfortable with my own heritage. My great grandmother came over from Greece when she was 11 in about 1901. She came from a farming area, and they still practiced the Old Ways so she passed that down to us...however we practiced in the guise of "Greek Orthodox" because where she moved was extremely Christian. It's interesting to see how that can be done, and it confirms - to me at least - that Greek Orthodox religion is paganism in a Christian shell. Our practice is a bit different than yours, but I think that's mostly because of locational differences and modifications that had to be made to 'hide' the practice.
With the help of your videos, and the wonderful folks at Hellenion, I've been rebuilding my practice slowly over the last two years. I'm lucky enough to live in a rural area so I can practice outside, and you videos have been a blessing when I'm stuck with an interpretation of how to do something. Your channel is like a crash course in the basics of Hellenism. It's a wonderful resource for people just coming to the religion, or folks like me trying to perhaps shy away from the more specific folk aspects of practice and start practicing with a 'modernized' group. Thank you for having made these videos.
Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your story! I am very happy yo hear you are taking u the torch from your grandfather! I am always open to suggestions for other videos if you have somethign that would beneit from the visual over the written. Good luck in building your practice!
Sophia Willowood I loved your story! As a greek person newly to hellenism, I love reading stories about how our tradition survived christianity, it gives me hope and strength that following the old ways is the right thing to do no matter the amount of mockery I receive. Out of curiosity, may I ask how your family does the rituals?
Xaire Sophia! Please tell me more about your family's practice. It sounds fascinating. I am determined to learn modern Greek, so I can read the articles of the YSEE Hellenic reconstructionist organization. I myself am a White American Hindu and I have studied polytheism for almost 25 years. Yasou...
@@ElaniTemperance Xaire Elani, you're wonderful. Efcharisto for this beautiful ritual.
Thank you very much for this! I'm a person who appreciates a sense of structure and something to sort of "go by" and am very new to the tradition, so this has helped me greatly. :)
Lovely, lovely video. Very helpful for anyone and everyone about giving a sacrifice. (I am still very knew to practicing Hellenismos and worshiping the gods in a Hellenic way so I'm still finding my feet on how to properly preform cleanings and libations.) Also, it s lovely to see more videos on Hellenismos here on CZcams. Thank-you for taking the time to share this video.
Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for watching :) If you (or anyone else) has requests, feel free!
Very welcome, thank you for watching :)
I'm glad you found it helpful! :)
I learned a lot. Thank you!
love this video, well done, thank you for sharing this with us :)
Please do more videos!
Sure, although it's nothing special :) I'll have it up somewhere next week. Thank you for your request.
I've been looking for a guide like this one when I first started in hellenismos years ago. I'll be improving on my ritual now and watching out for more.
Thank you.
could you do a video on how you set up your day to day altar?
Thank you so much for this video! I've seen offering a khoe in some of the Elaion PAT rituals. Would you mind doing a video on that sometime in the future?
thank you so much for the video I have subscribed to your channel! I have recently converted to the faith and have made an altar to Ares, the war God. my question is, when it comes to lighting how do you safely light the bowl without the bowl or the bowls contents being consumed? or controlling the spread of the fire? because If you were to pour a flamable liquid into the bowl wouldn't it spread all over?
At my local household goods store, in the candle section. I'm not sure how it is where you are, but finding (bio) ethanol in the Netherlands is very easy; it's everywhere. It's usually near the lamp oil or gel.
Is it also what we in the US might call "denatured alcohol"?
Very great and helpful video! As a beginner I have a question tho: do you only make offerings/libations to gods or goddesses you have some kind of relationshio with or that you work with or can you make an offering when a prayer has been answered for example?
Nice
He did, actually :) Most libations, especially those not poured onto a fire, ended up on the floor or ground, eventually, either after being poured into a libation bowl or directly onto the ground. Drinking and dinnertime offerings were typically poured onto the ground, for example. Perhaps, had Achilles been at home, he would have gotten a sacrificial fire going, or would have poured into the hearth. The act of giving was--and is--most important.
Would this work for Athena? She is my patron goddess (I am new to Hellenism) - P.S. I thought Hestia gave up her position as a deity. Or did she just cease to live on Mt. Olympus? Is it 0K for guys to worship her?
Thanks,
Harri
+priscillaboswell8 Khaire Harri. Of course any man can honour Hestia! In ancient Hellas, She was honoured by all as the goddess of the Home and Hearth. So yes, this would 'work' for her :) As for your other questions, please read these links :) baringtheaegis.blogspot.nl/2013/08/pbp-patronage-in-hellenism.html / baringtheaegis.blogspot.nl/2013/03/hestia-versus-dionysos.html
+Elani Temperance Sorry for this late reply -
You say that this is a festival method. What parts would I change in my daily worship?
Hi, I been studying hellenic paganism and reconstruction forever it seems and I been making offerings and worship when ever I can. However I'm not ethnically greek. I love the theoi with all my heart and I'm not a witch or wiccan just a hellenic pagan but I want to know of what I'm doing is disrespectful to my fellow greeks. I mean it is your culture. Thank you and may the Theoi bless you always
if you want to follow hellenism, keep in mind that the greeks colonised an huge part of the Mediterranean Sea and Alexander conquered central Asia. So if you are from southern Italy, southern France, Catalonia, Northern Egypt or from a land formerly under Alexander's control it is highly probable you have greek ancestry (even if I suggest you to take a DNA test to be sure about it). If you are generally from southern Europe or from an area influenced by Latin culture (like the Rheinland or southern Germany) you can worship the roman pantheon, I know it is quite different, but roman religions took elements from the greek one too, so you won't have problems.
Otherwise there's always your people's native religion you can follow. Every people before abrahamic religions diffusion had their native polytheistic gods.
There's two things that need to be kept in mind:
1. There is a pretty considerable cultural and even ethnic difference between the people of Greece today and the people of Ancient Greece (which in and of itself was not monolithic). The last Ancient Greek was taken to the Underworld a long, long time ago and with that person also went any legitimate claim that you could "appropriate" Ancient Greek culture. Anyone offended by Non-Greeks worshipping Greek Gods is getting offended over something their ancestors gave up generations ago. They have no claim to exclusivity.
2. The Ancient Greeks worshipped plenty of other Gods of other cultures and encouraged people to worship Greek Gods when living in Greek-ruled regions. Ever hear of the story of Hannukah? That conflict started because traditionalist Jews were upset over the hellenization of the Jewish people in the Seleucid Empire. The Greeks went as far as even encouraging Jewish men to undergo therapies with the aim of regrowing their foreskins so that they can participate in activities at local gymnasiums alongside Greeks (Greeks exercised in the nude but a man was considered indecent if the glans of his penis was showing). So literally if there were any Ancient Greeks around they wouldn't care if you were Greek. They'd be happy that you were aligning yourself with what they legitimately believed was the superior culture (their own).
I can't use fire where I am, is it ok to not use fire?
I always find it difficult to answer that. According to ancient Hellenic orthopraxy, it's not okay to give sacrifice without fire; it's the fire that raises the fumes of the sacrifice up to the Gods, after all. But we don't live in ancient Hellas anymore. As much as I would like to, modern times make it impossible (and sometimes undesirable) to practice Hellenismos as the ancient Hellenes did. I practice as Traditional as I can but in some cases, that is just not possible. Is that okay? I don't know. We do what we can. I you can' tpractice with a fire, then you can't practice with a fire. It is what it is. The goal should--in my Traditional opinion--always be to practice with a fire but if you can't manage that, whatever you can do will have to be enough.
How often should one perform these?
i'm really scared of doing this, i'm scared to start s fire, i was going to do this right now but i've got cold feet, do you have any tips how to do it as safe as posiblle?
Where do you get your ethanol?
You said that the reason you set the libations on fire was so that the flames would go UP to the gods. Would this still be an appropriate ritual for Haides, considering that he dwells in the underworld?
AFAIK, No. Sacrifices to chthonic deities were buried. And you would pray with your hands aiming to the earth. Or to the altar image.
My neighbor is a police man,
woman blessed by Aphrodite herself
Lord Ares wouldn’t be too proud of your disrespect.
@@gravityfoxxx8288 lol
Didnt Achilles pour his libation on the ground in his tent in hopes his freind would fight great, and come back alive? Zeus only granted half of it. But still.
Thank you so much for this video! I've seen offering a khoe in some of the Elaion PAT rituals. Would you mind doing a video on that sometime in the future?