Bringing Ares into Hellenismos...

When researching Ancient sources regarding Ares, a few things become clear:

1) Ares was not very liked by his family and fellow Olympians: His father, Zeus, is said to have made some harsh remarks about his son, calling out his blood and battle lust as disgusting. 

2) Worship of Ares seems very general and no large cult following really stands out: Ares can be difficult to identify in Classical art. Whether he was left out intentionally or for lack of distinctive physical attributes, is debated. Ares was called upon in times when the nation needed defending, but not generally at any other time. 

3) He had a great love affair with the Goddess of Love herself, Aphrodite: They had at least five confirmed children together. Even after Aphrodite was wed to Hephaistos, the two continued their love affair. 


Now, let's look at things from a modern approach:

Ares, as a male god of war, was definitely needed in Ancient Culture. We're talking about a time period when human migration was happening on a large scale. New lands were beginning discovered and people were fighting constantly. War may not have been a well liked event, but it was necessary. 

At this time in history, only men were really allowed to fight in wars. You have legends of the female warriors training in Sparta and the Amazon women, but your average Ancient Greek woman stayed at home and tended to the house and community while the men went off and fought. 

Between Ares and Athena, Athena is definitely held to a higher level and is more liked than Ares.  Athena embodies the thought, strategy, and planning of war. Ares embodies the rage, blood lust and pounding adrenaline of the fight. Athena looks at the bigger picture; Ares goes in for the kill, blinded by excitement. Athena can be related to the General, Ares the Soldier. While Athena was given a seat in the main temple in Athens, the Acropolis, Ares was in some ways, pushed aside. But no matter how you view it, war would not happen with out the soldiers. 

It's easy to classify Ares as the God of War and leave it at that. But Ares is so much more. 

Ares is also the embodiment of masculine energy, power and strength. He is the Man's Man, the great symbol of what men should look like. Unlike Apollon who is also credited for being viewed as divine male, Ares is rarely ever pictured as a youth, and never androgynous.  Almost always Ares is described as being an adult male, bearded, and muscular. There are the odd times he is pictured in his youth, with spear and shield, but this is taken as a young Ares, and not as an aspect of himself. 

Then, there is also the important fact of his love affair with Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Lust, and Sex. What would it take to capture the heart of the Love Goddess? What would Ares look like today? The jokes of women always wanting the bad boys are endless. 

There is something alluring and tantalizing about the thought of the tall, dark, and handsome man who will pick you up off your feet, throw you over his shoulder, and ravish you in bed... 

A physically strong man with a tender heart. A deep, penetrating gaze...

Who is this God who brought the Love Goddess on her knees?

I've been working with Aphrodite for a while now, and the deeper our relationship grows, the more I find myself being pulled towards Ares. Many modern magical practitioners tend to view Ares with fear and avoid him. They focus only on the aspect of war and battle. No one wants more stress in their lives, and they seem to think that working with Ares will do just that. 

As much as Ares delights in these sorts of things, he can also teach us to acknowledge our stressors and stand up and fight them, instead of trying to "love and light" them away, as is the popular New Age notion. Ares doesn't sit back and wish things to get better; He putts on his battle gear, goes out and makes things better. 

I encourage everyone to explore all these different aspects of Ares. Whether you evoke or invoke the God, meditate, trance, or study him, try to look beyond the brutal aspects of this war god and see how he connects with you. 

Hail Ares!

Asteria's Personal Theogony

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The following is a post I wrote for another, more personal, blog of mine. I have reread the post, and while it does come off a bit 'ranty', my feelings on the subject have not changed. So here I present to you the original entry that was published January 28th, 2015.
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"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

I've wanted to write this post for a while so my readers can understand where I come from when I work with divinity. This is my own personal Theology. I didn't "create it"; it is and always has been my own Truth.

When one studies the Qabalah, they read about the four worlds: Atziluth, the World of Emanation, of pure divinity; Briah, the World of Creation, where the archetypes do dwell; Yetzirah, the World of Formation, ("Yetsirah" as in "making" is as opposed to "Beriah" as in "Creating": actually taking whatever matter that was created in the "Beriah" and shaping it into the basic elements); and finally Assiah, the World of Action.

According to Carl Jung, human beings have collective unconscious. It is through this collective unconscious that humans throughout the ages have accessed the same archetypes of Briah and brought them into the world of Yetzirah, for use in Assiah. 

Think about it: we all have access to the same Briatic world. "Briah is a level above that at which most people operate but – a very important point! – it is the natural level of the awakened or fulfilled human being. Awakening unto Briah is the spiritual destiny of every person, the Next Step of humanity, and the goal of spiritual initiation. One who has attained this is called an Adept." - source unknown.

Through observing the natural world, through ritual, meditation, prayer, and petitions, ancient peoples tapped into the Briatic World and found the archetypes: The Mother, The Wise Old Man, The Crafts Person, The Warrior, etc. Depending on the needs, desires, experiences, geographical locations, struggles, etc., shaped how these ancient people brought these archetypes down from the Briatic World, the World of Creation, to Yetzirah, the World of Formation. 

This explains why when one looks across cultures, similar deities appear. The Wise Man appears as Odin, Zeus, Christ, Thoth, and others. The Mother appears as Frigg, Demeter, The Virgin Mary, Mut, and others. However, as any Pagan knows, things are not so simple. 

We humans are complicated creatures. The archetypes appear in our selves in varying forms and intensities. 

A childless woman will never fully understand the Mother archetype; that archetype plays a smaller role in her life. A woman may have been pregnant yet never been able to carry one to full term, or have experienced still birth. Or, a woman may have adopted another woman's children as her own, unable to get pregnant herself. These are the complexities of human life, and our gods, the Theoi especially, have been shaped to reflect this. 

To continue on with the Mother archetype, Demeter searched Heaven and Earth, and then the Underworld for Kore (Persephone) when she was abducted by Hades. She is the personification of the loving Mother, endlessly devoted to her child, where as Hera on the other hand, although she is a mother to many gods and wife to Zeus (Father of the Gods), she is maternally indifferent. Artemis is a virgin goddess and yet she assists women in childbirth. 

Therefore, in connecting with the archetypes in Briah, and reflecting our own human tendencies, struggles, and experiences from Assiah onto these archetypes, humans created/formed the egregores of the deities in Yetzirah. They were given names, realms of power, characteristics, and stories/myths. Through regular worship, devotion and working with these egregores they took on a "life" of their own. We fed them energy and they were able to grow and take form. As time went on, they strengthened. They became independently active astral beings. 

The power of the Theoi is very real. The myths tell us they they have been known to get involved in mortal life. They take sides, have preferences, and show favouritism. They are interested in our lives because we ultimately created them, and without our continued worship, devotion and active involvement, the gods sort of slip into an inactive state. The egregores are well established and can be tapped into again, however. That is why once "dead religions" can be brought back to life. This is also the reason why I am such a stickler for tradition: 

When one works with a Pantheon, it is imperative to take into account the original practitioners. These are the people who created these gods and goddesses and they did so very specifically. No deity was created haphazardly. There was a deep purpose and meaning; each God filled a void or explained the human condition. It irritates me to no end when modern pagans grab a god or goddess at random and try to attach attributes which do not fit into the creation of said deity. If you want to do such a thing - then create your own, new deity! Do not undo and disrespect the work, the time, the energy, the worship, the prayers, the petitions, the rituals, the ceremonies, and the sacrifices of the ancient peoples. These gods were a reflection of themselves and their lives. 

Because we are all human beings living the human condition, deities can be called on to assist us in modern times. Zeus is still a wise man, full of lust, life and male sexual desire. Yet, the human species has evolved and it is no longer acceptable to have a God who goes around disguising himself and sleeping with a million mortals. This needs to be addressed with Zeus. It should be made clear in our works with Zeus that this type of behaviour is unacceptable and if he wants your devotion, which they do, he needs to take into account modern life and changes. 

A friend of mine believes that the gods have changed along side humans. That she cannot imagine working with a "stagnant" deity. In my mind, the Theoi are not stagnant, per se; they represent archetypes which are "set in stone", yet they are the Yetziraic creations of said archetypes so they can be manipulated. It is up to us to communicate with the Theoi and let them know what we need them for.

The Theoi can "change" or "grow" in a sense. Take Hekate: she has become a popular go-to goddess for most modern Pagans. Because of Euripides' play Medea, in which Medea is portrayed as a witch whom is a priestess of Hekate, and Hekate being Persephone's companion in the underworld, modern Pagans have taken the Maiden Goddess of the  Crossroads and transformed her into a Crone (sometimes Triple Aspect) Goddess of Witchcraft, Magic, Necromancy, and the After Life. 

So many people have done just this, for so long, that Hekate has begun to take on that role. No doubt, there is some truth behind the stories. Hekate did have associations with the underworld, although not to the extent that modern Pagans now attribute. The question is: is this wrong?

I personally believe that for the Theoi to remain relevant today that some adjustments need to be made. It is not a far stretch to attach Hekate to Necromancy since she did escort Demeter into Hades in search for Kore, and was Persephone's companion. The problem I have is when someone asks Hekate for help with matters involving love. There is no evidence that the ancient Hellenics associated Hekate with love; that was Aphordite's turf. So why, oh why, do modern Pagans try to place associations where they do not exist? 

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Hellenic Pantheon is a unit, like a puzzle, and each deity is a puzzle piece. You cannot work with one or a few and get the whole picture. They are each aspects of different archetypes of the human condition. To become a full human being, we must acknowledge all aspects of ourselves, and not favour a few.

This, once again, is my own Theology. This is how I make sense of things, how I believe them to be. If I can think of anything else to add to this theory I will add it at another time as a *note*. As we evolve our ideas change. Nothing is really set in stone.

Deconstructing the Monthly Libations

During the opening of the Libation to Ares this month, there were a lot of questions regarding what exactly is done during the Open Libations. This post will hopefully answer some of the common questions people have.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the purpose of the Monthly Libations is to get everyone together to celebrate the Theoi (Gods). If you cannot attend an Open Libation, it is still encouraged that you try to do your own personal libation to the selected god or goddess on the first weekend of every month.  This act of "celebrating together, while apart" helps to strengthen the egregore of Hellenismos of Manitoba. 

The Monthly Libation rituals are written by me, HoM's Magus, Asteria Onyx. Currently the rituals are not publicly shared (printed copies are not handed out) and remain as property of the HoM.  The reason why this is done is two fold: firstly, a lot of time, research, and energy is placed into these rituals, not to mention ceremonial magic practices. Every ritual is a labour of love and I do not feel like sharing my work with the whole world, as rituals can easily be copied and posted online. Secondly, when people show up to a Monthly Libation, I don't want them to be concerned with flipping through papers and "keeping up" with the ritual. I want them to stand back, watch, and take in the experience and energy of the ritual. If anything is asked of the attendants, I will pause during the ritual and explain what is going on. Simple as that. 

So, what does a Monthly Ritual look like?  Well, the structure of the ritual has been adapted by Greek recon sources, with a few modern magical additions: 

- Firstly, katharmos is preformed with the use of khernips to remove miasma
- Sacred space is created with the use of CM techniques 
- Hestia, goddess of the hearth is called upon and given offerings, as it is customary to give offerings to her both first and last.
- Apollon is called and given offerings in return for katharmos
- Then, the selected Theos is evoked

This is the point that seems to cause the highest level of concern. What does it mean to evoke the Theos (God/dess)?  

Firstly, let me point out that rituals that are labeled as "Open Monthly Libations", are in fact open to the public. Anyone can show up. It is very rare that someone will be turned away. It is for this reason that the Monthly Libations are written in a matter that is very safe and basic. 

Therefore, whenever I evoke a deity during these Open Rituals, my goal is to open "The Gates to Ancient Hellas" and have the Theos step forward and into our sacred space. The Theos in question arrives alone and is there to witness our libations, receive our offerings, and in return, bless us. Once the ritual is complete, the gates are closed and the Theos departs.  

Later on, once we have a committed group of members, and the Inner Order of HoM is established, there will be a lot more energy working and energy transfer with deity. But for right now, my goal is to get people to approach the Theoi in a "traditional" and respectful manner, get a feel for the deity's energy, and begin to create a relationship. 

Monthly Libations are done at the beginning of the month so that the rest of the month can be spent on learning about the selected deity and furthering the relationship with them. 

Not surprisingly, questions arose when it came time to evoke Ares. Yes, Ares is a god of war and bloodlust, however he is also a god of courage and strength. The way of Hellenismos is to celebrate and acknowledge all of the Greek Gods. It is my personal belief that the Theos were created in part by humans to explain and express archetypes of humanity. Therefore, aspects of each deity can be found within ourselves to varying degrees. It is important, to acknowledge and celebrate each deity. To deny one is to deny a part of ourselves. 

This is a key point of Hellenismos: one god is not to be held higher than another. One who chooses to worship only one or a few Greek gods is not practicing Hellenismos.  


Well, I hope that I have answered some of the questions surrounding the Monthly Libations. If there are any aspects I missed, or if you have any questions, please post them in the comment section and I will answer them.

I look forward to seeing you at the next Open Monthly Libation! 

Ares, God of War

With the hot, dry heat of August in Manitoba, the HoM takes this time to celebrate and honour Ares, Greek God of war, courage, and battle-lust.

Ares is the god of war, and one of the great Olympian gods of the Greeks. He is commonly credited as being the son of Zeus and Hera. 

The character of Ares in Greek mythology is best understood if compared with that of other divinities who are likewise in some way connected with war. 

Athena represents thoughtfulness and wisdom in the affairs of war, and protects men and their habitations during its ravages. Ares, on the other hand, is nothing but the personification of bold force and strength, and not so much the god of war as of its tumult, confusion, and horrors. His sister Eris (Strife) calls forth war, Zeus directs its course, but Ares loves war for its own sake, and delights in the din and roar of battles, in the slaughter of men, and the destruction of towns. He is not even influenced by party-spirit, but sometimes assists the one and sometimes the other side, just as his inclination may dictate.

The destructive hand of this god was even believed to be active in the ravages made by plagues and epidemics. This savage and sanguinary character of Ares makes him hated by the other gods and his own parents. In the Iliad, he appears surrounded by the personifications of all the fearful phenomena and effects of war; but in the Odyssey his character is somewhat softened down.

It was contrary to the spirit which animated the Greeks to represent a being like Ares, with all his overwhelming physical strength, as always victorious; and when he comes in contact with higher powers, he is usually conquered. He was wounded by Diomedes, who was assisted by Athena, and in his fall he roared like nine or ten thousand other warriors together. When the gods began to take an active part in the war of the mortals, Athena opposed Ares, and threw him on the ground by hurling at him a mighty stone; and when he lay stretched on the earth, his huge body covered the space of seven plethra.

This fierce and gigantic, but withal handsome god loved and was beloved by Aphrodite. He interfered on her behalf with Zeus, and lent her his war-chariot. When Aphrodite loved Adonis, Ares in his jealonsy metamorphosed himself into a boar, and killed his rival.

The warlike character of the tribes of Thrace led to the belief that the god's residence was in that country, and here and in Scythia were the principal seats of his worship. In Scythia he was worshipped in the form of a sword, to which not only horses and other cattle, but men also were sacrificed. 

He was further worshipped in Colchis, where the golden fleece was suspended on an oak-tree in a grove sacred to him. From thence the Dioscuri were believed to have brought to Laconia the ancient statue of Ares which was preserved in the temple of Ares Thareitas, on the road from Sparta to Therapnae.  

In Greece itself the worship of Ares was not very general. At Athens he had a temple containing a statue; at Geronthrae in Laconia he had a temple with a grove, where an annual festival was celebrated, during which no woman was allowed to approach the temple.  He was also worshipped near Tegea, and in the town, at Olympia, near Thebes, and at Sparta, where there was an ancient statue, representing the god in chains, to indicate that the martial spirit and victory were never to leave the city of Sparta. At Sparta human sacrifices were offered to Ares.  The temples of this god were usually built outside the towns, probably to suggest the idea that he was to prevent enemies from approaching them.

All the stories about Ares and his worship in the countries north of Greece seem to indicate that his worship was introduced in the latter country from Thrace; and the whole character of the god, as described by the most ancient poets of Greece, seems to have been thought little suited to be represented in works of art : in fact, we hear of no artistic representation of Ares previous to the time of Alcamenes, who appears to have created the ideal of Ares. There are few Greek monuments now extant with representations of the god; he appears principally on coins, reliefs, and gems. The Romans identified their god Mars with the Greek Ares.

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Homer, the Epic Poet

When recreating an Ancient religion, it's important to have good source material. One of the key sources we have comes from Homer, the epic poet.

Idealized portrayal of Homer

Firstly, it's important to note that historians are not exactly sure if Homer was in fact one man, or many. There are two popular theories: He was a blind poet who lived sometime around 850-750 BCE; or Homer is to be considered a mythical character, the legendary founder of a guild of rhapsodes called the Homeridae, then “Homer” means the works attributed to the rhapsodes of the guild, who might have composed primarily in a single century or over a period of centuries.

When the Emperor Hadrian asked the Oracle at Delphi about Homer, the Pythia proclaimed that he was Ithacan, the son of Epikaste and Telemachus, from the Odyssey. Homer is credited as the author of the Odyssey and the Iliad.

Personally, I like to think of Homer as the blind poet, with possibly seer capabilities. 

The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, c.1250 BCE, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.  The Iliad features many Hellenic gods and goddesses as they fight and play great roles in human warfare. Not only does this story give insight into Ancient greek life and warfare, it also gives us some ideas into the personalities of the Greek deities. 

The Odyssey is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad. The poem centers on the Greek hero Odysseus and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. Once again, Hellenic deities play a large role in the story. 

The Iliad is the oldest extant work of Western literature, with the Odyssey being the second. The stories are written in dactylic hexameter, a rhythmic scheme, which means that when read aloud, there is a structured rhythm and flow to how the words are read. Imagine musical poetry, where each sentence has a certain number of long and short sounds. 

The Homeric Hymns are a collection of thirty-three anonymous Ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual gods. The hymns are "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the same epic meter—dactylic hexameter—as the Iliad and Odyssey, use many similar formulas and are couched in the same dialect. They are not believed to have been written by Homer, however the term Homeric Hymn has stuck. 

The HoM recites the Homeric Hymns during our monthly libations to the gods. Not only is it a verbal, energetic offering to the gods, but it also helps to remind/inform those present what the deity in question is all about. 

How to be an Ethical Eclectic

First, let's define these some words:

Ethical:
1. pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of 
morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.
2. being in accordance with the rules or standards for right 
conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession:

Eceltic: 
1  selecting or choosing from various sources.
2. made up of what is selected from different sources.
3. not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Appropriation: 

1.  the act of taking something for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission 



Appropriation has become a big issue in the Pagan community. At Paganicon 2015, an annual Pagan Conference that is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, there were numerous lectures and panels that dealt with this sensitive topic. The issue is mostly in regards to "newer" practices, such as Conjure, Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Native American practices. I use the term "new" to describe these practices because in comparison to the Ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, Roman, The Middle East, etc., these practices are in fact "new" and still have a living blood line. 


While there is no doubt that the use of Native American Headdress by Victoria Secret models on the runway is a HUGE matter of appropriation, (since these headresses are sacred and meant to be worn only by male warriors), things can get a a bit tricky when it comes to borrowing ideas such as medicine bags, smudging, pipe ceremonies, dance, song, drumming, etc. 

The same thing goes when those in the West adopt symbols and practices from the East. Taoist symbols of Yin and Yang, images of the Buddha, prayer flags from Tibet: Do you really understand what those symbols mean to the culture that created them? And what purpose do they serve in your spirituality?  These questions must be asked and answered. 


So, when it comes to borrowing aspects of another spiritual practice to meld into your own, ask your self these questions:

1) Have I researched this image/symbol/teaching? 
2) Do I understand why it was created by said culture?
3) What purpose did it serve to those of said culture?
4) What will I gain from adapting it to my practice?
5) How will adapting it to my practice change the original function of said image/symbol/teaching?
6) Knowing all this, should I adapt changes to said image/symbol/teaching to better suit my needs?

Another question that is often asked is: Are these images/symbols/teachings strictly meant for those born of a certain bloodline? And if so, if you are not of said bloodline, you should not use them. 

I however don't agree with this last point. 

As a person who believes in reincarnation, I feel that we are not, and should not be limited by race, colour, nationality or heritage, when choosing which spiritual path feels right to you.  I am not of Greek descent, in this life time anyways, however that will not stop me from honouring the Gods of Hellas that are so close to my heart. 

Out of respect for those original Hellenic practitioners before me, the ones whom created and formed these deities and their myths to explain the world around them, I believe it is important to keep my practice as Greek as possible. I do add magical practices of Ceremonial Magic, because the information of the type of magic performed by the Ancient Greeks is lacking. Also, Ceremonial Magic has taken a lot from Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Hebrew sources anyhow, so in reality, I am practicing Ancient Greek magic. The language I use is Greek, albeit butchered. My chants, energy workings, and evocations all work within a Greek context. 

I have also enjoyed learning about American Conjure. The thoughts and ideas shared by this practice in regards to Spirit, Soul, and Ancestor worship is impressive. While it is tough to find examples of daily Greek magic, it's nearly impossible to find any information on Greek Death Magic. As great as the Eleusinian Mysteries sound, the initiates did an excellent job at keeping their oath bound secrets. Therefore, I have adopted aspects of American Conjure, their ideas and thoughts of approaching the Death Current and Ancestor Worship, and have tried unlocking the gates to the Greek Underworld. However, even though I use Conjure practices, I use Greek deities. Instead of calling on Papa Ghede to open the Gates for me, I would call on Kharon, the ferryman of the dead. This is how I stay true to the Hellenic path. 


To sum up this post, I cringe when I hear the term Eclectic being used to describe someone's practice. It seems to be common practice today to "Take what works, and leave what doesn't."  In a sense, there is nothing wrong with that attitude, but at some point you can no longer call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in Christ. You cannot call yourself a Hellenist if you only honour one or two gods and don't pay respects to all at some point. Every path has their core principles and they should be respected. Of course, everyone needs time to figure out just what suits them. 

So while you sort through the mountains of information out there, and figure out what works for you, don't forget to ask yourself those six questions. Don't forget to be an Ethical Eclectic. 


Edit: Added diagram to consider:

Chart by Sterba Stevee  https://www.facebook.com/stevencsterba?fref=ts

Book Review: Hellenic Polytheism

Book Title: Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship

Author: Members of LABRYS

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is a Hellenist's dream.  Written by LABRYS Polytheistic Community  it is full of great, accurate information regarding Hellenic Recon practices.  Sections include: Introduction to Household Worship, On the Household Altar, Ritual Items, On Libations and Khoes, and many more.  

If I had had this book a year ago, who knows where my Hellenic practice would be today.

The section on the Hellenic Holy Days was especially helpful.  The chapter is short and yet they were able to clearly explain how the Hellenic Lunar calendar works. So simple. 

The last half of the book includes about 11 of LABRYS' written ceremonies.  Of course, these may not be the word for word rituals that the group uses, however, as someone who is attempting to write Hellenistic rituals herself, this section is pricless. 

And the most exciting thing?  This is only book one.  LABRYS is currently in the works of translating their other published works from Greek to English.  The next one will be about Communial Worship.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Hellenic practices.  Books are limited and can be ordered through the LABRYS website and Amazon.com.