June is always a bit of a whirlwind for me, especially as my mom traditionally visits for my birthday slightly after mid-month, so it's a time for hosting family. It's also the time of year when I struggle to sleep, as I awaken with light (and when I don't, my cat does, and she screams … Continue reading June 2022 Update: Less Online, Icons, Book Darting, and Getting Excited About Texts
Tag: polytheism
What about *my* religious beliefs? — and a passage from Iamblichus
Today, there will be a lot of outrage about the Supreme Court decision about abortion. It is already overwhelming, and I am not even on social media — just in the family group text, a chat room related to my alma mater, and so on. My mother is the one who alerted us, actually, in … Continue reading What about *my* religious beliefs? — and a passage from Iamblichus
On the soul’s descent; or, a cosmic web of thoughts and ideas, barely arranged
Know thyself is the maxim that is given to us by the God at Delphi. Plato’s Alcibiades I and the commentary tradition surrounding it establish that the self is the soul, hereafter interchangeably described as the soul or the psÅ«khe (IPA: /psiˈçi/), which is using the body as an instrument. Plato’s Republic and the Platonic … Continue reading On the soul’s descent; or, a cosmic web of thoughts and ideas, barely arranged
Why worship Gods?
And now for the text version, which might be better here — WordPress degraded the image quality of the infographic. Why Worship Gods? Platonists are fond of saying that the world is full of Gods, quoting from a pre-Socratic philosopher named Thales. Platonists like Proclus add that everything prays, each in its own way, just … Continue reading Why worship Gods?
Gods, Theurgy, Philosophical Schools, and Community
There is a lot of weirdness in contemplation. After I pray to Apollon in the mornings, I simply breathe. If everything inside can be calmed (not halted, but calmed), it is possible to rest in an inner place, where light seems to stream and where I know there is something true waiting to be coaxed … Continue reading Gods, Theurgy, Philosophical Schools, and Community
March 2022 “We Are Individuals in Communities” Divination
Obligatory context: In 2020, due to feeling a lot of social burnout, pessimism, and pain about our wider polytheistic communities, I started doing a divination reading every three months about Western polytheistic communit[y/ies]. The point of this divination, like most divinations I do, is to highlight growth areas that we may be missing that prevent … Continue reading March 2022 “We Are Individuals in Communities” Divination
March 2022 Update: Am I Into Block Printing Now?
The more I consider it, the more Marina's "True" has become the anthem of my 30s. I've followed Marina since shortly after she released her first album because one of the polytheistic blogs I followed — a Blogspot one that was one of two sources that persuaded me to buy a Plato Complete Works anthology … Continue reading March 2022 Update: Am I Into Block Printing Now?
Rituals, Recipes, and Morning Ritual Self-Help Books
It can sometimes seem despairing when we are online and see so much misinformation about the Gods, but look on the bright side: private personal rituals are becoming popular, and this make it so much easier to incorporate Gods into one's day.
Building a Routine
In The Soul's Inner Statues, one exercise I recommend is a post-it note thing to find a time when a few minutes of prayer work best for you. I mention several tools (Mural, post-it notes, something else), but another tool someone could use for an exercise like that is Google Jamboard. As the hardest part … Continue reading Building a Routine
KALLISTI 