Can Greek Gods Speak Through Clergy?

In ancient Greek religion, clergy do not act as representatives of the Gods, or as people who speak for the Gods. In other words, we let the Gods speak for themselves. We don't presume to know what a God thinks, teaches or desires, because that would be hubris at best.

However, that's not to say that the Gods can't send messages through people, namely their clergy. After all, the Oracle of Delphi was a Priestess who spoke the words sent to her by Apollon. She did not speak for Him, but she did relay His already spoken words to other mortals.

The Gods are above our plane of existence, and thus they use a variety of channels to communicate with us, although of course, nothing stops them from coming and going to and from any realm they so please, and at their own wills. But I also think that the Gods have a vast array of duties and functions, and manifest in different ways, to different people, and for different reasons.

But absolutely, they can speak through their Priests and Priestesses. For all we know, they could be speaking through me now as I write this, so that humanity can know more about them, or about a specific topic.

Clergy spend an exceptional amount of time being devoted to the Gods, and I think most of us in the profession today would choose it as our only job if it paid enough. And people who spend the most time with the Gods, will naturally develop a channel to them, but such a channel can also be reversed. 

I think that's one reason we need clergy in Hellenism. Not to tell people what to believe or how to live, but to be a source of comfort and knowledge. I know that, as a Head Priest, there is no other clergy that outranks me, so I literally have no one to talk to for counsel. I go to my wife who's an Oracle, or the local Seer in the next City. Hellenists today don't have a lot of support to turn to.

Yes, it can absolutely happen, and perhaps more often than not, so the words of a Priest or Priestess should not be automatically discounted. You should definitely consider that you're talking to a unique person, and perhaps even someone that the Gods have put in a clergy role for a reason. In the very least, a studied member of the clergy knows what they're talking about when it comes to Hellenism.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Ancient Greek Guide to Cleansing, Banishment and Exorcism - Part 4 - Everyday Hellenism

Keeping bad energy, ghosts and spirits out of your life is an everyday practice. Hellenists do not have a word for religion because life and religion are inherently one. To be a Hellenist is to be religious. For this section, we will go into more depth on the world of ghosts and spirits, but first, we must know the difference between them.

The acknowledgement of the existence of ghosts goes all the way back to Plato and Sokrates. In the Dialogue of Phaedo, they talk about shadows and phantoms that sometimes wander around graves and monuments. It is one of the first recordings of a haunted cemetery.

A ghost is typically from a human who was once alive in physical form. In the past, I've heard some people suggest that a ghost can also simply be the energy of the physical person that was left behind in a given location, like a footprint. This might explain why people have sometimes reported seeing the same ghost in entirely different places.

However, ghosts have also been reported to directly attack or even talk to a living individual. So we would be led to believe that at least some ghosts have a form of consciousness, perhaps even an extension of the actual soul of the deceased, and therefore is far more than just simply loose energy. Ghosts are normally encountered in places they haunt, such as homes, buildings, traumatic areas, or cemeteries and other burial or marked grounds.

Some ghosts are even friendly or at least neutral, but can still cause uneasiness. And then some are outright terrifying and malevolent. The big question is, what is the reason for their place here and why haven't they crossed over into the next life? In the past, I have answered this question by saying that people have stopped paying Charon for a long time, and in ancient belief, a failure to do so means you must wait upon the shores for a hundred years. But there are many other theories, from being trapped to unfinished business. Maybe all are true in their own circumstances.

A spirit is a spiritual being that is from, and is living in, the universe. They are likely centuries, millions or billions of years old, and they are not human. In Hellenism, we love and are devoted to many good Spirits, such as the Agathos Daimon, which means Good Spirit. But not all spirits out there are part of Hellenism, nor are they all friendly. A spirit is fully conscious, intelligent and a free willed being with powerful abilities beyond the mundane reality. 

Such spirits can come from a variety of places, such as natural birth to the recesses of condemned realms like Tartaros. It's also possible for them to be conjured and sent by humans, although I am skeptical as to the success rate of this practice. Any human who thinks they can use their own power to tie down a powerful malevolent spiritual being and force them to their own will, is a fool. The spirit can turn on them at any time. Besides, a spirit or any higher level being probably doesn't have time to care about someone's petty squabbles with other people.

Most of the time when we encounter a bad ghost or spirit, or a ghost or spirit on their bad side, it's because we have upset them in some way. Ghosts and spirits can be hard to deal with, but not impossible, and I promote the idea that prevention is better than engagement. The Hollywood exorcist or paranormal gunslinger is really just a romantic looking for trouble, and you'll notice that sooner or later, they find it and wish they hadn't. Prudence and humility are hallmarks of Hellenic virtue. We are combative only when we have to be.

Method 1: Do Daily Sacrifice

There is nothing more powerful than the Gods, that's just a simple fact. They are the ultimate powers and authorities of the universe, of all things we can and cannot see. One way humans have gained their attention for centuries and strengthened relationships with them is through daily or frequent rituals and sacrifices. 

Method 2: Invoke Heroes

In the past, I have talked about the great benefit of having Patron Heroes in our daily lives. Several years ago, a friend of mine who lived a few cities over, called me in hysteria over a ghost that had been messing around in their apartment, and had just manifested before them for a few moments. One of the invocations I did during the house cleansing was to the Hero Bellerophon.

Noble Bellerophon, from the Divine stables, retrieve the white steed, and upon winged Pegasos fly from the skies, bearing your spear of victory and triumph over all that hinders goodness. Upon heaven's horse, advance the light of humanity, bringing peace and freedom once again.

Pray and offer to your Hero each day. When banishing a ghost, you can also pray to Hermes as the Psychopomp. He helps the dead move on to the next world for which they are destined. You can petition a Hero in similar ways as a God, through prayer and sacrifice. For Hero worship, you might also consider having a Cult Object. Sometimes the ancient Greeks claimed to have relics from Gods and Heroes, such as the bones of Theseus that were allegedly returned and reburied in Athens, or the Spartans who exhibited the shell of the egg from which Helen was said to have been born.

Although the term relic isn't the right word in our case in 2024, because a relic is what remains of something that existed long ago, and we simply don't have any of that now at our immediate disposal. That's why we have Cult Objects. This can be a recreation, reproduction, or a chosen object, often that exists for Heroes. For example, one might find a remake of the Shield of Achilles, the bow of Atalanta, or even coinage, shoes or clothing that were used during the time period and might have been worn by the Heroic person. As a personal example, my temple's Patron Hero is Ajax, and in the temple I have a dedicated remake of a small ancient Greek war helmet that Heroes like Him may have worn. It acts as an aid in bringing His presence.

If you have or find such an object, you can connect it to a Hero or Heroine with a prayer like this, Noble Hero/Heroine (insert name), upon this, a reflection of your holy (insert name of object), ordain as a symbol of your Cultus, to carry with it always your presence, power, blessings and memory.

You can carry the Cult Object with you or leave it in your home in a specifically designated area, but always treating it as precious and sacred. You might even house it in a small shrine where you give regular offerings to the Hero. If you decide to carry it with you, and you will find that a wonderful practice and experience, do not allow it to be thrown around or come into contact with pollutants or impurities. If you make this mistake, cleanse the object with sage and spring water.

Method 3: Meditations

Meditation can be an immensely crucial element to your health and protection, because it clears and strengthens the mind, which allows your connection with the Gods and Heroes to grow. A troubled and chaotic mind is the perfect victim and a very easy target for anything or anyone who wants to attack you. 

Method 4: Reverse Psychology

If you think a spirit has been sent your way by someone else, there's another option you might consider besides combat. Around thirteen years ago, I received word that a dark magician who really hated me had not only conjured a spirit to come after me, but had enlisted the help of his friends. Through some light detective work, I actually discovered the name of the alleged spirit, as it was a common one among that kind of magic. But instead of preparing to fight, I gave the spirit a sufficient offering. I spoke out to the spirit by name and presented my offering with the following words, The people who send you against me, they call you for their petty squabbles, but I give you this gift. Be at peace with me.

If the spirit had indeed been sent against me, it accepted the offering and broke its deal with my enemies, because it never did anything to me. In fact, the spirit might have turned on the sender(s).

In ending this section, I would like to present a little information as well about the ancient practice of the Boundary Marker. In Hellenism, the establishment of the Marker greatly aids in protection of not only the home, but the entire property it sits on. Normally one is placed at the property line where the land ends and another begins, and one at the entrance of the front door of the house. If you're in an apartment, you can place it outside the front door as well and on the back of the patio or balcony if you have one. When I lived in South Beloit, Illinois, this is what I did. A white, Greek ionic column was the best for me, acknowledging the Gods who are part of the Marker, which are Hermes, Hekate, and Apollon. Additionally, you can have an altar in the center of your yard to Zeus of the Fence, who guards the inner sections of the boundary. Give regular offerings to the Gods who are part of them.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Why The Gods Definitely Have Biological Genders

I've heard people and groups in the past say that the Gods do not have genders, or that they are "genderless." I'm not here today to say that they don't have the right to their beliefs, or that they are somehow "evil," I am simply saying that I disagree, and in this post, I am going to make my case.

The first obviousness of the claim should be readily seen. To say, for example, that Hera (the Supreme Goddess, Mother of the galaxy and Goddess of women themselves) is not female, is absurd - illogical at best. The entire reason we have the words God and Goddess is to make a distinction between male and female. But let's go deeper.

I have found that the belief in genderless Gods mainly stems from the belief that gender is a social construct. But this is not a universally accurate statement.

Gender roles can be a social construct, but biological sex is not. No one gives you that except for nature, and nature is of the Gods, and therefore, defining sex comes from the Gods, not just for humans, but mostly every living thing on the planet. Male and female exist abundantly in the universe, everywhere around us, and also in the Gods as logic would therefore dictate. 

Even if you change your sex, you are still defined by that new sex, otherwise why feel the need to change it to better define yourself? And while it's true that we can possess traits from both sexes, we will still have a central manifestation. Sex is a defining characteristic of who someone is.

The gender roles of human society are not what determine the genders or sexes of the Gods in any case. Often, a God or Goddess did not choose a realm because of their gender. Athena isn't the Patron of Athens because She's female, but because She won it. Poseidon isn't the God of the sea because He's male, but because He chose it. 

And sometimes, the gender roles of Greek society were the opposite of the Gods' stations. For example, men did most of the hunting, yet Artemis is the hunting and wilderness Deity mainly. Yes, She can have a counterpart (Her brother Apollon) but that even more so proves that the Gods have genders, otherwise why is there a distinct male and female here? If gender didn't matter, why the need for the recognition of two opposites? 

Furthermore, the Sex Goddess is female even though men were the dominant sex. The Deity of agriculture is female even though men did most of the field work. It could go on with examples. In a society dominated by men, you would think that the highest stations would go to Gods if gender roles made the determination. But they don't, because Gods are not created by humans. The Gods simply are.

Even if we go back to the gender roles of Greek society alone, we cannot logically argue that those were the only manifestations of biological sex. The Greeks even had certain festivals and religious functions only for women because they were directly tied to being female and not male.

I think the insistence on genderless Gods is really a social construct in and of itself, that desires to remold the Gods to conform with modern social mindsets, but what we have to realize is that such a thing is not necessary, nor do we as humans have any right to redefine a God. 

In the Goodness of the Gods, I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Humans Did Not Create Gods, and Here's How You Know

One of the most common arguments, even from some philosophers as far back as ancient times, is that humans created the Gods of their cultures. It's basically an argument that attempts to invalidate the Gods themselves. Now certainly, I'm not saying that there were never any myths ascribed to the Gods that came, at least in part, from human understanding. But it's not true that the Gods are creations of humans. The Gods are real, and I will tell you why.

Let us think about it logically, or perhaps, in a way that most people never have before. And for this, let's of course refer to ancient Greek times, since that's where my religious and spiritual focus resides in life. In ancient Athens, a City ruled by men, a Goddess was the Patron. In a culture where men did most of the hunting, Artemis was the main Hunting Deity. In a society where sex was primarily ruled by men, a female Deity (Aphrodite), was the presiding Divinity. So the question begs, if humans create Gods, why were all of these Gods not male instead of female? Shouldn't a society ruled by men create male Gods to be their leaders?

The simple answer is that humans do not create Gods. Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite, for example, are who they are, regardless of the society we create, or the preferences we may have as human beings. When Athena claimed Athens, it did not matter which humans ruled it, or how the society was structured. She overruled them all. The same for Artemis and Aphrodite. The wild and the love of the universe belong to them, and no mortal social structure can change that. 

As a man, I might be a good martial artist, but when I need strength, it's Athena I pray to. When I need protection for my children, Artemis is who I sacrifice to. And for the power and passion of sexuality and sexual success, Aphrodite's my counsel. Furthermore, I see no reason that this should be a threat to my masculinity. The wonderful powers and Divinities of the masculine and feminine swirl all around us, in the Heavens, upon the Earth, and in the Underworld.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Ancient Greek Art of Happiness That May Surprise You

We live in a world more depressed, anxious and unhappy than ever, which makes no sense because, historically, humans are living better than at any other time. We have far more in the way of necessity and luxury than our ancestors of a hundred years ago even dreamed of. Yet, we are led to believe they were happier. Why? While many of us are overworked and underpaid, the fact of the matter is that life is significantly better than ever before. Over all, there is no good reason for so many people to be so worked up. 

In my life as a Hellenist, there has been immense joy, but also a lot of unique hardships and challenges, some that the average person will never go through, such as having a premature child. But Hellenism has also taught me how to live happily, and it is that knowledge, in part, that I wish to share with the reader of this entry. 

Before I begin, I want to say that I think I am different than most other people who claim to champion the subject of happiness. I will not tell you that wealth and riches won't make you happy. As Dan Pena would say, "If you think money can't buy happiness, you don't know where to shop." These things certainly can bring you happiness, it's just that they are not the only things that can. There are many other avenues to the goal. A mansion is a wonderful way to have a home, but you don't have to have a mansion in order to still have a nice home. 

Now an art is always a practice throughout your life. I have certainly not mastered this yet. However, it has helped me internally a lot more than most people may realize. One beautiful summer day, I was driving down a Wisconsin country backroad when a revelation came to me that put most of my worries and fears to rest forever. Most of us find ourselves in mental and emotional anguish because we try to fight the universe. Life can get so hard and frustrating that we want to just swing at the air, knowing that we will hit nothing. In other words, it's out of our hands.

The Greeks believed in the concept of Fate. Now before you presume to know what I'm talking about, read further. Fate does not mean we have no control over our lives. It means we are created each for a unique purpose. Just because you haven't done what someone else has, doesn't mean you're stupid or worthless, or that you cannot accomplish other great things. It just means you have a different purpose.

I began to realize that there is a significant level of peace with accepting Fate. It doesn't mean you should sit on the couch the rest of your life or let your friend drown. It means to understand and accept that there are certain courses for our lives that we cannot change. The pivotal moments are already ordained. For example, it was meant for me to move from North Carolina to Illinois. That was my fate, and there's nothing I can do to change the fact that it happened or that I am now here. So what can I do? I can take this road that has been laid out for me, accept it, and do great things with it. 

Whenever you feel yourself getting mad, scared or frustrated, try saying this to yourself, Don't you fight the universe. You won't win. Just go with it. You may just find that this affirmation sends a wave of peace and wisdom over you that you've never felt before, and relieves you of the emotions that make you feel the worst. Secondly, you'll stop beating yourself up over successes that other people have, and that you yourself haven't achieved. 

When I wake up in the morning and have to take care of my son and work on my home and career, it gets tiring and annoying really fast. Sometimes I want to lash out. But I try to stop and understand that I am here for a reason. This is what Fate has laid out for me. The Gods are not against me, and neither is life. This is just where I am supposed to be at this time, so how can I take what I have been given and make it the greatest that I can? Or, at least, understand that the Gods are wise and be at peace with my life? Equally important, are there things in which I can find peace? For me, that's my temple. There will always be something there for you as well. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Mythology/Theology: To The Greeks, There Was A Difference

If you've been a Hellenic Polytheist for at least five minutes, you've no doubt heard an argument that you'll hear like a broken record from people in the modern West who are vastly ignorant about the religion.

The first mistake modern people make is thinking all religions are the same, and thus, they assume that the ancient Greeks had a "holy book" of religion and myth. This is utterly false. 

Not only was ancient Greece a collection of City States completely independent from one another in government and beliefs, but there was no law dictating how someone could view the Gods or what stories they could accept or not.

In fact, it's kind of inaccurate to call it "The Ancient Greek Religion" because there were, in fact, many forms of ancient Greek religion and Cult. Sparta and Athens, for example, believed in the same Gods but did not have the same religion or culture. Not to mention the fact that there were cults everywhere that adhered to their own identities. 

So for instance, someone today might say that my beliefs on Artemis being gracious and kind to people is skewed considering the myth of Actaeon, but there's literally nothing in Hellenic religion which says I have to accept that story as literal fact or accept it at all. It's not like Christianity or Islam where the title of the religion depends on the acceptance of one written book or "testament."

We do know that we believe in Artemis as She is, of course. But I don't have to believe everything that everyone tells me about Her. I have the right to my own experiences and perspectives, and it does not denote me as a Hellenist. 

You can believe whatever you want about someone, but it doesn't change them. You can believe that Chris Aldridge is a shapeshifting, blood drinking vampire, but it does not make me one, nor does it make me guilty of said actions.

It's also true that not only could a given myth vary in detail from City to City, but many of them were handed down by word of mouth, which can change and modify with each teller, especially as the time and culture changes. 

In fact, some of the myths we accept today as Greek, were not even composed by the Greeks. The story of raped Medusa that people commonly call Greek in our time, was actually written by a Roman. The original story, which says nothing of rape or punishment, was written by the Greek Hesiod.

This is also not a modern change to Hellenism either. Greeks were not forced to accept a given story. Historically, it's accepted that around the time of the Hellenistic Era, the myths as literal facts began to waiver as a concept. 

But considering people like Plato and Sokrates, I think it began much sooner than that. Those men clearly believed in the Greek Gods but were also philosophers and not necessarily mythologists. They wrote about people's experiences with the Gods instead of taking written myths and saying, "Here's the 100% truth."

Hellenic religion can be hard to understand, but if you ever manage to grasp the core, it'll make perfect sense to you.

In the Goodness of the Gods, I'll see you at the next Herm down the road.

Chris Aldridge.

Athena, Athens, and Women's History

Women's History Month would not be complete, or fairly addressed at all, without recognizing the Divine Femininity of one of the greatest cities and civilizations to ever exist among humanity; Athens and the Goddess who rules it. When Athena defeated Poseidon in the contest for Patronage of the Polis, the matter was not settled then and there. The people of the City took a vote. It came down to one, cast by a woman, and Athena became the Goddess of Athens. In a City ruled by men, a female Deity was loved, revered and feared as the Head of State. Of course, this goes contrary to the history we are often told about women being treated as second class citizens in Athens, and such was absolutely not the case in other cities in the Greek world. So what is a fair and balanced examination of the life and amazing contributions that Athena's City gave to humankind and the women who made up influential parts of its population?

Of course we begin Athenian contributions to the world by citing democracy, and generally, human liberation. We should additionally consider that, according to Plato, the more you go back in the history of Athens, the more equalized men and women were. "Military training for both men and women was common in the very ancient days. Athena was adorned with armor - an indication that all female and male creatures that live together can pursue in common the special talents that are suited to each." - Dialogue of Critias. In Plato's time, there's history he knows that we may not today, or that may have been lost. The City, however, was not a universal manifestation of gender, as we are often led to believe. Different time periods had different societies, and probably for very different reasons.

Women may not have been considered equal to men in the later times that we commonly imagine, but that does not mean they were not highly valued or helped make Athens the renowned City of history. 

Religion defined the identity of ancient Greeks, and women held very important roles therein. Some of the most important festivals, Plunteria, Thesmophoria, and Panathenaia held women worshipers at center stage. Only women were allowed to undress and wash Athena's image from the Akropolis, and only women were allowed to place the new peplos on Her statue. And Thesmophoria was a woman's festival all together. We are also commonly told that women in Athens were not allowed to venture outside the home and interact with other women or men. This is not true. It was necessary for women to leave the home in order to run the household by buying from markets or getting resources from other natural areas. There were no online grocery orders. An historian's common sense tells us that the only time a woman could have stayed inside 24/7, or even a significant portion of the time, was if she had enough wealth to hire servants to do work for her. Then as now, wealthy people were far and few between. It was as well entirely possible for Athenian women to work and make money and to own inherited properties. And women who held priestesshoods were given the due reverence of said clergy along with pay and a portion of sacrifices.

In some cases, it may be difficult to discern the true views of an Athenian Statesman from the narrative that the City laws forced him to uphold. Perikles (495-429 BCE) wanted Athenian citizenship to only apply to those who were born of a mother and father whose families were Athenian. This would have increased the status of Athenian women, either directly or indirectly, by increasing their societal worth. Generally, women in Athens did not enjoy the same rights as men, but that's not to say that they did not make great contributions and have exceptional worth in the eyes of State. To say nothing of what we find when we venture outside of Athens into places like Sparta, where women were exceptionally more free and powerful.

Sadly, with the radical and forced Christian takeover of Greece in later centuries, the status of women plummeted to its lowest ever, not only in the Greek world, but around the globe where the religion took hold. Ancient Athens individually shows us many things that needed changing, but also that women can be leading clergy, women can help lead the City's most important observances, and Femininity can be Godly.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Sources

Picture: "Restoration of the polychrome decoration of the Athena statue from the Aphaea temple at Aegina, 490 BCE (from the exposition "Bunte Gotter" by the Munich Glyptothek). Photography taken by Marsyas - own work. Picture is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 2.5 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.5). This picture was not modified in anyway, nor does the author of this blog post claim ownership or support in anyway; full disclaimer. Material located here.

Literary: Cooper, John M. edit, Plato Complete Works, Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1997.

Literary: Connelly, Joan Breton, The Parthenon Enigma, Vintage Books, New York, 2014.

Websites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Classical_Athens

Building A Safe and Effective Outdoor Shrine

No one's happier than a Pagan or Polytheist with yard space. I know I certainly was when I bought my first home. I was already marking out where I would place my temple's shrines and altars, in the rather vast space that had enough room for dozens if I chose. But once you begin a permanent structure of this importance on your property, you may find that it takes a little more work and preparation than initially thought. For this post, I will primarily use my outside shrine of Athena Pandemos as an example, which is pictured above. Feel free to scroll and refer back to it at your own will.

The first step is, of course, rather obvious; finding a suitable or preferred location. For me, my terrain is flat and, in most places, easy to lightly modify with gardening and digging tools. But generally speaking, you want to try and pick a spot that is as independent of outside influences as possible. For example, don't build next to the main road or near a sewer or trash container. The reason for this is because your shrine stands a conceivable chance of being involved in an accident or a desecration. Someone could go off the road and run over it, or contaminants that will create miasma may filter in. My Athena shrine is in my fenced in backyard, among the natural trees and foliage. The only religious structure I have ever built close to my main road is my Boundary Marker because of its function, and I am actually looking at moving it up to my door or steps. Luckily, nothing has happened to it.

Second, you must first place a structure for the shrine's statue to stand upon, and also choose the proper tools and elements by which to firmly install it. Storms will come and bring strong winds along with them. My Athena statue stands upon a Greek Ionic column. Now the other important thing to consider is the material that the column and statue are made out of. Do not use cheap alabaster columns that you can find at craft stores. They will quickly rot in the face of the elements. Even if you paint them, it doesn't matter. They are just not designed to stand up to weather. My column was purchased from a designer that specifically equipped it with weather resistant materials. It is a hard, very durable plastic, but not a cheap one. Its looks, weight and design makes it cost around $150.00. But consider the investment. You will never have to replace it. If you can't afford one, there are other options I will get to a bit later. Your statue, likewise, should also be able to resist the outside weather. There are Greek and Pagan suppliers who make them, and can be found easily online at affordable prices.

The column's base rests in the ground, inside a small hole dug specifically for it to fit in. For a hole this shallow, however, simply putting the dirt back on top will not be enough to hold it against strain unless it is placed within an enclosed area where wind will have a difficult time directly hitting it. For the completion of the base, fill the hole with quick drying cement, which can be purchased extremely cheaply at hardware stores. The kind I have used successfully is called Quikrete. Pack it down, wait for it to dry, and cover it up with the excess soil. As an extra anchor, I also placed a concrete block on the ground on either side of the column, so that if a strong force does begin to push against the base, it will have a harder time uprooting it to the point that it would harm the statue.

Third, place the statue on top of the column with a base sealant. I use E6000 to glue the top of the column and the bottom of the statue together. An abundant amount will greatly secure it against mishaps. You don't want to just stand the statue and leave it without an anchor. Especially if it's a large, expensive one like mine. You want to make sure it cannot be easily toppled, which brings me to the last section of this outline.

You'll notice the nice garden gate that encircles my Athena shrine. That's not just there for decoration. It serves two vital purposes. The first is to close and section off the shrine as sacred. The second is to protect it from overheard dangers, as there are trees directly above it. We don't normally think about it, but a falling branch or even a sturdy twig can destroy or damage the statue or column. But in the case of mine, the falling tree would impact with the iron gate and be unlikely to penetrate. The gate may need replacing depending on the strength of the object, but the shrine will be saved. A strong garden gate of this kind will run you at least $200.00. However, depending on the size of your statue and its location, you may not need it. If you look at the picture and take notice to the altar that is used for sacrifice to Athena, you'll see that it is simply made from straightly stacked concrete blocks. These blocks can also be used in like manner to build a pedestal for the statue, saving you cost on the column, and their immense weight will be enough to keep them in place by themselves. Although you should take note that I do not know if glues such as E6000 will bind to concrete. However, I am sure there are sealants that will. Ask the people at your hardware store. Once you have built the stone column and placed the statue on it, use much smaller blocks or stones, or some other very hardened material, to construct a small shelter around the statue. You must also make sure that said structure won't collapse or fall away. Of course, if you build the shrine away from any direct dangers, you don't need a cover at all. My Artemis shrine looks to the open sky and does not have an overhead for that reason. The protective barriers only need to be in place if there are exterior dangers possible.

The shrine should now spend time being cultivated by you, the builder and devotee. There's more to a place of worship than just stone and iron. It's sacred to the God it represents. They can even spiritually visit it. It is a holy place for their holy presence, and a center for your supplication for their bliss, blessings and wisdom in your life. Therefore, make it welcoming and devoted to the God. My Artemis shrine will have a fresh pine tree in its precinct this year, dedicated to Her as the Goddess of forests and Her immortality, as pines do not lose their green. The more you love and grow the shrine, the more, I think, you'll be surprised at how the God shows their presence there. After I had built my Athena shrine, an owl took up residence somewhere in the nearby trees and sometimes hoots at night (an owl is Athena's sacred animal).

When you get down to the bottom line, a shrine is really a place where you show a God or Gods how much you love them. It is one of their homes, one of their sacred areas, and one of their universal places for you to welcome them.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

A Sense of Faithful Fear

If you base your religion on the views of the ancient Greeks, there's no denying that Greeks do fear, as well as love, the Gods, but it's for a good reason and perhaps not in the way you think.

Firstly, any mortal who doesn't have some level of fear for a God, is foolhardy at best. Fear isn't something that is directly taught in Greek religion, it's simply there by nature. You should fear a God for the same reason you'd fear a bolt of lightning, or a raging sea, because they are more powerful than you and can wipe you from life in the blink of an eye. A God is also far wiser than yourself will ever be. Fear is the result of a recognition of superior power. It is the "right" kind of fear because it breeds humility and prudence. Without a good sense of these things, we may find ourselves in more trouble than we can get out of.

Fear does not mean you're not brave, strong or confident, there is simply a fine line between these things and arrogance and stupidity. For example, saving someone from drowning is brave, strong and confident, but swimming with sharks is stupid, and you will eventually become drive thru for a dinosaur. Fear is merely the recognition of your place and limitations, arrogance is a failure to do so. Now some people might ask me, "Didn't the Heroes do things that most people would have considered beyond human limitation?" Yes, they did, but they were sent by the Gods to do something that was possible. They also didn't sink in over their heads. In fact, the Gods routinely provided them with assistance so they wouldn't. Bellerophon couldn't have killed the Chimera without Pegasos (the horse of heaven). A Hero always knows, recognizes, and most importantly, accepts the difference between themselves and the Divine. Being an affront to the Gods is not what it means to be a Hero.

I find that a lack of fear and piety among Pagans can be an issue. I've seen Pagan writers call Gods "scoundrels," and Pagan worshipers call them "assholes." While it may be rare, it is certainly a real case. A mortal picking a fight with a God is idiotic at best. Probably the only reason they haven't punished those people is because of their forgiving nature, or they think there is something mentally wrong with that individual. At any rate, you're never going to gain the favor of a God by insults, arrogance, or impiety. Even if they don't punish you, they'll probably turn away. Would you help someone who insulted you? Probably not, you likely wouldn't even give them the time of day until they shaped up and treated you with proper respect.

The only time fear is wrong is when it's unwarranted. Fear the Gods because you know they can destroy you, but love them because you know they're kind enough not to, and you will find wisdom. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

Bibliomancy Divination In Daily Rites

If your Pagan or Polytheistic religion has religious texts, you may find, like myself, that you enjoy a morning rite accompanied by Bibliomancy. It's not just a Pagan tradition, either. Christians do it all the time. I remember when I was southern baptist, my grandmother Faye told me that when I needed to know something for my spiritual, religious and personal growth, that God would guide to the right passage in the bible. Of course, these days, my texts are things like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and various philosophers like Plato.

In short, Bibliomancy involves the practice of finding selected words or passages in a book for answers to a question, normally guided by the hand of a God or another kind of spiritual presence.

The reason I enjoy Bibliomancy probably better than any other form of personal divination, is because of how detailed the message can be when it speaks to you. Instead of producing a card with brief epithets or a stone with a very general marking, you can actually have an entire response a page or more long.

Like today, as I celebrated the monthly observance of Athena's birthday, I used an antique copy of The Iliad in asking Her, basically, "What message might you have for me today, O' Goddess?" I was guided to page 455, which said,

"Cease from the strife! Let godlike Achilles drive from the city right now the Trojans; for what care I for contention and succor? Do not mistreat the Immortals for a mortals' sake. Thus the rage of Xanthus was tamed, but by the dissension of the Gods, the broad earth groaned."

Really, the entire page talked about me allowing myself to have peace in life, to blame mortals for mortal problems and not the Gods, and that the Gods, if angry at anything, are more so upset with the state of the world, not me personally. It was clearly a message for a man who is being too hard on himself as an individual, and to call on the Gods and Heroes to help fight the things that are overwhelming to me. And lastly, that if I am trying to impress the Gods with my own feats, it may be of little consequence to Beings who are far bigger than myself. In other words, once again, don't be so hard on myself.

The advice of the Goddess was a tremendous blessing. I needed it today more than ever, for Her to say those words. She clearly knew my suffering with the hardships of my life, and the ones I have put on my own mind and body. She came in mercy to assure me of the love of Heaven, and this is one of the main reasons I like Bibliomancy. Through the text, She was able to speak to me with direction and precision, because there were many ways that those words could be utilized.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

Source: Smith, William Benjamin, The Iliad of Homer, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1944. Print. PP. 455.

The Controversial Subject of Animal Sacrifice

It's no secret to history, and no doubt to any logical mind, that the ancient Polytheists (not just Greeks) participated in the practice of animal sacrifice to their Gods, and not in small amounts. At the Panathenaia, for example, Athena received a sacrifice of 100 oxen, which were then used in a great banquet to feed the worshipers. There are also vase paintings from around 500 BCE that show bulls being led to the altar of Athena for sacrifice, with the Goddess lording over the procession. While people in mainstream society, and even many modern Pagans, may find the act to be cruel at best, what does animal sacrifice really entail? What is the reality of it all? Are we really appalled by it, or are we just being reactionaries to something that has been made taboo? Is our condemnation of it real, or manufactured?

I think I am first safe to say that most Pagans, and Hellenic Polytheists like myself, do not practice animal sacrifice today for a number of reasons. One, the expense. Two, many of us don't feel the need or the desire to go through such pains. And three, there's no need to sacrifice an animal when any meat you like can be picked up fresh at the grocery store and placed on the altar of the God you wish to offer to. It is far cheaper, far less burdensome, and far less messy. We are just as, if not more content, by pouring libations, burning incense, and giving general foods and goods to our Gods. On the other hand, there is also no law in the United States that forbids the sacrifice of livestock for religious purposes. The US Supreme Court ruled, by all 9 Justices, that animal sacrifice for religious purpose is protected under the 1st amendment during a case involving the Floridian city of Hialeah and resident worshipers who preformed animal sacrifice.

So let's break the subject down simply. Mostly no one becomes offended or repulsed if I tell them that I am going hunting. They have no problem with me loading a rifle and putting a bullet through a deer's heart, and afterward, breaking his body apart and using it for meat. They don't think twice about it even if I decide to stuff and put his head on my wall when all is said and done. However, if I put a religious meaning onto it, then all of a sudden, the exact same act becomes an offense. Why? Why is it more wrong to chop up a chicken for my family while praying to a God, than it is to simply chop it up without prayer? It's ridiculous to suddenly make killing an animal a horrid offense the minute it becomes religious, but totally fine if there's no religion attached. The animal dies either way. The only difference in the actual act of killing is that the Pagan may offer the animal to a God as well.

Animal sacrifice, in my view, actually gives the animal more respect and honor than simply putting them through a conveyor belt in a killing house. With the religious aspect, the animal is made sacred and treated with the utmost respect because it is being given to the God. Even more honor is bestowed by the fact that the animal will likely be used for good purpose once the sacrifice is over, such as the oxen at the Panathenaia, instead of being killed for mere sport like many hunters do these days, or being massively killed on farms for mere profit. These are the people and places that truly do dishonor to the animal and commit the horrid acts. They exploit the animal in every way imaginable, and could not care less how close they bring the creatures to extinction. The Pagan or the Polytheist who gives the animal to the God cares for the creature far more than your average, mainstream butcher or hunter. The animal is seen as a sacred gift to the Divine, and a salvation to the people by the food and service that its body gives.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Learning From The Greek Gods: Artemis

Continuing my series on learning from the Greek Gods, today's entry is about Artemis. Without any doubt whatsoever, Artemis is one of the most popular, worshiped and revered Goddesses ever in the history of the world, and remains so in the hearts and practices of modern Hellenists and many general Pagans. As with the other Gods of the Dodekatheon (the Olympians and highest-ruling Gods), She encompasses numerous epithets, but some of Her most popular have to do with the natural wild world. She's Goddess of the Hunt and the Mistress of Animals. She presides over forests and general wild lands and comes to humans personally as a Goddess of Childbirth and a protector of infants and children. She loves dearly Earth's animals and young ones. Some also call Her Goddess of the Moon, while some sources disagree with that epithet. However, She is a Light Goddess beyond all doubt, and the moon is the largest form of natural light on the Earth beside of the sun, which is ruled by Apollon, Her Brother and fellow member of the Dodekatheon, who is also a Light God. So it's very reasonable, to my mind, to worship Her as the supreme Goddess of the Moon while Apollon stands as the supreme God of the Sun.

However, there is more to Hellenism than just worshiping the Gods. There is also a great emphasis on their teachings and learning from them, so what can we learn from Artemis? Being the Goddess of the Hunt and Mistress of Animals, She adores nature, while also understanding the need for survival that it provides for all living creatures. She's the Huntress, and therefore, She hunts down the stag and slays it. Hunting encompasses the act of killing for food, in the case of humans. Nature provides us what we need to live, but I also think Artemis wishes us to be caring and compassionate with nature, using only what we need, respecting the animals we must kill, and giving them proper respect by using all of their parts instead of just killing for sport. I believe killing for sport would be a high offense against Her, and in my personal belief, I believe deer to be exclusively sacred to Her, and therefore I don't kill or eat them at all myself. But some do, and that's fine within reason. So as She loves and cares for nature, so should we, for how can we honor the Gods without loving and respecting what they also love and respect? And this is true in every case. 

Artemis is also the protector of children, and very few things hold more virtue than being a good parent and treating the weakest and most vulnerable among us with love, care, compassion and protection. As She gives these things to children, so should we if we are to call ourselves Her followers and worshipers.We don't serve Artemis best in this field by giving fancy speeches on how something needs to be done to help children. We serve Her best when we actually get out there and do it, making the difference ourselves and being the change, by helping to feed, house, educate and care for children in all the ways they must be. And also, by treating them with love and care and never causing them physical or emotional harm or torment.

There are many great things we can learn from Artemis to help us live better lives and make our world a better place, and these are among the ways we can begin that wonderful journey in our Hellenic lives.

In the Goodness of the Dodekatheon,
Chris.