…sacrifice to the deathless gods purely and cleanly, and burn rich meats also, and at other times propitiate them with libations and incense, both when you go to bed and when the holy light has come back, that they may be gracious to you in heart and spirit…” ~ Hesiod, Works and Days

Read the rest of this entry »

Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism (also Hellenic Reconstructionism) refers to various reconstructionist movements that attempt to revive ancient Greek religious practices, emerging since the 1990s. Since 1997 the movement in Greece has been institutionalized under the Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes. Polytheistic reconstructionism is not a religion itself, but is the methodology for re-establishing a historical polytheistic (or pre-Christian) religion in the modern world.

Read the rest of this entry »

For some additional commentary, please read my first post on this subject: Repent of Sin: Sin and Salvation in Hellenismos.

Many Hellenic Polytheists fervently wish to draw a distinction between the word ‘sin’ and Hellenic ethics because it is a term generally associated with Christian belief systems. They argue the concept of ‘sin’ is separate from issues of “right or wrong,” and will unfailingly avoid using the word “sinful” to refer to actions that violate Hellenic ethics, preferring terms such as “missing the mark” or “mistake,” which do not carry a Christian connotation. There are also Hellenic Polytheists who insist moral codes derive from societal mores or human laws, rather than Divinity. This line of thinking seems contrary to the Greek. There are human laws and social norms, all over the globe, that are indelibly linked to oppression, brutality, and prejudice.

Read the rest of this entry »

In recent days, there was posted a public letter addressed to me, which I had responded. This post was titled as “A Public Letter to Tim Alexander.” Therefore, I feel it is my privilege to repost that letter here, verbatim, along with my response.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, on a private forum, I made a statement regarding the lack of open-mindedness that generally existed in the Popular Neopagan Culture, and these comments were associated with a conversation about New Age Neopagan individuals and groups who identifying as Hellenismos. I quoted another person who states, “Open-minded people go out of their way to conform their beliefs to the evidence. Closed-minded people go out of their way to conform the evidence to their beliefs,” and used that to support the statement, “Reconstructionists go out of their way to conform their beliefs to the evidence. New Age Neopagans go out of their way to conform the evidence to their beliefs.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I would have never thought my short little ditty Hellenic Kindergarten would have created controversy, but it has. The storm stems from the phrase “repent of sins” being used and this caused a little uproar. First, some offence seems to have been taken because of the Christian connotation of the word. Second, the Greeks had no word that easily translates specifically to sin. I am amazed with all the people claiming to have read my books this debate did not surfaced sooner. I go into great detail about the Hellenic concept of “sin and salvation” within The Gods of Reason. In any event, let us address the issue more publicly, as I am sure there are those who may not be bold enough to ask.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the great debate over what is and is not Hellenismos there tends to be two great factions. On one side, there are the Reconstructionists who base their practice on a historic definition, insisting that the religion embody the character, thought, culture, and ethical system of ancient Greece. On the other side are those who wish to take a Neopagan approach, identifying Hellenismos loosely as the honoring/worshiping/using/working with of at least some Greek Gods in some way. This approach favors and accepts Neopagan ideas of eclecticism and very individualistic forms of practice based on unverified (and often unreasoned) personal gnosis, and are often dismissive and have an exclusionary attitude towards traditional principles and values. It is hubris.

Read the rest of this entry »

In one of my many conversations regarding Hellenismos, an individual told me he did not believe there was any good “basic” information regarding the ritual practices from the many sources online. The accusation seems to be that most new to Hellenismos should independently sift through volumes of texts, extracting the basics of practice, and as a result, most conversations were over the newbie’s head. Doing a quick search, I was actually surprised how sparse and scattered the most basic information was, and while I have addressed these more basic topics in The Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos, I wanted to create a Quick Guide for those who are new. A Quick Guide is a document that is not intended to be all-inclusive, but provides the bare-bones essentials to start. No one can look at this work as all that is needed, but it does provide basic information for a person to create a working practice while continuing to learn.

Read the rest of this entry »

excerpt from Greek Popular Religion, by Martin P. Nilsson (1940)

I have spoken of the religion of the countryside. Its cults certainly do not exhibit the gods in their highest aspects, nor do the rustic customs belong to the higher strata of religion. But they are near the bedrock of primitive ideas and they have survived the high gods, lasting on into our own day in Greece, as very similar forms of religion have in other European countries. I have spoken also of the religion of the townspeople. I have emphasized the fact that when a great number of people came together in a town and engaged in industry and commerce, their mode of life was profoundly changed as a result of their separation from nature and the cultivation of the soil and that as a consequence their religious needs and outlook also changed. There were other religious movements which were not a result of the difference between town and country, although they were connected with social conditions. This is especially true of the early age before the Persian Wars. I have said that this was, in part at least, an age of poverty and social distress. On the other hand it was an age of brisk and diversified activity, of sea voyages and colonization, of discoveries and of progress in all directions. The foundations of Greek science were laid at this time. Religion, too, was involved in these changes and developments. The new movements in Greek religion originated in this age, and they did not leave popular religion untouched.

Read the rest of this entry »

excerpt from Greek Popular Religion, by Martin P. Nilsson (1940)

A great scholar has graphically described Artemis as the goddess of the outdoors (Göttin des Draussen). Untamed nature may be lovely and beneficent, but, on the other hand, it may be terrible and frightful. The desert wilderness, the rugged mountains, the deep ravines, the precipitous torrents, and the thick forests inspire awe in man. Among them he feels himself subject to unknown and dangerous powers. There the wild beasts which attack him and his herds roam about, and robbers may lurk in the glens. “It is better at home, for it is dangerous outdoors” is an old Greek saying, found in Hesiod and in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. 1 Within the walls of his house, man feels himself secure, protected from dangers which threaten without. The ancient Greeks would have understood what we mean when we say, “A man’s house is his castle.” In the beginning of the work of Thucydides there is a vivid description of how unsafe life was in early times because of robbers and pirates.

Read the rest of this entry »