STARTING In A Religion Is Easy And Accessible, Just Start Praying.

my fandoms are many. my concepts are scattered to the winds of tumblr. my tags are varied and messy, entire statistical margins of length and quality running rampant across my multiple blogs.

but you know what? i’m having fun with it.

here’s a map for you dorks anyway:

@capricaruscrow - main blog, u are here, mostly witchy stuff, good old tumblr history memes, and where I save the good ish for my brain

@duskrosecrow - writing content, mtg jokes, fandom stuff related to writing, and my absolutely destructive blorboposting, also where my ao3 is linked to so guess you’ll see fic posts soon huh-

@visctheriananalogs - secret secret secret project in the works, no touch unless gentle, world i’ve been writing for over ten years and needed somewhere to say dumb things about the serious concepts

i’ll keep this list updated I hope, have fun and have a good day y’all!

Zeus has a lot of epithets.

Most of them about power, law, storms, kingship. Things you’d expect from the king of the gods.

But Zeus-Lekheatês stops me in my tracks. It’s one of the most unexpectedly tender epithets he has.

The name Lekheatês comes from lekheion, which refers to the bed where a woman would give birth. So Zeus-Lekheatês is, in essence, Zeus as the god of childbirth. The god who protects women during labor. Which, if you really think about it, is wildly fascinating because it’s so unlike the usual way Zeus is framed.

Birth was dangerous in the ancient world. No epidurals, no modern medicine. Just blood, pain, and the gods’ mercy. A mother could die. The baby could die. It was a moment of pure vulnerability, teetering on the edge between life and death. And here’s Zeus, not just presiding over grand cosmic fates or battles or oaths, but over this. Over the most raw, intimate struggle of all. Over the act of bringing life into the world.

And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Zeus is, above all else, the god of balance. The one who maintains order, who ensures the cosmos doesn’t spiral into chaos. And what is birth if not the ultimate balance between life and death? A single moment where fate could tip either way? Zeus doesn’t just decide who wins wars, he decides who lives, and that includes the smallest, most fragile of beginnings. It’s an aspect of him that feels strangely human, almost gentle. It’s not the Zeus of the thunderbolts or the one swearing unbreakable oaths on the Styx. It’s Zeus as a guardian. A protector.

And if that doesn’t change how you see him, even just a little, I don’t know what will.

yall.

do you think Christians don’t believe in their god? or haven’t all this time? you think they slaughtered billions for a made up man in the sky?

no

they firmly truly believe(d) their god exists and is present and real. why the fuck would the ancient Greeks write all this shit down if they didn’t believe it?

Were there any specific individuals in ancient Greece who believed in the reality of their gods? How do we know about their beliefs?

Yeah, for sure—tons of people in ancient Greece actually believed the gods were real, not just stories. We know this from stuff they wrote, like hymns, plays, and even letters to the gods on little offerings. I’m a Hellenic polytheist myself, and honestly, reading their words makes it super clear they had real devotion, not just myth-making.

THERE ARE NO CERTAIN LEVEL DEITIES. COMPLETELY AGREED!

However, there are deities who may not work for you. Just because someone works well with one deity, doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time with them as well. every one works in different areas at different speeds.

your craft is your own. let none other tell you how to walk your path.

I’ve seen numerous of people saying that there are beginner deities and hard deities. Here’s the thing: do not allow people to stop you from working with deities. You are allowed to work with any deities you wish, and there is no such thing as certain level deities.

What I've Done Instead of Shadow Work

This is going to be the last thing I say on the topic of shadow work, because, honestly I'm getting bored of the subject and would rather go back to talking about spirit work, or spells, or any of the many other subjects that I care a thousand times more about. Some folks seem to be hearing “I refuse to do any introspection” when I say "I have never and will never do shadow work". I have done lots of introspection, I've done therapy that follows evidence based practices, I just see no reason do try and guide myself through a method of therapy with little to no scientific evidence. But in case anyone's curious, or wants some tips, here's what I've done instead! Mindfulness exercises: I love mindfulness exercises that train you to think about your thoughts, but not judge them. Consistent mindfulness practice has really helped me become more aware of my internal thought processes, what I get hung up on, what I struggle with, what emotions I’m feeling and what caused them.

The Artist Way & Embrace Your Weird: These are both self help books for creative folks with a heavy emphasis on journaling and self expression. I found both of these helpful in different ways when I felt like I was struggling with creative burnout or felt like I was stuck in the daily grind of my day job.

Journaling: I keep multiple journals! One is a commonplace book that I fill up with on the spot thoughts, quotes, song lyrics, etc. just stuff I want to remember. The other I write in every morning when I first wake up, a continuation of the morning pages from the Artist’s Way, to just unpack and process whatever going on in my head.

Therapy: Actual real therapy with a licensed professional. I specifically see a pain psychologist because most of what we focus on is the impact my chronic pain has on my and developing healthy coping mechanisms for that.

I think what gets a bee in my bonnet the most about the few negative reactions I’ve gotten on this topic is that these folks seem most concerned about the trauma and “inner demons” aspects of shadow work. There’s always something about how dangerous or unhealthy it is for me or even those around me for me to have not delt with my trauma via shadow work. I don’t like that they presume to know my life and mental health history without having ever spoken to me. And I really don’t like the insistance that everyone has the same kind of trauma that needs to be healed in the same way.

gotta love looking back on this a week or so of tumblr helpol drama later and just... laughing my ass off

I hate a lot of terms adjacent to HelPol spaces. So many of them are indicative of 1. Being raised with Christianity 2. Lack of deconstruction of those beliefs and 3. Utter lack of research (what I call Tik-tokisms)

I do not like the terms deity, misuse of the term “altar”, ever using patron, “my gods or goddesses”, devotee, “reach out” (as in a spirit is reaching out), “talking to the gods”, offending the gods.

I’ve got some REALLLY unpopular opinions about Ares, some primordial spirits, Khaos, like.

I am selective about the term “god”, (Theos and Theoí are commonly more appropriate to my conversations). I’m also slightly apprehensive around the phrase “work with”, but that being said I don’t care as much.

There are so so so many ways to experience the gods.

There is no right or wrong way. There is no blunt way. Its all feeling and ephemeral.

If you’ve felt warmth, if you’ve had a dream, if you’ve seen a crow that stares at you for too long, if something inexplicable happens and you’re lucky suddenly, if you’ve caught eyes with a stranger and felt like you knew each other. If the candle flickers a certain way, if one time when you’re singing your voice sounds gorgeous in a way you weren’t expecting, these are all the presence of a god.

God phoning is popular on witchtok but half the time what they’re saying is bullshit. I’ve very very rarely heard a voice and every single time it was my own voice, just suffused with something, saying something I normally wouldn’t say. Or maybe I would. I’ve never heard a clear, distinct, audible voice. Its an invisible world we’re connecting with, its a different plain. We cannot experience it the same way we experience every day life.

We’ll never sit down at a coffee table across from the physical manifestation of our god, and know that its them, not until after. And even then we can never be sure. That’s the nature of it. There are no absolutes, there cannot be. That’s what makes it beautiful. That’s where belief comes in. It isn’t about being good enough or worthy enough or devout enough, that doesn’t exist. That isn’t what its about at all. You are worthy even if the divine doesn’t manifest in a way we’ve been told is the only real way, and you are connecting even if you cant see it now. My most intense spiritual experiences are never something I realize are happening in the moment, its always only after that I can see it clearly.

The gods are all around us.

hey nerds you play mtg too right

okay so I succumbed and made an mtg blog so I don’t flood my moots with this nonsense

that being said, have my moxfield! I try to keep all my decklists as up to date as I can, and have way too many planned! help!

anyway have a good day yall enjoy the memes

does she have it out for you, or is she trying to get your attention on something?

the Gods do not just dislike. that's not how they work. they don't have petty grudges or just not like someone. they are not human. they are Gods.

if your petitions to Aphrodite are not working, you are missing something.

maybe you have some learning or growing to do, a habit to break, maybe this is a lesson in perserverance or looking for love in the wrong places.

somewhere there's that poem about someone's dog wanting chocoloate because she doesn't know it will hurt her and the Gods witholding the things we pray for for the same reason

if you genuinely think a deity is angry with you, check yourself first. what are you doing that is in active opposition to their teachings? what would they be mad about in the first place? if you can't find it, you are convincing yourself of failure for no reason.

Hey witchy side of Tumblr quick question why does Aphrodite seem to have it out for me?

And what can I do get her to not hate me?