It has become clearly evident to me why the ancient Greeks did not have a word for religion. Religion did not exist. To the Greeks the gods were an incorporated part of life at every moment. The Greeks bonded with the gods and created special relationships with them. To the Greeks the gods were around all the time, not every Sunday and when you needed a favor. The ancient Greeks did not understand the concept of religion, they didn’t believe in the gods, they knew of their existence. They didn’t doubt it and it wasn’t taught to them, knowing and connecting to the gods was as natural as learning to walk and talk. They did not expect the gods to perform miracles when they asked for them, they expected the gods to give them what they needed and would thank them after.
Hellenismos.us
The Hellenic Polytheist Website
“It’s a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may become so habitual we don’t even realize we have them unless we stop to focus on them. And they don’t just sit there idly; they have CONSEQUENCES. The beliefs are the direct cause of what we feel and what we do next. They can spell the difference between dejection and giving up, on the one hand, and well-being and constructive action on the other. The first step is to see the connection between adversity, belief, and consequence. The second step is to see how the ABCs operate every day in your own life.”
Aniconic:- Absence of Graphic Representation of any humans or living creatures.
Aniconism is a style, usually of religious representation though it can also apply to art where humans and living creatures were not depicted in art form. The ancient Hellenic religion was an ICONIC religion where Gods were frequently depicted in the form of humans and where beauty, artform, grace etc.. was celebrated. It was because of the Greek iconic religious belief that artistry and sculpture as we know it reached its peak. A lot of modern sculpture technique has not actually changed very much since Hellenic times!!!
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.
I think it is important to recognize the various conversations on the Internet regarding Hellenismos and Hellenic Polytheism. Therefore, I am gong to make an effort to create a a monthly digest cataloging various blogs that I found interesting. There is no specific statement for or against any blog listed, but I simply feel the essays and articles are interesting and in need of special attention.
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Recent Forum Topics- General Hellenismos - baptism
- Hellenic Holidays & Festivals - Heliogenna
- Beginner's Corner - Christian Debate
- Hellenic Lifestyle - Research vs Practice
- Polls and Challenges - Should animal sacrifice be permitted?
- Gods, Daimons, and Heroes - Hera
- Book and DVD Reviews - Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy
- Gods, Daimons, and Heroes - Dionysus
- Book and DVD Reviews - Richard Seaford DIONYSOS
- Fun and Games - Hellenismos.us Jukebox
- Recent Posts
- Even More on Defining Hellenismos
- Hellenismos, the 7•UP of Religion
- You may be a Fluffy Bunny Hellenic Polytheist if…
- Hellenismos and the Definition of Magic
- Homophobia and Hellenismos
- Cry Wolf
- Back to the Basics II: The Household Religion
- The Basics of Miasma and Purification
- “Agora” movie trailer
- The Gods Want You to Wash Your Hands (ca. 4th C BC)
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