Excuse my furry ankle

So I make these anklets when I feel these urges… I dont ever have a set color when I start but as soon as I look into my container of beads something whispers to me and tells me which to pick and what pattern to do. The pearl one I made right before Ezilion ‘came back into my life’ (if you dont know Ezilion has been following me since a child and I forgot him, check out #ezilion to read the story) I’m not sure why he chose white pearls because he is black with red accents but I think it’s because they’re shiny and look like real perals, the middle one I made right before Persephone came into my life and I just finished the Red and black one… I’m not sure who that one is for but I have a pretty decent idea.

I wear them everyday and they make me feel like every step I take they’re with me. Does anyone else feel the need to do something before a deity comes to work with them? Any rituals?

Persephone

Goddess-Queen of the Underworld, goddess of spring growth, grain seed, agriculture, necromancy, ghosts, & curses

Invocation:

Persephone, glorious goddess,

fair one with hair that flows like rippened grain,

eyes that catch the clear blue sky,

a smile sweet yet shadowed,

O-light footed one who dances in flowered fields, I praise you.

Persephone, lovely one who knows the feel of sun on skin,

who knows as well the press of cold stone on warm flesh,

in the world of the living, no maid is so alive as you,

In the world of the dead, Persephone, you reign as queen, crowned with riches unsurpassed, enthroned in splendor,honored above all others.

Goddess, child of the earth, bride of the darkness, i honor you.

About Persephone:

• Symbols:Pomegranate & Torch
• Sacred Animals: Bats, Black Rams, Parrots & all other talking birds, & Monkeys
• Sacred Plants: Asphodel Wheat, Narcissus, Willow Tree, Lily, Ivy, Lily of the Valley, Oriental Lily, Maidenhair Fern, Daisy, & Lavender
• Retinue:Hekate, Iacchus, & the Erinyes
• Other names:Kore
• Cult terms: terms related to her religious praxis

Eleusinion: Temple of the Eleusinian

Kthonia: Festival of Kthonia

Titles & Epithets:

• Khthonia(Cthonia):of the earth
• Azêsia(Azesia): Of the dried fruits, or who seeks
• Brimô(Brimo): The Angry, The terrifying
• Karpophoroi(Carpophori):Bringer of Fruit
• Dêïônê(Deione): Daughter of Demeter
• Despoina(Despoena): Ruling Goddess or The Mistress
• Eleusina: Of Eleusis
• Epainê(Epaine):Fearful
• Melitôdês(Melitodes): Sweet As Honey
• Praxidikê(Praxidice):Bringer Of Justice
• Sôteira(Soteria):Savior

Offerings

• Pomegranates
• Pomegranate juice
• Honey
• Dark Chocolate
• Floral tea
• Spring water
• Bread
• Grain
• Cakes
• Sweets
• Flower crown
• Wild flowers
• Fake flowers
• Rose with thorns
• Dried flowers
• Natural Moss
• Jewelry
• Keys
• Potted plants
• Floral, Lavender,Almond, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Narcissus, Bergamot, frankincense, storax, or pomegranate incense
• Crushed Mint(HAS TO BE CRUSHED)
• Crowns
• Statues or paintings of rams, bats, and/or deer
• Statues or paintings of her
• Sugar skulls or floral design skulls(to represent her duality)
• Things that are reminiscent of Spring (when she returns to Demeter), & Fall(when she reunites with Hades)
• Autumn leaves
• Spring flowers
• Rose quartz, garnet, citrine, green tourmaline, topaz, black onyx, agate, quartz, pink tourmaline, malachite, jasper, coral, sapphire, and obsidian
• Small animal bones
• Animal skulls (real or fake)
• Artwork
• Poetry, hymns, letters
• Seeds
• Tarot cards(and/or other tools of divination)

21+ offerings

• Pomegranate Wine
• Honey infused wine

Devotional acts

• Tend to a garden or take care of a plant
• Study herbalism
• Learn about flowers & the seasonal cycle
• Make a playlist of songs reminiscent of her
• Meditate Outside
• Go on nature walks or hikes
• Clean up nature trails
• Smell the flowers
• Celebrate the coming of spring & her return
• Celebrate the coming of Autumn & her reunion with Hades
• Honor the dead
• Visit graveyards & help clean them up
• HonorHades,her husband
• HonorDemeter,her mother
• HonorZeus, her father
• HonorHekate,her companion
• Honor the Erinyes/Furies, her servants, Tisiphone(vengeance),Megaera(jealousy),&Alecto(anger)
• Dedicate an outfit to her
• Wear jewelry dedicated to her
• Wear pomegranate scented things
• Tend to wild plants if they need care
• Go barefoot more often & feel the earth
• Honor the death of animals and if you can bury them or move them to wear nature will care for them, I personally do this now in utah but im moving to Las Vegas in November where theres no nature or soft ground so I’ll have to dispose of them i cant bury or anything so if this is the case for you too just say words of respect & pray for the spirit to find peace
• Buy or make a Bouquet of Flowers
• Place flowers on neglected graves
• Spread seeds of native flowers on the sides of highways or other unincorporated areas
• Wear something fancy
• Wear a flower crown
• Paint your nails dark red or wear red lipstick
• Build up your night vision, be familiar with the darkness
• Shadow work
• Take time to enjoy the sun
• Practice assertion & demand respect & a listening ear from others
• Decorate your home with dried flowers in the winter
• Hold people accountable to their actions, do not forgive easily
• Grow a rose bush or buy roses
• Visit an arboretum or large garden
• Volunteer for organizations that clean and restore forgotten places-graveyards, empty plots of land, etc
• Offer a few dollars to those in need
• Wear floral or fruity scents
• Spend time outside in the winter too
• Stand up for the abused
• Dance in the rain
• Defy stereotypes
• Take a candlelit bath
• Don’t let anyone dictate who you can and can’t love
• Practice self love
• Write poetry, hymns, songs, and/or letters to her
• Make art for her
• Donate to those who can’t afford a funeral service
• Support local farmers & beekeepers
• Support those who are grieving especially if they’re financially struggling bc of the loss
• Donate to environmentalist organizations to help combat climate change

Digital Devotions:

• Make an E-shrine to her
• Make a mood board for her
• Make blogs about her, agriculture, cemeteries, seasonal cycles, climate change
• When playing video games you can dedicate any agricultural or funeral related actions to her, if you play AC Odyssey you can also visit the Eleusian Temple, the cult center of the Eleusian Mysteries that devoted themselves to Demeter and Persephone & theres also the Temple of Demeter and Kore in Tegea you can visit

Altar/Shrine ideas

Personally i love to represent her duality by having spring & fall decor & items and living things (flowers) & dead(bones, dried flowers), on her sacred space, i also love sugar skulls & skulls with floral designs for her, have statues or artwork of her sacred animals(black rams, bats, deer, all talking birds, monkeys), i have a cockatiel so whenever she sheds a good feather I place it on her shrine, or if i find another antler ill give it to her, my first antler I already had put on Artemis’ shrine, I do have a little figurine of a black ram for her tho. You can also place pomegranate figures or dried pomegranates on her sacred space, as well as her associated stones mentioned earlier. Its best to express her duality, often we focus on Persephone’s Ouranic aspects or even her aspects from before she was Persephone many just think of her as Kore & ignore her chthonic aspects, shes the queen of the underworld, and the lady of the earth & spring, she lives and dies every year, she is so much more complex & multifaceted she isnt just demeters daughter or Hades Wife, it’s important to understand & embrace her complex duality nature

seven-pumpkins:

Praise Persephone,

She who walks in shadowed void,
She who walks in flowering, mellow sun

Her beauty is as
dew drops clinging to a blade of grass
the soft, round curve of a pomegranate’s gushing seeds
leaves singing in the wind

Praise Persephone,

Spring follows in the wake of her footsteps
and what she touches
blooms with new life

Dread Queen, Goddess,
Praise
Praise

Hail your steady hand
Hail your guiding heart

unofficeleriac-deactivated20210:

Reblog if it’s okay for anybody to message you if they’re feeling lonely during self isolation. Let’s get through this together!

astra-in-ashes:

Hello!

I am a student at Stockholm University conducting a small study to gather information for my bachelor thesis. The form is directed at worshpiiers of Persephone and Hades and mostly focuses on how you experience the deities and their relationship to one another. Concerning the study it mostly focuses on how neo-pagans here on tumblr approach their deities and what sources they consider valueble for their spirituality/religion. Filling the form could take anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour depending on how many of the qustions choose to answer and how much you write in the free form questions, it can also be completed anonomously.

If you are interested, please take the form! I would also appreciate it if you could reblog this post and spread it. Also, if you think this subject sounds interesting feel free to shoot me an ask/dm as I’m always down to talk about it :)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaABS2H3RpxcljWovHBcFluxE9TJoMal0bHXb79djSrJrg8Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

I took Dread P//rs//ph//n// seriously. I am scare

The closest thing I could get to depicting Aphrodite. Not 100% accurate. Maybe 97%.

Oh and

…. Her. Aidoneus’ Bride. Scary lady. Minus the white stuff on the veil.

Respectfully Visiting Strangers’ Graves

Today I visited a cemetery for Nemeseia. None of the dead people I know or who are related to me are buried anywhere near me–the closest is two states over, and most are in other countries–so, obviously, I wasn’t visiting anyone I’m connected to.

After this, I thought that it would probably be a good idea to share how I ensure I’m being respectful of the dead and their family’s when I select a strangers’ grave to honor. If you can think of any other ways to be respectful, feel free to add on.

General Cemetery Etiquette

1. Be quiet. You can talk or sing, but keep your voice low. Don’t blast Jay-Z.
2. Avoid mourners. Especially if you’re not visiting a specific grave, keep your distance from others. The cemetery is, first and foremost, a space for those grieving people they didknow.
3. Don’t walk over graves. If you cant tell where graves end, assume you should only walk directly behind and between headstones.
4. Don’t lean on, push, or touch headstones. Headstones aren’t sturdy! You can knock them down or break them.
5. Dress ‘normally’ and reasonably. I love eccentric makeup and statement fashion, but a graveyard isn’t the place for that. Avoid crop tops, lingerie, lots of glitter, etc. I wore my most simple floral skirt and a black t-shirt.
6. Don’t take dirt, bones, items, offerings, anything from a grave. It’s abhorrent. I don’t care about your graveyard dirt or 'vibes,’ don’t disturb strangers’ graves or steal their gifts. If you really need dirt get it from near the gates or something.

Selecting a Grave

1. Don’t visit someone who was born in or died this month, or on holidays. If it’s August, check that the birth and death dates weren’t in August. If the grave belongs to a man, don’t visit on Father’s Day, if it’s a Christian, not on any saints’ days, etc.
2. Make sure the grave hasn’t been recently visited. If it’s pristine and has flowers on it, leave it alone.
3. Avoid people who died less than 5 years ago. Those are far more likely to have visitors.
4. Avoid graves with religious symbols. Respect the religions of the dead. Do not involve a dead Muslim in your pagan holiday, don’t do satanic witchcraft on a Catholic’s grave.
5. Avoid graves with phrases on them like “beloved father/wife/sibling.” These are also far more likely to have visitors and living relatives.
6. Pick a site far from any mourners. Again, the cemetery is their space. Leave them be.

WhatNot to Offer/Leave

1. Avoid alcohol libations for religious graves or child deaths. Not all Muslims, for example, abstain from drink, but you should still respect the religion’s rules when you don’t know the dead.
2. Don’t leave things that spoil. No meat, no fruit, avoid food in general.
3. Don’t leave large offerings, ie. full sized bouquets and wreaths. Remember if the family does come by, you don’t want them to have to wonder who on earth gave grandpa fifty carnations and a bottle of rose.
4. Don’t leave plastic or things animals are likely to choke on.
5. No drugs or things that might be mistaken for drugs. White powders, mysterious green leafy lumps, etc. are no-goes. I hope it’s clear why.
6. Avoid bones. Not everyone wants to find a bird skull on their tia’s head stone.
7. Don’t leave art, poetry, or notes. It’s confusing and slightly creepy if you don’t know the dead.

Good Options for Offerings

1. Small, non-spoiling snacks. Unwrapped chocolate, candy, etc.
2. Flowers and plants. I leave mini bouquets of home grown oregano and lavender.
3. Unlit incense. I tied a stick into a bouquet.
4. Feathers and whiskers.
5. Lightly cleaning a plaque or headstone. Simply dusting off dirt and grass, don’t bring Clorox.
6. Liquid offerings (libations). Pour them in the dirt, don’t leave in a cup. Ideal offerings are things like small amounts of wine, water, or milk.

The grave I selected today was of a man who passed in 2014. His headstone only said his name and “community member,” and was untouched. It had no symbols other than a typewriter on it, making ti safe to assume he wasn’t very religious if at all. The offering I gave was water poured on the ground, dusting his plaque, and a small bouquet of plants and a feather.

When visiting a cemetery, it’s important above all that you respect the dead and the living. It’s not a tourist attraction or a spooky witchy site. It’s for the dead and those who loved them first and foremost. Respect that.