Polytheist, pagan and witchy asks

1. How long have you been worshiping? 2. Do you have a deity that is particularly close to you? 3. Whats your favorite tale about your Gods? 4. Do you keep an altar? 5. Do you consider yourself an Oracle? 6. What brought you to your current path? 7. Do you believe in past lives? 8. Do you think plants, animals or stones have spirits? 9. What do you think your afterlife will look like? 10.Who’s your favorite divine power couple? 11. Do you listen to devotional music? 12. What are your views on virginity? Is it worth anything spiritually? 13. What deity do you turn to most in times of trouble? 14. What are your views on dreams? Have they anything to do with divinity or the future? 15. Do you prefer to party and celebrate or quietly observe holidays? 16. Which deity do you find has the biggest sense of humor? 17. What made you choose your religion over any others? 18. Do you have any food or drink that is spiritually important? 19. Do you have any numbers that are spiritually important? 20. Do you believe in fairies, nymphs or nature spirits?

Hey everyone, today I decided to give a little more information about me, my personal beliefs and my practice using this list of questions. Disclaimer: These are my thoughts, I do not speak for everybody in the Hellenistic or Elven, or faith in general. Everybody has different experiences and thoughts, let´s all respect that. 

If you have anymore questions to me about (my) faith, feel free to send them to the ask box. :)

1. How long have you been worshiping?

I have been ´pagan´ since I was 7 years old, which sounds young, but I was very busy with my own spiritual path at the time. Since then I became religious with the Elven faith, well there is no one Elven faith, there are many variations, but yes since I was 7 I am ´Elven religious´. Around the age of 12 I found out about Nyx (or she found me?) and since then I have been worshipping her and her family tree as well. I further expanded that as I grow older. Then when I was 17, when someone very close to me passed away, I started to dig into it even deeper on a more general scale. And so I focused even more on deities related to Nyx and I also become involved in Hellenismos. Since then I also refer to myself as a person who is in the Hellenic faith. As a result of that I also started to work with ouranic deities, mostly Artemis. 

2. Do you have a deity that is particularly close to you?

Yes. Although I have sought to create a better relationship with Thanatos for example, which didn´t really work out well, and I worship multiple deities my patron deities are Nyx (hellenismos) and Wolf (Elven faith). Nyx really feels like a mother to me and since I have been worshiping both deities since my childhood they really saw me and helped me to grow up so I feel very close to them because I have the feeling that they know me very well. 

3. What´s your favorite tale about your Gods? 

I don´t have a particular story or tale that I really like. But in general I like reading about creation myths. 

4. Do you keep an altar?

Yes I do (I actually have photo´s of it on this tumblr). It´s not that full and not 100% how I want it but I am happy with it and I like having it in my house. But in the future, if I have a bigger house, I defenitelly want to expand my altar and maybe even have a separate room for my religion. 

For the Elven faith, since it involves a lot of stories about wolves and our main deity can manifest himself in a wolf as well, I do often buy things that portray wolves as a way of honoring. (However it steel feels different since those are clearly human/ earthly wolves). But I would want a big statue of a Wolf. 

5. Do you consider yourself an Oracle?

Honestly I don´t know 100% for sure what an Oracle exactely is or does. However in the past I did have foreseeing dreams and I did talk to my deities in person (wow, that sounds off haha) a few times. But I wouldn´t call myself an Oracle. I´d rather name that as divination or magic, especially with the things I can do nowadays (since magic is changing, and so did my abilities over time).

6. What brought you to your current path?

Honestly my friend was reading books that mentioned Nyx and recommended me to do so too. Then later, Nyx actually came to me and it all just felt right. From there I have developed my relationship with her. Later I started exanding my faith by worshiping other deities in her family tree as well. And after high school I researched (ouranic) hellenismos online.

For the Elven faith, well I am Elven and I know other Elves who have the same faith so I kind of naturally grew into it. 

7. Do you believe in past lives?

No. I know of a theory about what you are before you´re born, and I think that´s possible. But I don´t believe in past lives any more than that. I think the main reason for that might be that I am quite confident with what the afterlife will be like, and that it exists. So it´s a place, where you´ll stay forever and so you will not be able to reincarnate into a new life on earth and thus past lives aren´t possible.

8. Do you think plants, animals or stones have spirits?

Animals, yes. Plants and stones, not sure. 

9. What do you think afterlife will look like?

Well in my opinion, I am certain that the afterlife will look like how it´s described.

In Hellenismos we have the fields of Asphodel, which is a rather peaceful and beautiful place although you´ll not be able to remember your human life.

In the Elven faith that I follow we end up in the mountains where you will inhabit the body of a young wolf and you will live on like that. After time you might pass onto the ´actual´ afterlife in that wolf shape (alone or with a loved one who has also passed away and who you were sort of waiting for). So the mountains are like an inbetween place but they are very holy and important. 

To be honest, both the mountains in Elven faith and the Fields of Asphodel in Hellenismos look quite alike. Both are filled with green and rivers for example.

10. Who is your favorite divine power couple?

In Elven faith we have deities that together created the Elven race so since they are our origin, them. 

In Hellenismos Nyx & Erebus. Although I also admire the fact that Artemis & Apollo are siblings and that I worship them together during Thargelia. 

11. Do you listen to devotional music?

Yes, I do, occasionally. Mainly songs about the night or that literally call her by the name Nyx. I do not really love listening to devotional music in ritual though. 

I listen to Elven music made by humans but it´s not really devotional more just for a cultural feeling (although it isn´t the same as actual Elvish music).

12. What are your views on virginity? Is it worth anything spiritually?

I am not aware of any rules about virginity in Hellenismos, I don´t think I have heared of them. 

I know for Elves, but it´s again more of a cultural thing, you are allowed to have sex with who (not after marriage though), whenever you want, but you do have to like that person and respect the other person. 

I don´t really, personally, see it as a spiritual thing (for the most part). 

However I know that some people offer it to deities connected to love. And having sex creates miasma in the Hellenistic faith, but it´s human so you can cleanse yourself and it isn´t a big problem. So in that way it can be spiritual. 

13. What deity do you turn to most in times of trouble?

My main deities so Nyx (Hellenismos) and Wolf (Elven faith). Usually I get indirect signs that show support or approval. If it´s something really serious going on or they feel like they need to give me a talk or advice or even a warning they sometimes let me know differently. Sometimes with a manifestation. 

14. What are your views on dreams? Have they anything to do with divinity or the future?

When I was younger I got foretelling dreams so in that case they had to do with the future. Sometimes the near future, sometimes longer away in time.

Nowadays I don´t really have them anymore. But nowadays I have quite some experience with dream communication. Sometimes with deities as well, because dreams are a way for deities to manifest in as well. Besides that, sometimes it´s hard to differentiate dreams from OBE (out of body experience) or Astral travelling. Usually I can tell the difference, but sometimes it´s a bit vague. 

So yes dreams are very important in my life and they can have things to do with future and/or divinity. 

15. Do you prefer to party and celebrate or quietly observe holidays?

Well since not many people know about my faith I usually observe holidays on my own and a bit quietly. However sometimes I plan a dinner with friends or family during the holiday (without them knowing) so I can celebrate with others. 

When I am in the Elven plane we do celebrate together and party.

I would like to celebrate more with others but since there is only a small number of people in the Hellenistic faith and not in my country I sort of have to observe those days on my own. There are celebrations for other more general pagan holidays but I usually don´t feel fully comfortable with how that is organized. But maybe I will attend those in the future.

16. Which deity do you find has the biggest sense of humor?

Honestly I don´t have a lot of experience with deities in connection to humor. However I do think when you have established a good relationship with a deity you could share a joke with them sometimes, or inform them about something funny that happened in your life or during that day. Just don´t over do it because it´s still a deity you´re talking to. 

17. What made you choose your religion over any others?

So actually I was a buddhist for some time, but I was quite young back then and I didn´t research it well enough. But there are still some signs of my past as a buddhist in my parents home, because I was serious about it. Then I looked into Wicca but that wasn´t something for me and Elves are not super happy with that either so that wasn´t it for me. Around the same time I found out more about me being Elven and met other Elves of my clan and so I enrolled into the religion as well. Which is a big and natural part of me. And the deities in Elven faith and Hellenismos have from the start really appealed to me. I felt comfortable with them from the first moment and just felt it was right. They always help me and I can always talk to them. And they helped through many hard moments in my life which made our bond even stronger. Ofcourse I have wondered about my faith at times but they always showed me signs that proof to me that all of this is real. Growing up with these religions since childhood, in which I faced several hard times, made me grow very close to these deities. And it just feels right and belonging. But honestly, I believe in the existence of every deity. I don´t feel like I have chosen a religion over another. I just follow this path in my life now, it´s just a part of me. Like it is also a part of me that I also believe that for example Allah exists. But I personally just follow this path at this moment in my life, and it brings me a hold on and joy. 

18. Do you have any food or drink that is spiritually important? 

Well, I am actually doing more research on this topic soon because I want to incorporate more ´spiritual important´ foods into my diet.

I know wine (and alcohol overall) is in both religions important and used during ritual, as an offering, and during (religious) feasts.

I know for Nyx eggs and dragon fruit are considered associated with her. 

And like this there are more foods associated with deities or festivals but I am doing more research on that soon and I think it also has to do with cultural and agricultural aspects of both ancient Greece and the Elven lands. 

19. Do you have any numbers that are spiritually important?

Well, I know the number 2 is associated with Nyx and since 2 is my favorite number since I can remember, I was really happy when I read that. 

20. Do you believe in fairies, nymphs or nature spirits?

Nature spirits is a bit of a vague and broad term so I can´t really answer that. I do not believe in ghosts if that´s what is meant with spirits in this case.

I have seen fairies and nymphs before so yes I believe they exist. Not super familiar with them though. And ofcourse they are somewhat related to Elves so, although opinions differ on this.