Sacrifices to the Nymphai, Akhelvos, Hermes, Athena, and Gaia (2015)

Once again we have a night that multiple deities are honored. This is one of the festivals that I will not be observing. Not because I don't want to but because I just don't feel the need to do it. One of the things that I learned is that you don't have to observe every Hellenic holiday and festivals that there is. You can decide which ones that you want to observe and observe them. For those that are celebrating tonight I do hope that you have a good one.

Libations to Poseidon (2015)

Today we pour our libations to Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas. I do this libation outside with water that's mixed with salt. I would love to go to a beach and do this but I don't have any near where I'm at. Which sucks, sometimes. I really love the god Poseidon and I feel drawn to the ocean. I hope that you all have a good libation and may Poseidon watch over you.

When Someone Tradmarks the Gods

So I was on Facebook and someone had blogged about not being able to use the name Hermes in her description of devotional work that she does. As a follower of Hecate I find this disrespectful and stupid. Why can't I do devotional work and not get slammed for using the name Hecate? Why? Because it's trademarked. The gods are damn trademarked, what the heck?

I find this to be stupid and revolting. Why are the gods trademarked? Because someone with a ton of money bought the name and not thinking that there would be a problem. Yes, there is a problem. The problem is that there are people out there that honor the Greek gods and do devotional work that has their name on it. It's our way of honoring the gods by doing works of art.

Trademarks and copyrighting is a very sensitive subject. Yes ago Warner Brothers actually took down a little girls Harry Potter site because it violated copyrights. Artists have taken people to court for downloading free music that they didn't pay for, though the money goes to the company and not the artist. We are so worried about other people breaking the law that we will trample on the rights of those who create original work and just happen to use a trademarked word.

Personally this needs to stop. This violates the law and we do have laws protecting the religious rights of those that practice certain religions. I think that if it's original and not a copy then the name should be allowed. This person actually had her store shut down due to this, which makes me want to scream. I really shake my head at the problems that I see and how companies can get away with anything and not care about the feelings of others who are having their creative juices stopped just because someone had more money and trademarked at a certain time.

Giving Thanks to the Gods

One of the things that I'm thankful for is my religion and being able to live in a country where you can worship however you want and don't have to worry about being killed for it. I thank the gods all the time for the small gifts that they have given me. This time, however, I'm giving thanks to the goddess Tyche for blessing our family with luck and fortune. For years we have suffered from not having enough and having to rely on others. My brother, now, having full time work has removed that worry and I'm going to be thanking Tyche for bringing fortune and luck our way.

I believe thanking the gods for things like this, and even small things, is very important. It lets them know that your grateful for what you have and what they have given you.

Making Your Own Greek Statues

One of the things that I really hate about statues that are on the internet is that they cost so much money. Or sometimes they don't have the one that your looking for. I think that's the problem with most paths. You find a deity that you feel drawn to, using a Wiccan example, and find that there is no statues of them. One of the coolest things that I've found was oven baked clay. Some companies even have them in different colors.

You don't even have to be good at making statues to make them. Yes, they won't look perfect but, if you have talent, you can make them great. Even if you don't have talent you can make something that looks like a Greek god or goddess. And this applies to any path. I think that Hellenists should make their own statues instead of putting money out to buy one. I might be wrong, but I think that it's a great idea.

Personally I'm not buying any statues because my mother is making a big stink about statues. But I think the idea is good to pass along.

Eleusinian Mysteries and Epidauria

So, now that my net is back, I can get back to blogging. Tonight is Epidauria, which is to honor Asclepius. Asclepius was the son of Apollo and was struck by Zeus for bring the dead back to life. I'm really excited about celebrating this festival as I didn't have a chance to last year. Another festival that's going on right now is the Eleusinian Mysteries, honoring Demeter and Persephone. That festival I did celebrate on the first night, but I don't do it every night. I don't know why I don't, I just don't. I hope that you all have a good festival and may Asclepius watch over every one of you and give you good health.

Sorry about Not Blogging

The ups and downs of anyone's lives sometimes can affect simple things like blogging. My net went down last Monday and I had also totally forgot to blog about anything. This month has been one nasty nightmare with the weather, worrying if my brother was going to get hired full time, and money. Money seems to be the highlight worry this month. Oh, forgot to add house inspection. Glad that all worries are gone and I'm back blogging.

I hope that you all had a great month, better than mine was, and your not getting wet. It's freaking raining right now, the weather affects my ability to stay awake, and people just have to argue about dumb stuff. I swear my block has more issues than a news stand, as my brother would say. Have a good week and I'll be around.