Paganism - Tumblr Posts

⚧️ The Gods & Gender ⚧️

Discussing Trans-Exclusive Radical Feminism and the views of the Gods is not "speaking for the Gods,"—it is looking at facts and information and drawing completely reasonable conclusions that squarely put the foundations of trans-exclusion in opposition to the Gods.

(definitely not audio proof read, sorry for the dyslexia)

🌿Aphrodite & Venus🌿

Aphroditos (or Aphroditus) is Aphrodite with male characteristics including a penis and/or beard.

A cult of Aphrodite included a bearded Aphrodite at Amathus, Cyprus on a high cliff temple. [Wikipedia citing Macrobius, Saturnalia III]

Her relationship with bisexuality (referring to being dual sex not sexual orientation in this paper), androgyny, and transvestism is also documented in Cyprus:

— Aphrodite in the Theogony by William Sale in Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association Vol. 92 X

(Sorry for the shitty screenshot JSTOR did not want to work with me)

This worship of Aphrodite with a penis was also seen as equal to Venus:

There's also a statue of Venus on Cyprus, that's bearded, shaped and dressed like a woman, with scepter and male genitals, and they conceive her as both male and female. Aristophanes calls her Aphroditus, and Laevius says: Worshiping, then, the nurturing god Venus, whether she is male or female, just as the Moon is a nurturing goddess. In his Atthis Philochorus, too, states that she is the Moon and that men sacrifice to her in women's dress, women in men's, because she is held to be both male and female." — Macrobius (c. 400s AD), Saturnalia 3.8.2

🌿Hermaphroditus🌿

There is also the "intersex child of Aphrodite & Hermes" named Hermaphroditus.

I have seen many use Hermaphtoditus as an excuse to wipe away the Goddess Aphrodite with a penis that the ancients worshipped. Which doesn't even make sense because I hate to break it to you— Hemaphroditus also opposes TERF ideology by its nature. A God existing as bisexed/dual-sex/bigender (however you'd like to word it) negates the idea that the Gods somehow support the ridged biological essentialism and gender binary that TERF ideology necessitates.

There are different accounts of Hermaphtoditus' creation but one, Ovids, tells of him merging with a nymph and then asking his parents to make the water transformative causing men to have thr effeminate bodies like women:

Her prayer found gods to hear; both bodies merged in one, both blended in one form and face. As when a gardener sets a graft and sees growth seal the join and both mature together, thus, when in the fast embrace their limbs were knit, they two were two no more, nor man, nor woman--one body then that neither seemed and both. So when he saw the waters of the pool, where he had dived a man, had rendered him half woman and his limbs now weak and soft, raising his hands, Hermaphroditus cried, his voice unmanned, ‘Dear father [Hermes] and dear mother [Aphrodite], both of whose names I bear, grant me, your child, that whoso in these waters bathes a man emerge half woman, weakened instantly.’ Both parents hears; both, moved to gratify their bi-sexed son, his purpose to ensure, drugged the bright water with that power impure." — Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 28 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)

🌿More on Aphroditos vs Hermaphroditus read @theoi-crow's excellent post about them here.

Also some lovely statues:

Marble copy statue from a fresco at Herculaneum, Italy. X (left)

Statue from Pergamum, Turkey. X (center)

Statue from Nymph Sanctuary in Lacori, Italy X (right)

Statue from Pompeii, Italy X

🌿Inana & Ishtar🌿

From a hymn to Inana

To open up roads and paths, a place of peace for the journey, a companion for the weak, are yours, Inana. To keep paths and ways in good order, to shatter earth and to make it firm are yours, Inana. To destroy, to build up, to tear out and to settle are yours, Inana. To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inana. Desirability and arousal, goods and property are yours, Inana. Gain, profit, great wealth and greater wealth are yours, Inana. Gaining wealth and having success in wealth, financial loss and reduced wealth are yours, Inana. Observation (1 ms. has instead: Everything), choice, offering, inspection and approval are yours, Inana. Assigning virility, dignity, guardian angels, protective deities and cult centres are yours, Inana. — A Hymn to Inana (Inana-C) ETCSL 4.07.3 in Lines 115-131.

This shows:

Inana has the power to change a person's gender/sex .... which means people can change gender/sex

This is listed among other normal things such as journeys, wealth, settlements so on. Suggesting that it wasn't super special, it was a part of Sumerian society that Inana was given power over.

This was written by Enheduanna High Priestess of Nanna, Ur's city God, and Inana. Inana was a popular Sumerian deity and Enhenduanna's father, Sargon of Akkad's, personal deity was Ištar. One of Enhenduanna's goals as a priestess was to conflate the popular Sumerian deity Inana with her father's Akkadian personal Goddess Ištar. Then raise Inana (and thus her father's personal Goddess Ištar) to an extremely high place in cosmology and explain just how much control she had in society— including over sex/gender.

Also from @sisterofiris's post on Inana's queer priests here.

🌿Nanaya🌿

In later times Inana/Ištar was equated with Nanaya but in earlier times they were worshipped side by side as separate deities. While Inana's hymn gives her rule of gender, a Nanaya hymn has her directly declaring she has breasts in Dadumu and a beard in Babylon. Leick also mentions here that Ištar was worshipped in both genders.

—Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick. Page 125.

🌿Asūšunamir with Ereškigal🌿

In Ištar's Descent (not Inana's) Ea's plan to distract Ereškigal and get her to bring Inana back to life is to make a beautiful being. Ea makes an incredibly beautifully brilliant being that's mere aesthetic presence will make Ereškigal happy and let her defenses down. And Asūšunamir's beauty works..... and he is an eunuch, an effeminate male, potentially queer from the ancient's eyes. And yet he is so beautiful he distracts a Goddess.

— The Ancient Near East and Anyhology of Texts and Pictures, edited by Pritchard. Ishtar Descent translation by E.A Speiser. Page 80.

🌿Eštan / Ištanu🌿

The Anatolians (Hittite in particular) loved to both mix deities and keep them entirely dependent like 8 solar deities and 50 storm Gods. But sometimes Hittite, Hurrian, Hattic, Indo-European, Mesopotamian all meld together making the identification of gender ambiguous or even interchangeable.

Eštan is one example (who has numerous equatings):

—A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of The Ancient Near East by Frayne & Stuckey. Page 105

You can also learn more about the Ištanu and the Sun Goddess of Arinna and her gender from @sisterofiris in a post here.

__

I'm sure there are more! But this was my quick round up and sources I could put together. To all the trans & non-binary polytheists out there, you aren't abnormal and the Gods see you for who you truly are.

Edit: Want some more? Learn about the feminine qualities of Apollo

(Finally my chance to answer a veiling question)

I wear full coverage styles, covering neck and all my hair (I typically wear Khimars),,, actually, I wear face veils too :>

Fully !!

I veil everyday when I go out

Shout out to veiling and all my veilers!!

to anyone who wears veils as a polytheist or pagan:

what styles do you wear?

do you fully veil or only partially?

do you veil consistently or only on certain days/dates?

if the later, what's your schedule?

i am simply curious since i've started veiling :)

Hey everyone! Know I don’t post that much, but I just wanted to share something real quick

The gods love you! And ofc you hear that everywhere, but it really is true. I’m gonna share my experience for all the people who struggle with their thoughts and mental health

So, I haven’t been doing the best for the past month or so, and me not doing well added onto to what I’m about tell you. So a couple days ago, I got into a stupid argument, and during the argument a lot of hurtful stuff was thrown at me. Now, I knew I wasn’t in the wrong in the argument and that the hurtful things weren’t true, but they still really got to me. I then fell down the hole of self hatred and it got to the point where I was trying to convince myself that even the gods hated me. Obviously this isn’t true and I knew that, but a part of me was like “what if?” For a couple days, I stayed like that and didn’t reach out to anyone, not even my deities I worship (dw they get on me for that all the time lol). A couple days later, I started feeling better, and I thought that it would never be brought up. But today actually, I decided to (finally) get a message from Lord Ares (just a regular devotee monthly message) and even though I never even mentioned how I was feeling, Lord Ares went out his way to comfort me and tell me that he doesn’t hate me and comfort me on some other things I was worried about. Again, I never told him that I was feeling that way.

All that to say, your gods truly love and care about you. This isn’t the first time this has happened either. When I’ve been down in the past, all my deities have gone out their way to reach out to me and let me know that they are there.

Your deities watch over you, even when you don’t know! I personally don’t believe that the gods are omnipotent, but I believe that they generally know what is going on with you, especially ones you are closer with/ have more Kharis with.

Your deities love you, care about you, and watch out for you! And don’t let anyone (including your thoughts) tell you different!

Thinking about the crossover between Ares in myth and love 🥺. Thinking about how (most of) the times he has enacted wrath, it was to avenge his family. Thinking about how the only reason he joined the Trojan war was out of love for his mother and they only reason he betrayed her (by switching to the side of the Trojans) was for love of Aphrodite. Thinking about how the only times Ares acts recklessly and almost incured the wrath of Zeus was to avenge his slain children. Thinking about the symbolism of Aphrodite being Ares main consort.

Thinking about how mythically, Ares might be considered the most loving God (on my Olympus at least). He is the God of manliness (that’s actually one of his domains 😭) and so it makes sense for him to be a near perfect father, husband (partner), son, and overall supporting figure

Ofc I’m a very big fan of the actual Ares (Ares devotee 🙋), but I love reading his myths just because of much nuance there is. I know this weird to say, but his character (😭) is very well written overall in myth. I’ll say the Ancient Greek poets cooked with most ares myths. I’m very Ares brained, so I actually made a video on this, so if you’re interested in a more in depth talk of this, check it out (yes I just plugged my channel lol)! I plan on making a deity deep dive on Ares one day, but I’ve been really thinking about these parallels,,,

i can't stop making these

Bella's Master List

Thank you for visiting my blog! To check out all my fanfic works please see the below! Also follow me on X: https://x.com/BellasMumbles NEW COMMUNITY PROJECT:

🩸 Calling all Astarion fans! 🩸Looking for a place to explore (or enjoy) the steamy side of our favorite vampire in both his ascended and unascended forms? The Astarion’s Thirst collection on AO3 is live! 😈 Whether it’s sensual, dark, explicit, or anywhere in between, this collection is for those who can’t get enough of Astarion’s thirst for blood, passion, and more. 💋 Full Details: HERE AO3 Collection Link

In the aftermath of their victory over the Nether Brain, Astarion, now newly Ascended, and Sima’s love is tested by dark obsessions and a quest for independence. As they navigate perilous power struggles and inner demons, their bond teeters on the edge. Will it endure the encroaching darkness, or be consumed by it? Chapters on Tumblr: Prologue, 1 , 2 , 3 , Interlude, 4 , 5 , 6, 7, 8 , 9 , 10 Interlude 2 , 11 , 12 13 14 15 Entire Story Link on AO3 Spotify Playlist

Sima, a modern musician, is thrust into the magical world of Baldur’s Gate, captivating a certain vampire spawn: Astarion. Their passionate romance faces challenges of jealousy, societal prejudice, and personal traumas. Together, they navigate love, trust, and intimacy, standing as a team against the shadows of their pasts and the trials of a fantastical realm.

Tumblr posting Starts and Hiatus Will End: Aug 2024 Entire Story Link on AO3 (11 Chapters)

Songbird's Sanguine Sunset / Tumblr link inspired by Blood of the Songbird by @songbirdoftherogue Unfinished Work: Revenge and Blood on Silken Dunes

Tumblr Articles and Musings:

Musing 1: Snippets Snippet Prompt 1

Musting 2: WIP WIP 1

Musing 3: Characterization Discussions (Spoilers!) Characterization for Astarion's Paths , Characterization for Sima (Tav)

Musing 4: Random Ramblings Ramblings 1

Personal Projects:

I have launched a blog for my witchery and spilling the tea on the craft! Come check it out HERE

Thank you for Reading my work and if you are feeling kind, please leave a good word or comment or reblog on anything, its always appreciated!

Bella

graphics for lip dividers here: @firefly-graphics

I have launched a new blog!

And Now...for Something different

Hey there, magical misfits and word weavers!

Guess who's conjuring up something wickedly wonderful? That's right—this witch is stirring her cauldron and launching a brand-new blog! 🧹✨

If you've ever pondered the mysteries of the universe between sips of chamomile tea, or found yourself debating the merits of ancient rituals versus modern practices (while your candles burn down to stubs), then boy, do I have a treat for you! After the cut lovelies!

Over the years, I've danced with Hekate under the moonlight, delved into the Greek Magical Papyri, and even sprinkled in a dash of my mother's Indian folk wisdom for good measure. I've wrestled with the commodification of the Craft (looking at you, overpriced crystal sellers) and embraced the beautiful complexity where science and witchcraft intertwine like ivy and oak.

So what's brewing on the new blog?

Magical Musings: Where I'll spill the enchanted beans on everything from historical witchy wonders to my latest thoughts on decolonizing our practices. Prepare for deep dives—with a splash of cheeky commentary, of course.

Reverent Rituals: Step into my sacred space as I share personal rituals and spells that are potent yet accessible—no unicorn tears or dragon scales required.

Purpose & Practice: Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of building a meaningful Craft without selling your soul (or your savings) for fancy tools. It's all about intent, baby!

Shadows & Selfsame: Join me on a journey through shadow work and self-exploration. Because even witches need to face their inner goblins.

Chosen Circle: A curated collection of resources, community shout-outs, and maybe a cat meme or two. Connection is magic, after all.

I care deeply about this path we're walking—respecting its roots, challenging the fluff, and finding that sweet spot where tradition and personal growth meet. If you're ready to explore the Craft with a dash of humor and a whole lot of heart, come fly with me!

So grab your broomsticks and let's embark on this enchanted adventure together. Trust me, it's going to be spellbinding. 🔮 https://www.tumblr.com/teaandbroomstickscafe

Just your average river-dwelling gays

Yad - Erika Lundmoen ♡

This is actually a subliminal, here are the results you can get ♡

• Increased Confidence:

You may begin to feel more self-assured in social and personal situations. Taking on challenges becomes easier, you speak with greater conviction, and handle criticism or setbacks with resilience.

• Enhanced Beauty:

While beauty is subjective, you may experience a heightened sense of self-worth regarding your appearance. This could manifest as a natural glow, better posture, and improved self-care habits, making you more attractive to others.

• Improved Intelligence:

You may notice a sharper mind, quicker problem-solving abilities, and enhanced focus. Grasping complex concepts may come more easily, and your critical thinking skills may improve.

• Increased Popularity:

As your confidence grows, you may naturally attract more social attention. People could be drawn to your positive energy, and you may find yourself more included in social circles or forming deeper connections.

• Greater Independence:

You may feel more self-reliant and capable of making decisions without depending on others for approval. Pursuing your goals more freely, setting boundaries, and cultivating a strong sense of autonomy becomes second nature.

• Dark Aura:

People find you more dark coded, your aura changes and you seem more bolder yet kind, people seem to like this new, bolder and sexier version of you.

• Sexier, deeper voice:

Your voice is smooth and deep, a beautiful accent with a hint of seductive tone. People love interacting with you since they love how your voice sounds and how you pronounce their name seductively.

💗 Listen twice or thrice a day to get results effectively!!~ 💗

🩷💗🩷💗🩷💗🩷💗🩷💗🩷💗🩷💗

- ♡♡♡ -

My dream is blasting Yad by Erika Lundmoen while driving and speeding on the highway, in my dream car at late night in an expensive, pretty city~ ♡

Using Photos by Google to organise your notes and pics >>

We girlbosses >>>

♡♡♡

We girls don't pray for men, we pray for our future to look like our pinterest boards.

💗💗💗

Money, money, money...♡♡♡

Money, mine.

My life in just a few years...♡

Hot girls work their asses off for their life to look like this (I'm one of 'em ♡) 💗

~ ~ ~ Me ♡ ~ ~ ~

Some religious horror sketches I made ! I put a lot of thought and meaning into these, I could explain my pov if that's wanted but ummm I also just want to give people the space to interpret it on their own

If I fully finish these then I might repost them but as of now I don't know if I will

Anyways enjoy :3 !! Also this was not made with the intention to harm or offend anyone !! Ik it's a topic ppl are touchy abt

Meetin folks

Heya friends! This post is a bit different than my normal posts, but I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately.

I’m a trans, gay Irish/Celtic pagan and folk practitioner, and I haven’t been able to find a community wherein I’m able to thrive like this. None of my friends practice paganism, and it can be hard not having folks to talk to, even though it seems so trivial. In most queer spaces, spirituality is sort of laughed off, and if anyone has any resources, or is in a similar spot as I, please let me know!

I apologize for the downer vibe of this post, but I just hope folks stay happy :D

If you want to connect, lmk! 🤍