Hellenismos
The Return of Persephone
Orthodoxy is the philosophy of correct and proper belief. It makes for dogma and for essentially dictated terms of belief that, in most pagan religions, is antithetical to the way in which the religions work. But no religion is without its orthodox aspects.
To be a Hellenistos, one must believe in the Gods. This is orthodoxy of a limited form. Hellenismos does not dictate how you should believe in the Gods, but it does require a belief. And that belief is fundamental. And while this will seem off putting to some, I don’t believe you can properly call yourself a Hellenistos if you do not believe in the Gods as true Gods. Simply seeing the Gods as psychological abstractions is not enough. Is that a bit closed minded of me? Maybe, but I don’t care.
But within that context, that the Gods are true Gods and not just archetypes, there is a great deal of room to breathe.
For some, the Gods are all unique beings. This is an interesting look at things, but one which makes no sense to me. Why would the Sky God be different in Ireland than he is in Armenia?
For others, myself included, there are universal Gods, and the various iterations, aspects, myths, etc. are all interpretations of those Gods. The Sky Father is Zeus, and Jupiter, and Yahweh, and Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti, and Dyaus.
For some, there is perhaps only one God, or a pair of God and Goddess that appear in a variety of aspects.
Within Hellenismos, however, all of these are perfectly acceptable. I can believe that the Gods themselves are universal and that their aspects are many and varied, but you can believe whatever you want. Where we connect is in practice and cultus.
Cults, however, can insist on orthodoxy. A cult can insist that its members share a strict set of tenets as the Pythagoreans did and this too is perfectly acceptable in Hellenismos as long as the Gods are still given their due.
To be a Hellenistos, one must believe in the Gods. This is orthodoxy of a limited form. Hellenismos does not dictate how you should believe in the Gods, but it does require a belief. And that belief is fundamental. And while this will seem off putting to some, I don’t believe you can properly call yourself a Hellenistos if you do not believe in the Gods as true Gods. Simply seeing the Gods as psychological abstractions is not enough. Is that a bit closed minded of me? Maybe, but I don’t care.
But within that context, that the Gods are true Gods and not just archetypes, there is a great deal of room to breathe.
For some, the Gods are all unique beings. This is an interesting look at things, but one which makes no sense to me. Why would the Sky God be different in Ireland than he is in Armenia?
For others, myself included, there are universal Gods, and the various iterations, aspects, myths, etc. are all interpretations of those Gods. The Sky Father is Zeus, and Jupiter, and Yahweh, and Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti, and Dyaus.
For some, there is perhaps only one God, or a pair of God and Goddess that appear in a variety of aspects.
Within Hellenismos, however, all of these are perfectly acceptable. I can believe that the Gods themselves are universal and that their aspects are many and varied, but you can believe whatever you want. Where we connect is in practice and cultus.
Cults, however, can insist on orthodoxy. A cult can insist that its members share a strict set of tenets as the Pythagoreans did and this too is perfectly acceptable in Hellenismos as long as the Gods are still given their due.