* For most people, your “patron deity” will be related to your stage in life (Apollon and Artemis have domain over protecting children and adolescents) or your careers and hobbies. Very few of you will have a close personal bond with a deity that may make you seem crazy or unstable. This is a good thing.

* While “magics” are not a central focus for Hellenismos, as they tend to be with other paths, it was used in ancient times (often in a for-hire context, but protective talismen were used by many, and by Roman times “curse kits” were popular throughout the Empire). Not everybody needs it, and I’d wager that it will remain a small and controversial aspect of the religion in its current state, if only due to the popularity of certain schools of philisophy and ethics.

* While you don’t have to be a scholar, it still is best to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, especially when encountering people on-line.

* Most Hellenists are actually very friendly, even if we’re anti-bullshit. Don’t be afraid to ask us things or comment on our blogs.

* The religion doesn’t begin and end with Attik Platonism, but then if you’re a regular reader of this blog, I’m sure you’ve at least figured that much out. Explore different ethical and philosophical systems and regional religions for what works best for you — and think about why it works best.

* The Maxims of Delphi are not “holy commandments”. They were written by the Seven Sages, most of whom were Ionian or Doric, and only one of whom was Aeolic, and Lesbian, not Boeotian (though one anonymous source cites Acusilaos as one of the Seven, it is unknown if he was Peloponesian or Boeotian). Their importance is going to vary, and it’s often debated exactly how much importance these Maxims even had in ancient times — even people with a Phd in Classical studies don’t definitively agree as to whether the Maxims of Delphi were regularly regarded as “great wisdom” or “quotable proverbs” (similar to the ending of Aesop’s Fables) or if they were simply a social conditioning tool and writing exercise for children. Maxims 73 (“Be happy with what you have” Κτωμενος ηδου), 130 (“Do not begin to be insolent” Μη αρχε υβριζειν), and especially 132 (“Be ready to die for your homeland” Θνησκε υπερ πατριδος) seem to support the latter hypothesis, as adult men have already passed compulsory military service and so meditating on that “wisdom” seems a bit redundant. Sure, there is wisdom in these proverbs, but clearly not for everybody, and especially not at every stage of life. The “Ten Commandments” of Abrahamic religion are, by their own mythos, “handed down divinely”; the Maxims of Delphi were created by man.

* Just because a secondary (typically “modern” — 17th Century or later) source uses words like “archaeology” and even if the guy has a degree does not make it credible. I can’t think of any well-known or easily identifiable examples for faulty scholarship of polytheism specifically, but Naked Archaeologist Simcha Jacobovici has a BA in Philosophy and a MA in Political Science &mdasj; at best, this qualifies him to be a diplomat, and doesn’t even qualify him to teach Philosophy at a community college, his History Channel special, Exodus Decoded has been heavily criticised by real archaeologists and real religious scholars, using very simple tactics to mislead viewers, and then mangles Anglicised Hebrew with the original, something that I very seldom see novelists do, all in an attempt to perform retrograde etymology, much like the Resurrect Isis guy does to claim “Genesis = genes-of-Isis”. True, there is some decent stuff on the telly, but if you’re going to absorb cable documentaries, note the by-lines and titles of the speakers interviewed, and check up on their credentials and claims. There are some well-knowledged and scientific-minded laypersons out there, but since they don’t tend to have an agenda, they come off “fair and boring” and tend not to have television shows.

* That said, you DON’T have to be a scholar to practise Hellenismos. You don’t have to be a puffy-chested philosopher, either. Hellenion’s website, for example, has ritual outlines and a calendar of festival cycles, and you can just go from there.

* Eschew anti-intellectualism.

* Embrace xenia.

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Like any minority religion, the future of Hellenismos is dependent upon those who practise it. People have to be dedicated not only to traditions, culture, and mythology, but also to growth: Population growth of the community (be it through “family building” or through outreach), spiritual growth, and the growth of organisations and informal groups that are and will become the public face of Hellenic polytheism — from umbrella groups like YSEE to generalised ritual groups like Hellenion to Thiassoi both big and tiny dedicated to all of our gods and goddesses from Zeus to Hera to Dionysos to Aphrodite to Eros to Gaia-Kybele to Asklepios to Hekate to Priapos to Kirke.

With this growth, there should be both dedicated de-facto clergy and community builders, and always at least a slightly larger number of “laity” — people who are religious, but who prefer a role as part of the masses, not as one in a spotlight within the religion. After all, if the social sciences have proved to us nothing else about ourselves, they have shown that the influence of a priest or city councilman has a far lesser effect on what we do with our lives than our friends and families.

I’d like to see the erection of new temples and the increase of semi-public and public dedicated sacred spaces within my own lifetime. This can only happen with not only people dedicated to making it happen, but also dedicated to acquiring resources; I’ve seen people with only part-time employment raise the funds and equipment to film feature-length underground-indie films, so while I know that many (if not most) Hellenistai are far from rich, I also know that a few people dedicating themselves to fund-raising for lasting projects can do it. The projects probably will take several years to finalise, but it’s possible with the right people channelling the right dedication into the right areas.

I’d also really like to see a certain mentality, or at least a certain camp that champions it, to basically lose the last remaining threads of genuine respectability it clings to, because the underlying game of “divide and conquer” that camp is best known for will become the downfall of Hellenismos if enough people are either stupid enough to get sucked into it, or apathetic enough to ignore the need for a necessary attention to everything that is at fault with that sort of thinking. Don’t become consumed with bringing others down &mdasjh; but don’t be so naive as to assume that a certain “Pope No-Life & His Talking Butt-Plugs” can’t bring real harm to a community if left unchecked; when everything one touches turns to rust, it’s best for others to take note of that and, like a colony of ants who’ve noted a member infected by cordyceps, reduce that member’s ability to infect others with the brain disease.

I’d like to see a reduction of growth from Christianity, at least to a greater extent than what’s alleged in some more recent surveys, and especially a reduction in its most harmful sects: Fundamentalists and Evangelists. I have little, if any problem with the meat-and-bones of things the composite character of “Jesus” is said to have said, and so I have no problem being asked to tolerate Quakers, Menonites, Shakers, other pacifist sects, and basically any Christian who will not pose a threat to those exercising their right to freedom of religion. Political clowns and “real-life Internet trolls”¹ like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Glenn Beck and others pose a real threat to polytheism, if given any sort of power. For any Hellene to advocate any such person who advocates that sort of “religion” into a public office is to take a dump on the altar of the Theoi and on whatever hero-cult to United $tates “founding fathers” may exist:

“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” —Thomas Jefferson

“Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the Common Law.” —Thomas Jefferson

“If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both here (England) and in New England.”
—Benjamin Franklin

“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.” —James Madison,1803 letter objecting use of gov. land for churches

“Have you considered that system of holy lies and pious frauds that has raged and triumphed for 1,500 years?” —John Adams

“The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole cartloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity.” —John Adams

“The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my profession.” —Adraham Lincoln

I’d also like to seem in my lifetime, true peace and harmony for polytheists in Hellas. While her people have decriminalised Their worship (all of five years ago), there are still social injustices faced by many who do so with any degree of public knowledge. This is also a problem I want to see eradicated within the Anglosphere, but it exists to a far lesser extent in recent years. I know this may be a little too much to ask, but if you don’t ask, then you never know what you might get; if you do ask, then there’s at least a chance.

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^{1: Quote goes to my humanoid meat-based house-mate.}

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