You're Worthy of Happiness and Love from Above

A lot of people feel sad, depressed, and like the worst of life is meant for them, because they don't believe they are deserving of love and kindness. The worst part is that we don't even realize we feel that way because it's ingrained in our subconscious, normally because of our experiences growing up through childhood and young adulthood, and I'll start by giving you some examples from my own life.

I grew up in a fairly rough environment. Not only was I poor, but I didn't really know what familial love was, mainly because I could never remember having gotten any. The people around me, even my parents, were standoffish at best and physically, mentally and emotionally abusive at worst. As I grew older and I began to experience the opposite sex, everyone broke my heart except for the woman who would become my wife. So as you might be able to imagine, I never felt I was worthy of love, or thought that I deserved any happiness.

My issues with severe depression and severe anxiety disorder did not help with the problem either in my later years leading up to my life at present. But one thing that started to turn this mentality around was my belief in the Greek Gods and becoming a more dedicated Hellenist as my life progressed. The Gods love you more than you'll ever know, and affirming this, I realized, gave me a much better mental state. In short, knowing that I am deserving of that love.

There was a time in my life, I can remember, when I knew this confidently, but I suppose I allowed my past trauma and mental anguishes to darken my spirit and pollute my mind. So finally, I decided to dedicate myself to that realization of that love and trust. I would no longer let my mind or feelings convince me otherwise. You and I were sculpted in the images of the greatest and most powerful Gods in all the universe, and that factor alone will give you the confidence you need to succeed in life. They want us to become the greatest that we can, and they do not put up unnecessary barriers to that path. Human life might, but the Gods do not.

We are all worthy of that love and light. It doesn't matter if other humans don't love you, the Gods do, and always will. They think you're amazing, and they'll always be there for you. The Gods never leave you. You can leave them, but they won't leave you. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

More Offerings, Better Afterlife

On my temple's Facebook page, I recently posted a poll about a connection between this life and the next in Greek religion, and I asked: Do you think that giving regular offerings and sacrifices will help get you a good afterlife? The results were interesting. 

44% said yes, 44% said no, and 12% were unsure.

Among those who said yes, I myself was included, and I'd like to explain why I think so. Of course, this is my own personal belief. There's nothing that says everyone else has to agree with me, but here is my reasoning. 

The Hellenist gives offerings on a daily basis, or at least they should. I give at least burned incense each morning when I get up and each night before I go to bed. Of course, part of the idea behind offerings is reciprocity, but we must also remember that the more we engage in our spirituality, and the more we interact with Deity, the more we reach our higher selves, leaving more and more of the lower self behind. Therefore, the more the higher self takes over, the better chance we have of a higher existence in the next life. Or, in laymen's terms, a good afterlife. 

The more we give offerings and sacrifices, the more we also gain the attention of the Gods through some of our best-expressed devotion. If one stopped doing offerings and sacrifices, they would likely feel a lack in their spiritual side. But there is one thing that is universally true. Regular offerings and sacrifices keep the Gods in your favor. Thus, the Gods and those who work for them, such as the Judges of the Underworld, may hold you in good regard as well.

Your religion and spirituality is not something you ever finish, as I say. It's always a progress, something you work on every day of your life. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Confidence In Your Beliefs

A lot of people may not think about how important this factor is to their mental and emotional health, but when it comes to one's own personal beliefs, it is vastly important to find confidence in those beliefs. I have talked about it before in spiritual counseling sessions with clients. If you're always worrying about, "what if I am wrong?" it will worry you to death or drive you insane. Constantly questioning yourself will make you increasingly unstable until you finally lose yourself.

I do not mean that you should never question anything. I mean that what you believe about the Gods, about life, and about yourself, is valid. You will never find peace until you find peace with this part of yourself.

And even if you one day find that a belief of yours turned out to be indeed inaccurate, it doesn't matter, because for one, the Gods are not affected by it, and two, you held the belief in good faith. A strong temple is one that you build inside yourself. From it, you will draw immense strength.

Your beliefs form the core of who you are. All that we are, how we think, how we act, and why, is all centered around this core. If it's always shaking, then so shall you. Write it down, talk to yourself, make the official Book of "your name here." Establish it and make it stick. Even if you encounter someone who believes differently, or at least doesn't accept your beliefs, that's fine too. They don't have to, and their refusal or difference also changes nothing. 

Far too many people find their cores shaking, mainly due to insecurity. Not only realize that there is no need for that, but also that you are strong at your core. You will see improvements in your mental and emotional health and physical performance in life.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

When Artemis Graced My Dreams

In one of the Hellenic groups on Facebook that I am a member of, someone recently posted about their encounters with Greek Gods in their dreams. I commented that I had seen Artemis in a dream before, and someone asked me to talk about it. I decided it would make an excellent blog post. I've mentioned it briefly in a past article, but didn't go into all the details, to my memory.

I do not recall the exact date, but let us say sometime before 2019, and I will also discuss how I verified this experience. 

I was in a beautifully wooded area, but standing in a clearing of brown soil. There were other Beings around in the distance that I can only describe as other Gods, but only one came close to me in this particular encounter. She walked alongside me and held my hand. She was dressed in white with a bow, long black hair, and a beautifully pleasant face and smile. Finally, she looked at me and said, "I love you." How did I know She was Artemis? Simply put, I just did. A God visited to tell me that they loved and were with me. Then the dream came to an end.

In 2019, I was talking with a friend of mine in Freeport, Illinois, named John, about experiences with Gods. He told me of his own sighting of Artemis, and without me telling him about mine, we both described the same physical features of the Goddess. We were two separate witnesses who described the same experience. That was one reason that we both knew our encounters were real.

Although my dream was short, brief, and has never happened since, I have to say that it was one of the most blissful I have ever had. When the Gods visit, you know it, and nothing else matters nor filters in. Nothing exists in the presence of a God except what they want to exist. 

As for the reason for the visit in my dreams, I still cannot say beyond the surface. I think that human life can have its hard roads, and sometimes the Gods just want us to know that they still care and haven't forgotten us.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Find The Love Of The Gods In This Room

See everything before you as an opportunity to experience the wonder of the Gods, is something I have always said, but it can be far harder than one might imagine, especially if we don't like the situation we are in. But in said situation, the Gods may teach us more than we could have conceived.

Most of the jobs I've had in my life, I have considered at least beneath me, if not outright hated. Even if I tried to find the good in them, it seemed impossible ultimately. Once I had a job at a local McDonald's just so that I could pay my debts, in the face of my hold job that I had held for 5 years, but that had basically stopped paying its workers. The feeling of being betrayed doesn't even begin to describe it, spending years on the false hope they promoted that you could make it as an independent contractor. It ended with my vehicle destroyed and bank account emptied, so it would have been ridiculous to expect me to feel good about nabbing the first job I could find as a security net.

Then one day, something said to me, "Find the love of the Gods in this kitchen you're working in." In this job I hated, something Higher wanted me to seek to find Divine love. I wondered how in the world I would accomplish such a task. Nevertheless, I sought to obey, of course. I was clearly trying to be taught something. But although I tried and tried, I could never find it. 

Soon I went to my next job across the street at the travel center, or gas station in laymen's terms. More pay, and apparently, less stress, appealed to me greatly (although the less stress part was a foolish thing to assume). But as a customer, I had indeed enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. As I would soon find, experiencing it as an employee is a world different, and I did not like it. However, the mission given to me was still in my head, to find the love of the Gods in this place I couldn't stand.

For months, I once again went on this journey in failure. Then I talked to my wife, who is a Hellenic Oracle. I did not go to her with this question or mission in mind, but we talked frequently about how much I hated my job. She one day said to me that I help keep the world moving, that without gas stations, everything would literally stop. The world that the Gods love, I help keep moving forward, as far as humanity is concerned, and therefore, I am working for the good of my Polis (City).

That's when I found the love of the Gods even in an undesirable job. I still didn't love my job, but it still changed my attitude about my future jobs and endeavors, whatever they may be in the future. To find wisdom, purpose and achievement is the point in all your journeys.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

The Smallest Temples Can Make Big Impacts

When it comes to Greek temples, the gigantic and glorious are well known, but not always commonplace. Most temples were not the size of the Parthenon, for example. Those grand icons were the exception, not the rule. Small country temples were probably far more common than people imagine. 

My own beautifully adorned modern temple, which I have owned and operated for several years now, is also of the small country type. Anyone who has been to or seen it, knows that it measures only about 12 feet long and 10 feet wide. And the Temple of Athena Nike on the Akropolis of Athens, as seen in the picture here, only measures 26 feet in length and 18 feet in width. But it has an amazing, iconic history and cultural impact.

The ancient Greeks were devoted and lovingly religious people; they adored their Gods and loved being spiritual. While the Parthenon became the wonder of the world, the small shrine and Temple of Athena Nike preceded it, and although a very small temple, the builders put their hearts and souls into the design, with wrap around art depicting the Greek Gods and also the Athenian battles and victories over the Persian Empire - the glories of Heaven and Earth. While only a fraction of the size of the Parthenon, a significant part of the Greek identity and history is housed in the Temple of Athena Nike, and would be lost without it. They so desired that victory stay with their City that, even though they didn't build a huge temple to Her, they put all of their devotion into it.

I always tell people who want to build a temple, to do it. No matter how big or small it may have to be. It doesn't matter.

We tend to think that a temple is something that has to be monumentous, but that's simply not the case. A temple is simply a place for religious worship. It's the devotion that matters. I always encourage people, and even post literary content, on how to build temples and temple communities, no matter how limited their means may be, because any kind of Hellenic temple is a blessing upon the world and the community it serves.

I don't know what kind of mark my own humble temple will leave on this world when I'm gone, or if it will even remain beyond simple legacy. I don't know what will happen to the physical structure in centuries to come. But I know I have at least touched and made a difference in the lives of a few people who might not have been touched otherwise.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Battling and Beating Intrusive Thoughts, Anxiety, Depression, and Ticks

The human mind is painstakingly complex. If you are plagued with intrusive thoughts, anxiety, depression and nervous ticks like I used to be, know two things. One, you're not alone, and two, you can beat them in totality. I struggled for years before finding just a few simple methods to knock them all out in a matter of days. And trust me, it works without failure if you do it correctly. 

Let's begin with intrusive thoughts and thought patterns. First, this is not to say that you cannot try to exercise any control over your own thoughts. You most certainly can. That's what focus means. So do not take this post as an assertion of complete helplessness when it comes to your mind.

Almost every human being alive struggles with unwanted and intrusive thoughts. You would be hard pressed to classify it as a mental disorder because it's basically normal. So you're not inherently mentally ill and you're not possessed. You're just human. Remember also that there is no pill that can stop unwanted thoughts. There is certainly medication that can lessen your anxiety, and therefore, deplete your focus on them. But there is no medication that can make you stop thinking something. So don't try that route, it's a fool's errand. 

And then of course, there is also the matter of anxiety, depression and nervous ticks, which mostly are mental disorders but not unconquerable. A nervous tick is movement of the body that you use to deal with stress. For instance, I used to push my Adam's Apple down to the bottom of my throat repeatedly, even when I didn't have to swallow. I would also flex the muscles of my arms to the point that it started to make my hands numb, and I would flick my thumb against the rest of my fingers. 

So how do we stop all of these thoughts and actions? What a lot of people don't realize is that the following methods are successful against all of it, which I will explain at the end, but we will begin with intrusive thoughts.

1. Realize that your thoughts are not you. If they were, you could completely control them. But when something comes into your mind against your will, obviously you are not the one controlling it. It's not you. Tell yourself that right now, and realize it. The Gods do not hold you responsible for something that isn't you, and neither should yourself. Trust the Gods and yourself to know the truth of things.

2. When you have an intrusive thought, realize that you are an observer. Step to the side (metaphorically speaking) and choose to not give time, attention or power to that thought. The reason you have these thoughts is because you are giving power to them by trying to fight and avoid them, or you think they govern you in some fashion. You starve your mental chaos to death when you simply choose to not give it your time and attention. Let it pass and forget it. The more you do this, the less these thoughts will occur in you, and the less you will feel like your head is about to explode.

3. In ancient times, the Gods did not punish people for intrusive thoughts. They didn't even punish people for their beliefs. People were only punished for wrongful actions that they willfully took. The Gods were more concerned with spoken words and physical action. For example, it would not be an offense to have an intrusive thought about robbing a bank. But to actually plan and carry it out, would be the offense. The Gods know that our minds are super computers for words, thoughts and emotions, and that our minds process these things often without us putting any intention or will behind it. What would matter is someone's response to these thoughts. So simply put, just reject the thought and move on. It's not you and the Gods know that.

3. Apply the first two methods to your anxiety, depression and nervous ticks. When they come, or you feel them coming, realize it's not you, step to the side, and refuse to give it any time, attention or power. 

The more you implement these practices into your daily life, the more upper hand you will gain over your mind, body and emotions. I would venture even to say that you will notice a big difference after the first day. Gods love you always and best of fortune to you in all your battles.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.