Hellenic Polytheism

"The beliefs we have received from our ancestors - beliefs as old as time - cannot be destroyed by any argument, nor by any ingenuity the mind can invent." - Euripides, The Bacchae


Hellênismos - or Hellenic Polytheism - is a reconstructionist form of Paganism inspired by the ancient religions, culture, and philosophy of Greece. We feel that the cultural and religious insights of the ancients still have value today, and strive to balance the past with the present. In the following essays I hope to show some ways that this can be accomplished.
May the Gods bless you, and may you find enjoyment in my words!

A Temple of Words: Essays culled from five years of "Sannion's Sanctuary" by H. Jeremiah Lewis

Available through Cafepress for $16.99

Includes several essays never previously published, as well as the best of the Sanctuary!

Table of Contents

Beyond Patrons - the benefits and drawbacks of focusing on one or two gods 12.24.07
Is Honoring The Twelve What Makes You a True Hellene? 12.24.07
The Paths to Dionysos - different ways of relating to the god 3-19-07
Communicating with the Gods - an update of the article Living with the Gods 3-19-07
A Conversation with Sannion about Greco-Egyptian Syncretism 3-19-07
Dionysos-Antinous, Liberator of our Hearts 3-19-07
Anthesteria for the Lonely Soul - ways to celebrate the festival alone 3-19-07
A Herm of Gratitude - a devotional activity for Hermes 3-19-07
Musings on Reconstructionism 3-19-07
Greece and Egypt Before the Ptolemies 2.13.07
Syncretism and Eclecticism in Hellenismos (reprinted from He Epistole) 11.20.06
Sannion's Guide to Getting Started in Hellenismos Tips for those new to the religion 5.20.06
A Poem for Dionysos 5.16.06
Hero Poem 5.16.06
Sannion's Guide to Ritual Etiquette How to behave at a Hellenic ritual 4-24-06
Hellenismos is Beautiful The essence of our religion is Beauty 4-16-06
"Never the Twain Shall Meet"? Defending the role of magic in Hellenismos 11-08-05
A Spear for Ares A dedicatory stele 11-07-05
Did the Ancients Recognize 'Patron' Relationships? 9-30-05
One From Many: Thoughts on the Future of the Hellenic Polytheist Community (published in He Epistole, Issue #7) 9-5-05
Some Thoughts on Who Hera is 9-5-05
Hera Legei Hera tells her side of the story 9-5-05
New Songs for Old Gods A collection of hymns, songs, and poems about/for the Gods UPDATED 9-5-05
Hellenism on the Go Fitting regular worship into a busy schedule 6-22-05
Peri Eidolon or On Images Reflections on images of divinity, and what constitutes idolatry 6-19-05
On the Creation of Man 5-20-05
A Rose by Any Other Name Reflections of Hellenic Polytheist Identity 5-15-05
Coming Back to Hellenismos 5-15-05
The Battle of Zeus and Typhon 5-11-05
Fragments from Eunomius' Loves of Apollo A portion of a lost epic that I translated UPDATED 5-11-05
A Brief Mediation on Dionysos in the Orphic Hymn 30 4-29-05
The Mighty Bull of the Two Lands Osiris and Dionysos compared 4-27-05
A Ritual of Adoration for Dionysos to be performed daily 6-12-04
Bath for Wealth Seilenos is consulted in a time of need 3-23-04
Spell to Obtain a Dream Oracle from Dionysos Modeled after the Greek Magical Papyri 3-18-04
After the Smoke Clears How to properly dispose of sacrifices 5-12-03
Apomainesthai: A Rite of Relaxation Something to clear the head 1-28-03
Shrine to Hermes A votive shrine for Hermes after a safe journey 01-09-03
Top Ten Reasons Not to Practice Hellênismos A humorous look at the religion I love 12-16-02
Is Belief Enough? Argues for the importance of rituals too 11-02-02
Seven Seven Seven A meditation on Apollo and the number seven 10-17-02
Votive Hymn to Hermes A poem written to thank Hermes for help he gave me 10-09-02
Religious Pluralism in Antiquity How ancient religion lacked a sense of conversion and exclusiveness UPDATED 10-07-02
On Whether it is Acceptable to Discuss Sacred Things A letter from Eunomius about the Mysteries 9-10-02
Images from the Karneia A prose poem about the race at Apollo's Karneia festival 8-28-02
The Ivy-Covered Cross A comparison of Jesus and Dionysos 7-30-02
Dionysos is alive and well and kicking ass in a rock band A collection of rock lyrics relating to Dionysos 7-08-02
A Classical Anthology A collection of wise sayings by ancient Greek and Roman authors UPDATED 6-29-02
How Dionysos Came to Delphi A story about the reconciliation between Apollo and Dionysos 6-25-02
A Compendium of the Gods Information on how to worship the Gods 5-03-02
Coming to terms with Apollo How one small quote changed my relationship with a God 4-11-02
To Apollo A hymn to Apollo for healing my mother 4-05-02
A Lexicon of important Greek words A list of important words and concepts within Hellênismos 3-25-02
Wine among the Ancients A collection of refrences to wine in ancient authors 2-15-02
The Goddess of Good Fortune A look at Tyche and the role of chance in our lives 1-16-02
The Miracles of Dionysos An article on the miracles and epiphanies of Dionysos 12-26-01
How a year has changed my view of Hellenismos How my emphasis has shifted from philosophy to piety 12-4-01
What is Hellênismos? Greek Reconstructionism explained 11-19-01
Jesus Christ, Hellene How Jesus Christ may legitimately be admitted into the Hellenic Pantheon 11-15-01
Between Khaos and Kosmos Why I practice both Hellenismos and Discordianism 11-06-01
The Gods as Seen Through the Eyes of Dionysos A look at the Gods and their connections to Dionysos 10-23-01
The Muses in Mythology An article discussing the history and mythology of the Muses 9-17-01
The Festivals of Dionysos An article describing Dionysos' Athenian festivals, and ways he can be honored today 9-08-01
Why the Thiasos Dionysos is needed Explains why I am working to revive the worship of Dionysos 8-25-01
Hymn to All the Gods A hymn honoring the Gods of the Greek pantheon, and a few others 8-18-01
The role of Philosophy and the Mysteries in Ancient Greek Religion Some thoughts on the Mysteries and Philosophy UPDATED 8-12-01
A Discussion about Dionysos Explores my relationship with the God of Wine 8-08-01
Basic Devotional Rite for Dionysos Outline for a daily ritual 7-18-01
The Symbols of Dionysos An article exploring the things connected to Dionysos in myth, art, and cult 6-08-01
Ariadne An account of Dionysos' bride, taken from my unfinished Dionysiaca 2-23-01
Some Thoughts on Aleister Crowley and Thelema My thoughts on the Great Beast from the perspective of Hellenism 2-14-01
Worship of the Gods is not in Vain The spread of Christianity as viewed by a pious Hellene 2-12-01
I am not a Greek, but I am an Hellene Argues that Hellene is not just an ethnic term 2-06-01
Why do you believe in the Gods? An examination of what I believe and why 2-01-01
Homer Oracle A divinatory tool adapted from the PGM 12-01-00
On Dionysos A retelling of the myths of Dionysos 12-1-00
Songs for the Orgy Narrative poems honoring Dionysos and the maenads 11-28-00
On the Gods A short piece detailing the various levels of the divine 11-25-00
Five Reasons why I am a Polytheist Why I find Monotheism unsatisfactory 11-25-00
Interview with Sannion