Left hand path in Hellenistic magic

I was wondering if somebody could help me with this topic. I’m trying to find which deities are prevalent in the left hand path in Hellenistic culture. There is a strong correspondence from everything that I have read and experienced that Lilith is Hecate. What about the following deities? Hera. Hestia. Athena. Thanks!

Naberius is said to be Cerberus.

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I am devoted to Hecate. Hecate is Hecate. Lilith is Lilith. They are not the same.

Hecate, along with all the divinities in hellenic worship are neither LHP nor RHP - these are our modern terms. How they manifest is based on you.

If youre going to utilize the greek gods in magic, consider how the gods/goddesses domains correspond to your goals and create your work involving them accordingly.

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I need to re-organize my books it took me way too long to find this. If you’re interested in Hellenistic magic and its modes of action as employed by the greeks, i highly recommend this book:

Its more so scholarly and can be exceptionally dry, but ive found it provides strong insights into the concepts of Greek Magic as understood by them. Its not gonna give you a list of spells so much as the archeological and historical understanding of the greek spells and their construction which can then be transformed for a more modern context.

I dont think theres a single olympian who has not appeared on a curse tablet, but keep in mind magic among the greeks did not always involve seeking a god or divinity to be a part of the magic. Pharmaka (plants and poisons) is a huge part of greek magic in and of itself.

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We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

The book that you supplied looks very interesting. I will have to pick it up for sure. Thanks.

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Lol okay! Sounds good!

And yes, i have found it very insightful for my practice.

I also wonder if perhaps magic from the hellenic perspective would almost entirely be considered LHP, if such terms had been used. The witches of Thessaly were said to use their powers to coerce the gods and draw down the moon to perform their rites. Im actually not sure off the top of my head if theres any historical or legendary magical practitioner among the greeks who could be considered RHP. Maybe priests or priestesses of the gods, the oracle of delphi, but i dont think they considered it as magic as much as blessings from the gods themselves and communion with the divine.

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That book looks really interesting.

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Thank you! i do recommend it! if anything, the accounts of witches such as medea and circe, the witches of thessaly, necromantic rituals, as well as an index of corresponding fantastical sounding ingredients listed in the greek papyri to real herbs, stones and such make it pretty useful, especially if hellenic magic appeals.

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i take the accounts with a grain of salt - some sources state the witches thessaly for instance just understood lunar eclipses and when they drew down the moon, they had just predicted the eclipse accurately, but i also try to consider how you could take ritual accounts s and such in a creative way and alter them for a more practical modern use.

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Based upon the gods that were popular in Greece, such as Athena, Poseidon, Hecate, Apollo, etc., it would seem to me that their magic was similar to our own in that they turn to a variety of celestial bodies. Truthfully, I believe that the only reason we even have a RHP and LHP distinction is due to the monotheistic religion’s influence. If you a follower of the god of Abraham, then you ‘must be RHP’ (the general consensus). The reason why the definitions are so obscure on RHP and LHP is because, in my opinion, we want to define religions that are not monotheistic, BUT neither do they present themselves as sinister. I honestly am not a fan a LHP vs RHP terminology (and professing a ‘Middle Path’ is confusion), but hey…its a decent starting point in a conversation. :confused:

Anyway…

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Personally, I think the best thing to do is to break down the LHP into distinctions. There are those that are defined as Malevolent/Sinister and those that are best described as Benevolent (Altruistc or Neutral) - seeking to bring harm during special circumstances, but otherwise are just seeking power however they may find it.

To me, all magic users are LHP and Non Magic users would be RHP, but whatever! :smiley:

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Yes! I would fall into the latter LHP category, if it were so defined. But i agree - Im still deconstructing my worldview as molded by abrahamic religion (roman catholic), but Hecate has been an amazing guide on that journey.

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https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&biw=360&bih=559&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ACYBGNTGwwFp2F1acuIW3o1S_ycktDC-iQ%3A1572716201317&sa=1&q=Mythic+Oracle+deck+Hecate+card&oq=Mythic+Oracle+deck+Hecate+card&aqs=mobile-gws-lite…#imgrc=NjuddYa7qGWEkM%3A

I understand. Hopefully this link works as I’m trying to do this on my cell phone and I don’t always have luck. I have the Mythic Oracle deck has a really awesome picture of Hecate in it. It is based upon Greek mythology.

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Beautiful! i need to get me those!

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