Hubris, Recon and Hellenismos

Of all the differences between Recon paths and other (Neo-)Pagan paths, I think the notion of hubris is the most controversial. Sure, everyone who works with Them, respects the Gods but there is a big difference in the respect--and fear--level between Recons and non-Recons.

I'm not exactly sure how this is for other Recon paths but for Hellenismos, avoiding hubris is the foundation of faith. Hubris, in dictionary terms, means excessive pride or arrogance and comes from the Greek (hýbris, ὕβρις). For me, hubris is not an adjective but a verb. It describes the act of willful or ignorant refusal to comply by the will of the Gods.

Within Hellenismos, the Gods rule supreme. We are here to serve and honor Them, and in return, They provide us with what we need to survive. This practice of kharis is one of the pillars of Hellenismos. But it's there in all other pillars as well.

Ethike Arete - living an ethical life, as proclaimed by the Gods in, for example, the Delphic Maxims
Eusebia - the actual practice of honoring the Gods, a huge part of which is piety
Hagneia - being ritually pure, out of respect to the Gods
Nomos Arkhaios - bringing back the old practices and customs out of respect for the Gods
Sophia - bettering yourself so as to better serve the Gods and not offend them through ignorance
Sophrosune - controlling yourself and your actions so as never to cross any of the other pillars or the Gods
Xenia - being inviting to guests under the protection of Zeus Xenios, as it is the Gods' prerogative to send us whoever they want. As Euripides describes in Medea: "What God or Deity listens to you when you are a perjurer and deceive Xenoi [foreigner or city-guest]?"

I have read on some Hellenic websites that the Gods do not intent to harm us in any way. They wish to help us better our lives and would never punish us. I think there is overwhelming evidence of the contrary in ancient Hellenic practices, in mythology and in modern day UPG. Odysseus spent twenty years simply trying to get home because he had pissed off the Gods with his hubris; hubris killed many mythological people, amongst which all fourteen of Niobe's children, Tántalos, and even Íkaros, who flew too high towards the sun; many festivals included elements of appeasement; and building only on my own UPG experiences, I have definitely been told to remedy a situation in which I was displaying unintentional hubris, or else. Saying that the Gods will never (or always) do something is a clear example of hubris, to me.

Being aware of hubris comes with a certain fear of the Gods. When talking about this to non-Recon practitioners (even when I wasn't Recon myself, yet), I often encounter either a knee-jerk reaction as this reminds them too much of the Christian faith or I'm told that the Gods are beings of pure love and light. Every time someone says the latter, I feel Hades' head exploding and can practically envision Ares punching someone, just to prove them wrong.

To me, the Gods are their own beings, far more powerful than we are. We are not divine, we are mortal. One finger snap from Them, and we're toast. I know others see this differently, but it is the foundation of my faith and practice. It is why I offer to the Gods, why I practice the pillars, why I go through my days in the way that I do. I go out of my way to avoid hubris, judging by the ancient sources and mythology. I keep my mortality firmly in my mind. It's not the (religious) life for everyone, but it is mine.

• Tuesday, September 4, 2012
  Ares Ethike Arete Euripides eusebia Hades hagneia Hellenismos 101 hubris Íkaros kharis miasma Niobe nomos arkhaios Odysseia Odysseus sophia sophrosune Tántalos Xenia

The pillars of Hellenismos

Timothy Jay Alexander is one of the most visible Hellenics out there. He has written a couple of introductory books and is active on-line as well as off-line to promote Hellenismos and educate people on its ideology and theology.

Alexander has identified seven pillars of Hellenismos which practitioners should adhere to and which will help identify and understand Hellenismos for the non-practitioner. These pillars are:

• Ethike Arete - the practice of habitual excellence (ethics)
• Eusebia - reverence, loyalty, and sense of duty toward the Gods (of Greece)
• Hagneia - the maintaining of ritual purity by avoiding miasma
• Nomos Arkhaios - observance of ancient tradition, (religious) law, and customs
• Sophia - the pursuit of wisdom, understanding, and truth
• Sophrosune - the control of self through deep contemplation
• Xenia - adherence to hospitality and the guest-host relationship

I like these pillars. I have my own, and there are only four:

• Eusebeia
• Katharmos: the act of being ritually clean
• Kharis: the act of giving to the Gods so They might give something in return
• Xenia

Our pillars match up well; I group Ethike Arete, Nomos Arkhaios and Eusebia under Eusebia, call Hagneia Katharmos and distinguish Kharis from Eusebia. The only thing my pillars don't seem to cover are Sophia and Sophrosune. As these are all encourage in the ethical system of Hellenismos, I felt no need to. They are grouped under Eusebeia as well.

Alexander's pillars are clearer than mine, I think, and this is why I wanted to share them with you. Now, Alexander is not the be all and end all of Hellenismos. He has his own opinions, which I largely agree with, but there are a lot of other voices in Hellenismos, who speak a lot of truth to me as well. Hellenic Reconstruction is young and fluid. A lot of battles are still being fought. A lot of terms are still being defined. Any practitioner is encouraged to keep an open mind and to think for themselves.

Coming from a Wiccan or Neo-Wiccan framework, Hellenismos is hard to understand. The differences in religion, practice and study are huge. They would be with any recon Tradition.

I visited a semi-pagan festival over the weekend and had a good conversation with an Eclectic friend whom I love dearly. We found that the major differences were in religion. Within Hellenismos, you need to believe in the Gods. Not as archetypes, not as energy which takes on different facets to different groups of people, but as Gods with Their own personality, Their own influence on this world. Alexander's pillars focus on this a lot; anything you do, you do to be worthy enough to approach the Gods and you strive to be worthy enough to approach the Gods because They are divine beings who should be worshipped as They will rule your life, regardless.

Having pillars to hold on to is a fantastic tool for fledgeling practitioners. What they don't tell you, however, is the gravity you should place on each of the pillars. I doubt anyone distributes their practice equally between all pillars; you filter what is most important to you and practice the others in passing. This is why I have only four pillars, with one pillar containing most of Alexander's pillars. These are the pillars I have built my practice around.

Even if you're not Hellenic, you undoubtedly have your own pillars within your practice and/or worship. They can be anything; practicing divination, celebrating the Wheel of the Year, engaging in interfaith activities, sociopolitical activism; anything, really. These pillars are the basis of your faith and they matter. I feel identifying your own pillars is important for any Pagan, regardless of Tradition. If you have pillars you'd like to share, feel free. I would appreciate it. If not, I encourage you to at least give it a thought. You never know what you might learn about your practice.

• Tuesday, August 7, 2012
  athike arete eusebia hagneia Hellenismos 101 katharmos kharis nomos arkhaios sophia sophrosune Timothy Jay Alexander Xenia