Hello...

Hello, my name is Eirene, and I now consider myself a follower of the Greek aboriginal religion.

I have investigated many different paths throughout my life (encouraged by my multi-faith parents), and spent many years as a Hindu, studying under a "guru". It was on the death of said guru that I realised the religion held little comfort for me in the face of grief. After trying many more religions and faiths, I realised that I was unable to truly connect to any of them.

It was several years ago that my brother and father were tracing our genealogy (my paternal grandfather's line is Greek), that I began to become intrigued by the ancestral religions present in the line. Stories from Greek mythology that I had been avidly enamoured with as a child came to mind, and, as I was in University studying Classics at the time, I decided to "give it a go".

I have since struggled with dedicating myself to a seemingly dead religion. I find it difficult to keep my practice "authentic", and so I still search for alternatives, but I each time I stray, I find myself returning. This religion feels more relevant to my life, and I believe I could remain with it long-term if I were better able to work out a suitable daily ritual (I have been conducting morning and evening prayers, and offering libations at every meal, but I feel as though this is not quite enough).

I have not searched for information on the internet up until now (I find much of it misleading and repulsive), but today searched "Hellenismos", out of curiosity, and I came across this forum. Perhaps you may be able to share your practices with me, that I may get a better idea of how to ensure it's "authenticity".

I will note that, while I have great respect and adoration for the "old gods", my interest in this came about mainly out of love for my ancestors, and I approach the religion as an ancestral one, so they need to be an integral part of my ritual.

Terribly sorry for the long introduction and thank you for any advice you may be able to offer!

Eirene.

Welcome — I hope you find what you are looking for here. We have several members around here who are very well versed, and the discussions and information you'll find here are of a high quality in comparison to much of the garbage floating around the Internet.

I have since struggled with dedicating myself to a seemingly dead religion. I find it difficult to keep my practice "authentic", and so I still search for alternatives, but I each time I stray, I find myself returning. This religion feels more relevant to my life, and I believe I could remain with it long-term if I were better able to work out a suitable daily ritual (I have been conducting morning and evening prayers, and offering libations at every meal, but I feel as though this is not quite enough).

It is not a dead religion. Not only are there the intellectual and philosophical continuity, there are a precious few lines of transmission from Greece itself that remain intact (many of which are part of the Orphic movement, though I believe my mystagogue has told me once that there are a few other living lines as well). It is absolutely possible to practice the religion authentically, and, honestly, it is really not so difficult at all.

As a side note, the simple 'public face' of Classical Graeco-Roman religion is a bit shallow, even the ancients evidently saw it this way. Really religious people, in our modern sense, would have been also members of any of several mystery/philosophical movements. Though most of these movements are truly dead, and the initiatory line of most of these has been lost long ago, there are a precious few surviving Mystery religions from Antiquity, and a few others that are attested sufficiently enough to be well studied and investigated.

There are a few posts in the Stickies up in the Beginners subforum about basic worship that may be of interest to you, and you can also certainly post your own questions, or address them through a personal message (though, due to the forum's mechanics, I believe it requires that you have a certain number of posts under your belt before it'll allow you to send PM's).

I have not searched for information on the internet up until now (I find much of it misleading and repulsive), but today searched "Hellenismos", out of curiosity, and I came across this forum. Perhaps you may be able to share your practices with me, that I may get a better idea of how to ensure it's "authenticity".

I will note that, while I have great respect and adoration for the "old gods", my interest in this came about mainly out of love for my ancestors, and I approach the religion as an ancestral one, so they need to be an integral part of my ritual.

Yes, much of what is on the Internet describing Classical religion is misleading and repulsive. That's absolutely true. It's refreshing that you realize this without having to have it explained. But, then again, you're a Classicist, so your knowledge of this and related subjects is much better, I imagine, than most of the rabble (I am myself also an academic Classicist.)  

It's perfectly proper to offer worship to one's ancestors — they are considered daemones, and are certainly worthy of the same worship paid to other minor divinities.

In Antiquity, Orphics seem to have been known for an almost excessive reverence for the dead, going so far as to request their intercession for the living, as well as for the recently dead, and even erecting small sacrificial altars to brethren considered especially saintly.

Welcome, again. And I hope you benefit from your time here.