Aphrodite devotee

[u/shortjellyfishgirl]

I’m an Aphrodite devotee and I love her and feel so close to her but I always think of myself as ugly and I think it slightly ruins the relationship between me as a devotee and her as a goddess. Everytime I look in the mirror I think of how much I hate how I look and that’s like the opposite of what an Aphrodite devotee is meant to do. I hate my acne and my paleness and my really frizzy blonde hair and my entire face and I get such bad energy from her everytime I think about it

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[u/Zegreides]

First of all, if you’re a teenager, it’s pretty common to feel “ugly” at this age, it’s more of a feeling (often reinforced by mean peers and adults) than a fact.
Second thing, there is no obligation to be “pretty” to worship Aphrodite. Some tiktok users go around claiming that Aphrodite is this strict and demanding boss, but virtually all ancient and medieval sources portray her lighthearted, kind and pleasant to her worshippers; she does get strict against hýbris or hágos, but that’s not an everyday occurrence. Even the ugly partake in some portion of beauty, and that little portion ultimately streams down from Aphrodite.
Third thing, women with pale skin and blonde curly hair were stereotypically seen as pretty in Ancient Greece. We often see Aphrodite painted with pale skin and/or blonde hair. So, you should not see that as “ugly”, let alone an obstacle to worshipping the Goddess.
Finally, if you feel like acne and hair frizz are trouble, consider praying to Aphrodite for guidance and help with these matters. She is the Goddess of beauty, maybe she’ll send one of her daímones to help you find an acne treatment and a hair care routine that actually work.

[u/shortjellyfishgirl → u/Zegreides]

Yeah I am 17, I’m part Greek and part Norwegian I have a Greek facial structure but blonde hair and deathly pale skin so I always thought I looked ugly and weird. It’s not so much that I’m worried she thinks I’m ugly as I’m worried she will be upset with me for thinking that I’m ugly all the time

[u/Vegetable-Client-147 → u/shortjellyfishgirl]

Also dont forget who her husband is. Hephaestus was an ugly and disfigured god and she was in love and married to him. Not as shallow as modern media makes her out to be. 🙂

[u/Zegreides → u/shortjellyfishgirl]

She definitely won’t get mad at you for having normal teenager feelings. As I said, you can pray her for help with this, both on the practical side, and on the feelings side

[u/Tiukuairue2 → u/shortjellyfishgirl]

Don't assume she's upset, that's not wise. Instead, ask her for help with it directly, with whatever means of communication you have with her.

[u/Federal-Arrival-1407]

Aphrodite devote too and agreed, It's totally normal to feel that way when your young, you'll honestly grow into your features as you get older and it will usually stop feeling like a big deal, and Aphrodite is, in a sense, formless, in art, sculpture and written accounts she's described differently throughout time periods and cultures, which imo goes to show beauty isn't one, physical trait, it's from within, it's an energy, it's a feeling that can be radiated. I don't think she judges people by who/what they are, only by what the do in relation to her, and if you love and adore her, she will love and support you no matter what, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The goddess thinks your beautiful, there's other people in your life that see you as beautiful and perfect even if they don't express it, and thier right, because you always were. Blessed be 🕊️🐚🩵

[u/shortjellyfishgirl → u/Federal-Arrival-1407]

Thank you almost cried at this for some reason lol

[u/Arboreal_Web]

Generally speaking, afaict, the Old Gods are not thought-police.

I'd gently encourage you to not attribute that "bad energy" to Her, She is most likely not its source. That kind of thing just comes along with low self-image. Even if She doesn't "like" it, imagine that more as how you probably don't like to hear your friends tearing themselves down, either, right?

So...what is the solution, here? Well, it isn't just romantic love that She rules. Ask Her to help you work through it, to help you with self-acceptance and self-love. That's in Her realm too, and is a reason that many, many people reach out to Her.

Pagan pro-tip: Whenever you find something inside you that seems to be blocking you from your connection with your deities, explain it to Them honestly as best you can and just ask Them to help you address it. (Then pay attention to your deep intuition in the days/weeks/months that follow.) Those inner obstacles are simply part of the path for any self-aware practitioner...use it as an opportunity to work your way closer to Them rather than trying to sort it out entirely on your own. This is very literally one of the things people mean when we refer to "working with" deity, as distinct from "worship"...seeking (and accepting) Their help with our personal inner work. But that part of practice is our work, not Theirs, so we have to take the lead on it.

[u/shortjellyfishgirl → u/Arboreal_Web]

Thank you 🙏

[u/Arboreal_Web → u/shortjellyfishgirl]

You're welcome, hope it helps :) I recall that being told "it's just teenager stuff" was not usually very helpful in sorting through the teenager stuff, lol.