ATHENS, GR – ATHENS – During the June solstice, the indigenous religions of the Mediterranean convened in Athens, Greece, for a conference organized by the Hellenic-Roman Association (HRA). During the Mediterraneum 2024 conference, Greek correspondent, Elyse Welles, had the pleasure of meeting Elena Petri, the High Priestess of the Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (YSEE), to learn more about what happened behind the scenes to make this conference possible.
ELYSE WELLES: Thank you for taking the time out of this busy weekend to speak with me. How did the idea of a pan-Mediterranean conference come about? How many years have you been doing it?
ELENA PETRI: “After a multi-year route of contacts between the official bodies and collectives of the Ethnic Religions in Italy and Greece, the Pietas Comunità Gentile and the Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (YSEE), recognizing their common qualities and goals, deemed it necessary to establish the Hellenic-Roman Association “Mediterraneum,” which was announced on July 7, 2023.
Shortly thereafter, on October 23, 2023, the Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes of Cyprus (YSEE Cyprus) officially joined the Association as a full and equal member. One of the main activities of the Hellenic-Roman Union “Mediterraneum” is the organization of a conference during which issues concerning the rights of indigenous religions and the discrimination they face due to religion in daily life will be discussed.
EW: How are seminars and speakers chosen? What sorts of topics are being shared this year?
EP: Regarding the workshops that took place, we thought that for the first conference, it would be good to provide an introduction to both Greek and Roman religions. George Lizos, a Priest of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion and author of the excellent book “Secrets of Greek Mysticism,” which was published a few months ago, discussed Greek theology and then presented the annual worship cycle of the Greek Religion. Giuseppe Barbera, who is the Pontifex Maximus of the Roman Religion, presented the main deities of the Roman Religion and also referred to the moral teachings of the Delphic Maxims.
The main theme of the conference was entitled “The Necessity of Humanity’s Return to Ethnic Religions and Traditions.” The speakers, based on this main topic, focused on issues such as the impact of ethnic religions on European identity, the connection between the classical tradition and today, the recognition of sanctity towards Nature by ethnic religions as a fundamental component for the protection of the environment, the secularization of states as a condition for freedom and prosperity, the origins of violence in society, the return of humanity to the value system of ethnic religions, the influence of technology on traditions, and more.
Speakers at the conference included the heads of organizations and collaborators distinguished for their quality, as well as prominent spiritual figures from both Greece and abroad, such as Ram Vaidya, representative of the International Center for Cultural Studies (ICCS). Additionally, greetings were extended to the 1st Conference of the Hellenic-Roman Union “Mediterraneum” by Ugis Nastevics from Latvia, President of the European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER), Head of the Board of the Latvijas Dievturu Sadraudze; Argishti Shamiryan, Priest of the Armenian Religion, Temple of Garni; and Georgia Nomikos from the USA, founder of the PanLogos Foundation.
EW: Who is the audience for this conference? Is the conference geared towards beginners, or is it for advanced practitioners and leaders of their own communities to come together?
EP: All devout people are welcome to attend the conference, and participate in the rituals and symposiums with the aim of broadening their horizons, interacting, meeting, and discussing with people from other ethnic traditions. They are also encouraged to share concerns and experiences, as well as to co-organize the organization’s strategy on the key issue of the recognition of ethnic religions by local governments.
The conference was structured in such a way that both beginners and more advanced attendees could easily follow the workshops and lectures.
EW: What are some of the overarching goals of this conference?
EP: The goals of the conference are cooperation and mutual support for the promotion of requests to the institutional authorities of each state, the European Union, and other international institutional organizations. The joint coordination of every necessary action for the healthy promotion of the ethnic traditions of the Mediterranean. Incorporation of collectives (small or large groups, bodies, etc.) of similar quality that agree and align with the common purpose.
Support for those collectives that encounter difficulties in their public emergence and activity. Exchange of knowledge, information, and practices between ethnic traditions and religions.
Ritual at the Hellenic-Roman Association. Photo Credit: Elyse Welles
EW: There is often a misunderstanding in the West that if they visit Greece, they’ll see polytheist rituals still taking place just like in ancient times. However, as you know, we are the minority in Greece and as with any minority group, we are challenged by the mainstream. What are the biggest challenges being faced by the Hellenic polytheist community here in Greece?
EP: Certainly, there are misunderstandings and stereotypes about polytheistic religion. However, the continuous effort to provide the public with accurate information and images about the Hellenic Ethnic Religion is ongoing. The greatest challenge we face is the stereotypes we encounter when interacting with people who do not know us, who think we perform animal sacrifices and wear chitons. The main misunderstanding, however, concerns our name, where most people interpret the term Hellenic Ethnic Religion with political characteristics, which is not the case as it pertains to the cultural/religious interpretation of reality.
Although the Greek Orthodox Church has a strong influence on society and exerts pressure on the state mechanism, the challenges we face in our country are many. Christianity, with which most Greek children are raised at home and in school, has permeated their minds from childhood. Therefore, it is necessary for them to discover the true meaning of Hellenism, which proposes a different kind of person, and a different way of life. Here, we should make a parenthesis to explain that when we speak of Hellenism, we mean the polytheistic worldview, the tradition of our ancient ancestors, their philosophical views, the high-value system of Virtue (arete), the ethnic religion, and more. Hellenism is the solution to the impasses of modern society and does not pertain to outdated views and practices.
Another challenge for us is the recognition of a religious legal entity for the lawful body of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion. Although the Hellenic Ethnic Religion has been recognized as a known religion according to the law, due to the licensing and operation of a Temple in the center of Athens with this specific name, the Greek courts refuse to grant a religious legal entity to its lawful body. This would bring the Hellenic Ethnic Religion one step closer to full restoration. YSEE has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, and we believe that it will respond positively to our rightful request. However, regardless of the court’s decision, we are determined to continue.
Despite the obstacles, it is remarkable that there is an increase in the number of people turning to ethnic polytheistic religions in Greece, Europe, and other parts of the world. Polytheistic communities are continuously growing and developing.
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EW: What does the world need to know about indigenous polytheist Mediterranean religions and how it’s being practiced today?
EP: As with all natural religions, the ethnic religions of the Mediterranean are characterized by a polytheistic worldview. This means they understand that the creative cause is immanent, the True Being cannot exist without the multiplicity of Being, nothing can be created from nothing, but the Cosmos is eternal, self-emerging, and moves cyclically without beginning or end, with continuous cycles of fiery creation and destruction of its energy. The Gods have established the order of the Cosmos and set the natural laws that govern it. They guard its lawfulness and ensure the perpetual regeneration of the forms in the perceptible world.
Additionally, these religions are characterized by autochthony because they emerged simultaneously with the ethnos and developed alongside it. The ethnic religions of the Mediterranean are an organic part of their ethnos. They do not concern the personal belief of the individual but permeate and intersect every aspect of collective life (in more primitive tribes), and social and political life (in more advanced societies), and are closely interwoven with institutions. They do not have or need dogma but have the spiritual legacy of religious norms, which they consult for their priestly matters. These religious norms constitute a collective repository of knowledge accumulated over centuries of religious evolution and have been recorded in the cultural corpus of each nation, whether as myths, traditions, or rituals.
Because the religious norms of ethnic religions do not constitute dogma, they allow these religions to evolve when they perceive a new aspect of the divine being, which they then integrate into their tradition and rituals in an organic and fully functional manner.
They are distinguished by dynamism, adaptability to new conditions, and openness to new perspectives that arise. This flexibility makes them evolvable and compatible with the times.
They recognize the sacredness that permeates nature and consider that the divine resides in the surrounding natural world, which serves as the field of appearance for the gods and not merely a creation for humans to inhabit.
They respect plurality and diversity because individuality is sacred as it exists everywhere in nature. Multiplicity, variety, and difference are properties of nature that must be respected. The divinity manifests differently in each place due to geographical location, but each nation perceives it in its unique way.
In ethnic religions, divinity is perceived through Logos and the rational understanding of the Cosmos. Therefore, the more we expand our perceptual level through education, reflection, and philosophy, the closer mortals come to a fuller understanding of the nature of the gods and their influence on the perceptible world. The result of this rational approach to the divine allowed the Hellenic Ethnic Religion to conceive the notion of Humanism, which appeals to intelligent and cultivated individuals with a broad perceptual field, free of religious stereotypes and prejudices, to those who innately possess Virtues and align their lives according to them.
Hymnology in the sacred rituals of ethnic religions is a necessary and important part of the ceremony, along with sacrificial practice. Hymns hold a central place in rituals as they are the primary means by which communication between the human and the divine is achieved. Due to their perfection, the gods do not need praise, hymns, and offerings, yet they “rejoice” when rational beings invoke them and recognize through sacrificial acts that the gods are the causal principle for the preservation and evolution of life and the Order of the manifest perceptible world.
The purpose of worship practices is to partake in the Beauty and Truth of the Gods. Through hymns, respect and acceptance of the boundless energy of the divine beings that permeate the manifest world are naturally expressed, rendering it both functional and sacred. The polytheistic worldview recognizes sacredness everywhere in Nature without confining it strictly to specific symbols or trapping it within delineated areas. Whether they gaze at the sky or touch the sacred soil of Gaia, the followers are moved by the same emotion. They feel the need to praise the grandeur of the Gods with pride and dignity, free from restraint, fear, and base emotions.
Through the sacred words of worship songs, they invite the gods as a sign of honor and gratitude, express their admiration for their life-giving energy, and finally, invoke their generosity, asking for health, prosperity, and the continuous provision of goods. The followers are co-players with the gods and are potentially capable of rising to a level where they could converse with them and imitate them, as humanly possible, during their ephemeral life.
EW: Wow. Thank you for the depth and breadth of this thoughtful answer. That is powerful. Where do you see the future of Hellenic polytheism heading? Is the community growing, splitting, or changing from when it first began?
EP: Hellenic polytheism, also known as the Hellenic Ethnic Religion or Hellenism, has shown an interesting upward trend in recent years. The community is growing, attracting more and more young people. At the same time, it is experiencing internal differentiations and changes, which is not necessarily negative as it serves as a regulatory factor to ensure the quality and cohesion of the community. The trajectory will be determined by quality, not quantity.
Technology and the internet have contributed to the increased interest and have enhanced communication and interaction among polytheists and their communities.
Information about the next conference can be found at Mediterraneum and the Hellenic Roman Association’s next conference is expected in 2027. To learn more about the Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes, visit their website.
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