The Modern Maenad: Get to know me

Hello Lovelies! 

This is my very first blog post and I'm really excited. As many of you noticed, I've just opened up my instagram (@modern_maenad04) just a few days ago and only made my first post two days ago. I chose the name The Modern Maenad because Maenads were fierce and devoted women who followed Dionysus. The name reflects my journey in bringing that spirit into the modern world with a passion.

In this blog, I'll mostly be writing about Hellenic Polytheism and Hinduism, but I may write about other pagan faiths from around the world.

Greek mythology is something that has always fascinated me since I was a child. I remember checking out a bunch of books regarding the gods and goddesses from my school. I wasn't aware there people still practicing Hellenic Polytheism until a few years ago. I was told that many pagan faiths of the world were now dead due to the spread of Christianity and Islam. I'll be honest, my first exposure to the religion was through TikTok. I'm well aware that not all of the information on the platform is accurate. I'm still very new to all this and I am doing my own research.

I come from a Hindu background and I am South Indian. I have struggled with my faith when I was younger and did become atheist for a bit. Regardless, I volunteered at my local temple for service hours back in high school. 

That changed something.

For the first time, I felt the presence of gods. It brought in a quiet kind of fulfillment. However, there was still something deep inside of me over the years that felt...incomplete. Like there was something else out there that was also calling to me.

That's when I began to feel drawn to the Greek gods.

My first connection was with Goddess Aphrodite. She does seem to be a classic and popular goddess among newcomers in the faith. However, I felt that my interest in Dionysus was growing stronger and stronger. 

I've noticed that my prayers to the Greeks gods brought me a sense of contentment. A lot of my prayers were being answered. I do mainly pray to Dionysus, but I am starting to incorporate the other gods as well.

While I have grown devoted to Dionysus and other Greek gods, I want to make it clear that I still honor and respect my original Hindu faith. It is a part of who I am, and I don't plan on completely giving it up as of now. Hinduism shaped the way I understand divinity. Like how the gods can be near, personal, vast, and powerful. This foundation helped me approach the Hellenic gods with openness rather than fear.

For me, this path isn't about replacing one faith with another. It is about exploring what really calls to me. I embrace the many ways the divine shows up in my life, allowing space for both traditions to live in me without conflict.