When I tell people I’m a practicing priest to the Greek gods and goddesses, the typical response I get is, “Oh wow, I love Greek mythology!” 

While I appreciate people’s enthusiasm, this statement is also quite triggering to me, because the Ancient Greek religion and spirituality, as well as the essence of the gods and goddesses, are vastly different from Greek mythology. 

Here’s the gist of it: 

Greek religion or theology is the study of the gods and religious practices, while mythology is an allegorical collection of stories that draw from theology in an effort to communicate the gods’ qualities in both an educational and entertaining way. In other words, mythology draws from theology, but theology doesn’t draw from mythology. Therefore, the myths are subject to symbolic interpretation and deliberation, and are not to be taken literally. 

Often, the myths were created by deeply spiritual and religious people in an effort to convey multilayered meanings and messages from the gods. Certain information in the myths could be understood by everyone, while high-level concepts could be interpreted only by those who studied the nature of the gods and the Universe, such as the students of mystery schools. 

Makes sense, right? 

One of the main reasons I wrote Secrets of Greek Mysticism was because I was tired of reading books about Greek religion only to realize they really talked about mythology.  

In my second podcast episode in my Greek gods and goddesses series, I share the distinctions and similarities between Greek mythology and religion. 

Specifically, in this episode you’ll learn: 

• How to analyze the symbolism in myths. 
• Why you should take Greek myths with a pinch of salt. 
• The difference between the gods in myths and religion. 
• The Greek gods’ and goddesses’ virtues. 

Click here to listen to the episode and learn the differences between Greek myths and spirituality.