Download your Living Hellenism Starter Kit at: https://georgelizos.com/livinghellenism

In this episode of Living Hellenism, co-hosts George Lizos and Elyse Welles explore Ares and Heracles through the themes of conflict, courage, bravery, purpose, and the heroic journey. They discuss Ares beyond his traditional image as the Greek god of war, exploring his deeper role as a god of conflict and the raw instinctive power that calls us to confront what can no longer be avoided. They also explore the ancient festival of Heraclea and Heracles’ journey from human hero to God, examining his trials as a spiritual path of developing virtue and evolving the soul.

George and Elyse also unpack the distinction between bravery and courage in ancient Greek philosophy, exploring bravery as the soul’s recognition of who we are and what we are called to do, and courage as the willingness to act on that calling. Through mythology, theology, seasonal practice, devotional reflection, and the relationship between Ares, Aphrodite, and harmony, this episode offers practical and spiritual ways to work with the energies of conflict, courage, purpose, and transformation while reflecting on your own heroic journey.

Get George's book Secrets of Greek Mysticism: https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1uPvr

Get Elyse's book Sacred Wild: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738779768

My podcast episode response to Styx and Bones: https://shows.acast.com/the-lit-up-lightworker-podcast/episodes/199-they-tried-to-silence-me-outsiders-policing-native-voice

About the Hosts:

George Lizos is a psychic healer and the first native ordained priest of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion in Cyprus. He's the creator of the Energy Work Membership, and a bestselling author of Secrets of Greek Mysticism, Protect Your Light, and Ancient Manifestation Secrets, translated into more than 10 languages. His work has been featured in Goop, National Geographic, Mind Body Green, The Sun, US Weekly, and he was named Spiritual Writer of the Year 2024 by Kindred Spirit Magazine. George is passionate about empowering spiritual seekers with energy tools and practices to help them manifest their purpose and create powerful change in the world.

Connect with George on Instagram and at https://georgelizos.com/

Elyse Welles is a native Greek priestess, author, and spiritual guide whose work explores the sacred landscapes and pre-Hellenic traditions of Greece. Rooted in her ancestral lineage from Arcadia and shaped by fieldwork across ancient sacred sites, she teaches Earth Temple Arts and practices connected to the spirits of the land, the Minoans, and the Mycenaeans. She is the author of Sacred Wild: An Invitation to Connect with Spirits of the Land and an initiated High Priestess in the Faery Tradition of witchcraft.

Connect with Elyse on Instagram and at https://www.elysewelles.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Download your Living Hellenism Starter Kit at: https://georgelizos.com/livinghellenism

In this bonus episode of Living Hellenism, George Lizos and Elyse Welles are joined by Kavit Shah, coordinator for the International Center for Cultural Studies Europe, to discuss the upcoming International Conference and Gathering of Elders in India. This global gathering brings together elders, practitioners, academics, policymakers, and young leaders from indigenous and ancestral traditions around the world to explore the theme “Ancestral Wisdom in Contemporary Challenges.” With delegates from more than 40 countries, the conference creates a space for living traditions to connect, support one another, and share wisdom for the modern world.

Together, they discuss the importance of indigenous religions, cultural appreciation, spiritual leadership, sacred community, land-based wisdom, and the role of younger generations in carrying ancestral traditions forward. The conversation explores how Hellenic polytheism fits within a wider global family of living spiritual traditions, why these traditions matter in an age of rapid technological and social change, and how gathering in ritual, dialogue, ceremony, and shared experience can help revive and strengthen ancient ways of relating to the land, the divine, and each other.

Get George's book Secrets of Greek Mysticism: https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1uPvr

Get Elyse's book Sacred Wild: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738779768

Register for the 9th Triennial International Conference & Gathering of Elders: https://www.iccsglobal.org/

About the Hosts:

George Lizos is a psychic healer and the first native ordained priest of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion in Cyprus. He's the creator of the Energy Work Membership, and a bestselling author of Secrets of Greek Mysticism, Protect Your Light, and Ancient Manifestation Secrets, translated into more than 10 languages. His work has been featured in Goop, National Geographic, Mind Body Green, The Sun, US Weekly, and he was named Spiritual Writer of the Year 2024 by Kindred Spirit Magazine. George is passionate about empowering spiritual seekers with energy tools and practices to help them manifest their purpose and create powerful change in the world.

Connect with George on Instagram and at https://georgelizos.com/

Elyse Welles is a native Greek priestess, author, and spiritual guide whose work explores the sacred landscapes and pre-Hellenic traditions of Greece. Rooted in her ancestral lineage from Arcadia and shaped by fieldwork across ancient sacred sites, she teaches Earth Temple Arts and practices connected to the spirits of the land, the Minoans, and the Mycenaeans. She is the author of Sacred Wild: An Invitation to Connect with Spirits of the Land and an initiated High Priestess in the Faery Tradition of witchcraft.

Connect with Elyse on Instagram and at https://www.elysewelles.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Download your Living Hellenism Starter Kit at: https://georgelizos.com/livinghellenism

In this episode of Living Hellenism, co-hosts George Lizos and Elyse Welles explore the autumn equinox in Hellenic polytheism through the descent of Persephone, the spiritual symbolism of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and the shift into the darker half of the year. They discuss how this season invites reflection, release, inner growth, and a deeper relationship with the cycles of nature, while also exploring the newly created Cypriot festival of Persephonia as part of a living, evolving Hellenic tradition.

George and Elyse also dive into Hephaestus as the god of September, revealing him beyond the myths as the Greek god of sacred fire, craft, creativity, technology, discipline, and resourcefulness. Through mythology, theology, seasonal practice, sacred herbs, devotional reflection, and the Orphic Hymn to Hephaestus, this episode offers practical and spiritual ways to honor Persephone, Hephaestus, and the mysteries of transformation at the autumn equinox.

Get George's book Secrets of Greek Mysticism: https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1uPvr

Get Elyse's book Sacred Wild: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738779768

About the Hosts:

George Lizos is a psychic healer and the first native ordained priest of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion in Cyprus. He's the creator of the Energy Work Membership, and a bestselling author of Secrets of Greek Mysticism, Protect Your Light, and Ancient Manifestation Secrets, translated into more than 10 languages. His work has been featured in Goop, National Geographic, Mind Body Green, The Sun, US Weekly, and he was named Spiritual Writer of the Year 2024 by Kindred Spirit Magazine. George is passionate about empowering spiritual seekers with energy tools and practices to help them manifest their purpose and create powerful change in the world.

Connect with George on Instagram and at https://georgelizos.com/

Elyse Welles is a native Greek priestess, author, and spiritual guide whose work explores the sacred landscapes and pre-Hellenic traditions of Greece. Rooted in her ancestral lineage from Arcadia and shaped by fieldwork across ancient sacred sites, she teaches Earth Temple Arts and practices connected to the spirits of the land, the Minoans, and the Mycenaeans. She is the author of Sacred Wild: An Invitation to Connect with Spirits of the Land and an initiated High Priestess in the Faery Tradition of witchcraft.

Connect with Elyse on Instagram and at https://www.elysewelles.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.