The Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes (, ), commonly referred to by its acronym YSEE, is a non-profit Hellenic organisation established in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

in 1997. Its primary goal is the protection and restoration of the

Hellenic ethnic religion Hellenism () in a religious context refers to the modern pluralistic religion practiced in Greece and around the world by several communities derived from the Ancient Greek religion, beliefs, Greek mythology, mythology, and rituals from anti ...

in contemporary Greek society. The group itself estimates that some 2,000 Greeks practice the Hellenic ethnic religion and another 50,000 have "some sort of interest". The followers of the Hellenic ethnic religion face varying degrees of

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

in Greece, which has an overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian population. One of YSEE's main goals is to obtain legal recognition for the Hellenic ethnic religion. YSEE is a founding member of the

European Congress of Ethnic Religions European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER) is an organisation for cooperation among associations that promote the ethnic religions of Europe.European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

's action program to combat discrimination. In 2017, the YSEE accomplished one of their goals and the Hellenic religion received legal status and was instated the "known religion" status from Greece.

Principles

The gods have emerged from the “True Being” as a simple multiplication of itself into separate entities, and for this reason, they retain all its qualities, which are immortality, infinity, and knowledge. The mission of the gods is the establishment and maintenance of the unity and the order of the Cosmos. Thus the true gods are perfect beings that impose order and possess immortality and knowledge. They infuse the world without any obstructions by acting on it. They are subject to the natural laws that they serve, and they partake in the eternal rebirth and continuous synthesis and decomposition of the forms. As to their nature, the true and natural gods are perfect, virtuous, immortal, unchangeable, infinite, just, all-wise, eternal, non-personal, unifying, ethereal and permeate all matter.

Practices

Altars

The Hellenic Ethnic Religion performs its ritual on altars and hearths, depending on the nature of the deities worshipped at the time. For the Olympian gods, altars are used, which are sanctified surfaces raised above the ground. For chthonic deities and ancestral spirits, they use hearths, which are sanctified surfaces on the ground or in pits. In Hellenic Ethnic Religion, the altar is the most sacred point, the abode of a deity, “where the altars are, that is where the gods are." Because of their nature the altars are points of refuge (asylum), and whoever touches them is considered invulnerable, as if they were “holding the hand of the gods”.

Statues

The only thing that can be equated in holiness with the altar for Hellenes is the sacred statue (Greek: Άγαλμα). A statue is every sculpted or other (even natural) pleasing form which is defined as the icon or symbol of the deity. Either natural, (for example, unworked stones, meteorite etc.) or worked by human hand (sculpted or cast) and of any material (marble, wood, common or precious metal, clay, etc.) for a statue to be “raised” to devotional it must first be sanctified in a special ritual. After the sanctification which is also called “opening of the eyes”, the statue is now the abode of divinity, like the altar, and thus it requires respectful handling.Hellenic Council YSEE of America. (2018). Hellenic Ethnic Religion: Theology and Practice.

Outside of Greece

In 2007, members of YSEE in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

founded the Hellenic Council YSEE of America which is now a recognized non-for profit organization based in Astoria, a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

neighborhood with a large Greek-American community.

Notes

External links

YSEE homepageHellenic Council YSEE of America homepageYSEE's priesthood HomepageMSNBC clips featuring YSEE membersWojciech Jan Rudny interviews YSEE on behalf of the polish «GNIAZDO» magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Supreme Council Of Ethnic Hellenes 1997 establishments in Greece Modern pagan organizations established in 1997 Modern pagan organisations based in Greece