It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

So, this is late. I really wanted to get this posted on the Kalends but life got in the way, and, well, y’all know the rest. December has always been one of my favorite months; and I’m quite pleased that it’s finally arrived. Anyway, many Roman holidays occur during December, including my favorite, Saturnalia. To be precise there were exactly 12 festivals celebrated during December:

• The Rites of the Bona Dea (Dec. 4th)
• Faunalia, in honor of Faunus (Dec. 5th)
• Agonalia, in honor of Sol Indiges (Dec. 11th)
• Consualia, in honor of Consus (Dec. 15)
• Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn (Dec. 16th-23rd)
• Eponalia, in honor of Epona (Dec. 18th)
• Opalia, in honor of Opis (Dec. 19th)
• Divalia, in honor of Angerona (Dec. 21st)
• Bruma, in celebration of the Solstice (Dec. 21st)
• Larentalia, in honor of the Dea Tacita (Dec. 23rd)
• Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, in honor of Sol Invictus (Dec. 25th)
• Brumalia, in honor of Bacchus (Dec. 25th)

The ones I celebrate are highlighted. I missed celebrating both the Kalends and Faunalia, so I’m going to do something for the Agonalia today. I’m not entirely sure what; probably just write a poem or the like. As for the others I’ll have to look at what was done on those days and reconstruct as best I can. But what I’m trying to get at here is that even pagan religions have holidays during this time, and that we shouldn’t be bitching about “the Christian/Christmas hype” that occurs especially during this month because we can do it too. And in the long run it really isn’t important what the Christians do anyway. We pagans (and my own Graeco-Roman community in particular) are a lively and, for the most part, amiable group of people who can do just fine with our own thing.

In conclusion to this short and rather unfocused post, I wish all of you a Joyous Festive Season and hope to be back writing something soon.

Poetic Nonsense

O Lost and Lonely,
the Conqueror went,
Wand’ring through the Endless sands.
Trudging through the aerid wastes,
as the forlorn Gods demand.
And so he wonders, whisp’ring of bees,
Has he conquered Ra?
Or has Ra conquered he?

 

Sỳn Athēnâi kaì kheîra kinei

So, with Fortuna’s blessings, it all went well. Kinda. There was a certain man whose pomposity and foolish arrogance marred the little meeting for me. I will elaborate later but I just felt like I needed to say something. On second thought, maybe it was Atrox Fortuna.

Pémpe dé min Lykíēnde, póren d’ hó ge sḗmata lygrà

grápsas en pínaki ptyktôi thȳmophthóra pollá.

Cacoethes Scribendi (Editio Princeps)

So, I’m introducing a new ‘feature’ called Cacoethes Scribendi. Cacoethes Scribendi means an insatiable urge to write, and will be my version of the House of Vines’ Miscellanea. It will include any variety of things that may cross my mind at the moment of writing: personal things, updates, thoughts, and other things. Things. Lots of things.

First, personal things. Tomorrow, my local philosophical/pagan group Theologica Symposium is meeting for it’s debut. I’m attending. And it unnerves me.  Those who may have corresponded me over the vast and sprawling corners of the Instant Neurological Thought Expressing Reality Neverending Everlasting Tubes/INTERNET (don’t judge me) may be surprised, but I can be fairly shy in person. For it seems, atleast to me, that other people have so much knowledge. I can, if I wish, quote Caesar and Cicero. But when it comes to knowing and debate, what could I bring to the fore? It is questions such as those worry me.

Also, my Xbox 360 is broken. Yes, it is quite a trivial matter; but that is sometimes the point, neh? I tried everything I could short of offering incense to the numa of the Xbox and the only reason I didn’t do that is because my good Tibetan incense is locked in the car and the occasion calls for something more than Nag Champa. Fhew, long sentence. Not that I’m disparaging NC’s good name, or implying that I’m offering sub-par material to the gods (far  too infrequently), but I really wanted and still want the problem solved and thought something special should be called for. So I’m hoping that it I put the matter in more otherworldy hands, it can be fixed.

The final piece of personal drivel I’m going to trot out to  you is that I am partaking in the annual Thirty Days and Nights of Literary Abandon known as NanoWriMo. I’m at 3,000 words where I’m supposed to be at 18,000 and I’m feeling rather shitty about it. Should make more progress this weekend, though.

Onwards to speak of more celestial matters. I have been thinking on the nature of the Gods, and have been reading Cicero’s work on the matter; my favorite quote from it so far being:

In the question now before us, the greater part of mankind have united to acknowledge that which is most probable, and which we are all by nature led to suppose, namely, that there are Gods.

And I’m quite sure that there is better content, but I’m still reading. Based on my own incoherent thoughts so far, I can say this: the Gods, or, more correctly, the “big gods” are ab aeterno, or from the everlasting. They originated before time, if they could even be said to have originated in the first place. All the spirits and minor deities emanated and are a part of all the individual energies of creation and the various things in creation. Deities support themselves via a force I like to call Via. Via and correct Orthopraxy sustain the gods, whilst the mere rhythms of the Earth maintain the spirits, Lares, and Penates.

I suppose that that sounds rather Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett-esque, but since the whole belief=power thing has always resonated with me theologically speaking, I don’t mind. Too much commas in this post. Argh. Anyway, another theological question has occurred to me. Why would the gods allow themselves to decrease in worship? A question to ponder. And three quotes and a hymn with which to end this monstrosity:

There are many things in philosophy, my dear Brutus

-Cicero

—

‘What the deuce is it to me?’ he interrupted impatiently; “You say we go around the Sun. If we went round the Moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or my work.

-Sherlock Holmes

—

I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.

-François-Anatole Thibault

—

Ave Fortuna,

The times, the mortals,  we are all struggling,

Scraping in the dark.

Tomorrow, we try to light a flame,

Shower your blessings on our venture.

—

Dixi

A Hallowe’en Gallery

“When he has sacrificed an ox he nails up its skull facing his front door and wreathes it with large garlands, so that people coming in will see that he’s sacrificed an ox.” - Theophrastos, Characters 21.7

“And whoever consults seers or seeresses, that is pythonesses, through whom devils make reply, who goes to question them and believes what they say, or goes to listen to them attentively in order to hear anything from demons – he is not Christian but a Pagan.” - Homilia de sacrilegiis 5

“Dances and leapings and circuses and vile, lewd songs and diabolical pranks are not to be performed either in the roads or houses or in any other place because they are left over from Pagan custom.” – Capitula Vesulensia 22

“Peace, peace! he is not dead, he doth not sleep — He hath awakened from the dream of life — ‘Tis we, who lost in stormy visions, keep With phantoms an unprofitable strife.” -Percy Shelley, Adonaïs: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, Author of Endymion, Hyperion, etc.

“Many of the demons driven from heaven preside over the sea, rivers, springs or the woods; men who do not know god honor them and sacrifice to them as though they were gods.” – Martin of Braga, De correctione rusticorum 8

“Some kinds of associations seem to be formed for the purpose of enjoyment, such as thiasoi devoted to religious revels and eranoi devoted to feasting; these exist for the sake of sacrifices and fellowship: they hold their sacrifices and meetings, portioning out honors to the gods and providing themselves with pleasurable refreshment. In ancient times, for instance, sacrifices and meetings were held as a kind of first-fruits following the gathering of the crops, since they had the most leisure at those seasons.” – Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics 8.1160a

“Some believe that the souls of the dead can see other things that happen, not merely the present but the past and future as well, when it is needful either for them or for us. But the truth is that not all the dead can see what happens here, just as not everyone, except for prophets, foresees all things in this world.” – St. Jerome, as quoted in Collectio Hibernensis 49.13-14

“I do not see before the gates the basin for hand-washing which is customary at the doors of those who have died.” - Euripides, Alkestis 97-99

“As concerns any person entering this tomb, having eaten something abominable to the spirits and having slept with a woman, I shall have him judged before the tribunal of the dead before the great god.” – Mastaba of Hesi

“But not satisfied with living in my house, they even buried corpses there without paying the fines incumbent on them, and this although the house lies on the road of Hera and Demeter the very great goddesses, to whom dead bodies and those who care for such are unlawful.” – UPZ 2.162

Dis Invictus

Dis takes all.

Scoops ‘em up like innanet

Dey come back

Back ‘fo dey foods

We give ‘em foods

and sum smoke sweet smellin’

Caus’ Dis takes all

But we’s can wel’cum ‘em back

Prayer for the Manes

O Manes most Holy,

Emissaries of Death, please give us your blessings,

And cleanse us of sins.

Weigh not us down with heavy burden, but fill our hearts with light.

Happy Hallowe’en!

Thou hast Conquered?

Not as long as cultores and other pagans draw breath. It is deeply horrifying and saddening to learn of the recent attack on the Temple to Iuppiter Perennus located in Poltava, Ukraine and the injury of the Flamen Dialis Marcus Corvus as he attempted to defend the high altar. However, it is sadly unsurprising. Although the Religio was of course subject to many attacks during Late Roman and Early Byzantine times we have been blessed enough to be able to continue our worship here in modern times without the struggles of other faiths.

That has changed. I do not foresee any sweeping edicts against the Religio as has been the case with Hellenismos in Greece, but we should all be on guard for any similar events occurring. Even within the United States, there are groups such as the New Apostolic Reformation and the DC40 movement which seek to deny all pagans their right to worship; and within other nations pagan clergymen cannot even preform rites for fear of punishment.

Such things must stop and stop now. Spread the word about events such as the recent desecration and about such odious groups like the DC40 movement. Do all that and in the meantime have faith that the Gods will see us through such trials by fire to emerge stronger at the other end. To do my humble bit, I offer the following prayer:

Victory

Gods, hear your followers cry out

For sweet salvation

And lift them up and deliver them

From the torments that may be

Be thou our swords and shields

Against this unkind Sea

And set forth a path laid with marble

To the Temple of Victory

Hymns and Poems to the Heroes and Gods

I‘ve found myself feeling crappy about my worship lately. Even though I’ve been offering incense and a libation every evening; the fact that I’m not adhering to  a reconstructionist ritual format due to perceived time constraints bothers me. In an effort to assuage my guilt and try to make up for my sins, I present the following:

 

παλαιός λίθος

Old stone.

That’s what these men, what they think we are

Old stone

Men of now, they think they are so clever

So clever

So clever that they have beaten us

Reduced to a conversation piece

They gawk

For still, our very images set alight

Something they don’t know

And don’t wish to know

For, how can they live,

Knowing that they

Were wrong

That we are far more than just old stone

Tales told by the foolish and the weak

For if we were still here

What would that mean

For them

And all that they have built and written

Insulting their ancestors

and Us

It would mean, or so they reason

That they have lived a lie

For if we were there

What would we do

But some, the bravest of them all

Begin to sing our songs again

They have poured us our libations

And have begun to speak the ancient words

Arise have we

From our solemn thrones

and

Upon them

Our blessings

We’ve bestowed

ᾄδω γῆ

Sweet rich Earth

And Honey dribbling upon a maiden’s face

Blood-thick wine

And boughs of Green

And a

Grinning face of heat and Madness

Screams of pain and ecstasy

Frenzied tearing of the flesh

And dirt encrusted robes

Rolling, tearing in the moon-light

Beneath a Vine sweet grown

Dark green forests and

Rich, sweet Earth

Sing  Mainádes, for your God

And decry the Holy’s birth

Ave Divvs Ivlivus

Ave Divus Iulius

Praise be upon you,

Venusian Seed

Savior of Man.

Ave Divus Iulius

Brightest Star,

You are Worshiped.

Hail Divus Iulius!

Hail to the Brightest God,

Protect your Humble supplicants,

Shower your Fortune upon All.

Ave Divus Iulius

Protect our Hearth and Home

Protect our dignity,

As you did before all Rome!

[Will be Updated]

The Divus Iulius Felix and the Divus Iulius Pater

I’ve been thinking lately, and I realize that I worship the Divus Iulius not as a single defined god, but as a god in two aspects; much like the aspects of Antinous (which got me thinking on the subject in the first place).

Those aspects are the Divus Iulius Felix and the Divus Iulius Pater respectively. Within my sacra privata, I honor Divus Iulius in his aspect of “Felix” to the exclusion of almost any other aspect. I ask him for help in almost everything I do, from a coin-toss to my more irrational fear of being alone. He is my crutch and my aide, without whom I wouldn’t feel nearly as safe and lucky as I currently do.

However, his role as Divus Iulius Pater is also important to me. Although I like to think that the two aspects work in tandem (and they do. I’d like to remind my non-existent readers that I still think that the Noble Julius is a single deity; just not fully whole), because to my mind, an essential part of the protection that the Divus Iulius Pater provides is the luck that there won’t be anything to protect me from. However, I can be a very paranoid person, and my fear of home invasion can border on the crippling, so his protection is very much appreciated.  His protection does not merely extend into the personal sphere however, he also protects Tradition, the Nation, and other things I find important.

I would also like to point out that since I began my cultus what-seems-like-forever-ago, I’ve been the luckiest I’ve ever been. The Gods give us little blessings and those are what we live for.

Hail Divus Iulius Pater!

Hail Divus Iulius Felix!

 

Vale et Valete bene!

By all the Gods in Heaven…

and on Earth. It has been far too long since I posted here; but a great deal has transpired in my absence. When I last posted, I had no set path or religion beyond maintaining the cultus of the Divus Iulius. Now, I identify as a cultor of the Religio Romana with a full-time Lararium and a fine network of friends and acquaintances within Nova Roma; of which I am a probationary citizen. I am very glad for this transition, which I probably should have made a very long time ago.  Don’t have anything interesting to say, just posting to prove that I can, in order to pick up the pace at some point.

Call for Submissions!

Call of Submissions for a devotional anthology:

• The working title of the book is: Whispers for the Dead: An Anthology for the Honored Heroes
• Whispers for the Dead is dedicated to all the honored and deified heroes of today and the past. Many a hero has languished in obscurity, and we feel that it is time to honor them once-more.
• Most anything is accepted. Essays on deified men such as Alexander and Lysander, hymns in their honor, descriptions of rituals and festivals you hold to honor them, etc. Not only the long dead can be honored however; divine mortals such as Jim Morrison and George Washington can also be included.
• Word length can be 8.000 words maximum; those who wish to submit longer pieces can contact me individually.
• Deadline for submissions is July 13th 2012.
• Submit submissions and related inquiries to: ethan4cardinal@aol.com
• The format in which contributions can be sent is either a Word attachment, a link, or within the body of the message itself.
• Let this be a reminder for prospective contributors that you will not be paid for your contribution; although a copy of the devotional will be sent to you if requested.

• A reminder that I’m only asking for one-time publishing rights, and that you will retain all rights to your piece and can use it as you will after this publication
• A reminder to contributors that I’ll need your legal names and addresses for purposes of sending the release form.