Quietly, quietly, whispered the nymphai with their hands and lips and soft, soft smiles. Come quickly, but come quietly.

Their winged words reached my ears, and fell over my skin as shimmering stars. I plucked a heart from the air and held it to my chest, let the blood drip.

My skin yearned for the explosion; my breasts ached with unfulfilled need. The nymphai danced silently ahead, writhing in wild ecstasy.

Lions roamed at their feet, and bared their teeth when I walked closer. So I danced: I became one of them, throwing back my head, spinning round and round.

I felt his eyes on me, anciently hungry, and I danced faster. I became a rabbit, darting here and there, and when the leopard came I jumped into his jaws.

I opened my eyes. Sweat covered my skin. My body tingled and ached with release and need. I smiled at my god’s statue and stepped back, still trembling with love.

” Sair do próprio eu é um dos sonhos mais inteligentes que o homem pode ter.” Hersch Basbaum

3X . by Paula Bauab

4x . by Paula Bauab

4x

é incrivel como nada é igual. como tudo muda. essas fotos tirei em Maresias nesse último feriado . A casa era a mesma, as pessoas as mesmas (- gente, mas pessoas queridas) mas foi tudo diferente, o contato, o cheiro, a textura, o sono, a temperatuda da água, as cores. tudo diferente. foi foda. como das outras vezes.

………………………. .. …..Soundtrack Dionysos/ Lips story in a chocolate rive

‘The whole power productive of water they called Oceanus, and named its symbolic figure Tethys. But of the whole, the drinking-water produced is called Achelous; and the sea-water Poseidon; while again that which makes the sea, inasmuch as it is productive, is Amphitrite. Of the sweet waters the particular powers are called Nymphs, and those of the sea-waters Nereids.

Again, the power of fire they called Hephaestus, and have made his image in the form of a man, but put on it a blue cap as a symbol of the revolution of the heavens, because the archetypal and purest form of fire is there. But the fire brought down from heaven to earth is less intense, and wants the strengthening and support which is found in matter: wherefore he is lame, as needing matter to support him.

Also they supposed a power of this kind to belong to the sun and called it Apollo, from the pulsation of his beams. There are also nine Muses singing to his lyre, which are the sublunar sphere, and seven spheres of the planets, and one of the fixed stars. And they crowned him with laurel, partly because the plant is full of fire, and therefore hated by daemons; and partly because it crackles in burning, to represent the god’s prophetic art.

But inasmuch as the sun wards off the evils of the earth, they called him Heracles (from his clashing against the air) in passing from east to west. And they invented fables of his performing twelve labours, as the symbol of the division of the signs of the zodiac in heaven; and they arrayed him with a club and a lion’s skin, the one as an indication of his uneven motion, and the other representative of his strength in “Leo” the sign of the zodiac.

Of the sun’s healing power Asclepius is the symbol, and to him they have given the staff as a sign of the support and rest of the sick, and the serpent is wound round it, as significant of his preservation of body and soul: for the animal is most full of spirit, and shuffles off the weakness of the body. It seems also to have a great faculty for healing: for it found the remedy for giving clear sight, and is said in a legend to know a certain plant which restores life.

But the fiery power of his revolving and circling motion, whereby he ripens the crops, is called Dionysus, not in the same sense as the power which produces the juicy fruits, but either from the sun’s rotation, or from his completing his orbit in the heaven. And whereas he revolves round the cosmical seasons and is the maker of “times and tides,” the sun is on this account called Horus.

Of his power over agriculture, whereon depend the gifts of wealth, the symbol is Pluto. He has, however, equally the power of destroying, on which account they make Sarapis share the temple of Pluto: and the purple tunic they make the symbol of the light that has sunk beneath the earth, and the sceptre broken at the top that of his power below, and the posture of the hand the symbol of his departure into the unseen world.

Cerberus is represented with three heads, because the positions of the sun above the earth are three-rising, midday, and setting.

The moon, conceived according to her brightness, they called Artemis, as it were, “cutting the air.” And Artemis, though herself a virgin, presides over childbirth, because the power of the new moon is helpful to parturition.

What Apollo is to the sun, that Athena is to the moon: for the moon is a symbol of wisdom, and so a kind of Athena.

But, again, the moon is Hecate, the symbol of her varying phases and of her power dependent on the phases. Wherefore her power appears in three forms, having as symbol of the new moon the figure in the white robe and golden sandals, and torches lighted: the basket, which she bears when she has mounted high, is the symbol of the cultivation of the crops, which she makes to grow up according to the increase of her light: and again the symbol of the full moon is the goddess of the brazen sandals.

Or even from the branch of olive one might infer her fiery nature, and from the poppy her productiveness, and the multitude of the souls who find an abode in her as in a city, for the poppy is an emblem of a city. She bears a bow, like Artemis, because of the sharpness of the pangs of labour.

And, again, the Fates are referred to her powers, Clotho to the generative, and Lachesis to the nutritive, and Atropos to the inexorable will of the deity.

Also, the power productive of corn-crops, which is Demeter, they associate with her, as producing power in her. The moon is also a supporter of Kore. They set Dionysus also beside her, both on account of their growth of horns, and because of the region of clouds lying beneath the lower world.

The power of Kronos they perceived to be sluggish and slow and cold, and therefore attributed to him the power of time: and they figure him standing, and grey-headed, to indicate that time is growing old.

The Curetes, attending on Chronos, are symbols of the seasons, because time journeys on through seasons.

Of the Hours, some are the Olympian, belonging to the sun, which also open the gates in the air: and others are earthly, belonging to Demeter, and hold a basket, one symbolic of the flowers of spring, and the other of the wheat-ears of summer.

The power of Ares they perceived to be fiery, and represented it as causing war and bloodshed, and capable both of harm and benefit.

The star of Aphrodite they observed as tending to fecundity, being the cause of desire and offspring, and represented it as a woman because of generation, and as beautiful, because it is also the evening star-

“Hesper, the fairest star that shines in heaven.” [Homer, Iliad 22:318]

And Eros they set by her because of desire. She veils her breasts and other parts, because their power is the source of generation and nourishment. She comes from the sea, a watery element, and warm, and in constant movement, and foaming because of its commotion, whereby they intimate the seminal power.

Hermes is the representative of reason and speech, which both accomplish and interpret all things. The phallic Hermes represents vigour, but also indicates the generative law that pervades all things.

Further, reason is composite: in the sun it is called Hermes; in the moon Hecate; and that which is in the All Hermopan, for the generative and creative reason extends over all things. Hermanubis also is composite, and as it were half Greek, being found among the Egyptians also. Since speech is also connected with the power of love, Eros represents this power: wherefore Eros is represented as the son of Hermes, but as an infant, because of his sudden impulses of desire.

They made Pan the symbol of the universe, and gave him his horns as symbols of sun and moon, and the fawn skin as emblem of the stars in heaven, or of the variety of the universe.’

Războinic trac, sursa:http://oceanospotamos.wordpress.com/2009/03/

Informaţiile autorilor antici asupra religiei dacilor sunt puţine şi lacunare. Ele au ajuns la noi printr-o interpretare a grecilor aşa că trebuie privite cu grijă. Herodot pomeneşte câţiva zei: Zalmoxis, Gebelezis( divinitate celestă), Mars, Bendis, Dionysos şi Hestia.

 Toate aceste divinităţi nu sunt însă suficiente pentru a alcătui un panteon. Înfăptuirile politice şi interne ale lui Burebista au fost realizate cu ajutorul lui Deceneu. Strabon spune că Burebista şi-a disciplinat supuşii să renunţe la a bea vin, iar pentru aceasta l-a chemat pe Deceneu, un vrăjitor din Egipt care spunea că vorbeşte cu zeii. Potrivi lui Iordanes Deceneu a ajuns un conducător nu numai al oamenilor de rând ci şi al regilor.

 Aceste menţionări dovedesc faptul că Deceneu a reformat serios sistemul religios şi sacerdotal. Acesta a întărit considerabil autoritatea divinităţilor. Religia devenea astfel un instrument al ideologiei oficiale a regalităţii regilor daci. Acest lucru este dovedit de episodul tăierii viţei de vie. Strabon explică faptul că astfel Burebista a încrecat să-i educe pe supuşii săi să renunţe la vin în exces. Din textele lui Strabon reiese că Deceneu avea o mare autoritae în Dacia. Stârpirea vinului a fost o măsură de împiedicare a cultului lui Dionysos. Acest cult îi aducea în stare de fervoare religioasă pe membri.

Nobil geto-dac, sursa:http://oceanospotamos.wordpress.com/2009/03/

 Aceste măsuri au fost luate şi la Roma când s-a dezvoltat secta bacantelor. Marcus Porcius Cato s-a opus culturilor străine şi mai ales acestei secte a bacantelor.

 Ideea reformei religioase este sprijinită şi de descoperirile arheologice. Sanctuarele circulare şi patrulatere de la Sarmizegetusa Regia nu sunt dinaintea domniei lui Burebista, fapt ce demonstrează că în acest loc probabil că au avut loc slujbe der închinare la unele divinităţi. Un alt lucru important este faptul că Deceneu a centrat puterea politică, religioasă şi juridică în mâinile regelui. Iordanes ne spune în ,, Getica” că după moartea lui Deceneu, geţii au avut aceeaşi veneraţie faţă de Comosicus. Despre unrmaşii lui Comosicus nu se ştiu prea multe însă se presupune că situaţia a revenit cea din vremea lui Burebista.

 Deceneu a fost un mare reformator religios, reuşind să stabilească o religie fixă şi nişte reguli clare în regat. Una din cele mai importante reforme a fost distrugerea cultului lui Dionysos, care a fost întâlnit şi la Roma în timpul lui Marcius Porcius Cato.

Zeul Attis, sursa:http://eblogs.ro/roderick/2008/08/

Here is some mood music to listen to while you read the newest post

Tonight is the Dark Moon and is a day sacred to my Lady Hekate. Since my family and I have been sick all week I almost forgot entirely!  I was gently nudged by her last night in way of reminder! I’m dedicating the whole day to her and would like to post a bit about my experiences with her. I can only give my own unique UPG on her but here are my thoughts and experiences so far.

I owe much to this most wonderful of Goddesses. She came into my life on August 13^th, which is celebrated in modern times as her feast day. I don’t think there is a historical precedence for it (that I’m aware of), but she seems to embrace it fully. I wasn’t even aware of this fact until about a week later actually. I credit her for leading me to Hellenic Polytheism. Prior to her I would never of even given the Greek Gods a second glance. Reading back on my posts I was aware there was a “female presence” out there trying to contact me (as well as a “horned god”, I now know who that was too!).  When she did reveal herself to me I was pretty perplexed. What was I supposed to do with a single Greek Goddess? What started out as a whisper soon grew to a roar and it was clear she would not be ignored. Then she introduced me to Dionysos and the rest is history. I’ve since been learning about the Gods across the pantheon and am very pleased with my new direction and experiencing a sense of spiritual growth and renewal that I haven’t felt in awhile.

Dionysos has recently taken center stage for me, as evidenced by my latest posts. He has been the loudest (they don’t call him the loud-broming for nothing!), yet I consider Hekate to be equally my patron. She tends to silently sit in the background and let Dionysos take the lead, but she is ever present subtly guiding me from behind the scenes. It’s an arrangement that I think works well for all involved.

When she first came into my life and I started reading about her I thought she would be stern and commanding, and probably a little scary. I’m sure she can be that way when she wants but she has only ever been gentle with me. Not so gentle that I don’t get the point, but with her a little goes a very long way! She illuminates my path and shows me things she thinks I need to see, but ultimately the decision is mine to follow where she leads, and she has not steered me wrong yet. Far from it! I’d say I am in a much better place spiritually since her unexpected arrival.

I have also found her to be quite compassionate and protective even. Recently my family faced a crisis. My father passed away this summer, and this past month some legal ramifications from his estate popped up that threatened to cost my family basically our entire savings as well as the insurance payout and still leave us in substantial debt. I can honestly say that until that moment I have not known the true meaning of the word despair. It is to Hekate that I turned during this time for help (Dionysos offered much needed emotional support) I prayed and sacrificed to her. I also promised that if things even got slightly better I would build her a proper shrine when I am financially able to do so. Within days the danger blew over completely. I am now in the process of building that shrine and saving up for a proper statue of her to pay this debt (I know exactly which one I want!).  I’ll post pictures when it is all ready. Yes, I owe much to her indeed.

She seems to have a light yet powerful touch.I get the feeling she is in capable of all the fire works and flair, yet chooses only to do as little as possible to get her point across.I can actually feel her influence grow as the moon wanes and I feel her most fully and completely on the Dark of the Moon which is her time. I have always tended to be a dark moon kind of guy though. Where many people seem to get excited about the full moon, it has always been the dark of the moon that give me my biggest buzz. I feel clearer and more spiritually aware at this time more than any other. Perhaps that it why we go so well together! As a matter of fact I tend to prefer the night  in general and be drawn to deities with connections to the underworld. This makes her and Dionysos both a perfect match for me.Where this will ultimatly take me I do not know, but I do know that I am on this path for a reason now.

Hekate is also attributed command over Earth, Sea, and Sky which is interesting because those are the three druid elements of the revival tradition, which makes her a particularly fitting Goddess for someone interested in Druid spirituality. Now I’m not saying that she has anything to do with revival druidry, but this fact does seem to synergize in my own practice, and I think is a source of amusement and pleasure for her.

Now I don’t mean to sugar coat her as as all good and sweetness (as I think is done far too often these days to dietis with any sort of dark side). She does have a dark side and I am just beginning to explore those darker aspects. To hide from it would be folly, and I have no desire to do that. My point is that she has many layers and is not one dimentional and to stereotype her into one form or function will not end well.

As for my own devotional to her today, I started off offering her a prayer and some incense, as well as dedicating the day to her. I’ve created a special blend of stick incense I named Dark Moon comprised of amber, vanillia, galbanum, and dragons blood. It has a sweet yet earthy scent. She appears to approve of it (Soon I want to try some of this stuff though!).

If I am able I shall offer the traditional Hekates Supper with libation. While it is traditional to offer at a cross roads, I’m going to have to settle for the beach at Lake Mendota which is still a liminal place in my estimation. I shall finish off with a full devotional rite to her tonight. If you get a chance, visit my nshrine to her and leave a candle. I’m sure she’d appreciate it!

Jusqu’ici tout va bien, pas plus de cris ou d’angoisse que d’habitude. En dépit de la félicité affichée, Zeus ne pouvait s’empêcher d’être nerveux. Ça lui avait pris un temps fou pour organiser ce banquet. La dernière fois que tout le monde était réuni, c’était sur l’invitation de Tantale, et on sait comment ça s’était terminé… Impérieux, le premier tyran de l’histoire regardait la foule de pique-assiettes rassemblées pour fêter les noces de Thétis et Pélé. Il repensait à tout ce qui avait provoqué ça:

Encore une fois, il avait trouvé la femme de sa vie, une jeune néréide innocente prénommée Thétis. Pas de bol, son grand frère Poséidon, l’agité du bocal, s’était également entiché de la jeune damoiselle. Ils étaient sur le point de se taper sur la gueule quand Prométhée, plus enchainé mais à jamais déchainé, leur révéla que le fils de cette nymphe serait plus puissante que son père. Ils eurent les mêmes pensées: Ouranos, castration, Cronos, vomissement, épisiotomie ventrale. Gentiment, Poséidon proposa à son petit frère chéri de lui laisser la place pour qu’il puisse enfin connaître le bonheur. Zeus, lui , se rappelait du bordel que ça avait été avec la naissance d’Athéna et la gueule de bois qu’il traine depuis. Bref les libidos de ces divins lubriques avait été calmée. Pour éviter qu’un dieu s’unisse à ce boulet qu’était devenue l’ex ingénue, ils choisirent un gogo pour la foutre en cloque et se débarrasser de la menace. C’est comme ça que Pélé se dévoua et après avoir ramé comme une bête, pu conquérir Thétis. Les dieux furent d’autant plus heureux de leur décision qu’ils apprirent plus tard que la douce jeune fille était en fait une virago ingérable.

Sortant de ces pensées, Zeus jeta un un œil vers Poséidon. Celui-ci était installé à ses côtés. Ce dieu à l’apparence de vieux mérou faisait des ronds dans son bocal et tenait dans sa gueule son trident, tout en jetant des regards menaçants vers ceux qu’ils soupçonnait avoir des velléités de pèche. Il faut dire qu’il a toujours eu un sale caractère, d’où son surnom d’agité du bocal régnant sur les eaux.

D’un côté Poséidon, de l’autre Hadès le taciturne, son autre grand frère tendance dépressif infernal. Il ne disait jamais rien, ne sortait jamais, sachant que de toute façon personne ne lui parlait ni ne l’invitait. On ne peut pas dire qu’il était très populaire. Personne ne savait à quoi il pensait. En ce qui concerne les autres dieux c’est simple: boire, manger et tirer leurs coups; mais lui? Personne ne savait mais tous seraient surpris de savoir que son rêve secret est d’être chanteur! Ben ouais, c’est pour ça qu’il avait accédé à la requête d’Orphée, question de respect entre artiste! Sans que personne ne le sache, son altesse seigneur des enfers avait installé un studio d’enregistrement aux enfers et s’apprêtait un sortir un single. Hélas pour lui, il ignorait à l’époque que la guerre allait débuter et que de fait, il aurait un surcroit de travail qui l’obligerait à ranger à tout jamais ses projets au fin fond du Styx. Une seule chose le consolait de sa solitude et sa frustration artistique: sa femme, Perséphone, qui d’ailleurs venait d’arriver.

_ Regarde qui j’amène mon chéri! C’est maman! Lui dit son épouse avec un grand sourire.

Fais chier, pensa Hadès.

_regarde maman! C’est mon chéri d’amour qui nous attend! Dit l’éternelle jeune fille à sa mère.

Fais chier, pensa Déméter.

_Hadès. Salua celle-ci

_Déméter, répondit-il.

_je suis surprise de vous voir ici. Vous avez donc pu vous libérer de l’enfer? Demanda-t-elle.

_vous y serez toujours la bienvenue, fît il remarquer.

_mon gendre.

_belle-maman.

Un long silence suivi qu’essayait d’occuper Perséphone qui s’était assise entre les deux et qui tentait de détendre l’atmosphère.

_tu ne trouves pas qu’il a bonne mine? Demanda-t-elle à sa mère

_pas trop mal pour un déterré, répondit Déméter tout en regardant ailleurs.

_vous me flattez belle-maman, rétorqua Hadès avec un sourire pincé.

_et maman, elle est pas toute belle avec sa nouvelle toge? Prît à partie Perséphone son époux en lui suppliant du regard de dire quelque chose de gentil.

_bien sur, on compte tous sur elle pour exciter les foules en ensemençant publiquement un champs avec un bellâtre de passage, rappela en persifflant le gendre cet incident gênant lors d’un banquet précèdent où sa belle-mère avait trop bu.

_Jean-pierre! Haussa Déméter.

_Endora! La surnomma Hadès

_Quel beau banquet! Cria Perséphone. On va bien manger!

_surtout ta mère si elle ne perd pas l’habitude bouffer tout ceux qui bougent! Faisant référence au banquet de Tantale et à l’épaule de Pélops.

_sale violeur de sac à merde des enfers! L’insulta Déméter

_vieille pute alcoolique exhibitionniste! Lui hurla Hadès

_au moins ils recommencent à se parler, murmura triomphalement Perséphone à l’attention de Zeus qui observait atterré toute la scène.

Le même Zeus se dit qu’Hadès aurait plus mal tombé puisque sa belle-mère était en même temps sa grande sœur. Elle est adorable d’habitude, sauf quand il s’agit de sa fille. Non, vraiment, la vraie terreur de la famille c’était leur grand mère à tous, Gaïa. Il se rappelle des punitions qu’elle assénait à toute la famille quand elle n’était pas contente. C’était, parce qu’elle est passée de terreur céleste à chignon serré et règle dans la main à celui de vieille peau un peu perchée. Il jeta un coup d’œil inquiet vers elle. Il avait bien fait: elle était entrain de raconter toutes les anecdotes sur ses enfants et petits enfants aux convives lèche-bottes assemblés autour d’elle. Avant que trop de dossiers ne ressortent, il accourût et dispersa l’auditoire.

_grand-mère! Tu vas prendre froid ici! Je vais te conduire dans un endroit plus confortable et qui sied mieux à ta stature! (et isolé de tous!) lui proposa-t-il en mettant la vieille man ridée de sa mamie sur son bras.

_Oh! Comme tu es gentil! Tu as toujours été mon favori! Même si tu as toujours été un peu coureur! Dis à voix haute Gaïa de sa voix éraillée de petite vieille ratatinée.

_Oui oui c’est ça… Répondit passablement gêné Zeus en jetant des regards inquiets vers Héra qui heureusement était occupée.

_Et la petite Ino, qu’est ce qu’elle dévient? Et Europe? Et Séléné? Je l’aimais bien cette petite pute… continua la vieille folle tandis que son petit fils la faisait discrètement sortir….

_Grand-mère part déjà? Lui demanda Héra soupçonneuse tandis que Zeus revenait.

_ heu… hum… elle était un peu fatiguée.

_mouais… on en reparlera. Lui promit sa régulière avant de repartir en pleine discussion avec Athéna et Aphrodite.

Épuisé par cet affrontement, Zeus se rassit lourdement sur son trône. Que de soucis! Il aimait Héra mais il la trouvait un peu trop contraignante. Si au moins en discutant avec Athéna elle pouvait acquérir un peu de sa sagesse… Ha! Athéna! Sa fierté de père! Sa favorite! D’accord elle avait un sale caractère. C’est vrai que tout le panthéon l’avait surnommé le lieutenant colonel, à l’inverse d’Arès, son fils raté, que tous appelaient le « sous-off’ de mes couilles » (mais que pour ménager sa susceptibilité on appelait « de mes couilles ») Pourquoi sa chouchoute? Surement parce que ce n’est pas tout le monde qui accouche de sa fille par la tête. Et puis son enfance n’a pas été facile, elle a quand même vu toutes ses amis mourir! Et ce n’est pas parce que c’est elle qui les a toutes tué que sa peine n’avait pas duré au moins deux jours!

Aphrodite c’était une autre histoire… Une véritable beauté mais qu’est ce qu’elle était cruche! Une véritable amphore! Il se la serait bien tapé mais il n’était pas sur de savoir s’il était le père. Normalement c’est Ouranos mais il y avait un petit doute. De toute façon elle est la chasse gardée du bossu, le fils qu’Héra avait fait toute seule. Le dernier qui avait couché avec s’est retrouvé avec de gros soucis. En parlant de lui, qu’est ce qu’il foutait encore?!

_De mes couilles! Pardon… Arès! Arrête de jouer avec la lance du lieutenant-colonel! Tu sais très bien que ta sœur a horreur qu’on touche à ses affaires! En plus tu vas encore te faire mal! Rugit Zeus en direction du seul fils qu’il avait eu avec Héra.

Tout penaud, celui-ci reposa la lance et partît bouder dans un coin.

Les enfants; une éternelle préoccupation. Il avait fallu dresser une table pour tous les enfants de Zeus sous les regards furibonds d’Héra. Distraitement il les dénombrait pour voir s’ils étaient tous arriver: 1…. 2… 3… 10…50….125….

Une heure plus tard, Zeus vît avec satisfaction que tous étaient là. Il avait toutefois du mettre les points sur les i avec certains d’entre eux, notamment avec les jumeaux qu’il était allé voir quelques jours plus tôt…

lorsqu’il s’est rendu chez Artémis, il fût accueilli par une bordée de flèches et du esquiver plusieurs coups de massue.

_Oh! Oh! Ça va pas non?! Qu’est ce que j’ai fait pour être accueilli ainsi? Demanda Zeus

_Vous m’outragez père! Cria Artémis à son encontre.

_Quoi?! Fût stupéfait le seigneur de l’orage

_Vous venez pour profiter de mon innocence! S’indigna sa fille

_je viens juste te dire bonjour et t’inviter pour un mariage! Se défendît le père.

_Vous êtes comme tous les hommes lubriques qui ont outragé ma vertu en posant les yeux sur ma nudité! Clama la déesse chasseresse!

_Bordel de moi même! Alors arrête de te baigner à poil dans les parcs publiques et ça évitera que les promeneurs et les chasseurs tombent sur toi! Plaida Zeus franchement énervé!

_Pourquoi tant de dureté avec ma douce sœur? demanda Apollon

_Ha ben tu tombes bien! Le prit à parti le père. Je vais pouvoir vous inviter et vous donner les consignes! Et je ne me répèterai pas: toi Artémis, je te confisque tes armes. Hors de question que tu assassines tous les hommes de la soirée parce qu’ils t’auront dit bonjour. Et toi Apollon, tu te tiens à carreaux avec les jeunes filles et les jeunes hommes qui seront là! Tu ma fais honte à te prendre des râteaux! Tes seules conquêtes tu les as violé ou tu leur as offert des cadeaux contre leurs faveurs! Ton dernier truc c’est d’avoir offert le don de divination à une gamine et même avec ça tu t’es fait jeté! Entre parenthèse je sens que cette histoire va nous foutre dans la merde! Alors vous y allez mollo! OK?! Alors dites que vous avez compris et venez faire bisou!

Tout timidement, les jumeaux répondirent un petit « oui, papa » et lui firent un bisou.

Juste après ça, échauffé par sa colère, Zeus se rendit chez Dionysos, défonça la porte de son temple, lui ordonna d’ouvrir pour aérer un peu, de ranger ce bordel, fouilla toute la piaule et confisqua toutes les drogues qu’il pût trouver. Et rugît avant de partir à son fils qui pendant tout ce temps n’avait pas décroché de sa musique infernale:

-je te préviens que tu seras fouillé à l’entrée! Hors de question que tu profites de la soirée pour faire du trafic avec tes potes lotophages!

Sur ses mots, l’impérieux panthéiste sortit en écrasant une larme de dépit. Dionysos était si mignon, petit, quand il était encore Zagreus. Être démembré et ressuscité ne lui avait pas réussi.

Sortant de ces pensée, Zeus posa un regard bienveillant sur la réception. Jusqu’ici tout allait bien. Orphée animait la soirée avec les neufs muses. Ses enfants se tenaient à carreaux. Les dieux s’amusaient bien. Le mariage avait été célébré sans encombre, et la menace d’un sale gosse bouleversant l’ordre céleste était écartée. Les mariés étaient heureux. Pour arriver à ce résultats, il avait tout donné. À l’entrée du Panthéon, il avait posté Médée comme physionomiste. Avec elle, son grand fiston Héraclès servait de videur et tenait en laisse Cerbère pour écarter d’éventuels trouble-fêtes.

Régulièrement, Hermès lui faisait un compte rendu. Il avait quand même fallu refoulé Odin, Thor, Osiris, Sangoku, Seth et pas mal d’autres personnes avec qui il s’entendait bien d’habitude mais là c’était un mariage quand même! Excepté avec Bouddha qui l’avait très mal pris, il n’y avait pas eu d’embrouilles. Satisfait de lui même, Zeus pu enfin se détendre, commanda une coupe d’ambroisie à son petit Ganymède et s’apprêtait à porter un toast quand surgît une couille. Pas Arès, une couille plus grosse encore. Jusqu’ici, tout allait bien…

Qui avait laissé entrer Eris?! Les consignes étaient pourtant claires: il était hors de question que la déesse de la discorde soit de la partie! Ils vont m’entendre à la sécurité! Se promît intérieurement Zeus. La foule entière était tétanisée. Avant que quiconque n’ai pu réagir, furieuse, Eris lança au milieu de la salle un objet et disparût dans un grand rire. Il s’agissait d’une pomme d’or avec l’inscription « pour la plus belle ». pour désamorcer les tensions qu’il sentait venir, Zeus dît à l’assemblée:

_je serais d’avis qu’en ce jour solennel, cet objet aille à notre belle marié du jour que les dieux ont honoré de sa présence… vous m’écoutez?… hey… je parle… allo?… je suis là… allez vous faire foutre….

Il se rendait petit à petit compte que personne en l’écoutait. Tous étaient plus occupé à observer le combat qui avait commencé entre Héra, Athéna et Aphrodite.

_en tant que représentante de l’expérience, c’est à moi que devrait revenir cette pomme, proposa sure d’elle Héra

_tu retardes mamie. C’est marqué à la plus belle, pas la plus fanée. Donc cette pomme est à moi, rétorqua Aphrodite

_ta gueule pupute. Tu sais que c’est marqué ça parce qu’on te l’a dit, lui répondit le lieutenant-colonel en la soulevant par le col de sa toge et en l’envoyant valdinguer dans les bras du « sous-off’ de mes couilles » (pardon, Arès) l’intelligence et la détermination sont la réelle beauté de ce monde, assura virilement Athéna.

_écoute gamine, on ne va quand même pas filer un symbole de beauté à une conductrice de char! Retoqua Héra

pendant ce temps, Zeus se lamentait. Il préférait ne pas écouter les insultes qui pleuvaient entre les trois déesses. Il releva la tête subitement lorsqu’il entendit l’une d’elle clamer: « alors ce sera la guerre! » Il vît Héra rassembler ses partisans en tant qu’épouse du roi des dieux, Aphrodite séduire tous les autres contre la promesse de faveurs que de toute façon elle accordait facilement, et Athéna chausser ses Nike air de combat, enfiler son casque portant l’inscription « seiya forever » et lancer son cri de guerre: je me donne la force!…

Jusqu’ici tout allait bien, pour une fois une réunion de famille aurait pu se passer sans encombre, Zeus rêvait de ce qui aurait du se passer quand il réalisa: merde! Non seulement on est dans la merde mais j’ai oublié ce connard de paparazzi, Homère! À tous les coups il va tout raconter!

Mais ça s’est une autre histoire….

Last night I had a WOW moment. One of those moments that really drive home the fact that, yup this stuff is for real. The Gods are listening and do talk back. You see, I’m currently trying to put together my own religious weekly/monthly spiritual calendar, which I will hope to post soon. In general I hope to start the mornings with a brief devotion to Dionysos and Hekate, and then choose another God to pray to at night so that I can expand my circle a bit.

However, one thing is for sure, in my house, every Thursday night is Dionysos night, dedicated solely to him alone! This has just worked out to be my recent new tradition in the past few weeks, and I’m going to keep it that way. Not for any religious or astrological reason, but merely because of total convenience. Due to the intricacies of our respective work schedules, my on-call schedule, and baby care, Thursday night works out to be the only night I really have to totally relax. It usually consists of a nice dinner, and time spent with my wife sharing a bottle of wine (I was particularly pleased to enjoy that glass of wine last night while reading Bacchus: a Biography). I then descend into the my shrine area to do a full devotion dedicated to Dionysos where I was able to spend time in an unhurried fashion with libation of wine, Prayer, and generally spending as much time as I want in his presence. I then end this rite with a divination of some sort.

I’ve been wanting to learn the tarot lately. I really want to learn it because I find it interesting and am a TOTAL novice at it. I’m in the mood to challenge myself with something new. The tarot deck I use is The Ancient Egyptian Tarot by Clive Barret, which is the only deck that has ever spoken to me on any level.  Besides I find the illustrations really beautiful.

Two weeks ago, I did a spread asking about Patronage. The answer that I got had three themes (based on my novice-level interpretation of course), one of initiation into new mysteries, the second a new partnership, and it was based around the Princess of Cups, who I was taking to represent Dionysos. Yes the figure in the card is female, but he seems to have no problem with gender fluidity so I don’t see this as a problem. The figure is also holding a cup (wine cup?), and a dolphin plays in the background. While dolphins may be traditionally a symbol of Apollon, they also play into the myth of Dionysos and the Pirates, so taken all together my intuition was saying this card represents Dionysos (and because I love pictures, here’s an awesome  picture representing that particular myth). Thus my interpretation of the spread was a new partnership with him and setting foot into learning his mysteries.

This week I just asked if there is anything I need to know, anything he wants to tell me or relate to me. I left the question open ended. This is where the wow moment came. The spread was exactly the same as the one two weeks ago. The same exact cards, in the same exact positions, in the same exact orientations as last week. I am not exaggerating here in the slightest. There was not a single difference between the two spreads (and yes I shuffled the deck quite well!). I have never had this happen before. Talk about hitting the point home! So yes, I guess he really did have a message for me, and really wanted me to get the point without ambiguity.

Consider the point well taken!

The trees sag and sigh,
Golden beads rise and fall on their trunks,
Staining them.
Blood seeps down my skin,
Staining it.

I am the rush the ecstasy
the need the
want want want
the desire, oh, the desire.

Crowns of sacrifice sit on my head;
An angel and demon, shining with it.
Love. Need. Hunger.
Want.

I bleed wine, truly. It doesn’t stop, just
Pours out,
Until all that remains is me.
My need.

Apollon invites me to chess.
Laughs. We can be enemies.
Thrilled, flushed with something.
I smile at him with jagged teeth.

Aphrodite kisses the tip of my nose,
Whispers that if there is only need then there is only chaos,
And the order flees at that.
She needs the order – she doesn’t smile for chaos yet.

Not like Rhea. Dancing, wild.
Want a kiss, bite to die for?
She blazes gold, outshining the sunset,
And she brings blood singing back to my veins.

Need. Want desire hunger.
Starving children crawling down streets, crying;
Men in suits driving fast cars, laughing.
As long as there is need, I am here.

Wine – sating a different hunger.
Pulsing, throbbing–not quite there, but there.
Father sits on his throne. Lightning dances in his hands.
We will never die, he says, but I am not sure.

We bring joy, pain;
A thousand laughs and a thousand tears.
I exist. Without need
I wouldn’t.

I return to Apollon.
Opposites attract. Need balances.
Heat plunges between us.
I join the game of chess.

As Samhain approaches I find myself in serious reflection mode. Since this blog serves as my unofficial spiritual journal, this post may not be of interest to anyone besides myself, but it really helps me personally to write things down. So just a warning that this may end up being a really long and ponderous post of interest to absolutely no one except for me!

What is my personal path? What do I believe and what kind of pagan am I?

Anyone who’s read my previous blog posts can tell that I’ve been struggling a bit lately and have been going through a lot of changes. While I really wanted to be a Norse Pagan, for some reason I just cannot connect with any of the Norse Gods on a meaningful level. I think it’s time that I faced that fact, I have been trying for awhile and it’s just not there. When I do connect with one it tends to be short lived and only haphazard at best.

Meanwhile, The Hellenic gods have been hitting me up pretty hard. My relationship with Dionysus has been growing strongly and steadily and becoming quite meaningful to me, to the point that I’m pretty sure he is sticking around and going to be a major part of my life, perhaps even my patron. I’ve had some trying times in the past few weeks and I am surprised at just how fully present he has been for me. That along with the synchronicities that just keep coming (yesterday he was practically hitting me over the head with them including finding plastic bunches of grapes in my path, numerous references to and posters of Jim Morrison, and a bottle of ‘Dancing Bull’ wine that literally fell into my hands at the store and somehow ended up on my shrine to him). I am also considering divinations conducted both by myself and others on my behalf that have pretty much said the same thing, “Face it pal, you belong to me now”. My Dionysus shrine has literally “overgrown” my entire shrine area!

Also the other Olympians have been stopping by to say hi in droves; Hermes, Zeus, Athena, Apollon and more. Of course Hekate is always present, yet has quietly taken a step into the background. Theres not a one that I don’t feel some sort of connection with. Quite frankly I’m loving it and am feeling a level of spiritual fulfillment that I haven’t felt in some years, if ever. There is something so right about this. So at this time I think it’s pretty clear that Hellenic Polytheism is the path I am meant to walk.

I don’t think I have ever felt this level of connection to a group of deities before. Believe me, no one is more surprised than I am, but there ya go, and I am absolutely ecstatic and happy to have found my way to here (all thanks to Hekate who lead me here!).  Of course that gives me the challenge of trying to fit Hellenic polytheism into my current practice.

I can’t go the pure recon route. I’ve tried Reconstruction religion, on two seperate occasions. It just does not fit me. In my time I’ve tried both Kemetic Orthodoxy, and Asatru in various forms going back over 10 years. While I respect the scholarship from both of those, and took away valuable lessons from them I just don’t jive with Recon religion. It feels too “forced” to me somehow. That is not to say that I don’t incorporate recon elements into my practice. If I can do something in a way that I know it was done in the past, I will do so. (I should also say that I don’t dislike recon religion inherantly and I recognize that it does jive with a whole lot of other people! I think that’s great. It’s just not for me personally).

I have a serious love/hate relationship with labels. I always want to have things neat and packaged, be able to point to something and say “yup that’s me”. Whenever I try though I end up breaking the constraints I’ve put on myself. The fact is that I am also a Druid of the Revival tradition and have no intention of giving that up. I love revival druidry. I love the fact that it does not try to claim to be an ancient heritage, but owns up to being a modern system that is still a workable and spiritually valid path for many people.

I use the term Hedge Druid to describe myself, somewhat tongue in cheek, because I like the image that it conjures up and it seems to fit. Being primarily solitary, I seem to fit the archetype of the lone Druid out in the wilds (in this case the suburban wilds, but still), doing his own thing and occasionally meeting with others of his kind to exchange ideas and for companionship before heading back to his abode to keep doing his own thing, perhaps modified and enriched by his experience with others, perhaps in turn enriching the practice of those others who have encountered him. I have been working on the AODA candidate year and the OBOD bardic course for on and off for about 3 years now (I’m actually almost ready to complete both).

I like the modern invention of the Wheel of the Year. Being in Wisconsin, with four seasons, I find that it is very relevant to the climate that I live in. While I was Kemetic Orthodox I could never quite get excited about festivals based on the rise and fall of the Nile, because it just didn’t affect me. The Wheel of the Year may be a modern invention, but it makes sense and ties me to the land and seasons in the climate in which I live with.

I also like the emphasis on a nature based spirituality. I like learning about the trees, animals, and local ecology of my geographic area. I like meditation and energy body work. I like being eco-minded and caring for the environment. In short, being a Revival Druid works for me and I enjoy it. I even have an Awen tattoo on my inner wrist to symbolize my commitment to the path which I had done the day of my initiation ceremony.

Yes a part of me would love to be a Druid and worship the Celtic gods and have it be all nice and neat, but it’s not to be. Interestingly enough I have absolutely no interest in Celtic gods, nor them I apparently. I guess I’m going to be a Druid who worships the Hellenic Gods. Some might call this Eclectic (then again there are those who would probably take issue with calling myself a Druid at all, or being a Druid who doesn’t worship Celtic Gods. I thumb my nose at them). I’m not sure I would disagree with the eclectic label, except that the word has connotations of “doing whatever you want”, being “fluffy”, “poor scholarship” and “Ohhh Shiny!”.  However, this is not always the case. I firmly believe one can be eclectic and still be well read, pay attention to scholarship, and draw inspiration from multiple sources in a well thought out and respectful (read non-haphazard) manner.

I think this attitude is getting more prevalent. From reading others blogs and various forum posts I see many pagans who are forming a personal practice that does not fall under any one grand label. I think this is a good thing and a natural evolution in modern paganism.

So having accepted these two aspects of my ever-evolving spirituality, I now face the challenge of working them into a cohesive system that gives honor and respect to both traditions without falling into the trap of slighting either of them. I have my work cut out for me. I think I’m going to begin by making a personal festival calendar and take it from there.

Continuing on in my series of portraits, here is the latest Litho called Hometown Hero.  I am posting the Black and White version, which I have done an edition of 5 B + W, but I will also be editioning 7 three color versions of this portrait.  

Après leur passage en novembre dernier au Zénith, hier soir alors un concert en acoustique dans un cadre tout à fait différent : Le Théâtre Marigny

Plus de deux heures de spectacle dans une salle magnifique, tandis que le décor sur scène reste cette fois assez sobre (même si les trois horloges de la Mécanique du Cœur avaient gardé leur place). Une set-list qui mêle vieilles chansons et titres du dernier album et qui donne aux spectateurs l’occasion de découvrir les nouveaux arrangements : surprenants et originaux (on a failli ne pas reconnaitre “Song for Jedi, c’est dire^^) – tout comme les instruments qui mélangent avec aisance le connu avec l’insolite.

Sur scène, quelques visages connus (non seulement Olivia Ruiz en invitée “surprise”, on s’y attendait à peine, après tout^^, mais aussi un tromboniste prénommé Stéphane) et un joyeux bordel qui est tout simplement énorme : un slam dans une salle à l’italienne en grimpant sur le premier balcon et en balançant des paillettes sur le public ? Même pas peur ! Je vois pas comment le dire autrement : Mathias Malzieu c’est vraiment un grand fou , (au sens positif du terme, certes, mais quand même^^).

Difficile de mettre en mots l’énergie particulière et entrainante que dégage la troupe sur scène, qui plonge la salle entière dans une ambiance tantôt festive, tantôt intimiste, et qui fait que cette soirée se transforme en quelque chose de vraiment spécial et extraordinaire. Vivement la prochaine !!

Nous sommes à un jour de la sortie du nouvel album de Dionysos, et six jours du concert acoustique qui se déroulera au théâtre musical de Besançon.

En effet, Dionysos fête leur 15 ans cette année, et pour cause, ils sortent un double album anniversaire “Eats Music”.

Dionysos re-visite l’ensemble de leur répertoire en version acoustique.
C’est pour rendre hommage à leur public que Dionysos ont réunit près de 45 chansons, des inédites, des singles… Et organisent même un concours photos (du groupe, ou de personne mangeant un instrument de musique), les gagnant auront la chance de voir leurs photos intégrées dans la “mosaïque des fan” et sur le poster qui sera dans le double album.

Et trois de mes photos ont été sélectionnées !

Wow what a ride it’s been. A long confusing enlightening ride.

My relationship with Hekate has been deepening. What started off as a ’side thing’ seems to have taken on a life all of it’s own. I’m quite unsure of where this will lead.When I first encountered her in August I told her that I would follow where she lead me, and she seems to have taken me up on that promise. However this post isn’t actually about Hekate although she was the initiator. She seems to have this notion that I learn more about her family as well, and “introduced” me to Dionysus.

All I can say is WOW.  He hit me like full on charging bull. Experiencing Dionysos for the first time was an awesome and wonderful experience. I felt a profound sense of pure religious awe. As if I wanted to fall and kneel before his presence and just drink and revel in the pure ecstasy he induced in me. I felt all at once warm joy, excitement, fear, religious awe, and love. I felt as if my skin where on fire and mania welled up from deep within by being. All at once I loved and felt connected to the divine as I had never before, and I wanted to Serve.

He taught me some thing about myself through this experience. This is what I have been missing and searching for in religious experience. This is why I could never quite “connect” with Freyr but why I always seemed drawn to Odin. I am drawn to Gods of Ecstasy.  It is though this the ecstatic experience that I connect most fully with the Divine. I need to feel this intense sense of pure love and devotion. I have felt it before with Odin, and Dionysos showed me what I had not known about myself.

I’m unsure where this will take me, and I’ve learned by this time not to make any proclamations or predictions where the Gods are concerned. These things have to unfold naturally and while I can steer the rudder I am in uncharted waters. On one had I feel my connection to Odin strengthened through this experience and the knowledge it induced in me. That night I also received (yet another) Valknut dream.

I am also interested however (for the first time in my life) in learning more about Dionysos and the other Hellenic gods and building on the relationships that Hekate and Dionysos have initiated with me. At this point I’m not limiting myself. Maybe I will end up dual trad. Maybe I will just take a short detour or pick one trad or the other. I honestly don’t know, but I do know I am feeling as if I am right where I am supposed to be right now.

I  purchased three books:

Written in Wine- A devotional Anthology to Dionysos

Unbound- A devotional anthology for Artemis

Gods and Mortals

I love reading deovtional anthologies. I definitely want to learn more about Dionysos and my interest is piqued in Artemis as well (even though she kind of scares me). I really love reading about others personal experience with the Gods, no matter which pantheon. I can’t wait until they arrive.

In my quest to better understand Persephone, I have found myself pausing at this particular point. Why is it that Hades chose Persephone—or Kore—to be his wife? It was not merely her maidenhood, her sexual innocence; and nor was it her gentle, sunlit nature. To boil it down to her as the ‘essence of spring’ does an injustice to this goddess – for she is the embodiment of change, of all of the seasons, of the natural order. But as Kore, she was not such things. She was just Demeter’s daughter, just the maiden accompanied by nymphs. And yet Hades saw something in her, this girl—or rather, this pretty puppet, a flower not yet opened—and he fell in love with her. The heart of one such as Hades was warmed by her and, inflamed by Eros’ eager smiles, he stole her away.

I believe that Hades recognised his equal in Persephone. He did not part the earth and incite Demeter into almost killing gods and humans everywhere just so that he could have a pretty little doll sit on his lap. No: he brought her into the Underworld and helped her become his equal. And she, in return, accepted the pomegranate seeds—Hera’s seeds; the seeds of marriage—and they were wed.

One might wonder how, and why, Hades and Persephone are equals. Prior to his abduction of her, they were not: in spirit they were, but in terms of influence they were all but opposites. Persephone was responsible only for spring growth, for the gentle blossoming of flowers; and Hades was the King of the Underworld. Persephone was also living her immortal life in Demeter’s shadow; she was watched constantly by her, and those that vied for her hand were turned away by her mother, not by her. If Hades had not abducted Persephone she, arguably, might never have reached her full potential: she would have likely lived forever in her mother’s shadow, responsible only for the beginning of spring.

With the help of Zeus and Gaia, according to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hades was able to steal away Persephone, unnoticed by all but Helios and Hekate. There is significance in this: Helios, lord of the sun, sees everything that occurs throughout the day; Hekate, queen of necromancy and ghosts, would know of everything that occurs throughout the night. Thus the transition of Kore to Persephone—girl to woman—is echoed not only in Persephone’s annual return from the Underworld and the awakening of the earth, but also in the time in which she was taken: at dusk or dawn, the in-between times.

In art and myth, Persephone is often described as a “young” goddess. She is a youth; stolen from the sunlight before she can achieve her true form, and yet she is not a child. She is at the in-between stage, the ‘dawn’ of womanhood: she is the quintessential woman-child. In abrupt, modern terms, she is a teenager. She does not yet know the delights and sorrows of being a woman; she is not a matron, and she will never be a crone. She is caught at a stage of hormones, a twist of cool logic and sharp emotions – and thus can be seen in how she behaves as Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone’s relationship with Adonis (which I will discuss in more detail further on) is an echo of this transition. After his death, he spends half of the year in the Underworld with her, and half with in the world above with Aphrodite. To coincide with this, Adonis would spend the autumn winter months with Persephone, and the spring and summer months with Aphrodite: thus their relationship echoes the themes of life-death-rebirth that are so common in the Greek mythologies.

When Persephone is stolen from the world, Demeter proves that she is willing to go to any lengths to get her back. She refuses to let the living things taste fruit and feel warmth—both fruit and heat here symbolising life, as food and energy are required for most, if not all, life-forms. (It is also ironic, then, that the only fruit that can be found in the Underworld—the pomegranate—still grew without Demeter’s influence; if she had killed that, too, Persephone might never have become the Queen of the Underworld.) Thus both Demeter and Persephone are here goddesses of winter; of the hard, cruel, cold months where—and this would have been particularly true in antiquity—jagged, icy death reigns and humanity becomes the prey, rather than the predator.

And then, when Persephone returns from the Underworld, she and her mother bless the earth with life – the flowers begin to grow; the fruits shine; the snows recede. Demeter and Persephone, then, are goddesses of the seasons—for Demeter brings about the changes of summer and winter and Persephone rules spring (as Kore, the maiden, goddess of spring growth) and autumn (as Persephone Karpophoros, the bringer of fruit, goddess of the harvest).

As Queen of the Underworld, Persephone is a much more merciful, benevolent ruler than Hades – and such is shown in how she treats the (would-be) heroes that find their way into the Underworld. When Herakles entered the Underworld, he was ‘welcomed like a brother by Persephone’ (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History); and according to Apollodorus in his Bibliotheca, Herakles passed up victory in his wrestling competition with the Underworld god Menoites ‘at the request of Persephone.’ When Psykhe reached Persephone’s palace, she ‘declined the soft cushion and the rich food offered by her hostess,’ (Apuleius, The Golden Ass) and when she reported the trial that Aphrodite had tasked her with, Persephone immediately filled the box of beauty for her. Persephone took favour on Sisyphus and released him from the Underworld; and when Orpheus sang of his love for Eurydice, he ‘persuaded her to assist him in his desires and to allow him to bring up his dead wife from Haides’ (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History).

However, Persephone also proves that she is not a goddess with whom one can trifle with; when Peirithoos plans to kidnap her from the Underworld for his wife, the youth Persephone blossoms into a woman and deals swiftly with him: ‘Peirithoos now decided to seek the hand of Persephone in marriage, and when he asked Theseus to make the journey with him Theseus at first endeavoured to dissuade him and to turn him away from such a deed as being impious; but since Peirithoos firmly insisted upon it Theseus was bound by the oaths to join with him in the deed. And when they had at last made their way below to the regions of Haides, it came to pass that because of the impiety of their act they were both put in chains, and although Theseus was later let go by reason of the favour with which Herakles regarded him, Peirithoos because of the impiety remained in Haides, enduring everlasting punishment; but some writers of myths say that both of them never returned.’ (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History).

In discussing Persephone and her transition—after her abduction at Hades’ hands—from child to woman, it is inevitable that one must discuss who she has ever taken as a lover. Unlike many of the gods, Persephone did not have numerous lovers – only Hades (to whom she gave birth to the Erinyes, according to the Orphic Hymns 29 and 70), Zeus (to whom she birthed Zagreus, according to the Orphic Hymn 29, Hyginus, Diodorus Siculus, Nonnus and Suidas; and Melinoe, according to the Orphic Hymn 71) and Adonis.

Persephone’s infamous love-affair with Adonis produced no children, and, strangely, did not incite the jealousy or wrath of her husband Hades (though Ares, only the paramour of Aphrodite, was envious enough of Adonis to kill him, according to some classical writers). It could be argued that Persephone’s relationship with Adonis is symbolic of the process of rebirth. Before his death, Adonis spent a third of his year with Persephone—I suggest that this third was the very end of autumn, the whole of winter, and the very beginning of spring. As such, Aphrodite would be cold and in mourning in the months when sex and love would, especially in antiquity, have not been at the forefront of the minds of humankind; and his emergence from the Underworld would coincide with Persephone’s own. Thus the relationship of Adonis, Aphrodite and Persephone would symbolise the entire theme of life-death-rebirth: Aphrodite as the ruler of life, Persephone as the ruler of death, and Adonis as the transition between their realms. Adding to this, both Aphrodite and Persephone share the epithet Despoina—the ruling goddess, or the mistress—and this, I think, lends further credence to the idea proposed.

Persephone’s relationship with Zeus was one of the most devastating of unions: the King of Life and the Queen of Death. As such, perhaps Zagreus was doomed from the very offset – born of trickery and lies, for, according to such authors as Nonnus, Zeus took the shape of a drakon (a dragon; a serpent) and ravished Persephone. Zagreus was a colossal explosion of Fate—for Zeus and Persephone both influence it, and have been influenced by it—as well as the primal stirrings of desire. Thus Zagreus—and, in turn, Dionysos—is a god with influence over life, death and fate, for he commands his followers to take their destinies into their own hands and twist them into oblivion.

In answer to the question proposed by the very title of this essay—Why Persephone?—I give this: Hades chose Persephone because she was his perfect opposite: feminity to his masculinity, warmth to his cold and light to his darkness. Between them, Hades and Persephone are, also, the very embodiment of two principles that rule supreme in the psyche of humans – the notion of life after death, and the promise of rebirth. They are fair rulers of the Underworld and just governors of fate; and in their capable hands, I am assured that the flow of life, death and rebirth will continue as long as the Moirai—the Fates—see fit.

Taking a suggestion from the now-defunct (but excellent and accessible) Sponde: Hands-On Hellenism website, I decided to put together a personal calendar for prayer and worship. The idea was really to just get started and dive in, rather than to agonize over just the right way to set it all up. I can tinker later if I feel I need to, but nobody’s looking over my shoulder to tell me I’m doing it wrong (well, other than the gods). I have spent so much time dragging my feet and procrastinating getting serious about this, that it has been so refreshing to just get something down in a concrete form and start practicing. So, here’s how it stands at the moment: each day of the week I say prayers and make offerings to one (or two) specific gods and/or goddesses. I chose the gods that I did because of a combination of their personal meaning to me and their applicability to me (so, I chose Aphrodite and Dionysus because of significant mystical experiences, and I chose Zeus and Herakles because of their significance as household gods).

Monday: Herakles
Tuesday: Zeus
Wednesday: The Divine Twins (Apollo and Artemis)
Thursday: Aphrodite
Friday: Dionysus
Saturday: Hermes

Sunday is my day to choose a different god or goddess, for whatever reason, so I can rotate in whomever I need to (or even offer the odd prayer to Odin every now and then). In addition to my daily devotions, I add some other regular and irregular prayers and offerings. First, every morning, I light the tart burner in the living room (our hearth I guess–the trend among Hellenic polytheists seems to be to substitute the kitchen, but it just doesn’t seem central to our home) and say a short prayer to Hestia. Also, thanks to a reminder from my beautiful and sexy Christian wife who Pagan-pWn3d me, another prayer to Hestia goes at the end of the day when we blow the candle out to go to bed.

Second, when the opportunity arises, I also plan on praying to Hera with my awesome and incredibly supportive wife. I feel like it is important to pray to Hera as a couple, except maybe when you go to her with a specific particular concern. But general praise and honor seems like it makes the most sense coming from both of us, united and desperately in love despite our different beliefs. Third, since I do a fair amount of hiking and tramping about the woods, I plan on offering at least a quick prayer each to Dionysus, Pan, and Artemis whenver I do so. Finally, I will pray and pour out libations to the other gods and goddesses whenever appropriate (to Ares when I am headed out to military service, for example), and also in the context of seasonal rituals and celebrations, which are still seriously under construction.

So far, it has been pretty fulfilling. I feel like my faith is becoming better integrated into my life, even though what I do doesn’t really take up much in terms of time and effort. It gives me a sense of calm and of spiritual accomplishment, like I am building a real and meaningful relationship with the gods instead of just thinking about building a relationship with them.

I’m also thinking about composing a kind of set of written devotions/rituals to the gods that I pray to and worship, soemthing for me to use in my daily devotions but that will also let me change things up a bit. A sort of rotating program of Hymns and Devotions, maybe three to each god/dess in sets, one for each week to go in a three-week cycle. As I write them, I will post them here on the blog.

Ah, love is old, love is new
Love is all, love is you

Because the sky is blue
It makes me cry
Because the sky is blue

Today, as well as being Rosh HaShana (Jewish), the Noumenia (Hellenistic), and Talk Like A Pirate Day (..?!?), it is also the first day of a three-day festival known as the Ariadneia, which recalls and commemorates the myth of Ariadne’s finding, union, death and final joining with Dionysos. It was created in 2004 by the group Thiasos Lusios. I’m not sure how many still celebrate it now, but I think its still worth celebrating.

L’étymologie du mot poète est à chercher en Grec Ancien où le terme signifie “faire, créer”, conférant alors à ce dernier le statut de l’inventeur, du créateur ce que le patronnat d’Apollon confirme.

Votre dissertation devra rappeler que la Grèce Classique pose véritablement les fondements de la poésie et ce en faisant appuyer sa tradition sur l’oralité et la musicalité de la langue. Homère en devient d’ailleurs l’exemple le plus célèbre.

Le rôle du poète est bien différent de celui de l’écrivain même si les deux pratiques peuvent se comparer facilement.

La poésie possède une force expressive et une subjectivité que seule ce médium peut toucher de part la finesse de ses règles et la rythmique de ses mots.

Au regard de l’histoire de la poésie, il vous sera nécessaire, dans votre dissertation, de citer quelques visages de la poèsie et du poète : le poète artiste tel Mallarmé ou Queneau à la recherche d’une nouvelle expression et d’un nouveau maniement du mot; le poète lyrique tel Alfred de Musset, le poète engagé tel Victor Hugo et Louis Aragon ou encore le poète prophète que peut représenter Rimbaud de par son appel au rêve.

Le rôle du poète est donc vaste mais votre commentaire devra mettre en exergue le fait que la poésie de par sa musicalité et sa facilité à extérioriser le “je” de son auteur demeure l’une des pratiques littéraires les plus à fleur de peau.

]]> http://byzantium.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/i-am-the-lizard-king-i-can-do-anything/ Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:25:31 +0000 Kullervo http://byzantium.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/i-am-the-lizard-king-i-can-do-anything/

I came across a pretty cool essay on Jim Morrison and Dionysus, and the pagan spiritual implications of Morrison’s life, music, philosophy, and his unique and fascinating madness. It gets a little closer to what I was trying to write a few days ago about the Lizard King. With all due respect and entirely without permission, I am reprinting it here in entirety:

THE CULT OF THE LIZARD KING
by Delia Morgan

I. The Rock God:

Jim Morrison–rock star, poet, prophet, electric shaman, and god incarnate. The lead singer of the 1960’s acid rock band known as The Doors, Jim Morrison identified himself very strongly with Dionysos. The Doors were the first group to really do rock concerts as ritual, as a means of taking the audience on a psycho-religious trip. They took their name from Aldous Huxley’s quote (here paraphrased) that “When the Doors of perception are cleansed, we will see things as they truly are–infinite.” Morrison described their mission in terms of trying to “Break On Through” to a bigger reality: “There are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between are the Doors.”

Morrison, with his “Greek God” beauty, his fiery passion and dark mysterious persona, has been considered a Dionysos incarnate. He certainly tried to bring something like shamanism and Greek drama to rock music and to the stage; he tried to shock people out of their complacency and into a terrifying and liberating ecstasy. Since his death at a young age in 1971, a cult has grown around him; many people, myself included, sense his presence as a guiding force, build altars to him, etc. There was even a “First Church of the Doors” at one time.

Morrison himself was, by all accounts, a man as brilliant as he was daring. At a young age he had read extensively on shamanism and ancient mythology, including James Frazer’s “The Golden Bough” (much of which is about Dionysos); he was also quite taken with Friedrich Nietzsche’s passionate vision of Dionysos as portrayed in “The Birth of Tragedy.” One of the last books he had been reading before his death was Jane Ellen Harrison’s voluminous and challenging “Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion” which is also mostly about Dionysos. It seems to me that Morrison let himself be completely possessed by Dionysos, until the man and the god were irrevocably merged; he carried the torch of his mythic Dionysian vision all the way to his death.

Unfortunately, most people never quite ‘got’ what he was trying to do at the time, which was religion. Rock critics called him pretentious for taking himself so seriously; few of them knew enough about myth and religion to put the pieces together. Ray Manzarek’s recent book “Light My Fire” is a personal history of the Doors, and also talks about Morrison as Dionysos.

Here are just a few quotes from Morrison’s songs and poetry where the dark and Dionysian mystic slips through:

“I call upon the dark hidden gods of the blood…”

“Where is the wine we were promised, the new wine…?”

“We could plan a murder, or start a religion…”

“I promised I would drown myself in mystic heated wine…”

“Let us reinvent the gods, all the myths of the ages;
celebrate symbols from deep elder forests…”

“I am a guide to the labyrinth.”

II. Perspectives on the Morrisonian mythos:

Some perceptive authors and music critics at the time caught on to the Dionysian element in Morrison’s philosophy and in his performances; others have come to realize this in retrospect. (Still others never caught on, and can’t understand what all the fuss is about.)

The following excerpt from a Doors website makes explicit the Doors’ connection to Pagan spiritual sentiment:

http://www.elektra.com/rock_club/doors/bio.html

During the late 1960’s bands sang of love and peace while acid was passed out. But for The Doors it was different. The nights belonged to Pan and Dionysus, the gods of revelry and rebirth, and the songs invoked their potent passions–the Oedipal nightmare of “The End,” the breathless gallop of “Not to Touch the Earth,” the doom of “Hyacinth House,” the ecstasy of “Light My Fire,” the dark uneasy undertones of “Can’t See Your Face in My Mind,” and the alluring loss of consciousness in “Crystal Ship.” And as with Dionysus, The Doors willingly offered themselves as a sacrifice to be torn apart, to bleed, to die, to be reborn for yet another night in another town.

The pagan/Dionysian theme is expanded upon by Danny Sugerman in the following excerpts from the introduction to the famous biography of Jim Morrison, titled “No One Here Gets Out Alive.”

http://www.thedoors.com/beta/mythos.htm

DOORS MYTHOS
by Danny Sugerman

“Though the favorites of the gods die young, they also live eternally in the company of gods.”
– Fredrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy

An account of initiation into the mysteries of the goddess Isis survives in only one in-person account, an ancient text that translated reads: “I approached the frontier of death, I saw the threshold of Persephone, I journeyed through all the elements and came back, I saw at midnight the sun, sparkling in white light, I came close to the gods of the upper and the netherworld and adored them near at hand. ” This all happened at night. With music and dance and performance. The concert as ritual, as initiation. The spell cast. Extraordinary elements were loosed that have resided in the ether for hundreds of thousands of years, dormant within us all, requiring only an awakening.

Of course, psychedelic drugs as well as alcohol could encourage the unfolding of events. A Greek musicologist gives his description of a Bacchic initiation as catharsis: “This is the purpose of Bacchic initiation, that the depressive anxiety of people, produced by their state of life, or some misfortune, be cleared away through melodies and dances of the ritual.”

There is a strange tantalizing fascination evoked by fragments of ancient pagan mysteries: the darkness and the light, the agony and the ecstasy, the sacrifice and bliss, the wine and the ear of grain (hallucinogenic fungi). For the ancients it was enough to know there were doors to a secret dimension that might open for those who earnestly sought them. Such hopes and needs have not gone away with time. Jim Morrison knew this. Morrison was the first rock star I know of to speak of the mythic implications and archetypal powers of rock ‘n’ roll, about the ritualistic properties of the rock concert. For doing so, the press called him a pretentious asshole: “Don’t take yourself so seriously, Morrison, it’s just rock ‘n’ roll and you’re just a rock singer.”

Jim knew they were wrong, but he didn’t argue. He also knew when the critics insulted him they demeaned his audience. Jim knew that music is magic, performance is worship, and he knew rhythm can set you free. Jim was too aware of the historical relevance of rhythm and music in ritual for those transforming Doors concerts to have been accidental.

From his favorite philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jim took solace and encouragement in the admonition to “say yes to life.” I never believed that Jim was on a death trip as so many have claimed, and to this day still find it difficult to judge the way he chose to live and die. Jim chose intensity over longevity, to be, as Nietzsche said, “one who does not negate,” who does not say no, who dares to create himself. Jim also must have been braced to read the following Nietzsche quote: “Saying yes to life even in its strangest and hardest problems; the will to life rejoicing over its own inexhaustibility even in the very sacrifice of its highest types-this is what I call Dionysian, that is what I understood as the bridge to the psychology of the tragic poet. Not in order to get rid of terror and pity, not in order to purge oneself of a dangerous effect by its vehement discharge, but in order to be oneself the eternal joy of becoming, beyond all terror and pity. “

It was Jim’s insatiable thirst for life that killed him, not any love of death.

III. Morrison Today

Why, among all stars in that infamous rock-n-roll heaven, is Jim Morrison uniquely qualified as an avatar of Dionysos? It’s no doubt true that various worthy and charismatic figures in rock-n-roll have gained something of a fanatical cult following. Visions of Elvis, etc. One recent translation of Euripedes’ play “The Bacchae” even put Elvis on the cover. But, really, it should have been Jim.

Morrison was, as far as I know of, the first or only rock performer to actually identify with Dionysos, and to express (sometimes subtly) the stated intent of trying to bring back the old pagan religions. He was also the only one to do serious research on the cult of Dionysos, and to attempt to recreate the cathartic experience of Greek tragedy as a ritual on the stage. He forged a connection between shamanism and Dionysiac cult: the shaman, by going on a spirit journey, could heal the tribe; then the rock performer, by making the presence of Dionysos manifest, and by bringing the audience with him, could create a healing breakthrough for both himself and the spectators/participants. He was brilliant, and possibly mad.

He was also the performer who (in my view) best expressed the enigmatic, mysterious qualities of Dionysos himself – the paradoxical juxtaposition of sweetness and violence, ecstasy and agony, deep masculinity and androgynous beauty, orgasmic chaos and graceful precision. Etc., etc.

I have no doubt that the spirit of Dionysos permeated the world of rock music in the 60’s, and even somewhat today. But it remains that Jim Morrison alone gave himself to Dionysos, entirely and without reservation, to the very end; and all for the purpose of bringing back Dionysian religion to a world without a clue.

And since his death, he has become a real and guiding presence for many devotees; in other words – a god. Doors fans have built altars and web shrines, conducted rituals in his honor and written poems about their spiritual encounters with Jim. He was certainly a powerful force in my own pagan awakening. This point came home to me, in many ways over the years; I’ll relate one.

One evening, I was sitting on the couch reading Jane Ellen Harrison’s “Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion,” a book which deals extensively with the religion of Dionysos. I was at the section where she describes how the dead hero becomes transformed into a god. I got very excited, and was scribbling notes in the margins, about how I saw this process of heroic deification as applying to Jim Morrison. (Snakes figured largely into this process, as they did in the cult of Dionysos; and Doors fans know all about Jim and “the ancient snake.”)

Suddenly, for no reason, I had a strong urge to turn on the television. (I almost never watched it; my roommate did.) When I did so, there was a program about the history of rock music, and they were doing a short segment on Jim Morrison. Then they interviewed the Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, on the subject of Jim’s death and/or possible continued existence. Ray said (paraphrased): “Jim isn’t here on earth anymore. Dionysos returned to Olympus, and he’s sitting up there laughing at us.”

This statement, coming right after my reading the same idea in Harrison’s book (and my relating it to Morrison), seemed like a remarkable coincidence to me at the time. I’m sure it was Jim who prompted me to turn the TV on at that moment. A few years later, I learned that (according to Jim’s girlfriend, Wiccan priestess Patricia Kennealy) that Harrison’s book on Greek religion was the very same one that Jim was reading just before he left for Paris, where he died a few months later.

===================================================

“Calling on the Gods…
Cobra on my left, leopard on my right…”
- Jim Morrison, from the album “The Soft Parade”

Though male, Dionysos was always somewhere in-between the sexes.  He was raised by women and worshipped by women; his religion was suppressed probably because it was run by women.  In the Bacchae by Euripides, Pentheus is told by Bacchus to dress as a woman to learn the secrets of his worship, and it’s likely that the giant dildos his worshippers carried around might have been used by his male worshippers in a practical sense.  Though bearded, he was effeminate, and like a lot of great Greek men, stories were told of his bisexuality.

In a lot of ways, he’s like the grape flower: with both male and female parts.   The grapevine is able to self pollinate, something I’m glad to be incapable of doing.

It reminds me that we are all somewhere in-between. It makes me think of my newest vineyard employee: a transvestite man from Mexico, young and strong and gay with painted fingernails, earrings, a swish in his walk and an ability to outwork any of the macho men with moustaches who joke and laugh but cannot keep up.  Jose Antonio: I like that dude.  I like that he is willing to put up with a few jokes because he is who he is and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it.  He could hide who he is, but he doesn’t, and he doesn’t care what they say, and besides, some of theose moustachioed men probably come knocking on his door late at night, lonely and hungry for his soft embrace. He does good work and sings to himself love songs and I would love to have a whole crew of transvestites, just so long as they’re Mexican and can sing.

When last I wrote on this here blog thing, I had found myself suddenly unemployed, alone in a haunted house, not knowing anyone in Oregon who could tell me where to find a new job.  Within three weeks, with the buds swelling and ready to burst in the vineyard, I’d found myself a good job with a good company run by a smart and knowledgeable man.  I am a vineyard manager again, of over 200 acres of dry-farmed, own-rooted, and sustainably-farmed Pinot Noir, Gris and Blanc in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  It is beautiful, and I am grateful.

Since then it’s been a flurry of work and of life.  I bought chickens and now eat their eggs.  I planted tomatoes and now eat their fruit.  My dog and I have dispatched two delicious deer.  I have loved and been loved.  The vines awoke, burst forth with green life, and now the fruit hangs heavy in purple and rose, sweetening, ripening, yearning for its seeds to be born aloft in the belly of a bird and deposited beneath an oak tree somewhere good and rich and warm.

Also:  I bought a fiddle, and am learning to play.    I sit on my porch and I imagine myself an old man, drunk and happy and teaching a granddaughter how to play Sally Goodin.

8 years ago, I was in New York City.  I had just moved to that goddamn place to give it a go:  I was in love, trying to be an artist and a writer and a doer of good things.  On the morning of September 11, 2001 I rode my bike from Brooklyn to Manhattan, stopping on the bridge to look at the skyline and contemplate things.

A year later I was picking grapes in France, and now I am entering my eighth grape harvest, having reinvented myself and become a professional in my field.

When the towers fell I made for myself a 15 year plan to buy myself a piece of land to farm wine.  I probably had my boxing gloves with me that day, with a plan to go spend my afternoon fighting people for fun at one of a couple of gyms in Brooklyn or Manhattan.  Things changed after that, and I began to dream of a peaceful life devoted to the art and poetry of making something true like wine for and by myself.

I am alone tonight in a 200 year old rented farmhouse, my faithful pup Sancho asleep at my feet.  I am in-between having a dream and realizing it.   I am going to be 35 soon:  In-between old and young.

We are all in-between something, always and forever and that’s alright.

The following was originally a post to the Hellenistai forum, entitled “The Gods and Gender?”. However by the time I finished the post, I realized that it really didn’t answer the question at all. For all that I talk about Dionysos, I really haven’t had a more.. personal relationship with him, I think, to answer that question. But since I spent a lot of time on it, I decided to re-post it here!

“Dionysos. Nuff said.

Nah, just kidding. I’ll answer this seriously. 

Now, first off, I think we have to define sex and gender. I do not see them as the same thing, and one I find more ludicrous than the other (I’ll try and explain why). Sex is what we are born with. Many of us are born biologically, with all the plumbing intact, female or male. And then there are those who are born hermaphroditic, to A LOT of varying degrees (although true hermaphroditism is pretty rare). It also seems to target “males” primarily.

Then there is gender, and this is where things get sticky. Gender is what we, as humans, created as roles to fit the two sexes (although there are numerous tribes and cultures who recognize/d a third sex, and thus, a third gender). Also, a lot of it just developed over time, determined by what the males and females did (take the hunter-gatherer approach, where men hunted and women gathered [most often], and thus men became positive, yang, aggressive, while women became passive, yin, negative. To use a couple of stereotypes). And some of it have just developed it naturally. However, the idea of gender is so incredibly fluid and varies from person to person, culture to culture, its hard to have one cohesive idea of what is “male” and what is “female”.

And thus, this is where I come in, not having a damn clue! XD I have never considered “girls have to do this” or “boys have to do this”. If I did, it always felt “weird”, and was often followed up by the idea of “well why the hell does it have to be like that?!”. I was never your typical “girl”. I did not like barbies, but preferred Power Rangers and TMNT and the like. Any interest I had in “girl”-y things was rare and far between. So what I did as what I thought was normal, this was projected outwards to everyone else. I would use the term “gender blind”, but its not entirely true to me. I can see gender, and recognize how people use it, I just don’t [i]understand[/i] it.

And thus, where Dionysos comes in. He is the master of gender fluidity. His cult was dominated by women, both mythic and real, who wanted to run about the countryside in his honour, dancing until their feet bled, drinking copious amounts of wine, and seducing men as they passed through town. This idea was so antithetical to the Greeks (and to the Romans, as much of his worship was banned in Rome in the beginning until they relented) it probably blew their minds a little, and thus why Dionysos was always “on the edge” of Greek society. He is the God of Others, of the Outside. Its also why he was always said to have been “a new god” in the Greece pantheon, when that’s pretty false for the most part. His name is found in Linear B! Not a lot of gods can boast that.

Yet his cult was tolerated, and excepted on some level. Men were dressed as women and acted like them (so I would not be surprised if homosexuality existed in his cult; and not in the pederastic sense). Women took on roles in his cult that were normally (I mean as far as I know, I don’t have much knowledge in what is done in “proper temple cultus”) given to men in other temples to other gods.

So.. for me I see Dionysos as male (or at least how I perceive him, I suppose) but it really kind of boils down to “it doesn’t matter”, because with him, its just more than … that. That’s my take on pretty much a lot of things dealing with gender and sexuality. I identify as a genderqueer pansexual, because I do not fit within a lot of boxes that are normally out there. So I guess I’m just in one big box. ^^; Or a special box. Hm.”

Last weekend we had a bonfire in my back yard with my mom, dad, and my uncle M, aunt J, and my aunt C. And my mom had brought out her 60’s and 70’s rock collection (she has a bunch of these cds that every decade has at least 10 discs; she doesn’t have them all, but she has a lot!) and The Doors were playing and they were talking about Jim Morrison, and I mentioned he had written a book of poetry (and also casually mentioned just to J that in a lot of his work he compared himself to Dionysos) that I also wanted to read. My aunt J piped up that her daughter’s boyfriend had actually bought a “package” from Chapters that contained this said book of poetry and said I could borrow it.

How could I -not- leap at that chance? I’ve read it a lot on my Dionysos groups that Jim Morrison has been an inspiration for many in their Dionysian paths, some considering him to be a “helmsman” or nigh an avatar for Dionysos at times. I mean hell, the man from what I read considered it too! Although I’ve honestly had little interest in The Doors or Morrison before I chose to follow Dionysos, I think its a path worth exploring. As per Anafiel Delauney in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series said, “All knowledge is worth having”. And these tales of connection with this man are not baseless or willy-nilly, there has been some serious connection. So I think its worth checking out.

I’ll just have to remember to phone and ask if I can come pick it up to check it out, since I’m trying to delve back into my spirituality and figure this is as good a place as any!