The Birth of Dionysus

Father Zeus fell in love with His daughter Persephone and amorously pursued Her. The affair continued for several years before Hera became suspicious of Her husband's actions. She would often ask Him why he ventured to the Underworld so often. The dank dark depths of that place were hardly suitable for His shinning brilliance. Zeus answered saying things like He was visiting Hades or He was tending to the shades in Elysium. None of these answers seemed to add up so Hera followed Her heavenly husband one day. 

In the disguise of an old matron Hera trailed Zeus into the Underworld. The dismal souls left on the shores of the Styx discomforted Her greatly. Eventually She followed Zeus all the way up to the Palace of Hades. The great black spires rose up from the rocky landscape like nails ran through a thin board. Hera watched as Zeus sneaked to the courtyard where Persephone kept Her orchards. Very carefully Hera hid Herself behind a pillar and just watched. At first nothing seemed to be amiss. Zeus was just standing their admiring the delicate blooms that gave Persephone comfort in Her martial prison. Then suddenly Persephone appeared garbed in a pink gown. The two then lied together and Persephone conceived. Hera was furious over this but She knew She could not openly contest Zeus's actions or punish Persephone for giving in to His advances. Instead Hera swore to seek vengeance upon the product of Their secret union. 

In the following spring just before Persephone left to rejoin Her mother on earth the Goddess gave birth. The child came out easily and with a brilliant glow. He carried on his head two small horns and a crown of serpents. The smell of fresh pine permeated the air around Him. Persephone named Her child Zagreus or Great Hunter. Zagreus instantly became the pride of Olympus but to conceal His true parentage Persephone claimed that the child was of Hades and no other. 

All the Gods gave Him various gifts to mark His birth. Zeus even named the child heir of Olympus and sat Him upon the throne garbed in royal attire. This greatly angered Hera. Not only had the child been a product of one of Zeus's affairs but now He was lined up to rule over Her and the rest of the Gods. But She had a plan and would soon commence it. 

She stole away once again to the Palace of Hades but this time to visit Her dark brother. She told Him about Persephone and Zeus's treachery and how the child Zagreus was not His. This angered the usually cold and solemn Hades. He asked Hera what She would have Him do. Hera replied asking Her brother for the keys to Tartarus that way She might free the Titans to slay Zagreus. Hades gladly gave Her the keys and off She went. Once the Titans were properly motivated Hera sent them after the child Zagreus. They lured Him off the throne with a rattle and wooden bull. After that the Titans pounced upon the child and devoured His flesh. In the end all but Zagreus's heart was destroyed. 

This event filled Zeus with a rage never before seen in the Cosmos. He grabbed His lightning bolts and dawned His golden armor before chasing down the murderous Titans. He then with the help of Athena and Hermes slew them all in the most painful heinous of ways. Once the battle ended Athena took the heart and gave it back to Her father. He hid it away in His thigh for many years. From the ashes of this great battle Prometheus crafted the first humans. They would have in them the divinity of Zagreus the purest of Gods and the barbarism of the cruel Titans.

Zeus began to court the Princess Semele of Thebes late in the winter and in her He planted the heart of Zagreus. The earth was still frozen and the nights long but the warmth of the divine child growing inside her gave Semele a certain cheer in those dreary months. Eventually the snow receded and Apollo returned from His Ethiopian abode to warm the land once more. Semele left the palace to go meet her love in the mountain groves surrounding Thebes. She walked through the pine woods listening to the songs of the birds and the chatter of the squirrels. Once she reached her destination Zeus came down to her in the form of a dazzling youth with sharp blue eyes and near silver hair. The two laid together surrounded by the sounds and smells of the awakening earth. Little did the two know that Hera sat nearby watching and scheming. The Goddess decided to avenge Her honor by punishing Semele and the product of her womb in one fatal stroke.

The next day Hera disguised Herself as Berenice Semele's most trusted friend. Hera went to Semele and asked her why she was so happy even through the darkest of winter. Semele's heart was so full of joy and love that she had to tell someone about her immortal lover. Semele told Hera everything that had transpired since Zeus first took interest in her. She even told her that she believed she was pregnant. It was this minor confirmation that gave Hera the sign to continue with Her plan. Hera skeptically refuted what Semele said. She told Semele that if Zeus was truly her lover than she should ask Him to give her a sign. Distraught Semele left that palace in search of Zeus. 

In the woods Zeus went to her. He did his best to comfort the princess but nothing seemed to work. Because of this Zeus made a fateful vow. He promised by the Styx that He would give anything to Semele that she asked of Him. This finally stopped Semele's sorrow.

Later that night Hera went to Semele in her dreams. The Goddess planted more seeds of doubt in the princess's heart. Semele jolted up and ran to Berenice's room but before she got there Hera possessed the servant. Semele asked Berenice what she should do to prove that her lover truly was Zeus. Hera told her to do as her dreams advised and ask to see His true form. Eventually Semele relented to the idea and decided to seek Zeus out the next day. 

She found her lover sitting on a rock near the top of a stony hill. She went to Him and reminded Him of His vow. Then she asked Him to reveal His true form to Her and squelch any doubt that lived in her heart. Zeus knowing that this would cause the death of His beloved Semele begged her to choose something else. Sadly Semele refused and kept pushing the matter. Zeus could not resist her anymore and took off His fleshy disguise. The brightness and heat that radiated off from Father Zeus scorched Semele's body. Zeus managed to save His unborn child from Semele's womb before her death.

Zeus gave the child to Hermes and ordered Him to carry it off to Naxos far beyond the reach of Hera where Selinous could raise the boy in peace. Hermes did as ordered. The child was called Dionysus and He grew up to be a handsome young boy. The nymphs who cared for Him as a child soon found themselves infatuated by His beauty and charm. Dionysus grew up in the tutelage of the satyrs nymphs and of course old Selinous. Eventually the young god would discover wine and leave Naxos in search of His identity and origins but those are stories for another time. 

My World Mythology Class

I decided to take a mythology class this semester because I felt that it would be an easy A. Sadly, I found myself thrust into an environment full of misinformation and ignorance. My teacher, who shall remain nameless, has absolutely no background in the myths or beliefs of the ancients. She simply picked up the textbooks and began regurgitating the idle speculations and pure fantasies of Donna Rosenberg. 

In the books the author puts forth several historically incorrect ideas and words them as if they are fact. Here's a short list of her delusions. 

• there was once a great matriarchal society that worshiped a single goddess by many names
• all ancient cultures would host a competition for the males and the winner would be slaughtered and ritually cannibalized by the priestess queens
• a patriarchal society came and destroyed the matriarchies as well as introducing the idea of a male divinity
• the Minoans were destroyed by a massive land invasion by one of these patriarchal societies

Honestly, this author must have read all the Wiccan books from the 70's to believe this crap. Or she somehow managed to translate Linear A because all of the information she gives as fact occurred before the Hellenic Dark Age and thus before our written record. She also has this bit in almost every chapter talking about how the main goddess in the story is somehow a triple goddess with lunar aspects. Once again, she obviously does not know her history. The idea of triple goddess as we know it today was invented by Middle Age Christians in fictional texts. There is no definitive proof that the Celts had a triple goddess or any other culture for that matter. 

The teacher's arrogance and disrespect makes me want to barf. She likes to use air quotes when she refers to any god other than the Christian one. She gave an entire lecture to us about how all of the pagan gods just wanted worshipers and sacrifices because they are insecure. She takes a very linear view of the myths and assumes that the pagans believed them to be literal fact like zealot Christians believe the Bible to be. She can't pronounce a damn word to save her life. She very rarely gets her history right, even when it isn't straight from the textbook. She will make things up when confronted with a question that she doesn't know the answer to. The part that irks me the most is that she teaches three classes of 30ish students every semester every year. That's about 180 people that she sends off into the world each year with this warped, false idea about paganism, history, and foreign cultures. She might as well be a communist set out to "reeducate" the masses. 

I went into her room after school one day and told her that I'm a Hellene and have been for nearly 7 years. I then told her that I found certain parts of the text to be inaccurate and offensive to my religious beliefs. Her answer to my issue was "What am I supposed to do about it? I'm going to teach the class from the book." I was so angry about this answer. Her justification for not listening to me was that she doesn't know my "credentials". What the hell are credentials when you are talking about my faith? That's like telling someone that a book written by a Muslim on Catholicism is more accurate than the words of the pope. It's absolutely ridiculous. Also it's not like she has to use the books written by Rosenberg. There is another teacher who teaches the same course in my school. He use Edith Hamilton's book coupled with the Eddas and Vedas to teach his classes. 

I've decided to send my teacher a copy of every article I've ever written as well as links to sources on Hellenism, Heathenism, Hinduism, and Kemeticism at the end of this year. Hopefully she gets her head out of her ass and realizes that she needs to stop brainwashing the future generations of America. 

The Human Map

The idea that we are pure, spiritual beings bound to flesh exists in many of the various philosophical schools of Greece and Rome. This idea is also very common in Eastern religions, like Buddhism. Orphism is the main Greek school that teaches a cycle of rebirth and transcendence. But the following ideas are a mixture of Orphism, Pythagoreanism, Buddhism, and my own thoughts. Enjoy

I divide the human into three distinct parts. The first part consists of our physical being. The second part is our emotions and impulses. The third part is our logic and reasoning. I believe that this logic and reasoning, being the only thing that separates us from other animals, is our soul or at least our connection to the divine. Our Soul is constantly working to tame our Heart and thus free itself from the Flesh. To relate this back to the myths, I like to look at the fire's of Prometheus as the Soul but I'll write more on that later. 

We grow our Soul and strengthen its power by practicing Wisdom. Wisdom is simply acting in a way that causes maximum pleasure and minimal pain. Every aspect of our being is geared towards achieving pleasure, but sometimes we find ourselves buried deep in dukkha (a Sanskrit word encompassing all forms of discomfort). The Flesh may lead us towards things like food or drugs for pleasure. The Heart may lead us towards sex or vanity. These things are not bad by any means. Alone however, they can become obsessive and drive us to extreme ends of the spectrum causing much pain. The Soul is what introduces temperance and moderates the the Flesh and Heart.

To be continued...

The Pythia

The Pythia or Oracle of Delphi is easily the most famous ancient seer in all of history. According to legend Apollo came down to the land surrounding Delphi. The people of the surrounding villages told tales of a fierce dragon who was the child of Gaea. This dragon lived in a cave and abducted young women from the villages. The dragon would lay with the women in his cave and they would be given the gift of prophecy. 

Apollo sought to slay this dragon and end the abductions so he grabbed his great silver bow and went to the cave. He slew the great dragon Python and freed the current oracle. The villagers were so gracious that they constructed a great temple complex around the cave and instated annual games to honor Apollo. In return Apollo gave the mortals a moral code to help them live more virtuous lives. This code is comprised of a 130ish phrases carved throughout the temple complex. 

The Pythia had to audition for the job. Women from all across Greece would come and attempt to horse the god Apollo. If he chose the woman she would treated as his mortal bride. She was expected to remain celibate until her death. She was not allowed to own land or property. Instead she was expected to live within the temple and surrounding area. Once a month on the full moon she would venture into the cave system under Apollo's most holy shrine. There she would sit on a brass seat supported by three legs. This seat suspended her over a crack in the earth where the god would enter the sanctuary. Once there she would place laurel in her mouth and enter a trance. 

The Pythia would utter answers to the questions posed to her. Often times these answers were in a hexameter format. This format can't really be done in English because of the phonetics of our language. The answers would be interpreted by an attending priest and then given to the inquirer. The inquirer was expected but not compelled to give an offering to the god and to the temple. 

This ritual would repeat itself until winter. Once winter came Apollo retreated from earth and went to Olympus. This meant that he was absent and unable to ride the Pythia. In his stead Dionysus gave the Pythia her power. This is just one way that the relationship of Apollo and Dionysus is illustrated. 

Some archaeologists speculate the volcanic fumes seeped up from the chasm and allowed the Pythia to enter trance. Personally I think this is a very likely explanation of the depths of her trance and accuracy of her prophecies. I have noticed that shallow trance only allow for a shallow possession and thus a weak connection between yourself and the divine. I very powerful entheogen like volcanic fumes would be powerful enough to account for the aforementioned things. 

The Temple of Delphi was officially closed in 389 AD by Emperor Theodosius. The temple was soon burned. However the Pythia gave us two things one she prophesied the return of the Gods and she said this to Emperor Theodosius 

"Tell the king; the fair wrought house has fallen. 
No shelter has Apollo, nor sacred laurel leaves; 
The fountains are now silent; the voice is stilled. 
It is finished." 

Interestingly enough a violent earthquake shut the chasm just days before the temple burned effectively causing the fountains to be silent and the voices stilled. 

Most Hellenes hold to the last prophecy that Apollo will return and take back his house. I for one look forward to that day.

The Nursing of Demophoon

Background

This story happens during Demeter's search for Persephone. The world is cold and fruitless. People and animals alike are starving, crying out for the blessings of Demeter to return to the barren earth. 

(the following is my telling of the story)

The Nursing of Demophoon

As Demeter travels the earth, covered by a dark mourning veil, She comes to a tiny village outside of Athens. She walks into the town and sits under a barren pomegranate tree to mourn the loss of Her beloved daughter before continuing the search. The branches are brittle with death and snap as the wind blows against them. 

An older woman and her attendants walk past the disguised, mourning goddess. The older woman, undoubtedly of noble birth, approaches the Goddess. She invites Her into her home and offers Her food and water despite the great famine plaguing the land. Later in the evening, after the disguised Demeter had Her fill, the noble woman (Metaneria) asked Her about Her journeys. 

Demeter told Metaneria and the rest of the court the story of a loving mother and her lost child. She spoke of the mother's grief and the empty pit the loss caused. Demeter finished Her story with words of hope about how the mother will be united with her daughter soon. 

Metaneria was so moved by this that she offered her own child, Demophoon, to the Goddess's care in an attempt to console Her. Demeter saw in the young boy that same spark of life and vigor that had shone so brightly in the eyes of Her daughter. 

Brightly Crowned Demeter accepted the honor and nursed the child as Her own. She spent several days there tending Demophoon. In those days life slowly crept back to the sleepy village. 

Metaneria noticed something odd about her child one day. She took note of how his eyes began to show age as if he had lived many lives and had the wisdom of them all. He never cried and refused to play with his many toys. Instead the child would stare off at the sky or the earth with a contemplative look. Metaneria decided that Demophoon's new nurse had something to do with his odd behavior. 

One night she went to the door of the Goddess's room and looked in. She saw the Goddess anoint the child with some strange liquid and feed him an odd substance. Both of these strange things smelled like a fresh spring meadow and glimmered with an aura of power. After Demeter did these things She placed the child in the fire. 

Metaneria was horror struck and burst through the door screaming at the woman. Demeter jumped up from Her seat by the hearth and snatched the child from the flames. She was so angered by Metaneria for her intrusion and behavior, that She tossed the child to the ground. Demeter then turned towards Metaneria and shouted how She was blessing the child to rid him of age, death, and decay. She told Metaneria how her son would have lived like a god on earth and how he would have been the wisest of men. Mourning Demeter then told Metaneria that her sons, the sons of Eleusis, must construct Her a temple and conduct Her most holy mysteries there in penance. 

Metaneria accepted the Goddesses judgement and She left to continue Her search. 

Analysis

This myth has many key parts that hold deep spiritual knowledge.

My interpretation of the characters is as follows

Metaneria-the human ego

Demophoon-the human soul

Demeter-enlightenment/the Gods

In the beginning of the story we see xenia (hospitality) in the Queen Metaneria. She sets an example for proper behavior towards strangers even under difficult circumstances. 

Next we see Mateneria surrender her son to the Goddess. This is symbolic of how humans must surrender ourselves and expose our most vulnerable parts in order to find enlightenment. This involves a lot of personal work with our own fears and impulses. We have to learn how to break down the ego (the part of our personality that develops over time and reacts without thinking) in order to find enlightenment.

Now we see Demeter nursing the child and putting him in the flames. Nursing, in this case, is symbolic of expanding our wisdom, compassion, and understanding. Humans who have these traits and bear them always already live like gods. Fire has been associated with cleansing and enlightenment for thousands of years. By putting the "soul" in the fire Demeter is cleansing it of its impurities. This goes along with the Orphic view of the universe and reincarnation. (shocker :P)

 And lastly we see Mateneria (the ego) become upset when she sees Demophoon (the soul) get so close to enlightenment. This, very simply, shows how we have a tendency to be our own worst enemy. We procrastinate, act impulsively, hold grudges etc and this all keeps us from attaining enlightenment and living like the Gods. Here is a quote from the Dhamapada  "Those who know that their time on this earth will come to an end cease their quarrels immediately." This quote in its very essence  shows the nature of enlightenment. "As the rain breaks through and ill thatched roof so too does passion (impulse) break through an unreflecting mind." This quote from the same book shows how enlightenment can be attained, through reflection and the wisdom/mental discipline that comes with that. 

Priests in the Hellenic/Roman Faith

The history behind the various priesthoods is extensive. Because of this I will avoid a history lesson and talk purely about modern clergy.


First of all I do not and probably never will claim the title of priest or any other religious title. My reasons for this will be illustrated in the following post.


My experiences with those who would call themselves "priest" have been rather lacking. These people are almost always self ordained and severely lacking in experience. Sadly, I've even met a few people who believe that a certificate from the state suddenly makes them the Pontifix Maximus (pretty much a pagan Roman pope). In all reality I spit on those certificates and use them to light my fire to Vesta. The state has no more authority over me and the pagan community than the Ayatollah or Pope. If a prospective pagan wishes to become a clergyman, then they must go through a religious organization of some sort. Only then will they have the authority to make that tinder (the certificate) worth something.


Now I realize that there really aren't many pagan groups out there, and that this denies many worthy people from claiming the title. My answer to this is very simple. If you are a pagan and want to claim a title, but there are no groups around you then start your own. I suggest that you halt your ego and think this through first. Here a few questions you should ask yourself and meditate on for at least two months to a year before starting:

1. Why do I want to become a clergyman?
2. By what authority do I claim this title?
3. Do I have the leadership skills necessary for the job? 
4. Do I have the people skills necessary for the job?
5. Do the Gods back this decision? (use augury)
6. Do I know enough about my religion and deity/deities to function as a proper priest?
7. Will people follow me?
8. Do I have an organized hierarchy and set or rituals prepared to tend to my temple's needs/wants?
9. Do I have the finances necessary to start a temple?
10. Do I have the ability to successfully serve as a representative of my temple and faith?
11. Do I have the time to serve my temple and gods?

There are many more questions and ins and outs you should consider but that list is pretty comprehensive. After your group has gotten to about 7-10 members not including yourself, and has been active for two years, you can think about applying to the state. 

Here is another reason why I don't care for the "clergy" we have running around these days. They tend to be politically charged and on the fringes of politics at that. It's perfectly fine to have an opinion about politics, because almost all of us do. However, if you should voice is privately as a clergyman because you are ALWAYS representing your temple and faith. NEVER should a priest/priestess participate in any political movement that does not directly concern their community, and NEVER should a priest/priestess discuss politics or political figures on any thing public and or dedicated to their temple/faith. It is pure stupidity to do so. You turn away people from opposing political views that wish to learn about your faith/temple. You get involved in the dung slinging of political media. You tarnish your temple, faith, and gods by involving them in petty junk like that. People don't understand that as a clergy member you have to sacrifice certain things. Having a public opinion about politics and candidates is one of those sacrifices. Exceptions to this rule would be things like local community politics. For example, signing a petition to keep a historic building from being torn down, or hosting a peaceful protest against pagan discrimination. 

The discrimination thing brings up a third point I'd like to make. A few "clergymen" I've met become politically hyperactive as a way of self validating their title. These people tend to find discrimination in places where it truly just doesn't exist. I realizes that they are trying to be helpful to the community, but I personally just want them to slow down. When they do this they make all pagans look sue happy and ready to jump down peoples' throats over the tiniest things. In reality this damages the cause of pagan organization more than it helps it. 

Another issue I've seen is that some clergymen can't call it what it is. In other words they claim to represent a faith but they only do it half way. This is because they lack the fundamental understanding of a novice. Please for the love of all that is holy research your religion and practice it for a good number of years before trying to get up and call yourself a priest/priestess. I can guarantee you that if you haven't been an active practitioner for at least five years your understanding is greatly lacking. This is especially the case in those who are coming from a different faith entirely. For example, those coming form Wicca into Hellenism tend to have some very obvious Wiccan undertones. The same goes for any religion. Think of it like prescribed medications. The doctor generally makes you wait a while before he gives you a new medications to try. The reason being is that the first one has to exit your system so it doesn't mix and cause damage. The first religion you were a part of needs time to exit your thought/practice so that way it doesn't mix and muck up the new one. People wanting to become Catholic have to go to school for it and everything. People wanting to become clergy or a member of any faith need to extensively study it before claiming membership or a title. Hell even the Wiccans have their year and a day rule. 

I realize that solo practitioners sometimes wish to serve their deity in a more intimate way and priest/priestess just seems perfect. I've been there too. But I urge others to look at the situation and realize that there are better, more appropriate ways to serve your deity. Begin calling yourself a devotee and incorporate certain practices that bring you closer. I find that setting aside a period of time each day just to meditate on Dionysus helped fill the desire I had to serve Him more. Talk to other about your deity, or take up hobbies that They would approve of. 


Lastly, I'd like to talk about tradition and clergy. There were almost never priests or priestesses who represented every deity in a pantheon. Logically this makes perfect sense. You are a single, mortal human. How can you possibly understand every deity well enough to call yourself a priest/priestess of them? In all honesty you will never understand a single deity completely, let alone a whole host of them. Even the Pontifix Maximus of Rome served only Jupiter. 

Poem to Dionysus II

The vines grow swiftly from their frozen tomb

The beast of burden toils under the pale moon

The slave is whipped without complaint

The wife is beaten shown no restraint

The beggar starves in the dusty street

The prisoner awaits his gods to meet

The innocents flee as their homes are burned

The man awards himself the death he’s “earned”

Their flesh is bloodied aged and torn

But their souls hope and await their Lord

For these are the children of the Mad God

He calls to them with His great ivy rod

Release from burned pain anguish and lies

Are His free gifts to all not just the wise

Eove! Eove! Eove!