tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382184804747180588.post7785684587078931900..comments2024-03-27T09:04:12.454-07:00Comments on Baring the Aegis: The rule of DelphiElani Temperancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611003885755154591noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382184804747180588.post-15746835198505262162012-11-10T12:12:11.304-08:002012-11-10T12:12:11.304-08:00As Apollo is a Theos I have difficulties connectin...As Apollo is a Theos I have difficulties connecting with, I am quite sure you are far more versed in His mythology than I will ever be. I have read your post on Apollo as a rotting God, and found it very enlightening. <br /><br />I do agree that an oracle is simply a person chosen to host divinity at a sacred place, yet, I feel these sacred places are exactly what we are missing. With our numbers being as they are, I don't see this happen any time soon, but I feel that it may be our next step, perhaps twenty years from now. <br /><br />Of course, having a dedicated oracle does not mean others may never divine for the Hellenistic community--there were lots of diviners in ancient Hellas who were not bound to a specific location--but I honestly feel it would be a good step towards reconstruction.<br /><br />It's also wishful thinking ;)Elani Temperancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05611003885755154591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382184804747180588.post-62771143618109817832012-11-10T10:40:15.339-08:002012-11-10T10:40:15.339-08:00The serpent Delphinia (aka Python after her slayin...The serpent Delphinia (aka Python after her slaying) is perhaps one of my favorite myths to explore and think about and in fact I am dedicating one of the booklets I am writing to just this in exploring some of the symbolic things going on in the myth. From this myth I have drawn some interesting links with Apollon as a rotting god and cultic functions he has had as a god linked with cemetaries and with laws under which Thanatos operates.<br />As for oracles, I am of a differing opinion. There are alot of diviners throughout the Hellenic community which functions well for those who seek some kind of clarification, but I honestly do not see a need for an oracle. As I have posted in my own blog I see oracles more as sacred places (such as how Delphi arose) rather than people. The oracle as the person is just whoever is at the time serving at the place. I do not think that the situation at Delphi can be replicated, nor that at Didyma or Dodona, not any time in the near future anyway.<br />We are indeed a spread out lot, but even if we created local community this doesn't necessarily mean that it will breed oracles. Maybe a few prophets/seers, but I don't see this as the same thing as an oracle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382184804747180588.post-30713350591625646372012-11-10T00:12:26.212-08:002012-11-10T00:12:26.212-08:00One day, I will be brave enough to post the vision...One day, I will be brave enough to post the vision I have for the development of Hellenismos in it's entirety, and not just bits like this ;)<br /><br />You are absolutely right in saying that our greatest tool right now--the internet--will eventually start holding us back from practicing like we are meant to; together, at the temples of the ancients. Yet, temples can me build, and community can form. Thankfully, that's happening in Greece already. In my post about standardizing Hellenismos, I talk about this a bit as well. <br /><br />http://baringtheaegis.blogspot.nl/2012/08/standardizing-hellenismos.html<br /><br />It's hard to form community when its members are so spread out. Yet, we will find a way. It may involve travel, we may just see each other once a year at best, but we will see each other. Eventually; when there are places to go to. Oracles, temples, gatherings. This is where our focus should be.Elani Temperancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05611003885755154591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382184804747180588.post-88254847078186748872012-11-09T15:43:56.534-08:002012-11-09T15:43:56.534-08:00Your post is inspiring. I would like to see a ret...Your post is inspiring. I would like to see a return of prophets, oracles, and holy sites too. I love the ancient myths as to how some sites became holy places where the God decided to speak to humankind and choose an ambassador to speak through and I'm very curious to see how this would translate in a modern world. The pagan faiths are all so new and scattered right now, it's exciting to think about what we could be organizing towards or growing into. <br /><br />I think biggest our challenges beyond being a cohesive community is our conflicted relationship with land and space. On one side pagans and pagan gods are very much a people and religion of physical place. Our gods often have defined boundaries or specific places of strongest power. On the other side, our communities are scattered and best organized online in "virtual space". We have strong holds and we often have local communities, but not at the same level one would think our land connected faith would bring us to. Navigating this tension between an online presence that has lead to the most spread of our faiths and the actual physical place connection many of our faiths and myths imply will be interesting to watch and take part in, especially when it comes to creating teachers and oracles. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236210263231763156noreply@blogger.com