John Keats - Ode on a Grecian Urn

I'm sorry, guys, I am having one of those 'today is not going to happen, please try again tomorrow'-days. Forgive me? I have five drafts in my drafts folder form this morning alone, and nothing is worthy of publishing. Tomorrow I'll retry. Let me leave you with poetry this morning, one of my favourites--one I can recite from the top of my head even if you wake me in the middle of the night. You know, we used to make our schoolbooks pretty (and lasting) by covering them in wrapping paper and laminating them. Tradition says to add pictures of things you like to the wrapping paper before laminating, and one year, I used poetry only. This one was on my diary, so I read it at least ten times a day. Fond memories. You can read more about the poem here.

John Keats - Ode on a Grecian Urn

THOU still unravish'd bride of quietness,
  Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
  A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
  Of deities or mortals, or of both,
    In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
  What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
    What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
 
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
  Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
  Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
  Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
    Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal—yet, do not grieve;
    She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
  For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!
 
Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
  Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearièd,
  For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
  For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
    For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
  That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
    A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
 
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
  To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
  And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea-shore,
  Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
    Is emptied of its folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
  Will silent be; and not a soul, to tell
    Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.
 
O Attic shape! fair attitude! with brede
  Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
  Thou, silent form! dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
  When old age shall this generation waste,
    Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
  Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
    Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

• Tuesday, January 7, 2014
  poetry blogging this is not a real post

$186,- raised for the Coats For Kids Foundation by Pandora's Kharis

 

Elaion is proud to announce that the third Pandora's Kharis donation run has raised $186,- for the democratically decided upon cause Coats For Kids Foundation. Once more, it is an astounding amount for a small but ever-expanding giving circle, and we are so proud of the generous spirit of the Hellenistic community.

PayPal takes its standard fees from the transactions--in this case about $10,-, which was covered by Elaion, making sure every cent of your donation went to the Foundation to buy coats for kids who are struggling in this winter weather. The average amount paid by the contributors was around $15,-, with donations coming in as high as $30,-.

Giving a child a new coat positively impacts that child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Coats For Kids believes that the impact on kids that receive coats from CFK is dramatic, as evidenced by heads held high, smiles, and fewer missed days of school because of illness. Most kids that receive a coat from CFK either have never had a winter coat or, at best, have had a hand-me-down from a parent, sibling, or clothing box.

On average, a new coat costs the Foundation fifteen dollars, meaning that together, we have been able to provide good, sturdy, warm coats to twelve kids who are in desperate need of them this winter.

As always, we encourage members who have given so generously to dedicate this gift to the Gods, especially the Kourotrophos; (mostly) female deities who watched over growing children--Gaea, Artemis, Hekate, Eirênê, Aglauros and Pandrosos, especially. A pre-made ritual can be found here, on the Elaion Facebook page.

From this moment on, the Pandora's Kharis Facebook page is open to pitches. If you do not have Facebook, feel free to pitch your cause in the comments. We will relay the message to the community.

On to another month of pitching, voting, and giving. Thank you for your generosity!

• Monday, January 6, 2014
  Elaion interfaith Pandora's Kharis personal

Practicing under the care of naysayers

A while ago, I asked my wonderful readers to send me questions because I was a little stuck, and lacking for subjects to write about. Questions are always awesome writing prompts, and you guys came through in the best way possible; in fact, I am still working through my backlog of reader questions. Today, I would like to answer another one I got, and because I don't have written permission to use their name, I'm leaving it as anonymous. Thank you, though, Anon, for writing. My Facebook or e-mail is always open.

"Hello! I remember that you had said you were accepting questions. I am unsure if you are still accepting questions but I do have one that comes from an important subject. Subject being how to go about polytheistic practice when one is young and under the care of naysayers. Specifically, what to do about offerings? As it stands I leave water for my dead, house spirits, and a Thea, but I intend to honor more deities. But I do not have six or seven more containers to use that will not be missed. Could libations to multiple theoi (or other deity groups) be poured into a common container and it not be akin to a trough?"

You know, practicing a religion in secret is hard. It's especially hard if you are still living with your parents, or with a roommate you know won't understand or even a partner. I'm all in favour of an open dialogue, but sometimes that's simply not possible and we are forced to extend our repertoire so we can look for alternate solutions.

A while ago, I wrote a post with practical tips for those practicing with limitations. Anyone struggling with this type of situation might want to take a look at that one again. In this particular example, I would distribute your offerings between two bowls; one to the Ouranic Theoi, and one to the Khthonic Theoi and the dead. For more information, please visit this post about the bômos and bothros--the ritual altars of the ancient Hellenes.

That brings me to what I had originally wanted to say first; that the ancient Hellenes used one (well, two, if you split between Ouranic and Kthonic) altar for their rituals--especially in the household. You should never feel like you are just lumping offerings together; I always give sacrifice in a single sacrificial bowl on my altar (unless it's to the dead/Kthonic Gods/some heroes) and so far that has worked very well for me. That said, I do have separate household shines--discussed here, briefly, with outdated images I should replace soon--for specific rituals.

I hope this helps you--and perhaps others in a similar situation to yours--move on in their practices. I wish you the best of luck with your situation, and may the Gods always grand kind blessings to you and yours.

• Sunday, January 5, 2014
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenismos 101 household worship personal requested post

An interactive map to companion the Odysseia

As is (or should be) completely obvious to anyone who has visited this blog for a while, my love for Hómēros' Odysseia knows no bounds. It's my go-to book when I wish to feel connected to the Gods and it is only rivalled by Hesiod' Theogony in times I have reached for it. if you catch me reading out of the house, depending on the amount of space I have available in my bag that day, either the Odysseia or the Theogony will probably be in my hands.

As much as I love the Odysseia, I gave up on dissecting Odysseus' exact route through the Mediterranean Sea long ago. Trying to keep up with that convoluted mess was never a priority for me.  Even in ancient times, though, Odysseus' route was disputed and discussed quite often. Ancient geographers, scholars, and historians took great interest in the journey Odysseus had taken. The most important ancient sources are the first century geographer Strabo, who has collected information on Eratosthenes' and Polybius' investigations into the subject; as well as the 'Dictys of Crete', a novelisation of the Trojan War which many later writers treated as an authentic historical record of the war.

Many of the towns, cities, and other locations mentioned by Hómēros were no longer there in the time these scholars begun to search for them, and many concluded they simply had never been there. None seemed to mind too much; the Odysseia is a work to be enjoyed for what it is: entertainment. Eratosthenes, a Greek third century mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, music theorist, and the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria is (through Strabo) famous for saying: "you will find the scene of the wanderings of Odysseus when you find the cobbler who sewed up the bag of the winds." [1.2.14]

That said, Strabo did come to a consensus at least with himself when he gives us the following list of locations, given here with the corresponding source in the link above, where possible:

• Lotus-eaters: Djerba (1.2.17)
• Cyclops: south-east Sicily, near Etna and Lentini (1.2.9)
• Aeolus: Lipari, among the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily
• Laestrygonians: south-east Sicily (1.2.9)
• land of the Cimmerians: the Bosporus (1.2.9)
• The Ocean: the Black Sea (1.2.10)
• Sirens: either Cape Faro, by the Strait of Messina; or Sirenussae, a headland in Italy between the Bay of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno; or Naples itself (1.2.12-13)
• Scylla and Charybdis: Strait of Messina (1.2.9, 1.2.16)
• Ogygia (Calypso's island) and Scheria: "imagined in fantasy" as being in the Atlantic (1.2.18)

After Strabo, many contended these points, and thus, a true consensus was never reached amongst the ancient writers. The majority of classical scholars today hold the view that Odysseus's landfalls are best treated as imaginary places, but that does not mean new attempts to map out the journey have not been undertaken. Most famously is perhaps the study done by the French Homeric scholar Victor Bérard around 1930. Bérard took the views of the ancients and adapted them to the point where he himself was satisfied with the journey. His account thus differed from the ancient writers in some details:

• Lotus-Eaters: Djerba
• Cyclopes: Posillipo in Italy
• Aeolus: Stromboli
• Laestrygonians: northern Sardinia
• Circe: Monte Circeo in Lazio
• The entrance to the Underworld: near Cumae
• Sirens: the coast of Lucania
• Scylla and Charybdis: Strait of Messina
• Island of the Sun: Sicily
• Calypso: the Straits of Gibraltar
• Scherie: Corcyra

Based mostly off of Bérard, Gisèle Mounzer, Product Marketeer at ESRI, has made an interactive map of Odysseus' journey placed on a modern map, making it possible to track Odysseus as he crossed the Mediterranean Sea again and again in his journeys. There are fourteen points laid out by Mounzar, and each is accompanied by a quote from the Odysseia, or an explanation of it. In this regards, it functions as a fascination tool to gain a greater understanding of Odysseus' struggles.

 

If Mounzar's map really depicts the route taken by Odysseus--or even if there was a route at all, or an Odysseus--remains to be seen. All I can say is that it is as well a researched guess as any, and I greatly enjoyed the time I spent studying it.

• Saturday, January 4, 2014
  ancient Hellenic culture current affairs Eratosthenes Hómēros Odysseia Odysseus Strabo

PBP: Ancient religion, why?

I am not sure if you expected any differently, but of course I am doing the Pagan Blog Project again this year, which means I am starting all over again, with the A's. Welcome to cycle three! That said, I am totally hijacking today's PBP in favour of answering a question I was asked recently: why did you chose an ancient religion? Why not just go with a modern one?

The short answer is obviously: I did not chose my religion; the Gods chose me for it. I believe that with my entire being. I talked about being wired for a certain religion before, where a certain person finds themselves naturally suited for live up to the standards placed upon you by the religion. I have that with Hellenismos; I fit its ethical standard, its belief system, its way of looking at the world. I understand instinctively the how's and why's of the religion and walking a Recon path is therefor pretty easy most days; I am just me and it is enough. I think this 'wiring', as I have taken to call it, was done by the Gods, on purpose.

Hellenismos believes in free will of humanity; not even the Gods can end the will of a human being, but they can certainly influence the lives we live and instil in us through our environment a need to serve, a need to find Them, a need to honour Them. They might have been doing that since the reign of the ancient Hellenes, but we have only restored the ancient practices a few decades ago, and before that, I doubt anyone really knew what to do with that wiring and just channelled it into Christianity, or in beautiful poetry like from those who were later remarked on as being 'pagan' because they related so well to the societies of years past.

I am polytheistic, and hard polytheistic at that. I believe that every God and every Goddess (unless specified in the lore) is alive and well, and that somehow they have found a beautiful balance to run the world. Yes, perhaps every similar God or Goddess is the same entity at its core, or maybe there is only one divine entity, perhaps posing as multiple Gods throughout the ages, I am fine with that. As long as the Gods have individual names and personalities, I will treat Them as such. To make a very irreverent example: I'm not going to assume that all construction workers are the same person just because they perform a singular job, and I am most certainly not thanking their supervisor for a job they did admirably well.

Unfortunately this attitude cancels out most modern religions; I'm not wired for the Big Three, and I tried Paganism in its many forms, but although Hellenismos is technically part of the umbrella, I am not drawn to any of the other religions and traditions under it (except for maybe the other Recon religions; Kemeticism still looks like such a beautiful religion as well). Hinduism is beautiful, but from what I can tell, it's not something I am naturally cut out for, plus I'd feel bad for overtaking something that is so tied into a racial culture. I get how that sounds, by the way, considering I practice Greek Reconstructionism, but because the Age of Hellas is so long in the past, I do not feel like I am appropriating anything. The Hellenic Gods are universal, abide based in Greece. Consider the copyright laws for Their worship expired.

With all this said, I chose Hellenismos because I believe in the Gods and I wished to honour Them in a way that was not only convenient for me, but recognisable to Them. That was the reason I eventually transitioned from an Eclectic Pagan ritual structure to Hellenismos; I was always honouring the Theoi, but eventually I begun to feel like I was doing Them a disservice by blowing past the ritual structure that we already know They enjoyed. that is not to say I do not think They enjoy a more modern style of worship either; it simply means that I can no longer give Them that.

Reconstructionism works for me; it was tried and perfected over hundreds of years, and at its core, it is very clear-cut. There are a few basic tenets and everything else is just living those tenets to the fullest and delving into ritual structures and holidays. I feel comfortable being in a religion that needs to be thought about and researched, because I am a thoughtful person and i adore research. I understand that not everyone is, and that not even everyone who joined Hellenismos is--that's alright. Partly for those people, I started Baring the Aegis, so the research I do does not go to waste by being applied to just my household. That would be a shame, I think, because knowledge should never be a barrier to practicing faith, so if you get some of your from me, then perhaps it will become more appealing to honor the Theoi in a Reconstructionistic manner. And yes, I want that; I want more Hellenists in the wold, because the ones I have met have been wonderful, almost without exception.

I think that is my last reason for choosing an ancient religion: the community is fantastic.Sure, we have our nationalistic a-holes, and our entitled whiners, but you can find those everywhere. In general, I have found the Hellenistic community to be welcoming, helpful, and above all kind and very in tune with those previously mentioned core tenets. These are people I relate to because they are at least partially jut like me; I get along with them naturally.

I need religion in my life; I am religious person and I desire the stability of a spiritual safety net and daily routine. I also feel the need to thank the Gods I believe in every day for guiding me through life. I will always be religions. Hellenismos fits my needs; it's an ancient religion by accident, not choice. If I was wired for Christianity, I'd be in church every Sunday. I'm not, thought, so I had to strike out and find what did fit me, and that is this, the worship of the ancient Hellenic Gods. Hellenismos makes me happy, it enriches my life and it makes me a better person. It helps me to make sense of life, accept the hard parts, and move on from them. It helps me to make sense of myself. In the end, I belong nowhere else but here, in Traditonal Hellenismos, along with all these other people who I thank the Gods for every day.

• Friday, January 3, 2014
  Christianity Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 interfaith Pagan Blog Project Paganism personal

Prayer to Hermes and Zeus for protection during travel

My girlfriend I going on a short trip with friends today. She's off to Berlin and while I decided to stay at home, I do worry for her safety during the six hour journey to the city, her stay there, and the trip back. It's in my nature to worry about those I love. As such, I make special libations and sacrifices to Hermes and Zeus today and decided to publish the short prayer I add whenever someone I love travels a longer or extended period away from their home. Remember the ritual structure of procession, purification, hymns, sacrifice, prayers, thanks, and shared enjoyment of the gifts given.


Hermes, draw near, and to my pray'r incline, angel of Zeus, and Maia's son divine; Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind. Celestial messenger, of various skill, whose pow'rful arts could watchful Argus kill: With winged feet, 'tis thine thro' air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse: Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine: With pow'r endu'd all language to explain, of care the loos'ner, and the source of gain. Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God; Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortals kind.

-- Orphic Hymn 27 to Hermes

Winged Hermes, giver of many of humanity's greatest blessings. You, who of all the Gods is closest to mankind by far. Lend me Your ear as I pray to You to watch over those I love beyond all else in life. Hermes Pompaios, guide to all who wander, extend Your arm towards my beloved wife as she travels away from our oikos. Journey with her and protect her from all that would take her away from me. Accept my sacrifice of the sweetest of wines and incense, and of the fullest of fruits, and if I have every sacrificed to You in a manner that was pleasing to You, bring [name] home to me unharmed and fulfilled.

And now I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the Gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Kronos, most excellent and great!

-- Homeric Hymn 13 to the Son of Kronos

Blessed Zeus, most blessed and revered of all the Gods, You who rule over snowy Olympos with fair but firm hand. You who has the power to bring fulfilment of my wishes and greatest of desires, lend me your ear while the fire consumes my sacrifice to You. Zeus Xenios, You who watches over those who travel as strangers, reach out to those whom come in contact with my beloved wife and mellow their minds. Speak to them of her kindness, her joy, and her innocence. Speak to them and convince them to offer aid and never malice, to offer protection and never pain, to offer kindness and never hate. If I have ever sacrificed to You in a manner that was pleasing to You, may Your whispered words guide her home to me.

• Thursday, January 2, 2014
  Hermes Hermes Pompaios Homeric Hymns household worship hymns Orphic Hymns personal Zeus Zeus Xenios

Poseideon updates

A while ago, I decided that on the day of the Hene kai Nea, I'd post a monthly update about things that happened on the blog. Tomorrow it's officially Hene kai Nea, but since I had a late night last night with the new year celebrations (happy new year everyone!), I'm doing the updte today and a longer post tomorrow.

Changes to the blog:

• The Hellenic Terminology Page was updated with the latest terms.
• The last month, the Pagan Blog Project Posts were on: Yoghurt and other religious quirks , "You get what you pay for" , Zeal, and  Zōidiakos, or the zodiac
• I promise I will get back to PaganSquare posting as a new year's resolution. I dropped off due to computer issues, but those are now fixed, so we are back on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday routine.

Statistics:

• Almost 120.000 views right now, and I post my 600th update to Baring the Aegis on Saturday
• A little less than 10.000 of those hits happened in the last month
• The top five most popular posts were: Symbols of Hellenismos (102), The abduction of Persephone (97), Can you store khernips? (91), PAT ritual announcement: the Poseidonia (90), and "Atlantis" recap (1.10): The Price of Hope (89)

Anything else?

Pandora's Kharis, a charity circle for and by Hellenistic Polytheists, was launched a few months and has collected $174,- for Médicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), and $304,- for the Pagan Federation International Philippines . This month's very worthy cause is the Coats For Kids foundation, and there is still time to donate! Would you like to help? Join us on Facebook!

That is it for this month's updates, as far as I can remember. I hope you have had a wonderful end of the year, and you will have a great old month/start of the new tomorrow. Thank you for all your support and love in 2013; I have said it before and I will say it again; you guys are fantastic!

• Wednesday, January 1, 2014
  monthly update Pandora's Kharis