The Trevor Project is Pandora's Kharis Metageitnion 2014 cause

After a one month hiatus, Pandora's Kharis is back with a new cause to gather funds for. This month's cause is The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ-focussed organisation named after Trevor, a character out of James Lecesne's award-winning one-man show 'Word of Mouth'.  It was turned into the Academy Award®-winning short film 'Trevor', about a 13-year old boy living in 1981 who is shunned by all his classmates for being gay. He doesn't understanding why everyone thinks that’s such a bad thing, but decides it would probably be better for everyone if he weren’t around. 'Trevor' has a message of hope, though, and of self acceptance and love, and these are the pillars of The Trevor Project as well.

The Trevor Project is the leading American organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24. On the night 'Trevor' premiered on HBO in 1998, the Trevor Lifeline was launched: the first national crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ youth. Since then, hundreds of thousands of young people in crisis have reached out to The Trevor Project’s multiple in-person and online life-saving, life-affirming resources--Trevor Lifeline, TrevorChat, TrevorSpace, Ask Trevor and Trevor Education Workshops.

One notable project The Trevor Project is involved with is the 'It Gets Better'-campaign in which celebrities, company employees, and sometimes just regular people--sometimes part of the LGBTQ banner themselves, other times simple supporters of the banner--tell stories of their adolescence. They speak of bullying, of depressions, of the issues young LGBTQ people deal with every day and they tell them that it--eventually--gets better. It always gets better. It has become a very valuable tool in trying to prevent teen and adolescent suicides in the LGBTQ community.

The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive and positive environment for everyone, and we can help them do that.

You can now donate to Pandora's Kharis at baring.the.aegis@gmail.com or by clicking the 'donate' button on the Pandora's Kharis website. This is a very deserving project, and donating to it can truly, truly, save lives. Thank you in advance for any amount you can spare. As a lesbian who has struggled in the past with her sexuality, who still has to defend her love for a woman more times than you can possibly imagine unless you live it, I will be forever grateful if you choose to donate. It will matter. The deadline to donate is 28 August, 2014.

• Thursday, August 7, 2014
  current affairs Elaion Pandora's Kharis personal

The ancient Hellenic kithara

I worked a 16 hour day yesterday, and I have to rush off for a similar day today, so this is going to be short. Today I would like to share a video of an recreated kithara being played in the Temple of Apollon at Delphi (or in front of a green screen, but whatever). Peter Pringle plays the instrument, and does so very beautifully. I am not allowed to place the video here, so click on the picture to be taken to youtube.

 

The kithara was an ancient Hellenic musical instrument in the lyre or lyra family. It was a professional version of the folkish two-stringed lyre. Musicians who played the kithara were called 'kitharodes'. The kithara's origins are likely Asiatic. The barbiton was a bass version of the kithara. In modern Greek the word kithara has come to mean 'guitar', making that the closest modern equivalent, although the sounds would be quite different. Enjoy!

• Wednesday, August 6, 2014
  archeology current affairs this is not a real post

The Hellenic Handmaid

Today I would like to direct your attention to an Etsy store that does not only have my personal support as a practitioner of Hellenismos, but the official support of Elaion as well. It's run by my friend Erica, who is a beautiful human being, crafter, and Hellenic Polytheist. She has just started this particular shop, but she's experienced with Etsy and on-line sales. The assortment is limited at the moment, but knowing Erica, there will soon be many more natural and high quality goods to purchase for the Hellenist. The shop is called The Hellenic Handmaid, and it was created to serve a very particular need. As Erica says on her shop's Etsy page:

"My shop was born of a desire to provide good quality products to folks who were looking for just that, no frills necessary. I saw a great need to represent the religion, lifestyle and tradition of Hellenic Polytheism/Reconstruction in a store. This is accomplished by supplying items that a worshipper of the ancient Greek Gods may have traditionally used in their practice, and continue to use today. I also wanted to let the products speak for themselves and open up avenues of education and discussion in world history, mythology and diversity. I believe that I've achieved my goal."

So guys, if you are ever in need of resins to burn as sacrifices to the Theoi, or find yourself in need of any of the other items Erica will start selling soon, head over to The Hellenic Handmaiden and place your order. If you would like to spread the word, she also has a Facebook page you can like and share. Enjoy!

• Tuesday, August 5, 2014
  Elaion personal requested post

Death in the Iliad

Nothing better than humour and mythology combined--especially when that humour is respectful to the Theoi and our mythology. Today I would like to share the latest of 'Greek Myth Comix', an initiative by Laura Jenkinson in order to 'explaining Classics in stick-man form'. Together with contributing artist PS, she puts out comics, infographs, and other mythology related material.

Today's work is, indeed, an infographic, created in collaboration with Ian Johnston, who has published a very enjoyable translation of the Iliad. the subject? Death!

We all know a lot of people bite the dust in the Iliad. The story--which describes part of the Trojan war--introduces and follows some of the greatest heroes in Hellenic mythology. Together, they do  whole lot of killing and dying, and yes, if you turn that into an infographic, it's very enjoyable. Please head over to the Greek Myth Comix website to view the whole comic in much better quality. You can also buy this as a poster in the UK, or buy this as a poster in the US.

 

Some facts to get you interested? 201 Trojans bit the dust, where only 54 Hellenes died (well, named ones, anyway). Hektor had the most kills on the Trojan side, while Diomedes did best for the Hellenes. Rocks were very deadly. Interested yet?

• Monday, August 4, 2014
  current affairs Iliad Mythology 101

Skyphos used by Pericles found in grave north of Athens

I was going to hold off on writing anything archaeological for a while, but then I found this bit of news and I made an exception: It seems a cup believed to have been used by Classical Hellenic statesman Pericles has been found in a pauper's grave in north Athens. The cup was found in twelve pieces and has 'Pericles' scratched into it, or so the report says.

Pericles (Περικλῆς, Periklēs) was born in 495 BC, and grew up to become arguably the most prominent and influential Hellenic statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age— specifically the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He promoted the arts and literature, successfully led his army into battle against Sparta, and was the father of most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis. He was so influential that the period during which he led Athens--roughly from 461 to 429 BC--is sometimes known as the 'Age of Pericles'. He died a painful death of the plague in 429 BC, during a Spartan siege.

The skyphos was found with six names engraved, one of them Pericles'. One of the other names listed, Ariphron, is that of Pericles' elder brother, which has made archaeologists feel secure in linking the cup to Pericles. Angelos Matthaiou, secretary of the Greek Epigraphic Society, told the newspaper the Ta Nea daily:

"The name Ariphron is extremely rare, [h]aving it listed above that of Pericles makes us 99 per cent sure that these are the two brothers."

According to archaeologists, the cup was likely used in a symposium when Pericles was in his twenties, and the six men who drank from it drunkenly scratched their names into it as a memento. The cup was then gifted to another man named Drapetis who was possibly a slave servant or the owner of the tavern. Ironically, the cup was found on Sparta street, Athens' great rival and nemesis in the Peloponnesian War that tore apart the Greek city-states for nearly 30 years.

• Sunday, August 3, 2014
  ancient Hellenic culture archeology Athens current affairs modern Greece Pericles

On divination

On very, very, very, rare occasions I do divinatory readings for myself or others, though mostly for others. These readings are done with my Olympus Tarot or through ornithomancy, something I am still developing but which I am slowly getting better at.

Divination played a fairly large role in Hellenic every day life. Oracles given directly, like at Delphi, were rare and called chesmomancy. All other forms of divination practiced in ancient Hellas were performed by seers, not oracles. The biggest difference between oracles and seers was that oracles gave long answers which usually needed some for of interpretation while seers usually answered yes-or-no questions.

Divination of any kind was rarely turned to, to predict the future. To desire knowledge of the future was considered hubris. Instead, oracles and seers were petitioned to help answer questions about the present or to advice on a decision which had to be made in the very near future. 'Shall I go to war?', ' Shall I put my sheep out on the high pasture?'.

Reading is morally complicated for me. It is hard to balance the line between helpful and hubris. I'm not an oracle, I'm not even a seer. At most I am someone with good meditative abilities and a pack of tarot cards I can read instinctively. I have very clear ideas on the interpretation of signs and they always play through my mind before I start. Once I start reciting hymns, though, and giving sacrifice, my doubts fade. There is no room for them.

As I did a reading yesterday, I realized that divination is an odd thing to do for me. I put myself into a meditative mood where I become more receptive to the thoughts in my own mind. Every thought becomes crystal clear and once I start laying out cards or scouting the sky for birds, it's like the words tumble into my mind on their own accord. Sometimes I don't use tools and just sit and wait for the words to come, and they always do.

Where normally I wouldn't be able to read along with my thoughts, in this state of mind I can literally speak my mind with complete clarity. While in this meditative mode, it also becomes incredibly easy to link the cards or the actions of birds together. In my mind, strings form between them and I can literally see the cards connect with different colour threads while the birds leave behind patterns in the sky, depending on where they flew. Time passes completely unnoticed while I divine.

Once I am done, I lose the memory of what I have divined within minutes. Ten minutes afterwards, I might remember some specific bits or an overall message, but an hour afterwards it's all gone. That is why I record myself when I read for someone not there and send the sound file over. I erase the file once I have confirmation the file has been received. I will remember what I hear on the recordings, so I that is why I don't listen to it; these readings are personal and I am just a conduit (if you will).

I wonder if divination is like this for everyone, or if other people have different experiences. If you have experiences you would like to share then please, contact me? Divination is something I enjoy doing, although it's a tiring and time consuming experience. It's a way to give back that makes me feel closer to the Theoi, and for that, I will always feel grateful.

• Saturday, August 2, 2014
  Oracles personal

Greek police officer arrested on smuggling charges

Under the right circumstances, I can understand why people commit actions that are labelled crimes; if you are a mother and you can't feed your kids, I understand why you would steal food, for example. Actions like these expose the faults in a money-driven society that sometimes forgets about the humans who try to operate in it. I have no respect at all, however, for looters and smugglers of ancient artefacts.

A photograph released by the police shows the ancient statue
[Credit: To Vima]

A police officer from Greece's antiquities protection department has recently been arrested on suspicion of being part of a smuggling ring that was trying to sell an ancient marble statue worth an estimated 1 million euros (1.35 million dollars). The 49 year old officer was arrested with eight other suspects, following raids and searches at 11 areas in greater Athens and two others in towns in central and northern Greece, or so the Archaeology News Network rapports.
The image above shows the almost intact 1,900 year old Graeco-Roman era statue of a male figure that the police officer was trying to smuggle out of the country. The statue measures 65 centimetres (25.5 inches) from head-to-knee, and has been kept at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens since it was seized.

There have been more seizures of smuggled or about-to-be-smuggled items over the last few months--and years, really. Some of these artefacts have been stolen from existing art collections while others have been illegally excavated, going straight from the ground into an underground network of smuggling and sales. Ancient artefacts form a lucrative business because--apparently--many people are willing to pay for them even when they have no idea where the artefacts come from. Or maybe--and that worries me more--they do. Sadly, any straight-from-the-ground artefact that reaches the underground market will not be catalogued, will not be researched, will not add to the fount of knowledge we already have of the ancient culture it belonged to. As a Hellenist and lover of history, I find it nearly impossible to wrap my head around these practices and I am pleased that raids and searches are being conducted to put an end to these practices. At least this police officer didn't get away with his crime.

• Friday, August 1, 2014
  archeology current affairs modern Greece personal