LeopardBoy
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Posts posted by LeopardBoy
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If you had done your homework, as you suggest, then you would've already known the answers to your questions.
As an aside, which influences all these discussion, is have you read Plato's Republic? I have, but more importantly so did the Founding Fathers, who were quite learned in both political philosophy and the history of man. It is a debate, I agree, but to me that answer is exceedingly obvious!!
It is importantly to know the difference between the difference of the terms you cite.
And what does Plato's "Republic" have to do with the Bible? Which religious practice did these Greek philosophers get their morality from? If the founding fathers of our country were versed in Greek philosophers, how can you say they were not influenced by a variety of religions?
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Which religion did the idea of democracy come from? Or republics, or senators? I'd love to know how these concepts are based on the Bible.
Please don't tell me that these terms are not religious, because I have done my homework regarding ancient democratic processes.
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Christianity is responsible for a lot of things, most of which has been fantastic for the human experience. Our very own U.S. Constitution derives much of it's morals from the Bible (this isn't debateable, look to their own writtings).
Exactly which of these Constitutional morals are exclusive to the Bible and Christianity?
The founders were influenced by a variety of religions.
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Movie:
I have a number of favorites. Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", Ridley Scott's "Alien", Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather", Milos Forman's "Amadeus", just to name a few.
TV Show:
I like British sitcoms, Matlock, I Love Lucy, Star Trek, C.S.I, and various anime.
Science/Nature/Documentary:
I absolutely adore nature and wildlife documentaries. I also like anything related to Classical Greece.
Books:
Books are my addiction. I'm particularly fond of 19th century Victorian literature, and writers such as Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and Elizabeth Gaskell. I also enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries, L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson's "Oz" book series, and academic texts relating to the study of religion in Classical Greece.
Poems:
I'm very fond of Greek epic poetry.
Plays/Operas:
I like Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and "Die Zauberflote". As far as plays go, I greatly enjoy Shakespearean productions, and the plays of Aristophanes and Euripides.
Shakespeare:
My favorite Shakespearean work is "Twelfth Night". I'm also very fond of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Macbeth".
Music:
My taste in music varies depending on mood. I really like British glamrock.
Mythology/Gods/Goddesses:
I can't pick a favorite deity. I will say that the majority of my worship goes to Hestia, whose offerings and libations are always first and last. My favorite myths are of the eternal sleep of Endymion, and Dionysos' involvement in the creation of homosexual desire in the first mortals.
Food /Cuisine (overall):
I have a wide range of favorite foods. I especially enjoy Japanese and Indian cuisine.
Dessert:
Ice cream, particularly home-made.
Candy:
I love Gummi Bears.
Beverage:
I'll never turn down a cup of tea.
Season of the Year:
Autumn.
Pizza:
I don't really care for pizza that much.
Seafood (if you partake):
Eel and salmon. I also like octopus, crabs, lobster, clams, and abalone.
Meat (if you partake):
Beef, sacrificed preferably.
Vegetable (if you partake):
Mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach.
Fruit:
Apples, bananas, blood oranges, cherimoya, and lychees.
Real Heroes (the ones that were/are alive):
Harmodius and Aristogeiton, Martin Luther King Jr., His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and many others.
Non-Real Heroes (fictional character types):
Herakles.
Cartoon Character:
Son Goku.
Variety of Chocolate:
The darker, the better.
Hard Candy:
Butterscotch.
Jello Flavor:
I've never liked Jello.
Kool-Aid (or similar beverage) flavor:
I've never liked Kool-Aid.
Ice Cream flavor:
Pumpkin.
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Oh, you mean thread necromancy.
And here I was waiting for a chance to ramble about funerary rites and customs.
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I just call them the Theoi, or poetically the "Deathless Ones"; and each has a number of epithets relating to their individual governance, with a few epithets being shared between them.
I also think there's an issue regarding the Latin and Greek translations of the Bible, and the assumptions that such "titles" belong solely to the God of the Israelites, when in their original languages and culture, those "titles" could also refer to other deities. I'm sure "Deus Laudabilis" was a phrase used many times by Romans in reference to one of their own deities. Likewise, "Lucifer" is a common Latin epithet referring to a number of Roman deities.
I've recently gotten into a debate elsewhere regarding the term "angel", and that while the basis of the word is Greek, "angelos" as was used by the Greeks does not refer to the same type of spiritual creature as those found in the Bible, but is simply a job description as "messenger".
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G is capital when referring to a proper name, g is small when referring to a general class of alleged entities rather than by their proper names. Ex: God is a god, or My god is God. It would be incorrect to say: thor is a God. This has nothing to do with respect, just grammar.
"God" however, is not the proper name of the deity of Jewish scripture or the Christian Bible. "God" is a descriptive title.
I refer to the deities I worship as the Theoi, or "the Gods", out of respect for them.
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I babysit my 2-year-old nephew for nine hours a day, four days a week. I also make handcrafted soaps, bath salt blends, and solid perfume ointments. I cook, bake, read voraciously, and I've dabbled in writing fiction. I also love to work in the garden and throw parties.
I do spend a portion of each day in prayer and religious observance. I routinely practice ritual purification and several daily rituals to the household Gods (Hestia, Zeus Ktesios, Zeus Herkeios, Herakles, Hekate, etc.)
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I became ordained for legal reasons only. In my religious practice, clergy serve specific community and temple functions. Each layperson is responsible for maintaining his or her own relationship with the Gods, to make his or her own offerings and sacrifices, and to perform any personal religious obligations. Weddings, funerals, and various rites of passage are traditionally performed by the members of the family and household, not by temple clergy.
The function of traditional Hellenic priesthood is related to the upkeep of the temple and the leadership of public ritual regarding that temple. Though they can give counsel and advice, it's not part of the duties of a priest or priestess. The priest or priestess does not serve as an intermediary between the Gods and mortals; and, other than specific cases involving individual cult or mystery lineage, the service or the priesthood is for a limited amount of time. For example, little girls of a certain age in Athens were traditionally required to serve the temple of Artemis as arktos (bear) priestesses for a specific festival period.
I don't feel that the sporadic Hellenic community requires priests or priestesses until there are temples for such a priesthood to serve.
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This week marks the Hellenic festival of Panathenaia, a seven-day Athenian celebration in honor of the birth of Athena from the brow of Zeus. I've decided to post the ceremony I participated in at the beginning of this year's celebration. It consists of a standard Hellenic ritual with libations to deities relevant to Panathenaia.
Before the ritual, I set up a small table to serve as an altar, and upon it I placed a votive candle to represent Hestia, a statue of Athena, a chalice (kylix), and an offering bowl for libations. Near the entrance of the room I filled a large basin (perirranterion) with tap water that had been ritually purified by dousing a flaming wooden stick into it.
The first part of Hellenic ritual is the procession (pompe). Each of the participants of the ritual took up certain implements, such as a lit taper candle, a vessel containing barley, a pitcher of water, and a decanter of wine. I carried the taper candle and led my group of four practitioners into the room where the ritual would be held. As we entered, we each dipped our hand into the perirranterion and sprinkled ourselves with water for the purpose of ritual purification before standing in the presence of the Gods.
I then used the flame from my taper candle and lit the votive candle upon the altar, speaking words from the Homeric hymn to Hestia:
“Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless Gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honor: glorious is your portion and your right.”
The next part of the ritual was the initial invocation of the Gods and the preliminary offering. I spoke the following simple invocation:
“Theoi Olympioi, we gather here to honor you during this Panathenaia. We ask that you hear our prayers and accept our offerings.”
The bearer of the vessel of barley then walked in a ritual circle around the altar, and took a handful of the grain and sprinkled it upon the surface of the table. Each of the other participants then took a handful of barley from the vessel and did the same, walking around the altar and making the offering of grain.
We then began to pour libations. The wine-bearer poured equal parts of water and wine into the kylix, and I held the cup before the statue of Athena and said a formal prayer.
Traditional Hellenic prayer consists of three parts: an invocation using appropriate titles and epithets, a reminiscence of past acts of worship by the practitioners, and the request or purpose of the prayer. The following is the prayer I made on behalf of my group, addressing Athena by the titles Polias (of the city), Glaukopis (owl eyed or grey eyed), and Parthenos (virgin):
“Hear us, Athena Polias, Athena Glaukopis, Athena Parthenos! We have come to you in the past for protection and wisdom, and poured you libations of olive oil, and we have honored you at the festivals of Plynteria and Khalkeia. We call to you now in honor of Panathenaia and your sacred birth from the head of wise Zeus. We ask for your blessing these sacred days.”
I then poured a small amount of mixed wine from the kylix into the libation bowl on the altar, and gave a traditional drinking salutation (sponde):
“Sponde, Athena, protector of the city and bringer of wisdom. We ask that you accept our humble offering, and pour your blessings upon us.”
I took a sip from the kylix and then passed it to one of the other practitioners. They each in turn poured their own libation to Athena, said a personal prayer, and drank from the cup; the last person making sure the cup was empty by the end of the round of libations.
We poured the next libation to Nike, the Goddess of victory. Once again the wine-bearer mixed the water and wine, and I poured a small amount into the libation bowl, saying:
“Sponde, Nike, winged spirit of victory, daughter of holy Styx; and sister of Zelos, Kratos, and Bia. We ask that you accept our humble offering, and pour your blessings upon our endeavors.”
Again, I took a sip from the kylix and passed the cup around so that each person could pray for victory in one of their own personal endeavors and make a libation to Nike.
To conclude the ritual, water and wine were once again mixed, and I took up the kylix. I poured a final libation to Hestia, who receives the first and last of each offering, saying:
“Sponde, Hestia, bringer of fire's warmth and comfort. Yours is always first and last.”
I drank a sip from the kylix and passed it around to the others.
We each took a few moments to meditate and reflect before extinguishing the hearth candle.
One of my friends and I then took the libation bowl and perirranterion outside. I reverently poured the contents of the libation bowl onto the grass in the yard.
I took the perirranterion to a small corner of the yard, separate from where I poured the other libations. With the water, I made a chthonic libation to the unnamed daimones (spirits) of the profane:
“To you, I offer this dirty water; for all those for whom it is necessary and right.”
I ended the day washing the dishes used in the ritual.
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That sounds excellent!
The best I could manage for the summer solstice this year was a long afternoon walk and a simple libation and prayer to Helios on my return home.
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I pace. That's more elliptical than circular though.
During meditation I often focus on one object or thought to clear my head of the chaos. It's certainly a useful exercise.
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Thanks. It's been a pleasant birthday.
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I used to make a pie that consisted of meringue and folded whipped cream flavored with Kahlúa in a chocolate cookie crust. This thread is making me want to find that recipe again.
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I like the taste of medium-sweet mead. As a matter of fact, I'm brewing my own batch of it.
I also happen to love the herbal-anise flavor of Absinthe, but as it's more on the expensive side, I try to limit myself to one bottle a year.
There are some types of alcohol I can't stand the taste of though. To me, light beer just tastes like a weak hops tea. I also don't like syrupy types of alcohol, such as Rumple Minze.
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Hmm, I can make peanut brittle at home, so I suppose I'll take a bar of sinfully dark chocolate with a kiss of chili pepper.
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dare I ask: what the heck are bikini jeans??
I don't even want to think about it.
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I would describe my usual style as comfortable and relaxed, but that could change depending on the mood I'm in when getting dressed though. Lately there's been a lot of dark blues and vibrant purples in my clothing choices.
If I'm going out somewhere special, I'll dress according to the theme of the venue.
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What music is sacred to you?
Anything that strikes the right mood for a particular spiritual working. If meditating, I like slow drumbeats or light music. I also have Divine experiences through dance, and trance music and electronica seem to put me in the right minsdet for that, with the bass echoing my own heartbeat. I also practice hula, and get wonderful experiences with Hawaiian chanting.
When has music caused you to feel reverence?
I feel reverence from music whenever I use it as an aide to my spiritual working. There are a few Christian hymns that can nearly move me to tears though. "Amazing Grace" is one of them. There was another I heard in Catholic school about adoration of the cross that just gave me goosebumps with its imagery.
Is here a specific hymn or type of music that speaks to your soul?
Hawaiian chanting moves me deeply. Mozart also speaks to me, specifically music from his operas.
How important is music to your spiritual practice?
Music is a very useful tool in putting me into a meditative mindset. I use the heavy bass of dance music to excite myself into a spiritual level through dancing.
And how does the use of music contrast with the need for silence in your spiritual routine?
I personally think that silence is an illusion. Our own bodies provide sound through the beating of our hearts. Nature also contains sound, both beautiful and frightening. I harness music because it works with my spiritual routine.
Nostradarnit
in Creative Expression & Cultural Arts
Posted
Hermes is not only a messenger, but also has governance over trade, economy, writing, the guidance of souls, and thievery; just to name a few. From a standpoint of a worshiper of Hermes, this "prophecy" could refer to a great number of things.