ANTINOUS THE MOVIE STAR UPSTAGES EVERYBODY IN 'CLEOPATRA'

ANTINOUS defies time and space ... appearing in Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 film CLEOPATRA, which starred Claudette Colbert.

The epic movie premiered on 16 August 1934 ... with Hollywood hyping the anniversary of the death of Cleopatra VII queen of Egypt on 12 August 30 BC.

In the movie, the Antinous Capitoline statue gazes into the atrium pool beside Calpurnia (played by Gertrude Michael) in Julius Caesar's Villa in Rome.

In another scene, Caesar (played by William Warren) has Antinous on his mind ... or at least on his head ... or perhaps springing forth as Athena sprang forth from the brow of Zeus. 

Handsome Henry Wilcoxon is Mark Antony (left) and C. Aubrey Smith is bearded Enobarbus. 

The Antinous Capitoline statue upstages all the actor in this wonderful peplum ... despite the fact that Caesar lived in the 1st Century BC and Antinous lived in the 2nd Century AD.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF ANTINOUS IS THE HOME OF 'MAD HONEY'

TURKEY's hallucinogenic "Mad Honey" is produced when bees pollinate rhododendron flowers in the remote mountainside towns of the Black Sea region ... where Antinous was born and spent his childhood.

After his death and deification, Antinous was identified with ARISTAEUS (below right), the inventor of beekeeping, so it is likely that he knew about the effects of Bithynian "Mad Honey."

He must have seen beekeepers hauling their hives up the slopes of the mountains of his homeland until they reach vast fields of cream and magenta rhododendron flowers. 

Here, they unleashed their bees, which pollinated the blossoms and made a kind of honey from them so potent, it has been used as a weapon of war.

The dark, reddish "Mad Honey," known as "deli bal" in Turkey, contains an ingredient from rhododendron nectar called grayanotoxin ... a natural neurotoxin that, even in small quantities, brings on light-headedness and sometimes, hallucinations. 

Throughout the ages, Bithynia has traded this potent produce with Greece and Rome and (in later centuries) Western Europe, where the honey was infused with drinks to give boozers a greater high than alcohol could deliver.

When over-imbibed, however, the honey can cause low blood pressure and irregularities in the heartbeat that bring on nausea, numbness, blurred vision, fainting, potent hallucinations, seizures, and even death, in rare cases. 

Nowadays, cases of mad honey poisoning crop up every few years ... oftentimes in travelers who have visited Turkey.

Rhododendron flowers occur all over the world, and yet mad honey is most common in the Bithynia region ... the biggest honey-producing region in Turkey.

"There are more than 700 different species (of rhododendron) in the world, but according to our knowledge just two or three include grayanotoxin in their nectars," says Süleyman Turedi, a doctor at the Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine in Trabzon, Turkey, who studies deli bal's effects and has witnessed more than 200 cases of mad honey poisoning.

In Turkey, not only do the poisonous rhododendrons abound, but the humid, mountainous slopes where Antinous grew up provide the perfect habitat for these flowers to grow in monocrop-like swaths. 

When bees make honey in these fields, no other nectars get mixed in ... and the result is deli bal, potent and pure.

Although the product makes up only a tiny percentage of Bithynia's honey production, it has long held a strong Turkish following.

"People believe that this honey is a kind of medicine," Turedi says. “They use it to treat hypertension, diabetes mellitus and some different stomach diseases. And also, some people use deli bal to improve their sexual performance."

The honey is taken in small amounts, sometimes boiled in milk, and consumed typically just before breakfast, he adds ... not slathered on toast or stirred generously into tea the way normal honey would be.

Its value to customers has given beekeepers an incentive to keep visiting those rhododendron fields and producing it alongside their normal honey products.

Johnny Morris, a travel journalist from the United Kingdom, puts its Turkish predominance partly down to history, too. In 2003, for his popular travel column called "Grail Trail," he went to taste mad honey in Trabzon, a Turkish city that’s backed by mountains and faces the Black Sea.

"It’s got a long history in Turkey," he says. "It was used as a weapon of mass destruction for invading armies."

Indeed, in 67 B.C. Roman soldiers invaded the Black Sea region under General Pompey's command, and those loyal to the reigning King Mithridates secretly lined the Romans' path with enticing chunks of mad honeycomb. 

The unwitting army ate these with gusto, as the story goes.

Driven into an intoxicated stupor by the hallucinogenic honey, many of the flailing soldiers became easy prey, and were slain.

Mad Honey is still sold under the counter at shops in the area today. Turedi explains that Turks in the region have the know-how to consume it responsibly.

"Local people are able to distinguish mad honey from other honeys. It causes a sharp burning sensation in the throat and thus it’s also referred to as bitter honey," he says.

People who have tried is say that even a drop or two of it on the tongue has a numbing effect. Experts say deli bal retains its numbing, head-spinning traits because it is untreated, unprocessed, and essentially pure.

"We know that if you eat more than one spoonful of honey including grayanotoxin, you are at risk of Mad-Honey poisoning," Turedi says.

"In spring and summer, the honeys are fresh and may include more grayanotoxin than in other seasons." 

If that doesn’t dissuade the adventurous foodie, then Turedi says to limit intake to less than a teaspoon, "and if you feel some symptoms associated with mad honey, you should get medical care as soon as possible."

For adherents of Antinous on pilgrimages to the land of his birth, the dangerously sweet syrup retains its ancient mystery, tucked away in shops that are difficult to find.

ANTINOUS CAN HELP YOU TO RELAX

ON National Relaxation Day, August 15th, we look at HOMTHEOSIS as a reflective Concept.

We don't have scientific proof, but if we're right, this little word we have been casting about may possibly as a regular meditative practice stimulate the immune system, elevate mood, foster psychological integration, counter stress and improve the health of practitioners over time as well as in certain immediate regards. 

"Homotheosis" refers to a certain oneness of a gay man with the god Antinous who we regard as the "Gay God." 

As a concept it is to a certain inherent extend also a reference to a practice which can combine elements of meditation, prayer and veneration and devotions to Antinous to arrive at a unique experience that is transcendental. 

It is up to you to incorporate and integrate it's elements to your liking, to for instance invite Antinous into your existing regimen of meditational practices. 

"Homotheosis" is a concept with potential we have but begun to explore. Gay men & LGBTGQI people as well as straight all stand to benefit from the acquaintance with Antinous offered by Homotheosis. 

Let us know of your personal experiences in this regard.

ANTINOUS MEETS THE REPTILE FROM HADES BUT WILL HE KILL IT? ... OR RESCUE IT?

AUGUST 14th is World Lizard Day and here is one of the most mysterious ... and missing ... statues of Antinous, showing him as Antinous Sauroktonos, the Lizard-Slayer.

The statue once stood in Dresden's Japanische Palais. But it was lost in the firestorms which swept Dresden during Allied bombing in the final days of World War II.

There is a famous statue of by Praxiteles of Apollo Sauroktonos, showing the God of Light with a stone poised over a lizard on a tree stump. 

The Praxiteles statue was oft copied by the Romans and also by artists up to the present day.

But this statue depicts Antinous as Apollo.

There is an ambivalence which has always intrigued historians. 

Is Antinous/Apollo about to kill the lizard? Or is he consciously sparing the life of the lizard?

Forget Nietzsche and other modern "experts" who philosophize about the "light" and "dark" side of human libidos and psyches.

The answer lies ... as always ... in Greek and Roman Symbological Imagery. 

(Image: Versions of Praxiteles' Apollo-Sauroktonos)

In Greek and Roman myths, the lizard symbolizes a sneaky spy who is eavesdropping on us. 

It is keeping tabs on our every move … It is a boyish tattle-tale who says, "Nyah, nyah ... I saw what you did and I'm gonna tell on you!"

The lizard is Ascalaphus, who is mentioned variously in Ovid's Metamorphoses and also by Pseudo-Apollodorus and other writers.

There are a couple of versions of the tale of Ascalaphus being metamorphosed into a skulking lizard and/or an owl (the better to spy on you at night).

In one version, Demeter persuades Pluto to permit her daughter Proserpine (Persephone) to return to the land of the living on condition that she imbibe neither food nor drink in the Elysian Fields.

But the mischievous little Hades boy "daimon" (Greek for "spirit") Ascalaphus observers her secretly biting into a pomegranate to eat its seeds and drink its juice.

Ascalaphus goes running off to tell Jupiter what he had seen ... whereupon Proserpine is condemned to remain with Pluto forever.

Proserpine/Persephone curses Ascalaphus by hurling a few drops of pomegranate juice at him which results in red speckles on his skin -- and he is transformed into a slinking newt ("askalaxos") with red-speckled scales for skin. 

Or else he becomes a speckled owl ("Bubos askalaphos").

In yet another version, Demeter herself takes vengeance by transforming Ascalaphus into a lizard and crushing him with a huge stone at the bottom of Pluto's realm.

Then, in turn, Hercules comes along and lifts the stone ... freeing Ascalaphus. Thus, Hercules is sometimes called the "Lizard Liberator" for that reason. 

But Ascalaphus's new-found freedom was short-lived because Demeter transformed him into a spotted horned owl ... as Ovid writes: "... a loathsome bird, ill omen for mankind, a skulking screech-owl, sorrow's harbinger. That tell-tale tongue of his no doubt deserved the punishment."

Thus, throughout the ages, Ascalaphus has become a synonym for someone who is punished cruelly for telling the truth. Back in the days when cultivated people studied the Classics, the imagery of a boy with a stone poised over a lizard was very clear. 

Tennessee Williams used that Classical imagery throughout his play "Night of the Iguana"which uses a Mexican lizard tied to a tree as a metaphor for the lies and mendacity and religious hypocrisy which have restricted unpleasant truths from being set free.

Antonius Subia says: 

This story of the tatter-tale daemon boy-lizard is endearing … and I have a fondness for sneaky little spies who reveal the truth...and I admire him for not letting Proserpina get away with fooling the Lord of the Underworld … he made quite sure that she stayed in the underworld like everybody else.  
This Ascalaphus is obviously a Gay lizard-boy, not in the least charmed by Prosephone's supposed beauty … when he saw that she had broken the rules, he wasted no time reporting it to Jupiter.  Perhaps Demeter/Sabina held a grudge against the little Gay Lizard...but I'm sure Jupiter/Hadrian appreciated the loyalty of the little traitor-informant. Antinous had no secrets to hide … and even if he did … I'm sure that he could count on the loyalty of the little gay lizard … if anything … the lizard kept Antinous informed of what Hadrian was up to behind closed doors … always a dangerous game … but for the sake of truth … this little gay lizard isn't afraid to die!

Why is Apollo so often depicted as the Lizard-Slayer? There's a theory that Apollo Sauroktonos is a spoof of Apollo's first deed as a young boy-god.

(Image: Apollo Vanquishing Python by symbolist painter Gustave Moreau)

Apollo's first achievement was to rid Pytho (Delphi) of the serpent (or dragon) Python. 

This monstrous beast protected the sanctuary of Pytho from its lair beside the Castalian Spring. 

There it stood guard while the "Sibyl" gave out her prophecies as she inhaled the trance inducing vapors from an open chasm. 

Apollo killed Python with his bow and arrows (Homer wrote "he killed the fearsome dragon Python, piercing it with his darts"), and then Apollo took charge of Delphi, turning it into his own special Oracle.

So ... is Antinous about to slay the lizard like Apollo slaying Python?

Or is Antinous actually lifting the stone away from the lizard, like Hercules liberating Ascalaphus in the River of Styx? 

Either way, of course, Antinous is engaging very powerful, dark energies. 

The Python is the guardian of Divine Secrets ... and Apollo mastered and become lord of Divine Secrets by overpowering Python. And Ascalaphus is the herald of dark secrets and unpleasant truths which must be told ... even at the risk of severe penalty.

Either way, these images have nothing to do with 20st Century sensitivities about animal cruelty.

These are very powerful images of Divine Secrets.

ASTRO FORECAST: AUGUST 13th—23rd, 2026

Antinous is a Moon God. He is, of course, many other things and he wears many hats. But one of the ways he was worshiped in Antiquity was as ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD.

His worshipers looked skyward and saw His beautiful face perpetually turned towards the Earth. The Man in the Moon was actually the Blessed Boy in the Moon for the ancient priests and worshipers of Antinous. Swiftest and most youthful of all the Zodiacal deities, Antinous speeds through an entire year's worth of Astrological signs in just 28 days.

ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD represents our deepest personal needs, our basic habits and reactions, and our unconscious gay selves. Where Hadrian the Sun acts, Antinous the Moon REACTS. How do we instinctively react or respond to problems? What do we feel we need for a sense of security? Look to ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD for answers.

ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD is both our inner boy child and our inner lover. His ever changing phases, as he sweeps past all the other Planets in all the Signs, make us at turns responsive, receptive, and reflective. Eternally youthful, ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD represents our childlike spontaneous and instinctual reactions.

ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD beams down on us to make us imaginative, creative, intuitive, sentimental, adaptable, introspective, and protective. On the negative side, and depending on where he is in the Zodiac, he can make us moody, restless, and irrational.

Antinous Astrology Forecast

---

AUGUST 13th to 23rd, 2026

---

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13th, 2026

This week, Mercury is in opposition to both Pluto and the Star of Antinous (See: PLUTO ALIGNS WITH THE STAR OF ANTINOUS). Mercury in opposition to Retrograde Pluto ... even as Pluto is aligned with the star of Antinous ... sends transformative energies that can radically alter gay spirituality for centuries to come. This is an opportunity for LGBTQIA advancement that will not come again in our lifetimes.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th, 2026

This week, the Earth may shake for you when Venus moves into powerful configurations with Uranus, Neptune and Mercury. Venus is in opposition to dreamy Neptune while also forming a tricky trine aspect with quirky Uranus and an even trickier sextile aspect with trickster Mercury, while Mercury sextile Uranus is especially tricky. Venus in powerful aspects to these major planets can also literally cause the Earth to shake ... in the form of earthquakes.

SAT-SUNDAY, AUGUST 15th-16th, 2026

This weekend, impossible miracles are possible and the most outrageous statements turn out to be absolutely true when Mercury aligns in conjunction with lucky Jupiter in daring Leo. A politician will say something which sounds far too unbelievable to be true. Believe it! This is the time when serendipitous miracles occur. A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.

MONDAY, AUGUST 17th, 2026

This week, we come to one of the most anxiously tense times of the year and the hazard lights start flashing when emotionally charged Cancer Mars squares off against anxious Aries Neptune. Imagine yourself barreling down a freeway at high speed ... and suddenly being enveloped in a fog bank which cuts visibility to zero. If you don't reduce speed immediately, you are bound for disaster. Mars is the fast sports car thundering down the highway ... and Neptune is the fog bank ... and you are in the driver's seat. This astrological configuration spells trouble for people who proceed full speed through life without any regard to their surroundings. They will come a cropper this week. However, this Mars-Neptune Square configuration is excellent for people who have latent intuitive, artistic or spiritual talents ... like Antinous-Dionysus. Mars invigorates and enlivens these talents. So the answer is: Proceed with caution, but keep your eyes open for brilliant new opportunities and insights which otherwise would have flashed past you unseen at high speed.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18th, 2026

This week, Mercury forms a brilliant and glowing trine aspect with Saturn which empowers you with perseverance (Saturn) and clear forms of expression (Mercury) to make some serious long-term plans for the future.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19th, 2026

This week, you will want to watch out for excesses in eating, drinking, spending money and falling in love when indulgent Venus forms an expansive sextile aspect with exaggeration-prone Jupiter. If you are a latent shopoholic, this is the one week of the year where you will max out on your addiction ... while maxing out on your credit card. This is a good day for smooth-talking gigolos who pay fanciful compliments to you ... and you find yourself actually believing them ... And why not? Is that such a bad thing? Why not enjoy the fantasy as long as it lasts ... and as long as you know it's a fantasy?

THURS-FRIDAY, AUGUST 20th-21st, 2026

This week, we come to the Scorpio First Quarter Moon, which is the lunar phase we call the THIEF MOON in honor of Prometheus ... the first thief ... and it was thanks to his larcenous thievery that humans are not living in burrows and dens like animals ... Rituals and meditations tonight can focus on your "inner thief" — the things you rob yourself of — self-esteem, self-love, self-confidence, for example. By robbing yourself of these qualities, you are vulnerable to real-life thieves ... Tonight's lunar phase is also reminding us about the ability to take what we need without asking in advance. It is about getting back what is rightfully ours.

SAT-SUNDAY, AUGUST 22nd-23rd, 2026

This weekend, look for guidance from an older person in financial and relationship issues ... or offer guidance to a younger person ... when Venus is in opposition to Saturn. This is a time when maturity triumphs over youthful zeal. Sit back and heed the guidance of an old soul ... who can also be a spirit guide. And if you see a younger person blundering into a trap, this is the day to intercede and offer a wise word of advice based on personal experience.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between August 24th and 30th, 2026, when we come to the Pisces Full Moon ... In heterosexual astrology, the Pisces Full Moon is just a moon of sensual spiritual energy. But in Antinous Gay Moon Magic, this is the HOMOTHEOSIS MOON ... the archetype of gay sexuality ... when your sexual dreams can come true ... This hot Full Moon tells you it may be time to take your relationship to a whole new level ... This lunar phase helps you to deepen your love relationships in meaningful ways, making constructive compromises which allow each partner freedom while strengthening the bonds which unite you both ... More details next time ....

THE BIRTH OF DIANA

DIANA the Divine Huntress was born August 13, according to the Lanuvium inscription which is consecrated to Antinous and Diana. 

She is said to be the twin sister of Apollo, but our belief is that the virgin huntress is the female Antinous, his twin sister, goddess of lesbian beauty just as Antinous is the god of gay beauty. 

Diana and Antinous are deities of the Moon. 

As Antinous is often assimilated to Apollo, he therefore substitutes as the twin of Diana, though he can often be viewed as her male double, so that Antinous is Diana. 

She is Helen of Troy to the Castor and Pollux of Antinous-Apollo, they share not only the attribute of hunters, and of the moon, but also as gods of magic and darkness. 

Diana is often compared to Heckate, the supreme goddess of Theurgian magicians, who rose to prominence during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Antinous therefore is the male equivalent of Heckate. 

We pray to Diana to guide us in our hunt and to illuminate our nights with the silver light of her sublime power. We recognize that the Moon of Diana is the Moon of Antinous.

On this night we venerate the Virgin, she who guides new life into the world, goddess of beasts, the mistress of the hounds, the archeress, the young Great Mother of Ephesus.

THE LEO NEW MOON HELPS YOU BECOME WHO YOU WERE BORN TO BE

TONIGHT's Leo New Moon is your opportunity to let your inner Sun shine forth so that you become the being you were born to be.

In the Religion of Antinous we call this the SACERDOTE MOON because it represents the priestly spiritual development of Antinous from boyhood to mystery initiation and finally to godhood.

Each lunar phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Sacerdote is Spirituality itself. It is holiness and sacredness personified.

The Leo New Moon is the fierce moon of kindling the flame of courageous new faith.

This is the night to kick-start your self-esteem, to jump-start the dead battery that is your career or your love life or your artistic ambitions.

We all know the feeling -- chronic low self-esteem, chronic insecurity, a habitual feeling of powerlessness, of being at the mercy of others.

Take heart!

We are approaching one of the most sacred periods in our Liturgical Calendar. ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD is saddling up and preparing to engage in the SACRED LION HUNT.

The LEO NEW MOON which ushers in the season of the SACRED LION HUNT. Antinous fights the lion and grapples with the lion -- he and the lion become ONE and the SAME -- they join forces to create divinity -- HOMOTHEOSIS.

The awe-inspiring "Strength" card (shown here) beautifully symbolizes what we are talking about.

During the LEO NEW MOON, we have the opportunity to shine. There's an ebullient child-like energy that draws forth the playful and creative self that resides within. Yet, when doing so care is usually taken since Leo wants to be nothing if not dignified.

The Sun God sign Leo aligns us with a feeling of wanting to be recognized and embraced for the special being we are. If other people's interactions with and attitudes towards us do not meet with these expectations, our pride is hurt and we roar with indignant rage.

Which is not a bad thing. Most gay men have problems expressing anger. We have been taught to be "nice" boys. We have been brainwashed to believe that "nice" means never daring to speak up for ourselves, never taking care of "Number 1". The result is that our pent-up rage sometimes makes us turn into a wild and raging beast -- the lion!

ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD has mastered the art of grappling with those leonine energies. He shows us that it is possible to become one with our "inner lion" -- without being devoured by it.

He shows us how to harness the enormously powerful Leonine energies inside us in order to boost our self-esteem, to end our powerlessness, and to energize us into standing up for ourselves with dignity and pride.

Antinous allows us to see how important it is to be generous in spirit and to radiate our inner light to those around us. He shows us how if we do not let our vital energy flow,  we may experience stress, tension and RAGE in our hearts, bodies, and mind. The Leo New Moon reminds us that we should proudly express our essential  self -- a being that has great gifts to offer those with whom it orbits.

The SACRED LION HUNT demonstrated to Hadrian and the world -- and most importantly to Antinous himself -- that Antinous was no longer a common-born kid from the provinces. It showed that He was on the road towards Divinity.

The New Moon in Leo is also special to the Religion of Antinous because the Leo New Moon is creative and playful. The Leo New Moon is a bit of a show-off and likes to be in the spotlight, with all heads turned his way -- as with the Beauteous Boy himself.

The Leo New Moon is also eager to throw out old and ineffective habitual ways of thinking -- "I'm old, fat and stupid" "I'm unworthy" -- and eager to go for new solutions which will help us to get out of the rut which has become our everyday lives.

Many of you are familiar with the experience of waking up to the fact that your life is no longer working the way you have set it up. Sometimes this is due to a shift occurring inside yourself over time, and sometimes it is part of the larger shift that is currently affecting all humanity.

Change is happening at such an increased rate that it is difficult to predict what the future holds. As a result, many of the old ways of planning out a life are no longer applicable, and if you cling to them you feel strangely out of tune with reality. If you are in tune with the LEO NEW MOON energies around you, you will begin to question ideas that just a few years ago seemed sensible.

In the simplest terms, the shift you are undergoing right now has to do with recognizing yourself as being more than human -- the process we call HOMOTHEOSIS -- remembering that your earthly aspects are a very small part of who you are.

In truth, you are a multidimensional being. Gay-Man-Godliness-Becoming-the-Same.

When you begin to realize this, the life you planned for a limited conception of yourself no longer fits. You must meet the needs and qualifications not only of your body (the "monkey" as Flamen Antonyus calls it) but also of your Spiritual Heart. 

This realization dawns slowly for some and with the suddenness of a bolt of lightning for others, and each of you must find the way that works for you to integrate this new and larger sense of self into your life plan.

Tonight during this Leo New Moon, take time to reflect on becoming who you were born to be. Rather than focusing on a specific task, go to the center of your heart and meditate on the core strength of your soul. 

Perhaps you are here to bring beauty, whether through art, justice, or fashion. Perhaps you are here to help heal the  offering of the world, whether through your writing, activism, or as a physician. 

Or maybe you are here to bring insight and truth where there is confusion and ignorance....

By the way, Leo rules the heart, spine, and hair. Pay extra attention to these parts of your body around the time of this Leo New Moon.