MARTIN CAMPBELL'S HISTORICAL NOVEL 'QUEEN JULIUS CAESAR' IS A TRIUMPH

LOOKING for a holiday book tip? We can most assuredly say that, if you loved THE LOVE GOD, Martin Campbell's historical novel about the life of Antinous ... now you must read his new novel about the early life of Julius Caesar entitled "Queen Julius Caesar" ... now available in Kindle and paperback. ORDER HERE! 

This meticulously researched book (with 40 pages of glossary and appendices) is a fast-paced page-turner with swashbuckling pirates, orgies and political intrigue. And it has already spawned pre-publication controversy with its provocative title and the tag-line "Rome's greatest ruler was bisexual." 

But far more interestingly, Campbell shows how a cocky, privileged young Patrician, accustomed to getting his way, is forced through adversity and deprivation ... and the intervention of Eastern potentates ... to develop the qualities of character that will make him a great leader.

Along the way, he parlays physical and emotional disabilities (epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive tendencies and self-injury to allay emotional pain) into strengths which will enable him to outwit and outmaneuver his adversaries.

His lessons begin at sea on a galley loaded with gold when pirates commandeer his vessel and hold him for ransom. Cunningly, he informs his captors the ransom is too low, and he finagles and entraps the pirates.

Another man in such a hopeless and helpless situation would give up. But Campbell skillfully shows how Caesar used his wits and his obsessive-compulsive discipline and determination not only to save himself and his adjutants, but also to emerge victorious and to exact cruel vengeance which would earn Caesar a place in the history books as a man not to be trifled with. 

In addition, in Campbell's brilliant historical novel, 20-year-old Caesar's education in leadership comes in the arms (literally) of Nicomedes IV, king of Bithynia, and his consort Nysa. 

Prudish Victorian historians quibbled over the three-way relationship. But Julius Caesar's own troops lustily chanted: "Gallias Caesar subegit, Caesarem Nicomedes," (Caesar laid the Gauls low, Nicomedes laid Caesar low). Hence, the title of this book!

Campbell shows how young Julius Caesar observed the way Nicomedes charmed and coaxed and coerced his courtiers and his naval and land forces into doing his will ... without having to resort to blunt force in the traditional Roman way.

By the end of this at once charming and illuminating book, the reader has accompanied Julius Caesar from bumptious adolescence to manhood as a mature leader who can meet ... and defeat ... anything or anybody who gets in his way.

Through it all, the goddess Minerva provides off-stage asides to the reader in the tradition of the chorus in a Classical stage comedy.

Campbell is working on two more novels ... and we can't wait!

THE TRIBUNE MOON OF ANTINOUS THE ARIES THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Aries Third Quarter Moon is the lunar phase of the determined warrior which we call the TRIBUNE MOON in Antinous Moon Magic.

If you are someone lacking in self-assertiveness, then Antinous the Moon God is sending assertiveness your way on his moonbeams tonight ... so that you can forge ahead in with determination and vigor.

Each lunar phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. 

The Spirit of the Tribune Moon is the dominant Alpha Male, the leader of the pack. This spirit is symbolized by the Roman tribune riding in triumph through the Forum.

It is the Spirit of discipline and obeying orders ... and giving orders which earn the respect and admiration of others.

It is the Spirit that likes order and rules and expects others to abide by his own code of behavior. This Spirit leads the charge into battle and is a born leader.

Many gay men have a hard time asserting themselves. We equate assertiveness with "aggression" and "being a bully." And so, many of us gay men go through our lives trying to stifle and suppress any sort of assertiveness. We try to be good little boys ... all of our lives.

And yet ... each of us is born with Aries warrior energy in abundance. He always finds a way to get out and exert himself. If we spend our lives suppressing our inner warrior energy, then it seeps out in destructive ways. We have problems with pent-up rage. We have problems with self-destructive habits. We build an impenetrable shield of fear and disdain around ourselves.

We are afraid of being hurt. And we are afraid of hurting others. So we hurt ourselves instead. Our lives turn into chaos.

The Tribune Moon is about confronting your fears ... above all, your fear of baring your true self to others. It is about turning your weaknesses into your strengths. It is about transforming destructive energies into constructive ones. It is about finding ... and fulfilling ... your destiny ....

Meditations and rituals tonight are best suited for finding ways to assert your will constructively ... for the benefit of yourself and for others.

IT'S BRONZITE FOR THE TRIBUNE MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

OUR sage astrological adviser Hernestus has advised me that the next moon phase is the "Tribune Moon" the Aries Third Quarter Moon. It represents an alpha male and discipline and orderliness in life, obedience, attention to detail, it is about self-assertiveness.

With all of this in mind I recommend that your meditations during this moon phase would be best enhanced by holding, or placing near you, the following crystals:

Bronzite - These beautiful mottled stones (in the top photo) help to support masculine energies within your body but also in your consciousness. 

Onyx - Typically black (although can be found in other colours) these powerful stones help you to recognize and integrate the dualities we often have within us. This will lead to better self-control.

In Light and Life,

MARTIN 

To get more advice from Martin Campbell and to find out how to contact him CLICK HERE.

'THE LOVE GOD' BY MARTIN CAMPBELL IS A BRILLIANT NOVEL ABOUT ANTINOUS

THE most brilliant novel about Antinous to appear in over half a century ... THE LOVE GOD ... is authored by our own MARTINUS CAMPBELL, priest of Antinous.

While that sounds like biased praise, we Antinomaniacs are hard to please and would not hesitate to pick apart a poorly researched book or one that denigrated Antinous, even if it were written by one of our best friends ... perhaps especially if it were. 

At the same time, a sycophantic book that presented Antinous as being cloyingly sweet and angelic would be unbearable and not believable.

So we are gratified (and greatly relieved) to report that this book truly is a remarkable work of historical fiction right up there with Marguerite Yourcenar's landmark MEMOIRS OF HADRIAN 60 years ago.

Martin traces the life of Antinous from the moment his tousle-haired head emerges from his mother's womb under auspicious stars in Asia Minor to the moment his head sinks beneath the swirling waters of the Nile on a starry evening in Egypt.

Antinous comes to life as a young man of breath-taking beauty who is filled with conflicting passions and loyalties. He is a young man who at times is naive, yet at other times worldly wise with an ability to see the world as it is ... and to describe it with at times brutal honesty to the most powerful man in the world.

Above all, this is a gentle love story between Antinous and Emperor Hadrian, himself a man of contradictory passions and priorities.

Martin himself is a man shares these passions. He has rebounded from a series of debilitating strokes to resume a daunting array of political activism for LGBTIU health and rights issues ... while working on this novel.

Based in a hilltop home overlooking the sea in Brighton England, he spent the best part of a decade researching this novel, retracing the footsteps of Antinous across Greece and Italy, as far north as Hadrian's Wall and as far south as the Nile in Upper Egypt.

Historical facts are excruciatingly accurate ... even the positions of the stars and planets at the moment of the birth of Antinous have been calculated to precision.

An academic scholar can read this book with satisfaction, noting obscure and arcane references which only the experts in the field of Antinology fully appreciate.

At the same time, however, this is a fun book to read even for those who have never heard of Antinous in their lives and who have no firm grasp of Roman civilization in the 2nd Century AD.

There is intrigue, skulduggery, near-death by lightning, getting lost in a subterranean labyrinth, a storm at sea, earthquakes ... and some fairly hot man sex as well, albeit tastefully brought to the page.

The narrator is the Classical Love God himself: Eros. He shoots his amorous arrows and ensures that Antinous and Hadrian fulfill the destiny which the Fates have in store for them ... despite efforts by certain people in the Imperial Court to thwart the Fates.

But the genius of this book is that there are no black-and-white villains or heroes. Antinous is a young man with all the problems and drives of late adolescence. Hadrian is a man with a mid-life crisis of doubt and regret.

Others such as Empress Sabina and her constant companion Julia Balbilla and their coterie of fawning courtiers and freedmen are not really hateful towards Antinous so much as they are simply perplexed by him. 

They view him the way some members of the Royal Household might look at the favorite Corgi of the Queen, unable to comprehend her affection for it, her grief when it dies.

They whisper amongst themselves: What hold does Antinous have over Hadrian? 

Just who does he think he is? And is he a threat to them? 

What is so different about Antinous that Hadrian doesn't grow weary of him ... as he always has with previous toy boys? 

Because they cannot understand how he fits in the scheme of Imperial court life, some really rather wish he would just disappear ... voluntarily or otherwise. 

And through it all is the boyhood friend of Antinous who has accompanied him on this long journey with mixed feelings and with growing envy and jealousy. 

The boiling emotions all stem from Eros, who winks knowingly at the reader as he shoots one arrow after another with unerring accuracy to ensure that Antinous fulfills his destiny ... to take his place alongside Eros as a God of Love.

The result is a richly entertaining and beautifully written novel which appeals to those seeking authoritative scholarly accuracy as well as readers who just want a riveting and memorable adventure yarn.

The Love God is available as Kindle and as a paperback ... CLICK HERE to order.

HOW'S THIS FOR A DIVINE SIGN? ANTINOUS MAKES MIRACULOUS APPEARANCE ON HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE'S STREET CORNER

ANTINOUS miraculously appeared on July 6th, 2018, which is International Kissing Day ... literally around the corner from the Hollywood Temple of Antinous.

A larger-than-life, hand-painted wall advertisement adorned a building at the corner of La Brea and Melrose in Hollywood.

The advertisement was for Sabrina Carpenter's new single, which was being released that week. The image was all over social media.

"As soon as I saw the picture I knew where it was and ran down to see if it was true," our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA says. "It's a miracle! It's a great sign from Antinous!"

The image chosen by the artist for the advertisement is ... as sacred synchronicity would have it ... the Townley Antinous ... the same bust which is on the main altar of the Hollywood Temple of Antinous.

Now, the same bust of Antinous (as Dionysus-Bacchus) was featured as cover art for Sabrina Carpenter's single "Almost Love" ... and was emblazoned on a wall just a few steps away from the Hollywood Temple of Antinous!

The actress and singer's track was the first from her upcoming third album "Singular".

That weekend, Sabrina debuted the song with an amazing performance at Wango Tango in Los Angeles.

"The moment when the light is red before the go. The moment when the curtain’s down before the show. The moment when you’re done, but maybe just one more. That's how I feel before I get you all alone," she sings on the song.

WEAR A WREATH OF FLOWERS DURING THE LUDI APOLLINARES

FROM the 5th to 13th of July is the Ludi Apollinares, a Roman festival in honour of Apollo. This was celebrated with horse racing and theatre plays. Livy writes: "The people took part in them wearing wreaths of flowers. The doors to the houses were opened, meals eaten in the open." So a picnic outside today would make a lovely way to celebrate. Photo art by Keith MezaenAset Hoberg.

05-13 de julho é o Ludi Apollinares , um festival romano em honra de Apollo . Este foi celebrado com corridas de cavalos e peças de teatro . Livy escreve: " As pessoas participaram neles vestindo coroas de flores As portas para as casas foram abertas , refeições consumidas no aberto. ". Assim, um piquenique fora hoje faria uma maneira bonita de comemorar . arte da foto por Keith MezaenAset Hoberg .

5-13to de julio es el Ludi Apollinares , un festival romano en honor de Apolo. Este fue celebrado con las carreras de caballos y obras de teatro . Livio escribe: " Las personas que participaron en ellos con coronas de flores Las puertas de las casas se abrieron , comidas comidas al aire libre. ". Por lo que un picnic fuera hoy haría una bonita manera de celebrar. Foto del arte de Keith MezaenAset Hoberg .

MAP OF ANCIENT ROMAN TRAVEL ROUTES ALLOWS YOU TO FOLLOW ANTINOUS

WE know that Antinous and Hadrian traveled to many far-flung provinces of the Roman Empire ... and now an interactive map helps you appreciate how long it would have taken ... and how it would have cost ... to follow in their footsteps.

Rome was at its largest under Hadrian. The Roman Empire stretched across the length and breadth of UK, Europe and beyond covering a staggering 1,061,780 square miles (2,750,000 square km).

But its size was can also be attributed to its downfall as managing such a large expanse of land proved costly and time consuming. 

To put this expanse into perspective, historians have created the interactive ORBIS: Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World that lets you explore the Empire, and see how long it would have taken ... and how much it would have cost ... to travel the world in the time of Antinous and Hadrian.

The map of the Roman world was created by Walter Scheidel, an historian in the Classics and History Departments at Stanford.

It features 632 sites including urban settlements and mountain passes, and covers close to 4 million square miles (10 million square km) of land and sea.

The map reveals how much it would have cost to travel on roads and seas across the Roman Empire, and calculates the route based on the season or mode of transport chosen.

Map modes include travelling by foot, horses, relay, oxcart, porter, private chariot, and during a rapid military march.

Travelling by Imperial Entourage is perhaps the only option missing.