HADRIAN IN ALEXANDRIA

IN May of 131 Hadrian returned to Alexandria, where he inspected the many construction projects he began earlier and finalized the administrative reforms he made, setting everything in order.

It was during Hadrian's final stay in Egypt that he organized and delineated the details of the new religion of Antinous.  He appointed priests and set forth the liturgy and theology of the new faith.  

The artist who sculpted the original bust of Antinous while he was still alive, known as the "Antinoos Haupttypus," was summoned to bring his sketches and make copies of Antinous images to be distributed all over the Empire.  

The first Antinous coins were struck which were the prototype for all coins to follow.  

It was at this time that the Lion Hunt poem was presented to Hadrian by Pancrates, for which he was rewarded a lifetime position in the Musaeum.  

The original reason Hadrian may have visited Egypt was to settle the issue of the new Apis Bull which had been born and which various cities were vying to possess for the religious prestige and immense wealth from pilgrimage that the bull would bring.  

Hadrian's decision is not recorded, but it may have been that he presented the Apis Bull to the Serapeum of Alexandria, as a life-size Apis bull sculpture was found in the catacombs dating from Hadrian's reign.  

Alexandria had a thriving Cult of Mithras that was associated with the Apis Bull, and which 200 years later became one of the issues that set off deadly riots in the 3rd Century when the Christians pillaged a hidden Mithraeum and paraded the sacred images through the city, causing a riot among the pagans that ultimately led to the destruction of the Serapeum by order of Emperor Theodosius.

Shortly afterward, Hypatia was murdered by Christians in a church that had once been the temple of the divine Caesars. The cult of the bull which had brought Hadrian to Egypt in the first place therefore had a part to play in the ultimate destruction of the last pagan te temples.

Before leaving, Hadrian complained of the ingratitude of the city after all he had done, which included bestowing the Apis Cult upon them, and yet they spoke ill of him and Antinous.  

The boat-shaped sarcophagus of Antinous was placed on a ship, the new priests were sent out carrying statues and coins to every corner of the world, and Hadrian made his final departure from Alexandria.

WE JOYOUSLY CELEBRATE PANSEXUAL VISIBILITY DAY

MAY 24th is Pansexual Visibility Day. Much like Bi Visibility Day, when bisexual people remove their invisibility cloaks and instead don their beautiful bi vis jackets, Pan Visibility Day is a day to celebrate and recognise those who identify as pansexual. 

To help you do that, here are five things you should know.

1. The word pansexuality originally comes from Greek ... just like the Greek god Pan in the poster here. 

Pan means ‘all’, and is related to words like panorama. Pansexual people aren’t attracted to all other people, but they are attracted to people of all genders. This is different from being attracted to everyone; in the same way that a heterosexual woman will not be attracted to all men and a lesbian woman will not be attracted to all women, pansexual people will experience attraction to specific people and not others.

2. It’s nothing to do with saucepans or frying pans. Pansexual people have nothing against old jokes but the one about being sexually attracted to pans isn’t just old, it’s also just not funny.

3. Pansexuality is different from bisexuality but the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Being bisexual means being attracted to more than one gender, while being pansexual means being attracted to people regardless of gender. Pansexuality and bisexuality are not in conflict. In fact, some bisexual people also identify as pansexual, and vice versa. Pansexuality is included under the bisexual umbrella, which covers anyone who experiences sexual or romantic attraction to more than one gender.

4. There are lots of famous pansexual people! Recently, the fabulous Janelle Monáe came out as pansexual, saying ‘I’m open to learning more about who I am’. Other notable pansexual people include Miley Cyrus, Angel Haze, Laci Green and of course the not-quite-superhero Deadpool.

5. Being pansexual is just one part of who someone is. A pansexual person may also be trans, or disabled, or a person of colour, or all three. Pansexual people come in all ages and sizes and enjoy a range of activities and hobbies. On pansexual visibility day it’s important to remember that we’re celebrating pansexual people from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

Happy Pansexual Visibility Day! 

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A CHAMPION IN THE SACRED GAMES OF ANTINOUS

 

IT is with great joy that we, the Priesthood of the Temple of Antinous

Solemnly announce the coming of the 5th Antinous Games!

To be Celebrated on the Day of the Sacred Lion Hunt

13 Days before the Calends of September

On the 20th of August 2022 (Year of Antinous 1891)

We invite Artists, Poets, Musicians, Performers and Athletes

To prepare submissions for the sacred competition

In honor of Antinous the Gay God

The theme is open to interpretation

With suggested emphasis on Antinous

Or Gay Pagan Spirituality.

Three winners will be selected by a panel of judges.

Fabulous prizes will be awarded!

May the gods of Olympus be with us as we formally announce

The 5th Sacred Games of Antinous

AVE ANTINOUS!

Send Submissions to: templeofantinous@gmail.com

Rules of Submission:

The Deadline to Enter is August 17th, 2022

All submissions must be about Antinous, or include Antinous as their theme or subject matter, or in some discernible way reference Antinous. Performance submissions can be about Homotheosis, Gay Spirituality, Paganism, LGBTQ experiences, or even Abstract but must either demonstrate a connection to Antinous or must begin or end with the submitter stating that their performance is dedicated to Antinous. Athletic submissions must begin, or end with a stated dedication to Antinous.

The following are acceptable categories:

ART

MUSIC

DANCE

THEATER

PERFORMANCE ART

POETRY

LITERATURE

ATHLETICS

REQUIREMENTS:

-ART must be submitted as photographs and emailed to templeofantinous@gmail.com

-MUSIC can be submitted as an audio-only file, or as a recorded video performance (preferred)

-DANCE, THEATER and PERFORMANCE ART pieces must be submitted as video and must not exceed standard YouTube time-length requirements.

-ATHLETICS can include any form of athletic demonstration such as weight-lifting, exercise, running, track and field, wrestling, yoga, gymnastics, or any form imaginable that can be captured in short video form.

-LITERATURE can be fiction, nonfiction, essays, academic research papers, or autobiographical works. It is recommended that Literary submissions be reasonably short in form, although there is no official limitation to the length of form of a submission. If submitting a novel or book, a short treatment or synopsis is recommended and a link to where the full work can be purchased or downloaded. Blog entry submissions or articles will also be accepted, a link to the blog page or article must be provided

Additional submissions that do not fall into the above categories will be considered at the discretion of the Convener of the Games.

RULES:

1) All Submission must be Antinous. Performance pieces and Athletics must be verbally dedicated to Antinous. No non-Antinous related Submissions will be accepted. The decision as to whether a submission conforms to this requirement will be made by the Convener of the Games

2) Only One Entry can be submitted per Competitor. Multiple pieces can be submitted but they will all be considered One entry and will be presented together as a single Submission.

3) All submissions must be the original work of the Competitor. Additional participants in the entry are allowed, but only the submitter will be considered to be the Competitor and only the submitter will be eligible to receive an award.

4) No submissions made during a previous Sacred Games of Antinous will be allowed

5) All Competitors must be over the age of 18 to participate

6) Submissions must conform to the rules of usage of Facebook and YouTube

7) Submissions must not violate copyright laws or any other federal, state or local laws.

Three awards will be given:

ART - paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography

LITERATURE - fiction, nonfiction, poetry, novels, articles, memes

PERFORMANCE - theater, performance art, dance, ceremonies, athletics, music (including audio only)

One of the three winners will be proclaimed the overall champion and will receive the grand-prize, which will include the traditional bronze tripod and the largest monetary prize.

Everyone has heard of the Ancient Olympics, but there were other Games held in antiquity, and among the most famous were the Games of Antinous, which were called the Megala Antinoeia ... the Great Games of Antinous. These were Sacred Games which were held in Antinoopolis, Bithynia and in Mantinea."

The most famous Games were held at Antinoopolis, the city founded by Emperor Hadrian in Egypt at the spot along the Nile where Antinous had drowned in the year 130 AD.

The competitors were primarily young men called Ephebes. 

In Antinoopolis these included swimming and boat races in the Nile.

But the Antinous Games were unique in that they also included competition in the arts and music. 

The over-all winner was consecrated as the living embodiment of Antinous and given citizenship in Antinoopolis, with an all-expense-paid life of luxury and adoration. 

He was worshiped in the temple as the representative of Antinous, the emblem of youth and masculinity. He was the Divine Ephebe.

The Great Antinoeia, as the Games of Antinous were called, were held for hundreds of years. 

But little was known of the actual competitions until a fragile papyrus was deciphered recently which revealed some intriguing and somewhat shocking details about the Games of Antinous of the year 267 AD and two wrestlers named NICANTINOUS AND DEMETRIUS.

The Games of Antinous faded into obscurity ... but have been revived in the past decade by us. They are held every four years during the cycle of the blooming of the ROSY LOTUS OF ANTINOUS AFTER THE LION HUNT in August.

The modern-day Religion of Antinous revived the Sacred Games 20 years ago. This is the V ANTINOEIAD of the modern era, and entry is open to everyone wishing to honor Antinous with their own artistic, academic or athletic talents.

"These Games are open to all ... regardless whether you are gay and regardless of gender," Antonius Subia says.

"You can submit any form of artistic endeavor ... poems, paintings, videos or literary works. But you can also submit dancing, running or other physical effort ... as long as you provide documentation of your performance art," he explained.

Prizes will be awarded to winners, details of which are to be unveiled on this blog in coming days and weeks as the deadline approaches.

For enquiries and submissions, contact us here: templeofantinous@gmail.com 

WORSHIPERS WORLDWIDE VIA ZOOM CELEBRATE THE SACRED BULL HUNT

WORSHIPERS worldwide tonight celebrate The Sacred Bull Hunt of Antinous in ceremonies originating from the Hollywood Temple of Antinous and uplinked globally via Zoom.

The commemoration marks the end of Taurus, the death of the Bull of Heaven ... and the coming of Gemini, the Divine Twins ... or shall we say The Lovers ... Hadrian and Antinous.

The Cycle of the Sacred Hunts are of course a recognition that Antinous was a God of the Hunt, that in his life-time, he is recorded in verse to have participated in a Lion Hunt, and in stone relief, his image has been identified as one of the participants, along with Hadrian in the hunt of the Bear and the Boar, and also the Lion on the tondos of the Arch of Constantine.

We might call this cycle "Hunt Spirituality," an awareness of the active element of Antinous.  

From his images we are given to understand him as a melancholy, day-dreaming, slightly self-involved, yet gentle and radiantly peaceful boy...but this is only part of the beautiful story.

Another part, which is in the ancient record and therefore can be regarded as biographical, is that he was a hunter...on horseback...and perhaps on foot...able to chase down wild animals, and kill them with a spear.

The Sacred Hunts commemorate the nature of the animals which then become part of who Antinous is, and by extension, who we may become, or find ourselves to be.

Whether we see ourselves as the Hunter Antinous, or the Hunted Animal...or a mingling of the two...the significance is always through our own personal essence...animalistic...the Sacred Hunts, therefore are one of the significant forms that Animalism has taken up in the New Religion of Antinous.

Antinous was never historically said to have hunted a Bull...so for historical accuracy, this is not a Sacred Hunt with historical precedence...this would be my own invention....but I will try to explain the essence of what I feel it means, and perhaps will you understand and even add your own meaning..or detract from it, or have no opinion at all.

But as I feel now...the Bull Hunt is probably one of the more meaningful and powerful understandings of Antinous that I have discovered.

There is an ancient connection between Antinous and the Bull that has remained unexplained, or unobserved because the meaning is unclear.

If there is no historical precedent to prove that Antinous participated in the bullfights, there is evidence to show that the bull was sacred to Antinous.

There are a number of coins from Asia Minor, that portray Antinous standing by the side of a bull, or have a Bull on the reverse. A coin from Antinous's home town Bithynium-Claudiopolis is among this type.

The majority are of the type that read "Fatherland of Antinous the God"...they were minted in cities where the Religion of Antinous was strongest and most heart-felt, where he was openly proclaimed to be a God of the Country...and so from the coins, we can know that the bull, among other animals, was considered to be a sacred symbol of Antinous.

The Bull, therefore, is an ancient, stone-age and early Bronze age symbol for a King, and it is from this connection that the notion of the Bull of Heaven is derived.

The Egyptians believed that the Ka of Osiris would take the form of a perfect young Bullock...when one of these perfect bulls was discovered, it was treated with deep reverance, and allowed to live in splendor like a living god...because it was a living god...it was Osiris.

When the bull reached the age of 28, the age when Osiris was murdered, the bull was sacrificed.

Certain parts were eaten by the Pharaoh, while the body of the bull was mummified and given a tomb at Saqqara.

Plutarch said "The Apis should ever to be regarded by us, as a fair and beautiful image of the soul of Osiris."

The Apis Bull was the Spirit of Osiris in living form...eternal and ever-present. Antinous was of course first compared to Osiris because he drowned in the Nile.  In ancient antiquity when a King died, his Ka and his Ba...soul and spirit, were said to join and take form as Osiris in the underworld, so as to circle the cosmos in the Boat of Millions of Years.

In later history, any person who could afford to have the elaborate ceremonies associated with mummification and the recitation of the Book of the Dead could also join Osiris.

It would seem to be highly probable to suppose that Antinous may have undergone the most elaborate Egyptian burial that Hadrian could arrange....that Antinous was very likely mummified and entombed in or near his temple in Antinoopolis...if he was not bought home and entombed at Hadrian's Villa.

Mummification seems very likely, though there is no proof or evidence that it occurred...but that he was first and very closely identified with Osiris seems to hint that perhaps his association with Osiris would have been elaborated, and not merely allegorical.

Antinous and Osiris were united in one being...known as Osarantinous.

Our sacred Obelisk Text repeatedly mentions him as "The God, Osiris-Antinous the Justified"...because among several other gods, one of the most important elements of the divinity of Antinous was his connection to Osiris.

The living symbol of Osiris was the Apis Bull...therefore, as the Coins of Bithynia seem to suggest...the Bull was likewise, the living symbol of Antinous...the Ka of Antinous...the Spirit of Antinous in living form.

The Bull can therefore be viewed as a symbol of our spiritual connection to Antinous...the living spirit of Antinous, the consumption of which, like the flesh of the sacred Apis Bull is in essence the consumption of the Spirit of Antinous.

There is a strong likelihood that Antinous and Hadrian may have hunted Bulls.

We must therefore wonder what the Bull Hunt means to us, in what of so many contexts we may choose to view the brutal combat between a man and a bull...which is in a sense, a parable of man against nature...against the world (earthquakes for example)...the ferocious forces that are greater and able to destroy us, over which we can only triumph with excessive courage, at the risk of our very existence.

The Bull Hunt, therefore, is a sacred observance of how with intensities of inner strength, we can overcome all those forces that would destroy us.

And so it is, in the Name of Antinous, that I offer you the Sacred Bull Hunt, in observance of which I recommend that you take a moment to think upon the obstacles of your life, those which seem overwhelming, or on the verge of destroying you, or breaking you down, those from which you seek to flee...that you may find the courage to face them, even at the cost of everything that you count as dear and of value.

It is these wild forces that we must face, if we are ever to regard ourselves as Men.

In Commemoration of the End of Taurus,

May Antinous, the Spirit of Osiris give you strength.

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

THE LOTUS MOON OF ANTINOUS

THE LOTUS MOON is what we call the PISCES THIRD QUARTER MOON which occurs at this time of year around the time when we celebrate the rise of the STAR OF ANTINOUS.

Tonight's LOTUS MOON means the next week will be a time of joyous anticipation of something big which is just beyond the horizon.

In ANTINOUS MOON MAGIC each phase of the Moon represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the LOTUS MOON is the Spirit of Yearning. It is the Spirit which lives in the hearts of people who sit and wait by the phone for their lover to call, or who look out the window in anticipation of the arrival of their beloved. It is the Spirit of the child who cannot sleep on Christmas Eve. 

It is perhaps the most spiritual of all the Lunar Phase Spirits because it knows that its wait will not be in vain. It is waiting for something it knows must and will come to pass.

It is what the Portuguese call "SAUDADE," a bitter-sweet longing for someone or something just out of reach. Waiting for your ship to come in — and knowing it WILL come in. It is the anticipation of waiting at an airport arrivals lounge for a special friend you have met online in a chat room, but never met in person — the inexpressible joy/anxiety of knowing something big is about to happen. 

This is a very special emotion that every gay knows how to savor. It is like putting off unwrapping the birthday present from your sweetheart as long as possible, just so you can savor the anticipation a bit longer. 
  
This is the SACRED ANTINOUS LOTUS which rises from the surface of the Nile and which slowly opens its blossoms during the day — yearning for sunlight — and closes its petals again at night in anticipation of the next sunrise.

The key to understanding the LOTUS MOON in your life, and working with it in ANTINOUS MOON MAGIC, is that it represents a yearning for something you are certain will most definitely occur. It is not an illusion. You are not waiting in vain. Like waiting for the lotus to open its petals again, you know it will happen and you yearn for it to do so.

ANTINOUS LOTUS MOON SPELL

TO OBTAIN YOUR HEART'S DESIRE

You Will Require: A candle of the color symbolizing your heart's desire.

Choose a pink candle for love, sex and passion; red/orange for energy; a Nile green candle for health; gold/yellow for confidence, attraction or persuasion; turquoise for serenity, vision dreams, clairvoyance; lapis-lazuli blue for success, luck; a white candle for purification and protection from enemies.

Light the candle during the LOTUS MOON phase tonight or tomorrow, depending on your local time zone. The "CURRENT MOON" box in the right-hand column on this page is calibrated to your local time. When it displays "Third Quarter" and shows the left-hand half of the moon's face illuminated while the right-hand half is dark — then you can light your candle and concentrate on your wish, believing wholeheartedly that it WILL come to pass.

Call out to ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD to see into your heart to fulfill the wish that resides there. Continue meditating on the flame until the candle burns about halfway down, or until your heart tells you to extinguish the flame.

Re-light the candle on succeeding evenings until the next New Moon seven nights later. Don't worry if the candle burns all the way down prior to the New Moon. It means your wish has been heard. Remember ALWAYS to follow your gay spiritual heart. Do that, and the Archetype Spirit of the LOTUS MOON ensures that your yearning will not be in vain

ORANGE CALCITE FOR THE LOTUS MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

OUR astrology adviser Hernestus has prompted me that today's moon phase is the Pisces Third Quarter - the Antinous Lotus Moon.

Hernestus describes this moon as being about wish-fulfilment through determined faith.

Now crystals are mostly there to help you to focus on your needs in the moment rather than helping you to achieve anything ahead of time.

However there are some crystals which are attuned to the future so will attune you to it too.

I recommend that you write down your wishes/desires and hold them as you meditate (with or without crystals).

Focus your attention through the paper and crystal/s and back into your heart.

I recommend using:

Orange Calcite - These pretty stones (top photo) remove fear and balance the emotion so that you are open and ready for positives to enter your life. 

Apatite - These are the best crystals to use for manifesting your desires. They are both attuned to the future and past lives so you can consider the spectrum of your lives and set out your wishes for your future and your future selves. They are typically blue or yellow. Choose the blue for manifesting your desires.

Love and Crystalline Light,

MARTIN

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

HARVEY MILK, SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON May 22nd the world honors Harvey Milk ... his birthday (22 May 1930) is commemorated as Harvey Milk Day around the world. 

Champion of the early gay rights movement, in 1977 Harvey Milk became the first openly Gay person to be elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco.

He advocated the liberation of homosexuality for the benefit of society in general, and jokingly claimed to be a gay recruiter. He was instrumental in passing the Gay Civil Rights Bill in San Francisco, which was to be his undoing.

On November 27, of 1978, Milk was murdered City Hall along with Mayor George Moscone by former City Supervisor Danny White who had resigned his office after the enactment of the bill. Dan White was acquitted of murder but sentenced to only seven years on manslaughter charges.

Following his acquittal on May 21st, 1979, riots broke during a demonstration in front of City Hall, and later, 100,000 people marched on Washington in support of Gay Rights chanting "Harvey Milk Lives!" He became the first gay saint and martyr following the movement that began at the Stonewall.

In a tape recording made one year before his assassination, as if in prophecy, Harvey Milk said, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."

For his actions, for his life, for the changes that he effected, and for the love that continues to burn for him in the memory of his gay, lesbian and transgender children, we priests of Antinous recognize and sanctify Harvey Milk as a Heroic Saint and Martyr.