THE RISE OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS
ON JUNE 11th,
the Religion of Antinous celebrates the Rise of the Star of Antinous.
This is the date in our Liturgical Calendar when the Constellation of
Antinous begins to rise over the horizon at sunset. It is visible on the
eastern horizon along the banks of the Milky Way.
Wherever you
live on this blue marble we call Earth, you can see the Constellation of
Antinous on starry nights from mid-June through late October when, in
synchronicity with the Death of Antinous in late October, the Star of
Antinous descends below the western horizon in the glare of the setting
sun.
The
Constellation of Antinous is no longer recognized by astronomers (just
as Pluto has been demoted to the rank of "dwarf planet"). But it is
still visible from any point on Earth nestled between Sagittarius and
Capricorn and in the talons of Aquila (the Eagle Constellation)
representing the Imperial Eagle which carried Antinous to lofty heights.
The most visible identifiers are the three bright stars of Aquila —
Altair at the crown of his head, Tarazad, and Alshain. Alshain is
derived from Arabic for "Two Friends" which astrologers have cited as a
hint as to how to interpret the Sign of Antinous.
The Star of Antinous is however difficult to see. Most people cannot see
it at all. You won't find it on any star chart. Like the Star of
Bethlehem, it is a mystery and a conundrum about which many theories
have been written.
And even if you could see it, the light which reaches your eyes would
have left the star thousands of years ago — perhaps about the time that
Emperor Hadrian discovered the star.
The simple truth of the matter — and the most beautiful facet of all —
is the fact that Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous with his own
tear-filled eyes as he looked skyward in grief after the death of his
beloved Antinous. Distraught and weeping, the emperor stood under the
canopy of the star-studded heavens and looked up the River Nile towards
the spot where his Beloved Boy had died. And he saw a new star which he
recognized as a celestial sign that the gods had taken Antinous to be
one of them.
You
have to realize that Hadrian was a keen astronomer/astrologer himself.
He knew the heavens like the back of his hand and he was so adept at
casting horoscopes that it was said he had determined the exact hour of
his death. He built an observatory at his sumptious villa outside Rome.
And the tour of Egypt had brought him into contact with the finest
Egyptian magician/priests, one of whom taught him how to cast a binding
spell which could give him dream-visions and could also cause someone to
fall hopelessly in love with him or — depending on how it was cast —
even cause that person to die in agony.
Hadrian was that sort of
control freak. Despite the fact that he was the mightiest man on Earth
who could send a man to death on a whim (and did so, on occasion), he
also wanted control over the future. And he wanted to be able to force
someone to love him and never, never leave him.
Much has been
theorized about those fateful final days leading up to the death and
deification of Antinous and Hadrian's discovery of the STAR OF ANTINOUS.
Yes,
much has been written about these events and about Hadrian's obsession
with magic and astrology and soothsayers. One of the more fanciful
versions was published in a novel in the mid-1950s by the German author
Ernst Sommer. Entitled simply Antinous, the novel suggests Antinous
sacrificed his own life to save his beloved emperor during the imperial
tour of Egypt in the year 130 AD.
The dramatic climax of the
plot has Hadrian lying in a villa in Hermopolis, feverish and at death's
door after having been bitten by a mosquito. The emperor writhes in
bed, calling out Antinous's name. The Empress Sabina and heir-apparent
Lucius, jealous but also fearful that the presence of Antinous might
further agitate the emperor, issue orders that the boy be kept away from
the emperor.
After several daring attempts to sneak into the
villa, Antinous is finally put under house arrest aboard an imperial
vessel anchored a few miles upstream near the fallen-down Temple of Bes
(the future site of the Sacred City of Antinoopolis). Lucius has ordered
that he be put in irons to prevent him from sneaking off to visit
Hadrian. But the guards cannot bring themselves to place the beauteous
boy in irons, in defiance of Lucius's orders. Instead, they merely
confine him to his quarters below deck with a single porthole
overlooking the nighttime waters of the Nile.
Sensing that the
emperor is dying, Antinous realizes his love for Hadrian is boundless
and that nothing can keep them apart. Thinking back to his discussions
about life and death with Jewish Rabbis, Christian clerics and Egyptian
priests of Osiris, he realizes that the day has come. The hour has
arrived. It is time to surrender everything he has — in a pure act of
love that will transform everything.
He opens the porthole hatch
and sees an unusually bright star which seems to beckon. He steps out of
his clothes and leaves them (his last earthly possessions) lying in a
heap on the floor. He climbs deftly out the porthole and slips quietly
into the water.
At the same moment, Hadrian breathes his last
breath, to the horror of Sabina and Lucius and the others who are
gathered at his bedside. In a state now beyond physical life, Hadrian
opens his eyes to see Anubis standing before him with outstretched
hands, lifting him out of bed and guiding him away down many dark
corridors. At last, Hadrian is taken through a massive portal and into a
chamber where Thoth is waiting beside scales placed before Osiris.
Thoth
begins the Weighing of the Heart ceremony as Osiris asks who this
person is who seeks admittance to his realm. In the midst of the solemn
proceedings there is a loud banging at the portal and Anubis announces
that someone has arrived to offer his own heart in exchange for the
emperor's heart, so that Hadrian might live and walk the earth again.
That person is standing unseen just outside the portal. After brief
discussion, the Egyptian deities acknowledge that the Law of Maat
specifically envisions such an exchange and that, indeed, it is the most
sacred and powerful of covenants — surrendering one's own heart on the
Scales of Truth for that of a loved one. Such love cannot be denied. The
offer cannot be denied.
Genesthoi — So Be It Done!
Back
at the death bed in the Hermopolis villa, Hadrian gasps suddenly and
his eyelids fly open, to the amazement of everyone who thought he had
just expired. Sensing what has happened, he speaks hoarsely of a vivid
dream involving deities. He looks around and demands to know where
Antinous is.
"Where is he? What have you done with him? I know he
would be here at my side if he were physically able. Bring him to me at
once!"
But
as Sabina and Lucius stammer excuses, and before the runners can summon
Antinous, a boat crewman bursts into the room with the news that
Antinous is missing and presumed to have drowned in the Nile.
Hadrian
suffers a relapse, but the Egyptian magic is well done. So he cannot
die this time. As the search for Antinous continues, with hope waning
each day, Hadrian retreats to the rooftop observatory of the villa in
Hermopolis which has been placed at his disposal by a wealthy
Hermopolite. The emperor stares into the heavens night after night,
refusing to give up hope that Antinous might yet be alive, perhaps dazed
and confused and lost somewhere along the river.
Then one night
he looks into the heavens and sees the proof that he has been looking
for since the disappearance of Antinous. He summons the empress and
Lucius and the entire court and also calls for the chief astrologer of
the Temple of Thoth in Hermopolis to come quickly.
He informs
them that a new star has appeared in the heavens and that it is a
celestial sign that Antinous has left this earthly existence to ascend
to the pantheon of the gods. He has surrendered everything on behalf of
his beloved emperor, just as he had always said he would. Everyone
thinks Hadrian has suffered another relapse and is delusional with
fever. But the astronomer arrives and swiftly confirms that the
sharp-eyed emperor has indeed discovered an uncharted star.
As
Hadrian leaves to issue orders for the deification of Antinous,
construction of the city at the spot where he drowned and erection of
temples throughout the world, the astronomer remains behind in the
rooftop observatory with the wealthy owner of the house. Where precisely
is this new star, the owner asks. "I know quite a bit about the stars
for an amateur, but I can't for the life of me see anything at the spot
in the heavens where Caesar was pointing just a while ago."
The
astronomer says that the new star is definitely there and that
astronomers throughout the world will confirm its existence and it will
be recorded duly in all the star charts.
"Yes, but can't you point it out to me?" the wealthy man pleas. "I'm straining my eys looking, but I just can't see anything."
The
astronomer answers, "And that is why you will never be a good
astronomer. You scan the heavens with your eyes, but not with your
heart."
So Hadrian looked into the nighttime skies and discovered
a new star to point the way to that new religion. As a scholar and man
of science he was able to see it with his own two eyes. Perhaps it was a
super-nova which flared and then went out — who knows? He saw it and
his court astronomers confirmed it and the Constellation of Antinous was
recorded in the star charts for 19 centuries to come.
But more
importantly, Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous shining in his
heart. The Death of Antinous showed him a way to make his vision of the
perfect religion a reality on Earth. It was the Light he was seeking. It
was the Light of Antinous.
So when you look up into the
nighttime skies tonight in search of the Star of Antinous, don't be
surprised if you can't find it with your physical eyes. You can't find
it in physical space, which is why Flamen Antinoalis Antonyus Subia
calls it the Dark Star of Antinous. Look inside your heart and you will
find it shining there with all the beauty of a dream of perfection ....
Lumen Antinoi Adiuva Nos!
(Light of Antinous, Sustain Us!)
