DEREK JARMAN SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON January 31st the Religion of Antinous celebrates the life of Saint Derek Jarman.

St. Derek, born on this day in 1942, created eleven extraordinary feature films ... including "Sebastiane," "Jubilee," "The Tempest," "Caravaggio," "The Last Of England," and "Edward II" ... and over three dozen shorts.

This multi-talented artist is also acclaimed for his painting (several major exhibits), stage and film design (for director Ken Russell and for a glorious Pet Shop Boys concert tour), gay and human rights activism, literature (memoirs, social criticism, poetry), and, on a serene note, his exquisite gardens full of "found" art.

Most gay men have seen Sebastiane which, when it came out more than 30 years ago, was the first British film to feature positive images of gay sexuality, not to mention the first film entirely in Latin.

Edward II raised eyebrows among critics for its upfront depiction of the brutal assassination of England's openly gay monarch by means of rectal assault.

The exquisitely beautiful Caravaggio is Saint Derek's best-known film.

We Antinoians remember Saint Derek for his art and we honor him as well for his boundless courage. His death from AIDS was cruelly slow and agonizing. And yet, as AIDS robbed him of his mobility and even of his eyesight, he turned the tables on Death and Dying by turning Death and Dying into an art form. 

His last feature-length film, Blue, consists of a single shot of saturated blue color filling the screen as Derek talks about his "vision" of life and art. How very typical of Derek Jarman.

Thumbing his nose at fate right up to the end. A dying man who is blind and yet who talks about his vision.

The light of his eyes faded until all he saw was the darkness where the Night Terrors feed on fear and doubt. And what did Derek do? He turned the darkness into vibrant color. He turned his fear and his worries into artistic energy. The dramatic lighting and brilliant colors of his films were so very dramatic and brilliant because they were always, always set against the inky darkness.

That is why we consecrate Derek Jarman a Saint of Antinous. Just like Saint Caravaggio, also one of our Blessed Saints, Martyrs and Exemplars, his "vision" lay in turning the Darkness into Light and Color. He died February 19, 1994.

THIS BIOGRAPHY SAYS LIVIA WAS NOT THE WICKED WITCH OF ANCIENT ROME

MENTION the name Livia, who was born on 30 January in 58 or 59 BC, and the image pops to mind of a treacherous and vindictive woman, as beautiful as she was wicked and cruel. 

Second wife of the Emperor Augustus and the mother of his successor Tiberius, Livia has been vilified by posterity (most notably by Tacitus and Robert Graves) as the quintessence of the scheming Roman matriarch, poisoning her relatives one by one to smooth her son's path to the imperial throne.

Played by Siân Phillips with viperish glee in the classic BBC TV drama series "I, Claudius", she hissed and writhed through the marble halls of the emperor's palace, leaving corpses in her wake as she ruthlessly intrigued to get her one surviving son, Tiberius, to the Imperial throne ... finally even poisoning Augustus himself and forging his will.

Now a new book says Livia was not evil, she was merely a powerful and ambitious woman ... and as such, she was damned by male historians. 

Like Egypt's Hatshepsut, Livia MUST have been a wicked and cruel step-mother who would stop at nothing in her own quest for power. Or so it was claimed by male historians from Tacitus to Robert Graves in the 20th Century. 

In recent years, Hatshepsut has been vindicated, most notably by historian Joyce Tyldesley. Dr. Tyldesley says Hatshepsut's name was erased from historical records by male successors who feared a "female pharaoh" was a dangerous precedent — dangerous to male domination.

Now it is Livia's turn to be vindicated in the new historiographical book "Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia" by Matthew Dennison. In this elegant and rigorously researched biography, Dennison rescues the historical Livia from the crudely drawn sexist caricature of the popular imagination.

He depicts a complex, courageous and richly gifted woman whose only true crime was not murder but the exercise of power, and who, in a male-dominated society, had the temerity and chutzpah to create for herself both a prominent public profile and a significant sphere of political influence.

As with the life of Hatshepsut, the challenge facing any biographer of Livia is the lack of recorded facts. To handle this problem, "Empress of Rome" tells her story in a series of thematic chapters in roughly chronological order.

It makes for riveting reading.

All that we can be certain of is that Livia enjoyed a reputation for probity and traditional values. She seems to have taken care not to interfere in politics, although always on hand to give confidential advice to her husband Augustus. And he has gone on record as having valued her advice.

Dennison convincingly demonstrates in his biography of this much put-upon woman that she hardly needed to resort to poisoning anyone in an age when poor hygiene and lack of antibiotics meant that anyone might die at any time. 

Reports of poisoning in the Roman empire tended to coincide with epidemics, unrecognised or misunderstood by the unreliable medical science of the day. 

In some cases Livia was many hundreds of miles away from her putative victims and would have had to hire agents to do the dirty deed for her — an extraordinarily foolhardy risk.

A line of hopeful young noblemen, one after another, was struck down mysteriously. The first was Marcellus, Augustus's nephew, who (probably) died of typhoid fever at the age of 20.

The whisper spread that Livia had administered poison. Similar rumours blamed her for the deaths of her younger son Drusus, the emperor's grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar, and even Augustus himself (supposedly she smeared figs on his favourite tree with venom).

Her alleged motive was love for her eldest boy Tiberius, in whose interest she meant to eliminate all competitors for the imperial succession. She was a Claudian and wanted to ensure a Claudian dynasty, or so the story goes.

The idea of Livia as serial killer was given new life by Robert Graves in his historical novel "I, Claudius", and she reached a mass audience in the television series of the book, memorably interpreted by Siân Phillips.

Where did Graves get his Livia? The key figure is Tacitus, a Roman historian whose "The Annals Of Ancient Rome" is one of the great masterpieces of historical literature.

Tacitus disliked Livia. In fact he loathed her. Writing slightly more than a century after Livia's heyday, he never directly accused the empress of mass murder but slyly insinuated it with a nudge and a wink. Graves simply fleshed out those insinuations in his historical novel — historical fiction which readers accepted as historical fact.

But Dennison points out that at least two historians of the Roman Empire, who were actually writing at the time, made very few criticisms of Livia.

Born in about 58 BC, she came from an upper-class Roman family living under a strict moral code, which was even stricter for women.

They wove a lot. They looked after the household and the education of their children. A contemporary wrote that an ideal wife "can relax with her husband and he can confide all his secrets to her since it is like confiding in himself".

That explains the genuinely close relationship between Liva and Augustus.

This doesn't change the fact that she was a Claudian and family dynasties were what really mattered. Octavian Caesar (who became Augustus) married into Livia's Claudian family because it gave him more power. She conveniently left her husband to marry Augustus because he was rich and powerful.

The problem for Livia was that Augustus wanted to create, in essence, a hereditary monarchy. That would exclude her sons by Claudius Nero, and she could have none by Octavian (now dubbed Augustus). 

That meant the end of the line for the Claudians. 

The rivals who stood in her way went down like ninepins, although not necessarily by Livia's hand. 

Marcellus, Augustus's nephew and the first to go, could well have died of typhoid, says Dennison.

Augustus's daughter Julia was exiled to a rocky islet off the Italian coast after Livia fed the puritanical Augustus stories of her wanton immorality. No proof, says the author.

Lucius and Gaius Caesar, grandsons of Augustus, dying abroad mysteriously? Tacitus suggests Livia's "secret hand" but no other historians mention the rumor.

Postumus, another grandchild of Augustus, murdered, while unarmed, by an unknown hand on the islet to which his mother Julia had been exiled? The identity of the killer is still open to debate, we are told.

However, there is little question about the death of Augustus himself. It is a near contemporary historian who records Livia smearing poison on some figs and offering them to him with her own hand.

And there is no question that Livia, skilled in "medicinal potions", lived to be nearly 90 years old — more than twice the average life span. And she did indeed ensure that the Claudians remained in power through Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.

And, of course, it was her grandson Claudius who proclaimed her an immortal goddess, thus absolving her of all earthly misdeeds ... whether factual or only fictional.

ANTONIUS SUBIA ON THE DISCOVERY OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS

MAY the Light of the New Star of Antinous shine into all our hearts and illuminate our souls!

We are still trying to figure out exactly what took place in the sky and when, and why it was so important that it confirmed the deification of Antinous, whether it was a comet or a new star, a Nova in what is now the constellation of Aquila.  I lean towards the Nova possibility, because of the use of term "new star" by Dio Cassius, with no reference to a comet, or "long-haired" star...and also because some of the most dramatic known Novas have been located in the constellation Aquila, such as the Nova Aql of 1918

Two major novae have been observed in Aquila: the first one was in 389 BC and was recorded as being as bright as Venus; the other (Nova Aquilae 1918) briefly shone brighter than Altair, the brightest star in Aquila.

So it is possible that there was a Nova in the year 131...and by the way, our previous estimate of year 132 is most likely wrong...the year 131 would have been only a few months after Antinous died...and if this is so, then the appearance of the new star would have occurred about six months before the miraculous inundation of the Nile the following summer.  I've always wondered about the timing issue, whether or not the constellation Aquila was actually visible in the sky at the time of year...but it seems that it is, for about one hour before sunrise.  This is called a Heliacal rising, when the first appears above the horizon just before sunrise, and then on each succeeding night seems to rise higher and higher every night thereafter.  This is what they mean by the Rise of the Dog Star, which signaled the beginning of the Egyptian calendar and which signaled the annual flooding of the Nile.  The star Sirius and Altair (which is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the star traditionally located right above Antinous's head) are on almost exactly opposite of the night sky...yet strangely enough, they are the two brightest stars in relatively close proximity to our Sun, part of the local group.

As an argument for the comet:  It was the Chinese who recorded what is said to have been a comet on January 29th 131.  It is known that from the point of vie of China the tail of a comet might be visible, but in Europe, the the tail might be hidden...not sure if I understand why, but this is what I've read, so it may be that from Hadrian's point of view, for the brief hour or so before sunrise, all they saw was a single point of new light in the sky.  I'm still not sure what I think about this...and also...I keep thinking that I recall reading in Beloved and God a brief mention by Royston Lambert that there had been a comet in the sky in the year 130 which had given rise to foreboding prophesies...but I keep trying to find this reference and come up with nothing...if any of you can take another look at Beloved and God and find this reference, I would be much ingratiated.  And then there is the reference that in the year before Antinous died, that a Phoenix had been seen in Egypt, perhaps another allusion to a comet.  If a comet did in fact occur in the months before Antinous died then it would indeed perhaps confirm the Chinese reports, though the dates would disagree but the ancients were terrible about recording dates so there is ever possibility that some confusion might have taken place.  A comet before his death and a new star (nova) afterward would however be a significant narrative of spiritual significance.

The Star of Antinous was the proof that Antinous had indeed arisen to the heavenly sphere...that he had taken his place among the immortal gods...more than anything else..it was what all the disbelievers would have required to recognize that Antinous was more than just Hadrian's little pretty boy.  It would have needed to be a very significant new star in order to make an impact upon the general populace...it would have needed to be an obvious sign in the sky that even an untrained astrologer could look up and seen for themselves..it would have needed to be as bright as Altair...there were a great many people all over the empire who were familiar with the stars...sailors and temple soothsayers...all of whom would have had enough familiarity with the constellations to know if a new star had actually appeared in the night sky for the first time.  If there really had appeared a new star for the first time, as Dio Cassius skeptically reports, then the "experts" would have noticed it, and would have confirmed the official reports from Hadrian's court that Antinous had arisen to godliness...and the word of their confirmation would have spread, dispelling whatever  doubts the general, uninformed populace might have felt when the Edict of Deification was announced.

The Star of Antinous was the most significant event in the formation of our religion...this is what separates Antinous from other gay demi-gods such as Achilles and Hephaestion...they were deified in the same way and for similar reasons as Antinous, but their cults never assumed world-wide importance or longevity...they never crossed the line from heroism to godliness...for one basic reason...because there was no cosmic confirmation to solidify their deification.  I just read a Spanish book about Antinous by De La Maza written in 1969 which emphatically states that the New Star of Antinous was the most important event that elevated Antinous to the immortal state that we recognize him to hold to this day.

The Star of Antinous represents the spirit of Antinous within our heart...the Fire of Homotheosis...this is what I feel when I consider the star of Antinous shining inside of me.

May my light shine upon you all,

May your light shine upon me.

~Antonius Nicius Subia

Flamen Antinoalis

THE DISCOVERY OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS

ON January 29th in the year 131 AD a new star appeared in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle.

The court astrologers declared that it was Antinous taking his place in the heavens. Hadrian ordered them to draw a new constellation embraced by the Eagle, and called it ANTINOUS.

Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia explains:

"The Roman historian Dio Cassius was skeptical that a new star had appeared in the sky, but simultaneously, the leader of the Jewish revolt named Bar Kochba, which means 'Son of the Star,' was declared the Messiah because a celestial event had proclaimed him the savior of Israel. The mystery of the star is real, a celestial even of great magnitude occurred shortly after the death of Antinous within the constellation of the Eagle for the New God.

"The three sacred stars of the constellation Aquila, named Tarzad, Altair and Alshain, rise above the horizon just after dark on this night and are an allegory of the assumption of Ganymede into heaven. This date is suggested by Chinese Novae observations which have been dated as occurring on the 29th of January 131 AD, and are compared to the Star or Comet of Antinous."

THE SACRED STAR OF ANTINOUS

 

 (To be said before a sacred flame of Antinous)

Antinous of the Heavens, God of Eternal Fire

In your name, Uranian Lord, Antinous Phanes,

May this consecrated Lucerna shine forth

With the celestial light of your Sacred Dark Star.

Antinous our God, whose Star has Come into Being

We are the Influence of your holy constellation,

May our devotion ignite the burning embers

Of your flame among the ashes of the world.

Arise Antinous Ganymedes as the Eternal Narcissus,

Your Homotheosis shines from this tongue of fire

Let this Flame commemorate the conflagration

That once consumed the Sacred Sodomites

Purify us in the pain and brilliance of Gay Splendor.

We rise as the Unconquered Sun

Soaring as a falcon among the heroes.

Your Hand turns the everlasting sky.

You pass through Heaven before the Starry Beings

You are the Golden Eagle of the Heavens

In whose wings all Catamites are assumed

Into the glory of Eternal Homotheosis

Antinous Phanes, twofold, egg-born,

Glorying in your golden wings,

Antinous of celestial power, ineffable,

Dark Star, all-shining flower of flame, glory of the sky.

“Hadrian declared that he had seen a star

Which he took to be that of Antinous,

And gladly lent an ear to the fictitious tales woven by his associates

To the effect that the star had really come into being

From the spirit of Antinous

And had then appeared for the first time.”

Behold the Star of Antinous!

(light a fire for Antinous)

ASTRO FORECAST: JAN 28th—FEB. 7th, 2021

Antinous Astrology Forecast

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JAN 28th to FEB. 7th, 2021

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28th, 2021

On Thursday, we come to the lunar phase we call the LION HUNT MOON, the LEO FULL MOON. It is a reminder that Antinous slew a man-eating lion in Egypt. Antinous peered out into the barren wilderness with all its deep and hidden dangers. He charged forth, his bridle-reins in one hand and an adamantine-tipped spear in the other, and he faced the beast unafraid. For Antinous knew he would triumph over death. The Spirit of the Lion Hunt is the bravery of Antinous the Lion Slayer.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29th, 2021

During the final week of January momentous cosmic events are occurring near Pluto aligned with THE STAR OF ANTINOUS in Capricorn. First of all, your emotions get their knickers in a twist when love planet Venus aligns in conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. This once-a-year Venus/Pluto rendezvous is always a time of transformation in matters of love and money. On the downside, it also produces feelings of jealousy, envy, possessiveness and greed. But also on Friday, the Sun aligns with Jupiter in open-minded Aquarius to enhance your consciousness. This is your lucky day for a new start. Remember the birth of Dionysus! In Classical Mythology Zeus/Jupiter often visited mortals in disguise, for his radiance was too dazzling for mortals to behold ... rather like the Sun in conjunction with Jupiter. In the story of the birth of Dionysus, we see that Semele Princess of Thebes had been made pregnant by Jupiter in disguise. Semele later became curious about his true appearance. So, Semele decided to ask Zeus to grant her a wish, and he took an oath on the river Styx that he would give her anything. She asked that he appear to her in all his glory. Jupiter was forced to comply. However, mortals could not look upon Jupiter without bursting into flames, which is what happened to Semele. Jupiter managed to save the unborn baby by sewing it inside his thigh. A few months later, god Dionysus was born, who managed to save his mother from the Underworld and brought her to Mount Olympus, where she became the goddess Thyone. Antinous traditionally has been identified with Dionysus "Twice Born" of mortal woman and divine radiance. Antinous/Dionysus reminds you that you are HOMOTHEOSIS ... Gay Man Godliness Becoming the Same in Divine Radiance.

SAT-SUNDAY, JAN, 30th-31st, 2021

This weekend, Mercury does an about-face and goes "backwards" as seen from Earth until February 20th. This RETROGRADE MERCURY phase is a time of confusion in communications and commerce. About three times each year, Mercury the communications wizard turns into Mercury the fast-talking con man. This is the RETROGRADE MERCURY phase, and it lasts about three weeks. RETROGRADE MERCURY will be serving up glitches and snafus in communications, computers, transport, travel and social media. If you are buying a new mobile phone, be sure to read the fine print about hidden costs. Planning to move into a new apartment? Check the kitchen and bathroom for tell-tale signs of mold before signing the lease. Remember over the next three weeks that MERCURY wants you to play his sly game to win — not to be a whining victim. Make him proud of the way you play his game!

MON-WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1st-3rd, 2021

This week, the Sun squares off against Mars to unleash explosive energies. Sun square Mars creates a very tense energy which looks for expression through some kind of action, sports, sex, creative self-expression. The square causes obstacles in self-assertion which have to be overcome with the courage and fighting spirit which comes naturally. On the negative side this can lead to setbacks, frustration and may boil over as arguments, fights, tantrums or ... on the global level ... to wars and conflicts. Once the energy finds a safe way of expression, then the tremendous energy can lead to great achievements in Mars activities such as sports, military endeavours, fighting for a particular cause, even dramatic acting. The fiery willpower really does need a useful outlet to stop this warlike energy turning on the self or loved ones ... or pitting one nation against another. Competing and winning is important to maintain a healthy ego.

Also this week, Venus leaves stodgy Capricorn and enters socially interactive Aquarius, so you may feel an irresistible urge to check your social network even before you get out of bed. The coming month is idea for exploring the vastness of cyber worlds in search of the ultimate interactive relationship. You sense a yearning for new and interesting places, things and friends as Aquarius Venus opens your heart to adventurous new ideas and people. It will be easy for you to overcome your shyness and meet new people. But you may get bored quickly and may have a hard time focusing on any one subject — or person.

THURS-FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4th-5th, 2021

Overnight Thursday-Friday, we come to the Scorpio Third Quarter Moon. This is the Lunar Phase in Antinous Moon Magic which we call the PERDITION MOON of coming to terms with loss and diminishment. Meditations and rituals carried out during this Lunar Phase are best suited for seeking to come to terms with loss and finding areas in your life where you may unconsciously be causing yourself loss or sadness. This Lunar Phase is NOT about giving in to loss and grief, but rather it is about moving through them to find new ways towards growth and fulfillment.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6th, 2021

On Saturday, Venus aligns with Saturn in Aquarius, meaning you will meet someone who will be a wellspring of bright new ideas and inspiration for you in the coming year.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7th, 2021

On Sunday, it's make-up or break-up time when Venus squares off against Uranus. You can be sure that unanticipated upheavals will occur in interpersonal relationships. Misunderstandings and arguments come from no where. This is the sort of day when seemingly stable relationships break up for a minor reason. And at work, you sense that people are conspiring against you. And quite possibly they are.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between February 8th and 14th, 2021, when we come to the AQUARIUS NEW MOON — which in Antinous Moon Magic we call the OBELISK MOON — the lunar phase embodying knowledge in all its forms, knowledge which is gained through study and learning. The Aquarius New Moon is also always CHINESE NEW YEAR and 2021 is the Year of the Metal Ox. After the turbulence of 2020 Year of the Rat, the Year of the Ox denotes the hard work, positivity and honesty that will be manifested in all of us in the coming 12 months ... More details next time ....

ANTINOUS SHOWS TOURISTS HOW TO GO STRAIGHT THIS WAY ... TO RENTAL CARS

ANTINOUS shows the way ... for tourists in Naples Italy looking for their vehicles at a SIXT car rental agency.

The famous Delphi statue of Antinous miraculously has a left arm to show customers how to "Go straight this way."

We wonder if the pun was intended by the advertising agency!

And look what a tourist in the Middle East spotted recently ... street art depicting Antinous giving his blessings to passersby from the walls of a five-story combination retail and residential building.

Antinous and Hadrian toured the Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire in 128, 129 and 130 AD.

That fateful tour culminated in Antinous dying tragically in the Nile in Egypt in October 130 AD. 

Grief-stricken Hadrian proclaimed Antinous a god, and issued an imperial command that the Religion of Antinous be spread throughout the world for all time ... a command which modern-day priests of Antinous continued to strive to carry out to the best of our abilities!

We love it when Antinous makes cameo appearances in advertisements.

He is routinely seen around Los Angeles on the sides of organic produce delivery trucks and WAS SIGHTED RECENTLY by our own Flamen Antonius Subia.

Meanwhile, Antinomaniacs in Britain and Europe could hardly believe their eyes when Antinous made a cameo appearance in a TV COMMERCIAL for an eyeglasses firm.

And Antinous miraculously also appeared recently 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 for a month.


The advertisement was for Sabrina Carpenter's single "Almost Love", and the image was all over social media. 

The ANTINOUS MURAL featured Sabrina kissing the Townley Antinous/Dionysus bust.

That is the famous British Museum bust ... an exact replica of which adorns the altar of the HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE of Antinous.

"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!"

LEO FULL MOON CRYSTALS LABRADORITE FOR THE LION HUNT MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

IF you are going to meditate using crystals at this Leo Full Moon, moon phase you can be assured that this practice has existed for thousands of years and is still influencing key spiritual teachers around the world now. 

I was surprised, recently, to have found some crystal advice that has come down to us from a 12th Century Christian Nun! 

Hildegard von Bingen was a nun worshipping Christ in part of what is now Germany. She composed the music and lyrics of beautiful hymns which have survived and are still used in convents today. 

In 1994 these were put against modern mood music by Angel Music (Vision The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen) to create a magical, ethereal sound. 

As an example of her crystal advice she advised the following for diamonds:

"...if a man is fanatical and choleric, he should keep this stone always in his mouth and by the power of this stone the evils will be turned away."

In modern day Brazil there is a spiritual teacher, guide and healer called John of God (João de Deus).

He is a follower of Christ but also recognises the power of crystals from surprising personal experience:

"Having been a gem miner, I have learned that in order for a precious stone to show its full beauty, it must first suffer tghe process of refinement, likewise, each child [person], a rare diamond of creation, must be polished in order to realise their full superior destination".

Knowing that I have such powerful voices speaking with me I am proud to offer the following crytsal meditation advice for this moon phase.

The Leo Full Moon is interpreted as the Lion Hunt Moon in the Antinous cycle of the year. The key focus of this period is the determination and courage to handle daunting situations along our physical and spiritual journey. To deal assertively with fear. 

I would recommend that you meditate using the following crystals:

LABRADORITE - These wonderful, irridescent stones (pictured at top of this blog entry) are a particular favourite of mine. Apart from being utterly beautiful they remove fear from this life and past lives. They also help you live your life with creative purpose and strong imagination.

JASPER - There are many different colours of Jasper all of which have differing strengths. Overall though the family of Jasper stones aid self realisation and imparts the determination to do anything you desire. It helps to calm your nerves. Jasper also brings you the courage to deal with problems assertively.

Light and Life,

MARTIN

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

LEO FULL MOON THE LEO FULL MOON THE LION HUNT MOON OF ANTINOUS

TONIGHT you get an ego-boost and are ready for your chance to go for the gold ... when we come to the lunar phase we call the LION HUNT MOON, the LEO FULL MOON.

It is a reminder that Antinous slew a man-eating lion in Egypt. Antinous peered out into the barren wilderness with all its deep and hidden dangers. He charged forth, his bridle-reins in one hand and an adamantine-tipped lance in the other, and he faced the beast unafraid. For Antinous knew he would triumph over death. The Spirit of the Lion Hunt is the bravery of Antinous the Lion Slayer.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Lion Hunt Moon is courage and bravery. It is exemplified by selfless devotion and dogged perseverance.

The image above shows Antinous and his steed attacking the man-eating Marousian lion in the Egyptian desert in the year 130 AD. The Sacred Lion Hunt was immortalized in poetry and in stone, showing Antinous brashly attacking the lion with his adamantine-tipped speer and wounding it ... so that Hadrian had to gallop to his rescue and dispatch the beast.

Hadrian added medallions to the Arch of Constantine showing him and Antinous with feet on the lion's neck and also making sacrifice to the great lion-killer Hercules.

Soon legend would have it that scarlet-red lotus blossoms had sprung forth from the pool of the lion's blood -- which we honor as THE SACRED LOTUS MOON, the Pisces Third Quarter Moon in June.

Within a few short weeks after the Sacred Lion Hunt, Antinous himself would be dead. The Sacred Lion Hunt is the last recorded event in His short life.

The Leo Full Moon in the bold and fiery sign of the Lion is a time to take center stage, stand in the spotlight and play the starring role in the divine drama. Leo is the sign of creative extroversion and action.

Meditations and rituals conducted tonight are best suited for finding courage and determination in daunting situations. Remember always that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. Tonight's rituals and meditations should enable you to traverse the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to set forth on the journey ... with adamantine-tipped spear in hand ... galloping forward.

THE MEN WITH THE PINK TRIANGLES VICTIMS OF THE GAY HOLOCAUST

IN Nazi Germany, on January 28th, 1935, the Ministry of Justice revived and amended "Paragraph 175", the old Prussian statute created in 1871 that made Homosexuality a crime punishable by imprisonment. 

The law was increased in severity and became the legal basis for the systematic persecution of male Homosexuals. 

The Nazis believed that homosexuality endangered to the purity of the German people, that gay men corrupted the youth, preventing them from living normal married lives, and were therefore a threat to the race. 

Homosexuality was denounced as an unnatural lust, and accused of being intrinsically Un-German, a disease imported by Jews and supported by Communists, the enemy of the Aryan People. 

Imprisonment and sterilization were the initial penalties, but Heinrich Himmler revealed his true design when he said that the "extermination of degenerates" was in keeping with ancient Nordic principles (an interesting idea considering that many of the Dying-Boy-Gods, to whom we compare Antinous, were killed as ritual human sacrifices.) 

Men were arrested and sent to the concentration camps by the tens of thousands. 

They were distinguished by the sign of the pink triangle, and subjected to extreme conditions of abuse. 

The Men of the Pink Triangle were beaten regularly, subjected to hard labor, deprived of food and exposed to the elements. 

They were abused by the Nazi guards and by other prisoners alike because everyone considered homosexuality the lowest of low, a sin and an aberration, even the homosexuals themselves. 

An estimated 60,000 men were legally sentenced under "Paragraph 175," nearly all of them died, and this number only includes those documented in Germany. The number of unrecorded homosexuals, and those outside of German is impossible to know, but may be twice as many. 

The Men of the Pink Triangle were so successfully persecuted that even after the Nazi defeat, Paragraph 175 remained law, and many gay inmates were sent to regular prison to complete their sentences. It was not until 1969 that the law was finally repealed. 

We sorrowfully remember the legions of Men of the Pink Triangle who died cruel and vicious deaths under the Nazis. 

We remember the evil that was perpetrated with the blessing of "Paragraph 175." 

These men are our Martyrs, our Holocaust, our Guardian Saints, they suffered so that we would be Free.

We will never forget their painful and miserable deaths, and we pray to Antinous the God of Homosexuality, to watch over their immortal souls and give them rest. On this day we remember the horrors that were raised against us through the Amendment of "Paragraph 175."

ANTINOUS IN TRIPOLIS

 

WE believe Hadrian may have celebrated his birthday on November 24th, 129 AD, in the city of Tripolis in what is now Lebanon during his tour of the Eastern Provinces with Antinous at his side.

Tripolis was an important Phoenician trading city founded in the 8th Century BC. it was where the three major Phoenician city-states of Aradus, Tyre and Sidon came together to form a trading alliance.

The Greeks called it Tripolis, or "Three-Cities" because it was composed of three separate, walled communities for each of the three city-states.

The patron gods of the city were probably the three Baals of the separate quarters, but during the Hellenistic and Roman eras, the Dioscuri twin gods became prominent and appear on the coins of Tripolis.

It should be noted that the Dioscuri were actually Triplets according to some traditions.  The twin brother gods Castor and Pollux had a twin sister, Hellen of Troy. The two brother gods, together with their mysterious sister were therefore a symbol of city-states coming together.

Hadrian may have celebrated his birthday there as he inspected the many building projects that he had initiated, as Tripolis was one of the most Hellenized cities of Syria, being connected with the Greeks from an early age and not being under the full control of any one Phoenician state. It was therefore an open port that embraced modernization and would have welcomed the Greek-loving Emperor Hadrian.

The city was a Byzantine stronghold until it fell to the Muslims, only to be conquered by the Crusaders and then later by the Ottoman Turks.

Tripolis was famous for its luxurious bathhouses, which the Ottomans called Hammams.

Some of these bathhouses date to the Roman era and may have been visited by Antinous, for whom bathing was a sacred ritual and which later became part of his religion.

We celebrate the bathing ritual of Antinous and the spirit of cooperation between different people and cultures which made Tripolis so strong and prosperous.  The Twin Gods are equated to Gemini and are also said to represent lovers, such as Hadrian and Antinous, who share a close spiritual bond known as twin flames.

We pray to the Twin gods to watch over us as we unite with Antinous and Hadrian in our hearts.

WORSHIPERS ON BOTH SIDES OF ATLANTIC CELEBRATE HADRIAN'S BIRTHDAY

WORSHIPERS on both sides of the Atlantic joined hands via Zoom in ceremonies at the Hollywood Temple of Antinous celebrating Emperor Hadrian's birthday.

Flamen Antonius Subia had issued a global invitation via social networks for participation in the evening's ceremonies commemorating the 1,945th anniversary of the birth of Hadrian.

"We honor Hadrian because without him there would be no Religion of Antinous," Flamen ANTONIUS SUBIA told the worshipers in North and South America, Europe and Africa. 

"Hadrian loved Antinous with all his heart and with all his soul. And yet, when Antinous died he could have kept Antinous in his heart to treasure alone for all eternity," Antonius said.

"But instead, he shared Antinous with the world," he added, raising his hands toward images of Hadrian and Antinous on the temple's sacred altar.

"He issued an imperial command that temples to Antinous be erected throughout the Empire," the Hollywood high priest explained, "and that statues, busts and sacred images of Antinous be created to perpetuate his memory."

Even in the darkest times after the Fall of Rome, Antinous continued to serve as a beacon for homosexuals through the centuries.

"Antinous was revered by gay people throughout the centuries, even in the Killing Times when gays were burned and persecuted, even during the Gay Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis ... and also as gay people continue to suffer today," he said.


"Instead of keeping Antinous locked in his heart, Hadrian shared a portion of Antinous with us," Antonius added, speaking in English and in Spanish for participants in Mexico City. 

"He permitted us to share in his loving relationship with Antinous, and in doing so, he forever changed the way gay people have seen themselves," he told the congregants.

Officiating at the Hollywood Temple as others took part via Skype, Antonius lighted incense and offered libations in celebration of the birth and life of Hadrian and his unprecedented step to deify his gay lover ... the ultimate Classical deity.

"He was the most powerful man in the world, who loved Antinous so much that he declared him a god," Antonius told worshipers.

"He did that as representative of Zeus on Earth, emblem of the ruler of the Cosmos, the great eagle," Antonius added. 

"Hadrian is the bringer of order out of chaos, founder of our religion," he went on. "He is the divine lover of Antinous ... our model ... and our God."

Future interactive ceremonies will be announced in advance.

THE BIRTH OF HADRIAN

ON January 24th the Religion of Antinous celebrates the Birth of the Divine Hadrian.

Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born on this day either in Italica, Spain, or else in Rome, in the year 76.

His father was Publius Aelius Afer, his mother was Domitia Paulina. His uncle was the Emperor Trajan who had been adopted by Nerva.

Trajan employed Hadrian as a general in his conquests across the Danube, where Hadrian proved his military prowess, and gained the love and devotion of the Legions.

It is said that the relationship between Hadrian and his uncle was strained, and they are even known to have quarreled over beautiful boys. But Hadrian was very close to the Emperess Plotina, whose intellectual depth he preferred to the military harshness of Trajan.

During the unsuccessful campaign against the Parthians, in modern day Iraq, Trajan suddenly fell ill and died. Plotina is said to have insured that Hadrian be his successor, allegedly even forging the documents of adoption.

The New Emperor Hadrian inherited the largest Empire that the world had ever known, the borders of Rome had reached their greatest extent.

Hadrian is the Father of the Antonines, the bringer of the Golden age of Rome. He put an end military expansion of the Empire and turned instead to improving the interior.

He is the prime deity of the imperial cult as recognized by the Religion of Antinous. He is the representative of Zeus on Earth, emblem of the ruler of the cosmos, the great eagle. Hadrian is the leader of the Archons, the bringer of order out of chaos, founder of our religion.

He is the divine lover of Antinous, our model and God.

THE MARTYRS OF ANTINOOPOLIS

ON January 23rd the Religion of Antinous honors the first of the many Christian Martyrs of Antinoe, also known as Antinoopolis. The first of the Egyptian martyrs with whose name and acts we are acquainted was Asclas of Antinoopolis.

This part of Egypt, near the nome sacred to Anubis, has always been a hotbed of religious fervor ever since the days when the "heretic pharaoh" Akhenaten built his capital city here, a scant 20 kms from our Sacred City of Antinoopolis. Christians and Jews constituted a major portion of the population of Antinopoolis. 

After all, the city was the flower of Greek civilization deep in the desert of the Thebaid, and it was a haven for dispossessed and exiled thinkers and theological revolutionaries.

There was a period of time in which Antinoopolis fell under the sway of the fear and violence that had swept across the world. The Christian faith was suffering one of the bloodiest persecutions in its history. Diocletian had sought to curb the rising tide of Christianity with brutal violence. He issued decrees that all citizens should be compelled to demonstrate their piety to the Roman Gods by offering sacrifice. It was a direct challenge. Any person who refused was not only insulting the Gods of Rome, but showing disloyalty to the Emperor and to Rome herself.

Such treason was punishable by death. This was a legal way to persecute Christianity, it was not an attack on the Christian doctrine, or its practices, but was an unavoidable line that no Christian would cross.

It is interesting to note that though many of the Christians were executed by beheading or by being shot through with arrows, some were executed by being drowned in the Nile. This similarity between their death and the death of Antinous must have been very moving to the Ancient Priests of Antinous. And it is also interesting that the authorities were not sensitive to the nature of this form of execution in the Sacred City of a boy who had become a god simply by drowning in the Nile.
The first was Asclas, who was arrested and tortured for his faith by order of Arrian, the governor of Antinoopolis who himself would later convert to Christianity. While Asclas was being tortured in prison by hot irons which left his flesh hanging down in strips, Arrian had reason to cross the River Nile to go to Hermopolis on government business.

Antinoopolis lies on the east bank of the Nile (depicted at left in its heyday), and Hermopolis (Sacred City of Hermes) is located diagonally across from Antinoopolis on the west bank of the Nile. But inexplicably, Arrian found he was absolutely unable to leave the water's edge.

Asclas sent word that the governor would never be able to cross the river until he acknowledged Christ in writing. Arrian wrote out the statement, and was promptly able to leave the river bank. He crossed the Nile, and the moment he was on the other side, he ordered that Asclas be thrown into the Nile with a stone tied around his neck, whereupon he drowned. 
This story, while odd-sounding to us today, was very clear to Egyptians. Hermopolis is the Sacred City of Hermes/Anubis, or Hermanubis.

This remarkable deity, who lives on in Christianity as St. Christopher, is responsible for conveying souls across the Celestial Nile after death. People in Antinoopolis worshipped both Antinous and Hermanubis.

The miracle of St. Asclan is meant to show that the Christian god is the equal of Hermanubis. Within a few generations, Hermanubis "morphed" into Christopher who, in this early Coptic mural at right, still has canine features. Next time you see a plastic St. Christopher statuette on a taxi dashboard, remember that it is actually Anubis without his doggy ears. He's not carrying the baby Jesus on his shoulders. He's carrying the Boy God Antinous over the celestial Nile to eternal divinity.

Against that background of intermingling spiritual beliefs, the Religion of Antinous acknowledges the suffering of St. Asclas and of all the Christian Martyrs of Antinoopolis out of our Love for Antinous in whose Sacred City they died. Though their faith was in Christ and not in Antinous, we nevertheless honor them and glorify them because they were Antinoopolitans, people of Antinous.

We ask their forgiveness for the murder and persecution of the Christian Martyrs and in their memory ask that we may be free from intolerance and never again partake in the crime of the ancient citizens of Antinoopolis.

The image above left is not Asclas, but is a burial painting of a person whose mummy was buried in the desert of the Fayoum in Egypt, which is the region of Antinoopolis. It is presented here as a contemporary image of what St. Asclas may have looked like. 

HEATH LEDGER SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON January 22nd the religion of Antinous commemorates the brief, shining life of Saint Heath Ledger, the gifted actor whose on-screen portrayals inspired millions of gay people and whose off-screen life paralleled so many more. Not gay himself, Saint Heath nonetheless is a gay icon, like Saint Judy Garland and others.

Saint Heath died on this day in 2008 under mysterious circumstances after taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills at the age of 28.

His body was found lying across the bed of his Manhattan apartment. The manner of his death bore eery parallels to the death of English  singer/songwriter Nick Drake, who is also a Saint of Antinous.

Best known for his Oscar-nominated role as a gay cowpoke in "Brokeback Mountain", the acclaimed Australian-born actor also played The Joker in the blockbuster "The Dark Knight", for which role he posthumously was awarded a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor. On the first anniversary of his death, he posthumously won an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role as the psychopathic criminal mastermind The Joker.

No one will ever know why Saint Heath overdosed on anti-depressants, as had his idol Nick Drake. No one will ever know why Saint River Phoenix took a fatal cocktail of booze and alcohol, just as no one will ever know why Saint Richey Edwardsjumped off a bridge to his death (if he did), and no one will know why so many talented and overly sensitive young men meet death so tragically and so young.

Just as no one knows for sure what happened to Antinous. Thus they are all Saints of Antinous.

Shortly before his death, Heath Ledger made a video tribute to Nick Drake (photo right), the ambisexual English singer/songwriter who died in 1974 under almost identical circumstances to Saint Heath.

Saying he planned to make a movie about Saint Nick, Heath appeared in a self-made video (about drowning) to the tune of Nick Drake's song Black-Eyed Dog. It was the last song that Nick is believed to have recorded before he died under mysterious circumstances after taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills at the age of 26. His body was found lying across his bed.

The black-eyed dog is thought to be a reference to Winston Churchill's famous "little black dog." Throughout his life Churchill was shadowed by violent mood swings, fits of depression and periods of emotional doubt. He felt that he was followed by this unpredictable darkness and uncertainty. He called it his "little black dog."

Heath seems to have been very well acquainted with the "little black dog" of depression, the black demon which nips at the heels of so many sensitive young souls who cannot find their way in this harsh world.

And thus Antinous is the God of Lost Boys. He knows their suffering. He knows how it is to stand on the shore at the twilight of the world, with one foot on dry land and the other foot in the murky depths of oblivion — and he understands how a beautiful soul can slip off into that oblivion.

Antinous is the God of these very sweet, shy, sensitive and talented artists, young men who agonize over their shortcomings and who can only cope with the harsh realities of showbiz by taking tablets with unpronounceable names in private.

Saint Heath represents so many young men who seek what Nick Drake called the fruit of the tree of fame. "Fame is but a fruit tree, so very unsound", Nick sings in a song which Heath loved. It is a song about sensitive souls who reach for the fruit of fame and then, when it is within their grasp, they discover that its taste is very bitter.