ASTRO FORECAST: MARCH 31st—APRIL 10th, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Antinous Astrology Forecast

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MARCH 31st
to APRIL 10th, 2022

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THURS-FRIDAY, MARCH 31st-APRIL 1st, 2022

Overnight Thursday-Friday, ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD aligns with his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte for the Aries New Moon which we call the FASCES MOON. The Aries New Moon is the moon of abrupt beginnings which may not be followed through, and of things said which are later regretted, of capricious actions — shoot first, ask questions later. If you have been stalling on starting something new ... now is the time to go for it. Others will warn you that you should exercise caution ... but the Fasces Moon says "no pain, no gain" and urges you to press forward.

SAT-SUNDAY, APRIL 2nd-3rd, 2022

This weekend, the Sun aligns in conjunction with Mercury in steadfast Taurus. Mercury is considered to be "combust" because the sun is burning it up. ... This configuration sparks extremely creative energies.

MONDAY, APRIL 4th, 2022

This week, romantic Venus leaves emotionally cold Aquarius and dives into the romantic depths of Pisces. This sign change marks a major change not only in love but also in finances. Pisces Venus is not only loving and compassionate but also creative and generous. The motto for the next four weeks is: "Give, and you shall receive!" Pisces Venus is super-compassionate and over-generous. For the next month you may find yourself obsessed with spirituality and consumed with compassionate charity for others. On the negative side, common-sense practicality may be hard to muster.

TUES-THURSDAY, APRIL 5th-7th, 2022

This week, things get intense when Mars aligns in perfect conjunction with Saturn in intensely rational Aquarius. It is like driving down a highway with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator because Mars wants to press the pedal to the metal, while Saturn wants a cautious, go-slow approach. The result is pent-up frustration which boils over into rage. Open warfare breaks out not only in crisis regions of the world, but also in street traffic, in your work place and in your domestic relationship. Cold-blooded, vengeful wrath strangles out rational thought.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8th, 2022

This week, you find exactly the right imaginative and inspirational words for that important email, post or tweet when Mercury forms a positive sextile aspect with precise Saturn and assertive Mars, both of which are in communications-friendly Aquarius. The configurations enable you to get your point across articulately and strongly to others.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9th, 2022

Overnight Friday-Saturday, we come to the Cancer First Quarter Moon. It is the Lunar Phase of reflection and insight which we call the NARCISSUS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic ... Narcissus is the Spirit which tunes out all distractions and all other people in order to focus on the Divinity within. This Lunar Phase is the Spirit of Self-Love and Same-Sex Love. It is forever gazing into its own reflection and whispering to itself: You are Divine! The reflection and the viewer are one and the same. The Spirit of Narcissus is the Divinity which holds a mirror up to ourselves.

SUNDAY, APRIL 10th, 2022

This weekend, casual conversations turn into ugly arguments which can end in tears when over-eager Aries Mercury squares off against stubborn Capricorn Pluto. Mercury is anxious in Aries and Pluto is eager to dismantle established structures in Capricorn (which explains what is happening in global finances and politics). Mercury square Pluto is an aspect which encourages con men to try to pull a fast one on gullible souls. If you are gullible, then watch out. If you are a con man, then this is your day to shine. Pluto is aligned with the star of Antinous in the sign of Capricorn for much of 2022 ... sending transformative healing energies that can radically alter gay spirituality for centuries to come. Pluto takes more than 250 years to orbit the Sun. To give you some perspective, the last time Pluto was in Capricorn was in the late 18th Century ... the dawning of the Age of Reason and the revolutions in France and America. This time around, Capricorn Pluto is once again revolutionizing global political and economic structures along with belief systems. This is an opportunity for LGBT advancement that will not come again in our lifetimes. Seize the opportunity for transformational healing to prepare you for the world that will exist when Pluto leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius ... in 2023. More on how Capricorn Pluto and the Star of Antinous can change your life: PLUTO ALIGNS WITH THE STAR OF ANTINOUS.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between April 11th and 17th 2022, when we come to the Libra Full Moon ... the lunar cycle we call the ORATOR MOON of diplomacy and balanced thinking. This is the perfect time for fulfilling dreams of finding just the right partner, the person who balances out your needs and desires perfectly. But remember that diplomacy is the key. Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Orator Moon is the embodiment of articulate expression in all forms and in all media, whether spoken, written or visual ... More details next time ....

THE ARIES NEW MOON THE FASCES MOON OF ANTINOUS

TONIGHT Antinous the Moon God aligns with his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte for the Aries New Moon which we call the FASCES MOON.

The Aries New Moon is the moon of abrupt beginnings which may not be followed through, and of things said which are later regretted, of capricious actions ... shoot first, ask questions later. If you have been stalling on starting something new ... now is the time to go for it. Others will warn you that you should exercise caution ... but the Fasces Moon says "no pain, no gain" and urges you to press forward.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Fasces Moon is the embodiment of blunt forcefulness. This spirit is plain-spoken, candid, spares no feelings and is not afraid to humiliate or offend. It is sharp-tongued and aggressive. It carries a weapon and is not afraid to use it.

It metes out punishment and retribution willingly and without hesitation. It enjoys inflicting pain. It uses pain as its keenest and sharpest weapon, because pain elicits a reflexive response where lesser warnings may go unheeded.

This Spirit holds a knife to your throat and says: No pain, no gain! It wields a sword and shouts: Might makes right! It skillfully uses a  scalpel to cut out a cancerous growth, saying: This will hurt terribly, but it will save your life!

The ancient Roman fasces was a bundle of wooden sticks with an ax blade emerging from the center, which is an image that traditionally symbolizes the force of Roman law and might.

They were carried by the lictors who accompanied the magistrates. The ax represents the force of punishment and the power over life or death.

During times of emergencies when the Roman Republic declared a dictatorship (dictatura), lictors attending to the dictator kept the ax-blades even inside the Pomerium ... a sign that the dictator wielded ultimate force of law and could mete out punishment as he saw fit.

Meditations and rituals tonight should focus on new projects or new beginnings. Perhaps you want to break a habit or undertake a bold new enterprise. Tonight's Fasces Moon gives you the kick-start you need to go ahead.

This is also a good night to focus on areas in your life where assertiveness is out of balance ... perhaps you are being overly assertive. But more likely, you are deficient in self-assertiveness.

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 Fasces Moon  energy in abundance. It always finds a way to get out and exert itself. If we spend our lives suppressing this 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 Fasces Moon is about standing up for yourself and 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 ....

RED CHALCEDONY FOR THE FASCES MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

OUR astrological expert Hernestus describes tonight's Aries New Moon phase period as the "FASCES MOON" a time to stand up for  yourself and confront your fears head on and go for it. The danger being, of course, that you may regret not being cautious. 

Priest Hernestus reminds us that the ancient Roman 'fasces' were a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade emerging from the centre, they symbolized the power of Rome. In 1930s Italy the far right-wing dictator Mussolini modeled himself on the worst of the ancient Roman emperors. 

So he adopted the symbol for his political symbol - hence the term 'Fascism'. 

Mussolini, of course, allied his country with the German Nazis and ended up leading his nation into war, leaving it impoverished and in ruins. He himself ended up killed, hung upside down, with his mistress beside him. 

A cautionary tale far all considering charging ahead with hot-headed ideas!

My crystal suggestions for meditations during this moon phase are: 

Moss Agate - These are beautiful stones which can promote self-expression, relieve fear and strengthen your more positive personality traits. 

Red Chalcedony - These can help you to to be persistent and confident while acknowledging when to give in gracefully (Mussolini definitely needed one!).

Chrysocolla - These lovely stones (top of entry) can bring confidence and enhanced personal power while maintaining a cool head.

Life and Light,

MARTIN

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

WE JOYOUSLY CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY

MARCH 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility ... the time for education, empowerment, and action! Join the celebration! Start a protest! Host a movie night! Organize a rally! Make the world a better place for transgender people.

Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a day to show your support for the trans community!

Every March 31st, it aims to bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people everywhere while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading understanding of trans people. 

Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th, this is not a day for mourning: this is a day to be empowered and give the recognition trans people deserve

Visibility is not about being seen as an individual: it’s working together to transform society. Learn more about TDOV here.

HYPATIA OF ALEXANDRIA SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON March 31st the Religion of Antinous solemnly commemorates the glorious life and cruel death of Saint Hypatia of Alexandria.

Hypatia is one of the most important female philosophers who ever lived, and her tragic murder at the hands of fanatical Christians on the steps of the Great Library of Alexandria is symbolic of the barbaric forces which brought down the worship of Antinous and other Classical deities.

The brutal stoning-flaying-immolation death of Hypatia in about the year 400 AD is regarded by many historians as the beginning of the Dark Ages.

St. Hypatia was a philosopher and mathematician who lived in Alexandria during a time of turmoil and conflict between Christians and the last pagan philosophers of the Great Library.

Her father was the Philosopher Theon, and Hypatia studied among the Neoplatonists. She was the author of several highly reputed works and commentaries, none of which has survived. She held a reputation of excellence that exceeded her contemporaries.


Hypatia taught among the male philosophers and attracted a large following even among Christians. Her beauty was highly desired by numerous men, but she remained chaste (or at least unmarried) all her life, which leads some to suspect lesbianism.

The proud life of Hypatia came to an end at the end of March during the season of Lent when she was attacked by a Christian mob, led by a fanatic Deacon named Peter, who dragged her through the streets to a church called Caesareum. 

There she was stripped naked and killed by the mob with their bare hands. It was said that they stoned her with ceramic roof tiles, then flayed her flesh with razor-sharp shards of oyster shells, tore her limb from limb and burned her.

"Saint" Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, who encouraged her assassination, was then praised for eradicating the city of "idolatry and witchcraft". 

The Martyrdom of St. Hypatia of Alexandria is one of the most profound examples of Christian violence against paganism, women, and philosophy. And she is noted as one of the last reasoning pagans murdered by the irrational religion which has dominated Western Civilization ever since.

Her death is among the heinous crimes of the Christian Church, whose atrocities continue to this day. The image at right, by Charles William Mitchell, portrays Hypatia just before her death, naked at the altar, imploring her attackers to take heed of their own faith, which they continue to ignore.

For these reasons and in memory of the unnamed Ancient Priests of Antinous who suffered similar fates, the Religion of Antinous has proclaimed Hypatia of Alexandria a Saint and Venerable Exemplar and honors her with a Feast Day on March 31. As Sacred Synchronicity would have it, her Antinoian Feast Day in 2009 coincided with the release of major motion picture based on her life.

Openly gay Chilean-Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar's $75-million production AGORA stars Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz and was the biggest box-office hit in Spain for the year 2009.

In the film set in Roman Egypt in the final days of the 4th Century A.D., Weisz plays the astrologer-philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, who fights to save the collected wisdom of the ancient world. Her slave Davus (Max Minghella) is torn between his love for his mistress and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.

HADRIAN AT THE CITY NAMED FOR THE FISH THAT DEVOURED THE PHALLUS OF OSIRIS

AFTER the death of Antinous in October 130 AD, grief-stricken Hadrian continued his journey up the Nile to Upper Egypt.

Hadrian returned downstream in the Spring of 131 AD, stopping at Antinoopolis to review the progress of the new city. During a nocturnal ceremony the mummified body of Antinous was brought into the new temple called the Antinoeon still under construction and the ceremony known as the Opening of the Mouth was performed.

The immortal spirit of Antinous was enabled to receive the offerings left by worshippers in his temples everywhere in the world.  The body of Antinous was returned to his boat-shaped coffin and carried onto the ship for return to Rome.

Hadrian arrived at the city of Oxyrhynchus, about halfway to Alexandria, at about the March Equinox. The city was located on a canal that flows from the Nile to lake Moeris in the East.

The city may have originally been dedicated to Seth as it was the gateway to the desert Oases, but was later dedicated to Osiris because after his dismemberment, this where the penis of Osiris was eaten by a fish and was the only part of his body not recovered by Isis, who then created a magical phallus to take its place.

The elephant-nosed fish is called Oxyrhynchus or sharp-nosed by the Greeks and is the sacred animal of the city.  During the Ptolemaic era it was home to a large population of Greeks and was the third largest city in Egypt.

Thousands of papyrus fragments were unearthed on the site, including many important documents about Antinous and the citizens of Antinoopolis, such the Diocletian poem, the cult calendar, Aurelius Horion named as the convener of the Antinous games and the fragments of the Lion Hunt by Pancrates.

Hadrian's arrival was greeted with celebration by the Greek population, many of whom would soon become the first citizens of Antinoopolis.  In the year 205CE renovation work was ordered to restore the Baths, or Hadrianon Thermon which were built during Hadrian’s visit, among other projects.

The papyri fragments remind us of how easily knowledge can be lost, and so we remember the city of Oxyrhynchus, where the sharp-nosed fish consumed the sacred phallus of Osiris, because it was here that so many of our Antinous documents were found, where a temple of Antinous once stood and where his sacred games were celebrated. 

AVE ANTINOUS

ANTINOUS WORSHIPERS IN GLOBAL RITES TO CELEBRATE THE SACRED BOAR HUNT

TONIGHT, in observance of the Ancient Roman Vernal Equinox, modern-day priests of Antinous around the world conferred via Zoom to carry out rituals commemorating the Sacred Boar Hunt.

The priests from both sides of the Atlantic joyously celebrated the Sacred Boar Hunt of Antinous which was one of the few recorded events in the actual life of Antinous.

This wonderful, mysterious hunt represents the pinnacle of his life ... Antinous at the highest point of his brief mortal existence, full of youth, beauty and vitality ... mounted on horseback in the forest with his lover Hadrian, hunting a boar. 

That night there was sure to have been a big party, Roman style, with delicious boar meat, drinking, music, wild sex, and all the good things in life.

This is what our festival means ... to enjoy life ... to take it all in right now and be glad that we are alive and well.

Take all your pain and disappointment of the past, unfulfilled wishes, regrets, embarrassment, mistakes ... Hopes and dreams that never came true ... Take a moment to set yourself free of their burden, they are of no use to you anymore. 

Instead, look to good things that you have now, the pleasures and beauties that surround you, the friends you hold close, the accomplishments you have earned, enjoy what the gods have given you ... eat, drink, fall in love, indulge in sexual desire ... in all the splendors of being alive, right now at this moment.

For as just like Antinous as he rode, strong, young, beautiful and free, we never know what fate has in store. One year after the Boar Hunting ... Antinous was dead.

I offer my Blessing to All the people who love and believe in Antinous everywhere in the world on this occasion of the Sacred Boar Hunt. 

I ask Antinous to bless us as we begin the transition into this new phase of development. May the Companions of Antinous gather together in great numbers from all over the globe!

May the Meat of the Sacred Boar 

Feed the spirit of Homotheosis

In all our hearts!

Ave Antinous!

~Antonius Nicias Subia

Flamen Antinoalis

ON MOTHERING SUNDAY WE REMEMBER THE MOTHER OF ANTINOUS

SUNDAY is Mother's Day in Britain and many countries in Continental Europe and the Americas.

Called MOTHERING SUNDAY in Britain, it is adapted from a pre-Christian Pagan calendar. In modern times it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter ... an adaptation of Pagan Equinox rites.

We take this opportunity to remember the mother of Antinous ... she proudly wraps her loving arm around her young son in this portrait by PRIEST JULIEN.

Little is known of the origins of Antinous except that he was from the Bithynian city of Claudiopolis modern-day Bolu, Turkey.

It has been speculated that he was a slave ... or even a provincial prince. 

The OBELISK OF ANTINOUS, which now stands atop the Pincian Hill in Rome, is covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs which tell us much about Antinous the Gay God. But sadly, there are huge gaps where the text has been worn away.

There is, for example, an intriguing reference to the mother of Antinous which is incomplete. Did a missing portion of the text talk about his biological family back in Bithynia? We'll never know.

We wonder how many brothers and sisters Antinous had? He must have had cousins and other "ephebe" male relatives. How on earth could the mother of Antinous ever have parted from him?

For that matter, no one knows what happened to the earthly remains of Antinous after his tragic death in the Nile in October 130 AD. Were they returned to his family in Bithynia? Did his mother weep over them? Were they interred in a family crypt ... and were the ashes of his mother interred beside his after she died?

This Mother's Day prayer was written by our beloved WARREN WILLIAMSON before his untimely death a couple of years ago. We join Warren in praising the Mother of Antinous the Gay God:

O most glorious Mother of Antinous our God, accept our prayers and present them to thy son our God, that He may, for thy sake, enlighten and bring our souls unto the most holy city of Antinoopolis where we shall dwell with thee and the Imperator God Hadrian forever and ever.  Be it so now and forever. 

WALT WHITMAN SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON March 26th the Religion of Antinous takes a moment to celebrate the life of one of our most popular Antinoian prophets ... Saint Walt Whitman.

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, on the West Hills of Long Island, New York. He was lavished with love by his mother, but treated with stern discipline by his carpenter father.

After only a few years of school, Whitman was pulled out to help with the family earnings. He educated himself, reading all that he could, worked in a printing house, and eventually became a schoolteacher who taught with refreshing openness and excitement, allowing his students to call him by his first name. After years of teaching, he went into journalism, and in time was the editor of several publications.

However, Walt Whitman is said to have experienced a life-transforming epiphany. He left New York, and returned to live for a period with his family, then returned from isolation with Leaves of Grass, one of the most powerful collections of poems in American literature and the first to allude heavily to homosexual love.
It is often said that, during his time in isolation, a religious sense of purpose entered his heart, which he revealed in the Calamus poems.

The aromatic, psychotropic calamus plant with its phallic spadix flower pods was his symbol for homosexuality. The calamus has special meaning for us because Kalamos of Greek myth fell in love with the beautiful youth Karpos. 

Like Antinous, Karpos died by drowning. Grief-stricken Kalamos wept among the reeds at the waterside until he was himself transformed into a reed, whose rustling in the wind is his sigh of woe.

When the American civil war broke out, Walt Whitman was 42 years old and served as a hospital nurse, falling in love with all the soldiers, especially those who died in his arms.

Open expressions of love between men were accepted without issue during the war, and it was when the visionary enlightenment of Walt Whitman became clear to him. He saw that the origin of this love, brotherly, or friendly perhaps, if not more, was the salvation of the human race, and certainly able to heal the divide between North and South.

His final years were spent communicating his message to the new torchbearers, such as John Addington Symonds and Edward Carpenter. After his death, and as Gay Liberation took strength, he was called a Prophet, particularly by the George Cecil Ives and the Order of Chaeronea.

We, adherents of the ancient/modern Religion of Antinous, proclaim him to be St. Walt Whitman the Prophet of Homoeros, and we elevate him to his own stratosphere in our devotion.

He died March 26th, 1892 of tuberculosis compounded by pneumonia. Over 1,000 mourners paid their respects. St. Walt told us how he wanted us to remember him, not as a great poet, but as "the tenderest lover":

You bards of ages hence! when you refer to me, mind not so much my poems,
Nor speak of me that I prophesied of The States, and led them the way of their Glories;
But come, I will take you down underneath this impassive exterior ... I will tell you what to say of me:
Publish my name and hang up my picture as that of the tenderest lover,
The friend, the lover's portrait, of whom his friend, his lover, was fondest,
Who was not proud of his songs, but of measureless ocean of love within him ... and freely poured it forth,
Who often walked lonesome walks, thinking of his dear friends, his lovers,
Who pensive, away from one he loved, often lay sleepless and dissatisfied at night,
Who knew too well the sick, sick dread lest the one he loved might secretly be indifferent to him,
Whose happiest days were far away, through fields, in woods, on hills, he and another, wandering hand in hand, they twain, apart from other men,
Who oft as he sauntered the streets, curved with his arm the shoulder of his friend  while the arm of his friend rested upon him also.

ANTINOUS HELPS YOU COMBAT FEAR DURING THE CURRENT GLOBAL CRISIS

AS worshipers of Antinous, people look to us to see how we Navigate these dark days of war and pandemic and economic crisis amidst a collective consciousness and culture of fear all over the world. 

As worshipers of Antinous we don’t have to contribute to it, nor do we have to be oppressed by it. (Healing Antinous Art above by Miranda Baggins.)

1. First make a list: What all do you have to do? Look at it again – what do you have to do, and what can wait till later? What’s easy and can be cleared out of the way with little effort? What’s most important and deserves the bulk of your time? Start working the list and checking things off. Making a list doesn’t sound very spiritual to you? Haven’t you heard of the 42 Negative Confessions? The 12 Labors of Hercules? The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism? Making lists is a near-universal religious practice – put it to use in your life.

2. You feel in Despair:  Things are bad, and you can’t see how they’re ever going to get better. Intellectually, you know you’ll manage one way or another, but right now you can’t see that far ahead and you’re not in the mood to listen to anyone’s cold hard logic.
Pray and make offerings. You can’t control how you feel, but you can control what you do – and it is always good to worship the Gods. Giving to Them reminds us that there’s something bigger than ourselves. And giving promotes reciprocity: we give to Them and trust that They will give to us.

ANTINOUS PRAYER BEADS

THERE are Catholic rosary beads, Eastern Orthodox beads, Swedish Lutheran Frälserkransen beads, Islamic prayer beads, Buddhist meditation beads, Hindu japa mala beads and even Wiccan prayer beads ... now several adherents of Antinous are designing ANTINOUS PRAYER BEADS.

Look to Your Ancestors

Many of our ancestors have faced situations like this before, but with different diseases. Though it is new to most of us, it is not new to the world. We can draw strength and hope from the wisdom of our ancestors, as well as their compassion and resilience. They adapted, and we are also now adapting. 

Whatever comes, whatever we face, they stand behind us and beside us as our protectors and as our guides, and we ourselves are evidence that life goes on. We can take hope from that.
Give thanks for what you have, even if you don’t feel very thankful right now. Speak the yearnings of your heart, even if they’re clouded with pain. Don’t know what to say? Find an ancient prayer (The Hymns of Orpheus)  to recite, or perhaps a modern one.

Pour libations and make food offerings. Worshippers  of Antinous in ancient times would have given votive offerings to him at his altars; there is evidence that he was given gifts of food and drink in Egypt, with libations and sacrifices probably being common in Greece. Making offerings in a fire is a powerful act at any time. If it’s part of your tradition and appropriate for the deities you’re approaching, make your offerings to Antinous and any other gods you worship, and then after a suitable period of time, revert the offerings and consume the now-sanctified food and drink. As you eat and drink, you ingest the blessings of the Gods.

Cultivate Life & Create

It’s incredibly important to focus on life-giving and life-affirming experiences at times like this. Plant flowers start seeds. Learn the wisdom of the plants. Nurture your connection to the earth.
Make something with your hands. It doesn’t matter what it is but give yourself to the experience without attachment to the result. You’re utilizing your sacral energy when you do so, which is where the joy of living springs from. It’s incredibly important to remember the joy of living at a time like this.

Making list and prayer and offerings and even long walks outside are very helpful but one spiritual practice that is especially suited for difficult situations is:

3. Divination: Whether you use Tarot, Runes, or Scrying. Pick your favorite. Divination can’t make your decisions for you, but it can show you where a particular path will take you and what things will be like when you get there.  If a path displayed is not what you wanted maybe you need to make some changes before it gets too late.

4. Sigil Magic: There may be hard situations you are going through, financial, job, better place to live, etc.  Any magical system can help. The term sigil derives from the Latin sigillum, meaning "seal" Though Sigil Magic is thought to have started in the Medieval period there is no reason you can’t use it in your worship of Antinous.  This link is an easy step by step method that I have used. http://sigildaily.com/activating-rituals/

5. Meditation:  There are several ways to mediate You can use mediation focused on Antinous or other gods and spirits or ideas. There is the Buddhist-style “empty your mind”.  Focus on your breathing or on a candle flame. If thought pop into your head, acknowledge them, let them go, and return to your breathing. Just sit. The physical and psychological benefits of meditation are clear – the spiritual benefits can be every bit as dramatic.

Build a foundation of regular devotion. Do the necessary prep work. Do your rituals in wild places and in dark places.  Be patient but be persistent. Be open to the workings of Antinous and be receptive to his call.

These are the spiritual practices that work for all of us in difficult times. They won’t prevent bad things from happening – nothing will do that. They don’t keep us from getting upset or stressed or stuck. But they help us regain our center faster and they help us respond to difficult times in the ways we want to respond.

And lastly: Saturn is in the sign of Aquarius

Saturn is now in the sign of Aquarius which puts a significant focus on the questions of innovations, technology, and collective progress. The energy is going to be focused on anything new, anything modern, and anything progressive. Saturn is returning to the position it was in between 1991 and 1994, effectively giving people born at that time their “Saturn return.” As much as it can be a difficult time for people to go through their Saturn returns, it’s also a time where people are given a significant chance to grow and take responsibilities.

AVE ANTINOUS
Michaelus, Priest of Antinous.

Sources: Patheos website “7 Spiritual Practices for Difficult Times” and “How to Navigate the Pandemic Pandemonium”. Also, Antinous The Gay God blog.

ASTRO FORECAST: MARCH 24th—APRIL 3rd, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Antinous Astrology Forecast

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MARCH 24th
to APRIL 3rd, 2022

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THURS-FRIDAY, MARCH 24th-25th, 2022

Overnight Thursday-Friday, we come to the Capricorn Third Quarter Moon which, in Antinous Moon Magic, we call the HADRIAN'S WALL MOON of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers. Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Hadrian's Wall Lunar Phase is the embodiment of hindrances and blockages. It represents the barriers that stand in your way. It is all barriers and obstacles to progress. Meditations and rituals conducted on this night are best suited for focusing on blockages in your life, situations and issues which prevent you from moving forward. These can be manifested by persons or situations around you. But most often, we find during meditations on this night that we have erected prison walls around ourselves, we are blocking ourselves from the freedom we so earnestly desire. This Lunar Phase is saying it is time to break out!

SAT-SUNDAY, MARCH 26th-27th, 2022

This weekend, Mercury leaves dreamy Pisces and soars into fiery Aries until April 19th when it enters placid Taurus. As Mercury transitions from peaceful Pisces to bold and brash Aries, our minds and our words will get less poetic and more action-oriented. Aries is a Fire sign known for being impulsive, so be careful what you say! Comments might come out of your mouth before they're fully formed, giving them a tinge of sarcasm or even an edge of insult — whether you intend them to or not. And even if we think we know the full impact of our words, there's the danger that we haven't thought far enough ahead about the effect they'll have on those we care about.

MONDAY, MARCH 28th, 2022

This week, 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 month.

TUES-WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29th-30th, 2022

This week, healing energies get a sudden and dramatic boost when the Sun aligns in perfect conjunction with CHIRON IN ARIES. This is a good time for health checkups and medical treatment ... also, you can expect a positive and expansive outlook, which can benefit your well-being at this time. You may be more open-minded with regard to experiencing new things, which will allow healing of your mind, body, and spirit. For instance, you could seek higher understanding and meaning in your life through a guide, mentor, or spiritual person or increase your inner knowledge by means of educational processes, religion, or meditative practices during this period. An urge to travel to far-away places (real or imaginary) may also be experienced. You may discover new perspectives on your beliefs, faith, and sense of hope. Restoring peace and harmony in your personal life and relationships is possible now through your interest in healing your own wounds, as well as extending compassion and generosity to others.

THURS-FRIDAY, MARCH 31st-APRIL 1st, 2022

Overnight Thursday-Friday, ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD aligns with his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte for the Aries New Moon which we call the FASCES MOON. The Aries New Moon is the moon of abrupt beginnings which may not be followed through, and of things said which are later regretted, of capricious actions — shoot first, ask questions later. If you have been stalling on starting something new ... now is the time to go for it. Others will warn you that you should exercise caution ... but the Fasces Moon says "no pain, no gain" and urges you to press forward.

SAT-SUNDAY, APRIL 2nd-3rd, 2022

This weekend, the Sun aligns in conjunction with Mercury in steadfast Taurus. Mercury is considered to be "combust" because the sun is burning it up. ... This configuration sparks extremely creative energies.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between April 4th and 10th, 2022, when we come to the Cancer First Quarter Moon. It is the Lunar Phase of reflection and insight which we call the NARCISSUS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic ... Narcissus is the Spirit which tunes out all distractions and all other people in order to focus on the Divinity within. This Lunar Phase is the Spirit of Self-Love and Same-Sex Love. It is forever gazing into its own reflection and whispering to itself: You are Divine! The reflection and the viewer are one and the same. The Spirit of Narcissus is the Divinity which holds a mirror up to ourselves ... More details next time ....

THE HADRIAN'S WALL MOON OF BARRIERS THE CAPRICORN THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Capricorn Third Quarter Moon is the Lunar Phase which, in Antinous Moon Magic, we call the HADRIAN'S WALL MOON of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Hadrian's Wall Lunar Phase is the embodiment of hindrances and blockages.

It is the personification of all that stands in your way. It is all barriers and obstacles to progress.

This Spirit locks you up in a prison cell, either literally or figuratively.

It rises up like a mountain to see if you have the stamina and ingenuity to scale it or get around it. But remember that Hadrian's Wall was not impregnable. It was not particularly high. It was not meant to be an impenetrable barrier, but only a hindrance to mass assault or rampant smuggling of goods and livestock.

Thus this Spirit is not insurmountable. It can be overcome, a way can be found around, under, over or through it. This Spirit challenges you to find that way.

The key words are: Barrier. Hindrance. Setback. Confinement. Blockage. Unyielding stubbornness.

This can be a physical barrier, but it can also be an emotional, financial, job or relationship "prison" which blocks your progress.

Meditations and rituals conducted tonight are best suited for focusing on blockages in your life, situations and issues which prevent you from moving forward.

These can be manifested by persons or situations around you. But most often, we find during meditations on this night that we have erected prison walls around ourselves, we are blocking ourselves from the freedom we so earnestly desire.

This Lunar Phase is saying it is time to break out!

LARIMAR FOR THE HADRIAN'S WALL MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

THE Hadrian's Wall Moon is a time of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers'. 

Anyone who visits Hadrian's Wall is confronted with that incredible, imposing, 79 mile division that separated the Romans from the terrifying and annoying Pict tribes of Caledonia (from whom, of course, I am descended!). 

Visitors are also reminded that here was the 'end' of Rome. Britannia was safe, prosperous but strictly controlled and emphatically Roman. Beyond the wall was freedom of expression and the continuity of ancient traditions and religious practices. 

We may experience obstacles in our paths but they are not always bad. We can reflect on the life either side of that obstacle and may sometimes find that the life we have on the side seen as less desirable may actually be the most liberating one.

Meditations during this moon phase are best enhanced by the use of the following crystals:

Amethyst - One of my regular recommendations (I hope I'm not boring you with it!) it is a beautiful multi-purpose crystal.

As you wage an internal battle with an emotional, social, work, artistic or intellectual blockage you will want a feeling of resolution.

Among many other attributes Amethyst can help you overcome blockages and even addictions. It can help you to transition to a new state of being.

Red Calcite - These crystals help remove blockages emotionally and shift negative energies. It also helps constipation!!!

Larimar (AKA Dolphin Stone) - These beautiful, pale turquoise coloured, stones have only recently been found and mined in the Caribbean.

They help to remove self-imposed blockages.

Love and Light,

MARTIN

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

WE HONOR THE EMPRESS SABINA

THE Empress Sabina Augusta ... Vibia Sabina ... Hadrian's Wife ... died sometime in the year 136, and was deified in the year 138.

The date of her elevation to godliness is not known, but because she was so often compared to the Mother Goddess Ceres-Demeter, we declare her Apotheosis to coincide with the return of spring in Rome, and dedicate our celebration of the Equinox to our mother and Empress, Nova Dea Ceres, Sabina Augusta.

This relief sculpture of her deification, in which she is shown rising up from the cremation flames on the wings of a female Aeon, shows Hadrian enthroned, behind him is a figure that resembles Antoninus Pius.

And reclining on the floor is one who could possibly be Antinous, the resemblance to the youth on the Apotheosis of Antoninus is remarkable.

ANTINOUS SAINTS BLESS THE MARRIAGE OF BRAZIL'S FIRST PRIEST OF ANTINOUS

SAINTS Sergius and Bacchus continue to bless gay nuptials in their roles as patrons of Marriage Equality.

Marriage Equality is legal in Brazil ... and those saints were honored along with Antinous the Gay God at this wedding in Campinas, São Paulo, on 23 March 2013! 

See if you can spot an image of Antinous visible in this photo of the wedding of gay educator-journalist Deco Ribeiro (Brazil's first priest of Antinous) and his beloved Chessler Lohren Beauty.

A giant icon of Saints SERGIUS AND BACCHUS is the backdrop for the altar in the background. 

And also THE TWO LOVERS OF ANTINOOPOLIS are invoked. And it is in the upper corner of their round tondo portrait that you see a small golden image of Antinous.

May these Saints of Antinous watch over Chessler and Deco for all eternity:

ANTINOUS-ATTIS DIES AND IS REBORN DURING THE CYCLE OF THE EQUINOX

THE cycle of the March Equinox is Sacred to the Great Mother of the Gods, and to her divine lover-son Attis, who dies and is reborn at this time of year.

Persephone returns from the underworld, and the verdure returns to the face of the Earth.

The death of Attis is symbolic of the fruit flowers that appear at this  season and then fall away, making room for the ripening fruit.

It was celebrated in Rome with the introduction of a great pine tree that was carried into the Temple of Magna Mater.

An image of the dead Attis was carried on a bier and hung from the tree which was decorated with purple ribbons and violet flowers.

On the Day of Blood, the priests performed austerities including the  self-castration of new priests, and the bloodletting of the old priests  to the accompaniment of drum and cymbal music.

After the Day of Blood, when Attis was said to have risen again, the festival turned to joy and elation and was known as the Hilaria.

The final part of the sacred days was the day of cleansing, when the image of the Great Mother, a black stone encased in silver, was taken to the river Arno and washed by the priests.

Flamen Antonius Subia says:

"The five-day cycle of the Equinox ... the Mithraic Mysteries and all the other remembrances ... are all contained in the Death and Resurrection of Attis, the beautiful boy, who severed his own testicles and died giving his blood to the bosom of the earth ... but did not die."

WE MOURN THE DEATH OF ANTINOUS-ADONIS

ADONIS was the most beautiful boy that ever lived, so beautiful that Venus fell totally in love with him and forsook all her love-joys in order to follow him on his hunt through the forests of Mt. Lebanon.

But Adonis was unmoved and completely rejected her advances. She became infatuated and abandoned herself to the boy who only cared to hunt.

Mars was jealous of his rival, and outraged to see Venus subjected to desperation and lust, so he contrived to lure Venus away by having Mercury recall her to her neglected duties, because without her influence to temper the raging schemes of her Erotic son, there was no love in the world.

While she was away, Mars transformed himself into a wild boar and let Adonis pursue him through the woods.

The God of War suddenly charged the young God of Beauty and disarmed him, and with a deadly kiss, gored Adonis in the groin sinking his razor tusk between his perfect white legs.

When she returned, Venus found her beloved boy dead and cut her hair in mourning, she immortalized his soul as a flower, and made the river that bears his name flow red.

The love between Venus and Adonis was unfulfilled, her adoration for him was unreturned because Adonis had no care for women, and he preferred his hunting dogs to her gentle caresses.

Only the War God Mars had his way with Adonis, though motivated by jealousy and rage, it was a violent sexual attack, for which all the world must mourn, because in the savagery of the Lust of Mars, the world was forever robbed of the beauty of Adonis.

Flamen Antonius Subia says:

"We venerate Adonis and seek his shadow in the gardens of human beauty. Antinous is the 'Adonis of the Underworld' ... our perfect desire who flees from our embrace ... but we, like Venus, never abandon him to his endless hunt, and caress his cheek even though our hands can never touch him."

CHIRON COMES TO THE RESCUE IN THE ONGOING PANDEMIC

AMIDST the ongoing pandemic, the Sun aligns in conjunction with the minor planet CHIRON IN ARIES this week to empower you to access your inner healer. (Art by Miranda Baggins entitled: "Antinous as the Horseman of Conquest! (Pestilence) in light of COVID-19."

It is nice to remember who Chiron is ... the wisest and noblest of all the Centaurs in Classical Mythology. While all the other centaurs galloped off to riotous ruin and drunken oblivion, Chiron alone shared the knowledge he had inherited from the Titans ... tutoring a series of sensitive youths ... Achilles, Jason, Perseus, Theseus, Ajax, Dionysus, Hercules ... an endless list of heroes and demigods. He schooled them in the arts and sciences ... teaching them to be musicians and physicians.

This is a good time for health checkups and medical treatment ... also, you can expect a positive and expansive outlook, which can benefit your well-being at this time. 

You may be more open-minded with regard to experiencing new things, which will allow healing of your mind, body, and spirit. 

For instance, you could seek higher understanding and meaning in your life through a guide, mentor, or spiritual person or increase your inner knowledge by means of educational processes, religion, or meditative practices during this period. 

An urge to travel to far-away places (real or imaginary) may also be experienced. You may discover new perspectives on your beliefs, faith, and sense of hope. 

Restoring peace and harmony in your personal life and relationships is possible now through your interest in healing your own wounds, as well as extending compassion and generosity to others.

THE SACRED BOAR HUNT

AT the March Equinox the Religion of Antinous commemorates the Sacred Boar Hunt.

In our Liturgical Calendar, it is the day when Hadrian and Antinous arrive at the sacred city of Bithynium/Claudiopolis, the home of Antinous, in the spring of the year 129 AD.

Imagine the jubilant welcome they must have received as the city's populace turned out en masse (including all of the extended family and acquaintances of Antinous) to see the imperial entourage with Hadrian and Antinous at the forefront.

The region is teeming with bountiful wildlife and so Hadrian and Antinous went on hunting forays while in Bithynium.

The Boar Hunt had deeply mystical symbolic meaning for Hadrian, as exemplified that it was elevated to mythic proportions for use in public monuments.

The image above shows Hadrian and Antinous (looking backwards) during the Sacred Boar Hunt, immortalized on the Arch of Constantine in Rome.

Flamen Antonius Subia explains the mythic symbolism this way:

In ancient times, boys would enter the forest armed only With a spear to test their courage as young men 
So it was that Antinous went with Hadrian
To hunt the wild boar of Phrygia, to test his manhood
The boar symbolizes strength, courage, honor, & truth
And was an emblem of warriors and of fearlessness
The Boar is sacred to the beautiful hunter god Adonis
Whom Venus so loved that she chased after him through Briars and thorns, and when he was killed by the Boar, Which was her jealous lover Mars in disguise
She compelled the world to mourn his death
Her love for Adonis was so strong that she brought him 
Back from the underworld again for half the year.
The Boar is the emblem of the fertility god Freyr
Whose mighty phallus purifies and protects the fields
The Boar is sacred to the sun god Belenus
Of the Cisalpine Gauls, of whom there is an inscription From Hadrian’s Villa that reads:
“Antinous and Belenus are equal in age and beauty
For this reason Antinous is also be worshipped like Belenus appropriately, by Quintus the Sicilian”
We praise the god Belenus, whose bonfires protect us
From the malevolent spirits of darkness and chaos
The beautiful Sun God Belenus is Antinous of the North
We praise Antinous as Mercurius, the son of Maia
Maia is the Bona Dea, leader of the Pleaides
She is the bringer of goodness and plenty of summer
We praise Diana the Huntress and ask her blessing
On this night of the Sacred Boar Hunt
May the Strength of the Boar be with us
May the Power of the Boar be with us
May the Courage of the Boar be with us
In celebration of Antinous the Hunter
We now consume the meat of the Sacred Boar
So we may be blessed
Ave Antinous – Adonis
Ave Antinous – Freyr
Ave Antinous – Belenus
Ave Antinous – Mercurius
May flesh of the Sacred Boar give us his blessing
Ave Antinous Venator!

~ ANTONIUS SUBIA

WE HONOR ANTINOUS/MARS

WHEN the Sun enters the Sign of Aries at the March Equinox, we honor Antinous in his special guise as Antinous/Mars.

Mars, God of War, son of Jupiter and Juno, father of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, was the divine spirit of the Roman Army whose legions subjugated the world.

His power ran like molten steel in the blood of Romans who he made them invincible.

The ram was sacred to him, and thus the sign of Aries was devoted to him, as it was in the early spring, after the fields were sown and before the harvest that the men went to war.

Originally Mars was an agricultural deity, whose duty was to protect the fields from marauders. But he soon became an aggressive conqueror, whose sacred spears were ritually shaken by the Flamen Martialis when the legions were preparing for war.

He had twin sons who accompanied him and went before the armies in battle, their names were Phobos and Deimos, fear and panic.

He was the illicit lover of Venus, and it is said that they were the co-creators of Rome who through war brought love and peace to the whole world. It was in this spirit that Hadrian worshipped the pair.

Mars is the great spirit of masculinity, the violent, courageous power of the male sex, the penetrator and subjugator.

His emblem, an iron spear, is a symbol for the phallus, and so it is that Mars is the great potent Phallus of Man, the impregnator.

In this sense he is venerated as the warrior within all men, and as our most extreme, animalistic, carnal, aggressive nature.

He is the conqueror of winter, the dominator of spring, the protector of life, and the bringer of death.

He is war and fury, selflessly courageous, for the protection of the weak and for the defeat of the strong.

Mars never surrenders, and this is why Venus is so mad with lust for him, and why we adore him as our protector.

ANTINOUS AT A CITY NAMED FOR THE FISH THAT DEVOURED THE PHALLUS OF OSIRIS

OXYRHYNCHUS in Upper Egypt was well-known in ancient times, but it is even better known today among scholars because of bits of crumbling papyrus which give us important written history.

This city, also spelled Oxyrhynchos, named for an infamous pointy-nosed fish, was one of the last places Antinous saw during the ill-fated journey up the Nile in October of the year 130 AD. 

The Egyptians had many stories about the Passion of Isis and Osiris. 

Oddly enough, there is no one single version of the story from start to finish, only bits and pieces of the story from many sources, many of them totally contradicting other versions.

In one version, it was said that Seth had murdered and mutilated his brother Osiris and had strewn the bodily parts up and down the Nile Valley. 

Grief-stricken Isis set out to find every piece so that she could use magical spells to bring Osiris back to life. With the help of Thoth, she extorted that Sacred Magic from Ra after having poisoned him (but that's another story). 

It was said that she recovered every single part of his body except for his penis, which had been swallowed by the phallic-shaped oxyrhynchus fish.

To this day, Egyptians avoid eating the oxyrhynchus fish because it is considered "unclean."

Isis was forced to create a magical phallus instead, by which she mated with Osiris and brought him to orgasm. The issue from that union was the god Horus.

What must Antinous have thought as his Egyptian guides told him these strange tales of murder, dismemberment and penile penetration? 

There were many other versions. One involved a cedar tree in Lebanon which had grown up around the corpse of Osiris. Another involved the scorpion goddess Selket and six of her stinging sisters guarding the baby Horus, who (in this version) had been born prior to his father's death. 

Who could make sense of these ancient and contradictory tales, each of which the Egyptian priests insisted was true in some way or other? Perhaps there is a version of the story, complete from start to finish, which could resolve all the contradictions. If so, it may have been written on some piece of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus which has not yet been deciphered.

Against this mythological backdrop, Antinous entered the city of Oxyrhynchus, a Greek city founded by the Ptolemies, that has since become famous for the thousands of papyrus fragments unearthed in its buried libraries.

Flamen Antonyus Subia explains the special importance of the imperial visit:

The people of Oxyrhynchus were highly literate and therefore made a welcome stop for the Greek-loving emperor Hadrian.

The visit of Antinous to this city is important because several fragments mention his name, and the sacred poem of the LION HUNT was found here.

We are reminded by Oxyrhynchus of the fragile nature of the written word and how easily knowledge can be lost, and therefore, we sanctify the memory of the city to the importance that these fragments confer about our God Antinous. The Goddess of Oxyrhynchus is Athena-Sophia, patroness of learning.