HADRIAN ALIGNED TEMPLE OF ANTINOUS TO CATCH DAWN RAYS ON THIS DATE

HADRIAN designed the Antinous Mortuary Temple at his Villa outside Rome so that the rays of the rising sun would illuminate the inner sanctum on the Egyptian festival of the Nile Inundation, according to a US research team.

The new findings come on the heels of studies by other researchers showing that Emperor Hadrian, a skilled architect and astronomer/astrologer in his own right, aligned the Pantheon and the observatory at his Villa to the Solstices.

The new findings are the first indicating a celestial configuration for the Mortuary Temple of Antinous at Hadrian's Villa.

Archaeo-astronomers at Ball State University in the United States say the mystery-shrouded temple, called the ANTINOEION, was aligned so that the first rays of the rising sun would illuminate the East Face of the OBELISK OF ANTINOUS, which would then cast a shadow across a monolithic statue of Antinous-Osiris deep in the inner sanctum of the temple.

Using "solar tracking" technology and highly sophisticated 3-D computer imaging, the Ball State experts say that this sunrise configuration only occurs on July 20th each year.

July 20th was when the Egyptians, at that point in their long history, celebrated the annual Inundation of the Nile, the flood waters which brought nutrient-rich sediment down the river to Egypt to ensure bountiful crops for the coming year.

At other points in Egyptian history, that "Egyptian New Year" festival was celebrated on other dates, owing to vagaries of ancient calendars. But according to Roman writer Censorinus, the Egyptian New Year's Day fell on July 20th in the Julian Calendar in 139 AD, which was a heliacal rising of Sirius in Egypt.

The Ball State University findings are all the more interesting because the First Miracle of Antinous, the July after his death in October 130 AD, was the NILE INUNDATION MIRACLEwhich  ended a years-long drought which had threatened the entire empire with famine since Egypt was Rome's "breadbasket" for grain and produce.


The Obelisk is now located atop the Pincian Hill in Rome, but it almost certainly originally stood at the Antinoeion within the Hadrian's Villa compound. The plinth for the obelisk is still visible.

The Obelisk is covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs which constitute a prayer of praise for Antinous the God, describing his blessings.

The Egyptian hieroglyphs on the East Face of the Obelisk quote Antinous the God as asking Ra-Herakhte the sun god for blessings on Hadrian, and also asking Hapy, the Nile Inundation deity, to bring about a bountiful inundation on his behalf.

In effect, the rays (or "hands") of the sun god "activate" the Egyptian hieroglyphs, bringing this divine prayer to religio-magical life, as the shadow of the Obelisk covers the statue of Antinous-Osiris, master of death and transfiguration.

The Ball State University findings have yet to be verified independently, and the researchers said further studies are underway.

It is possible, of course, that the date July 20th had another significance of a more personal nature involving Hadrian and Antinous. 

On the final leg of a three-year tour of the Eastern Empire, Hadrian and his Imperial entourage arrived in Egypt in the summer of the year 130 AD. 

It is known that Hadrian and Antinous spent time in Alexandria, as well as in the coastal resort of Canopus. And they also slew a man-eating lion in Egypt in the summer of 130 AD.

So July 20th could refer to one of those events. It could, of course, also refer to something of a more intimate nature between the two men which transpired on that date.

Perhaps Hadrian and Antinous took part in celebrations for the Nile Inundation on July 20th of 130 AD in Egypt at which drought-weary Egyptians looked to Emperor Hadrian, as their pharaoh, to provide a miracle. 

Ancient writers speculated that Antinous may have been eager to find a religio-magical way to help his beloved Hadrian, possibly sacrificing his life in return for blessings on the Emperor.

Whatever the date may signify, we know that, barely three months later, Antinous drowned in the Nile, and that grief-stricken Hadrian proclaimed him a God, the last Classical Deity before the Fall of Rome.

He died under mysterious circumstances, with Hadrian saying only that he "fell into the Nile." The Inundation Deity Hapy ensured that the Nile overflowed its banks generously the following July 20th.

A walk-through of the Ball State University computer model of the Antinoeion and explanation of the July 20th solar alignment is provided in this YouTube video:

WE REMEMBER WHAT UNITES US ALL ON INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY

AS our liturgical year draws to a close at the end of July each year, we pause to join hands and remember the bond that unites all of us around the world ... on July 30th ... International Friendship Day.

We the priests of Antinous receive messages every day from worshipers who feel alone and isolated ... stuck in far-flung places ... stuck in jobs they hate ... or stuck in joblessness ... stuck in loveless relationships with hateful family ... stuck in poverty ... not just poverty in terms of money, but poverty in terms of friendship and emotional support.

In earlier days physical isolation meant isolation of the heart. But with the growth of social media, we are learning that geographical distances are no barrier to emotional support and loving friendship.

So on this day it is good to remember that we are never truly alone.

Cynics say that friendships happen by chance, that you happen to stumble upon a person in a coincidental circumstance and that you both open your hearts to each other and then become friends ... all by chance.

But we prefer to believe that friends are in each other all along ... always have been in each other ... always will be in each other.

And we remember that Hadrian loved Antinous so much that, when Antinous died tragically, the Emperor proclaimed him a God ... the last and ultimate Classical deity.

Hadrian could have chosen to grieve alone and to hold the memory of his beloved Antinous in his heart. But instead, Hadrian chose to share Antinous with all of us. 

Hadrian's heart was broken, but he chose to open his heart and to share Antinous with all of us ... for the Emperor knew that one day each of our hearts was waiting to be filled with the friendship that Hadrian's heart had known ... and which he shares freely and lovingly with us.

CENTAUR MOSAIC AT HADRIAN's VILLA OFFERS INSIGHTS INTO EMPEROR's MIND

ON International Tiger Day, July 29th, we remember that the famous Centaur Mosaic from the grand dining pavilion of Hadrian's Villa at Tibur has intrigued art historians for decades. The mosaic is on view at the Altes Museum in Berlin, along with stunning sculptures of Hadrian and Antinous. But few people have had the opportunity to view it up close with commentary by eminent art historians ... until now!

This video (below), with a running narration by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, provides brilliant insights not only into the Roman interpretation of Greek art, but also into the subtle differences in the way that the Romans and the Greeks perceived their place in the cosmos.

One important point which Drs. Zucker and Harris do not make, however, is that Hadrian was called "The Lion Slayer" because the Emperor and Antinous killed a man-eating lion in Egypt in the summer of the year 130 AD — only weeks before the tragic death of Antinous. 

Another detail is that the centaur downed by the tiger is a female, presumably the mate of the centaur holding the boulder. It is unclear whether the downed mate is dead or only stunned and is about to be rescued — just as Hadrian rescued Antinous from the Egyptian lion in real life.

So Hadrian's dinner guests could look at the mosaic and interpret the bearded centaur as being a mythic aspect of the emperor himself — protecting the Empire from the beastly forces of chaos. Hadrian could also be equated with Chiron, with Antinous perhaps his tutor.

In Greek mythology, Chiron was one of the Titans, the greatest of the Centaurs. Chiron was the tutor to a great many gods and demigods, including Prometheus, Theseus, Achilles and Hercules, to name but a few.

Astrologically, Chiron represents a person's healing energies and, indeed, the word for "surgery" in many European languages (chirurgie in French and German, cirugya in Spanish, chirugia in Italian and Portuguese) comes directly from the Ancient Greek words for "Chiron Hands" — a healer with the skilled hands of the Titan Chiron.

Astrologically, the asteroid Chiron currently is in a highly fortuitous aspect to Pluto — an aspect of cosmic healing which will last on and off through September. Hadrian, who was obsessed with astrology himself, could hardly have looked at this mosaic without pondering cosmic implications.

Zucker and Harris, founders of Smarthistory, aptly point out that this mosaic ... only a tiny fraction of the dining pavilion's mosaic ... must have been a profound source of dinner conversation.

ANTINOUS KISSES SINEAD O'CONNOR

ANTINOUS "kisses" Sinéad O'Connor in her iconic "Nothing Compares 2 U" video. The song of longing for a lost lover resonates with LGBTQ people. Known for speaking out against religious bigots and homophobes, she once said: "I'm 3/4 heterosexual, 1/4 gay." Born 8 December 1966, she died 26 July 2023. Antonius Subia says: "May Antinous open the way of Mystery before her."  Watch the video here: 

ASTRO FORECAST: JULY 27th—AUG. 6th, 2023

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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JULY 27th
to AUGUST 6th, 2023

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THURS-FRIDAY, JULY 27th-28th, 2023

This week, love and money are in the air when Mercury aligns in conjunction with Venus in Leo and both form a 90-degree square aspect to impetuous Taurus Uranus. On the positive side: you can trust your intuition to buy a lottery ticket. But on the negative side, you don't know when to stop and squander your hard-earned money on a bad bet ... in money and love.

SAT-SUNDAY, JULY 29th-30th, 2023

This weekend, Mercury leaves selfish Leo and enters compassionate Virgo. It has been said that Virgo Mercury is like having a cyber-servant or surrogate replicant who anticipates all your inter-personal communications needs and rushes to your beck and call. Mercury will be in Virgo until October 5th, which means you can expect advice and supportive suggestions for "upgrading" your cognitive and communications skills for the coming weeks.

MON-TUESDAY, JULY 31st-AUG. 1st, 2023

This week, we come to the AQUARIUS FULL MOON. This is the summertime moon of generous gifts which we associate with Antinous/Vertumnus, the shape-shifting God of summertime bounty and generous gifts. We call this the DONUM MOON when magical rituals are performed for fortuitous gifts.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 2023

This week, Mercury-opposition-Saturn brings serious thinking and conversation, but also negativity and sadness. Poor self-esteem can lead to communication difficulties and isolation. There is the possibility of some bad news or very challenging situations arising, especially if you have been neglectful in some way earlier. However, it is likely that you will be seeing the worst in every situation. This is not a day for making important decisions, especially about relationships. Also avoid signing contracts or making big investments. You may have a critical eye can are liable to make mistakes.

THURS-SUNDAY, AUGUST 3rd-6th, 2023

This week you may feel like a "noble knight" when Mars forms a trine aspect with the Jupiter. Unfortunately, Mars trine Jupiter means many people may become deluded that they are superheroes, using others as kindling to start fires — not always literally, often metaphorically. Either way, it is just so they can be seen to be the hero and put it out and destroy the lives of others in the process. Beware of crusaders who urge you to take part in some sacred battle. And beware of demagogues who insist they are fighting a holy war, sacrificing the lives of many innocent men, women and children in the name of war or competition for basic/personal needs, just so they look like the hero.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between August 7th and 13th, 2023, when we come to the Taurus Third Quarter Moon — the LUCIUS MOON OF BROTHERS — when we honor Lucius Aelius, who was like a brother to Antinous in the imperial court of Hadrian. This night is when we celebrate our gay brothers ... More details next time ....

HADRIAN'S ENORMOUS TEMPLE IN TURKEY WAS ONCE THE 8th WONDER OF THE WORLD

ANTINOUS and Hadrian, during their triumphal tour of Asia Minor in 129 AD, strode through the portals of a colossal temple which the Ancient Romans considered "The Eighth Wonder of the World."

Sadly, the temple, which is called the Kyzikos Hadrian Temple, is now only ruins. Archaeologists are now trying to determine just exactly how extraordinarily large it was.

"Our goals are to be able to establish the true measure of the temple and the remains of the superstructure, and to reveal the origin of the temple without excavating its higher parts. So far, we have partly learned this,"  Nurettin Kochan, head of Ataturk University’s archeology team, told Turkey's Andalou news agency.

The longest side of the temple, measuring some 161 meters, was unearthed in 2010, recalled Kochan.

The enormous temple was subject to major destruction over time, as the marble works of the temple were burned up in lime wells and cube-shaped dry cereal stores were placed around the temple. The area was used as a cemetery during the Middle Ages.

During the previous 10 excavation campaigns at the site, teams have unearthed lion-headed marble gutters, 105x85-cm full-size marble roof tiles, 2.25-meter columns, cube-shaped food stores known as Pithos, Kyzikos coins, a king's head, and a tomb in which 10 people were buried with gifts, inscriptive stones providing information about the tomb.

Most spectacularly, the archaeologists unearthed the largest Roman era capital measuring some 1.9 meters in diameter, 2.5 meters in height and 20 tons in weight.

"This is the largest and most exquisite Corinthian capital built within the territory of the Roman Empire," Kochan said.

In architectural terminology, the term "capital" derived from Latin caput, or "head," which forms the topmost member of a column. It also mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it.

Calling the Temple of Hadrian the eighth wonder of the world, Kochan said "There’s no other capital of this size in the Corinthian order."

He added: "Kyzikos Hadrian Temple outshines even the Baalbek Temple of Jupiter in Lebanon, considered the largest and most spectacular Corinthian temple in the world."

The Corinthian order is chronologically the latest of three recognized ancient Roman architectural styles.

The Hadrian temple is one of the largest temples in Anatolia, according to Kochan's assistant, Korkmaz Meral, who added that frequent large earthquakes had caused great damage in the area around the temple.

WORLD'S OLDEST TEMPLE ALIGNED WITH THE DOG STAR

THESE are the "Dog Days" when the Dog Star Sirius rises above the horizon ... and now an expert has determined that the world's oldest temple, Göbekli Tepe in southern Turkey, may have been built to worship Sirius.

The 11,000-year-old site consists of a series of at least 20 circular enclosures, although only a few have been uncovered since excavations began in the mid-1990s.

Each one is surrounded by a ring of huge, T-shaped stone pillars, some of which are decorated with carvings of fierce animals. Two more megaliths stand parallel to each other at the centre of each ring.

Giulio Magli, an archaeo-astronomer at the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, looked to the night sky for clues. After all, the arrangement of the pillars at Stonehenge in the UK suggests it could have been built as an astronomical observatory, maybe even to worship the moon.

Magli simulated what the sky would have looked like from Turkey when Göbekli Tepe was built. Over millennia, the positions of the stars change due to Earth wobbling as it spins on its axis. Stars that are near the horizon will rise and set at different points, and they can even disappear completely, only to reappear thousands of years later.

Today, Sirius can be seen almost worldwide as the brightest star in the sky – excluding the sun – and the fourth brightest night-sky object after the moon, Venus and Jupiter. Sirius is so noticeable that its rising and setting was used as the basis for the ancient Egyptian calendar, says Magli.

At the latitude of Göbekli Tepe, Sirius would have been below the horizon until around 9300 BC, when it would have suddenly popped into view.

"I propose that the temple was built to follow the 'birth' of this star," says Magli. "You can imagine that the appearance of a new object in the sky could even have triggered a new religion."

Magli used existing maps of Göbekli Tepe and satellite images of the region.

Magli drew an imaginary line running between and parallel to the two megaliths inside each enclosure. Three of the excavated rings seem to be aligned with the points on the horizon where Sirius would have risen in 9100 BC, 8750 BC and 8300 BC, respectively (arxiv.org/abs/1307.8397).

The results are preliminary, Magli stresses. More accurate calculations will need a full survey using instruments such as a theodolite, a device for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.

Also, the sequence in which the structures were built is unclear, so it is hard to say if rings were built to follow Sirius as it rose at different points along the horizon.

TONIGHT IS THE MOON OF PROMETHEUS THE SCORPIO FIRST QUARTER MOON

PROMETHEUS was the first thief and it was thanks to his larcenous thievery that humans are not living in burrows and dens like animals.

He stole fire from the Gods and brought it down to us mortals living on Earth. And at this, the hottest time of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere at any rate), we celebrate the SCORPIO FIRST QUARTER MOON with this legendary act of "breaking and entering with malicious intent to commit a felony."

Tonight is the night of the THIEF MOON, the PROMETHEUS MOON.

In ANTINOUS MOON MAGIC, each phase of the moon represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Thief Moon is the Divine Thief. This Spirit is the stealer of hearts. He sneaks up on others and intentionally relieves them of those things they hold dear. We associate this lunar phase with Prometheus.

One of the Titans, Prometheus fashioned men out of clay (women did not appear until Pandora), and Athena breathed life into these clay men. Originally all men had Prometheus' power to foretell the future (the Greek name "Prometheus" means "Forethought") but Zeus became enraged that a Titan had created a sentient and nearly divine race, so he stripped them of that fortune-telling power and also stripped them of fire.

Prometheus urged his fellow Titans to use cunning and stealth to overcome the Gods. But when the Titans opted for brute force, Prometheus foresaw the outcome and betrayed the Titans and went over to the side led by Zeus.

But when Zeus turned against men and wanted to smite them all and create a rival race, Prometheus betrayed Zeus by stealing fire and giving it to his clay men so that they would have a light to see their way without the help of the gods — even if only a few were clairvoyant, not all, as he had originally intended.

Outraged, Zeus bound Prometheus to the rock and his eagle dined on his liver every day. But being a Titan, he could not die, and his liver was restored every night.

In the end, Prometheus won his freedom by foretelling that Zeus would meet his downfall if he mated with a certain mortal woman ... which is why Poseidon fell and Zeus did not, because Zeus heeded the foretold warning.

Prometheus was the first thief. He was the first Divine friend of mankind. It is fitting that Prometheus graces the fountain at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Prometheus was mankind's first divine friend, who gave us the civilization-building gift of fire. It was stolen from the Gods!

Thus the SCORPIO FIRST QUARTER MOON is a time of cunning and deception, thievery, robbery, stealth. Unlike the PERDITION MOON, which is about loss in a general sense, the THIEF MOON is about intentional taking.

In a very literal sense, it can signify a night when break-ins or burglaries are rife. But most often it represents your inner self ... the things you rob yourself of  ... self-esteem, self-love, self-confidence, for example. By robbing yourself of these qualities, you are vulnerable to real-life thieves.

But this lunar phase is also talking about the positive aspects of being a thief, like Prometheus or Mercury. Antinous/Mercury is the God of Thieves, Con Men and Convicts. Prometheus stole fire from the Gods to give to mankind, saying it rightfully belonged to mortals. Mercury famously stole from Apollo and yet charmed his way to "acquittal".

Tonight's lunar phase is reminding us about the "inner thief" inside all of us ... the ability to take what we need without asking in advance. It is about getting back what is rightfully ours by means of cunning and skulduggery. We are all thieves, only the dishonest ones deny it. 

TOPAZ HELPS YOU AT THE THIEF MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

OUR inspirational astrology expert Hernestus has informed me that today is the second Scorpio First Quarter Moon in succession. It is the THIEF MOON of Antinous. Hernestus suggests that this moon will have you focusing on your own "inner thief". The aspect of you robbing you of the qualities which would otherwise permit you to progress spiritually.

We all have such blocks, doubts, hang-ups. For years I was completely closed to faith. Christianity rejected me and I knew nothing about other mainstream religions. My culture told me that any non-mainstream religions were cults or devil worshipers. 

So I closed myself off and just focused on worship of material objects like most people around me. I told myself that faith was nonsense, superstitious 'mumbo jumbo' that only weak people needed. 

Yet I sub-consciously knew there was a 'lack' there in my soul. I first found Gaia calling to my feminine side, it made sense.

Mainstream religions were typically all male macho Gods - maybe a female divinity would work better for a gentle gay boy?! 

It worked for a while but nature needs balance and so I found Antinous dragging me out of my spiritual closet to give me a divine male balance! 

Since I opened myself up to Gaia and Antinous I have found other gods and spirits who support them and me. There is no going back in that spiritual closet now!

To help you dismiss your doubts to the closet and embrace your inner spiritual diva I recommend that you focus on/hold the following crystal while you meditate:

TOPAZ - these semi-precious crystals sound expensive but usually aren't as expensive as you may imagine if bought as a stone rather than within a jewel. 

Their ability is to get you focused on 'being' rather than 'doing'. We all 'do' stuff all the time which distracts us and keeps us achieving 'things'.

How often do we just 'be', sit still, listed to our heartbeat, focus on our breath in and out? How often do we question what we are doing or why we think a certain way? Why are we so full of doubts and uncertainties?

Topaz helps you to cut through all of that nonsense and see the trust in crystal clear sight."

Love and Light,

MARTIN

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

THE INUNDATION OF THE NILE WAS SEEN AS THE FIRST MIRACLE OF ANTINOUS THE GOD

ON JULY 25 the Religion of Antinous joyfully commemorates the First Miracle of Antinous — the Bountiful Inundation of the Nile which ended a drought which had caused food shortages throughout the Empire.

The famine had overshadowed the tour of Egypt by the Imperial entourage in the year 130. The half-starved Egyptians looked to Hadrian, whom they worshipped as pharaoh, to perform a miracle which would end their misery.

But as Hadrian and Antinous traveled up the Nile during the summer and autumn of 130, the Nile once again failed to rise sufficiently to water the fields of Egypt — Rome's "Bread Basket" and chief source of grain and other staple foodstuffs.

It was a humiliating disappointment for the Emperor following the jubilant welcome by peoples during the earlier part of his tour through the Eastern Empire. In Ephesus and other cities he had been welcomed as a living god.

But the Egyptians had given him and his coterie what little they had in the way of food and wine — and he had failed to convince the Inundation Deity Hapi to bless them with bounty. Hapi is one of the most extraordinary deities in the history of religion.

Hapi is special to us especially because Hapi is hermaphroditic. With many other such deities, the gender division is down the middle of the body (like some Hindu deities) or the top half is one gender and the bottom half is the other.

But Hapi is very complex and the genders are mixed throughout his/her body. Male deities invariably have reddish-orange skin in Egyptian Art and female deities have yellowish skin. Hapi has bluish-green skin. Hapi has long hair like a female deity but has a square jaw and a beard. Hapi has broad shoulders yet has pendulous breasts like a nursing mother. Hapi has narrow hips and masculine thighs, but has a pregnant belly. Nobody knows what sort of genitals Hapi has, since they are covered by a strange garment reminiscent of a sumo wrestler's belt.

Hapi is both father and mother to the Egyptians. Hapi provides them with everything necessary for life. As Herodotus wrote, "Egypt is the gift of the Nile". Hapi wears a fabulous headdress of towering water plants and she/he carries enormous offering trays laden with foodstuffs.

The Ancient Egyptians had no problem worshipping a mixed-gender deity. I think it is very important to draw the connection between Hapi and Antinous, especially since the First Miracle that Antinous performed as a god involved Hapi. The Egyptians accepted Antinous into their own belief system immediately and were among the most ardent followers of Antinous.

They had no problem worshipping a gay deity who had united himself with a hermaphroditic deity. It must have seemed very logical and credible to them.

It made sense to them and enriched their belief system, made it more personal since they could identify more easily with a handsome young man than with a hermaphrodite wearing a sumo belt (Hapi forgive me!).

Herodotus also said he once asked a very learned religious man in Egypt what the true source of the Nile was.

The learned man (speaking through an interpreter, since most Greeks never bothered to learn Egyptian) paused and finally told him the true source of the Nile is the thigh of Osiris.

We think of it as a strange answer. We think of the Nile as an "it" and the source as a "geographical location". But the Egyptians thought of the Nile as "us" and its true source as "heka" — the magical semen of the creator.

So, a learned Egyptian would have assumed that a learned Greek would understand what was meant: That Hapi is the equivalent of Dionysus, who was "incubated" in the inner thigh of Zeus after his pregnant mortal mother Semele perished when she could not bear the searing sight of her lover Zeus in all his divine panoply.

It's a very poetic way (a very Egyptian way) of saying that the "true  source" of the Nile, which is to say Egypt itself, is the magical heka/semen from the loins of the original creator.

We will never know what happened during that journey up the Nile along the drought-parched fields with anxious Egyptian farmers looking to Hadrian for a miracle. All we know is that Antinous "plunged into the Nile" and into the arms of Hapi in late October of the year 130.

And then the following summer, Hapi the Inundation Deity provided a bountiful Nile flood which replenished the food stocks of Egypt — and the Roman Empire.

Our own Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia explains the more esoteric aspects of this special Religious Holy Day:

"The Dog Star Sirius appears, and the sacred Star of Antinous begins to approach its zenith in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. The appearance of the Dog Star once announced the rise of the Inundation of the Nile, though it no longer does due to the precession of the Equinox, which is the slight alteration of the position of the stars.

"After the Death and Deification of Antinous, the Nile responded by rising miraculously after two successive years of severe drought. It was on this day, July 25th, in the year 131 that the ancient Egyptians recognized that Antinous was a god, nine months after his death, following their custom of deifying those who drowned in the Nile, whose sacrifice insured the life-giving flood.

"Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, it is part of the constellation Canis Major, or the big dog, which is the hunting dog of Orion. Mystically, Sirius and the constellation Canis Major is Antinous Master of Hounds and Orion is Hadrian the Hunter.

"The position of Orion, along the banks of the Milky Way, our galaxy in relation to Sirius is a mirror image of Pyramids along the bank of the Nile, which is the same relationship as Antinoopolis to the Nile, with the Via Hadriani, the road which Hadrian built across the desert to the East, linking the Nile with the Red Sea — Rome to India.

"We consecrate the beginning of the Dog Days of Summer to the advent of the Egyptian deification of Antinous and the miracle of the Inundation of the Nile."

The First Miracle of Antinous the Gay God is enshrined in the hieroglyphic inscription on the OBELISK OF ANTINOUS which stands in Rome.

The East Face of the Obelisk, which is aligned to the rising sun Ra-Herakhte, speaks of the joy that fills the heart of Antinous since having been summoned to meet his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte and to become a god himself.

Then the inscription tells how Antinous intercedes with Ra-Herakhte to shower blessings upon Hadrian and the Empress Sabina Augusta.

And Antinous immediately calls upon Hapi ...

Hapi, progenitor of the gods,
On behalf of Hadrian and Sabina,
Arrange the inundation in fortuitous time
To make fertile and bountiful, the fields
Of Both Upper and Lower Egypt!

We joyfully celebrate this, the First Miracle of Antinous!

WE CELEBRATE THE FIESTA OF XOCHIPILLI GAYEST OF ALL THE AZTEC GODS

JULY 24th is the festival of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of pleasure. His name means "Flower Prince" or even "Flower Child". He is a deity of creativity, the arts, music, dance, celebration and pleasure. His main aim is to help us relax, chill out and step back from taking life too seriously. 

Xochipili is also the protector and patron of homosexuals and male prostitutes.

His statues were carved with psychoactive flowers and plants. His offerings are flowers and his symbol is a teardrop shaped pendant crafted from Mother of Pearl.

24 de julho é a festa de Xochipilli , deus asteca do prazer. Seu nome significa " flor Príncipe " ou mesmo " Criança de flor " . Ele é uma divindade da criatividade , das artes , música, dança , celebração e prazer. O seu principal objectivo é o de nos ajudar a relaxar , relaxar e voltar de tirar a vida muito a sério. Xochipilli também é o protetor e padroeiro dos homossexuais e prostitutas do sexo masculino e suas estátuas foram esculpidas com flores e plantas psicoativas. Suas ofertas são flores e seu símbolo é um pingente em forma de lágrima trabalhada a partir de madrepérola.

24 de julio es la fiesta de Xochipilli , dios azteca de placer. Su nombre significa " Príncipe de la flor" o incluso " Niño de flor " . Él es una deidad de la creatividad , las artes , la música , la danza , la celebración y el placer. Su objetivo principal es ayudar a relajarse , descansar y un paso atrás de tomar la vida demasiado en serio . Xochipili es también el protector y patrono de los homosexuales y prostitutas masculinas y sus estatuas fueron talladas con flores y plantas psicoactivas . Sus ofertas son las flores y su símbolo es un colgante en forma de lágrima elaborado a partir de Nácar .

WE CELEBRATE THE NEPTUNALIA AND HONOR ANTINOUS LINKS TO NEPTUNE

THE 23rd of July is the ancient Roman Neptunalia festival, when Romans honored Neptune with feasting and frivolity.

Although identified with the Greek Poseidon, god of the sea, the Roman Neptune was originally god of fresh water and prayed to at this time of year to prevent drought.

Coins minted by a priest of Antinous in Corinth show Antinous with Neptune/Poseidon. 

More clues to the link between Antinous and Neptune come from the Black Sea coast.

Experts working at a dig on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria say they have found a well-preserved altar to Poseidon/Neptune which suggests the surrounding ruins were once a major temple to the god of the seas.

Archaeologists found the building in front of the medieval fortified wall of the seaside town of Sozopol, according to Bozhidar Dimitrov, director of Bulgaria’s National History Museum.

It is a little-known fact that Antinous was associated in a gay context with the classical god of the seas, called Poseidon by the Greeks and Neptune by the Romans.

Coins minted by a priest of Antinous at Corinth named HOSTILIUS MARCELLUS (from whom our own Julien Hostilius Marcellus takes his priestly name) show Antinous as Neptune/Poseidon.

It is a reference to the myth that Poseidon became enthralled with another marine male deity, Nerites, who was said to be the handsomest of all males on Earth, in the Heavens or in the Seas.

The sexual union of Poseidon and Nerites produced Anteros, god of requited love.

In those days, few people could read or write, but everyone knew these myths. So anyone who held one of these Antinous/Poseidon coins could "read" the gay symbolism.

So any discovery concerning Neptune/Poseidon is of great interest to us, since the dig could ultimately reveal Antinous-related artefacts.

At the Sozopol site, Dimitrov said that the numerous pieces of marble found during excavations indicate that the temple was destroyed after the declaration of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire in 330 AD.

The structure was partially pulled down and partially reconfigured as a Christian house of worship dedicated to a Christian saint, whose iconography was similar to that of the ancient god Neptune.

Dimitrov said that in Sozopol, there was a simiar example of how a temple to the Thracian horseman in the centre of the old town was converted into a church dedicated to Saint George, riding a horse to slay a demon dragon.

He said, according to a report by local news agency Focus, that in the case of the temple to Neptune – the god of the sea – the time of its destruction saw the building of a Christian church a very short distance away, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen and sailors.

THE HELIACAL RISING OF THE DOG STAR

THE "Dog Days" are here! In Ancient Egypt, the "Heliacal Rising of Sirius" occurred in mid-July ... but over the course of many centuries it now occurs in late July or early August (in the Northern Hemisphere). 

But depending on where you live on our planet, you may see Sirius/Sothis rising just before dawn any day now ... as nighttime turns to daytime.

During the daytime, look to the sun and you see Antinous conjoined with Ra-Herakhte, Apollo, Invictus, Horus, Mithras, Belenus, Balder, Huitzilopochtli and countless other solar deities. ANTONIUS SUBIA offers this prayer: 

Arise in Me…Sothis,

Let me be cleansed

Let me be renewed

Let the Inundation flood

Across the heart

Dog Star Returns

A New Antinous coming forth

To set the soul in order

To purify with clear water

That we may be whole again

~FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA

WE REMEMBER HEROSTRATUS THE ULTIMATE NOTORIETY SEEKER

ON 21 July we remember Herostratus, whose name is synonymous with all persons who commit heinous crimes for the sole purpose of making their names notorious ... the eternally aggrieved ego ... the call for damnatio memoriae ... destroyer of beauty, youth and success perceived as insults to the entitled outsider.

Herostratus was a 4th Century BC Greek arsonist who sought notoriety by destroying one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, prompting a law forbidding anyone to mention his name.

His name has become a metonym for someone who commits a criminal act in order to become famous.

On 21 July 356 BC, seeking notoriety, he burned down the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Asia Minor (now Turkey).

Antinous and Hadrian visited TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS in June of 129 AD.

The temple honoured a local goddess, called Artemis by the Greeks, their version of Diana goddess of the hunt, the wild, and childbirth. 

The temple was constructed of marble and was built by King Croesus of Lydia to replace an older site destroyed during a flood. Measuring 130 meters long (425 feet) and supported by columns 18 meters high (60 feet), it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Far from attempting to evade responsibility for his act of arson, Herostratus proudly claimed credit in an attempt to immortalise his name. 

To dissuade those of a similar mind, the Ephesian authorities not only executed him, but attempted to condemn him to a legacy of obscurity by forbidding mention of his name under penalty of death. However, this did not stop Herostratus from achieving his goal because the ancient historian Theopompus recorded the event and its perpetrator in his Hellenics.

Herostratus' name lived on in classical literature and has passed into modern languages as a term for someone who commits a criminal act in order to bask in the resultant notoriety.

ASTRO FORECAST: JULY 24th—30th, 2023

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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JULY 24th to 30th, 2023

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THURSDAY, JULY 20th, 2023

This week the world comes to a screeching stop when Mars is in opposition to Saturn, a relatively rare occurrence which always brings things to a temporary standstill. Diligent Virgo Mars wants to press the pedal to the metal, but intensely moody Pisces Saturn has both feet firmly on the brake. Mars is action-oriented while Saturn is slow and cautious. This configuration creates frustration on the global level as well as in your own personal life. Just be patient and it will pass.

FRIDAY, JULY 21st, 2023

This week is highly volatile because the Sun is in 180-degree opposition to Pluto and the Star of Antinous (See: PLUTO ALIGNS WITH THE STAR OF ANTINOUS). This causes a sense of over-reaction, over-exuberance, over-exaggeration and over-exertion in all areas. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing ... but the coming weeks will show whether you bit off more than you can handle. The good news is that Pluto is Retrograde, so the mischief is understated and undercover. But the bad news is that Pluto opposite the Sun means trouble for major corporations and political and religious institutions. And in your personal life, of course, this is definitely not a good week to pick a fight with your lover — not if you don't want to be locked out of the apartment all week. And for everyone: Please drive carefully and vigilantly.

SATURDAY, JULY 22nd, 2023

This week Venus stops and turns around. An ex-lover will call or visit you in the next 40 days ... Leo Venus goes "Retrograde" (backwards) from July 22nd until September 4th ... an unfavorable time for weddings. Retrograde Leo Venus is emotionally flirtatious and vivacious ... this is a good time to review, reassess, and revive your relationships ... and that means it may be time to end some career or personal relationships. Retrograde Venus is nostalgic for "the good old days" ... so you can expect to hear from old friends and ex-lovers. You may not have seen them for years, and suddenly they show up on your doorstep ... and the two of you have a wonderful time reviving old memories ... and possibly reconciling old differences. In fact, Retrograde Venus periods are often characterized by old lovers getting back together and re-marrying.

SUNDAY, JULY 23rd, 2023

This weekend Chiron the healer begins its four-month retrograde period. 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.

MONDAY, JULY 24th, 2023

This week, vengeance and enmity ignite when Mercury and Uranus are in a 90-degree right angle to each other. People act impulsively without thinking of the consequences ... consequences they will surely regret.

TUES-WEDNESDAY, JULY 25th-26th, 2023

Overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, we come to the Scorpio First Quarter Moon, which is the lunar phase we call the THIEF MOON in honor of Prometheus ... the first thief ... and it was thanks to his larcenous thievery that humans are not living in burrows and dens like animals ... Rituals and meditations tonight can focus on your "inner thief" — the things you rob yourself of — self-esteem, self-love, self-confidence, for example. By robbing yourself of these qualities, you are vulnerable to real-life thieves ... Tonight's lunar phase is also reminding us about the ability to take what we need without asking in advance. It is about getting back what is rightfully ours.

THURS-FRIDAY, JULY 27th-28th, 2023

This week, love and money are in the air when Mercury aligns in conjunction with Venus in Leo and both form a 90-degree square aspect to impetuous Taurus Uranus. On the positive side: you can trust your intuition to buy a lottery ticket. But on the negative side, you don't know when to stop and squander your hard-earned money on a bad bet ... in money and love.

SAT-SUNDAY, JULY 29th-30th, 2023

This weekend, Mercury leaves selfish Leo and enters compassionate Virgo. It has been said that Virgo Mercury is like having a cyber-servant or surrogate replicant who anticipates all your inter-personal communications needs and rushes to your beck and call. Mercury will be in Virgo until October 5th, which means you can expect advice and supportive suggestions for "upgrading" your cognitive and communications skills for the coming weeks.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between July 31st and August 6th, 2023, when we come to the AQUARIUS FULL MOON. This is the summertime moon of generous gifts which we associate with Antinous/Vertumnus, the shape-shifting God of summertime bounty and generous gifts. We call this the DONUM MOON when magical rituals are performed for fortuitous gifts ... More details next time ....

THE BIRTH OF ALEXANDER

IT IS SAID that on the night before the mother of Alexander, Olympias, was to be married to King Phillip of Macedonia, she dreamt that a thunderbolt struck her body and filled it with power.

After the marriage, it is said that Phillip peeked into her chamber, and found her lying with a serpent, and that he afterward dreamt that her womb was sealed and that a lion dwelled within her. 

And on the night that he was born, 20th of July, 356 BC, the great Temple at Ephesus was burned to the ground by a vandal, because the goddess Artemis was away, assisting with the birth of Alexander the Great.

He was considered to be the son of Zeus, and this divine origin was  what was given as an explanation for the unprecedented conquests that he accomplished. In his youth Aristotle, a student of Plato, educated him along with his following of young princes, who were later serve as his generals, and the founders of great dynastic monarchies of the Hellenistic world.

Foremost of these was his ever loyal and devoted Hepheistion, whose reciprocated love for Alexander was homosexual in nature.

In one of their first battles, while Phillip was still king, the young Alexander proved himself by defeating the Sacred Band of Thebes, the army of homosexual lovers who were the most famous and courageous warriors of their time.

Alexander is said to have wept at their destruction, and buried them with honor, erecting a statue of a Lion over their graves.

He would later go one to conquer the entire Eastern world, Asia Minor, Syria, Judea, Egypt, and all of Persia, as far East as India. The Empire of Alexander spread Greek culture throughout the world, and made the communication of far-distant ideas possible so that the new Hellenistic culture that he created, was a combination of classical Greece and of the exotic cultures that were imported from every corner.

After the death of Alexander, at only 33 years of age, he was deified by his generals who divided his great Empire among themselves. We praise the glorious warrior Alexander of Macedonia, and elevate him, and worship him as a God, an example of the greatness of homosexuality, and a heroic protector of the Divine Antinous.

ALEXANDRIA ALIGNED TO SUN ON ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S BIRTHDAY

ALEXANDRIA, home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, may have been built to align with the rising sun on the day of Alexander the Great's birth.

The Macedonian king, who commanded an empire that stretched from Greece to Egypt to the Indus River in what is now India, founded the city of Alexandria in 331 B.C. 

It would later become hugely prosperous, home to Cleopatra, the magnificent Royal Library of Alexandria and the 450-foot-tall (140  meters) Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

Hadrian and Antinous visited Alexandria in the summer and early autumn of 130 AD.

Ancient Alexandria was planned around a main east-west thoroughfare called the Canopic Road, points out Giulio Magli, an archaeo-astronomer at the Politecnico of Milan. 

A study of the ancient route reveals it is not laid out according to topography; for example, it doesn't run quite parallel to the coastline. 

But on July 20th, the birthday of Alexander the Great, the rising sun of the 4th Century BC rose "in almost perfect alignment with the road," Magli was quoted as saying.

July 20th, 356 BC, is the date which has always been accepted as the birthday of Alexander the Great. Whether it was his actual birthday or only the official royal observance of his birth is unknown.

It is said that on the night before the mother of Alexander, Olympias, was to be married to King Phillip of Macedonia, she dreamt that a thunderbolt struck her body and filled it with power.

After the marriage, it is said that Phillip peeked into her chamber, and found her lying with a serpent, and that he afterward dreamt that her womb was sealed and that a lion dwelled within her. 

And on the night that he was born, 20th of July, 356 BC, the great Temple at Ephesus was burned to the ground by a vandal, because the goddess Artemis was away, assisting with the birth of Alexander the Great.

He was considered to be the son of Zeus, and this divine origin was what was given as an explanation for the unprecedented conquests that he accomplished. In his youth Aristotle, a student of Plato, educated him along with his following of young princes, who were later serve as his generals, and the founders of great dynastic monarchies of the Hellenistic world.

Foremost of these was his ever loyal and devoted Hepheistion, whose reciprocated love for Alexander was homosexual in nature.

In one of their first battles, while Phillip was still king, the young Alexander proved himself by defeating the SACRED BAND OF THEBES, the army of homosexual lovers who were the most famous and courageous warriors of their time.

Alexander is said to have wept at their destruction, and buried them with honor, erecting a statue of a Lion over their graves.

He would later go one to conquer the entire Eastern world, Asia Minor, Syria, Judea, Egypt, and all of Persia, as far East as India.

The Empire of Alexander spread Greek culture throughout the world, and made the communication of far-distant ideas possible so that the new Hellenistic culture that he created, was a combination of classical Greece and of the exotic cultures that were imported from every corner.

After the death of Alexander, at only 33 years of age, he was deified by his generals who divided his great Empire among themselves. We praise the glorious warrior Alexander of Macedonia, and elevate him, and worship him as a God, an example of the greatness of homosexuality, and a heroic protector of the Divine Antinous.