THE LIBRA FULL MOON THE ANTINOUS ORATOR MOON

TONIGHT's Libra Full Moon is the Orator Moon of diplomacy and balanced thinking in Antinous Moon Magic.

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. 

We borrow the image of the Roman orator ... a person skilled in the fine art (for it is an art) of using gesture, vocal inflection, intonation, precise enunciation, skillful selection of terms and every other skill at their disposal to convey thought in a persuasive manner.

When you are at a loss for words, the Orator Spirit enters your mind and gives you the words you need.

This is the Spirit of persuasion and conviction. It is the Spirit of teaching and elucidating, of getting an important point across to others.

The Libra Full Moon is the moon of balancing out extremes, diplomacy, fairness, justice.

Meditations and rituals carried out tonight are best suited for finding areas in your life which are out of balance. Perhaps you have allowed yourself to become a "doormat" for others, or you relinquish authority over yourself to others needlessly.

Or perhaps you are domineering and insensitive to the needs of others.

Because Libra involves interpersonal relationships, you may find that it is time to end a relationship which has outlived its purpose and which you have become stuck in solely out of a misplaced sense of loyalty or politeness ... or simply out of habit.

The Orator Moon offers you a way to negotiate an end to the relationship ... politely yet definitively ... for the benefit of both sides.

AMETHYST FOR THE ORATOR MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

ALL relationships need diplomacy and an amicable balance. It is not necessarily easy to achieve. 

I am advised by our astrology expert Hernestus that this Libra Full Moon of diplomacy and balance is the ORATOR MOON  ... A moon where the ability to communicate clearly will be enhanced. 

A moment to erase past woes and use balanced, tactful communication to resolve problems - especially within relationships. I, therefore, recommend that you meditate during this moon using the following crystals.

Amethyst - One of my regular recommendations - a beautiful multi-purpose crystal or gemstone. As you relax after an internal battle with your emotions you will want a feeling of resolution. Among many other attributes Amethyst can help you get rid of negative energy and thoughts. It can also help you transition to a new state of being. 

Iron Pyrite - These metallic crystals can help you to see behind the facades that people put up in relationships to hide their true feelings. It also helps you to use diplomacy and tact to achieve a positive outcome.

Snow Quartz - These lovely, milky stones help to enhance tact and diplomacy - to think before you speak.

Love and Light

MARTIN

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

AS HADRIAN VISITED MEMPHIS THE SPIRIT OF ANTINOUS WAS WITH VENUS URANIA

AS Hadrian visited the city of Memphis in spring of 131 AD, the spirit of Antinous had journeyed to the heavens, having crossed the darkness of the Saturnine Sphere.  

Antinous reached the shore of Venus Urania, the goddess of celestial love, who had arisen from the severed testicles of Uranus.  

Plato revealed that it was from Venus Urania that gay love arose, which he called celestial love, the highest form of love.  

Antinous ascended from the earthly realm to the sphere of Celestial Love, where Venus Urania ignited the flame of Homotheosis within his heart, aligning him with the semen of the first god Atum-Phanes, the cosmic Narcissus.  

Venus embraced Antinous as her son giving him the power of love and beauty making him the new HomoEros from whom Homotheosis flows.  

We Antinoans praise our mother Venus who gave us the blessing of being gay, of being Uranian, in whom celestial love and Homotheosis blossom like a pink lotus flower, from the semen of the first god within our hearts. 

AVE VENUS URANIA

NOW THERE IS AN OBELISK OF ANTINOUS ON THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT

YOU all know of the ANTINOUS OBELISK in Rome ... there is also an Antinous Obelisk in North America.

On Monday, April 11, 2017, a cenotaph obelisk inscribed with Antinous' name and dates was erected by an Antinous adherent in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC. 

It is thought to be the only cemetery with a LGBT section. 

Above is a picture of the grave of Leonard Matlovich under the blooming cherry tree. If you should visit Leonard's grave and turn around, directly behind you you will see the obelisk in the second picture. 

Take the short walk to the obelisk and you will see the name of Antinous and his dates inscribed on the fifth niche down from the top. 

The Antinous worshiper's name, James Crawford, is on the plate as well as that of Henry Moses III, a saint of Antinous, whose urn is within the niche. 

The names of two other gay men immortalized on this cenotaph are covered over out of respect for their wishes. 

Antinous is now inscribed on an obelisk on the North American continent. 

The landscaping has not been completed because the installation just occurred yesterday. 

If you are ever in Washington, DC, and intend to visit the very historic and interesting Congressional Cemetery, you might want to stop by and give a remembrance to our Antinous.

ASTRO FORECAST: APRIL 10th—20th, 2025

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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APRIL 10th to 20th, 2025

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THURSDAY, APRIL 10th, 2025

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.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11th, 2025

This weekend, Retrograde Venus turns around and goes Direct (forwards as seen from Earth) for the first time in six weeks. Have you been confused about gender roles and former friends over the past six weeks? Blame retrograde Venus! Old friends suddenly resurfaced, old questions about your identity recurred. But now, retrograde Venus turns direct and is going forward again. Friendships, financial questions and identity confusion will become clearer and more transparent now.

SAT-SUNDAY, APRIL 12th-13th, 2025

This weekend, 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.

MON-WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14th-16th, 2025

This week, Mercury leaves dreamy Pisces and soars into fiery Aries and immediately aligns in conjunction with Neptune for the first time in the fire sign Aries in more than 150 years! Mercury conjunction Neptune in Aries marks a powerful new chapter in both personal and global expression. This cosmic event potentially leads to heightened intuition, inspiration, and a need for clarity in communication and decision-making, while also requiring caution against overly idealistic or confusing viewpoints.

THURS-FRIDAY, APRIL 17th-18th, 2025

This week, Mars enters Leo, to stay there until June 17th, 2025. In this period, you will feel very invigorated, with loads of energy to do just about anything. The planet Mars thrives in Leo, so it is a good period for getting lots of things done, even quickly solving problems that used to be just too much. Mars passes through Leo every year and a half, so it's not a life-changing thing. But Mars truly enjoys this period of endless energy and heightened capacity. Make the most of it!

SAT-SUNDAY, APRIL 19th-20th, 2025

This week, powerful forces are at work when the Sun forms a 90-degree square aspect to Mars to unleash explosive energies. Sun square Mars creates a very tense energy which looks for expression through some kind of action, sports, sex, creative self-expression. The square causes obstacles in self-assertion which have to be overcome with the courage and fighting spirit which comes naturally. On the negative side this can lead to setbacks, frustration and may boil over as arguments, fights, tantrums or ... on the global level ... to wars and conflicts. Once the energy finds a safe way of expression, then the tremendous energy can lead to great achievements in Mars activities such as sports, military endeavours, fighting for a particular cause, even dramatic acting. The fiery willpower really does need a useful outlet to stop this warlike energy turning on the self or loved ones ... or pitting one nation against another. Competing and winning is important to maintain a healthy ego.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between April 21st and 27th, 2025, when we come to first of two Aquarius Third Quarter Moons in succession, which we call the SPRING BLUE MOON ... More details next time ....

APOLLONIUS AND PHILEMON SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF ANTINOUS

AS the fires of intolerance under the guise of "freedom of religion" rage all around us, we remember St. Apollonius and St. Philemon of Antinoopolis, two loving friends who died together as martyrs to religious persecution.
 
Antinoopolis was built upon the bank where Antinous had fallen into the Nile. From its birth the city was enshrouded with the specter of death.

The Religion of Antinous under the Curia of Antinoopolis was a death cult. The city's two major temples, that of the Egyptian faction and the larger Antinoeion which is the second possible site of the Lost Tomb of Antinous, were places for the perpetual lamentation of the death of Antinous, and for the passing of all beauty and youth in the world.

Antinoopolis was the flower of Greek civilization deep in the desert of the Thebaid, and it was a haven for dispossessed and exiled thinkers and theological revolutionaries of all sorts. But there came a time when even liberal-minded Antinoopolis fell under the sway of the fear and violence that had swept across the world.

The Christian faith was suffering one of the bloodiest persecutions in its history. In the 4th Century CE, as Antinoopolis was in full flower, Emperor Diocletian had sought to curb the rising tide of Christianity with brutal violence. He issued decrees that all citizens should be compelled to demonstrate their piety to the Roman Gods by offering sacrifice. It was a direct challenge.

Any person who refused was not only insulting the Gods of Rome, but also showing disloyalty to the Emperor and to Rome herself. Such treason was punishable by death. This was a legal way to persecute Christians. It was not an attack on the Christian doctrine, or its practices, but demonstrated an unavoidable line that no Christian would cross.

It is interesting to note that, although many of the Christians were executed by beheading or by being shot through with arrows, some were executed by being drowned in the Nile. This similarity between their deaths and the death of Antinous must have been very moving to the Ancient Priests of Antinous.

And it is also curious that the authorities apparently were not sensitive to the nature of this form of execution in the sacred city of a boy who had become a god simply by drowning in the Nile.

Of these Martyrs, the most profoundly moving are Apollonius and Philemon. Apollonius was a Deacon of the Church, also called a reader. The story goes that he was ordered to make a pagan sacrifice at Antinoopolis in order to prove that he was not a practicing Christian. He couldn't bring himself to do that, so he asked his "dearest friend" Philemon to make the sacrifice for him, since Philemon was a pagan.

Philemon is said to have been a flute player, an occupation notoriously held by homosexuals. While one was a young Christian priest and the other a pagan, it is indeed noteworthy that Apollonius the priest would have the confidence and trust to ask Philemon to take his place, and that Philemon would risk his life to aid the young priest. The two must have had a very close friendship, the nature of which has escaped the attention of the Christian martyrologists.


In the end, of course, the ruse was found out and they both died together by being drowned after the manner of Antinous, in the Nile.

One key element of the story is the irrefutable fact that Philemon, though not a Christian himself, refused under torture to renounce his friendship. In other words, he would rather die with his friend than renounce him and live on without him.

The details of the story of their martyrdom are shrouded in legend. In one version, they were tortured separately and were to be executed by archers.

But the story goes that the arrows bounced off their bodies. And in one version, an arrow point ricocheted back at Arian himself, blinding him in one eye.

Saint Philemon predicted that, after his martyrdom, Arian would be healed at Philemon's tomb on condition that he became a Christian. Arian did so, was cured miraculously -- and subsequently was put to death himself for being a Christian.

After arrows failed to kill them, Apollonius and Philemon, bloody but alive, were chained together and placed in a sack and thrown into the river. In one version, they were thrown into the sea at Alexandria.

Their deaths occurred on April 10th in the year 305.

What would cause a man to link his fate with that of another man, the two of them residents of a city founded in honor of a man who linked his fate with that of another man?

As for Apollonius, he must have been regarded as a rebellious hothead and self-destructive with his talk about this martyred Hebrew carpenter boy being an alternative to Antinous -- right there in the Sacred City of Antinoopolis!

What thoughts went through Philemon's mind as he was being bound up in chains together with his beloved friend and they were shoved into the river?

They probably weren't very nice men. Remember that actor/musicians were considered scum in ancient Rome. One was an actor and the other was a rabble-rousing religious fanatic. Not nice men.

Theirs was not a very pretty story. But then, few of the saints of any religious canon were very "sweet and nice" people to actually be around. "Nice" people obey the rules. "Nice" people obey the rules.

These people did not. They stood up against authority and convention. And their life stories generally are not very pretty.

But most of us are not very "sweet and nice" people, once you get past the smiling exteriors that most of us present to neighbors and co-workers. Most of our life stories are not particularly very pretty.

But "nice" people with pretty life stories don't become saints. Most saints are usually just ordinary people who were placed in an extraordinary situation and who did something extraordinary as a result. We read the lives of the saints because they shock us into facing the reality of our own not very nice selves and our own not very pretty little lives.

It is very fitting and appropriate that we remember Philemon and Apollonius, two friends from the Sacred City of Antinoopolis whose lives were linked by bonds of love and whose deaths were linked by bonds of chains.

WE HONOR VASLAV NIJINSKY SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON April 8th the Religion of Antinous honors St. Vaslav Nijinsky, the greatest gay ballet dancer/choreographer of all time, who died on this day in 1950 in an insane asylum.

He was a living Antinous who innately understood our religion's idea of Homotheosis ... Gay-Man-Godliness-Becoming-the-Same.

Homotheosis can only be accomplished by a self-inflicted act of faith after the example of Antinous. 

One must deny this mortal existence of death and decay, which existence is rightfully called transient, and cast the mortal self into the rushing waters of the Nile that flows within the veins and arteries of our true, perfect, interior self. A body that is the same as and as beautiful as the marble flesh of Antinous the Gay God. 

This is not turning away from life, but turning to it for the very first  time, and finding the light of the Unconquered Sun that has always shone within.

One of this religion's favorite Hadrian and Antinous stories is the tumultuous love affair between Vaslav Nijinsky and Sergei Diaghilev. Nijinsky completely changed ballet, inventing what we now consider to be modern dance. Of course he was out of his mind, and after his relationship with Diaghilev ended, he went certifiably insane and spent the rest of his life in an asylum.

Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky was born in Kiev on March 12th, 1888. Both his parents were ballet dancers, and Vaslav was introduced to the stage as a child. When he was a 18 he became the lover of Prince Paul Dmitrievitch who then introduced him to Sergei Diaghilev, the ballet impresario, whose lover he became in 1908.

Diaghilev took Vaslav to Paris where he was starting the famous Ballet Russe, an experimental production company that brought together the finest composers of the day with the most innovative scenery artists, costumers, and of course the greatest ballet dancers in the world.

The volatile relationship between the teenage Nijinsky and the 40-year-old Diaghilev led to the some of ballet's most profound and moving works. Nijinsky was the male star of the Ballet Russe, but he soon showed that his true talent lay in choreography. His debut as a choreographer came when he was 21 in the short piece entitled L'aprés-midi d'un Faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn) with music by Claude Debussy, in which Nijinsky starred as the lustful faun trying in vain to seduce a group of nymphs.

The ballet caused a scandal when it premiered in Paris on May 29, 1912, because of the highly suggestive ending in which Nijinsky pantomimed masturbation and orgasm.

But that was nothing compared to the riots that broke out after his next choreography for the orgiastic Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring).

The style of Vaslav Nijinsky was far ahead of his day. He revolutionized the ballet and single-handedly invented what we call modern dance, rejecting the stylistic forms passed down by tradition in favor of sensuality, odd gestures and unnatural movement that was totally infused with the grace and power of the feel of music.

The relationship between Nijinsky and Diaghilev broke down over time and they separated. Nijinsky married a female fan he had only met once ... simply to spite Diaghilev. But he was slowly succumbing to mental illness, and would eventually lose his mind completely.


He wrote a bizarre diary in the few weeks before he was taken away to  spend the rest of his life in various mental institutions. The genius of Vaslav Nijinsky, who was taken as a stupid person because of his shy and quiet demeanor, was revealed in his divine power of dance and in the sublimity of his strange diary.

Here is an excerpt, you'll notice the way that he rambles just barely able to communicate his wandering mind. Nijinsky was already leaving this world and becoming an immortal. He signed the last page, Nijinsky, the God.

"One day in the streets of Paris I pushed [Diaghelev] in order to show him that I was not afraid of him. Diaghelev hit me with his stick, as I wanted to go away from him. After this we lived for a long time together. I loved the Ballets Russes. I gave my whole heart to it. I worked like an ox. I lived like a martyr. I lived sadly and sorrowed alone. I wept alone. I loved my mother and wrote her letters every day. I was afraid of life, because I was very young. I could not go on composing the ballet 'Jeux.' It was a ballet about flirting and unsuccessful, as I had not feeling for it. The story of this ballet is about three young men making love to each other. I began to understand life when I was 22 years old. I composed this ballet alone, too. Debussy, the well-known composer, wanted the subject to be written down.

"Diaghelev likes to say that he created the ballet, because he likes to be praised. I do not mind if Diaghelev says that he composed the stories of 'Faune' and 'Jeux,' because when I created them, I was under the influence of 'my life' with Diaghelev. The Faune is me and Jeux is the life which Diaghelev dreamed. Diaghelev wanted to make love to two boys at the same time and wanted these boys to make love to him. In the ballet, the two girls represent the two boys, and the young man is Diaghelev. I changed the characters, as love between three men could not be represented on the stage'"

The Parisians called him the God of Dance, and toward the end of his diary, he signed his name, Nijinsky, the God. He died in a London clinic on April 8, 1950.

We consecrate him as a Saint and as a living incarnation of Antinous/Pan/Dionysus. St. Vaslav Nijinsky, who knew how to live  Homotheosis every single blessed day of his life ... which means living daily the Divine Spirit of Being Gay ... and who knew how to express this ineffable spirit in dance as well.

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN ANTINOUS SCULPTURES THROUGH 3-D PRINTING

NOW you can own your own museum-quality Antinous sculpture, thanks to 3-D printing.

Our friend Keith MezaenAset Hoberg shares these photos of the replica of the Farnese Antinous/Adonis statue which adorns the sacred altar of Antinous in his home in Los Angeles.

The full-size original Farnese Antinous is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples Italy. Keith ordered his 30-centimeter (12-inch) 3-D printed, bonded stone replica online.

Keith says:

"As a Companion of Antinous, having a beautiful depiction of Him to focus on during prayer, devotion, or meditation can be very helpful. 

"We are very lucky to be able to find such images of Antinous today, such as this beautiful 3-D printed statue, found in a shop on the Etsy app. 

"This reproduction of the Antinous Farnese statue has always been my favorite image of Him. Gazing upon it always calms my mind and fills my heart with love and happiness. He inspires me in so many ways."

ANTINOUS IN THE STRANGEST PLACES EVEN AT THE SUPERMARKET

ANTINOUS shows up in the most extraordinary places — even at the supermarket magazine rack.

Some years ago, Hachette published a magazine series entitled THE GODS OF ANCIENT EGYPT which featured special issues on scores of Egyptian deities — nearly 100 in all — each sporting a glossy brochure and an epoxy resin figurine in a little plastic "display case." The magazines were widely available at booksellers and newsstands around the world.

Antinous was featured in Issue 88 — possibly the most collectible issue in the whole series.

The Hachette magazines have long since gone out of print, but the figurines are still found on eBay and other online marketplaces. Antinous is hard to find, but occasionally he turns up and the bidding turns fierce as ANTINOMANIACS fight to possess the little 4.5-inch (14 cm) figurine.


The one pictured here sold on eBay for nearly $50 in "NRFB" condition — "Never Removed From Box."

It is "only a fake" of course. But that does not make it any less sacred or magical to anyone who loves Antinous. In ancient times, Antinous figurines, images, coins and medallions were prized by his worshipers as a sort of portable Sacred Token or Pocket Shrine.

In his authoritative book about Antinous, BELOVED AND GOD, Royston Lambert points out that in ancient times many followers of the Blessed Youth felt it was necessary to have a tangible representation of Antinous with them at all times for protection and for blessings:

"Some of the devotees evidently could not bear to be parted from the beneficial and reassuring presence of their Antinous and therefore had small, light-weight travelling busts or bronzes made to accompany them on their journeys."

Poor people made do with more crudely made representations, such as coins and figurines and medals made of lead, clay and other base materials. The demand was so great that there was a rife trade in which we would nowadays call "copyright piracy" among artisans turning out "illicitly yet more crude and cheap medallions of this hero whose images, miracles and protection were obviously sought by countless poor folk of faith."


People of modest means who were lucky enough to get their hands on one of his clay figures or commemorative coins would carry them with them for protection, often even wearing them:

"Many were pierced by holes and hung from the neck as talismans: Antinous' image offering protection against evil, sickness and death," says Lambert. 

Other such tiny statuettes, figurines, coins and medallions were placed in portable shrines or pouches or adorned away-from-home altars, and others were buried with the dead "to invoke the god's aid on the perilous journey into the unknown."

We look at the little Hachette Antinous figurine and see only a cheap epoxy resin plastic action figure, crudely hand-painted in some Chinese sweat shop. 

But imagine how the Ancient Priests of Antinous would have gaped in wonder at this little figurine swaddled in cellophane, along with a book of shiny pages unlike any papyrus, pages adorned with inscrutable glyphs and breathtakingly realistic images. 

Where we see ordinary plastic, the Ancient Priests would see a wondrous statuette fashioned in what to them would be a magical putty-like material not like anything found on Earth.

Clearly, it was fashioned by the Gods themselves — clearly, ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD truly is "immanent" (in-dwelling) in this miraculous vessel.

And the Ancient Priests would, of course, be absolutely right. 

REMEMBER WHAT THE ROMANS SAID: FORTUNE FAVORS THE AUDACIOUS!

ON April 5th we remember the anniversary of the Temple of Fortuna Publica for the city of Rome.

It was one of three temples of Fortuna on the Quirinale Hill, where Fortuna Primigenia, Fortuna Brevis and Fortuna Euelpis were worshiped.

The symbol of Fortuna is the ever turning wheel, found in the Tarot pack as the Wheel of Fortune, this indicates that things change and that you should not rest on your laurels but be prepared to grasp opportunities. It also tells us that things will not stay bad forever, the wheel will turn and things will get better.

Remember what the Romans said: "audica favet fortuna" ... fortune favors the audacious.

Fortuna Publica Romani symbolised the luck of the Roman population and state. Sje is an aspect of the Roman Goddess of luck, fate, and chance, Fortuna. As Fortuna Publica, she ensures the luck of the populice or state, and is a complimentary idea to Fortuna Privata, the Luck of the Individual.

Fortuna was honored with three temples on the Quirinal Hill in Rome in the neighborhood called tres Fortunae, "the Three Fortunas". 

At least two of those three temples were to Fortuna Publica. One was to Fortuna Primigenia, whose full title in Rome was Fortuna Publicae Populi Romani, "the Luck of the Roman People".

Another was to Fortuna Publica Citerior (citerior meaning "nearer", probably because it was closer to the center of the city).

There is not much known of the third temple to Fortuna. Some identify it as again belonging to Fortuna Primigenia.

But it is possible that it was more specifically dedicated to Fortuna Publica. The first temple had as its festival date the 25th of May, and the one to Fortuna Publica Citerior the 5th of April.

Fortuna Publica was sometimes known as Fortuna Populi Romani, the "Luck of the Roman People". Under this name She had an altar way up on Hadrian's Wall, at the fort of Vindolana, at modern Chesterholm in Northumberland, England.

THE NARCISSUS MOON OF ANTINOUS THE CANCER FIRST QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Cancer First Quarter Moon is the Lunar Phase of reflection and insight which we call the NARCISSUS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Narcissus Moon is the Lover of the Self. It is the Spirit which tunes out all distractions and all other people in order to focus on the Divinity within. It 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.

It invites you to look into the depths of yourself — find your Spiritual Twin. You may call this twin your "Soul," "Higher Self," "KA," "Spirit Guide" or "Guardian Angel." The terminology is unimportant. What is important is that you become aware of your Second Self.

In the Religion of Antinous, we call this the NARCISSUS PRINCIPLE, which is one of the founding principles of our religion. It is at the basis of the Spirit of Homosexuality -- Love of the Divine Self.

Most of us go through life unaware of this Other Self. We do what is expected of us. We do what we feel others want us to do. We put the perceived wants and needs of others ahead of our own. We think that it's "selfish" to put our own interests first.

But the Narcissus Moon reminds us that there is another Self ... a Spiritual Self ... without which we are not spiritually whole. For it is only by "looking out for Number 1" that we are physically, mentally and spiritually able to love ourselves. And only then can we truly love others.

The Narcissus Moon invites you to take a deep and profound look at yourself, with all your strengths and all your weaknesses, all your virtues and all your faults, all your courageous achievements and all your failures. Become aware of your Spiritual Twin, so that together, as one spiritual entity, you can fulfill your destiny.

Meditations and rituals on this night are well suited for delving into your inner self, for exploring the spiritual being which dwells within. This is also a good time for determining whether you are perhaps too self-centered and introspective and whether you focus on yourself to the exclusion of others.

LABRADORITE FOR THE NARCISSUS MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

AT tonight's Narcissus Moon we should remember that vanity and loving oneself are very different things...

Vanity focuses on the physical appearance you present to the world. It is important to be comfortable with that and ensure you love the image you create and project. Perhaps falling in love with yourself to the exclusion of all others is less positive - as the story of Narcissus illustrates.

Loving oneself is often seen as negative in European cultures. In the UK especially it is seen as quite vulgar to say that you love yourself. It is viewed as selfish and vane. This is so wrong. As Louise Hay says in her seminal book 'You Can Heal Your Life':

"I am talking about having a great respect for ourselves and a gratitude for the miracle of our bodies and our minds."

She goes on to recommend looking at yourself in a mirror, meet your eyes and tell yourself how much you love and respect yourself. Repeat this a few times a day - preferably every day.

LGBTU people have often had to grow up in societies which tell us that we are evil, dirty or repulsive. It can be hard to shake off that negative  view of yourself. So try what Louise calls 'Mirror Work' - it is very effective at boosting your self-esteem and self-worth. You are amazing!

Antinous provides a positive reflection of ourselves. He is the eternal image of a man who loved a man. He is the spiritual guide for all people who love people of their own gender or realise that they love themselves as a different gender.  He will be reflected in that mirror too.

Excellent crystals for inner reflection on yourself are:

Labradorite - This one of my favourite crystals (photo above) - partly for its iridescent beauty but also because of its many healing attributes. These include the ability to help you to have faith in yourself. It also brings positive contemplation and introspection.

Fire Agate - This is a powerful crystal (above left) particularly helps with introspection and finding inner peace with yourself.

Apophyllite - This crystal also encourages introspection but helps the process to reveal the truth of who you really are.

Whilst I would, obviously, recommend that you hold these crystals during meditation during this moon phase I would also recommend doing the 'mirror work' Louise Hay recommends. I would add that doing the 'mirror work' while holding one (or all three) of the crystals above would make it even more effective.

Love and Light,

MARTIN

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

WE CELEBRATE THE MEGALENSIA GREAT MOTHER OF THE GODS

AT the Megalensia we celebrate the introduction of the Cult of Magna Mater, the Great Mother of the Gods, into Rome.

During the War with Hannibal, the Senate consulted the Sibilline Book and received an oracle instructing them to bring the Great Mother of Phrygia to Rome. 

They sent an embassy to the city of Pessinus and amazingly, the Phrygian priests freely handed over the black heavenly Stone that was the most sacred emblem of their goddess. 

The Black Stone was brought to Rome, and met at the port of Ostia by a large congregation of the matrons of the city. They carried her in their arms, from one lady to another, into the city.

Within a year, Hannibal left Italy and was soon defeated. So it was that Magna Mater became one of the guardians of Rome.

The religion of Magna Mater is one of the oldest faiths of mankind, extending far back into prehistory. Evidence has been found of her veneration in one of the oldest human settlements known as Catal Huyuk in modern Turkey. 

The image above shows a mother figure on a chariot drasn by two lions, an image always central to the Great Mother. 

She was known under several names, Idea, Dydima, Sipyla, Agdistis, Rhea, Kubaba, Khaba, Khabala, and Cebele, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, wife of Saturn, mother of all the gods. 

It is believed that her religion was spread throughout the Middle East during the conquests of the Hittite Empire, led by eunuch priests headed by the Archigallus, who was the earthly representative of the divine consort Attis. 

The sacred shrines of the goddess were established where a black stone had fallen from heaven, and there a prophetess, known as a Sybil took up residence, speaking oracles from Apollo. The religions of Dionysus, Apollo, Diana and Persephone are deeply and intimately related, through their connection to Magna Mater. 

They are the vestiges of a faith and culture that long preceded Greece, yet whose traces remain even now, in the concept of Holy Mother Church, in the black stone embedded in the Khaba at Mecca, and as the spirit of the Holy Tree known as the Kabalah in Jewish mysticism. 

Antinous was very probably brought up as a devotee of her religion, since Bithynion had a mountaintop shrine to Attis, and was very near to the center of her worship at Pessinus. 

We adore and venerate the Great Mother on this day, as the savior of Rome, and as the Goddess whose religion was central to the formation of the young Antinous, who is the New Attis.

The bisexuality of her incarnation as Agdistis, and the transvestitism of her priesthood makes her religion of extreme importance to the concept of Homo Deus and of the New Religion of Antinous.

We praise the Great Mother of the Gods on this night.

Ancient goddess of Phrygia, who has watched over us since the down of time, seated upon her throne of Lions

Mother of the Holy Mountain, Queen of Beasts, 

Lover of Grandfather Saturn with whom she gave birth

To the Gods of Olympus.

It was on this day that the sacred black stone arrived

In Rome from Pessinus, carried by the Matrons

Together with the transgender priestesses of Magna Mater

It was prophesized by the Sibyl of Cumae that

So long as the black stone was venerated that no enemy

Would ever penetrate the walls of Rome, a prophecy

That remained true until the black stone was desecrated by The Christians, a few years later the city was destroyed

Magna Mater Deum Ideum, Cybele, Rhea

Queen of the Titans, Mother of the Gods

Watch over us, bless our black stones, make us invincible

Let our hearts be an impenetrable fortress of black stone

Ave Magna Mater

CHIRON COMES TO THE RESCUE

THE Sun aligns with the asteroid or 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!"

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 week healing energies get a sudden and dramatic boost when the Sun aligns 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.

ASTRO FORECAST: APRIL 3rd—13th, 2025

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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APRIL 3rd to 13th, 2025

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3rd, 2025

This week, ambitious Mars forms a positive trine aspect with industrious Saturn to give you the drive you need to push forward projects which have been stalled in recent weeks. It's now or never. Trust Mars to give you the determination. Trust Saturn to give you the cautious determination.

FRI-SATURDAY, APRIL 4th-5th, 2025

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 6th, 2025

This weekend, Venus trine Mars creates a magical moment. It is possible now to take a balanced approach to conflict, problems and projects that require effort. This can combine both a gentle touch and firm action, sensitivity and forcefulness. Negotiation and interaction with others could be aggressive and determined now, but also balanced with sensitivity and style. Any expressions of anger, frustration or discontent are more likely to be tempered with fairness, moderation and composure.

MONDAY, APRIL 7th, 2025

Aren't you tired of all the computer glitches, "lost" files, travel delays and snafus of recent weeks? Take heart! Now Mercury does an about-face and starts going forward again as seen from Earth, ending three weeks of Retrograde "backwards" travel. So you can safely message friends and co-workers a prediction that certain "lost" computer files or parcels will show up by the time they go to work tomorrow morning. Mercury going backwards creates this sort of impish mayhem with matters concerning communications, documents and money. Misplaced tickets, keys, "lost" computer files, letters and packages which vanish into postal limbo ... all are typical of Retrograde Mercury. The "lost" things turn up again as if by magic when Mercury goes Direct again. A skilled astrologer, Hadrian no doubt amazed his courtiers by accurately predicting when some "lost" document or wayward courier message would finally re-appear out of no where.

TUES-WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8th-9th, 2025

This week, Venus aligns with Saturn in the emotionally deep sign of Pisces. Their conjunction marks a time of personal, relational, and spiritual maturation, offering us opportunities to deepen our devotion and commitment to what is valuable to us. Around this time, we will have chances to choose what we aim to consolidate in our lives. We will be drawn to cultivate relationships based on a foundation of shared values and to gravitate toward pursuits, projects, and investments that are in alignment with our integrity.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10th, 2025

This week, healing energies get a sudden and dramatic boost when the Sun aligns in perfect conjunction with CHIRON. 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.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11th, 2025

This weekend, Retrograde Venus turns around and goes Direct (forwards as seen from Earth) for the first time in six weeks. Have you been confused about gender roles and former friends over the past six weeks? Blame retrograde Venus! Old friends suddenly resurfaced, old questions about your identity recurred. But now, retrograde Venus turns direct and is going forward again. Friendships, financial questions and identity confusion will become clearer and more transparent now.

SAT-SUNDAY, APRIL 12th-13th, 2025

This weekend, 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.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between April 14th and 20th, 2025, when we come to first of two Aquarius Third Quarter Moons in succession, which we call the SPRING BLUE MOON ... More details next time ....

ANTINOUS IS THE GOD OF THE GAYS BUT WAS HE GAY IN THE MODERN SENSE?

WE are often asked whether Antinous was gay during his mortal lifetime ... truly gay, at least as we understand the complex sociological and orientation that exist today.

This stunning portrait by famed collage artist DOUG STAPLETON shows modern faces superimposed on the face of Antinous.

But was Antinous "gay" in the modern sense?

Scholars have quibbled ... especially in Victorian times ... that Hadrian and Antinous were not homosexuals in the modern sense.

Instead, they were engaged in a socially acknowledged erotic relationship between an adult male (the erastes) and a younger male (the eromenos) usually in his teens ... or so the uptight scholars argued.

These semantic nuances allowed academics to sidestep the socially loaded issue of calling some of the greatest figures in history "practicing homosexuals" ... because that might imply that homosexuality was in fact not a degenerate mental illness, but instead was perfectly normal.

Even up until the turn of the 21st Century, many academicians (mostly male) persisted in avoiding the "G" word when referring to Hadrian and Antinous.

All of that changed at a news conference in London a few years ago.

"Hadrian was gay, and we can say that now. The Victorians had a problem with it. But we can say it." Thorsten Opper, a British Museum curator of Greek and Roman sculpture shocked the stuffy world of academia when he made that statement ... at a news conference announcing the Museum's Hadrian: Empire and Conflict" exhibition in 2008.

The British Museum, that bastion of staid and conservative scholarship, signaled a paradigm shift in historical awareness of homosexuality. 

The collage portrait of Antinous by artist Doug Stapleton on this page symbolizes the many layers of perception of gayness through the ages.

Our own high priest, Flamen Antonius Subia, explains the change in attitude that has taken place ... it is not so much gayness which has changed ... but rather the cultural perception of gays has changed ... not only society's perception of gays ... but more especially the perception of gayness amongst gays.

"Gay has always been and always will be, or so I feel," Antonius says. "Antinous was gay in the way that gays were in Roman times, which is different from how gays were in the 1950's, which is different from how gays are now," he says.

"Antinous represents the divine essence that we all hold in common, so yes, I believe that in his own way and for his time, Antinous was gay just like we are now."

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN SAINT OF ANTINOUS

WE remember Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen as a Saint of Antinous because he was gay although he may never have acted on his gayness.

Biographer Jens Andersen says the author could not overcome societal strictures against homosexuality ... but also could not bring himself to marry a woman.

In modern parlance, "he was just not that into girls", according to the author.

In an almost Freudian manner, Andersen channeled his sexual energies into his writing, creating some of the finest fairy-tale fiction ever written.

He fictionalized his biography as a wonderful fairy tale, even naming his autobiography "The Fairy Tale of My Life".

His own life read like a fairy tale. He was born April 2, 1805, in Odense, the son of a poor shoemaker and an illiterate laundry woman. 

Like "The Ugly Duckling", he was an eccentric boy who was teased merciless by other children for being odd-looking and awkward and for wearing hand-me-downs.

At age 14 he moved to Copenhagen in hopes of finding other misfits like himself. He succeeded beyond his dreams, winning the hearts of leading bourgeois families, who sponsored his education. 

Andersen finished his secondary schooling in 1828 and determinedly set about establishing himself as a writer. He published his first novel within a year and was soon on his way to fame, churning out novels, travel books, dramas, autobiographies and poetry. 

Firmly established as a Danish man of letters, he turned his talents to fairy tales in 1837, he began writing the fairy tales that won him international fame and access to the royal houses and cultural elites of Europe. 

He travelled widely, touring Europe and Britain. In London, he stayed with Charles Dickens, who found the effeminate, fussy, self-centered and hypochondriacal bachelor a tiresome guest.

While Andersen's novels are traditional romantic works celebrating religion and nature and displaying a deep faith in God, his fairy tales offered room for his subconscious mind to work out "relationship issues", according to his biographer.

Many of the fairy tales may be read as gay allegories, and some are clearly autobiographical. 

For instance, "The Little Mermaid" was written after a crisis Andersen suffered in 1836 at the marriage of Edvard Collin. 

Andersen's novel "O.T.", depicting an intimate male friendship, is also influenced by this unrequited love, according to the biographer.

Although Andersen typically conducted one-sided infatuations with young men, he did experience a more reciprocal romantic friendship with the Hereditary Grand Duke of Weimar, Carl-Alexander von Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, whom he met in 1844. 

In his later years, Andersen was infatuated with the young ballet dancer, Harald Scharff.

Andersen died on August 4, 1875. It was not until 1893 that his sexuality was publicly discussed, when a newspaper hinted that he may have been a homosexual. 

In 1901, an article in Magnus Hirschfeld's Jahrbuch fuer sexuelle Zwischenstufen also discussed him as a homosexual.

Actually, says his biographer, Andersen may never have had sexual relations with anyone. The pages of his diaries are festooned with crosses which he used to indicate masturbation.

The famous crosses suggest that he was an ardent masturbator, who meticulously recorded this act, as he recorded everything else in his life.

Throughout his life, Hans Christian Andersen thought of himself as the ugly duckling … a misfit undeserving of being loved by anybody.

     

ON THE VENERALIA By Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia

Mother Venus, Queen of Heaven

I lift up my heart to you.

When I was lost,

You brought me to the ruins of your temple

And all my doubts vanished among the stones.

You have forgiven my transgressions

And restored me to the path of destiny

She-Wolf, Mother of the Romans

In whose border-fields Antinous dwells forever

Gather them around me now

Let the key open the darkest doors

The splendor of your beautiful child

Radiates between us and binds us together

I will spread his power to the far corners of the world

Love, Pleasure, Beauty, Feeling

We are invincible.

Ave Venus

~ANTONIUS SUBIA