WE CELEBRATE THE WEDDING OF VENUS/APHRODITE & ANTINOUS/ADONIS

THE 9th of March is the festival of the wedding of Aphrodite and Adonis. 

Antinous has always been identified with Adonis, as the famous Farnese statue shows here. So the union of Adonis and Aphrodite is the joining of Antinous male energies with Venus female energies … to form a more complete you.

There is a lovely description of this festival in "The Golden Bough" by J G Frazer:

"Images of Aphrodite and Adonis were displayed on two couches, beside them were set ripe fruits of all kinds, plants growing in flower-pots, green bowers twined with anise, golden boxes of myrrh, cakes of meal, honey and oil, made in the likeness of things that creep and things that fly. The marriage of the lovers was celebrated."

So today is a good time for any love magic, but particularly magic to cement or confirm a relationship, or to encourage a partner to want to make a commitment.

WE PRAISE THE GODDESS ARTEMIS/DIANA GUARDIAN OF ANIMALS AND VEGETATION

THE 8th of March is the festival of Artemis/Diana as guardian of animals and vegetation.

In the Northern Hemisphere spring is on the way ... and for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere winter is coming.

Regardless where you live, leave food for wild birds and other small animals which might need sustenance at this transitional season.

We remember that Diana is the twin sister of Apollo. And because Antinous is often assimilated to Apollo, he therefore substitutes as the twin of Diana, though he can often be viewed as her male double.

That means Antinous is Diana/Artemis/Hecate. She is a goddess of wisdom and can lead us even out of the darkest night, she carries torches to illuminate any tricky path, so call to her whenever you are desperate for help … like all the small creatures under her care at this transitional time of year.

WE JOYFULLY CELEBRATE THE JUNONALIA FEAST OF JUNO QUEEN OF HEAVEN

ON March 7th we observe the Junonalia feast of the Roman goddess Juno, with whom Hadrian's wife and consort Empress Sabina is identified ritually. (Art by ANTONIUS SUBIA).

On this day, Ancient Romans observed the Junonalia to honor their Queen of Heaven. This festival was celebrated by the matrons of Rome in which a procession of 27 girls accompanied a statue of Juno carved out of a cypress tree.

There were processions in which statues of Juno were carried through the streets and ending at the Temple of Juno. Prayers and generous offerings of flowers and flowering plants were brought to Juno.

There was dancing, merriment, and wonderful feasting (for the Romans were known for their feasts). From how it sounded, it would be very similar to a modern "girls night out."

The Junonalia was also attested in a fragmentary poem De Iunonalibus, attributed to Claudian. In it, Juno is addressed as mistress of the celestial pole, and the spouse and sister of the king of heaven.

Her function as a goddess of marital bonds is also noted. Although the text is conjectural at this point, she may be asked to grant a return.

The Junonalia may have concluded a three-day festival begun March 5th with the Isidis Navigium (Sailing of Isis). In the Metamorphoses of the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, Isis is addressed as Queen of Heaven, and by the 2nd Century a number of goddesses, including Juno, shared the epithet Caelestis.

As the patron goddess of Rome and the Roman Empire, Juno was called Regina (Queen) and, together with Jupiter and Minerva, was worshipped as a the Juno Capitolina (Capitoline Triad) in Rome. Juno was a daughter of Saturn and sister (but also the wife) of the chief god Jupiter, as well as being the mother of Mars and Vulcan.

Juno's theology is one of the most complex and disputed issues in Roman religion. Even more than other major Roman deities, Juno held a large number of significant and diverse epithets, names and titles representing various aspects and roles of the goddess. In accordance with her central role as a goddess of marriage, these included Pronuba and Cinxia (she who loses the bride's girdle).

Juno looked after the women of Rome, with her Greek equivalent as Hera and her Etruscan counterpart was Uni. Hera was the Greek goddess for love and marriage, so Juno was Rome's goddess of love and marriage.

Juno's own warlike aspect among the Romans was apparent in her attire, as she often appeared sitting with a peacock armed and wearing a goatskin cloak. The traditional depiction of this warlike aspect was assimilated from the Greek goddess Athena, whose goatskin was called the aegis.

Ancient etymologies associated Juno’s name with iuvare (to aid, benefit) and iuvenescendo (rejuvenate), sometimes connecting it to the renewal of the new and waxing moon. This perhaps implied the idea of a moon goddess.

THE ANTINOUS JACKAL MOON THE GEMINI FIRST QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Gemini First Quarter moon is the lunar phase we call the JACKAL MOON in Antinous Moon Magic.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Jackal in Antinous oracular arts is the embodiment of cunning and skill and sleight-of-hand and being slightly dodgy and sneaky but also being incredibly adept and learned in the ways of the world.

Think of the jackal sneaking through the night, or think of a fox sneaking into a chicken coop. Or think of a coyote ... sly, foxy, intelligent, just out of sight. But these are not entirely negative energies, of course.

Each of us needs wily abilities to get through life. We need to tell a white lie now and then or to turn on the charm to get past some obstreperous person or to ferret out the best way to get something done ... by hook or by crook.

Faced with an uphill legal battle to prove your innocence, you need a cunning and sharp-witted lawyer who knows all the tricks in the book in order for justice to prevail.

The Jackal is very positive in the sense that it provides us with slyness, quick-wittedness, good strategies skills and the ability to sniff out danger ... the way a coyote does.

The negative down side is that it encourages us to forget the fine line between truth and fiction, and it encourages us to play false and cheat to get our way. Although, that having been said, the Jackal says that Truth is sometimes a variable and vague thing, and what seems false can sometimes turn out to have been the truly right thing to do.

The Gemini First Quarter Moon is the March moon of the Trickster, who taunts and teases, who plays tricks, who leads the soul through dark and treacherous passages ... who is more treacherous than any Underworld foe ... but whose cunning enables him to bring his charges to their goal.

Meditations and rituals carried out tonight are best suited for looking beyond the the veil of lies and deceit that others (or we ourselves) throw over our eyes to prevent us from seeing clearly. This is also a very good night for finding canny and cunning solutions to difficult problems ... strategies for out-smarting those who seek to pull the wool over our eyes.

The vibration of this lovely Lunar Phase has a number of other positive attributes, including its action to help you to release anger and by making you aware of your personal power. This energy also aids you to be aware of anyone who tries to take advantage of you, and to deal with this in a new creative way.

PINK AGATE FOR THE JACKAL MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

THE Gemini First Quarter moon (the "Jackal Moon") is tricky. Many crystals can give you a boost or help you to relax. This moon phase is all about seeking clarity amid deliberate distractions. 

You need intelligence, cunning and a strategic approach. It is hard to find crystals which will help you to meditate specifically on these combined attributes. 

That cunning Jackal is pulling the wool over my eyes too! However, I remain stoic in such situations and have found some crystals that may help guide in meditations this moon phase. 

PINK AGATE (top) - they can help you to see the bigger picture behind a dispute and seek solutions rather than dwelling on the situation.

FIRE AGATE (my old favourite!) - these lovely crystals allows particular meditative focus on strength whilst also having a function where it mellows the soul. 

GREEN JADE - they channel passion into constructive approaches to situations with the people around you whether family, friends, colleagues or enemies. 

They smash away illusions to create absolute clarity about the situation you are in or striving for. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that Chinese people have held Green Jade as sacred for over a millennia.

Love and Light,

MARTIN

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

THE ASCENSION OF MARCUS AURELIUS AND LUCIUS VERUS AS CO-EMPERORS

UPON the occasion of the Death and Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius on 7th March 161 AD, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus became co-Emperors, both surnamed Antoninus, a name which the ancient Romans equate with inestimable glory.

Marcus being the elder and wiser, was given the title Augustus, while Lucius took the name Caesar. 

They remained cordial to one another though their vastly different characters were always a cause of discord, though never of rivalry or outright animosity. 

They were a harmonious and cooperative pair of rulers, the only example of effective imperial brotherhood in the long history of Rome.

ASTRO FORECAST: MARCH 6th—16th, 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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MARCH 6th to 16th, 2025

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THURS-FRIDAY, March 6th-7th, 2025

This week, we come to the Gemini First Quarter moon ... the lunar phase we call the JACKAL MOON in Antinous Moon Magic. Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Jackal in Antinous oracular arts is the embodiment of cunning and skill and sleight-of-hand and being slightly dodgy and sneaky but also being incredibly adept and learned in the ways of the world. The Gemini First Quarter Moon is the March moon of the Trickster, who taunts and teases, who plays tricks, who leads the soul through dark and treacherous passages ... who is more treacherous than any Underworld foe ... but whose cunning enables him to bring his charges to their goal. Meditations and rituals carried out tonight are best suited for looking beyond the the veil of lies and deceit that others (or we ourselves) throw over our eyes to prevent us from seeing clearly. This is also a very good night for finding canny and cunning solutions to difficult problems ... strategies for out-smarting those who seek to pull the wool over our eyes.

SAT-SUNDAY, March 8th-9th, 2025

This weekend, the Sun and Mars cause unrest. Sun trine Mars encourages people to believe they can do anything ... and get away with anything. On the negative side, people run amok and even the weather can be more than usually unpredictable and destructive. On the positive side, however, you might accidentally run into the new love of your life ... while running for shelter.

MON-TUESDAY, March 10th-11th, 2025

This week, romance is in the air when Mercury conjunction Venus causes sparks to fly. Because Venus is Retrograde right now, you may get a message from an old flame who rekindles desires you thought were long extinguished.

WEDNESDAY, March 12th, 2025

This week, we come to our annual reality check when the Sun aligns with Saturn. This year, this powerful Sun conjunction Saturn alignment occurs when SATURN IS IN PISCES, occupying its watery home for the first time since 1996. This is especially important for Millennials born between 1993 and 1996 who are experiencing their first Saturn Return. This cosmic event is called "Saturn combustion," and it brings into the spotlight our relationship to responsibility and commitment. Around this time, a sense of fatigue and heaviness may offer us an opportunity to turn our focus inward and address something we have been avoiding. We will have opportunities to confront fears and insecurities.

THURS-FRIDAY, March 13th-14th, 2025

Overnight Thursday-Friday, you may find yourself feeling a bit guilty, a bit self-critical, a bit inadequate. That's the Virgo Full Moon ... but in Antinous Moon Magic, this is the DIANA MOON ... the moon of sisterhood, of kindred spirits in whom you can confide ... and a "sister" need not be blood related ... or even female ... you have a "sister" and tonight's full moon helps you find her.

SATURDAY, March 15th, 2025

This weekend, Mercury does an about-face and goes "backwards" as seen from Earth until April 7th, 2025. This RETROGRADE MERCURY phase is a time of confusion in communications and commerce. About three times each year, Mercury the communications wizard turns into Mercury the fast-talking con man. This is the RETROGRADE MERCURY phase, and it lasts about three weeks. RETROGRADE MERCURY will be serving up glitches and snafus in communications, computers, transport, travel and social media. If you are buying a new mobile phone, be sure to read the fine print about hidden costs. Planning to move into a new apartment? Check the kitchen and bathroom for tell-tale signs of mold before signing the lease. Remember over the next three weeks that MERCURY wants you to play his sly game to win — not to be a whining victim. Make him proud of the way you play his game!

SUNDAY, March 16th, 2025

This weekend, luck smiles on you when the emotional Pisces Sun forms a fortuitous sextile aspect with winner-takes-all Taurus Uranus. Your mind will be brimming with creative ideas and new solutions for stubborn old problems.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between March 17th and 23rd, 2025, when we come to the Capricorn Third Quarter Moon which, in Antinous Moon Magic, we call the HADRIAN'S WALL MOON of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers. Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Hadrian's Wall Lunar Phase is the embodiment of hindrances and blockages. It represents the barriers that stand in your way. It is all barriers and obstacles to progress. Meditations and rituals conducted on this night are best suited for focusing on blockages in your life, situations and issues which prevent you from moving forward. These can be manifested by persons or situations around you. But most often, we find during meditations on this night that we have erected prison walls around ourselves, we are blocking ourselves from the freedom we so earnestly desire. This Lunar Phase is saying it is time to break out! ... More details next time ....

ANTONIUS SUBIA CELEBRATES THE FEAST OF THE SHIP OF ISIS AT PHILAE ISLAND

MARCH 5th is the Navigum Isidis, or Ploiaphesia, the feast of the Ship of Isis. This celebrates Isis both as Moon Goddess and Queen of the Sea ... the Moon being the source of the tides. 

At this time a great procession would go down to the sea and carry with them a boat full of offerings to the Goddess, milk would be poured on the waters, then the boat loaded with gifts would be sent out to sea. 

Apuleius (1st CenturyAD) has described the ceremony in great detail and concludes: "When the ship was loaded with generous gifts and prayers for good fortune, they cut the anchor cables and she slipped across the bay of Alexandria with a serene breeze behind her that seemed to have sprung up for her sake alone. When she stood so far out to sea that we could no longer keep her in view, the priests took up the holy emblems and started happily back towards the temple." 

Our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA, during his sacred pilgrimage to Egypt, visited the last Temple of Isis where these ceremonies were celebrated.

A highlight of my pilgrimage to Egypt

Was the Philae Island Temple 

On the Upper Nile

Last stand of the Pagan religion.

Long after Theodosius outlawed the old religions,

The priests of Isis continued their devotions.

It was a great honor to visit that beautiful little island

And there is a corridor called Hadrian's gate

In my photo at the top of this entry!

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

                        MORE PHOTOS BELOW:

ANTINOUS SAILS THE SOLAR BOAT BY NIGHT THANKS TO THE MYSTERIES OF HELIOPOLIS

MARCH 4th is the festival of Re at Heliopolis ... a city which Antinous visited during his fateful trip up the Nile ... and a city which our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA visited during his 2020 sacred pilgrimage to Egypt.

After leaving Alexandria, the first important stop for Antinous on the Nile journey in late 130 AD was at Heliopolis, the ancient center of the worship of Re, the sun god.

The Heliopolitan cosmology states that the universe is created when the Atum (first principle) masturbates and creates himself as the sun god Re, the visible manifestation of the Atum, and then rises up from the primordial waters in the form of a mound.

Re then gives birth to the Enneads, the Nine beings who create the cosmos: Shu (air) and Tefnut (fire), Geb (Earth), Nut (Sky), Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nepthys who together are the principles of life. 

The creator, Re-Harakhte, travels across the sky on his Boat of Millions of Years every day, and then as it submerges beneath the horizon, Re-Harakhte battles against death and evil, and is greeted triumphantly each morning by the priests of Heliopolis. 

Antinous was admitted into these mysteries, and gained a place by the side of Re-Harakhte on his sacred boat, according to the hieroglyphs on the Obelisk of Antinous.

The glyphs state that Antinous can "assume any form his heart desires, because the semen of the First God TRULY is in his body."

When Hadrian and Antinous visited Heliopolis, they were no doubt shown the sacred shrine of the Bennu bird, who was said to have burst forth in a shower of radiant light from the heart of the First God.

This is the same First God who ejaculated into his own mouth to utter the words of creation at the moment of Sep Tepy, the Creation Moment. Other versions say he ejaculated in great arcs which created all the other deities and the entire universe.

Then on October 11th, a few days after visiting the Sacred Shrine of the Phoenix in Heliopolis (and acquiring that virulent bit of spellwork), Hadrian and Antinous visited Oxyrhynchus and heard of the fabled phallus of Osiris.

And a couple of weeks later, Hadrian cradled the limp body of Antinous on the shores of the Nile. The body was limp like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Hadrian "wept like a woman" and refused to accept oblivion for his Beloved Boy. Instead, he proclaimed Antinous a god and set about making sure that the Religion of Antinous took root and blossomed.

The Obelisk of Antinous speaks of Antinous being full of the "Semen of the First God" which is the creative force of the universe.

That means Antinous can assume "any form his heart desires" since he (like Osiris) is one with the First God ... and one with the Bennu Bird.

Antinous IS the Phoenix.

As sacred synchronicity would have it, "Bennu Phoenix" birds (Egyptian storks) flew over Antonius Subia's head during his 2020 pilgrimage ... most notably when three Bennu bird storks flew overhead during the ABU SIMBEL SUNRISE cosmic event on February 22nd.

So it was imperative for Antonius to visit Heliopolis ... which he died on the final day of his pilgrimage ... despite hindrances and setbacks. 

Antonius says:

From the day we arrived I was trying to get there but it kept getting pushed back for another day. Finally the last day came and I was not going to be dissuaded from seeing Heliopolis.

It turned out to be an arduous ordeal across the worst parts of Cairo ... In the Rain and at rush hour ... all of which turned what I thought would be a short solo excursion ... into a four-hour journey.

I decided just to take a taxi ... made arrangements to meet everyone later at the Dervish dancers at 6:30 (actually I was supposed to go back to the hotel first then we would all go together).

The taxi driver didn't speak a word of English but when I showed him where I wanted to go he said okay ... as we left I realized that he thought I wanted to go to a Hotel called Heliopolis ... and he had no idea where to go. 

Eventually he called a guy from the sidewalk who spoke a little English to translate ... and then he said he knew and off we went. 

I had no idea how far it actually was ... and in a rough industrial area full of burning garbage (and I have been in some extremely rough parts of Egypt ... but this was the worst. 

The taxi driver and I eventually could chat using the "translate conversation" function on my phone ... even he said that it was in a Bad Neighborhood.

Suddenly in the distance I see it ... The Giant Obelisk! ... one of the only Obelisks still standing in its original location.

There was a lovely little park surrounding it with what little remains of the once glorious city of Ra, where the Great Temple once stood, which is said to have been larger, older and more spectacular than Karnak.

The Great Temple of Ra at Heliopolis was where the creation story involving the god Atum masturbating the universe into being took place. (Illustration above: "Israel In Egypt" by Edward John Poynter)

The city where Orpheus, Pythagoras, Homer and Plato all came to study with the priests of The Temple of Ra-Atum.

It is also where Antinous and Hadrian came during their visit a few months before Antinous drowned, the place where the event in which Antinous said he would be willing to give his life for Hadrian occurred.

I needed to see Heliopolis

I needed to stand where Antinous once stood,

Where he willingly dedicated his life to Hadrian

So many obstacles tried to prevent me from getting there. 

I went all by myself into the wild worst parts of Cairo, and paid a heavy fare to get there and back. 

I spent as long as I could, absorbing the presence and power beneath what could be seen around me ... and thanked Antinous for making it possible for me to have this magical moment.

My last adventure in Egypt.

The way back was worse than getting there, I barely made it on-time to see the dervish dancers ... which was surreal in its self.

Then back to the Hotel to pack and head to the airport where I am now.

Heliopolis was wonderful ... and heart-breaking.

Egypt was wonderful and heart-breaking.

It has been the most powerful experience of my life so far and it will take a while to go through all that I have experienced.

The Obelisk of Heliopolis will stand as my final pilgrimage station in Egypt. Although so many obstacles endeavored to prevent me from getting there ... I overcame all that came before me and stood in the footsteps of Antinous.

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

MEXICO'S FIRST SAINT OF ANTINOUS IS VICTIM OF HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE

WORSHIPERS of Antinous in Mexico City today solemnly commemorate the anniversary of the horrific murder of the first martyr saint of Antinous in Mexico: Jorge Fernandez Martínez, a victim of homophobic violence.

He was brutally murdered by unknown assailants near his home in the Mexico City suburb of Tultitlán on 3 March 2016.

Forensic tests showed he had been tortured, raped and asphyxiated. His broken body lay undiscovered for days.

Grieving neighbors who had known and loved him for nearly 20 years held a wake and asked for dignified funeral services conducted under the auspices of Epithimia Antinous with Pride Tultitlán Committee and Estamos Contigo.

The rites were held at the famous Shrine of Santa Muerte (Our Lady of Sacred Death) in Tultítlan led by Enriqueta Vargas.

Our sister group Epithimia Antinous at the TEMPLO DE ANTÍNOO MÉXÍCO holds an annual vigil for him during ceremonies at the sanctuary of Santa Muerte in Tultitlán near Mexico City.

Carlos Oseguera Loraca, head of the Templo, says:

Today we commemorate the anniversary of the death of our brother in Antínoo Jorge Fernández Martínez, First Saint of Antínoo in Mexico, victim of homophobic violence in the Municipality of Tultitlán, State of Mexico. 

We also thank the Eclesiae Antinoi for having remember him on this date through the International Blog of Antinous the Gay God.

And we thank our brothers throughout the world who have raised their prayers for their eternal rest at the side of Antinous the God Gay. 

Praised be the gods because there will be justice in this life or in the other, for the crimes of hatred against our community! And let's say together with FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA:

"When Antinous died, he passed into the realm of the dead where he met with our Lord Osiris and they became one God. A single God to rule the Underworld, travel through the chambers of darkness, cross the rivers of blood, cross the lakes of fire, where the light of his beautiful heart shines like a beacon. All the souls of gays, lesbians and trans will be reunited to give them a safe exit from the kingdom of shadows. He will welcome you all in his Million Year Barque. Not a single soul will be left behind forgotten and without love. Everyone will find a place of love and peace by their side. Let us raise our voices of praise, always in this way, from now on, until the end of time ... "!

Ave Antinoo!

DANIEL ZAMUDIO SAINT OF ANTINOUS

WE honor Daniel Zamudio as a blessed and beloved Saint of Antinous.

Through his horrific death in Santiago de Chile at the hands of Nazi thugs, Daniel Zamudio spawned outrage throughout the Spanish-speaking world which forced politicians in Chile to enact anti-discrimation laws.

On the morning of March 3, 2012, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio was admitted to Santiago's Posta Central Hospital with severe cranio-cerebral trauma, cranial haemorrhage, multiple cuts and contusions on the face, thorax and limbs, aspiration pneumonia and a compound fracture of tibia and fibula of his right leg.

Daniel Zamudio had been tortured for nearly six hours by four youths allegedly belonging to neo-Nazi groups, who assaulted him simply because he is gay.

In his statement, one of the suspects, Raúl López, said they "kicked and punched (Zamudio) in the head, on the face, in the testicles, on his legs, all over his body." Then they carved three swastikas on him with the jagged glass of a pisco bottle that, minutes earlier, they had broken on his head.

Zamudio, a clothing store salesman, was attacked in a park in Santiago by thugs who singled him out because he was gay.

The second of four brothers, he had hoped to study theater, his brother Diego said. "He was very loving, an excellent person and that's why it's so hard to believe that they attacked him with such hate," he said.

Antinous is the God of ALL people who have suffered and been martyred for being gay. Daniel Zamudio is in the embrace of Antinous the Gay God.

THE LEAPING PRIESTS OF MARS DANCED THROUGH THE STREETS IN MARCH

MARCH is the month dedicated to Mars, god of war and fertility. In Rome 24 young patrician men would be chosen to act as "Salii" dancers to get March off to a martial start. 

We wonder if Antinous was allowed to be one of the Salii. But at any rate, he would have watched in awe as this ancient Roman spectacle unfolded before his eyes on March 1.

The Salii were the "leaping priests" of Mars in Ancient Rome introduced by King Numa Pompilius: twelve pairs of patrician youths, dressed in outfits worn by archaic warriors. 

They wore an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a red cloak (paludamentum), a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex.

They carried the 12 bronze ancilia (shields).

These shields resembled a figure-of-eight, like Mycenaean shields.

One of the shields was said to have fallen from heaven in the reign of King Numa, and eleven copies were made to protect the identity of the sacred shield, on the advice of the nymph Egeria, 'consort' of Numa, who prophesied that wherever that shield was preserved the people would be the dominant people of the earth.

On March 1 they would lead a procession through the city, singing, dancing and leaping high in the air as they clashed their swords or spears against their shields.

At night the Salii would congregate in the temple and feast in honour of Mars. Emperor Claudius is said to have left his own banquet and gone to join them as their food and wine was better than his own.