SUNRAYS ILLUMINATE INNER SANCTUARY OF ABU SIMBEL AT DAWN OCTOBER 22nd

FOR most of the year, the inner sanctum of the main temple at Abu Simbel is shrouded in darkness.

On two days, traditionally the anniversary of the birthday and coronation of pharaoh Ramses II, a shaft of sunlight pierces the gloom, illuminating statues of gods and the king in the temple's inner sanctum.

On February 22, a day celebrating the king's birthday and again on October 22, a day celebrating his coronation, sunlight illuminates seated statues of the sun gods Re-Horakhte and Amon-Re, as well as a statue of king Ramses II. The statues sit in the company of the Theban god of darkness, Ptah (who remains in the shadows all year).

The spectacle—which has endured more than 3,200 years of Egyptian history—draws thousands of tourists to Abu Simbel to watch this ancient tribute to a pharaoh whose name is still known up and down the Nile Valley for his military exploits and monumental building projects.

Ramses, who ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1270 to 1213 BC (about 50 years after the death of Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut) made a name for himself by battling the Hittites and the Syrians, Egypt's enemies to the north.

To celebrate his victories, Ramses erected monuments up and down the Nile with records of his achievements. He completed the hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes), and completed the funerary temple of his father, Seti I, at Luxor on the West Bank of the Nile.

The main temple at Abu Simbel, which Ramses ordered built near the border of Nubia and Upper Egypt, was dedicated to two sun gods, Amen-Re and Re-Horakhte. 

Standing 100 feet (33 meters) tall, the temple was carved into an already-standing sandstone mountain on the banks of the Nile.

Four colossal statues of Ramses, each 66 feet (22 meters) high, guard the entrance to the temple.

Rising to the pharaoh's knees are smaller statues of family members: his mother; favorite wife, Nefertari; and son, Prince Amonherkhepshef.

Inside the temple, three connected halls extend 185 feet (56 meters) into the mountain. 

Images of the king's life and many achievements adorn the walls. 

A second temple at Abu Simbel is dedicated to Nefartari, who appears to have been Ramses' favorite wife.

"Abu Simbel was one of, if not the largest, rock-cut temples in Egypt," says Bruce Williams of the Oriental Institute of Chicago, "The rock was sacred because the Egyptians believed the deity was living inside the mountain."

Rock-cut temples may have been especially significant in ancient Egypt because the bulge in the otherwise flat land may have signified the location where the gods emerged from the Earth, says Williams.

ANCIENT CROCODILE SKELETON FOUND UNDER A TEMPLE AT ANTINOOPOLIS

OCTOBER 20th is the ancient Egyptian Festival of Sobek, the ancient Egyptian crocodile god. 

Sobek is fierce, frightening, nurturing, and virile ... and as such was much loved by the Egyptian pharaohs. 

Archaeologists have found a crocodile skeleton under a temple of Antinous at Antinoopolis (see photo below). 

The crocodile protects the temple in all eternity! 

Sobek is celebrated for his protective and nurturing nature. In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were often mummified with a baby crocodile in their mouth, or on their back. 

This aspect of crocodile behavior was unknown to Western science until late in the 20th century, but the ancient Egyptians knew it. That is why a crocodile was buried at a temple of Antinous ... to protect Antinous for all eternity! 

The crocodile skeleton is one of the mysteries surrounding an INTENTIONALLY BURIED STONE STRUCTURE at Antinoopolis where ot just one ... but three ... human skeletons interred in sand directly on top of the structure.

With the discovery of the first body in 2017, archaeologists reluctantly speculated about "human sacrifice" ... but now they believe humans were buried separately but along with sacrificial animals.

The team of archaeologists working at ANTINOOPOLIS in Egypt say the subterranean "stone structure," which they believe may be an underground mortuary temple, is covered by two meters of soil strewn with sacrificial pottery sherds, bones of livestock and a crocodile ... and the skeleton of at least three human beings.

None of the animals was mummified ... nor were the humans,
says James B. Heidel, president of the Antinoupolis Foundation.

Some of the animals ... livestock ... were ritually butchered as normal for a Roman-era sacrifice. But a crocodile was buried intact, without being mummified.

But the human bodies were interred intact, also without being mummified. One of the bodies was accompanied by pottery vessels and ushabti figurines ... small clay dolls representing spirits who tend the deceased in the afterlife. 

The experts are certain that the pottery vessels and the bodies date to the earliest days of the city which Hadrian founded at the site where Antinous died in the Nile.

None of the pottery is later than the 2nd or 3rd Century AD, the experts said ... meaning the sacrificial offerings were made at the time when the city was founded and under construction.

The archaeologists are also certain that the site is intact and has not been disturbed by looters over succeeding centuries.

They found bones of large livestock, which appear to have been butchered prior to burial. An intact crocodile skeleton is seen as proof that the site was used as a religious sacrificial offering venue ... since crocodiles were sacred to Ancient Egyptians and not a source of food.

But the human skeleton is a total mystery. In Roman times, human sacrifice was taboo, but the archaeologists say the human bones mixed in amongst the bones of sacrificial animals and pottery suggest a gruesome possibility.

"The human burial is sealed in the same clean sand layer as all the other offerings, and the not unreasonable, but somewhat uncomfortable, hypothesis must now be that at least one human was sacrificed and offered with the animals," says James B. Heidel, president of the Antinoupolis Foundation.

The pottery and bones are in soil which covers the mystery-shrouded "intentionally buried stone structure" which Heidel's team found in January 2017 in the heart of the city founded by Hadrian at the spot where Antinous died in the Nile.

Using ground-penetrating radar, the experts discovered the rectangular stone structure ... 12 by 22 meters in size ... which consists of three successive chambers. 

The archaeologists suggest it could be an OSIREION ... symbolic Tomb of Osiris ... raising hopes that this could be the Lost Tomb of Antinous.

The structure was detected with ground-penetrating radar.

It is located near the waterfront peristyle discovered last season.

It is within what possibly was the Great Temple of Antinous and is a rectangular chamber which is subdivided into three sub-chambers ... apparently an antechamber, a middle chamber and an inner sanctum.

SAINT DIVINE HARRIS GLENN MILSTEAD

ON October 19th we honor Saint Divine (October 19, 1945 — March 7, 1988), born Harris Glenn Milstead. 

Divine was an openly gay American actor, singer and drag queen.

Described by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century," Divine often performed female roles in both cinema and theater and also appeared in women's wear in musical performances.

Even so, he considered himself to be a character actor and performed male roles in a number of his later films.

He was most often associated with independent filmmaker John Waters and starred in ten of Waters's films, usually in a leading role.

Concurrent with his acting career, he also had a successful career as  a disco singer during the 1980s, at one point being described as "the  most successful and in-demand disco performer in the world."

Divine, the seventh-of-a-ton transvestite star of Mr. Waters's early movies, helped set a new standard for drag that endured long after Divine's death of heart failure in 1988, Mr. Waters said.

"When we started in those days, drag queens were square," Mr. Waters explained. "They hated Divine: they wanted to be Bess Myerson. And Divine would show up in a see-through miniskirt with a chainsaw instead of a pocketbook."

The Divine look, which stylist Van Smith first created in 1972 for Pink Flamingos, had three components. First was the hair, shaved back to the crown to allow more room for eye makeup.

Second was the makeup, acres of eye shadow topped by McDonald's-arch eyebrows; lashes so long they preceded the wearer; and a huge scarlet mouth. Third were the clothes: shimmering, skintight numbers that gave Divine a larger-than-life female sensuality.

The net effect, as Mr. Smith ordained it, was a cross between Jayne Mansfield and Clarabell the Clown.

"If you look at anything that Divine wore, you sure couldn't find that off the rack," Mr. Waters said.

All of Divine's costumes were constructed by a Baltimore woman who made outfits for strippers. Subtle they were not. There was the red fishtail dress from Pink Flamingos, in which Divine looks equal parts mermaid, Valkyrie and firetruck. And there was the sheer wedding gown she wears in Female Trouble (1974), underwear not included.

Divine once famously said that if anybody was shocked by a 300-pound drag queen in a slinky cocktail dress "then maybe they need to be shocked." He himself would describe his stage performances as "just good, dirty fun, and if you find it offensive, honey, don't join in."

As a part of his performance, he would constantly swear at the audience, often using his signature line of "fuck you very much", and at times would get audience members to come onstage, where he would fondle their buttocks, groins and breasts.

He became increasingly known for outlandish stunts onstage, each time trying to outdo what he had done before. At one performance, held in the Hippodrome in London, that coincided with American Independence Day, Divine rose up from the floor on a hydraulic lift, draped in the American flag, and declared that "I'm here representing Freedom, Liberty, Family Values and the fucking American Way of Life."

When he performed at London Gay Pride parade, he sang on the roof of a hired pleasure boat that floated down the Thames passed Jubilee Gardens, whilst at a performance he gave at the Hippodrome in the last year of his life, he appeared onstage riding an infant elephant, known as Bully the Elephant, who had been hired for the occasion.

Divine and his stage act proved particularly popular amongst gay audiences, and he appeared at some of the world's biggest gay clubs, such as Heaven in London. According to Divine's manager, Bernard Jay, this was "not because Divine happened to be a gay person himself... but because it was the gay community that openly and proudly identified with the determination of the female character Divine."

He was also described as "one of the few truly radical and essential artists of the century ... who was an audacious symbol of man's quest for liberty and freedom."

On the evening of March 7, 1988, a week after his starring role in "Hairspray" was released, Divine was staying at the Regency Hotel in Los Angeles. The next day, he auditioned for a part in the Fox network's television series "Married ... With Children". After dining with friends and returning to the hotel, he died in his sleep of an enlarged heart at age 42.

THE CAPRICORN FIRST QUARTER MOON THE MERCHANT MOON OF ANTINOUS

TONIGHT is the night of the Capricorn First Quarter Moon which, in Antinous Moon Magic, is called the MERCHANT MOON.

In Antinous Moon Magic, each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Merchant Moon is Work. This Spirit enjoys taking up a task and doing it well and thoroughly. This Spirit likes to roll up its sleeves and get to work to see that a job gets done.

It is the proverbial Workaholic who lives only to work. It is the eager beaver, the busy bee, the workhorse who hates idleness and thrives on a job well done.

The Capricorn First Quarter Moon is an industrious, no-nonsense, let's-go-to-work sort of moon. It is symbolized by the Ancient Roman Merchant Ship which, alongside the trireme war ship, was the vessel which ensured prosperity, power and political unity for the vast Roman Empire.

Tonight is the best night of the year for working magical spells involving your life's Work. On the material plane, this can involve meditation, oracles and spells about your career, job, your employer or coworkers.

On a higher level, this lunar phase helps you to look into the broader implications of your life's calling. Do you live to work, or do you work to live? Are you able to juggle career and home life? Are you stuck in a rut?

This lunar phase brings out your spiritual ability to function in the world of work in general. On the earthly plane, it reflects your job/employer, your "day job" as opposed to spiritual or artistic endeavors.

For most people, and in most oracular readings, this lunar phase helps to sort out issues involving how you earn your living, and issues involving co-workers and job environment.

In a broader sense, the Merchant Moon helps you focus on your ability to keep your feet firmly planted on the material world while reaching for the stars.

APPATITE FOR THE MERCHANT MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

OUR heavenly astrology expert Hernestus has advised me that this moon phase is the Capricorn First Quarter Moon which is the "Merchant Moon" in the Antinous faith. He advises that this moon is all about your career, job, employer or coworkers or the broader implications of your life's calling.

Due to very poor health in recent years, I was forced to retire early at the age of 49. It was a shock of course, and meant a major re-organisation of mine and my partner's life. 

It has been a surprisingly positive change in many, many ways. However, we are both having to consider 'what next'. 

My partner had to give up his career to care for me and I now have to consider whether I am now fit to work. We are looking at therapeutic and artistic work which are unlikely to pay highly but will be much more spiritual and satisfying.

Your career doesn't have to rule your life and sudden change within it may not be the disaster it at first seems!  

For this moon I would recommend that you meditate holding or being with an image of the following crystals:

Golden Appatite - They help enhance your will to succeed. They will give you the courage to take risks and 'go for it'.

Cerussite - these slightly dull looking crystals (above) can assist you in change.

In Light and Life,

MARTIN

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

EL SANTO NIÑO FIDENCIO

ON October 18th  we honor a gay man who is adored as a saint by millions of people in Mexico.

El Niño Fidencio, Saint of Antinous, was a Mexican "curandero" (male witch healer or shaman) in the 1920s and '30s who is regarded as a saint by his modern-day followers (although he is not recognized by the Catholic Church) and who depicted himself in drag as the Virgin Mary.

His millions of believers point to the fact that he has been credited with innumerable healings and other miracles. He is credited with saving countless lives and with curing incrable ailments.

His millions of believers also point to the numerological phenomenon that he was born on October 18, 1898, and he died on October 19, 1938.

The story of El Niño Fidencio also has many parallels to the story of the Magnificent Religion of Antinous.

Like ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD after deification on the banks of the Nile, El Niño Fidencio was a winsome young man beloved by all who worked miracles along the banks of a great river (Rio Grande) flowing through the barren wasteland of a desert between two lands, the US and Mexico.

The Nile divided the Land of the Living from the Land of the Dead,  the Rio Grande divides (or joins) two culturally merging societies.

The Ancients believed Antinous worked miracles in the lives of his faithful followers. Antinous healed the sick, he granted people love and prosperity, he shielded them from peril.

Historian Royston Lambert's book Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous devotes a full chapter to the Religion of Antinous and mentions the miracles he was able to bring forth.

The oracle priests of Antinous could intercede with the God, or followers could appeal directly to Antinous:

"There is evidence of oracles at Tarsos and perhaps at Rome itself," Lambert writes. "No doubt it was through these pronouncements and visitations that he wrought miracles and healing for which he evidently became famous in the east."

In many areas, people named their children Antinous in the fervent belief that he would watch over and protect their offspring all their lives.

There is the well-documented case of a man named Serapamon who lived in Antinoopolis in the 3rd Century and who called on the priests of Antinous for a love spell to attract a certain woman named Ptolemais. Clearly, his followers truly believed he could work miracles for those who believed in him.

Lambert points out: "The frequent use of his medals as talismans or amulets demonstrates demonstrates a widespread faith in his powers in Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt."

Lambert makes it clear that, for early followers of Antinous, there was no doubt in their hearts or minds that he could work miracles — and did so on an everyday basis.

"Indeed," Lambert goes on to state, "the popular vigour and genuine conviction of the 'belief' in Antinous were widespread and persistent enough to provoke the scorn of some sophisticated pagans and the anxious and unremitting indignation of most Christian apologists for two and a half centuries to come."

We should remember the heart-felt faith of the early followers of Antinous, who knew Him to be their salvation. We should remember their undying faith when we honor El Niño Fidencio in the face of the "anxious and unremitting indignation" of Catholic clerics to this day.

THE FESTIVAL OF CERNUNNOS

THE 18th of October is the Festival of The Horned God, known to us as Herne or Cernunnos. 

He is the protector of wild places and the spirits and creatures that inhabit them. He is the Lord of the Hunt, the mightiest of hunters and yet also he personifies the power of the stag, the subject of the hunt. 

He leads himself and us on a merry dance over hills and through the woods.

In his oldest guises he is Pan, and the dancing shaman wearing the skin and antlers of the stag. We honor Antinous-Cernunnos as a form of Pan.

OSCAR WILDE SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON October 16th, the Religion of Antinous honors SAINT OSCAR WILDE who was born on this day in 1854. He died in ignominy and poverty on November 30th, 1900.

Ostensibly, Saint Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel.

Known for his biting wit, he became the most successful playwright of the late Victorian era in London, and the greatest "celebrity" of his day.

His plays are still widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.

As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde experienced  a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years' hard labour after being convicted of homosexual relationships, described as "gross indecency" with other men.

After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry and he never returned to Ireland or Britain.

That is the truth, pure and simple, of his life. But as Saint Oscar himself once famously said: "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."

For that reason (and for many others) we remember him not only because he was notorious (something for which he might claim to be quite proud) but because he remembered Antinous.

He kept the name of Antinous alive through his poetry: 

"—A moment more, the trees had stooped to kiss
Pale Daphne just awakening from the swoon
Of tremulous laurels, lonely Salmacis
Had bared his barren beauty to the moon,
And through the vale with sad voluptuous smileANTINOUS had wandered, the red lotus of the Nile.
"Down leaning from his black and clustering hair
To shade those slumberous eyelids — caverned bliss,
Or else on yonder grassy slope with bare
High-tuniced limbs unravished Artemis
Had bade her hounds give tongue, and roused the deer
From his green ambuscade with shrill hallo and pricking spear.FROM "THE BURDEN OF ITYS" BY OSCAR WILDE.


"—Lift up your large black satin eyes which are like cushions where one sinks!
Fawn at my feet fantastic Sphinx! and sing me all your memories!
Sing to me of that odorous green eve when couching by the marge
You heard from Adrian's gilded barge the laughter of ANTINOUS
And lapped the stream and fed your drouth and watched with hot and hungry stare
The ivory body of that rare young slave with his pomegranate mouth!

FROM "THE SPHINX" BY OSCAR WILDE.

Here are some quotations from Oscar Wilde:

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.
In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.

Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable

The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.

Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.

It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.

Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much.

A true friend stabs you in the front.

I don't want to earn my living — I want to live.

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about.

A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.

What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

ASTRO FORECAST: OCTOBER 15th—25th, 2026

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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OCTOBER 15th
to 25th, 2026

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2026

This week, the LGBTQIA spiritual revolution gets a big boost when Pluto turns direct after having been Retrograde (going "backwards" as seen from Earth) since 7th May 2026. Moving "forward" again helps to heal past transgressions and bring closure. Pluto is in innovative Aquarius for the first time since the French and American revolutions and remains in revolution-minded Aquarius for the next 20 years. Full details here about PLUTO IN AQUARIUS.

FRI-SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16th-17th, 2026

This weekend, 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.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 2026

This weekend, we come to the CAPRICORN FIRST QUARTER MOON. In Antinous Moon Magic, we call this the MERCHANT MOON which offers you an opportunity to reap the benefits of your hard work — and find new opportunities for material advancement.

MON-TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19th-20th, 2026

This week, Venus square Pluto creates an explosive situation for interpersonal relationships. It begins at the breakfast table over corn flakes when you say you want to go shopping and your alpha-male boyfriend starts in saying that it's typical of you to go off and spend money and waste time while he has to clean the house. Next thing you know, the two of you have been screaming at each other for hours. Remember that astrology is a tool to master such situations. Venus-square-Pluto is a golden opportunity to rediscover the things you love about your lover. Okay, so he's a bitch-on-wheels. So what? He's your bitch-on-wheels and the two of you love each other. Make a stab at helping him clean the house — and sneak online and buy needless stuff on eBay when he's not looking.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21st, 2026

This week last meteors that Antinous saw before he died in October of 130 AD! Go outside tonight and look up and see one of the great wonders of the October heavens ... when the ORIONIDS meteor showers reach their peak this week! Every year in late October, our planet passes through debris left behind by Halley's Comet, and some of that debris turns into meteors. You see up to 20 meteors an hour in the Northern Hemisphere, or up to 40 an hour in the Southern Hemisphere. Orion shoots his love arrows into your heart!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22nd, 2026

This week, Sun opposition Chiron means your self-confidence and patience may be a bit strained right now, stretched by the urge to break free of chronic constraints. Motivation and self-esteem may seem to sag and suffer from old problems that you thought were resolved. This is probably because you are seeing "the flaws in the system" that are preventing you from getting the results you want. It will help to take a fresh approach to your situation. You may need to let go of what you think the results "should be" or how they should come to you. Be open to getting what you want in a different form than you were expecting. You may have to work extra hard for results now, especially if it means having to find a different route to success. If it seems like a door of opportunity has closed, look for an unexpected advantage or hidden alternative. This could allow you to tap into other opportunities that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23rd, 2026

This weekend you discover the warrior goddess within your heart ... when the Sun aligns in conjunction with Venus ... both in equality-seeking Libra. You fight for your beliefs ... no one can defeat you.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24th, 2026

This weekend Mercury does an about-face and goes "backwards" as seen from Earth until November 13th. 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, OCTOBER 25th, 2026

This weekend retrograde Venus slips "backwards" out of suspicious Scorpio and re-enters lovely laid-back Libra to stay until December 4th, 2026. As this new cycle takes hold in your life, romance and social interaction take on a greater importance for you. Harmonious ties to others are what you yearn for; refinement and elegance are what you seek. The ideal partnership, the perfect balance, the highest standards of truth and beauty — these are some of the things that quicken your pulse now.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between October 26th and November 1st, 2026, when we come to the TAURUS FULL MOON. That is the lunar phase which, in Antinous Moon Magic, is called the HADRIAN's VILLA MOON. This is a way for Antinous the Gay God to help you find your spiritual home, the celestial palace you have made for yourself. This Moon is aimed at helping you focus and center your spiritual heart ... More details next time ....

THE LAST METEORS ANTINOUS SAW: THE ORIONIDS REACH THEIR PEAK TONIGHT

THE last meteors that Antinous saw before he died in October of 130 AD! Go outside tonight and look up and see one of the great wonders of the October heavens ... when the Orionids meteor shower reach their peak tonight! Every year in late October, our planet passes through debris left behind by Halley's Comet, and some of that debris turns into meteors. You see up to 20 meteors an hour in the Northern Hemisphere, or up to 40 an hour in the Southern Hemisphere.

GERMAN SCIENTISTS ARE AFRAID TO DECANT THIS BOTTLE OF ANCIENT ROMAN RED WINE

SCIENTISTS in Germany would love to decant a bottle of Ancient Roman red wine which has been aging for more than 1,600 years ... but they are afraid to open the bottle.

The sealed glass bottle was found in a Roman tomb in 1867 and put on display at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in the western German city of Speyer.

Museum directors fear that a moment's carelessness could shatter the bottle, destroying its priceless content. Though scientists would like to test it to figure out exactly how old the wine is and where it comes from, as well as perhaps seeing how it tastes – cracking it open is out of the question. 

"It's not clear what would happen if air gets into the wine," said Ludger Tekampe, who heads the department responsible for storing it. 

There's also the danger that, after all this time, it could have become poisonous, although scientists suspect the alcohol would not be dangerous, but just taste disgusting.

In any event, the ultra-old wine has survived a lot, including ancient drinkers, handling on its way to the museum, and two world wars, with nary a problem. 

Tekampe said he hasn't observed any changes in the wine or its container in his 25 years at the museum, the bottle appears to have been carefully constructed by the Romans to prevent the wine from decomposing.

"The content is remarkably stable," Tekampe said. 

Still he's the only one who handles the bottle. Everyone else is just too afraid.

"I held the bottle in my hand twice during renovations. It was a strange feeling," Tekampe said.

A TRANSLATION OF THE HIEROGLYPHS ON THE OBELISK OF ANTINOUS

IN ancient times, Antinous was known as a miracle worker. His worshipers prayed to him for miracles, oracles, visions and answers to problems in their daily lives.

The Egyptian hieroglyphs on the OBELISK OF ANTINOUS state clearly that Antinous answers the prayers of all who call upon him through dreams and visions, for example.

This document, written in crumbling hieroglyphs on an obelisk of red granite, is the only authentic fragment which remains from the Ancient Religion of Antinous. It is believed to have been authored by Hadrian, or a high priest, proclaiming the Egyptian basis of the Ancient Religion of Antinous.

It vividly proclaims the Religion of Antinous, and it is the only document through which the voice of Antinous speaks directly. If it was written by Hadrian, then it is what the founder of the Religion of Antinous wished to convey to us.

The translation below is based on extensive work using the only scholarly book in existence which provides a full transliteration of the hieroglyphic inscription. This book was published in Germany in 1994 by German scholars and so their translation is of course in German — not English. An authoritative English translation has never existed — until now.

The inscription liberally employs deliciously "Egyptiany" puns and euphemisms which are very difficult to translate. For example, Antinous is described as having "festively decorated eyes" and those words have been used in all previous English translations, based on the German. But other scholars cited in the book's appendices point out that "festively decorated eyes" is an idiomatic expression not to be taken literally. In fact, they argue, it means it is not necessarily HIS eyes which are decorated, but rather it is OUR eyes which are adorned by the vision of his loveliness. Through His eyes He dazzles us. So it really means "He is dazzling in beauty of the eyes" — which is what we have decided to use.

The inscription also shows how difficult it was for the Egyptians to translate Greek and Roman concepts into hieroglyphs. For example, the Egyptians had no word for "hippodrome" since a stadium for chariot-racing was an alien concept to the Egyptians. So the inscription calls it "a horse-whipping place" which, while being colorful, is perhaps a bit misleading. So, after careful consideration, we have decided to use the word "arena" in that passage.

One insight which comes from reading the glyphs (which are incised right-to-left) is the realization that the text begins on the East Face (the Rising Sun) and proceeds clockwise right-to-left around the obelisk. Hitherto, the order of the faces was assumed to be East-West-North-South. But we are convinced the Egyptians meant the text to be read East-South-West-North, in one continuing narrative. Thus, the faces follow like pages in a book. For the first time in 1,800 years, the new translation below makes the narrative sense clear.

Starting with the East Face, we see references to Ra-Herakhte, the Rising Sun.

Next comes the South Face, which is the direction of the Source of the Nile, the source of all life, and the inscription discusses the tomb and the establishment on this Earth of the Sacred City of Antinoopolis.

Then comes the West Face, which is the direction of the setting sun and the Underworld. The inscription speaks of the deeper Mystery Teachings of the religion and how the guardians of the Gates of the Underworld permit Antinous to pass through unheeded.

Finally, we come to the North Face, which is directed to the Circumpolar Stars which the Egyptians called "The Imperishables". These stars and constellations around the Pole Star Polaris never set below the horizon — they never die. The Egyptians believed those "Imperishables" were in fact the gods and pharaohs. Accordingly, the inscription speaks of the miracles which Antinous performs by virtue of the fact that he is indeed one of these "Shining Ones" and by virtue of the fact that the magical force of creation ("the semen of the First God") truly is in his body.

The Obelisk of Antinous is the most important document of the new Religion of Antinous, it is the only vestige of the original religion, a sacred inscription without parallel, but its origin and purpose remain completely veiled in mystery, as is everything that remains of Antinous.

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THE OBELISK OF ANTINOUS

EAST FACE
(Towards the Newborn Sun)

Antinous the God, His heart in rapture
At Having come to know His True Form
And at Having seen His father Ra-Harakhte,
It is Antinous who brings forth this prayer.

Thus His Heart Proclaims:
Ra-Harakhte, supreme among the gods,
He who hears the prayers of the Gods and Men,
Of the Transfigured and the Dead,
Hear also the plea of Hadrian,
Who stands before you!

As recompense for all he has done
For me, Antinous, your beloved son,
Generously reward Hadrian,
Lord of Both Upper and Lower Egypt,
Who founded a magnificent new religion
In the temple shrines for all people,
Which has pleased the Gods!

And he is called "Beloved of Hapy and All the Gods,"
The Lord of Crowns, Hadrianus Caesar

May he have Eternal Life, Prosperity and Sanctity
Throughout all time like Ra,
Blossoming and rising anew
Throughout the ages!

He is Our Lord,
The ruler of all lands,
The Noble Augustus!

The Lords of Egypt bow to him,
And the Barbarians are vanquished
Beneath his feet,
As it has always been
Under the rulers of Upper and Lower Egypt.

They come into being by the utterance of his word,
His might extends to the far reaches of the realm
And the four corners of the Earth!

Bulls mate in rapture with cows
And bring forth their young for Hadrian,
To please his heart and that of his great and beloved Queen,
The Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt and all its cities,
Sabina Sebaste Augusta!
May she have Eternal Life, Prosperity and Sanctity forever!

Hapy, 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!

SOUTH FACE

(Towards the Source of the Nile)

Antinous the God is here!
He rests in this place
Which is in the Border Fields of Our Lady Rome.

In all Sacred Places of Egypt
He is recognized as Divine.

Temple shrines are raised to Him,
And He is revered as a God
By the oracles and priests
Of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Indeed by all the people of Egypt!

The City of Antinoopolis was named in His honour,
Populated by the Greeks of Egypt
As well as priests from the temples of Egypt,
And those who have come to this place
With the promise of splendours beyond all measure.

A Temple to Antinous the God,
Who is among the Shining Ones of Heaven,
Is located in this city
Built of good white stone,
Surrounded by sphinxes and statues
And innumerable columns
Like those Temples erected
By Our Ancient Ancestors
And also like those of the Greeks.

All Gods and Goddesses
Give Him the Breath of Eternal Life
That He might breathe
As One Who Is Eternally Young!

WEST FACE
(Towards the Underworld)

Antinous the God,
Who is among the Shining Ones of Heaven,
Has been transfigured into a God of Eternal Youth,
Perfect of countenance,
Who is dazzling in beauty of the eyes,
Whose heart is full of heroic joy
Since He received the order of the Gods
At the hour of his death.

Every ritual of the Book of the Hours
Shall be repeated for him
Along with each of His Mysteries.

His Word shall be spread to the whole world.
His teaching shall be a never-ending river
Of admonition, inspiration and mystery.

Nothing comparable has been conferred
On any mortal man before now,
Just as with His altars, His temples
And His sacred images.

All by virtue of the Truth
That He breathes the Breath of Eternal Life.
And His magnitude comes into being
In the hearts of all men.

Lord of Hermopolis,
Lord of the Sacred Words, Thoth!
Take the Soul of Antinous
And make it Eternally Young
At every moment of every night,
And every day, for all Eternity!

Love for Him fills the hearts of His followers
And the Awe of HIM is with all.
His believers raise their voices in praise
When they worship Him.

He takes His seat in the Hall of the Justified,
The Illuminated and the Exalted,
Who are in the entourage of Osiris
In the Kingdom of the Underworld,
For the Lord of Eternity finds Justice in Him!

Through the Gods
His Word endures upon the Earth,
Because He fills their hearts with joy!

He is able to enter any place he wishes.
The guardians of the gates
Of the Kingdom of the Underworld
Say "Praise to You" to Him...
They loosen their bolts
And throw open their gates before him...
Millions of years long...daily...
As his duration of life is as the sun,
Never in eternity elapsing!

NORTH FACE

(Towards the Circumpolar Imperishables)

Behold, Antinous the God is Here,
Who is among the Shining Ones!

An arena was erected in His sacred city in Egypt
Antinoopolis, which was named for Him,
Being for the champions from all lands of the Earth,
For the rowing teams and the runners
And for the masters of the arts
Of the Lord of Sacred Words, Thoth.
And they are awarded glorious prizes
And wreaths and rewards of plentiful riches.

Offerings are brought daily upon His altars.

He is honored in praise by the artists of Thoth
In accordance with His glory.

He strides forth from his resting place
To His innumerable temples
All across the earthly realm.

He hears the prayers of all those who call out to Him,
And He cures the afflictions of those in need
By sending healing visions while they dream.

Once He has accomplished His work among the living,
He takes every shape that His heart desires,
For the semen of the First God
Truly is in His body!

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR MARTYR SAINTS OF MALE-MALE LOVE

ON this day, the origin of the folk belief that "Friday the 13th" is an unlucky day, the Religion of Antinous remembers the Knights Templar.

The proud and courageous brotherhood known as the Order of Knights Templar, who were sworn to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land, were accused of Heresy, Idolatry and Sodomy, and were arrested on Friday the 13th of October in the year 1310 in France.

Although they had fought valiantly during the Crusades, and even stayed behind, sacrificing themselves to guard the retreat of Christian refugees during the fall of Acre in 1291, the order was condemned by the Pope and handed over to the envious King Philip the "Fair" of France, who coveted their land and immense wealth.

The Knights had adopted the heresy of Catharism which was basically a form of Gnosticism with Manichean influence, that had perhaps been introduced to them in the Holy Land where it flourished under the Moslems.

The Cathars believed that Jesus had descended to the material plane to undo the rule of the God of Israel, and that he had liberated mankind from the law of Moses and the natural order, through salvation in his name.

The Cathars believed that the body, and life itself, was the creation of the Evil One, who claimed to be the "Creator of the Universe."

They did not recognize the authority of the Church and believed that homosexuality was sacred because it was a form of love which did not result in procreation (locking humans in a cycle of earthly incarnations).

Following the Platonic ideal of Venus Urania, the Cathars believed that Brotherly Love was more in keeping Christ's teaching than the love between husband and wife.

The Knights Templar, whose seal depicted two knights riding on one horse, quite openly advocated this philosophy. But the Papal accusation claimed that they took this to the extreme of sodomy, requiring new initiates to perform the Kiss of Shame, by which they kissed the buttocks and phallus of the Grand Master of the Order.

They were also accused of abandoning Christianity and worshipping a demon called Baphomet, a hermaphroditic, goat-headed idol whose name implied secret knowledge.  

Other accusations were leveled against the Knights. But Heresy, Satanism, and Sodomy were the crimes which essentially led to their downfall. 

Of course most of this information was obtained through torture. But one can only wonder at the consistency that characterizes their confessions. 

On this night, the Grand Master Jacques de Molay and thousands of  Templars were arrested, tortured, condemned and subsequently Burned at the Stake. From then on, Heresy, Devil worship, and Homosexuality were indistinguishable in the eyes of the Inquisition, perhaps because they were indeed interconnected. 

Homosexuality, however, had not been a significant threat to Christendom until it was connected with a diabolical plot to overthrow the order of society and of the Church. This was the beginning of Our Burning Times, and over the course of the next 400 years, thousands of homosexuals were officially and publicly condemned and burned or otherwise executed as an act of faith that, through our extermination, the Church was protecting the world from the Forces of Evil which we embodied.

For their courage and sacrifice, we praise the Order of the Knights Templar as Heroic Martyr Saints of the Religion of Antinous, as the Sacred Band of the Middle Ages, and we recognize their secret god Baphomet as an incarnation of our beloved Dionysus, a manifestation of Homo Deus, and of Our Beautiful God Antinous.

MATTHEW SHEPARD SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON this sad day we honor a young gay man who was brutally murdered: Matthew Shepard, who died at 12:53 am on Monday, October 12th, 1998.

He was brutally assaulted because he was gay, on the night of October 7, by two men who had lured him to a secluded place outside of Laramie Wyoming. 

His attackers tied him to a fence, beat him and left him for dead in the freezing cold. 

He was found the following evening by a cyclist. 

By the time help arrived, he had slipped into unconsciousness.

The death of Matthew Shepard awakened the world to the persecution that homosexuals have endured for centuries. His beauty, youth and innocence affected everyone, and spoke for the hundreds of others who in recent years have died similar deaths without being noticed.

Matthew Shepard is a Sacred and Holy Martyr of Homosexuality, he died an innocent because he was gay. He died a death that so many others have suffered, but his death changed the world.

He was 22 years old, very near the age of Antinous and, like Antinous, his beautiful face, humble origin, and tragic death have had a great impact on the future of homosexuality in our society.

We consecrate his memory and pray for him, that he will guide and protect us in our hour of danger, and bring an end to the violence and hatred that he suffered.

ANTINOUS HAS TWO SPIRITS

IN October millions of people in the United States of America celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day as an alternative to Columbus Day.

Antinous the Gay God is the divine essence of homosexuality ... the magico/spiritual gay spark in the Ancient Blood of humanity ... from the Olduvai Gorge ... across the Caucasus ... into Europe ... over mountains and deserts to the Far East ... over land bridges and in outrigger canoes to Australasia ... and the Americas! 

That gay spiritual spark flows in the veins of all of us ... but it shines most brightly in the Two Spirit People ... who have suffered so terribly for living magico/spiritual lives ... and who are re-kindling that spark today ... that it might shine brighter than ever.

Antinous the Gay God has Two Spirits ... but One Heart. Antinous dances with Two Spirits around the world. Antinous lives in the heart of Two Spirits everywhere ... the healers, medicine people and musicians. 

Antinous adherent Jack Baker offers this poem to all Gay and LGBT Two-Spirit, that they take pride in that name! 

TWO-SPIRIT

Two-Spirit never forget who you are.

A light to this world as bright as a star.
You are born as healers to humanity.
Together we can cure its insanity.
Mother Earth gave you this gift.
Of two-spirits to heal this rift.
Once seen as sacred and pure.
Now a sinner the Abrahams abhor.
Persecuted you are but strong is your heart.
Shine a light to the world to pave this new start.
Two-Spirit you are the visionaries of earth.
Through your sacred guidance we will see a rebirth.

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

THIS international event is in celebration of the joy of revealing to the world our sexuality. 

It is an international event that gives people the opportunity to come out as an act of spiritual and political courage, in defiance of all who would deny homosexuals our human rights. 

The first National Coming Out Day was held on October 11, 1988, it was in commemoration for the 1987 March on Washington. 

In its full essence it is a political statement, meant to call out to our brothers and sisters to publicly state that they are homosexual to all those who do not already know. 

Flamen Antonius Subia says:

We acknowledge the spiritual implication of this event as profoundly significant to the religion of Antinous and of the mysterious nature of Homo Deus. As an act of Liberation and as a vision promotion of our presence and numbers, we solemnly dedicate ourselves to public declaration of our sacred sexuality on this day.

TRY THIS NEW MOON WISH RITUAL By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

TONIGHT is the Libra New Moon ... the Tripod Moon of magic and mystery when dreams and visions rise like vapors from an incense burner ... which is why we call it the Tripod Moon ... for the three-legged incense burners in ancient temples.

Every New Moon my love Soman and I write down our intentions and aspirations for the coming moon phase. 

We stand under the moon and read an incantation over them asking for the blessing of the goddess.

We then place them under the pillows we sleep on until the next Full Moon ... in two weeks' time.

Then we read an incantation of thanks and offering while burning the intentions in a cauldron. I then soak the ashes in water and sprinkle them around the base of our roses. 

Our intentions almost always come true and our roses are magnificent. One year, one orange rose was still flowering in mid November!

So tonight might be a very good night to start such a cycle for yourselves folks!

Love and Moon Light

MARTIN

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

THE TRIPOD MOON OF ANTINOUS THE LIBRA NEW MOON OF INDECISION

TONIGHT's Libra New Moon is the Lunar Phase we call the TRIPOD MOON in Antinous Moon Magic in honor of the clouds of incense with which three-footed incense braziers filled the Ancient Temples of Antinous.

The clouds of incense created a sacred other-worldly atmosphere of intoxication and purification.

By its burning, incense symbolized the zeal of the followers of Antinous, its sweet fragrance echoed the "scent of sanctity" believed to be exuded by the Most Great and Good God.

Its rising smoke symbolized the ascent of prayers to Antinous. 

Also, incense creates a cloud, which is another symbol for the altered state of the Divine. Incense blocks out everyday concerns of the rational mind and opens the heart to the Divine. Your soul is flooded by so many impressions that rational thought becomes clouded.

The Libra New Moon symbolizes those situations in which you find it hard to make decisions, you cannot pick an item from a menu because "it all looks so good" so you let others decide for you. This Lunar Phase is important in showing you how to "clear away the clouds" so that clear decision-making is possible.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Tripod Moon is the Spirit of Vapors and Clouds. This Spirit is intangible, hard to grasp, impossible to pin down. It is a Will-O'-the-Wisp. This Spirit is amorphous and formless, only vaguely discernible like the ectoplasm of a ghost.

It does not have its head in the clouds, but rather it is the clouds themselves. This Spirit has trouble making decisions, not because it  cannot see any options, but rather because it can see every option and the ramifications of every decision. This Spirit has problems seeing clearly precisely because it see too much.

The keywords during this Lunar Phase are: Clouded thinking. Confusion. Distraction. Indecision. Doubts. Angst. Worries. Altered Consciousness. Smoke Screen. Haziness. Fog.

Meditation, rituals, smudge ceremonies and especially aromatherapy carried out during this Lunar Phase help to "clear the fog" about making important decisions as well as cleansing and purifying yourself and your sacred environment.

THE ANTINOUS 'CAR MASCOT' ORNAMENT

IT has taken 100 years, but this elegant frosted glass "car mascot" has finally found its way ... despite many detours in the road ... to a place of honor in the Hollywood Temple of Antinous.

Perhaps a René Lalique original, this frosted glass car grill radiator ornament would have been illuminated by a tiny light bulb. Standing proudly 15 centimeters (6 inches) tall, it was a very elegant way to personalize a car and to give "The Finishing Touch" to a very elegant motor car.

Glass car mascots came in many forms ... birds, leopards/jaguars, deities ... but an Antinous car mascot gave a subtle hint as to which way the car's bachelor gentleman liked to steer.

This particular car mascot was the subject of fierce bidding on eBay in March 2012 ... with number Antinous followers on both sides of the Atlantic bidding frantically to get it.

In the end, PETER FISKE of Palm Springs California won it for "a couple of hundred dollars," as Peter announced when he formally presented the car mascot to ANTONIUS SUBIA during ceremonies consecrating Peter as a Priest of Antinous in September 2026.

Now the frosted glass Antinous car mascot is a sacred relic in the Hollywood Temple of Antinous. 

ANCIENT ROMAN SPORTS FANS USED MAGIC TO HELP THEIR TEAMS

IN the ancient world, sports fans and athletes turned to magic to empower them against their foes … and this was particularly true in the ancient athletic world of charioteering.

Hundreds of curse tablets, amulets and magical recipes survive today.

They reveal that magic in the ancient Mediterranean was often tied to the world of sports.

In the late Roman Mediterranean, factions of charioteers existed instead of football teams.

Each faction was named after the colors draped onto their horses and worn by the charioteers. There were the Blues, the Greens, the Reds and the Whites. 

They drove four horse chariots called quadrigae both in the hippodrome at Rome’s Circus Maximus and the one at Constantinople. 

There were many other chariot racing venues throughout the Roman empire and fans of these factions became quite attached to their color and the star charioteers on them.

Love for their faction and a desire to help their team to victory frequently led athletes, faction managers, and fans to seek out magical methods in order to snatch victory from the other faction.

A curse tablet from 3rd Century AD Carthage notes: "Bind the horses whose names and images on this implement I entrust to you; of the Red [team]: Silvanus, Servator, Lues…bind their hands, take away their victory…Now, quickly."

Another, found on the Via Appia outside Rome, even mentions a charioteer's mother: 

"I invoke you… so that you may help me and restrain and hold in check Cardelus and bring him to a bed of punishment, to be punished with an evil death, to come to an evil condition, him who his mother Fulgentina bore." 

Many within the Greco-Roman world may have written out a curse themselves, but most likely hired a magician to help them with the process I have sketched below:

A. Know Your Curse Types: There were generally five types of curse tablets in antiquity:

1. litigation or judicial curses (e.g. those used against someone prosecuting you in court)

2. business or trade curses (e.g. those curses used to bring down, say, a rival amphora supplier)

3. erotic curses (e.g. the ever-popular love spells)

4. restitution and punishment curses (e.g. those waged against a thief)

5. defixiones agonisticae (agonistic "binding" curses concerning competitions. These are also called κατάδεσμοι).

Frequently, defixiones were used to bind an athletic enemy … their hands, their feet, their mouths … and keep them from movement. 

Often, they wished for a charioteer to fall off their chariot and be dragged by the horses behind it before they could take their knife and cut themselves out of the reins they tied to their bodies.

B. Pick Your Material Wisely: In the ancient world, most curse tablets were made out of lead. It was easy and relatively cheap to procure the material (particularly in Athens, where the silver mines that produced the bi-product were nearby).

Lead was often used in antiquity for magical purposes: oracles, votives, incantations and curse tablets. 

Many curse tablets are written on thin pieces of lead, then had nails used to pierce them.

Sometimes, locks of hair or other identifying features of an enemy were also wrapped into the curse before being buried.

C. Curses Have Power But Need To Be Activated: It is notable that many of the curses from these ancient tablets seem to have an oral component attached to them. Performance carried empowerment. Names had an innate power that was activated by speaking them aloud and by inscribing them. 

A number of magical papyri, called the Papyri Graecae Magicae, reveal that curses were often activated through the oral performance of incantations and perhaps a sacrifice. 

The visual presentation of the written curse was also important; many have triangular shapes and accompanying depictions of the person being cursed or the magical deities being invoked.

Frequently, there is also the use of somethng which is called a palindrome παλίνδρομος … which is Greek for "running back again" and carried power in its symmetry. These words retained potency whether read from right to left or left to write. 

The use of the magical palindrome Ablanathanalba was popular particularly on curses and amulets, and medical evidence from the early 3rd Century AD suggests that the word Abracadabra was used as an "activating word" in antiquity, before becoming highly popular in the medieval period. 

D. Geography Is Key To Curse Potency: If there is one thing archaeologists know, it is that geography matters in the context of ancient magic. Boundary zones and "liminal" areas are the most magical spaces where one can access the chthonic gods that live underground and who are being spoken to. 

That is why we find many curse tablets buried near doorways, in graves, in wells and baths, and on the boundary lines outside sports venues such as the hippodrome. 

Some curse tablets, such as the famous one from around 400 BC found buried in a grave at the Kerameikos Sanctuary, also had leaden representations of the people they wished to curse before being buried. 

Collectively, the curse tablets addressing charioteering and other sports events in the ancient world, such as wrestling, reveal that all sports fans wanted what they couldn't and can't have: the power to sway the outcome of a competition.

Magic was a way to give agency to those that felt powerless to control the future: powerless to retain the love of another, powerless to control the outcome of a court case, or perhaps powerless to effect the outcome of a key race of the Greens against the Blues.