THE BACCHANALIA MOON OF ANTINOUS THE LEO THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Leo Third Quarter Moon is called the BACCHANALIA MOON in Antinous Moon Magic for its gifts of transcendence. 

This Lunar Phase usually occurs close to the ancient festivals of Samhain, Halloween, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day. This Lunar Phase reflects those festivals of peering into other worlds and states of being.

In ancient times, the Bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus (or Dionysus) aimed at achieving a transcendent state of spiritual awareness.

Antinous was often associated with Dionysus. Antinous/Dionysus is portrayed alongside Silenus god of wine and revelry in the image above from l'Oracolo della Sibilla, a traditional European oracle card deck created by Italian artist Giorgio Tavaglioni.

The Leo Third Quarter Moon is therefore a restless time of high-spirited indulgence, sometimes fun, sometimes slightly scary and always capable of unleashing powerful spirits.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. 

The Spirit of the Bacchanalia Moon is the Spirit of Gaiety, Fun, Pretend and Revelry. 

This Spirit likes to dress up in fancy dress or in a costume and pretend to be someone else. This Spirit likes to transcend other realities and, for a time, actually become someone else.

This Spirit knows that the cosmos is a big toy and that we are here to play a game. We are dervishes dancing ourselves into a trance. We are musicians and singers who use music to gain access to other realms. We are actors on a stage who have an entrance and who play a role and then depart.

There is no end to the performance and nobody actually dies for real. We just undergo a costume change and take on a new role.

In magical rituals, oracles and meditations, the keywords for this Magical Lunar Phase are: Gaiety. Revelry. Joy. Fun. Frivolity. Partying. Playing. Acting. Performing. Dancing. Theater and the Arts. 

This Lunar Phase represents "play time" of all sorts, from sports and games to New Year's Eve partying to shamanistic spiritual trance rituals. Also "playing" an instrument or "playing" a role on stage or on the screen. 

This Lunar Phase represents the transformational power of make-believe and "let's play like" which all performers know how to do.

On a mundane level, it refers to "having a good time". On a spiritual level, it refers to entering an altered state to commune with the divine, thus this Lunar Phase is the best time of the year for trance visions.

In health questions, meditations and rituals during this time can reference chronic substance abuse.

CRYSTALS FOR BACCHANALIA AND FORTUNA By Our Crystal Meditation Adviser Martin Campbell

THE dark nights of autumn (or spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere) are a transitional period illuminated by two bright lunar phases: The BACCHANALIA MOON and the FORTUNA MOON.

The Bacchanalia Moon is a time of spring/harvest festivals and merry-making. This lunar phase is the patron moon of performers, musicians, actors, dancers and also of shamans and mediumistic channelers ... people who put on a mask and take on a different character for the evening. It is also a time for merry-making.

The Fortuna Moon is the luckiest lunar phase of the year, the time when meditations focus on areas in our lives where we are looking for success or for counting our blessings.

My crystal meditation choices for these two lunar phases are:

1. Joy/excess - Alexandrite Beryl (shown above). It brings joy and expands creativity. 2. Channeling - Angelite. It facilitates contact with the spirits and angels. 3. Fearful surprises - Orange Calcite. It removes fear and balances the emotions.  4. Positive surprises - Emerald. It enhances the enjoyment of the world and all it brings. 5. Good fortune - Sunstone. It helps you to link with benevolent gods and good fortune. 6. Positive manifestation - Citrine. It helps you to accept the positive flow of energies that will take you to where you sub-consciously (or even consciously) know you really need to be (physically, emotionally or spiritually). I had a very powerful visualisation when meditating with a beautiful little piece of Citrine recently.  I was guided to a vast cave where I found a pool of water illuminated by a shaft of light. I saw a marble bust of Antinous laid on its back in the water, so his face looked up at me. I am clairaudient so heard his voice say “remember I am always here”.  I think he meant both in terms of omnipotence but also within that crystal. I now carry it with me everywhere! Love and Light MARTIN To get more advice from Martin Campbell and to find out how to contact him CLICK HERE.

'ANTINOUS PANTHEON' IS ANTINOUS IN THE GUISE OF MANY GODS

WHEN Hadrian fell in love with our god, he brought Antinous to Rome and cultivated the beautiful youth into the flower of perfect manhood. 

It was during this time that the greatest building of Hadrian's reign was completed, the Pantheon, the magnificent domed Temple of All Gods. 

It was completed and consecrated in 126 AD, and Antinous was certainly present for the ceremony.

After all, he was the chosen favorite of Hadrian and attended Our Pontifex Maximus at the high altar of the only Roman Temple that has remained intact. 

At the start of our Liturgical Calendar's New Year in November we celebrate the glory of the Pantheon, and its builder, and know in our hearts that the divine spirit of Antinous fills the great sacred space beneath the dome.

When Hadrian commissioned the proliferation of images, he portrayed Antinous in the guise of many gods, all of them beautiful boys who died savage deaths for the benefit of mankind.

In these boys we see the mystery of Homo Deus, the gay god, the beautiful one who is sacrificed because his seed does not fall within that chamber from which life comes.

All these dying-boy-gods are Our God who we celebrate as Antinous Pantheon, the many-splendored god of beauty, Antinous who is All Gods, Antinous Uranus.

We offer our reverence to the full pantheon of the gods, and to the Cosmos Our Mother, through Antinous Our Love and Our Lord.