MULLED SPICED WINE MADE LIFE SWEETER FOR ROMAN SOLDIERS AT HADRIAN'S WALL

NEW research has revealed how life was made a little sweeter for the Roman troops patrolling Hadrian’s Wall ... with hot mulled wine and honey mead.

Examination of the pottery collections at English Heritage’s Corbridge Roman Town and Housesteads fort in Northumberland has shown that as well as beer and wine, mead was also made and drunk.

Mead is a beverage created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits or spices, and is thought to be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink.

In an age without sugar, the natural sweetness of honey would have been a welcome change of tipple from beer and ... if it could be afforded ... imported wine.

Cameron Moffett, English Heritage collections curator who carried out the research, said: "English Heritage's collections from Wroxeter Roman Town in Shropshire and Hadrian's Wall shows that mead was being made in the Roman period in Britain. 

"Once wine started being imported honey was also used to make mulsum, a popular sweetened wine drink.

"There's evidence of mead being consumed thousands of years ago and it was the power drink of ancient Europe before wine-making had developed."

And Dr Frances McIntosh, English Heritage curator of Hadrian's Wall and the North East, said that jars for storage of honey and of mead and mulsum, plus specific lids which would have been sealed in place with wax, have been identified in the Corbridge and Housestead collections.

"Cameron’s research identified 15 stoppers used to seal the jars used to make mead and mulsum, and 21 bungs used to seal the flagons and jars for temporary transport of the liquids," she said.

"It was probably also the case at Roman bases on the Wall such as Chesters and Birdoswald. While wine had to be imported, the advantage of mead was that all the ingredients were to hand."

Today, with a revival of interest in a craft ales and drinks like gin, mead is also making a comeback.

It was also the drink of choice for Vikings, and was given to newlyweds on what is now known as their "honeymoon".

Cameron said: "We've also found evidence of mead being produced and stored at Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, in the 5th and 6th Centuries AD for use in great feasting events."

HOW TO CULTIVATE THE PRESENCE OF ANTINOUS IN YOUR LIFE

AS priests, we often receive enquiries from people asking how they can be closer to Antinous ... but the answer is that Antinous continually whispers into your ear and comes to you in dream visions.

"It can be a momentary flash or a scent or a sensation," said our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA during ceremonies in Hollywood California.

"It is easy to dismiss these messages as just a figment of our imagination," he said in the ceremonies, which originated at the Hollywood Temple of Antinous and were shared globally via Skype with adherents across North America, Latin America and in Europe.

"But if we open our hearts, we can recognize these momentary flashes for what they are: Antinous is speaking to us," Antonius added.

"And the more we become accustomed to being receptive to these messages, the more Antinous speaks to us," he told the worldwide worshipers.

Antonius issued an appeal for worshipers of Antinous to become mindfully aware of "how Antinous is part of their daily life," he said.

"You have to come to the realization that you are not imagining this, but rather, that it is HOMOTHEOSIS ... Antinous speaking to you.

We can be more intentional with our relationship with Antinous than just waiting for him to come to us. There are many ways to cultivate his presence, from writing in a dream journal to repainting the living room to visiting with a particularly interesting friend or a place. 

Finding what inspires you and consciously cultivating it will give you access to allowing Antinous to communicate new ways of thinking and energy you did not know you had.

There are as many ways to find Antinoian inspiration as there are people looking for it. If you already know what inspires you, find a way to incorporate it into your life on a regular basis. 

If you aren't sure what inspires you, or if it has changed, take some time to think about it. When was the last time you felt the spark of your imagination? When was the last time you acted on an impulse that felt totally right?

When you are in the presence of what inspires you, Antinous taps us on the shoulder and whispers into your, "This is being truly ALIVE!" and you hear his inner guidance more clearly and you have the energy to follow his cues.

If it has been a while since you have been touched by inspiration, you may feel listless and dissatisfied. Know that you can turn things around by remembering what lights you up and bringing that into your life. 

ASTRO FORECAST: DECEMBER 11th—21st, 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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DECEMBER 11th
to 21st, 2025

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11th, 2025

This week, we come to the Virgo Third Quarter Moon, which brings down powerful healing energies. In Antinous Moon Magic we call this the AESCULAPIUS MOON in honor of the Classical god of the physician's art. Meditation and rituals carried out tonight are ideal for bringing down healing energies for yourself and those you love during the coming year.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12th, 2025

This week, Mercury leaves dour Scorpio and wings its way into high-spirited Sagittarius, where it will stay until January 1, 2026. No matter what your Sun sign is, this abrupt change will lighten your spirits. It is like tossing and turning all night and then seeing the pink glow of dawn on the eastern horizon. Everything will be better. Now, this does not mean that Scorpio Mercury is bad. On the contrary, Scorpio Mercury urges you to probe into deep thoughts and dig out the truth, even if it is unpleasant. That is very important. But Sagittarius Mercury urges you to look on the bright side, to find joy in your life and pursue the light at the end of the tunnel. The only disadvantage to Sadge Mercury is a certain tendency to be so busy talking about the light at the end of the tunnel that you miss the freeway exit to the tunnel — but Sagittarius Mercury is always optimistic and will find an innovative way to reach the destination.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13th, 2025

This weekend, go outside about 20:00 hours (8 p.m.) and look up to see the GEMINIDS ... meteors shooting out of Gemini. The Geminid meteor shower appears every year about this time and is our best shooting star display, with more than 100 meteors appearing each hour. Sadly, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere the winter weather makes viewing bad. But if you are lucky enough to live in the Southern Hemisphere, you have a perfect view on a clear summer night

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14th, 2025

At the end of 2025, we come to one of the most anxiously tense times of the year and the hazard lights start flashing when eager Sagittarius Mars squares off against nebulous Pisces Neptune. Imagine yourself barreling down a freeway at high speed ... and suddenly being enveloped in a fog bank which cuts visibility to zero. If you don't reduce speed immediately, you are bound for disaster. Sagittarius Mars is the fast sports car thundering down the highway ... and Pisces Neptune is the fog bank ... and you are in the driver's seat. This astrological configuration spells trouble for people who proceed full speed through life without any regard to their surroundings. They will come a cropper this week. However, this Mars-Neptune Square configuration is excellent for people who have latent intuitive, artistic or spiritual talents ... like Antinous-Dionysus. Mars invigorates and enlivens these talents. So the answer is: Proceed with caution, but keep your eyes open for brilliant new opportunities and insights which otherwise would have flashed past you unseen at high speed.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15th, 2025

As the Year 2025 ends, Mars moves from fun-loving Sagittarius into business-minded Capricorn. In Capricorn for the first time in two years, Mars will make you more determined than ever to take care of business from now through January 23rd, 2026, as action planet Mars is exalted in efficient Capricorn. If you've been putting off important duties, the guilt is unbearable now, and you'll experience renewed focus to get things done. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which rules time. Now you will be more aware of how precious passing moments are, and thus more likely to make a structured schedule. When you schedule your days, time expands. When you just leave it up in the air, time dissolves. Therefore, schedule everything, even — and especially — leisure time so you'll have more of it during this phase. It's also easier to get your priorities straight under this influence, as Capricorn has a tendency to get the most out of what's useful.

TUES-WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16th-17th, 2025

This week, batten down the hatches because storms and earthquakes (literal and political) are in store when the Sun forms a 90-degree right angle with Saturn — a configuration which happens twice a year and which invariably spawns strife, conflict, warfare and even bad weather. The good news is that this configuration lasts only about 48 hours. Saturn is the cosmic teacher, focusing the rays of the piercing Scorpio Sun on problems in your life which need to be corrected ... and giving you insights to solutions to those problems.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18th, 2025

This week, you view the world through rose-colored glasses due to Sun-square-Neptune. This is the kind of aspect that occurs when Jack sells the family cow for a handful of "magic" beans. In the fairy tale, of course, the beans turn out to be magic after all. But on this weekend the beans aren't magic at all. If you go shopping, it might be a good idea to watch your emotions and not let yourself be carried away. It might also be a good idea to watch your wallet and not let it be lifted by some pickpocket.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19th, 2025

This week, Venus and Saturn spawn relationship challenges. Venus is in a 90-degree right-angle square to stubborn Saturn. Venus-square-Saturn means that relationship discussions are fraught with stumbling blocks. And because Venus and Saturn also have a role to play in money and business, you can expect problems in that area as well.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20th, 2025

Overnight Friday-Saturday, ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD aligns in conjunction with his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte for the SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON. In Antinous Moon Magic, this is the lunar phase we call the FORTUNA MOON. This is the classic good luck moon of the astrological year.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21st, 2025

On December 21st, we come to the December Solstice. Check out the more than 20,000 worshipers of Antinous at the ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD FACEBOOK PAGE and you see there are people in South Wales (UK) and New South Wales (Australia). There are people in Sao Paulo and Sydney. There are people in California and Cape Town, and there are some in Portland Oregon and Portland Maine.

For some of us the days are getting shorter and Winter is approaching. For others of us the days are getting longer and Summer is on the way. For our brothers in Brazil and South Africa and Australia, the jacarandas are in bloom and the days are hot and balmy. Sydneysiders are bracing for another bush fire season.

For our followers in Britain and Europe, the days are short and almost completely sunless and the scent of roasted chestnuts and mulled wine fills the air from vendors on city streets.

For our followers in the US and Canada, ice storms and the icy fear of political and economic strife have put a chill on this Solstice Season.

Wherever we are, regardless of the season, Antinous the Gay God looks into our hearts.

And it is all happening at this magical moment. Twice a year there is a moment — in fact, a few days — when the sun seems to "stand still" in the heavens. From the Latin "sol stasis" we derive our name for these events: solstices.

That's the very odd thing about this blue marble upon which we live. The Solstice occurs at the same moment everywhere. But the hands on the clocks point to 23 different hours. And in some places it signals the start of summer (though the days start getting shorter), while in others the it signals the start of winter (though the days start getting longer).

But it is really the same moment and we are all living and breathing at this same moment, though we live in places where the hands of the clock point in all different directions. Each of us is alone. All of us are together in this aloneness. It is the same phenomenon. But how you see it depends on how you look at it.

The days are getting longer. The days are getting shorter. It all depends on how you look at it.

However you look at it, remember that we are all united as one. And we are all turning, turning toward our own true delight.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between December 22nd and 28th, 2025, when we come to the Aries First Quarter Moon, which is the Lunar Phase we call the INVICTUS MOON ... the Antinous Moon Magic spirit of Mithras ... because this lunar phase always occurs in December or January near the Solstice Birthday of Mithras ... Invictus is the bold light that shines forth from a gay man's eyes to illuminate those around him. It is the warmth of your every being ... It is the optimism which brightens a dismal day when things are going wrong. Invictus is indomitable, unbeatable, unconquerable ... It is a determined spirit which never admits defeat, never gives up, never quits ... Invictus is a beacon which dispels darkness and casts out shadows ... In Antinous Moon Magic, this night is an ideal time for meditation and rituals aimed at illuminating opaque situations or questions ... It is well-suited for planning assertive, goal-oriented action aimed at whole-heartedly positive results ... More details next time ....

THE ANTINOUS AESCULAPIUS MOON THE VIRGO THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Virgo Third Quarter Moon brings down powerful healing energies to ring out the calendar year on a propitious note. 

In Antinous Moon Magic, we call this the AESCULAPIUS MOON in honor of the Classical god of the physician's art, Aesculapius.

Aesculapius, as he was called by the Romans, was also called Asklepios or Asclepius by the Greeks. 

He was the son of APOLLO and the Trikkaian princess KORONIS. 

His mother died in labor and was laid out on the pyre to be consumed, but his father rescued the child, cutting him from her womb. 

From this he received the name Asklepios "to cut open." The boy was raised by the kentauros (centaur) CHIRON who instructed him in the art of medicine. 

Aesculapius grew so skilled in the craft that he was able to restore the dead to life. However, because this was a crime against the natural order, JUPITER/ZEUS destroyed him with a thunderbolt. After his death Aesculapius was placed amongst the stars as OPHIUCHUS ("the Serpent Holder"), sometimes called the 13th sign of the Zodiac. 

Some say his mother was also set in the heavens as Corvus, the crow (korônê in Greek). Aesculapius' APOTHEOSIS into godhood occurred at the same time. He was sometimes identified with Homer's PAION, the physician of the gods, as well as the Egyptian god of science, architecture and medicine IMHOTEP.

Aesculapius is depicted as a handsome man holding a serpent-entwined staff representing his powers to convert poison (venom) into medicine.

It is the source of the symbol which alchemists, pharmacists and physicians have used throughout the centuries to represent their medicinal prowess. 

The cult and cult statues of Aesculapius were widespread throughout the ancient world.

In Antinous Moon Magic, each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Aesculapius Moon is the Spirit of Remedies and Repairs.

This Spirit heals all that is ill, it remedies all that is out of order and it repairs all that is broken. This Spirit sees damage and destruction and sets about putting things right again.

It sees ailment and finds a cure. It sees cracks which could lead to catastrophic failure and it mends them before they can spread. It sees suffering and alleviates all that  it can.

This Spirit is the embodiment of the human desire to leave imperfection behind and to become Divine.

Meditation and rituals carried out during the cycle of the Aesculapius Moon are ideal for bringing down healing energies for yourself and others in your life.

SPIRIT HEALING ENERGY FROM THESE CRYSTALS By Our Crystal Meditation Adviser Martin Campbell

THERE are two consecutive moon cycles to ponder and seek inspiration from. They are both focused on spiritual healing. The AESCULAPIUS MOON with its focus on spiritual healing energy and the LAMIA MOON with its focus on sickness and disease.

It is, therefore, sensible to consider the moons alongside each other and find crystals that you can meditate with, hold or surround yourself with during these phases. 

Hopefully they can guard you from ill health, help cure any illness you may have and find spiritual connections which may help you do this alone or in connection with other spiritually connected souls around the world. 

AGATE - There are many different types of Agate in many lovely colours. Collectively they help to diminish problems, cleanse your aura and strengthens blood vessels that carry healing white blood cells around the body.

AMETHYST – These are much loved and very common crystals. Some are made into rings or pendants,these will be less powerful than a more natural ‘raw’ crystal (pictured). They cleanse your vital organs and immune system. They are great for the skin and can lower high blood pressure. 

FLUORITE – These come in many colours or blends of colours. Collectively they reorganise inappropriate energies in the body by detoxifying the glands. 

MOLDAVITE – Now this is a very, very powerful crystal. It is recognised as one of the crystals with highest vibrations available. As a qualified Reiki healer, my partner collects and uses such crystals. It can, however, take quite a while to become attuned to their vast power. If you can become attuned at all – I really can’t because I have a balance problem since my stroke. If I pick up a Moldavite or stand near my partner when he is using one during meditation I get very unbalanced and feel nauseous.  

They were formed when a meteorite struck the earth on the Czech Republic and Moldova border in ancient times.  They make you aware of the cause of disease and help you to see any positives held within it. 

This may sound contradictory but my stroke released me from a stressful job and has allowed me to write my novel THE LOVE GOD and do things like crystal guidance for you all. 

Moldavite is good for healing the diseases of the respiratory tract such as flu. If you can become attuned to them they can help you to realise you are a spiritual being – my partner has advanced his spiritual connections and healing abilities through conscious work and mediation with these incredible stones. 

The most powerful are Bezednice Moldavites found in only one small area of the meteorite impact site. They look like little trees – beautiful but hugely expensive – my partner has two and believes they are the most potent. I can’t go near them!

RAINBOW MOONSTONE – These lovely crystals (shown at top of entry) help you to personally connect to spiritual healing that you can project locally and globally. It also eyes arteries and veins. Very powerful for using during moon phases but too powerful during full moons.

In Light and Life,
MARTIN

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

CARDINAL ALESSANDRO ALBANI SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON December 11th the Religion of Antinous honors SAINT ALESSANDRO ALBANI, who was an Italian aristocrat and cardinal, and a collector and patron of the arts. 

It is largely thanks to Cardinal Albani that Antinous experienced a resurgence of interest in the 18th Century which continues to this day.

It is also believed that Albani secretly worshiped the Beauteous Boy as a gay god.

Albani became a trend-setter and an arbiter of taste. Albani, whose sexuality was ambivalent, and the openly gay Winkelmann more or less single-handedly launched a craze throughout the European aristocracy for Classical art.

When he was 29, by special dispensation from his uncle Pope Clement XI, Alessandro Albani was made a Cardinal, although he had never been a priest or member of a lower order. 

Indeed, he would have preferred to pursue a military career. But chronic eye problems, which eventually resulted in total blindness in old age, convinced him to take up his uncle's generous offer.

He is said to have been a continuing cause of great concern to his uncle, due to his worldly and irreligious obsessions, first among these his passion for art.

Cardinal Albani used his vast wealth to collect Classical art, and to patronize artists of his day, such as Anton Raphael Mengs, and the "Father of Archaeology" Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who was an open homosexual.

The art collection of Cardinal Albani contained an extraordinary number of statues of Antinous, and these were studied by Winckelmann, who had taken up residence in the sprawling and very lavish Villa Albani outside of Rome (pictured at left).

And Antinous was the pre-eminent example of male beauty in Classical art. Every aristocrat in Europe wanted a statue or Antinous. And monarchs such as Frederick the Great of Prussia (who never married and favored intimate friendships with males) sent out experts to find statues of Antinous.

Thus, the science of archaeology was born largely through a desire by aristocrats to furnish their palaces with the sort of Antinous-style Classical art which Albani had made fashionable.

By the time he died on December 11th in the year 1779, it was rumored that Cardinal Albani, along with his intimate friends Winckelmann and neo-classicist painter Anton Mengs, had been secret worshippers of Antinous and Priapus.

It was asserted that they reinstated the religion of the Beloved Boy as a kind of underground cult along with other, unnamed persons.

For this reason, though based largely on rumor, Cardinal Alessandro Albani is sanctified as a Saint of the Religion of Antinous.

Although he was a Cardinal of the Catholic Faith, he may in fact have been the first High Priest of Antinous since the extermination of the ancient religion 1,300 years before.

Albani's secret cult ... assuming it truly existed ... is the only known predecessor since ancient times to the current Religion of Antinous.

ANTONIUS SUBIA SHOWS YOU HOW TO MAKE ANTINOUS PRAYER BEADS

THERE are Catholic rosary beads, Eastern Orthodox beads, Swedish Lutheran Frälserkransen beads, Islamic prayer beads, Buddhist meditation beads, Hindu japa mala beads and even Wiccan prayer beads ... now several adherents of Antinous are designing prayer beads.

This photo shows Antinous Prayer Beads designed and created by Antonius Subia. Click here to read how he hand-crafted the FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA PRAYER BEADS.

Priests Uendi and Hernestus also have created their own special prayer beads ... very different in design and function from Antonius Subia's beads.

Priest Hernestus calls his the "Antinous Moon Magic" beads and describes them in full detail HERE.

They consist of 52 beads symbolizing the 52 primary annual lunar phases, each of which represents a specific archetypal spirit in Antinous Moon Magic (photo at left).

In addition, there are some 30 additional beads representing various major "Saints of Antinous" and "Blessed Souls of Antinous."

There are also has beads for what Hernestus calls his "Sorgenkinder" (German for "special needs children") ... beads for persons or situations which require urgent spiritual attention.

Priest Julien's beads have a unique flavor all their own and he uses them in his daily meditations and prayers (photo below right).

Many other modern-day Antinous adherents have created their own Antinous Prayer Beads.

You can construct a set of prayer beads with a variety of themes and use them in rituals to express your particular beliefs and spiritual interests.

Let's look at ideas for two different types of Pagan prayer beads. The first  set is a devotional one that honors the elements, the changing seasons, and the phases of the moon. The second pays tribute to Antinous.

You will need:

• Beads in colors representing ASPECTS OF ANTINOUS you treasure
• Beads that symbolize some of the attributes of the deity
• Spacer beads in color of your choice
• Beading wire or string

Sort your beads and arrange them so they for a pattern that you like. You may want to try different patterns and designs and see which feels right for you.

Once you have your beads aligned the way you like them, string them on the beading wire and knot it securely. To use your beads in ritual, assign a prayer or short devotional to each bead. As you count them, recite the prayers.

For some more great ideas on how to construct and use Antinous prayer beads, read Donald L. Engstrom-Reese's excellent essay at We Are Walking in Beauty.

Here is a stunning set of Antinous Prayer Beads created by a modern-day adherent of the Most Great and Good God Antinous … Angelo Louis Montiserrat: