ANTINOUS SHOOTS HIS ARROWS INTO YOUR HEART

THE PERSEID meteors streak across the heavens from late July to reach their peak in mid-August. Go outside on a clear night and you will see dozens of meteors.

They appear to originate in the Constellation of Antinous right in the middle of the July and August night sky — as though Antinous is shooting arrows at you.

The CONSTELLATION OF ANTINOUS is directly right overhead in mid-heaven at this time of year. Go outside about 10 p.m. when it is good and dark and look up. You will see the Milky Way bisecting the sky from north to south. Look for the "Summer Triangle" formed by the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair — they seem to straddle the brightest part of the Milky Way.

Altair is the head of Aquila the Eagle — and Antinous is directly under the Eagle. 

The PERSEIDS are a great opportunity for ANTINOUS STAR MAGIC. 

How you cast the wish is up to you. If you re a Druid, Wiccan or even just a lapsed Catholic, you know some simple rituals. You can write a wish on a piece of paper and then go outside and look up and, as you repeat the wish aloud while tearing up the piece of paper, a shooting star will catch your eye — and you hold the palm of your hand in front of your mouth and blow away the bits of paper.

The Shooting Star does the rest.

There are many, many other ways of working ANTINOUS STAR MAGIC. As always with such things, the "magic" is within your heart and soul. So there are no firm-and-fast rules ... it all depends on you. 

If you are an ARIES, you probably don't believe in such foolishness as "wishing on a star" — but you love to gamble, and so you'll make a wish. And when it comes true, you'll be all the happier.

If you are a TAURUS, you know precisely what you want to wish for, something you've wanted for a long, long time. A leatherette recliner, for example. You love the romance and beauty of a summer evening. You've brought along a lawn chair and a hamper full of food and drink. 

If you are a GEMINI, you will be out with friends and you will be talking, laughing or else texting and twittering so much that you may forget to look up and make a wish.

If you are a CANCER you will be overwhelmed by the sheer romantic beauty of it all. You love the cosy setting and being with close friends or family. When you look up, you will make a special wish upon a star in hopes of finding that certain someone. You may stop pouting about how that other special someone broke your heart.

If you are a LEO, you will be convinced that Antinous is indeed shooting these love arrows your way — just for your own personal benefit, of course! And you will make a very grand wish, and you can't wait to show off and brag when it comes true.

If you are a VIRGO, you don't believe in luck, only in thankless hard work, and so you doubt that any wishes ever come true. You are wary of lying back on the grass because you are worried that a tick might bite you and you would contract Lyme Disease. It would be just your luck — Besides, you know it's selfish to wish for things for yourself. And anyway, you think you don't deserve to have a wish come true. But you DO deserve it!

If you are a LIBRAN, you can't decide on just one wish. So you make two wishes (at least). You secretly know you deserve to have your wishes come true more than anybody else, but you are far too diplomatic and tactful ever to say so openly. Your wishes involve matters of love and grace and beauty. You publicly wish good luck to all the others and they all thank you and think you're so nice. Everyone thinks you're their friend and you encourage them in that. Of course, secretly you think they're all morons, and if their lame wishes come true and your lovely wish doesn't come true — then there's no justice in this world.

If you are a SCORPIO, then you will also wish for love — but skip the grace and beauty and get down to the hot and heavy. Something with gleaming black leather and chrome steel chains. That wish better come true, too. You demand obedience.

If you are a SAGITTARIUS, your wish comes true instantaneously — or perhaps has already come true before you actually made the wish. Sagittarians have a direct hotline to the stars, so you always get your wishes -- and don't mind letting others know about it, either.

If you are a CAPRICORN, you don't believe in such frivolous nonsense as wishing on a star. But you have a list of very practical things you would like to wish for. Good dividends on investments, for example. So there's no harm in making a wish. If it comes true, it was "coincidence".

If you are an AQUARIUS, you will be counting the shooting stars ("Wow, 60 in just one hour, that's one a minute!") and you will be estimating what speed they must be traveling to reach the burn-out temperature. You're indoors, of course, watching the spectacle on NASA's streaming video website. You wrote down a wish for a new iPhone on a slip of paper, but you forgot where you put it, maybe it's stuck to the cheese under the Domino's Pizza next to your keyboard. Who cares? There are so many shooting stars to count.

If you are a PISCES, you have made elaborate plans to position yourself on a hilltop where your friends the UFO space aliens will be sure to spot you in your glow-in-the-dark jump suit. Your wish is for the aliens to abduct you ... again.

Make a wish!

HERNESTUS  

THE RISE OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS

ON JUNE 11th, the Religion of Antinous celebrates the Rise of the Star of Antinous.  This is the date in our Liturgical Calendar when the Constellation of Antinous begins to rise over the horizon at sunset. It is visible on the eastern horizon along the banks of the Milky Way.

Wherever you live on Earth, you can see the Constellation of Antinous on starry nights from mid-June through late October when, in synchronicity with the Death of Antinous in late October, the Star of Antinous descends below the western horizon in the glare of the setting sun. 

The Constellation of Antinous is no longer recognized by astronomers (just as Pluto has been demoted to the rank of "dwarf planet"). But it is still visible from any point on Earth nestled between Sagittarius and Capricorn and in the talons of Aquila (the Eagle Constellation) representing the Imperial Eagle which carried Antinous to lofty heights.

The most visible identifiers are the three bright stars of Aquila — Altair at the crown of his head, Tarazad, and Alshain. Alshain is derived from Arabic for "Two Friends" which astrologers have cited as a hint as to how to interpret the Sign of Antinous.

The Star of Antinous is however difficult to see. Most people cannot see it at all. You won't find it on any star chart. Like the Star of Bethlehem, it is a mystery and a conundrum about which many theories have been written.

And even if you could see it, the light which reaches your eyes would have left the star thousands of years ago — perhaps about the time that Emperor Hadrian discovered the star.

The simple truth of the matter — and the most beautiful facet of all — is the fact that Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous with his own tear-filled eyes as he looked skyward in grief after the death of his beloved Antinous. Distraught and weeping, the emperor stood under the canopy of the star-studded heavens and looked up the River Nile towards the spot where his Beloved Boy had died. And he saw a new star which he recognized as a celestial sign that the gods had taken Antinous to be one of them.

You have to realize that Hadrian was a keen astronomer/astrologer himself. He knew the heavens like the back of his hand and he was so adept at casting horoscopes that it was said he had determined the exact hour of his death. He built an observatory at his sumptious villa outside Rome. And the tour of Egypt had brought him into contact with the finest Egyptian magician/priests, one of whom taught him how to cast a binding spell which could give him dream-visions and could also cause someone to fall hopelessly in love with him or — depending on how it was cast — even cause that person to die in agony.

Hadrian was that sort of control freak. Despite the fact that he was the mightiest man on Earth who could send a man to death on a whim (and did so, on occasion), he also wanted control over the future. And he wanted to be able to force someone to love him and never, never leave him.

Much has been theorized about those fateful final days leading up to the death and deification of Antinous and Hadrian's discovery of the STAR OF ANTINOUS.

Yes, much has been written about these events and about Hadrian's obsession with magic and astrology and soothsayers. One of the more fanciful versions was published in a novel in the mid-1950s by the German author Ernst Sommer. Entitled simply Antinous, the novel suggests Antinous sacrificed his own life to save his beloved emperor during the imperial tour of Egypt in the year 130 AD.


The dramatic climax of the plot has Hadrian lying in a villa in Hermopolis, feverish and at death's door after having been bitten by a mosquito. The emperor writhes in bed, calling out Antinous's name. The Empress Sabina and heir-apparent Lucius, jealous but also fearful that the presence of Antinous might further agitate the emperor, issue orders that the boy be kept away from the emperor.

After several daring attempts to sneak into the villa, Antinous is finally put under house arrest aboard an imperial vessel anchored a few miles upstream near the fallen-down Temple of Bes (the future site of the Sacred City of Antinoopolis). Lucius has ordered that he be put in irons to prevent him from sneaking off to visit Hadrian. But the guards cannot bring themselves to place the beauteous boy in irons, in defiance of Lucius's orders. Instead, they merely confine him to his quarters below deck with a single porthole overlooking the nighttime waters of the Nile.

Sensing that the emperor is dying, Antinous realizes his love for Hadrian is boundless and that nothing can keep them apart. Thinking back to his discussions about life and death with Jewish Rabbis, Christian clerics and Egyptian priests of Osiris, he realizes that the day has come. The hour has arrived. It is time to surrender everything he has — in a pure act of love that will transform everything.

He opens the porthole hatch and sees an unusually bright star which seems to beckon. He steps out of his clothes and leaves them (his last earthly possessions) lying in a heap on the floor. He climbs deftly out the porthole and slips quietly into the water.

At the same moment, Hadrian breathes his last breath, to the horror of Sabina and Lucius and the others who are gathered at his bedside. In a state now beyond physical life, Hadrian opens his eyes to see Anubis standing before him with outstretched hands, lifting him out of bed and guiding him away down many dark corridors. At last, Hadrian is taken through a massive portal and into a chamber where Thoth is waiting beside scales placed before Osiris.

Thoth begins the Weighing of the Heart ceremony as Osiris asks who this person is who seeks admittance to his realm. In the midst of the solemn proceedings there is a loud banging at the portal and Anubis announces that someone has arrived to offer his own heart in exchange for the emperor's heart, so that Hadrian might live and walk the earth again. That person is standing unseen just outside the portal. After brief discussion, the Egyptian deities acknowledge that the Law of Maat specifically envisions such an exchange and that, indeed, it is the most sacred and powerful of covenants — surrendering one's own heart on the Scales of Truth for that of a loved one. Such love cannot be denied. The offer cannot be denied.

Genesthoi — So Be It Done!

Back at the death bed in the Hermopolis villa, Hadrian gasps suddenly and his eyelids fly open, to the amazement of everyone who thought he had just expired. Sensing what has happened, he speaks hoarsely of a vivid dream involving deities. He looks around and demands to know where Antinous is.

"Where is he? What have you done with him? I know he would be here at my side if he were physically able. Bring him to me at once!"

But as Sabina and Lucius stammer excuses, and before the runners can summon Antinous, a boat crewman bursts into the room with the news that Antinous is missing and presumed to have drowned in the Nile.

Hadrian suffers a relapse, but the Egyptian magic is well done. So he cannot die this time. As the search for Antinous continues, with hope waning each day, Hadrian retreats to the rooftop observatory of the villa in Hermopolis which has been placed at his disposal by a wealthy Hermopolite. The emperor stares into the heavens night after night, refusing to give up hope that Antinous might yet be alive, perhaps dazed and confused and lost somewhere along the river.

Then one night he looks into the heavens and sees the proof that he has been looking for since the disappearance of Antinous. He summons the empress and Lucius and the entire court and also calls for the chief astrologer of the Temple of Thoth in Hermopolis to come quickly.

He informs them that a new star has appeared in the heavens and that it is a celestial sign that Antinous has left this earthly existence to ascend to the pantheon of the gods. He has surrendered everything on behalf of his beloved emperor, just as he had always said he would. Everyone thinks Hadrian has suffered another relapse and is delusional with fever. But the astronomer arrives and swiftly confirms that the sharp-eyed emperor has indeed discovered an uncharted star.

As Hadrian leaves to issue orders for the deification of Antinous, construction of the city at the spot where he drowned and erection of temples throughout the world, the astronomer remains behind in the rooftop observatory with the wealthy owner of the house. Where precisely is this new star, the owner asks. "I know quite a bit about the stars for an amateur, but I can't for the life of me see anything at the spot in the heavens where Caesar was pointing just a while ago."

The astronomer says that the new star is definitely there and that astronomers throughout the world will confirm its existence and it will be recorded duly in all the star charts.

"Yes, but can't you point it out to me?" the wealthy man pleas. "I'm straining my eys looking, but I just can't see anything."

The astronomer answers, "And that is why you will never be a good  astronomer. You scan the heavens with your eyes, but not with your  heart."

So Hadrian looked into the nighttime skies and discovered a new star to point the way to that new religion. As a scholar and man of science he was able to see it with his own two eyes. Perhaps it was a super-nova which flared and then went out — who knows? He saw it and his court astronomers confirmed it and the Constellation of Antinous was recorded in the star charts for 19 centuries to come.

But more importantly, Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous shining in his heart. The Death of Antinous showed him a way to make his vision of the perfect religion a reality on Earth. It was the Light he was seeking. It was the Light of Antinous.

So when you look up into the nighttime skies tonight in search of the Star of Antinous, don't be surprised if you can't find it with your physical eyes. You can't find it in physical space, which is why Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia calls it the Dark Star of Antinous. Look inside your heart and you will find it shining there with all the beauty of a dream of perfection ....

Lumen Antinoi Adiuva Nos!

(Light of Antinous, Sustain Us!)

LIFT THE CURSE THAT BINDS YOU WITH THIS 'ENEMY MOON' RITUAL

NO matter what you do, you just can't get ahead. You have nothing but bad luck in money, in relationships and in general.

Rationally, you assume it's all your own fault. Are you may belong to a faith system which suggests it's all "bad karma" or else the "wages of sin" from a wrathful deity.

Then a dark corner of your mind wonders: "Maybe somebody or something put a curse on me?"

The Scorpio Full Moon ... often called the "Witches' Moon" or the "Beltane Moon" ... is a perfect time for lifting the veil on this shadowy and sinister question. 

In Antinous Moon Magic we call this lunar phase the enemy moon because it shines a harsh light to illuminate those elements which work against you.

Are you under a curse? Take this quick quiz and find out:

1. Are you having a run of bad luck? Regardless what you do or how hard you try, nothing but bad luck happens to you?

2. Have lightbulbs started burning out frequently ... even though you are certain the bulbs are fresh?

3. Have you had chronic computer glitches recently? Not just once or twice, but repeatedly, for no good reason?

4. Have you lost your joy for life? You used to be optimistic, but lately you feel pessimistic and forlorn?

5. Do things just seem to go wrong all the time? Home appliances have started breaking down? Your good and reliable car seems to need repairs inexplicably all of a sudden?

6. Have you suddenly incurred financial setbacks? Bills and debts have appeared out of no where? Urgent expenditures have stressed your credit card to the max?

7. You suddenly have problems with government agencies? Traffic cops seem to be picking on you personally? You get a parking fine for being less than a minute over the time? You are hassled with bureaucratic paperwork and delays for routine applications?

8. Things seem to break a lot around your household lately? You drop cups when doing the dishes? Things fall off of shelves for no apparent reason?

9. Has your health taken a sudden turn for the worse? You have a bad cold which just does not seem to want to go away?

10. Do you seem to attract people who are annoying and who intentionally pick fights with you? No matter how polite you are, other people take everything as an insult and argue with you?

ANTINOUS MOON MAGIC RITUAL

The Scorpio Full Moon ... which we call the Enemy Moon ... focuses its light on those elements around you (or within yourself) which are working against you. These may be human beings, but very often they are aspects of yourself which work against you. And even if they are human beings, they may not be consciously aware that they are sending evil tidings your way.

Tonight is the best night of the year for confronting these "enemies" in whatever form they take.

Find a quiet place to meditate undisturbed. Our crystals meditation advisor MARTIN CAMPBELL recommends Picture Jasper (also called Brown Jasper or Picasso Jasper) because he says: "It brings to the surface feelings of guilt, hatred but also love that were hidden deep within you. These can be from current or past lives."

Inhale deeply and hold your breath for a moment. And as you slowly exhale, visualize the "enemy elements" leaving your body.

Visualize the "enemy" standing before you, regardless whether you know this person or even if it is an aspect of yourself.

Do not be angry or afraid. Instead, open your arms and invite this "enemy" to come towards you and be embraced by you.

Now allow your love flowing into this person who has, until this moment, been your enemy. Forgive your enemy and shower your enemy with boundless love and light from your heart.

Visualize all negative energies being transformed into love and light. You are one with this person who used to be your enemy. These negative forces have been transformed into positive forces working constructively for you.

The curse has been lifted! You are free!

THE ANTINOUS MOON OF STELLAR CLARITY THE SAGITTARIUS THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT Antinous the Moon God is at right angles to the Sun. This is the SAGITTARIUS THIRD QUARTER MOON, which we call the SACRED STAR phase in Antinous Moon Magic.

Each lunar phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the SACRED STAR lunar phase is the embodiment of clarity and insight.

In the midst of confusion and chaos, the Spirit of the Star touches the top of your head and conveys sudden and total clarity. This Spirit is never deceived by appearances.

It always sees clearly. It sees through every facade. It sees behind all barriers. It sees through the blackest darkness. It shines as a beacon, lighting the way ahead.

The Star of Antinous was named shortly after the death of Antinous, perhaps in the year 131, when the Nile flooded over the embankments and a new star appeared in the sky to announce the deification of the new god. 

Hadrian's Astrologers noticed the new star which appeared suddenly within the constellation now known as Aquila, the Eagle.

A new constellation was drawn within Aquila that was named Antinous, and officially recognized by Astronomers and Astrologers all around the world, as recently as the last century.

The Sagittarius Third Quarter Moon is concerned with getting clear on idealistic matters.

Meditations and rituals conducted during this lunar phase are ideal for discerning clarity in opaque situations, for clearing the mind of nebulous distractions and for seeing clearly into other worlds ... the perfect night for clairvoyance.

TRY GREEN JADE FOR CLARITY TONIGHT By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

TO create/gain absolute clarity about the situation you are in, or striving for, use Jade (especially Green Jade) in meditations during tonight's Sagittarius Third Quarter Moon.

Jade helps you to channel passion into constructive approaches to situations with the people around you whether family, friends, colleagues or enemies.

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

Love and Light

MARTIN

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

THE PERDITION MOON OF ANTINOUS THE SCORPIO THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Scorpio Third Quarter Moon is the Lunar Phase in Antinous Moon Magic which we call the PERDITION MOON of coming to terms with loss and diminishment.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Perdition Moon is the embodiment of grief and loss. It is the gnawing sense of resources dwindling and being reduced. Perdition is diminishment and slow collapse.

It embodies the feeling that all the walls have fallen down and there is nothing to lean on. It is the spirit of consummate grief and lamentation for a loss. It is also the embodiment of that loss. It is the griever and also the subject of grief...

It is symbolized by grief-stricken Emperor Hadrian cradling the limp form of his beloved Antinous after his body had been recovered from the Nile.

The Scorpio Third Quarter Moon is precisely this sort of dull ache and sense of emptiness and loss.

Meditations and rituals carried out during this Lunar Phase are best suited for seeking to come to terms with loss and finding areas in your life where you may unconsciously be causing yourself loss or sadness.

This Lunar Phase is not about giving in to loss and grief, but rather it is about moving through them to find new ways towards growth and fulfillment.

THE DISCOVERY OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS

ON January 29th in the year 131 AD a new star appeared in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle.

The court astrologers declared that it was Antinous taking his place in the heavens. Hadrian ordered them to draw a new constellation embraced by the Eagle, and called it ANTINOUS.

Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia explains:

"The Roman historian Dio Cassius was skeptical that a new star had appeared in the sky, but simultaneously, the leader of the Jewish revolt named Bar Kochba, which means 'Son of the Star,' was declared the Messiah because a celestial event had proclaimed him the savior of Israel. The mystery of the star is real, a celestial even of great magnitude occurred shortly after the death of Antinous within the constellation of the Eagle for the New God.

"The three sacred stars of the constellation Aquila, named Tarzad, Altair and Alshain, rise above the horizon just after dark on this night and are an allegory of the assumption of Ganymede into heaven. This date is suggested by Chinese Novae observations which have been dated as occurring on the 29th of January 131 AD, and are compared to the Star or Comet of Antinous."

THE ANTINOUS FORTUNA MOON THE SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON

TONIGHT's Sagittarius New Moon is when ANTINOUS THE MOON GOD aligns in conjunction with his heavenly father Ra-Herakhte at the end of the year. 

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.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Fortuna Moon is the Spirit of Victory and Success.

This Spirit is the champion crossing the finish line, the winner of the match, the one holding the gold medal. 

This Spirit is the embodiment of the proverbial happy ending, the sweet smell of success, the incredible run of luck, the feather in one's cap, the stroke of genius, the jackpot, the mother lode. 

Antinous is holding a bottomless cornucopia with a powerful serpent wrapped around the cornucopia to enhance its power and ensure that nothing untoward can possible occur.

Antinous during this Lunar Phase is the personification of Good Fortune, the one for whom everything is coming up roses. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and says, "Trust your luck. Trust me."

The is the best lunar cycle of the year for casting oracles, reading the runes or the cards or working spells for success in the coming year.

THE NEW STAR OF ANTINOUS

ON December 1st we remember the day in 1999 when a New Star was discovered in the Constellation of Antinous ... a celestial portent for the rebirth of the religion of Antinous in the 21st Century.

It reminded us of that dark night 1,800 years ago when grief-stricken Hadrian looked up into the heavens with tearful eyes and saw a new star in what had until then been the Constellation of Ganymede.

Hadrian proclaimed it the STAR OF ANTINOUS and renamed the constellation after Antinous. 

Flamen Antonius Subia sees parallels to the new discovery which coincides with the re-establishment of the Religion of Antinous for the new Millennium and writes:

"In 1999 on December 1st, a Super Nova was discovered in the constellation Aquila, visible with the naked eye. It was confirmation that the ancient celestial event criticized by Dio Cassius as a lie might indeed have occurred, prompting Hadrian to redraw the map of the constellations and include Antinous among the immortal heroes of antiquity. 

"This new star named by astronomers Nova Aquilae v1492 was a sign of the return of Antinous in the modern age. It was a signal to begin the reconsecration of His sacred religion. 

"The light of this new star passed over the face of the Earth, illuminating the hearts of all those who believe in him, effecting change and demonstrating those whose eyes were directed towards the heavens that the voice of Antinous was beckoning, and the time to revive his religion had finally come, after so many centuries of silence.

"With this sign from Antinous we are compelled, out of love to inflame ourselves for his sake and to spread the light of the New Star to the world."

ASTROLOGER PREDICTED OF ANTINOUS: "HE WILL BECOME THE FRIEND OF A KING"

 

AN astrologer casting the natal horoscope for newborn Antinous, on 27 November 111 AD, would have told his proud parents the following:

"He will be handsome, attractive and have an uncommonly well proportioned body and amiable disposition."

As the baby's mother smiled and nodded (image here by Priest Julien), the astrologer would be encouraged to go on: 

"And because Jupiter was well aspected to Venus as his mother gave birth to him, little Antinous will one day become the friend of a king ... favored for his great beauty ... and in general will be favored with fortune over all his peers."

All of those things are listed in the standard textbook used by astrologers in the 2nd Century AD ... the "Mathesis" by Julius Firmicus Maternus.

The astrologer would be reading word-for-word from the textbook for a child born whose Rising Sign was 19 degrees Aquarius.

But the textbook has more to say ... and the astrologer might have been forgiven for conveniently "forgetting" to mention the next sentence couple of sentences:

"He will be one of the exoleti (sexual inverts), a sodomite who engages in irrumation," the textbook says. "And though generally fortunate, he will die in the first blush of young manhood."

Modern-day astrologers no longer use the Ancient Roman "Mathesis" textbook ... not as a rule ... although it is right on the mark in this case. 

But just like the ancient soothsayer, a modern a modern astrologer sees a bright and vivacious young man who stands out from all the others when he walks into a room. 

His sunny disposition is enhanced by the fact that the sun was high overhead in optimistic Sagittarius ... in conjunction with his Mid-Heaven.

His Aquarius Ascendant gives him a slight aloofness and appearance of being above it all. Yet Aquarius Rising also enables him to charm large crowds and impress others with his interest in a broad array of subjects. He can talk about almost anything with a degree of authority and interest.

Jupiter is at right angles to Venus, creating an exuberant personality ... a person who love to party ... loves excess ... someone who is generous to a fault, handing out money and favors as if there is no tomorrow.

Venus is in the House of Death, suggesting a willingness to die for love ... though, again, this is not something an astrologer would necessarily tell parents of a newborn.

Saturn is stranded in the First House, which speaks of a dour longterm future. But it is well aspected to Mercury, which is in Scorpio in the Ninth House, the House of Religion.

People with Scorpio Mercury do not hesitate to tell the unvarnished truth. They ferret out secrets and love to cast light on hidden truth. 

Hadrian must have loved Antinous in large part because Antinous invariably told him the truth, unlike all the other sycophantic and toadying courtiers.

The Moon was aligned with Mars in Aries the day Antinous was born. It must have been a stunning sight to go outside that evening and see the waxing First Quarter Aries Moon with a bright red star next to it ... Mars in conjunction.

People with Moon/Mars conjunction in Aries are such hot and fiery personalities that they can literally feel warm. They sleep without covers in the coldest weather. 

They throw of unnecessary clothing. They are hot and passionate. They are quick to blow off steam, but also quick to forgive and forget.

People with Moon/Mars aligned in Aries are also liable to take unnecessary risks. They live fast ... they burn the candle at both ends ... they do not fear death.

Those are the major aspects that an ancient astrologer would have seen in this natal chart.

But there would be aspects of this natal chart which would have been "invisible" to a 2nd Century astrologer ... but which leap out from the computer screen at a 21st Century astrologer. Look at the chart on this page and you notice multiple triangles overlaid on top of each other.

A total of Seven Grand Trines form the backbone of this extraordinary birth chart ... but they involve the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto ... which were not discovered until the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

These slow-moving outer planets rarely form aspects with one another ... centuries pass before they form aspects. 

Uranus and Neptune were in alignment when Antinous was born ... Uranus and Neptune were in alignment in the 1820s when the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone helped to spawn "Antinomania" and revive interest in Antinous.

And Uranus and Neptune were aligned again in the late 1980s and '90s ... when the Modern Religion of Antinous was awakened.

A modern astrologer looks at those Seven Grand Trines ... involving Moon/Mars, Pluto, Uranus and Neptune ... and instantly sees that this person was born at an extraordinary moment in time ... when the planets were signaling a dramatic and sudden turning point.

This baby boy would become the last Classical deity. It is in his birth chart.

One final note: Hadrian was obsessed with horoscopes and would have studied the birth chart of Antinous in detail. After Antinous died, Hadrian discovered a star in the Constellation of Ganymede equivalent to the last decade of Capricorn.

Hadrian called it the Star of Antinous and he renamed the star group the Constellation of Antinous. The new star was located where Jupiter had been on the day when Antinous was born. The Star was forever linked with his natal Jupiter.

In FIXED STAR ASTROLOGY the natal conjunction of Jupiter and the Star of Antinous represents: "Great good fortune in wealth, fame, success ... but with constant threat of loss. Spiritual and religious authority and influence."

In Ancient Rome, Jupiter symbolized the Emperor ... so that Antinous was forever linked with Hadrian ... shining together ... for all eternity.

THE HADRIAN MOON OF WISDOM

THIS weekend we come to the second Virgo New Moon in succession ... which we call the Autumn Blue Moon of Hadrian in Antinous Moon Magic. In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Spring Blue Moon. 

Whether Springtime or Autumn, Hadrian reminds us of the ancient maxim: You can only harvest that which you have sown. 

Tonight's lunar phase is an allegory for Hadrian: the maturity within your soul. Regardless of your chronological age, Hadrian is that part of you which draws on the wisdom and maturity that comes from experience and spiritual knowledge. 

Hadrian reminds you to do everything in your power to see that the world you leave behind will be a better place because you were there.

Este fim de semana, chegamos à segunda Lua Nova de Virgem em sucessão ... que chamamos de Lua de Adriano Azul Outono em Antinous Mágica da lua. No Hemisfério Sul este é o Blue Moon Primavera. Se Primavera ou Outono, Adriano nos lembra da antiga máxima: Você só pode colher aquilo que você semeou. fase lunar desta noite é uma alegoria para Adriano: a maturidade dentro de sua alma. Independentemente da sua idade cronológica, Adriano é aquela parte de você que se baseia na sabedoria e maturidade que vem com a experiência e conhecimento espiritual. Adriano lembra que você deve fazer tudo em seu poder para ver que o mundo você deixa para trás será um lugar melhor porque você estava lá.

Este fin de semana hemos llegado a la segunda Luna Nueva en Virgo en la serie ... que llamamos el azul Otoño Luna de Adriano en Antinoo Magia de la luna. En el hemisferio sur esta es la primavera de la luna azul. Ya sea primavera o del otoño, Adriano nos recuerda la antigua máxima: Sólo se puede cosechar lo que han sembrado. fase lunar de esta noche es una alegoría de Adriano: la madurez dentro de su alma. Independientemente de su edad cronológica, Adriano es esa parte de ti que se basa en la sabiduría y la madurez que viene de la experiencia y el conocimiento espiritual. Adriano le recuerda que debe hacer todo en su poder para ver que el mundo se dejan atrás será un lugar mejor porque usted estaba allí.

THE EQUESTRIAN MOON OF ANTINOUS THE SAGITTARIUS FIRST QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT Antinous the Moon God is in his first quarter in the lofty sign of Sagittarius, the sign of travellers, voyagers, pilgrims and those who embark on Gay Spiritual Quests.

In Antinous Moon Magic, each lunar phase represents a spiritual archetype. We call this First Quarter Sagittarius Moon the EQUESTRIAN MOON.

The Equestrian Moon is the best night of the year for blessings involving travel. 

Bless your faithful car, bike, boat ... or your beloved horse! 

This is the day to meditate or do a ritual involving a house move, change of jobs or relocation. 

On a deeper level, this lunar phase speaks of your spiritual movement, astral travel and astral projection ... this Moon says: "Try it, you can do it!"

Here's a lovely depiction of the Equestrian Moon symbolism from Italian artist Giorgio Tavaglione's L'ORACOLO DELLA SIBILLA oracle cards.

ANTINOUS SHOOTS HIS ARROWS INTO YOUR HEART

THE PERSEID meteors streak across the heavens from late July to reach their peak in mid-August. Go outside on a clear night and you will see dozens of meteors.

They appear to originate in the Constellation of Antinous right in the middle of the July and August night sky — as though Antinous is shooting arrows at you.

The CONSTELLATION OF ANTINOUS is directly right overhead in mid-heaven at this time of year. Go outside about 10 p.m. when it is good and dark and look up. You will see the Milky Way bisecting the sky from north to south. Look for the "Summer Triangle" formed by the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair — they seem to straddle the brightest part of the Milky Way.

Altair is the head of Aquila the Eagle — and Antinous is directly under the Eagle. 

The PERSEIDS are a great opportunity for ANTINOUS STAR MAGIC. 

How you cast the wish is up to you. If you re a Druid, Wiccan or even just a lapsed Catholic, you know some simple rituals. You can write a wish on a piece of paper and then go outside and look up and, as you repeat the wish aloud while tearing up the piece of paper, a shooting star will catch your eye — and you hold the palm of your hand in front of your mouth and blow away the bits of paper.

The Shooting Star does the rest.

There are many, many other ways of working ANTINOUS STAR MAGIC. As always with such things, the "magic" is within your heart and soul. So there are no firm-and-fast rules ... it all depends on you. 

If you are an ARIES, you probably don't believe in such foolishness as "wishing on a star" — but you love to gamble, and so you'll make a wish. And when it comes true, you'll be all the happier.

If you are a TAURUS, you know precisely what you want to wish for, something you've wanted for a long, long time. A leatherette recliner, for example. You love the romance and beauty of a summer evening. You've brought along a lawn chair and a hamper full of food and drink. 

If you are a GEMINI, you will be out with friends and you will be talking, laughing or else texting and twittering so much that you may forget to look up and make a wish.

If you are a CANCER you will be overwhelmed by the sheer romantic beauty of it all. You love the cosy setting and being with close friends or family. When you look up, you will make a special wish upon a star in hopes of finding that certain someone. You may stop pouting about how that other special someone broke your heart.

If you are a LEO, you will be convinced that Antinous is indeed shooting these love arrows your way — just for your own personal benefit, of course! And you will make a very grand wish, and you can't wait to show off and brag when it comes true.

If you are a VIRGO, you don't believe in luck, only in thankless hard work, and so you doubt that any wishes ever come true. You are wary of lying back on the grass because you are worried that a tick might bite you and you would contract Lyme Disease. It would be just your luck — Besides, you know it's selfish to wish for things for yourself. And anyway, you think you don't deserve to have a wish come true. But you DO deserve it!

If you are a LIBRAN, you can't decide on just one wish. So you make two wishes (at least). You secretly know you deserve to have your wishes come true more than anybody else, but you are far too diplomatic and tactful ever to say so openly. Your wishes involve matters of love and grace and beauty. You publicly wish good luck to all the others and they all thank you and think you're so nice. Everyone thinks you're their friend and you encourage them in that. Of course, secretly you think they're all morons, and if their lame wishes come true and your lovely wish doesn't come true — then there's no justice in this world.

If you are a SCORPIO, then you will also wish for love — but skip the grace and beauty and get down to the hot and heavy. Something with gleaming black leather and chrome steel chains. That wish better come true, too. You demand obedience.

If you are a SAGITTARIUS, your wish comes true instantaneously — or perhaps has already come true before you actually made the wish. Sagittarians have a direct hotline to the stars, so you always get your wishes -- and don't mind letting others know about it, either.

If you are a CAPRICORN, you don't believe in such frivolous nonsense as wishing on a star. But you have a list of very practical things you would like to wish for. Good dividends on investments, for example. So there's no harm in making a wish. If it comes true, it was "coincidence".

If you are an AQUARIUS, you will be counting the shooting stars ("Wow, 60 in just one hour, that's one a minute!") and you will be estimating what speed they must be traveling to reach the burn-out temperature. You're indoors, of course, watching the spectacle on NASA's streaming video website. You wrote down a wish for a new iPhone on a slip of paper, but you forgot where you put it, maybe it's stuck to the cheese under the Domino's Pizza next to your keyboard. Who cares? There are so many shooting stars to count.

If you are a PISCES, you have made elaborate plans to position yourself on a hilltop where your friends the UFO space aliens will be sure to spot you in your glow-in-the-dark jump suit. Your wish is for the aliens to abduct you ... again.

Make a wish!

HERNESTUS  

THE RISE OF THE STAR OF ANTINOUS

ON JUNE 11th, the Religion of Antinous celebrates the Rise of the Star of Antinous.  This is the date in our Liturgical Calendar when the Constellation of Antinous begins to rise over the horizon at sunset. It is visible on the eastern horizon along the banks of the Milky Way.

Wherever you live on Earth, you can see the Constellation of Antinous on starry nights from mid-June through late October when, in synchronicity with the Death of Antinous in late October, the Star of Antinous descends below the western horizon in the glare of the setting sun. 

The Constellation of Antinous is no longer recognized by astronomers (just as Pluto has been demoted to the rank of "dwarf planet"). But it is still visible from any point on Earth nestled between Sagittarius and Capricorn and in the talons of Aquila (the Eagle Constellation) representing the Imperial Eagle which carried Antinous to lofty heights.

The most visible identifiers are the three bright stars of Aquila — Altair at the crown of his head, Tarazad, and Alshain. Alshain is derived from Arabic for "Two Friends" which astrologers have cited as a hint as to how to interpret the Sign of Antinous.

The Star of Antinous is however difficult to see. Most people cannot see it at all. You won't find it on any star chart. Like the Star of Bethlehem, it is a mystery and a conundrum about which many theories have been written.

And even if you could see it, the light which reaches your eyes would have left the star thousands of years ago — perhaps about the time that Emperor Hadrian discovered the star.

The simple truth of the matter — and the most beautiful facet of all — is the fact that Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous with his own tear-filled eyes as he looked skyward in grief after the death of his beloved Antinous. Distraught and weeping, the emperor stood under the canopy of the star-studded heavens and looked up the River Nile towards the spot where his Beloved Boy had died. And he saw a new star which he recognized as a celestial sign that the gods had taken Antinous to be one of them.

You have to realize that Hadrian was a keen astronomer/astrologer himself. He knew the heavens like the back of his hand and he was so adept at casting horoscopes that it was said he had determined the exact hour of his death. He built an observatory at his sumptious villa outside Rome. And the tour of Egypt had brought him into contact with the finest Egyptian magician/priests, one of whom taught him how to cast a binding spell which could give him dream-visions and could also cause someone to fall hopelessly in love with him or — depending on how it was cast — even cause that person to die in agony.

Hadrian was that sort of control freak. Despite the fact that he was the mightiest man on Earth who could send a man to death on a whim (and did so, on occasion), he also wanted control over the future. And he wanted to be able to force someone to love him and never, never leave him.

Much has been theorized about those fateful final days leading up to the death and deification of Antinous and Hadrian's discovery of the STAR OF ANTINOUS.

Yes, much has been written about these events and about Hadrian's obsession with magic and astrology and soothsayers. One of the more fanciful versions was published in a novel in the mid-1950s by the German author Ernst Sommer. Entitled simply Antinous, the novel suggests Antinous sacrificed his own life to save his beloved emperor during the imperial tour of Egypt in the year 130 AD.


The dramatic climax of the plot has Hadrian lying in a villa in Hermopolis, feverish and at death's door after having been bitten by a mosquito. The emperor writhes in bed, calling out Antinous's name. The Empress Sabina and heir-apparent Lucius, jealous but also fearful that the presence of Antinous might further agitate the emperor, issue orders that the boy be kept away from the emperor.

After several daring attempts to sneak into the villa, Antinous is finally put under house arrest aboard an imperial vessel anchored a few miles upstream near the fallen-down Temple of Bes (the future site of the Sacred City of Antinoopolis). Lucius has ordered that he be put in irons to prevent him from sneaking off to visit Hadrian. But the guards cannot bring themselves to place the beauteous boy in irons, in defiance of Lucius's orders. Instead, they merely confine him to his quarters below deck with a single porthole overlooking the nighttime waters of the Nile.

Sensing that the emperor is dying, Antinous realizes his love for Hadrian is boundless and that nothing can keep them apart. Thinking back to his discussions about life and death with Jewish Rabbis, Christian clerics and Egyptian priests of Osiris, he realizes that the day has come. The hour has arrived. It is time to surrender everything he has — in a pure act of love that will transform everything.

He opens the porthole hatch and sees an unusually bright star which seems to beckon. He steps out of his clothes and leaves them (his last earthly possessions) lying in a heap on the floor. He climbs deftly out the porthole and slips quietly into the water.

At the same moment, Hadrian breathes his last breath, to the horror of Sabina and Lucius and the others who are gathered at his bedside. In a state now beyond physical life, Hadrian opens his eyes to see Anubis standing before him with outstretched hands, lifting him out of bed and guiding him away down many dark corridors. At last, Hadrian is taken through a massive portal and into a chamber where Thoth is waiting beside scales placed before Osiris.

Thoth begins the Weighing of the Heart ceremony as Osiris asks who this person is who seeks admittance to his realm. In the midst of the solemn proceedings there is a loud banging at the portal and Anubis announces that someone has arrived to offer his own heart in exchange for the emperor's heart, so that Hadrian might live and walk the earth again. That person is standing unseen just outside the portal. After brief discussion, the Egyptian deities acknowledge that the Law of Maat specifically envisions such an exchange and that, indeed, it is the most sacred and powerful of covenants — surrendering one's own heart on the Scales of Truth for that of a loved one. Such love cannot be denied. The offer cannot be denied.

Genesthoi — So Be It Done!

Back at the death bed in the Hermopolis villa, Hadrian gasps suddenly and his eyelids fly open, to the amazement of everyone who thought he had just expired. Sensing what has happened, he speaks hoarsely of a vivid dream involving deities. He looks around and demands to know where Antinous is.

"Where is he? What have you done with him? I know he would be here at my side if he were physically able. Bring him to me at once!"

But as Sabina and Lucius stammer excuses, and before the runners can summon Antinous, a boat crewman bursts into the room with the news that Antinous is missing and presumed to have drowned in the Nile.

Hadrian suffers a relapse, but the Egyptian magic is well done. So he cannot die this time. As the search for Antinous continues, with hope waning each day, Hadrian retreats to the rooftop observatory of the villa in Hermopolis which has been placed at his disposal by a wealthy Hermopolite. The emperor stares into the heavens night after night, refusing to give up hope that Antinous might yet be alive, perhaps dazed and confused and lost somewhere along the river.

Then one night he looks into the heavens and sees the proof that he has been looking for since the disappearance of Antinous. He summons the empress and Lucius and the entire court and also calls for the chief astrologer of the Temple of Thoth in Hermopolis to come quickly.

He informs them that a new star has appeared in the heavens and that it is a celestial sign that Antinous has left this earthly existence to ascend to the pantheon of the gods. He has surrendered everything on behalf of his beloved emperor, just as he had always said he would. Everyone thinks Hadrian has suffered another relapse and is delusional with fever. But the astronomer arrives and swiftly confirms that the sharp-eyed emperor has indeed discovered an uncharted star.

As Hadrian leaves to issue orders for the deification of Antinous, construction of the city at the spot where he drowned and erection of temples throughout the world, the astronomer remains behind in the rooftop observatory with the wealthy owner of the house. Where precisely is this new star, the owner asks. "I know quite a bit about the stars for an amateur, but I can't for the life of me see anything at the spot in the heavens where Caesar was pointing just a while ago."

The astronomer says that the new star is definitely there and that astronomers throughout the world will confirm its existence and it will be recorded duly in all the star charts.

"Yes, but can't you point it out to me?" the wealthy man pleas. "I'm straining my eys looking, but I just can't see anything."

The astronomer answers, "And that is why you will never be a good  astronomer. You scan the heavens with your eyes, but not with your  heart."

So Hadrian looked into the nighttime skies and discovered a new star to point the way to that new religion. As a scholar and man of science he was able to see it with his own two eyes. Perhaps it was a super-nova which flared and then went out — who knows? He saw it and his court astronomers confirmed it and the Constellation of Antinous was recorded in the star charts for 19 centuries to come.

But more importantly, Hadrian discovered the Star of Antinous shining in his heart. The Death of Antinous showed him a way to make his vision of the perfect religion a reality on Earth. It was the Light he was seeking. It was the Light of Antinous.

So when you look up into the nighttime skies tonight in search of the Star of Antinous, don't be surprised if you can't find it with your physical eyes. You can't find it in physical space, which is why Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia calls it the Dark Star of Antinous. Look inside your heart and you will find it shining there with all the beauty of a dream of perfection ....

Lumen Antinoi Adiuva Nos!

(Light of Antinous, Sustain Us!)