PAGAN JOURNALIST MARGOT ADLER IS A SAINT OF ANTINOUS

WE honor Margot Adler as a Saint of Antinous the Gay God.

She was a pioneering modern pagan and well-respected all-round journalist who enabled millions of listeners on NPR radio in North America to get a balanced and informed view of paganism. 

She reported on news and current affairs from New York City ... most notably the 9/11 tragedy ... and her listeners respected her religious beliefs were did not make her "weird" or "demonic."

Margot Adler authored DRAWING DOWN THE MOON, a 1979 book about Neopaganism which was revised in 2006 to include our own modern Religion of Antinous.

The book is considered a watershed in American Neopagan circles, as it provided the first comprehensive look at modern nature-based religions in the US.

For many years it was the only introductory work about the American Neopagan communities. And it mentions Antinous ... and our new religion!

JEAN GENET ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A SAINT HE IS A SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON April 15th the Religion of Antinous remembers Jean Genet as a Saint of Antinous.

Saint Jean Genet was one of the first and most modern gay poets, whose elegance and sordid love for the street life was unprecedented, and has never been matched.

Among his most fervent desires, expressed from the very beginning was that he should one day be elevated to Sainthood.

We of the Religion of Antinous, fully and faithfully, take faith in the spirit of Saint Jean Genet, through whom the eternal voice of Antinous spoke with the most voluptuousness and vain-glory.

Saint Jean Genet died on this day in Paris in 1986.

SIR JOHN GIELGUD SAINT OF ANTINOUS

THE religion of Antinous honors one of our most blessed thespian saints and martyrs, St. John Gielgud, who was born 14 April 1904.

The most terrible moment in John Gielgud's life ... on which he maintained a public silence for 50 years ... was the subject of a critically acclaimed play in the London West End.

The play, entitled "Plague Over England", was about the scandal which swept across Britain in 1953 when John Gielgud was arrested by an undercover policeman in a public toilet in London.

But the 2008 play was concerned with much more than Gielgud's arrest in on the charge of "importuning for immoral purposes". The play showed the plight of gay men in the 1950s Cold War atmosphere when gays were associated with Communist espionage. 

Its characters include the producer who nearly ended his career, the virulently anti-homosexual Lord Chief Justice Rayner Goddard, an American fleeing his own country's anti-Communist paranoia, and a doctor who claims to "cure" same-sex attraction with "Clockwork Orange"-style electric shock therapy.

Homosexuals had long been feared and hated in England as men who, it was believed, preyed on the innocent young, and were thus unfit to lead normal, happy lives. Until 1967, they risked prosecution for what the law called "acts of gross indecency between male persons", even in private, and could be arrested for merely showing -- in a police spy's opinion -- an intent to commit them.

Police throughout England were alert for any hints of homosexual behaviour. Just before Gielgud was arrested, two prominent high-class gay men had been uncovered as KGB spies, resulting in a further crackdown on all gay activities. The officer who arrested Gielgud was part of a Metropolitan Police squad established in 1930 that regularly lurked in central London toilets.

The year in which Gielgud came to grief in a Chelsea public convenience was a particularly dangerous one for homosexuals, as the increased frankness of the period allowed politicians, the police, and the press to profit by inflaming public hysteria, warning that a "plague" or "epidemic" of sodomy and Communism was sweeping the land.

The climate of fear was chilling to gay men who paid even the slightest attention to the news.

Gielgud, however, was, in his own words a "silly gubbins" who took no notice of anything outside of acting. On October 21, following the rehearsal for the play "A Day By the Sea", this supremely unworldly man, then 49, had a few drinks at a party and then visited a public lavatory popular with "cottagers" -- English gay slang for men who cruise toilets.

Arrested, and aware that he should give a false identity, he said he was a clerk called Arthur (his real name) Gielgud. The next day he  appeared before a magistrate who did not know who he was, fined him 10 pounds, and ordered him, with the disdain and sexual ignorance of the period, to "see your doctor the moment you leave this court".

Unfortunately, a better-informed Evening Standard reporter was there, too. When that afternoon's paper hit the streets, he was on the front page.

You can imagine the shame and the terror with which Gielgud turned up at rehearsal (he had considered suicide) for the role of a bachelor diplomat whose mother worries that he is lonely and unloved.

But the company, led by his co-star, Dame Sybil Thorndike, in fact welcomed him with open arms. "Oh, John," she said, in one of the most magnificent double entendres of all time, "you HAVE been a silly bugger!"

The producer of "A Day By the Sea", however, the immensely powerful Binkie Beaumont, saw the newspaper articles and the hate mail, and worried that the public would stay away. 

Yet his thoughts of firing the star were thwarted by Gielgud's brother, Val, who applied a little judicious blackmail about Binkie's very own private life.

Everyone was nervous that the audience might react with silence or even boos.

But as the curtain came down he was cheered to the rafters.

Gielgud was known for having a penchant for anonymous bathroom sex -- It's one of the reasons his knighthood (just a few months before the arrest) was postponed for years. He even had a "cruising cap" for such forays, an attempt to disguise himself so as to avert detection by fans who might recognize him.

The arrest had important consequences, and not only for Gielgud, who was told by the British embassy in Washington to forget about a planned American production of "The Tempest". because he might prove "an embarrassment".

Afterwards, the floodgates opened as the public was confronted by the disturbing fact that an extremely distinguished and beloved artist was one of the people they, in theory, despised. The fuss contributed to the Wolfenden Commission, set up the following year to study prostitution, taking on homosexuality as well. Its recommendations eventually led to decriminalisation in Britain.

While the affair broke Gielgud emotionally, he put himself back together in a way that made him better suited to a theatre in a world of greater change and upheaval.

For his talent and for his courage, the Religion of Antinous honors Saint John Gielgud as a Prophet of Homoeros.

LARIMAR FOR THE HADRIAN'S WALL MOON By Our Crystal Meditation Advisor Martin Campbell

THE Hadrian's Wall Moon is a time of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers'. 

Anyone who visits Hadrian's Wall is confronted with that incredible, imposing, 79 mile division that separated the Romans from the terrifying and annoying Pict tribes of Caledonia (from whom, of course, I am descended!). 

Visitors are also reminded that here was the 'end' of Rome. Britannia was safe, prosperous but strictly controlled and emphatically Roman. Beyond the wall was freedom of expression and the continuity of ancient traditions and religious practices. 

We may experience obstacles in our paths but they are not always bad. We can reflect on the life either side of that obstacle and may sometimes find that the life we have on the side seen as less desirable may actually be the most liberating one.

Meditations during this moon phase are best enhanced by the use of the following crystals:

Amethyst - One of my regular recommendations (I hope I'm not boring you with it!) it is a beautiful multi-purpose crystal.

As you wage an internal battle with an emotional, social, work, artistic or intellectual blockage you will want a feeling of resolution.

Among many other attributes Amethyst can help you overcome blockages and even addictions. It can help you to transition to a new state of being.

Red Calcite - These crystals help remove blockages emotionally and shift negative energies. It also helps constipation!!!

Larimar (AKA Dolphin Stone) - These beautiful, pale turquoise coloured, stones have only recently been found and mined in the Caribbean.

They help to remove self-imposed blockages.

Love and Light,

MARTIN

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

THE HADRIAN'S WALL MOON OF BARRIERS THE CAPRICORN THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Capricorn Third Quarter Moon is the Lunar Phase which, in Antinous Moon Magic, we call the HADRIAN'S WALL MOON of stubborn intransigence and immovable barriers.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Hadrian's Wall Lunar Phase is the embodiment of hindrances and blockages.

It is the personification of all that stands in your way. It is all barriers and obstacles to progress.

This Spirit locks you up in a prison cell, either literally or figuratively.

It rises up like a mountain to see if you have the stamina and ingenuity to scale it or get around it. But remember that Hadrian's Wall was not impregnable. It was not particularly high. It was not meant to be an impenetrable barrier, but only a hindrance to mass assault or rampant smuggling of goods and livestock.

Thus this Spirit is not insurmountable. It can be overcome, a way can be found around, under, over or through it. This Spirit challenges you to find that way.

The key words are: Barrier. Hindrance. Setback. Confinement. Blockage. Unyielding stubbornness.

This can be a physical barrier, but it can also be an emotional, financial, job or relationship "prison" which blocks your progress.

Meditations and rituals conducted tonight are best suited for focusing on blockages in your life, situations and issues which prevent you from moving forward.

These can be manifested by persons or situations around you. But most often, we find during meditations on this night that we have erected prison walls around ourselves, we are blocking ourselves from the freedom we so earnestly desire.

This Lunar Phase is saying it is time to break out!

KENNETH WEISHUHN SAINT OF ANTINOUS

WE honor Kenneth Weishuhn as a blessed Saint of Antinous because he killed himself at age 14 after bullies taunted him relentlessly for being gay.

April 14th, 2012, Kenneth James Weishuhn, of Primghar, Iowa, succumbed to the bullying he'd been receiving since coming out as a gay teen only a few short months earlier.

He was a very happy young man.  Handsome and full of life.  He was loving to others.  More than that, he was loved by his friends and families.

Unfortunately, coming out of the closet cost him his young life. The bullying was relentless and severe to the point where he couldn't take it any longer.

Two of Kenneth's friends, Kristi and Brandi, made a YOUTUBE VIDEO TRIBUTE to their gone-too-soon friend.

Antinous is the God of teens who suffer for being gay. Kenneth Weishuhn is in the embrace of Antinous the Gay God. 

CHIRON COMES TO THE RESCUE IN THE CORONA VIRUS CRISIS

AMIDST the Corona Virus crisis, Mercury aligns with Lilith and the minor planet CHIRON IN ARIES this week to empower you to access your inner healer. (Art by Miranda Baggins entitled: "Antinous as the Horseman of Conquest! (Pestilence) in light of COVID-19."

The Black Moon Lilith represents moral outrage, and it's interesting that she is emerging as an astrological archetype at this time of great global stress. 

Her story is one of abandonment and oppression as well as exile and the loss of children. For LGBT people, this archetype lives as a cellular reminder of the time when the male gods of war supplanted the female nature warriors. 

For LGBT people, Lilith can sometimes represent a fear of the wild and untameable feminine ... in their partners, or sometimes in themselves.

Chiron urges the healing of old wounds, and this connection of the Black Moon Lilith to Chiron may open up some festering sore places in our psyches or emotional bodies. 

We may find ourselves experiencing this archetypal banishment from the natural world, or we may find our relationships opening up to allow more wildness to enter. In any case, this is a time when the Goddess emerges in her most wild form. Use this power wisely!

It is nice to remember who Chiron is ... the wisest and noblest of all the Centaurs in Classical Mythology. While all the other centaurs galloped off to riotous ruin and drunken oblivion, Chiron alone shared the knowledge he had inherited from the Titans ... tutoring a series of sensitive youths ... Achilles, Jason, Perseus, Theseus, Ajax, Dionysus, Hercules ... an endless list of heroes and demigods. He schooled them in the arts and sciences ... teaching them to be musicians and physicians.

This week healing energies get a sudden and dramatic boost when Mercury aligns with both Lilith and with Chiron in Aries. This is a good time for health checkups and medical treatment ... also, you can expect a positive and expansive outlook, which can benefit your well-being at this time. 

You may be more open-minded with regard to experiencing new things, which will allow healing of your mind, body, and spirit. 

For instance, you could seek higher understanding and meaning in your life through a guide, mentor, or spiritual person or increase your inner knowledge by means of educational processes, religion, or meditative practices during this period. 

An urge to travel to far-away places (real or imaginary) may also be experienced. You may discover new perspectives on your beliefs, faith, and sense of hope. 

Restoring peace and harmony in your personal life and relationships is possible now through your interest in healing your own wounds, as well as extending compassion and generosity to others.