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."

JALALUDDIN RUMI SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON December 17th the Religion of Antinous celebrates the life of the Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi who dedicated his life to the illumination he received through the love of another man.

The mystic lover and poet Jalaluddin Rumi, better known simply as Rumi, was united with his beloved on this day. 

Born in Afghanistan in 1207 CE, his family moved to Turkey while he was still young. 

In the city of Konya, not far from the Bithynian birthplace of Antinous, Jalaluddin Rumi established himself as a traditional Islamic teacher.

But then one day he met Shams-e-Tabriz, a wandering Sufi mystic. 

Shams set Jalaluddin free from worldly concern and revealed the inward love of god as expressed through music, poetry and the whirling dance that simultaneously confuses and centers the soul of one who spins.

When Shams mysteriously disappeared, Jalaluddin went in search of him, only to discover that Shams was within his own heart.

From that day forward, Jalaluddin Rumi became a profound teacher of mystic eloquence whose poetry refers to god as the Lover within. 

The homoerotic character of Jalaluddin Rumi's spirituality, referring both to his love for Shams and his love for god, has ingratiated him to gay men because of the depth and sensitivity and sacred intimacy that his words exude.

Jalaluddin Rumi and his Mevlevi Order are the last remnants of the Bithynian-Phrygian ecstasy cults of Dionysus and Attis, and they are distantly connected to the Religion of Antinous, through the mystical charge of homoerotic spirituality.

Jalaluddin Rumi expressed total love, proclaiming that all religions were one. And on the day of his funeral, his bier was followed by a procession made up of representatives from five different faiths.

We sanctify Jalaluddin Rumi as a Saint in the Religion of Antinous. He died on December 17th, 1234.

MARGUERITE YOURCENAR IS A SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON this day in 1987, Marguerite Yourcenar died.

She wrote the landmark Mémoires d'Hadrien (Hadrian's Memoirs), which is considered by many to be the finest historical novel of the last century.

It is through her literary genius that millions of people around the world have been drawn to the modern-day Religion of Antinous.

She truly is a saint of Antinous.

THE GEMINI FULL MOON THE CATAMITUS MOON OF ANTINOUS

TONIGHT's Gemini Full Moon is the CATAMITUS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic, the moon signaling where change will occur in your life during the coming year.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Catamitus Moon is the Winds of Change.

This is the Spirit who is carried away by the Divine, just as Ganymede (Catamitus to the Romans) was carried away by Zeus/Jupiter. This Spirit is plucked and uprooted and is carried off to other realms.

The ancients often compared the relationship of Hadrian and Antinous to that of Jupiter and Catamitus/Ganymede, the beautiful youth who so enraptured Jupiter that the king of the Gods swooped down from Olympus in the form of an eagle and carried Ganymede off to be at his side forever, serving as his cup bearer.

The Constellation of Antinous replaced that of Ganymede upon the divinization of Antinous. At this time of year the Sun is moving inexorably towards this constellation.

This lunar cycle represents is the Spirit which seeks out new horizons simply for sake of change. 

This Spirit revels in change for change's sake.

This Spirit knows that existence without change is stagnation and death.

Life is an ever-evolving cycle of waxing and waning, winning and losing, breathing in and breathing out, ceaseless change.

This is a powerfully magical moon for working gay magical spells in the Gemini areas of friendships, finances and getting in contact with prospective lovers.

CATAMITUS MOON CRYSTALS FOR CHANGE By Our Crystal Meditation Adviser Martin Campbell

THE Catamitus Moon (Gemini Full Moon) signals where change will be occurring … or needs to occur … in your life during the coming year.

If you feel stuck in a rut, crystal meditations during this lunar phase  help you to focus on bringing about change … in your living situation … your job and finances … and in your friendships.

I recommend these using these crystals: 

Chrysocolla: This beautiful green, blue and turquoise stone helps you to accept change with calmness. It also has an astonishing array of other physical and mental health improving qualities. It is one of my favourites and I have one permanently under my bed pillow!

Lapis Lazuli: These fabulous deep blue stones, flecked with gold, were highly prized by ancient European and middle eastern cultures but especially the Egyptians who incorporated them into stunning items such as Tutankhamun's death mask. They help to bond relationships - especially friendships - by helping you to express emotions. 

Citrine: These  yellow/gold crystals form in clusters, in caves, but are usually separated into single arrowhead-like 'points' to sell them. They are wonderful crystals for attracting wealth.  

Chinese Feng Shui practitioners suggest placing a Citrine in the 'wealth corner' of your home (the furthest back left point of your home) to bring wealth into your life. 

Meditation experts would suggest that you create a 'grid' of Citrines around you as you meditate. A grid is a set of crystals arranged in a regular pattern around you (circle, square, octagon etc.). 

Where the crystals have 'points' the points should be arranged so that they align with another point thus creating a matrix or grid pattern. Energy flows best along lines which is why this technique can be so powerful.

Emerald: Highly faceted emeralds can be expensive but 'rough' natural emeralds are much cheaper and more powerful. These beautiful green crystals are known as the crystal of 'successful love'.  

It also helps a group of people reach mutual understanding and cooperation so is also useful for the friendships element above. 

Love and Light twinkling from facets,

MARTIN

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

BIRTH OF THE DIVINE LUCIUS VERUS

ON December 15th the Religion of Antinous celebrates the birth of the Divine Lucius Verus, who was born 48 days after the death of ANTINOUS in the year 130 AD (Year 19 of Antinous). As an 8-year-old boy he was hand-picked by Hadrian to become future co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius.

And Hadrian's wisdom in choosing him was realized when Lucius Verus proved to be a wise and diligent leader who combined efficiency in government along with a sense of charisma and high-drama style.


A handsome young man with naturally sandy-blond hair, he instructed his team of imperial stylists to sprinkle gold dust in his carefully coiffed hair and beard to highlight the natural blond sheen. 

Verus led a high-stepping lifestyle and kept a coterie of glitterati, actors and favourites with him. He had a replica tavern built in his house -- a sort of in-house Studio 54 -- where he staged lavish parties with his friends until dawn. 

He also enjoyed roaming around the city among the population, without acknowledging his identity. The games of the circus were another passion in his life, especially chariot racing.


Lucius Ceionius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus was the son of Lucius Aelius Caesar, His mother's name was Avidia. After the unexpected death of young Lucius's father, Lucius Aelius Caesar, Hadrian then adopted Antoninus Pius to be his successor, and ordered that Antoninus adopt Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian's 17-year-old nephew, and the 8-year-old Lucius who took the name Lucius Verus.

As a boy Lucius Verus was educated by the foremost Roman scholars including the historian Marcus Cornelius Fronto. He was watched over by a devoted freedman of his father named Nicomedes, a name with Bithynian connotations and of almost homosexual allusion.

Originally Hadrian desired that Lucius should marry Faustina the Younger, daughter of Antoninus, but then Antoninus canceled this arrangement and Faustina married Marcus Aurelius instead. Lucius married Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, in 161 a year after becoming Emperor in 161.

War broke out with the Parthians and Marcus Aurelius sent Lucius Verus to head the Campaign, but he is said to have spent his time drinking and banqueting, leaving the war in the capable hands of his  generals. It was a wise decision. For this victory, he was awarded a triumph.


In general, the duties of running the government were left in the hands of Marcus Aurelius, while Lucius Verus spent his time with actors and musicians, and at the chariot races. 

He is said to have excelled his eccentric father Lucius Aelius in ostentatiously exhibiting his pleasures on an Imperial scale, much to the disapproval of the stoic Marcus Aurelius. The two co-emperors, however, always maintained cordial relations.

Lucius Verus was born in the year 130, only 48 days after the Death of Antinous. This is of course very important to consider, and certainly must have left a life-long impression of Lucius Verus. Considerations of reincarnation are open for contemplation.

His death in the year 169 was sudden and unexpected, occurring during a military inspection, likely due to dysentery or possibly smallpox, as he died during a widespread epidemic known as the "Antonine Plague". 

Despite the minor differences between them, Marcus Aureliusgrieved the loss of his adoptive brother. He accompanied the body to Rome, where he offered games to honour his memory. After the funeral, the senate declared Verus divine to be worshipped as Divus Verus.

Many people (even modern-day pagans) balk at believing in the divinity of the emperors, preferring instead the Classical deities of the Roman Republic.

Pagans find it extremely difficult to worship human beings as legitimate gods, because they have no believable supernatural powers, it's too obvious. There are other reasons of course, but this is one.

Why not Worship Lucius Verus and Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius and all the Antonines, why not call out to them, why not praise them and declare our loyalty to them and hope for whatever benefit we might gain? 

The odds seem as favorable with them as with anything else that people call Gods.

For this reason, among others...we turn to ANTINOUS...because he IS a human being...and he WAS deified...ANTINOUS is in every way Both God and Man...we can believe whatever we want about him...but only so long as we do not delude ourselves into thinking that we can placate ANTINOUS, that by worshiping HIM, that we will somehow purchase his good favor...that we will be rewarded for our good faith.

We don't see any harm in asking ANTINOUS to give us the Moon and the Stars and the Beautiful Things of the Land and the Sea...and we are proud to ask ANTINOUS to watch over His People, all the Homosexuals of the World, to protect them and Guide into the Future.

This may seem to be a violation of our personal creed of not asking for fulfillment of our selfish whims...but it is not a violation of that creed...perhaps because it is not for ourselves...and also because we  do not expect ANTINOUS to respond in any way or form...it is not so much a response from ANTINOUS Himself that we are seeking, but a Response from the Antinous within Our Hearts and from the Antinous within All of Our Hearts.

It is We who must watch over ourselves and the whole world...through the Power of Antinous Love within us all. 

Lucius Verus IS a god and he represents the Power of the Antinous Love which resides within us all.

THE 2024 LUNAR STANDSTILL

ARE you ready for a rare lunar phenomenon that will not happen again for almost 19 years? Tonight we will see the rise of the Gemini Full Moon, which is called the CATAMITUS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic, the last full moon of the year 2024. However, the moon will behave dramatically differently from usual, with the most northerly moonrise and moonset at full moon until December 2043.

This is called a "Lunar Standstill" or "Lunistice" when the Moon reaches its furthest north or furthest south point during the course of a month. The declination (a celestial coordinate measured as the angle from the celestial equator, analogous to latitude) at lunar standstill varies in a cycle 18.6 years long. The last Lunar Standstill was in 2006-7.

As a reminder, Antinous the Moon God died a few months short of his 19th birthday, basically the same as the 18.6 year lunar cycle.

Antonius Subia says:

We observe the culmination of the Great Lunistice of 2024, when the moon completes its 18.6 year cycle and enters a new cycle which will last until 2043.

This is sacred to us because Antinous lived approximately 18.6 years of life. He died only one month before his 19th birthday and so the Lunar Standstill cycle is a reflection of the entire life of Antinous the Moon God.

As we reach the end of the cycle and begin a new cycle, we celebrate the life of Antinous and look forward to a new chapter of our lives with Antinous in our hearts.

Let us reflect upon the changes that have taken place in our lives over the course of the last 18 years. Let us take a moment to observe the world as it is at present and be grateful that we are alive to experience this moment here and now, no matter what difficulties we may face and hardships we may endure, we are here and we are alive.

Let us look forward to the next 18 years to come.

AVE ANTINOUS LUNUS

~ANTONIUS SUBIA