MITHRAS TEMPLE IN NORTHERN ENGLAND WAS ALIGNED TO SUNRISE DECEMBER 25

AN ancient temple constructed by a mysterious cult in northern England may have been built to align with sunrise on December 25, to "recall the birth" of the light god Mithras.

A new analysis using satellite maps and a software that can plot the direction of sunrise and sunset revealed that the Mithraeum beside a Roman fort in Carrawburgh, England, lines up with both the winter solstice and December 25th.

Followers of the cult of Mithras often associated these two dates with the god, and were even said to celebrate the New Year on December 25th, as it marked his birth.

In a paper published to Philica, Amelia Carolina Sparavigna of Politecnico di Torino says the temple at Carrawburgh was designed for the birth of Mithras.

Sparavigna used the SunCal.net software to pinpoint the direction of sunrise and sunset at different times of the year for this location.

And, this revealed "good alignment" for the December 25 sunrise along with the winter solstice (December 21), with a difference of just 0.2 degrees.

"As we can see using software giving the sunrise and sunset directions on satellite maps, the orientation of the temple and the direction of the sunrise on winter solstice are in good agreement," Sparavigna wrote.

"It means that, probably, the orientation of the temple was chosen to recall the birth of Mithras on December 25."

Worship of Mithras spurred the rise of a mystery cult during the Roman era.

It was practiced from the 1st Century to 4th Century AD, and is linked to the sun god Sol Invictus.

"The cult of Mithras, such as that of the Sol Invictus, who was the patron of the soldiers, was very popular in the Roman army," Sparavigna wrote.

"Both Sol Invictus and Mithras, who were often identified in the same god, are linked to winter solstice.

"Actually, the followers of Mithras worshipped the New Year on December 25, to celebrate the birth of Mithras."

ANTINOUS EMBRACES GEORGE MICHAEL (25 June 1963 - 25 December 2016)

MUSIC legend George Michael is a saint of Antinous for inspiring millions of LGBT people. 

Known for hit songs such as “Faith,” “Freedom ‘90” and holiday favorite “Last Christmas,” he died at age 53 on 25 December 2016, of heart failure.

But the legacy of the pop icon, who sold well over 100 million albums in the span of his career, extends far beyond his music.

"George was probably the first gay pop star in the modern era, who was totally unabashed about gay sexuality,” said Martin Aston, a music journalist.

Even though Michael was forced out of the closet, once he was out, Aston noted, "he took a great leap forward" and "came out guns blazing."

Michael's moment of liberation followed what seemed at first to be a time of deep humiliation.

He was blessed with sensual good looks and an exquisite voice, attributes he used to become first a teenybopper heartthrob and then a mature solo artist with videos that played up his considerable appeal.

He kept his own sexual orientation private, until he was arrested in 1998 for lewd conduct in a public toilet in Los Angeles after being spotted by a male undercover police officer.

In an earlier era, that might have doomed his career. Instead of retreating, however, Michael made a single and video ... "Outside" ... that ridiculed the charges against him and mocked the Los Angeles police officers who busted him.

The memorable image of the two uniformed policemen kissing in the video ... both funny and outrageous at the time ... helped Michael come out as a proud gay man.

Despite his infamous outing, “he never dealt with [his sexuality] in terms of shame,” Aston told NBC Out. “He realized he had to be true to himself, and that had to have helped bust that closet door open.”

THE SATURNALIA THE GOLDEN AGE OF SATURN

IN celebration of the return of Antinous Invictus, for the five days between December 25th and the 1st of January, we commemorate the Golden Age of the reign of Saturn.

This is a time outside of time, and an occasion for joy and freedom from the world when Sol Invictus returns.

The divine twins are born, Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephthys, Castor and Pollux, Freyr and Freya (for whom this time is also known as Yule).

(Image: Antinous as the Ghost of Christmas Present by S.L. GORE.)

We celebrate the Saturnalia with indulgence and as the festival of Liberty and total Freedom. There shall be no authority and no submission during this sacred period.

There is to be no war, and no form of violence committed, only peace and harmony and the many joys of ecstasy are allowed.

The rejoicing of the Saturnalia ends with the apotheosis of the Prince of Flowers, Aelius Caesar, on January 1st.

LOVELY 'BIRTH OF MITHRAS' SCULPTURE OLDEST DEPICTION OF ZODIAC IN BRITAIN

ON what is now Christmas Day, troops on Hadrian's Wall 1,800 years ago were celebrating the birthday of the god Mithras.

Born on December 25, Mithras was worshipped at sites on at least three locations along the Wall.

This stunning sculpture of Mithras was discovered at Housesteads Roman fort in the 19th Century.

The stone relief shows Mithras emerging from the Orphic Egg – the symbol of eternal time.

The god is surrounded by an egg-shaped representation of the signs of the zodiac, representing the cosmos.

This is the earliest representation of the signs of the zodiac to be found in Britain.

It would have been lit from behind to present a powerful image for worshippers entering the semi-underground temple at Chapel Hill at Housesteads.

The sculpture is one of the main exhibits in a collection of Mithraic items from the Wall on show at the Great North Museum in Newcastle.

"It is one of the best collections of Mithraic material in the world," said Andrew Parkin, keeper of archaeology at Tyne Wear Archives and Museums.

It was totally repaired and conserved in recent years and is one of the most breath-taking works of art at the museum.

The carving is on display underneath a relief sculpture which shows a scene of Mithras slaying a bull, which was also found at Housesteads and was a common depiction in Mithraic temples.

"Our Mithras stone is a unique and powerful Roman object that blends several religious traditions," Andrew said. "We still have offerings left at the museum at Christmas time. Previously we've had a pot plant, pine cones, money and even a Chocolate Orange."

The stone is part of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne's collection.

The cult of Mithras was popular amongst the military and originated around 1400 BC in Persia.

It was confined to male worshippers and involved progression through several grades of worship with different ranks and costumes.

Mithraic temples have been identified in Northumberland at Housesteads, Rudchester and Carrawburgh, where three altars were found along with the remains of cockerels which had probably been sacrificed and statues of the god's helpers.

The complex imagery of the Housesteads sculpture suggests the sophistication of the cult at the fort. The celebration of Christmas became superimposed on earlier religious and ritual practices.

"To some extent there have always been mid-winter festivals at what is the darkest part of the year to mark the turning point when it will begin getting lighter," said Andrew. "In the early days Christianity was competing with a lot of different cults around the world."

Mithras was celebrated as the Lord of Ages and a god of light, who is often shown carrying a torch and bringing light to the world.

ASTRO FORECAST: DECEMBER 23rd, 2021—JANUARY 2nd, 2022

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 23rd, 2021, to JANUARY 2nd, 2022

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23rd, 2021

Now we come to the December Solstice. Check out the nearly 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 brothers here 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 brothers in the US and Canada, ice storms and the icy fear of pandemic disaster 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 brothers, lovers and comrades. And we are all turning, turning toward our own true delight.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24th, 2021

This Yuletide season is likely to be a major turning point for the entire decade when logical-minded Aquarius Saturn is in a 90-degree square aspect to bull-in-a-china-shop Taurus Uranus. Because both planets are so slow-moving, Saturn square Uranus will dominate the whole of the coming year. But what is particularly interesting is that Saturn, the conservative, traditional and by-the-book planet, is in Aquarius — the most progressive sign, and Uranus, the revolutionary, unique, break-all-rules planet, is in Taurus, the most traditional sign. The Saturn-Uranus square can bring us enormous friction, but also incredible opportunities for change and progress. History will be made during the year-long Saturn-Uranus transit, so you want to pay special attention to the themes that play in your life during this historic configuration — because these themes are here to stay.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25th, 2021

On Christmas Day, the birthday of Sol Invictus, momentous cosmic events are occurring near Pluto aligned with THE STAR OF ANTINOUS in Capricorn. First of all, your emotions get their knickers in a twist when love planet Venus aligns in conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. This once-a-year Venus/Pluto rendezvous is always a time of transformation in matters of love and money. On the downside, it also produces feelings of jealousy, envy, possessiveness and greed. But that's not all, because your intuition is enhanced when Mercury forms a sextile aspect with dreamy Neptune. You should trust your intuition about financial and business matters, but be wary of fast-talking con-men who try to cloud your mind. You can count on finding the right word at the right time by trusting your inner voice.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26th, 2021

Overnight Sunday-Monday we come to the Libra Third Quarter Moon. This is the lunar phase we call the CROSSROADS MOON in Antinous Moon Magic ... It is symbolized by the "Herme", the ithyphallic stele of Mercury which guarded intersections of Roman roads ... Tonight is a propitious time for setting a new course, possibly changing course, setting out in a new direction. It is about making a decision. The key is not to worry about which choice to make. The key is to make a choice and go ahead with it.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27th, 2021

An ex-lover will call or visit you in the next 40 days ... Capricorn Venus goes "Retrograde" (backwards) until January 29th. Retrograde Capricorn Venus is emotionally cool, cautious and distrustful ... this is a good time to review, reassess, and revive your relationships ... and that means it may be time to end some career or personal relationships. Retrograde Capricorn Venus is nostalgic for "the good old days" ... so you can expect to hear from old friends and ex-lovers. You may not have seen them for years, and suddenly they show up on your doorstep ... and the two of you have a wonderful time reviving old memories ... and possibly reconciling old differences. In fact, Retrograde Venus periods are often characterized by old lovers getting back together and re-marrying.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28th, 2021

Now Jupiter re-enters Pisces after having slipped "backwards" into Aquarius, the sign it had left last May. Jupiter only changes signs once a year, and when it does, it pretty much sets the scene, and gives us that "one topic" to focus on. This year is particularly special because both Jupiter and Neptune are in Pisces together, for the first time since the mid-19th Century. The great news about this pairing is that both Neptune and Jupiter feel at home in Pisces, so they feels great here. In Pisces, Jupiter can be as wise, spiritual, and big-picture as he wants. Neptune aspires to turn dreams into reality. The last two years or so have not been easy. The conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and the Star of Antinous in Capricorn has been heavy and confining. Jupiter in Aquarius overall has been a better placement than Jupiter in Capricorn, but since Jupiter shares the sign with Saturn (in domicile in Aquarius) it gets to play by Saturn’s rules. Now that Jupiter moves into Pisces, our sense of faith and optimism will finally be restored.

WED-THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29th-30th, 2021

This week is dominated by Mercury conjunction Venus as they interact with Pluto and the Star of Antinous to make this a very special week indeed. Things will be explosive when Mercury/Venus and Pluto are aligned with the star. This creates an explosive situation for interpersonal relationships. It begins at the breakfast table over corn flakes when you say you want to go shopping and your alpha-male boyfriend starts in saying that it's typical of you to go off and spend money and waste time while he has to clean the house. Next thing you know, the two of you have been screaming at each other for hours. Remember that astrology is a tool to master such situations. Mercury-Venus-Pluto is a golden opportunity to rediscover the things you love about your lover. Okay, so he's a bitch-on-wheels. So what? He's your bitch-on-wheels and the two of you love each other. Make a stab at helping him clean the house — and sneak online and buy needless stuff on eBay when he's not looking.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31st, 2021

This New Year's Eve the Sun forms a positive trine aspect with Uranus which blows in a breath of fresh air which rejuvenates and invigorates you and encourages you to act first and ask questions later.

SAT-SUNDAY, JANUARY 1st-2nd, 2022

This New Year's Day weekend it's time to take advantage of those Clearance Sales and buy a new phone, tablet or other communications device when Mercury enters the tech-friendly and communications-conscious sign of Aquarius. This is the best time of year for communications technology upgrades. But hurry, because Mercury leaves Aquarius on March 24th and dives into the dreamy waters of Pisces.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:

Another exciting week lies ahead between January 3rd to 9th, 2022, when we come to the Capricorn New Moon, which we call the LAMIA MOON of dark magic. Meditation and rituals conducted tonight are best suited for rooting out malaise and sickness and for diminishing evil sendings. Look for areas in your life where you may be detrimental to yourself, may be working against yourself or may be making yourself sick, perhaps literally so ... More details next time ....

HADRIAN IN APOLLINOPOLIS THE EDFU TEMPLE OF HORUS By Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia

AT the end of December 130 the court arrived at the sacred Egyptian city of Horus once known as Behdet, but later called Apollinopolis by the Greeks, because they equated Horus with Apollo, it is now called Edfu.

The Temple of Horus is one of the only surviving ancient pagan temples in the world. 

Apollinopolis is the sacred place where Horus defeated his great rival god Seth.

(Photos by Antonius Subia.) 

Among the many contests between Horus and Seth included one in which Seth tried to have anal sex with Horus and ejaculate inside him.

But Horus tricked Seth into ejaculating in his hand and then flung the sperm into the Nile. 

Then later Horus ejaculated onto lettuce and fed the salad to Seth who consumed the sperm and lost the contest.

The site of Apollinopolis was where Horus defeated Seth and became ruler of the cosmos and the divine model for the Kings of Egypt.

A ritual called the Feast of Victory was celebrated there at about the time of the December solstice.

Hadrian took part as Emperor-Pharaoh in the event, which was celebrated as a mystery play with high priests playing the roles of Horus and other gods.

Sabina took part as Empress taking on the form Isis.

The ceremony commemorated the victory of Horus with a ritual slaying of a Hippopotamus which represented Seth.

Throughout the ceremony Hadrian had to maintain perfect calm even though he was still deeply affected and mourning the recent loss of Antinous.

And he may have been terrified that the ferocious animal might break its chains and attack.

But a crowd was watching, some probably hoping he would lose his nerve. 

But everything proceeded as intended. Hadrian cast a harpoon into the beast from a boat on the sacred lake and the ceremony was deemed a success. 

The Lord of Darkness had been defeated, the New Sun God was restored, and Hadrian was proclaimed the incarnation of Horus.

As the ceremony concluded his thoughts and prayers were for Antinous and the spiritual dangers he must face on the ascent to immortality.

At this moment Antinous is ascending to the celestial sphere, passing through pylons, facing 72 archons, overcoming the adversaries with his divine power of Homotheosis.

Ave Antinous!

~ ANTONIUS SUBIA

THE RETURN OF THE CAPRICORN GODS By Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia

THE Solstice occurred at 16:00 Universal Time Tuesday, and worshipers of Antinous in North and South America, Europe and Africa took part in Zoom ceremonies celebrating the Winter Solstice (for those in the Northern Hemisphere) and the Summer Solstice (for those in the Southern Hemisphere.

On this Sacred Night, We celebrate the triumphant return

Of the New Sun, Sol Invictus, Antinous-Mithras

May the reborn god of light cast away the darkness

That has weighed upon us over the course of this year.

May a new hope for the coming age be reborn this night

Father Saturn, who stands at the edge of the cosmos

Father of endless time, clockwork of the universe

We welcome the return your golden age...Ave Saturnalia!

We celebrate the return of the Capricorn Gods,

We praise the wild horned god

We praise both the lesser and the greater Pan.

We ask that Bacchus shall come forth within us

In his incarnate form of Antinous the Gay God,

May the semen of the first god be revealed within us

That we may become aware of our divine nature

On this sacred night of the winter solstice

We ask the blessing of the new born sun, 

The god of light, Sol Invictus!

Ave Antinous!

This is the Night of Sol Invictus, the rebirth of the Sun, 

Mithras is the super cosmic god who the ancients believed Caused the equinoxes to move backward in the sky

Tonight is the Solstice, when the savior gods are born,

Including Mithras, Osiris, Horus, Jesus, and the one to whom Antinous was compared above all others, Dionysus-Bacchus, the Capricorn god who like the others gave his life to save all mankind from perdition and to make us aware that we are Divine, that we all carry the semen of the first god within us.

We must awaken to our inner potential to the Homotheosis Power that we all hold within our hearts because the Age of Aquarius is here, we must rise up and overthrow the old and usher in the New Age. This is why Antinous has chosen now to restore his ancient religion, so that we will understand the significance of these signs, which others before or after might not have understood.  We are the chosen people of Antinous.

May the blessing of Sol Invictus be with us

May the Blessing of Antinous be with us on this sacred night.

Ave Antinous!

~ ANTONIUS SUBIA