Learning From The Greek Heroes: Atalanta

Atalanta (Atalante in Greek), is the Heroine Huntress of Arcadia (Arkadia). From the time of Her birth, She was faced with hardship. Her father, wanting a boy or simply not wanting Her at all, threw Atalanta into the wilderness to die; he just left Her in the middle of nowhere. Artemis, being the Protectress of infants and children (namely young girls), found and cared for the baby. In some versions, Artemis sent a mother bear to save Atalanta's life. Others say hunters found and nursed Her into health. Either way, She escaped death by the blessing of the Gods, and because of this graceful act, She was Divinely favored. Growing into a powerful Huntress and servant of Artemis, She at first shunned men all together. In reality, why wouldn't She? The man who was supposed to have loved Her the most, threw Her away. Nevertheless, She later in life entered a foot-racing contest against potential suitors, all of which failed but one. He beat Her by throwing down golden apples, or in other words, Atalanta simply could not resist Her attraction to him, and to this man She eventually married and gave up Her chastity.

What is there to learn from Atalanta? For starters, sometimes I pray to Her against the "ruthlessness that has always plagued mankind." This ruthlessness I refer to in prayer is what happened to Her as a child. Still today, parents kill or abandon their unwanted children. It's something that has sadly always been with humanity, and if Atalanta teaches us anything it's that the Gods expect us to care for our children; it's our duty as decent human beings, and I pray that Atalanta, by the mighty power of Artemis, shows us the way.

Being a Huntress and a lover of the wild, Atalanta obviously had tremendous love and respect for nature; it was Her home. If anyone ever understood that humans are part of and dependent on nature and not separate from it, it was Atalanta. Without the wilderness, She would have known no place of being. She teaches us that, without nature, there is no us, and we need to always care for, protect and preserve it. 

Lastly, Atalanta, throughout most of Her life, was very much Her own independent person. She relied on Herself in many ways. Sometimes, that's what we have to do as well. We have to understand and harness our own inner strengths and abilities to get through life or to achieve our goals. We can't always expect others to be there, or things to be done for us.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris.

Atalanta's Patronage

* Infants and children.

* Young girls.

* Orphans.

* Hunting.

* Wildlife.

* Forests.

* Foresters.

* Environmentalism.
* Exercise.

The Crocus Gift

I recently took a part time job at a local retailer to help pay off some of my debts. While it's not a hard job, it's not really something I want to be doing. I work it because, at this time, I need the extra cash. It's the life story of former college students and the like. 

On the night of the 28th, I was feeling horrible at work in almost every way imaginable. Depression and anxiety started to kick up and I just didn't think I could go on anymore. I felt all alone and lost in the world and life; I just wanted to give up all together. That was until a woman came to me and handed me something that she, for some reason, had decided not to buy. She placed in my hands a bag of crocus flowers. 

I recognized them immediately because I knew they are the sacred flowers of Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods. Hermes knew I would understand they were a gift and a sign from Him. I felt that Hermes was telling me that I'm loved by the Gods and to never give up hope; that the Gods know what I'm going through and are here. In short, the Gods love me and that's the bottom line. 

So, I bought the flowers, and placed one bulb in my pocket for the rest of my shift. The God's gift made me so happy and peaceful that work no longer bothered me, nor did life itself. I felt like Odysseus when Hermes gave Him Moly to protect Him from the spells entrapment. Except this plant (the Crocus) was given to protect me from my own hardships, which in themselves were entrapment.

When I arrived home, I offered some of the flower bulbs back to Hermes with a prayer of thanks for His blessings and Divine Guidance. As the Guide of the universe, Hermes can take us by the hand and show us the way down every road and path, and the thing is, when He does so, you know it, like I did this night. It's always of the utmost comfort when you know the Gods are there.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris.

Learning From The Greek Heroes: Bellerophon

Bellerophon is one of my Patron Heroes, and enjoys a handsome adoration in some of my daily rites. His name is also pronounced Bellerophontes and means "Wielder of Missiles," probably referring to His attacks on the Chimera monster, which begs the question, what was His real name before the battle of the beast? Some say it was Hipponous, which means "Horse-Minded." But the thing is, there are other people in Greek religion with the same name, so it could have been a John Doe title for those who were nameless. We may never actually know Bellerophon's real name, but that's fine because His latter is a great one.

Bellerophon's story begins with a tragedy, but also one that gave Him Heroism. After being found guilty of manslaughter (accidental killing of another human being), He was banished from the land until He could seek and achieve purification from the offense, murder being considered a high pollutant. When He came into the presence of the king who could grant Him the release, the king's wife fell in love with the Hero who refused her advances for reasons of honor. Being angered at this, she falsely accused Bellerophon of trying to rape her. The king, believing his wife over a stranger, sent Bellerophon to another leader with a note to have Him sent to fight the Chimera. The former king didn't want to kill a guest for fear of pollution upon his own house, so He sent the Hero to meet a bloody end at the hands of the fire-breathing monster that was ravaging the countryside. But the Gods were on His side. After Athene showed Him how to harness and use the winged horse of the Gods (Pegasos), He flew overhead where the Chimera couldn't reach Him. When the right moment presented itself, He ran His lance or spear down the creature's throat and killed it. He returned an exonerated Hero.

Bellerophon is the Patron of men who are falsely accused of sexual misconduct, and can be prayed to for help against overwhelming challenges, enemies, and evil and negativity in general. His alleged tomb still stands today in modern Turkey. ( Tomb of Bellerophon )

What can we learn from Bellerophon? First, honor is of the highest importance. If you don't have your honor, you don't have anything. No one will trust or admire a dishonorable individual. He also teaches us to never be scared of the challenges or monsters that face us. We can, through the favor of the Gods, overcome anything if we are willing to fight and never give up. Any hurdle or obstacle can be flown over.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris.

The Many Functions of Incense During Prayer/Ritual

We often think incense to be among the simplest of religious and ritual tools, but it does, in fact, serve a range of functions in one's spirituality, and knowing this can help a practitioner grow.

The first step in using incense properly and successfully when you pray is to find some that is of quality make and sweet fragrance. Often times, people settle for cheap brands that can be found in places like Walmart. They smell terrible and are probably not made from pure material. It's a cheap knock off and it's not going to be pleasing to anyone sensing it. Walmart may have other great things, but incense isn't one of them. I know this because, back in the day, I also used to purchase said incense and it was always unbearable. When I started buying quality material like frankincense from reputable suppliers, the difference was amazing. A Pagan supplier is going to give you your best incense, not cheap chain stores. It's important to know the difference.

When you burn your cones or sticks during ritual and/or prayer, the first obvious purpose is offering to the Gods. Since ancient times, incense products have been used to invoke and please Deities. Certain kinds, such as frankincense, also act as a purifying force to cleanse the area of negativity and miasma (pollution). Sometimes when I just want to pray at my shrine, I'll light a cone of incense on the altar for the purpose of purification and to burn as a consistent offerings to every God I pray to during that time. It's easier than presenting individual gifts. Perhaps one could call it a bulk offering. Incense lasts quite a while, giving me the ability to pray and offer to numerous Divinities one right after another.

The smoke of the incense and its fragrance can also travel with your prayers/words to the Gods who are near at hand when invoked, and thus your prayers arrive at them in great sweetness and pleasantness. It helps gain the attention and admiration of the Gods to your verbal statements and petitions. In short, the incense helps to please them when hearing your prayers.

Incense is also pleasing to your own self, and this is very important as well. The nice smells can lessen your stress, quiet your mind, and calm your very soul. This aids greatly in spiritual focus and physical health.

There really is no reason to not burn incense often, either during your religious activities, personal time, or both.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris.

Learning From The Greek Heroes: Achilles

Mirroring my late series Learning From The Greek Gods, I decided to begin another centered around the Heroes and Heroines, as I think they can and do present wonderful guidelines for human life.

There are times when you come across something you just have to have, and this was the case with me a couple of weeks ago when I purchased my first ever statue of the Hero Achilles from Crete, Greece. As you can see in the picture on the left, it's a very beautiful and detailed piece.

Being the Homeric Hero of The Iliad, Achilles holds a special significance for me because Homer was the first to introduce me to ancient Greek myth and religion. So someone like Achilles resonates with me. But there's something more to consider for the Hellenist when it comes to this Hero, and that's His role and relevance to the modern Greek worshiper.

Achilles is a Hero who can be prayed to for strength, courage, and victory in battle. As the greatest mortal warrior of His Age, one can find all the values of said person in Him. But what else does Achilles represent besides the obvious? What can we learn from Him?

Achilles represents the utmost of human strength, bravery and strategy. If there ever existed a man who knew how good he was and didn't give up, it's Achilles. He knows His strengths, and He knows what can and cannot be accomplished. He also knew His value to others around Him. When He withdrew from battle amid His quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles knew the Greeks would notably hurt in His absence. Achilles teaches us to know our strengths, our worth, and to win when possible; even to use leverage when necessary. Being an advocate of truth when He protected the soothsayer from Agamemnon, Achilles also expresses the greatest of virtue and lives it by example, as we all should. It did not do Him any profit to stand against the richest and most powerful king of the ancient Greek world at the time, but knowing the right thing to do was far more important. It's like one of the Tenets of Solon, which says to do what's right instead of what's popular.

In our own lives, we may never be a great warrior on the battlefield like Achilles was, but His core values and ethics can shape even the most mundane of lives into Heroic ones.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris.

Unlocking Hidden Power & Uplift In Prayers

I've heard Pagans in the past make the comment that any given prayer alone just doesn't do it for them, that there has to be more to their religious life. It's certainly true that there's far more to religion and spirituality than simply praying. Even the Christian church who believes everything is a sin has things like communion, meditations, incense practice, etc. Pagans have a lot, perhaps more, centered around their practices as well. Hellenists, for example, do far more than just pray, but I think some people underestimate the great importance of prayer due to the fact that they have failed to unlock its power in some cases.

For me, it's not merely words, whereas so many think otherwise, and I believe this is where the problem lies in the fact that they can't see prayer as an actively strong engagement of their own spirituality and life. When you pray, think about and meditate on every word. For instance, take this prayer to Artemis:

O' blessed Artemis,

Goddess of Light,

Maiden showering arrows,

Lady of the Hunt,

Mistress of Animals,

Roamer in the night.

Did you unlock any of that as you read it? If not, that's one reason you may not feel complete in prayer. When you say, "Goddess of Light," see Her light descending around you and contemplate on all that Her light retains. When you say, "Maiden showering arrows," feel the wind from Her bow a thousand times. When you say, "Lady of the Hunt," imagine yourself on the prowl after the prize game. Now, more than just envisioning and feeling those things, when you recite them, think about all they mean, especially to your own personal life. Do you see the moonlight at night, the forests and trees, the animal life, or just the beautiful parts of nature that Artemis rules every day of your life? For me, my home is surrounded by vast hills, forests and wildlife, and therefore there's a lot of connect and the ability to feel Her presence on a daily basis.

The basic understanding of prayer here is very simple. Once you understand the in-depth meaning of the words you speak, and the vast universe they encompass, you will no longer feel that prayer is plain or boring.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris.

Theseus: Biography of an American Father

I know what you're probably saying right now. Theseus a Founding Father of the United States? Well, yes. Since some Christians think they can proclaim Moses to be a Founding Father because of Judeo-Christian influences, we also cannot forget to equally recognize Theseus and ancient Greece Herself, perhaps more so than biblical. 

The first reason is probably the most obvious. Theseus was the Founder of the first democracy of Athens, which has since inspired free governments all over the world, including our own. It's the reason our courthouses and government buildings often resemble ancient Greek temples. Recognizing the first democracy must also recognize its first Founder.

Secondly, while Theseus was a monarch, He didn't act like it. When He killed the Minotaur, He liberated the mainland of Athens from the tyranny of an island oppressor. I wonder which other nation in history won its independence fighting a tyrant on an island across the sea?

Thirdly, one of my favorite cases, involves the wonderful pluralism that resided in the mind of Theseus. When Theseus brought the lands of Attica together into the Athenian State, thus creating Union like our own, he opened the doors of immigration. In other words, even foreigners could become citizens of the City, and this no doubt contributed to the flourishing and strength of Athens that grew there. Our country is very similar. Anyone can become an American if they have the right character and mindset, and as Ronald Reagan once said, our strength lies in our pluralism. Theseus is the Father of a pluralistic, diverse and free society. 

Theseus, no doubt, would have loved America. If you dressed Him in a revolutionary uniform and dropped Him in 1776, no one would blink. He deserves to have His face in the House of Representatives along with the other historical figures, and recognized as a Father of America.

Anyone interested in learning more about the truth of Theseus' life can purchase my book on Him by clicking here: Theseus: His Life, Mysteries and Virtues

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris.

Source: Dryden, John, Clough, Arthur, ed. Plutarch's Lives: New York: Random House, 1958.