The Transcendental Gods

Many religious and spiritual people look at their God or Gods from only one angle, instead of a transparent or a transcendental one. For example, some people may say that they believe Deity to be within humanity and not nature, or completely outside this universe, whereas others would say that Deity is nature or is part of nature itself, and not in modern, mundane things. But I disagree with the extremes of both of these theologies, as I believe the Gods transcend into everything.

For example, Dionysos, in a simple perspective, is the God of Trees, but He's also the God of the Theatre. Now I would say that Dionysos is in the stage made from His trees, just as much as He is within the trees themselves in their original habitat. Poseidon rules the waters, and I would say He is present in the city or town pools or water parks as much as He is in the natural rivers and seas that surround them. Hermes, being the God of Communication and therefore a God of Writing, is in the book I am reading just as He flies about the world on messages for the Gods. And Athene is in the city council just as She is in the beautiful owl that stands on the tree branch outside the window.

Some may say that I am still a Pantheist in some respects, believing that everything is Deity. But it's actually the other way around, I believe that the Gods are in everything, at least everything that is good. Nothing upon this Earth came from anything other than the natural resources that formed it, and the Gods rule over nature. The simplest fence to the most advanced technologies came from nature, and we know that our ancient ancestors used natural resources in abundance, probably more than we do today because we have technology to replace older necessities. Yet the ancients still retained belief in their Gods. The Gods don't leave just because things take on new shapes. In fact, the Gods can take on any form they choose. I am actually what one would call a Panentheist, if anything.

In the Goodness of The Dodekatheon,

Chris.

To Delight In Splendid Eternity Is Enlightenment

I began a philosophy today after my weekly ritual of Aphrodite that I perform as Her devotee every Friday - the day of the Love Goddess. Below is my statement concerning this new thought of mine, and I think it can speak true to a number of different people for different reasons, even if they may not share the same religious beliefs as me. 

If you can find joy and happiness in the simplest beauties in life - to delight in splendid bliss at the sight of your own shrine and altar as it burns sweet fragrance to the Gods, while others are lamenting unhappily at mansions they cannot afford; or to be peacefully content with a lovely book whose words you adore, while many people elsewhere are angry over mere money, then you have reached enlightenment, released from the chains of this world that only offer fragile temporaries, and all the things that can bring out the worst in a man.

This revelation, if you will, came to me today after I closed my ritual of Aphrodite. Prior to it starting, I had been worrying myself with the typical plagues of the human mind that people constantly let bother them, and I thought I would never find happiness completely. Then, after doing my ritual of the day, I realized how beautiful it was, and how happy it made me, to be here at this shrine, in this place in my home, doing what I loved and making the best connections that a human can make; with the Gods. When I looked at the beauty of my shrine and altar burning sweet fragrance to Aphrodite, I realized how happy and blessed I am, and that I can find joy in the simple things in life. Happiness is where we make it. Now, I figured that some people would interpret this as me making a philosophy out of not having some of the things I want in life, that I become satisfied with not being satisfied, or trying to make myself feel better about a lack of achievement. But this is not the case because I believe that everyone should better themselves where necessary. Instead, my philosophy is quite the opposite of a contentment with a lack of gain. It's about realizing that you already are satisfied at some point, and everything else is just a shiny stone that you merely think you have to have.

If we base our happiness and fulfillment on mere material gain, then we are setting ourselves up to never actually be happy, because no matter what we get, there is always going to be something better. There's always going to be a bigger house, a nicer car, a better career, etc. Something, somewhere and someone is always going to outdo us. Even a very wealthy man will find someone richer. Therefore, when we base our happiness and self-worth on these things, we are always going to want more and more, and will eventually always find unhappiness or disappointment somewhere. My philosophy is about realizing where a true happiness lies that can never be broken, taken or outdone, and that's the happiness within you, and in the things that are an inherent part of yourself. These levels can never be outdone or outmatched, because they are only you forever. When you can find happiness in your eternal being, and in the greater picture of things (the Gods), all else seems small because it is. I suppose it relates a little bit to what Socrates once taught, which was to care more for your soul than gold and silver. 

You'll notice these things immediately in your life, and identify them quickly, because when they come, they always bring a smile to your face, peace to your mind, and bring out the absolute best that resides within you. In my younger days, all I thought about was material gain, whether it was through a desire to have a nicer car or more money, and when I look back, I realize that I was never happy. The reason I was always discontent is because my happiness was based on all things temporary or that can be bested by someone else. I had fallen in love with everything that is changeable.

In the Goodness of The Dodekatheon,

Chris.

Learning From The Greek Gods: Aphrodite

Most certainly, Aphrodite's name is as common to people as Her epithet of Pandemos. She's the great Olympian Goddess of love; who rules the realm of beauty, sexuality, pleasure, lust, and the life that it can and does bring. Born of the sea off the coast of Kypros through the remains of Ouranos, She existed before the rise of Olympos, which technically makes Her the first Olympian. While She is the Goddess of wonderful and joyous sexuality in general, She is also involved in the sexuality of marital unions and relationships themselves. She encompasses sexuality itself, whether it be married, unmarried, or simply friends with benefits. The joy, passion, eroticism, excitement and loveliness of sex is all Her. She is also a Goddess who prevents unscrupulousness, which means She is also not a Goddess without standards. Stories about Her are also rooted in a love and affection for humanity, such as with the tale of Pygmalion, the sculptor who created a statue of his ideal woman, and was turned into a real person by Aphrodite as an answer to his prayer to find true love. He named this woman Galatea, and they both lived happily ever after.

So what can we as adults learn from Aphrodite? Firstly, we should realize and accept the fact that sex is a part of nature and the human makeup. Our sexuality should not be something to be ashamed of, for it is blessed, not damned. Nothing which brings so much pleasure, happiness, satisfaction, and life can be anything other than a Divine blessing. Sex is Godly. It is not Her desire that we put ourselves in sexual misery, or fight against our natural states and instincts. She wants us to enjoy life, and therefore it's alright to be sexual, to enjoy it, and to be attractive and attracted to others. Science has proven time and again that a regular sex life is healthy for the mind and body, and of course it is, because it comes from heaven. Now does that mean we should sleep with everyone we meet? No, because as I said earlier, Aphrodite is also a Goddess of standards, and those are partially found in being safe and healthy with your sexuality. But within those bounds, sex is immensely healthy and beneficial to us as human beings. That's not simply my own personal belief, but scientific fact. 

I think Aphrodite also encompasses love for ourselves. In other words, She doesn't want us to be self-loathing, but to love ourselves in that we realize we are loved and worthy human beings. I also think She wants us to spread love itself to others, in that we treat our fellow human being with compassion and care, not coldness and hatred. We are loved by ourselves if no one else among mortals, and we should help others realize that they are loved as well through our actions. I learn many great things from Aphrodite as Her devotee, two of the most important being that sex is natural and good, and that we are not living in a universe where there's no love. It's abundant.

In the Goodness of The Dodekatheon,

Chris.