Another Wonderful Experience With Apollon

A few days ago as I was in my temple standing before the Shrine of Apollon that you can see in the picture on the right, I had a profound experience that I think was to teach me a few things I desperately needed to realize in my personal life.

Well the reason I decided to go before the shrine was to ask for Apollon's counsel in divination. But to begin with, standing before His statue suddenly filled me with an immense peace that I had been lacking almost all year, which caused me to lose my way, and I came to realize that it wasn't because of the Gods, it was because of my own developed mentality.

The peace and love I felt before the Shrine of Apollon was coupled with the reading He gave me from the Olympus Tarot. Basically Apollon told me that I need to look inward and live my true self, that this is the path to my own happiness. Apollon was setting me free from my past chains that I had allowed myself to be put into by letting other people tell me what to believe and how to live. 

The lesson I was taught this year, after going through horrid anxiety, mental breakdown, and physical sickness, was that I am to never let other people tell me what I am supposed to be, or what I am. The Gods gave each person a mind, soul and a personal response entirely unique to them for good reason, because the Gods do not do that which is needless or unethical. They want a diverse world, and each one of us is here to add to that reality. On a side note, not to speak against oracles or other diviners, but I have always found that when I invoke the Gods and do a reading for myself, it always comes out different than when I allow someone else to do it for me. Sometimes this has happened a lot more than others, but I think the lesson here is that an outside source is guidance, the most powerful source is found with your own connection, however. 

This month, I have learned many new things about the Gods, even as someone who has been a Hellenist for the better part of 20 years, and it has brought me what I believe is the final chapter of peace in my life. I turned 41 this month, which according to statistics, means I have reached the midway point in my lifespan. The rest is for me to enjoy and delight in with my own truth in the Gods.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

The Pythia Was An Oracle, Not A Psychic

In Delphi I shall build my rich temple to be an oracle for man, and her words shall never fail. 

- Apollon.

Her words were just that, amazingly accurate and wise, and she made Delphi the religious and cultural center of the ancient world. Even today, people still come from all over the globe to see the ruins of the sanctuary, where they continue to discuss ideas, beliefs, history and current affairs from their homelands. Delphi always serves its general purpose no matter how long the site has remained abandoned. It's no wonder that it's considered a world heritage location. But I also think the role of the Pythia, and indeed that of the Greek oracle in general, has been misunderstood by modern man, and sometimes even by ancient man.

Ancient Greek religious historians know well the story of King Croesus of Lydia in Asia Minor and his consultation with the Pythia. Planning an invasion in the East, he asked if he would defeat the Persian Empire. The Pythia responded by saying that if he invaded, he would destroy a great empire. He didn't realize, however, that it would be his own. But the bigger picture is that ancient Greek historians and probably the priests of Delphi thought his question to be very odd, in that she was not there to predict the future.

She was a counselor to mankind, blessed by Apollon to give the best advice possible. She was suited to tell people the best courses of action, or which God to appease, in a given circumstance. For example, one of my favorite oracular responses in Delphic history has to do with the Persian Wars in 480 BCE. When the Persians began the invasion of northern Greece, the Pythia told the Delphians to pray to the Winds, because they would be Greece's strongest allies. Soon after, a very violent storm gathered in the north and sunk or beached at least 20% of the Persian fleet, while the Greek ships remained untouched. This is factually recorded. The Pythia did not predict the future here, she told the Greeks where their greatest allies were.

As the oracle of my temple, my wife is pretty much the same way. Even when I myself have asked her questions, she has always responded with advice, not predictions, and yet that advice can still secure a great outcome because it comes from a God. Apollon does not attempt to dictate or live our lives for us. He wants us to think, grow and become the best we can be.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Sources

Scott, Michael, Delphi A History of the Center of the Ancient World, Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2014.

Stagman, Myron, 100 Prophecies of the Delphic Oracle, Prophetic Advice from the God Apollo, City-State Press, 1999.

From Apollon: Why Is Covid-19 Here?

As a priest, I have thought long and hard on our present medical situation. Of course, I am referring to the spread of Covid-19 or the Coronavirus. Even though it's actually a small plague in historical comparison, it was still enough to put significant pressure on our society and way of life, and sadly kill thousands of people. Equally important, more people have recovered than died. It's also true that we all have a time to go and a time to live, regardless of the circumstances.

But the question on my mind, is probably the same one that's on the minds of all theists, and that is simply, "Why is this happening?" There were times when I would go out to my sanctuary at night to pray to Apollon (the God of healing, prophecy and plague), and basically plead with Him for an answer. 

"O' Apollon, son of Zeus and Leto, God of the sun, mighty Healer, enemy of evil, please hear my prayer, and free us of this plague. Tell me what to do. What do I tell people?"

Normally, the Gods answer my prayers through my feelings. For instance, if the answer is not to worry or that things will be ok, I will feel an unconquerable wave of peace come over me. In this case, I again felt an easy presence, telling me to tell people to be resilient. But yesterday, I asked the question again. Only this time, I used something called an oracle book, in which you ask a question in a meditative state and then open it. The page you turn to is your answer. I am no oracle, yet I knew the Gods can talk to anyone they choose. Although, at first, I didn't put too much stock in the book itself until I asked Apollon to tell me something about the plague, and flipped to a page with a story so compelling that I could not deny it was from the God. Keep in mind, this was the first time I had ever used this book, so I did not know any of the entries or even the pages to find them on. I didn't even realize the kind of oracle book it was until I finally took time to read the description.

On 157, I read a story about a man who survived a Nazi death camp. The moral of the story was that human beings, sometimes, need challenges to strengthen their will to live, to generate, as the page describes, "aliveness." Do we have something to live for? The answer is up to us, basically.

Of course, it's not to say that the Nazis were a necessary evil, that would be absurd at best and psychotic at worst. They were the disease, the plague that needed to be wiped away. Humanity would have certainly been just find without them. So we should not interpret the story teller that way. I think the core of his message is that if humanity is determined to prevail over evil, they universally will. We may not be able stop the evil or the plague from coming, and it may end up being able to take life at the start, but we can decide to fight back. That's the message. If we had chosen to not fight the Nazis, they would have won. Likewise, we have to be determined to fight Covid19.

I never thought of it this way, and indeed, most people don't. But what if the reason for this disease is to strengthen our will? What if, from time to time, humans need to be asked, "How bad do you want to live?" in order for them to keep living? Is it possible that we need to be toughened like an immune system? Apollon gave me the same answer He did in the sanctuary that night, resilience. I suppose this can mean many different things to many different people hearing it.

One thing I have learned since becoming a Hellenic Polytheist and a philosopher is that the world and the Universe is anything but cut and dry. Things are not as simple as our perceptions, and there is more than just your own personal needs and wants at play. Humans don't understand this because they are very prone to arrogance, and so we tend to establish "truths" about the Universe based on our immensely limited perceptions. This impairs our ability to see beyond our noses and understand the things that are being taught to us. The worst thing we do on a regular basis is fail to realize we are not the center of everything, but rather a spec suspended in a sun beam. I'm not even saying that I myself have the complete answer here. It's possible Apollon only gave me enough of a glimpse necessary at the time. Is it even possible for a human to have the capacity to fully understand things? Perhaps not, but based on our history, there is one thing I do know. There is no obstacle we cannot overcome.

Remember, I encourage everyone to honor their state's quarantine and safety guidelines and laws always, for this too is part of your dedication and resilience.

I pray for all nations and all people, knowing that a world of heroes will make it through.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

Source: Sutphen, Dick, The Oracle Within, Pocket Books, New York, New York, 1991. Print.