Heinrich Schliemann Converted To Hellenism On His Death Bed

Heinrich Schliemann was the 19th century archaeologist who proved to humanity that the world of Homer existed when he unearthed the ruins of Troy and Mycenae. Being born and raised in Germany, he was no doubt heavily steeped in Christianity, but he also developed a great love for the ancient stories of Greece, especially Homer's Iliad. Becoming obsessed with it, he declared that one day he would set out and prove to everyone that the Age of Heroes and the legendary citadel were real. 

Archaeologists and historians of his time laughed at him, being sure that Troy was barely even a myth. But around 1871, on a deserted plain in northwest Turkey, following the details in Homer's writings, Schliemann and his workers began digging and eventually brought to the surface the ruins of Troy and its many levels throughout its ancient life. Although some of his statements and conclusions about the site were inaccurate, such as the mistaken dating of the Treasure of Priam, the site itself was irrefutable proof that there was a Bronze Age city on this spot, and that it perished in war. Other scholars didn't even believe anything existed there at all before Schliemann. So his career was far more successful than the willful ignorance that would have remained with archaeology had he not pursued his visions.

Heinrich loved travel and exploration, and he learned several languages throughout his life, including Greek. It seems that the more and more he pursued his dream of finding the world of Homer, the more he fell in love with ancient Greek religion itself. He married his final wife, Sophia, in 1869. She was a Greek Christian, but Schliemann wasn't too enthralled with the idea of raising his children in her religion. He didn't even give his children Christian or modern names. Rather, he gave them the ancient Homeric names of Andromache and Agamemnon. It took a lot of consideration for him to allow his wife to finally baptize the children, and even at the ceremony, Schliemann placed a copy of the Iliad upon them and recited lines from the text.

1890 would be the last year of Schliemann's life. He developed a growth in his ear, which he underwent surgery for back home in Germany. Although the doctors initially declared that they had removed the infection and growth, it's obvious that they either didn't get it all, or it returned following Schliemann's reluctance to stay in bed. He instead continued his work, which he pursued until he could no longer stand. As he lay dying, as with many people, the thoughts of religion and prayer came to mind, but he was fighting to decide whether he should pray to the Christian god, or to Zeus. In a final letter to his son, however, he wrote "I pray" that Father Zeus and Pallas Athene will give you many days of happiness throughout your life. The official cause of death was cholesteatoma. Schliemann was buried in Athens, Greece in a magnificent ancient Greek style tomb. His body still rests there today in the First Cemetery. 

Schliemann's final religion was never officially listed as Hellenism or Hellenic Polytheism, but it's obvious to me that he made his choice as to who he would pray in his final days.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Work Cited:

Durant, Will, The Life of Greece, Simon and Schuster INC, New York, 1939. Print. (pp. 25-26).

Everyday Environmentalism For The Pagan

As Pagans, and lovers of Nature, we all care about the environment and the Natural World around us, so it's no wonder that many of us consider ourselves strong environmentalists. However, one problem is that the world is a big place, and it's easy for us to find ourselves overwhelmed. But in ancient Greek times, each person, citizen or priest was responsible for their specific precinct, city, sanctuary or temple alone. One person couldn't run the whole Greek land, but with each person doing their part in each little section, the whole land vibrated. I have incorporated this idea into my own personal environmentalist efforts, and I encourage all other Hellenes and Pagans to do the same. Take a look at the picture on the right. This is a very small section of forest behind my home that I decided to sponsor, if you will, and I take regular trips through it to make sure the forest floor and trees are clean. 

On the outside, a forest like this may look presentable and fresh, but you would not believe the amount of trash I pulled from it just today. Look at the picture on the left. And by the way, that big plastic bag I used to hold all the trash was also found in the forest. The forest has two major issues that it has to deal with. One is, of course, careless humans, and the other is the fact that it stands next to a public dumpster, so there's the possibility that trash could accidentally blow through it and land in various places. 

Upon noticing the area being in need, I walked out there and worked as long as it took, releasing much sweat and pain, but eventually I recovered the landscape, and at the end, I praised Artemis and declared my labor as an offering to Her and the woodlands and forests She loves so much. I don't consider just stone and brick structures to be temples of the Gods, but also the woods, rivers, fields, and so on. These things over which the Gods rule are also their temples and sanctuaries, and that's why I, and all Pagans and Hellenes, should work to keep them clean, safe and protected. It took only about 30 minutes of my time, and it didn't require superhuman abilities or machines. Yet, I still cleaned up this entire section of forest all by myself using only my hands, a large bag, and devotion in my heart. I hope all of us will find the same in ourselves for the world around us.

When you have accomplished the work, you will feel amazingly good about yourself. You might even come to discover wonderful natural places that you never knew existed around you. It may also even give you a great sense of pride and belonging in your community. I know when you're laboring, it gets frustrating to think of the fact that you wouldn't have to be out there if people weren't so stupid, and that you will probably have to go out there again in the future because of them. But pray for those people, and be a good example and role model for them. The world is full of followers, not leaders. We need more of the latter.

Note that when deciding to sponsor a piece of natural land that is not specifically your own, make sure that you have permission to be on it. If the land is owned by a private person or company, just ask. Most people probably wouldn't mind giving you permission to clean it up for them. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Has Atlantis Finally Been Found?

It's been part of our ancient Greek heritage since the time of Solon, who delivered it to Plato via the ancient Egyptians. The two major countries of the ancient Mediterranean before Rome spoke of this place in great detail, about a mighty naval power beyond the Pillars of Herakles (Straits of Gibraltar), that met the wrath of the Gods for its arrogance and was wiped away by the sea. Plato, being a non-fictional writer, or at least someone who placed his stories among actual people and places, intrigued so many for countless years, and drove their ambitions to discover this lost world. 

I, being a lover of history, researcher, and who has even went on some archaeological digs in his life, have also spent many years pondering the whereabouts of its ruins. When I was in college for the first time at Davidson County Community College, I even tried to form an archaeological research team to try and find the location, but sadly it never got off the ground.

Many people have proposed possible locations for Atlantis throughout the world. For many years, I thought the Azores were the remains, as they are obviously shattered islands in circular shapes beyond the Pillars, as Plato described, but I now believe Atlantis lies as the ruins of something called the Eye of Africa, which you can see in the picture on the left, taken by NASA. 

Many do not know about this spot. But if you research it by simply looking at it geographically from all angles, you can see that it rests on the western tip of Africa, beyond the Pillars, and that the sea clearly once reached its frontal canal which is still visible and leads into the circular shapes that Plato described. 

The shapes are argued to be natural land formations that just so happen to resemble Atlantis exactly (whatever), but even if they are, they could have been a place chosen to build the Atlantean civilization on. Enlarge the image and you can even see, on the cliffs surrounding it, the marks of rivers and waterfalls that fell into it, which Plato also talked about. The outer landscape clearly shows a massive influx of land into the continent from this region, indicating perhaps a tidal wave or some other great inrush of water for one reason or another. 

Many moons ago, northern Africa was not a desert. It was actually a very lush landmass with bodies of water. Due to climate changes and natural disasters, it became a desert, and as the desert moved in, more people fled East and settled on the only body of water left in that region, the Nile. And there, they founded Egypt, or Kemet. With them, these people probably brought the knowledge of Atlantis, some may even have been refugees or descendants of refugees from the destroyed Empire. 

The archaeological tragedy is that we know the Sahara was once a lush landscape, but we've never fully excavated it because of the immense dangers of the region. It's very hard to get a constant flow of supplies into the middle of a desert, not to mention the threat of thieves or terrorists who could assault helpless researchers. 

My bet is that remains of Atlantis are scattered all over the northwestern African desert. At this point, and considering the facts of this location, the only thing missing is a sign that says Welcome To Atlantis, which we are never going to find, so all logic would lead us to conclude that Atlantis was real and is here. 

But as we research and ponder, let us also not forget the lesson of the Gods, delivered by Lord Poseidon, about this place. Hubris leads only to our destruction. Who knows, perhaps Atlantis knew of an impending natural disaster, but chose to ignore it because they thought they were greater than the Gods, as some people still think today, and their arrogance led them to find out the worse lesson for mortals, the lesson that you're not a God.

For more information on this spot, see the following Video.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Aphrodite ~ Her Real Character

Even as far back as ancient Greece, there were people who feared the power of Aphrodite. Of course, that's a bit misleading because the Greeks feared the powers of all Gods, not just Her. To act as though Aphrodite was the only One who sometimes caused men to cower is simply untrue. All of the Gods were both loved and feared. But love and sex were, and still are, extremely powerful forces, and when something takes possession of us, even if it's part of our natural state, we can sometimes find ourselves afraid and therefore think of it as terrible or mischievous. However, in reality, Aphrodite is not a Goddess who does bad things, no God is. She was worshiped and celebrated all over the ancient Greek world. Even though Her dominant epithets may have slightly differed from region to region, She was still the same Goddess. For example, to some, Her sphere of sexuality may have been more geared toward marital unions, while others viewed Her as present in sexual activity in general. There can be no doubt that Her realm gives life to us all. Without sexual union, humans would go extinct. We don't often think about it, especially if we have achieved great success in life, but the basic intercourse of sexuality is the reason we are even here in the first place, and therefore it's something to love and celebrate. 

Although, despite the fact that She was so widely loved and served by so many, modern authors of ancient Greek history, at times, take the liberty to portray Her as a force that the Greeks resented and preferably wanted nothing to do with, one that was dreaded most of all. But as Socrates said in the Dialogue of Theaetetus, it is not possible for a God to wish for wickedness upon mankind. It's also important to remember that there was no dogmatic belief system in ancient Athens. The Greeks were more so concerned with practice, instead of the personal beliefs of each person. Therefore, what one Athenian believed about a God, could be different than what another believes about them. Just because they write those beliefs down, no matter how famous the author, doesn't necessarily mean there's a universal consensus. In fact, it's probably a safe bet that we have lost most of the things that were written down in ancient Greece.

The ancient Greeks were certainly people who were far more sexually free and accepting of the wonderful things about sexuality than the later Christians who took over the West, and although places like ancient Athens in the Classical Period are routinely portrayed as sexist and fearful of the female, their religious devotion does not seem to coincide with that image. After all, the men dedicated the City to a Goddess (Athena), and did so in place of a male God (Poseidon). On the Acropolis, the holiest of holy places for Athens, which was a City dominated by men, there stood a shrine to Aphrodite and Her son Eros, the God of love. One of the most well known festivals held in Her honor in Athens was called Aphrodisia, and is the first festival of the Athenian new year. Her most famously known devotee from ancient times is Sappho, another female, who was elevated to the rank of the 10th Muse. And Aphrodite Herself was known to the Athenians as Heavenly, Averter of Unlawful Desire, and Common to All People.

In the book Greek Religion by Walter Burkert, the section on Aphrodite is very clear on Her purpose and Divinity.

"Aphrodite's sphere of activity is immediately and sensibly apparent; the joyous consummation of sexuality" (Burkert, 152).

Notice he says, "joyous," not fearful or resentful. There was a time in human history when sex was a way to connect with the Divine, instead of something to be thought of as lowly, impure, or sinful. It didn't keep us from Deity, it brought them to us. And it sometimes seems that the more and more ancient culture and philosophy progressed, the more the Gods were viewed and understood as Bringers of good things, and not Beings to make you fear your humanity or the world. As it was said, I believe by the philosopher Sallustius, The Gods are always good, and never harmful. We would therefore be led to believe that something which is the contrary has not been sent by the Gods.

This progression in theology, and the various ways to connect with the Gods was, of course, interrupted by the Christian take over, and early Christians sometimes used their own interpretation to revise ancient perceptions and beliefs, and when they did this, it was not a flattering view. If there was one thing they hated more than the Pagans, it was sexual freedom exercised by a woman, and Aphrodite, being a sexually strong and independent female Divinity, would have no doubt gotten the worst end of male dominated, Christian supremacist wrath.

Of course, it would be highly dishonest to act as though all ancient Greek men were trusting of women. It would also be dishonest to suggest that every Greek culture was sexually identical, when women in Sparta held more power than women in Athens. And there has never been, in the world's history, a society of matriarchy, and no one's denying that. But I think that, as human beings, no matter our gender, we sometimes fear those of the opposite. Men have feared women because they worry about seduction, temptation, or manipulation, and women have feared men because they worry about misogyny in its many forms. This has sometimes led us to demonize one another, but I think that if we come to terms with the fact that male and female are both blessed beings, we will lose the grip of fear and distrust on our minds.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Work Cited: Burkert, Walter, Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1985.

Theseia ~ A Way To Celebrate The Oktober Rite

On October 8th, Hellenes everywhere will recognize or celebrate the ancient Festival of Theseus, the founder and Hero of Athens and her democracy, and the slayer of the infamous Minotaur monster who devoured innocent young girls and boys of Athens until Minos met the only man who wasn't afraid of him, Theseus.

Years ago, or so it seems, I constructed a rite to the Hero that anyone can practice, not only during Theseia, but any time they like throughout the year, the purpose being to honor and worship the Hero and bring His presence into one's life and/or home. Permission is granted to the Hellenic and Pagan community to use this rite whenever and wherever they like, so long as credit is given to me, its author.

1) To begin the Rite of Theseus, place in the center of your shrine or altar a statue of Theseus, or a picture or representation of the Hero. Do the proper cleansing of the altar, the offerings, and yourself.

2) Light the flame of the altar, which can be as simple as a candle, and recite the following declaration, "I light the flame of the altar, to burn bright with the Spirit of Theseus of Troezen, Hero and King of Athens and the mighty slayer of the Minotaur, Founder of festivals and the unity of the people who gather in His presence."

3) Bring forth and recite the journeys and times of Theseus with the following recitals, and offerings or gifts placed after each reference or invocation.

Journey to Athens

"The long, lost son of Aegeus He was, born in blessed Troezen, and lifting the great stone to find the gifts His father had left behind, and taking them into His possession, the great sword and sandals, to make His journey to blessed Athens, that He may reunite with His father and claim His birthright. Along the way, many enemies and evildoers did He encounter, and thus He slayed them that they may be punished, and the Hellenic people freed. O' Theseus, who brings rescue from evil and ruthlessness, I welcome you as a Savior, and to you sweet fragrance must be given.

(Light The Incense)

Destruction of the Minotaur
"Sailing the beautiful Aegean, Theseus on the sea, mighty Sailor, He bravely traveled to the island of Minos to free the people of Athens from the tyranny of the Minotaur and the oppression of the Minoan monarch. He confronted the half-man, half-bull monster in the endless labyrinth, and struck the beast dead to the floor of the maze. Never again would Athens yield and submit, for Minos now knew the power of Athena's people. Theseus who brings us salvation from tyranny and oppression, I welcome you as Liberator, and for this greatness, a great libation should be poured to you."

(Pour the Libation)

Unification of Attica and the Founding of Panathenaia
"To the region of Attica, scattered and divided, Theseus brought the Union, both of land and people, into the great State of Athens. He founded its historic democracy which has since inspired the free world, He created its brilliant festival of Athena's people known as Panathenaia, and He pushed Athens to the heights of its most glorious and influential times. I welcome you, Theseus, as the great Unity, the Founder of free government, and the Father of our festivals, and in that honor, I give you a beautiful fabric of my home, robes given for a King, to see you with delight and wrap your statue/image in beauty."

(Wrap the Cloth Around)

4) Grand Invocation
"O' Theseus of Troezen, Hero and King of Athens, slayer of the Minotaur, lead me to victory over the monsters in my life, free me of tyranny, and bring me to liberation, through the goodness of the Gods, and the grace of Athena's blessed City."

5) Closing Prayer
"As I bring my holy and sacred rite to a close, I give thanks to Theseus for hearing my prayers, delighting in my gifts, and blessing my home and life with the goodness and freedom that He brings. As Athens declared, Nothing Without Theseus."

(Blow Kiss of Love To The King)

Final Note- Consider finishing the rite or the day with a feast in honor of Theseus.

Also know that I wrote a book on Theseus some time ago. Consider purchasing a copy if you would like to learn more about Him by clicking on this Link.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

Day With The Druids

Autumn is my second favorite season, summer being the first. So yesterday afternoon, in very beautiful weather, I decided to attend a local Druid gathering, part of the ADF, in Rockford, Illinois, to celebrate the turning of the seasons. One thing that interested me in Druidism is that their central idea is simply a love and reverence for Nature, not necessarily a set theology. While they do call on certain Gods, namely Celtic, a Druid, to my understanding, is not made to take a vow to uphold one specific theological idea or worldview. There are, indeed, Hellenic Druids, and probably Druids who are monotheists or don't have any gods at all. I thought, I can jive with that, because I love Nature too and it doesn't conflict with my Hellenic beliefs at all.

The nearby group, called a Grove in Druid terms, much like a group of Hellenists may be called a Temple or a Demos, is ran by a friend of mine who invited me to attend back when the gathering and ritual was first planned. I had never before attended a Druid rite, so when it began, I was intrigued to see some similarities with Druidism and Hellenism. As within Hellenism, a central burning flame is ignited during the rites, although not necessarily for the same reasons. To the Greek, the fire may symbolize Divine presence, while to the Druid, it may represent one's inner spirit and connection to the Divine Ones.

The Druids invoke Gods who are obviously not Greek, but who rule over the same things that Greek Gods do. In other words, it would be very easy for a Hellene to create equivalences, such as when they called on the Earth Mother and their Forge God named Goibhniu, whom I would call Gaia and Hephaistos. They went on to invoke the Spirits of Nature and the Ancestors, which Hellenists do, and they also venerated their local river as a Divinity. This as well was and is done in Hellenism. In ancient Greece, local rivers and even springs received worship from their locals. The giving of sacrifices and libations were done pretty much the same way as a Hellene might do by pouring or placing them on the ground or in a holy container. So I didn't feel like too much of a foreigner religiously. There were, of course, some cultural differences, like the fact that a Druid's holy drink is ale, and for a Hellene it's wine. The rite was very clearly Irish and Celtic. However, I saw it as an opportunity to not only be Pagan with other Pagans around me, but to learn about another way of life. I didn't see the differences as being enough to build a wall of separation.

There was one particular thing the Druids did that I really enjoyed, and that was the concept of The Well. A fairly large bowl of clear water was set up in the middle of the altar to symbolize this cosmic entity, containing universal holy waters made so by the Kindreds, aka the Spirits of the land, the Ancestors, and the Shining Ones (Gods, Goddesses and Heroes). To take from this Well and into yourself is considered a sacred drink, and once ingested, the blessings of the Kindreds reside within you. We also ate of bread as well with our drink, but this was more on the concept of sharing sacrifice with the Gods, which the Greeks also did. You might remember, the Greeks had a rite of holy ingestion too, though far more complicated in cult setting, that I wrote about some time ago concerning Dionysos, and of course, the Christians took these concepts and ran all the way home with them into their holy communion. But The Well just really made me tingle with intrigue. I am very much a naturalistic person, so my deep love is found in very natural concepts.

I found the entire rite to be quite uplifting, and importantly, thorough. Sometimes, Pagan rites are done in a few simple movements or actions, or they continue through to completion entirely with one or two of the same movements or actions. This one, however, took its time and covered all of its very large, diverse theological and naturalistic bases. It actually taught me some things about ritual structure itself and gave me some new ideas in terms of templates that I might could fill in with Greek religion for my own public rites. I was very impressed with how detailed the Druids were, and how they touched the Divine, Nature and the worshiper on every level possible - mind, body and spirit completely. If there was ever a religion besides Greek that could be called a universal system in that it reaches out to everything, it's that of the Druids.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

Athens & Sparta ~ A Lesson For Our Time

We are approaching one of the world's defining anniversaries this October 1st, the day that His Majesty Alexander the Great of Macedon along with the Hellenic League crushed the overwhelming Persian forces of Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela, completely releasing Greece from the threat of Persian tyranny for a conceivable future. Persia not only lost its power and empire to Greece on this day, but would also be ruled by a Greek, Alexander. The Greeks did more than just destroy the Persian army this time. They placed the Greek government on the Persian throne. This was the time when Hellas had its strongest empire and ruled the world.

But a unified front didn't normally last with the Greeks once the threat of Persia had been vanquished. Even though Sparta and Athens, for example, had stood together against Persian invasion before Alexander, they turned on one another in the Peloponnesian War some time after, resulting in brutal devastation across the ancient Greek world. Athenian thirst for power in the Greek world around the times of Socrates also brought Athena's city disaster after the Assembly had basically developed a Manifest Destiny mentality. Apparently, they had forgotten the story of Midas and it eventually came home to roost. 

As an historian and a Hellene, it pains me so greatly to see the great Greek cities harmed not by a foreign enemy, but from within, among each other over their inabilities to live together peacefully. Had the city-states united, and remained that way, focusing on common good and not letting cultural differences break them, Greece may have ruled the known world before Alexander and after. She may have been able to prevent plague, bankruptcy, and unnecessary wars that devastate economies and societies. It's actually surreal to think of the fact that it ended up being the Persians who helped Athens overcome Sparta and restore their city.

The lesson to learn from the times of division is the power of unity. Sometimes it is true that unity cannot be possible. You can't be friends with someone who wants to kill or destroy you. But many other times, our fights are avoidable, especially if we are basically the same people. It's ridiculous, for example, for American states to fight one another. Illinois and North Carolina may have different cultures, but we're more similar than we are different, and we're both the same nationality. Unity helps us far more than division. One of the reasons America is so strong is because she is composed of 50 different states, all united in their common interests, using their individual powers and resources to help obtain and keep those interests for the common good. Peace among us is more profitable than war.

The God of war, to my mind, reminds me that He's there for a reason, and His invocation to ignite an actual battlefield is never to be done on a whim. Sometimes war is necessary. Most of the time, it's not.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Courage and Honor,
Chris Aldridge.