How Do I Know If I Am In The Gods' Favor?

You made an offering and a request for something you didn't get, your job or relationship didn't work out, you failed a test, whatever it may be, you might wonder if the Gods are actually in your favor or not, or at least, not against you. When things don't work out or we face disappointment in life, we can get discouraged and depressed over the fact. And depression, which is a liar, can end up telling you horrible things about yourself, and the more you listen, the more your mind will start to believe it.

The first thing to remember is that some of our wants and desires may not be granted for various reasons. As much as we may think otherwise, it might not be the best route for us at that time. You might think you would really and truly be happy and better off, but the Gods know more than we do. You are where you are because of your choices, but also because of your Fate. All lives have beauty, but you'll never see that if you don't allow your eyes to see beyond distractions. As I have said in the past, there's beauty in everything if you have the right eyes. Those eyes come from the Gods. They will show you the beauty, wonder and peace in your life if you allow them. Everything has its reason, even if it might not make that much sense to you at present.

Finally, at least to my mind, a sure way to see that I am favored by the Gods is that I am still alive, healthy and doing well. We strive for the various materials of life so much that we don't realize how precious life itself is. We don't realize that we are not entitled to life in that there was no guarantee that we would be born, that we would be the ones chosen to live. Life is a gift that the Gods were good enough to grant us. And the fact that I have life, health, a good home, a loving family, and plenty of food, tells me that the Gods are not gathering to be against me at all. If the Gods were against me, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on. If the Gods didn't love me, I wouldn't be there. And if they didn't favor me, my life would be far harder than it is.

Your beautiful and continuous life itself is the proof that you are favored by the Gods. You may not be Fated to conquer the world, or even your own City. But you are thriving in the sense of life itself. That's enough to be grateful for. Even if you are sick or down on your luck, that still does not mean you are disfavored. Life always has its challenges, but that doesn't mean the Gods don't like you. The Gods are good and they always do good. And always remember, Hellenism is not about "will the Gods give me this or that," it's about living in harmony with the Gods and the Universe.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Are You Living Your Purpose?

If Fate is real, which I believe it is, how can we believe that we are expected to be anything other than what we are fated to be? During my life, I've basically been told by others to conquer everything around me, but how can I do that if I am not meant to? How can someone who is poor buy a yacht? Even people who work hard every day of their lives, will never see that kind of wealth. You have to have a certain level of good fortune in order to achieve it. But the mere act of trying your hardest is not a guarantee, and in fact, still keeps your chances very low. Wouldn't your life be better if you focused your strengths and talents on things that you could achieve? Wouldn't it be better if instead of trying to be something you're not, or that life hasn't prepared for you, you became the best that you yourself could be?

I no longer believe that I can "do anything." It's a very nice, comforting and inspirational idea, but the fact of the matter is that no one can do everything. If that were the case, there would be no diversity in the world, and no real need for the Gods to give us diverse talents and desires in life. They, I believe, want to see the most beautiful and happiest expression of yourself in the world. To build to the best of your ability. And I have grown increasingly convinced of that after my year long contact with my spiritual counselor at the Temple of Rhodes in Greece. Nowhere in ancient Greece did everyone do the same things. Some were great, others were moderate, and some were basic. But they all contributed to the glory that was the civilization. For crying out loud, Socrates was called the wisest of all men and he didn't even have a job at the time. He sat and walked around the City each day and philosophized with people. That's what we remember, not his paycheck. 

I think your Fate, in a very large measures, is grounded in what you feel called to do, and what you love to do, which is often the same thing. Now I'm not saying you should run out and quit your job and try to become a professional TV wrestler. What I'm saying is that everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness, their own bliss, and their own talents. When you're doing what you're meant to do, there is ultimate enjoyment. Time has no meaning. It flies by without notice. You also have no fear or anxiety, just peace, love and happiness. For me, my bliss is being a priest and a religious writer. I believe I am here to be a Hellenist and teach people about Hellenism if they want to know. I pray you find your purpose too, and have the courage to live it.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

The Gods Show Their Goodness

One thing I have found is that when I let worry take over my mind, that anxiety can cut me off from the Gods in an instant, because it's basically mental miasma, which is just as bad, may be even worse, than physical miasma. Without the mind in good working order, I might be impaired from moving forward, and my mind might even tell me things that are not true. And the worst part is that if the mind worries about something long enough, the mind will start to believe it's true. So what might have started out as an irrational fear, could end up not seeming so later on down the road. Excessive worry can also cause a pessimistic outlook on life, and this is bad because optimistic people generally live longer. Science has shown all of this.

So how do I develop and keep an optimistic outlook on life? How can I condition my brain to be positive, happy and helpful, and thus, more receptive to the Gods? Religious and philosophical leaders from ancient times to modern, stress the importance of the idea that the Gods are good and always do good. Realizing that eternal and unending goodness that comes from heaven.

I won't lie. I beat myself up a lot for my past mistakes. I am normally very hard on myself for even small things. Although I am trying harder every day to turn that course, to treat myself better and with more understanding and forgiveness, to love myself essentially. And the problem is that you can't do that by simply saying you're going to. One thing it takes is to realize that you are deserving of love, both from the Gods and yourself. They chose me in place of millions and millions of others who could have been born instead. They saw great potential in me. It's never going to produce a good life to be self-hating.

Not everyone may agree with my perspective that the Gods are all love, and that's fine. But to my mind, how else could they be our bliss? The physical and spiritual feeling and uplift that fills us when we pray and offer to the Gods, has to be based on some form of universal love, friendship, compassion, and delight that comes from above. Even after we have committed offenses and move to atone through a Propitiatory Sacrifice, the Gods are still willing to hear those prayers and accept those atonements. What could do that but love, compassion and understanding? At the very least, it's a willingness to welcome us back. Opening my mind up to all of those universally positive things, enables me to move forward, to live in peace, and be kind to my fellowman. 

So when the mind tries to descend into that deep dark hole, as it is called, I remind myself of the truth. The Gods are good and they always do good. I am worthy of love. I am not my past. This is a new day. I have wonderful potential. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.  

My Visit To A Hindu Temple

Yesterday, I fulfilled a plan with my wife and son that I had been talking about for a week or so, and that was to visit a local Hindu temple. The reason I wanted such an experience was because I have always been curious about Hinduism since it's the largest polytheistic religion in the world today. I also wanted my family to have an interfaith experience, and so we traveled to Aurora, Illinois, about an hour away, to visit the Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple. 

It was, to date, one of the largest polytheistic temples I have ever been to. Beautifully white with crafted towers that are tipped in gold. The outside entrance has a beautiful fountain and a garden dedicated to Ganesha, the Hindu God of wisdom, intellect and new beginnings, with several different statues of the God encircling it. The front entrance is flanked with four statues of other Hindu Gods, but I do not know their names. When we went inside, I got the impression that photography, especially on the top level where worship took place, was not liked, and so I decided to not take any pictures of the interior, but I will describe the interesting experience that we had.

Everyone has to have their legs covered, unless they're a child like my son. I went in wearing shorts, so in order to go up to the top level, I had to borrow one of their spare garments that was available at the entrance to tie around my waist, and everyone had to take their shoes off. One thing I noticed upon entering was the relentless chanting and praying coming from the top level. You walk up a red carpeted staircase to reach that level. There is a central shrine and sitting area where the Hindus gather, and encircling the room are countless shrines to their various Gods and Goddesses. People will come there, if nothing else, to just stand before the shrines and pray, meditate or dedicate themselves. Some people even lie completely on their stomachs in order to lay their entire bodies out in devotion. Regular offerings are also given to the Gods in their shrines.

Like Hellenists, the Hindus adorn their statues with garments and valuables, and like was done in the days of ancient Greece, they keep a flame lit inside the holy places where the Gods are represented and housed. The shrines varied in size, but they were all beautifully crafted with statuary, gold, and sculptures. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the shrines, or at least some of them, had names of sponsors. People, groups or organizations sponsor the construction, care and funding of a particular shrine, and I wish Hellenists would also do something like that around the world. It was one practice that stood out to me.

But the Hindus themselves chant and pray endlessly, presumably all day long. They never stopped the entire time we were there. The temple was filled with their voices and music. Their devotion is remarkable. They dedicate their lives to spiritual connection and ascension. Inside the temple, I felt as if there was very little interest in the outside mundane world, as it were. And the Hindu community in the area seems very strong, as there were hundreds if not thousands of people passing through and they were all clearly of Indian blood. I think my family and I were the only white people there. But we were still welcomed and not treated any differently than anyone else.

As someone who loves spiritual devotion in his own religious life, what I admired most about the Hindus was how strong and endless their own was. It has caused me to develop a great deal of respect for them. And one belief I really like about Hinduism is called Samsara, which is a spiritual goal of eventually breaking free of the cycle of birth and death, where there is no longer any reincarnation, just total spiritual ascension and liberation, where you are forever free from the physical and material world. 

Before we left, I felt we should show a basic level of respect to the temple, so my wife and I turned and bowed at the entrance. Hellenists, as our religious ancestors did, have respect for other cultures. We do not think that ours should be the only one. Hinduism itself is continuing to grow across the world. In the previous decade, their numbers rose by 100 million. I hope we learned a lot about another people. 

In the Goodness of the Gods, 

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

Chris Aldridge.

Like Being Back From The Dead

I've told my friends and readers over the summer that I suffered from a severe mental breakdown. It was so bad I could not get out of bed, and it even resulted in physical pain in my stomach for a long time, because as you may know, the brain function can impact gut health. I could barely stand. Quite honestly, the feeling of death was all over me, and I thought it might be the end. But fortunately, it wasn't. I progressively got better, the pain eventually went away, and I was able to resume basic life after a couple of months. But what I want to talk about here today is what I think may have happened to me on a spiritual level.

I have seriously entertained the thought that the Gods knocked me down to teach me some valuable lessons. While I've been extremely devout, I haven't always been a humble person, nor one who is thankful for what he has in life. Sometimes I would even criticize people for not living the same kind of life I was at the time. As Hesiod said, Zeus withers the proud. And not being grateful for the things you have is, I think, also another form of arrogance. No matter what I had, it was never good enough for me. I complained so much.

When the breakdown and extreme fatigue first set in, I went to two sets of doctors. They did blood tests, a urinalysis, and an EKG. There was nothing physically wrong with me. It was my mind, without which the body cannot function. All I knew to do at the time was go home and lie down, wondering if it was ever going to end or if I was mentally disabled from this day forward. I could barely even eat, resulting in noticable weight loss.

It was the worst illness of my life. Everything in my life suffered, and I felt so lost and alone. I even explored other religions for a short time, because of how hopeless I felt, but the Gods were showing me that I am nothing without them, that I might even be able to find help in another deity, but it still won't be enough; I need the Greek Gods. And equally important, that I am no better than anyone else. 

I also think I put too much mental pressure on myself over this year, which led to the ultimate breakdown in the summer. I was trying to take on more than I could handle, trying to be more than human perhaps, which is something I cannot be. In so many ways, I needed to learn my place.

I learned well, and yesterday, I felt like the lesson was over. I was up out of bed, smiling, praising the Gods, loving everyone, and thinking of only good things to come. I felt like I had my life back. One of my friends on social media even commented to me, "Welcome back to the land of the living."

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Passing Through This Place

I turned 40 last year, and as time has passed, I found myself growing increasingly aware of the fact that I'm getting older, and to be frank, it has scared me greatly. It was incredibly interesting because, for years, I struggled with thoughts of suicide. But after reaching 40, I realized how badly I want to live and how much I cherish life. But in so realizing, fear grows as well, because you start to struggle with the concept of your own mortality, that each day is one step closer to the inevitable. When you get older, you start to think about what it will be like when you never wake up again.

I began to remember all the people I have lost throughout my life, such as my grandparents, my dad, and really good friends who died too young. It's hard to lessen the pain. In fact, you might even blame yourself for not being there for them more.

Last week, I took a trip back home to North Carolina to see what remains of my family and friends, in hopes it would better my mood. My grandmother Joyce did give me a bright light of hope when she told me something that I had never thought of before but that was obvious. People in my family tend to live a long time unless they do something to shorten it, such as drinking and smoking and bad eating. But even then, some of my family members lived into their 70s. I imagine they'd still be alive if they had lived healthier.

But even so, no one can live in this current body forever. Everything in this life seems so fragile and temporary. Because it is. So how do we cope with it? Do we just accept it and enjoy life while we have it, not letting it bother us because it's useless to worry about anyway? Perhaps.

I find myself crying for everyone who has passed on these days, because their lives mattered, and they all made some kind of impact on others or the world around them. The people in our lives are one of a kind. The relationships we form will never again exist except in this lifetime. And so, we must love and nurture those relationships and the experiences we have in the world.

Remembering my beliefs also made me realize something else. I have said that I want to live forever, and I have come to realize that that is possible, just not with this body. This old body eventually has to go. So perhaps soon I won't be worried about it anymore. I know the Gods are with my soul.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Blessings In Your Everyday Life

Throughout our daily lives, we tend to overlook the small, yet influential and meaningful blessings that the Gods, Spirits and Heroes may give us. And thus, we don't notice them in our busy and sometimes stressful lives. But they are important to take note of, because they give us peace, purpose and even enlightenment, and make us realize that even in our worst times, perhaps life isn't so bad. It goes all the way back to the writings of Homer in The Odyssey when we're basically taught to recognize a good omen when we see it.

I'll give you an example from my own life recently. During one of my outings on a regular day, I decided to stop by the local Exxon Mobil and cash in some of my old lottery scratch off tickets, worth about $6. I bought a couple of new ones with it and hit $50. Certainly not a shopping spree, but it was enough for me to enjoy the rest of the day to myself, some time away from home and work. And so, recognizing it as a small blessing of leisure that could only do me good at that point in my life, I took it and enjoyed myself.

To a lot of people, such an event might not seem significant at all, but not if you know how to see everyday blessings. But it's not just immediate things like that. Consider your life, your health, your family, the nice weather, the fact that you have a job, a spouse, children, food, a home and a comfy bed. There are so many everyday blessings that you never take note of, but should.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.