On Public Perception of War

These are my thoughts about the existence of war that has always been within most of human culture. Before I do so, however, I want to make my readers aware that this post has nothing to do with the civil unrest that has been going on in our society as of lately. This is about general history and the human condition.

In ancient Greek religion, Ares is the God of War, but He is also not the only God who takes an interest in the field. Athene is the Goddess of War, but She does not have the bloodlust of it. Rather, She fights only when necessary, preferring peace and diplomacy, but when She must fight, She is the Master of Strategy and cannot be defeated. Aphrodite carries the Epithet of Warlike and Armed. She was called Warlike perhaps because of Her association and love relationship with Ares, and called Armed because sometimes war and love found themselves intertwined, such as with the Trojan War. It has also been suggested that She had earlier Manifestation as a Warrior-Goddess. Of course, we cannot deny that the passionate life of humans can sometimes lead us to fight for love and what is our desire. But our love life does not have to involve any kind of confrontation. In fact, most of Aphrodite's Epithets have nothing to do with war.  But the fact remains that it can be a result. It's in our nature to fight for the things we want. There is power in it.

I offer a far different view on war. While war is not something that we should always jump to, a lot of us in the West are free today because our people won against an enemy who didn't want us to be. Example, the American Revolution. We did not want the fight, but the fight came anyway, beyond our control. And had it not been for the strength, strategy and power to push back the forces of oppression, the Free World might be very different today. Sometimes the only language an oppressor understands is the sword. Sometimes the sword is useful in defending and advancing what is right.

Sometimes we have to fight because we have no other choice if we want to survive and flourish. No matter how much we may want peace, that doesn't mean others will. Now I'm not saying that we should choose war as a first option. Peace should flourish wherever possible. But sometimes war is necessary. Although I do think people use it far more often than they should. 

War also doesn't just have to do with the battles that we commonly equate it with. It doesn't have to just be swords and guns on a battlefield. It can refer to the wars that we wage in our own personal lives. We all have private battles that we share with the world, and private battles that we never tell anyone about. It could be with physical and mental illness, finances, career, school, family life, or our personal feelings of worth and accomplishment. We all have things that we hope to achieve victory over or in. In some ways, life is a battle. I have accepted this, I just ask Athene and Ares to be my Generals. :)

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

The Freedom That Hellenism Offers

One core concept that has always made me cling to Hellenism in my life is that of personal freedom. There are religions and ways of life out there that are so restrictive on the human condition. They want to control your sex life, your beliefs, and your politics to name a few. Now I'm not trying to arrogantly tear down those religions or philosophies, I'm just stating an observable fact of serious human control, when I believe that we were given life for the purpose of enjoyment and fulfillment.

The ancient Greeks were a free people of both mind and body, even though the extension of that may have varied from City to City. In modern Hellenism, the basic premise is this, Enjoy life, just don't let anything control or destroy you.

In other words, eat the food, but don't let the food eat you. Enjoy your sex life, but don't become a slave to it or be reckless. In short, moderation. As long as you do not reach a point where your pleasures and passions destroy your life, harm others, or interfere with your ability to live a regulated life, do as you want. As an example, if I want to have a threesome, I can, as long as everyone is a consensual adult, we know that we are healthy and not giving each other diseases, and I don't become so addicted to it that I cannot enjoy life otherwise. What remains enjoyable and prosperous is good. Now I would cleanse myself before doing rituals afterwards, of course, because human sex creates miasma (ritual impurity), but sex itself would never be an offense. I can eat the foods I like, so long as I do not fall into gluttony, because that harms my health and potentially shortens my life. And I can drink the alcohol so long as I always have the ability to stop at a healthy point. As far as your private personal beliefs, neither the Gods or man care, they only care if those beliefs turn into hubris or harm. When it comes to your politics, again, just avoid hubris and harm. State your political beliefs freely and fight for them. You can be a socialist, you can be a capitalist, you can be Green Party, whatever. 

There is no punishment for being human, only the need to find a healthy balance with the things in your life and avoid hubris (arrogance). We are not against enjoying our pleasures and passions, we just don't let our pleasures and passions destroy us. Why is it important to create that balance? Because overindulgence and starvation are both equally destructive. We do not deprive ourselves of the things we like, because that can make one depressed, frustrated, and unhealthy, but we also don't drown ourselves in them, because that can also make one depressed, frustrated, and unhealthy. We don't say, "Don't do that with your life." Instead we say, "Be healthy with it." To my mind, this makes for the best life because it gives the best comfort and prosperity to the human condition. It allows joy, happiness and healthiness while also eliminating suffering.

To live your best life in accordance with Arete, and to enjoy every Day of it, is your own individual choice to make.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Source for Picture:

By EAnderson88 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16197001,

No Changes Were Made.

What If A Former Murderer Came To My Temple For Help?

In a discussion on this subject some time ago, I decided to draw my own conclusions on the matter, and that question is basically, "Is there an offense someone can make that can forever be unrepairable with the Gods?" In other words, is there a mistake that can make sure you can never be a Hellenist? Or at least, make sure you could never be part of any group or organization? I have thought about this myself extensively, "What if someone had been convicted of murder, served their time, wanted to change and be Hellenic, and came to my temple for help?" I might first conclude that they were sent to me for a reason, however that may have worked itself out.

Let's first be clear as to what murder is. Murder is not when you are forced to kill someone in order to save your life or the life of someone you care about. It's not even automatically murder to simply kill someone in and of itself. Accidentally causing someone's death is homicide or manslaughter. Murder is when you intentionally take someone's life who is posing no threat to your physical well being. In short, it's an intentional unjustified killing of another human being. It's absolutely the worst offense someone can make.

In ancient Greece, whether or not someone could atone and return to the religious community was based on what kind of killing had taken place. For self-defense or accidents, they could be purified and return. For premeditation, it may have been considered incurable at least in some instances. That's not to say they could no longer worship the Gods, but they may not be able to come back to certain temples, sanctuaries, or other religious orders in their communities. There was also no such thing as life imprisonment in ancient Greece. The City wouldn't have wanted to pay for someone for that long. You were executed or exiled if you were guilty of premeditated murder. In Early Homeric Times, murder could be cleared through reparations to the family or exile. 

It must first be kept in mind that purification was not just about the individual. If they came into a temple or participated in a City's ceremony while having such pollution, it could disrupt everything else. So it wasn't only about punishing them specifically, it was about protecting the spiritual welfare of the entire Polis. So the ultimate question is, "Can they be purified? Can the Gods remove that pollution?" Yes, they can. But only they can make that choice. They can do anything, and therefore, that means they can clear someone of murder. 

If such a man or woman came to me for help with sincere remorse after having served their sentence, I would take them to a calm place in Nature and use every means and every tool possible at my use to cleanse them of the miasma. I would start with purified water blessed by the Gods, then into sulfur purification for some of the most powerful, invoking Gods such as Zeus Kosmetes (Orderer), Zeus Hikesios (of Suppliants), Zeus Katharsios (of Ritual Purification), Zeus Prostropaios (Turner of Pollution), Zeus Soter (Savior), and Zeus Meilikhios (Gracious and Merciful). I would invoke Apollon Alexikakos (Averter of Evil), and pray for His cleansing and purifying light. I would also perform my temple's Dionysian Rite, invoking Dionysos as the God of Rebirth and life. In short, everything and everyone I could think of to free this person from the worst of crimes.

Then I would advise them to make a great sacrifice to the Gods, acknowledging their wrongdoing, accepting all the consequences, making possible reparations to the family of the deceased, and expressing sincere devotion to a better life. All of this might indeed ensure that they could start their own personal and private life as a Hellenist. As for me, I helped the suppliant as best as I could. 

As far as entering my temple, I would honestly be torn on the issue. On the one hand, I have a strong belief in redemption, simply because I believe the Gods can do anything for someone, and there were Heroes in Greek religion who atoned for terrible offenses, including murder. But I would also be compelled to think about the comfortability of the other members. Perhaps divination would be in order. I would turn to the Gods for an answer. They might advise a probationary period for the person before they could enter. There could be several possibilities. But the person could still ask for my counsel and learn from all the information out there for worshiping the Gods and being Hellenic in their own life. I would tell them that they can rebuild their own life from this point onward.

What do you think?

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Sources - 

Google, Life In Prison In Ancient Greece, 2026, Link

Google, Purification of Murder in Ancient Greece, 2026, Link

When Pegasos Flew Over In My Dreams

My family and friends know that I have dealt with a lot of anxiety and illness this year, but that I have also progressively conquered it to the point that I am no longer sick and very close to calling the game against my mental issues as well. I think that the end of this year will be when I can finally say I am cured. 

Sometimes your dreams can be messages from the Gods, and I think I have, over the years, developed the ability to tell which ones are for the most part. Back on December 18th, I went back to sleep around 7:30am, and had an amazing dream of Pegasos flying over me, and not just once, but continuously circling back around and coming back over again, all the while I was cheering him. 

I think the Gods sent him to my dreams to show me that a new time is coming in the next year and beyond, that the hardest of times are done and I have made it through. Victory over my problems is finally mine. The Gods also know how much I love Pegasus and that seeing him would bring me happiness and hope, which is something I think Pegasus embodies.

I cannot explain how wonderful it is to have this feeling of total peace and spiritual support after an entire year of anguish, sometimes thinking that I was not going to live through some of my problems. But now it's over, and I can be someone who attests, at least in my own experience, that you should never quit no matter how hopeless or painful it may seem or be. You never know how well your perseverance will end up paying off, and of course, never think the Gods cannot bring you out of it all. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Source

Photo By user: Radomil - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, No changes were made, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=209591.

Hindus To Erect Massive Statue In North Carolina

I became interested in this story because it's close to my hometown (Thomasville, North Carolina, about an hour away) and because it has become a major story in modern polytheism generally. Earlier this year, I wrote about my family's interfaith travels to a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, which was an amazing experience for us. A recent story came out about the Hindu complex in Chatham County, North Carolina called the Carolina Murugan Temple. They are in the process of constructing a massive 155 foot statue of the Hindu God of War, Murugan. The statue will be taller than the Statue of Liberty (which is also a Deity, by the way, Libertas), and will cost 10 million dollars. There is apparently a thriving Hindu community in the area, and this project is to honor that growth and serve its people. Not only will this be taller than Lady Liberty, it will be the tallest statue of Murugan in the entire world.

I found my attention drawn to this story because it's a great step for religious freedom and diversity in North Carolina. My family and I left back in 2012, and took our Greek temple with us, because we felt the State government wasn't supportive of our rights as non-Christians, among other reasons such as employment, wages and healthcare. In other words, even if religious freedom had not been a concern of ours, there were still other things that may have moved us to the Liberal States. But I am nevertheless delighted to see said freedom flourishing in my home State. Even if State legislators refuse to stand up for minorities, they also cannot ignore the fact that they exist with something so gigantic overlooking the Tarheel State. I wish we would construct statues of Greek Gods that big as well. The problem is that the Hellenic people were disrupted and persecuted for 2,000 years, whereas the Hindus were not, so obviously they have an easier time with their religious projects. Of course, that's not to say that statues of Greek Gods don't already stand significantly in our nation. A statue of Athene overlooks the Statue of Liberty from nearby, and Themis remains the Goddess of Justice in our legal system. Not to mention that the faces of legendary ancient Greeks overlook the chamber of the Federal House of Representatives, like Solon of Athens and Lycurgus of Sparta. 

The story of the new Hindu statue has made international news. It has sparked a lot of online debate, which I do not see why. The issue here is religious freedom, no debate necessary. Why would there be arguments over it unless you believe that they should not have their religious freedom? America is a place for everyone from everywhere. All the world can come here and be free, that's what we are about. We do not belong to just one religion, one race, one ideology. We are the home of the world. I have heard it said that the money would be better spent on caring for the poor and needy in the State, and there is certainly something to be said about that, but it's also the government's responsibility to see to the general welfare of the people, and the government of North Carolina doesn't seem to have a vested interest in that, since North Carolina has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation. I think it's fine, especially for a minority religion, to use some money to support itself, establish worship centers, and make its people happy. I don't see an issue with that at all, as long as they are also using money to help those in need in their communities.

I do want to go see it in-person when it's completed. In Hellenism, the God of War is Ares and Athene is the Goddess of War who rules in alliance with Nike (Victory).

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.

Picture licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. Photo taken by Shesmax. No changes were made. Link To License. Link To File.

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.

Hermes Had Something Better In Mind

A few weeks ago, I received a wonderful blessing from Hermes that I would like to share with my readers.

Back in December of 2024, I left my job at the time and came to regret it, because I realized how much I liked it, and the potential it could have had for me. It was the old feeling of not knowing what you have until you don't have it anymore. I spent the next year trying off and on to get it back, even though I knew the chances were slim because I quit without notice, a really bad mistake. But I think I also had a legitimate reason, my mental illness at the time was starting to reach its peak before I had the breakdown and recovery.

I managed to land a very small job over the spring and summer working one day a week because that was all my mind and body could handle at that point, and all that the company was willing to give me at that time. I thought that if I could get my old job back, I would be happy. Last month, I walked out to our family's altar in the outside sanctuary, made a large offering to Hermes, and asked Him to help me get my old job back, as Hermes is the God of business and commerce. 

I did not get it back, but instead, the good Hermes gave me something far better. I was given a full time position at my current job doing something that I actually really enjoy. The position came up out of the blue one day, and was offered to me, even though my performance over the year had been mostly below par because of my illness. Nevertheless, it came to me. Even though I had previously thought that my old job was my way back to happiness in terms of career, Hermes showed me that I could be even happier in something new, that I did not need to look back. 

Over all this year, the Gods brought me back with a vengeance. Midsummer, I was in bed all day, mentally and physically sick, thinking I was going to die, no real job, no money, no hope in me. Today, I am healthy again, strong, have a great job that I actually like, and excelling in my Master's degree program. The Gods can bring anyone back from anything, for they are good and always do good. I have basically started a new life, just like I wanted, but in a way that the Gods knew would be better for me. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

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

Chris Aldridge.