The Apollonian Hermetic Maenad

*snerk*

I'm apparently an atheist, according to someone on the lists, for believing that the gods are above petty crap like raping mortals and cheating on their spouses.

Since when did people start taking the myths so seriously and literally that they actually believe this sort of crap? And believe that people are atheists who have a different take on what and who the gods are?

My respect for certain aspects of the Hellenic community decreases more and more with each time I have one of these crazy conversations on the lists.

Very happy to read this incredibly balanced article by the BBC on the ongoing battle of our fellow Hellenists in Greece:

Ancient Greek gods' new believers

Followers of the 12 Greek Gods, who, according to mythology, ruled the Ancient World from Mount Olympus, have cast a thunderbolt at their Orthodox opponents.

After successfully staging a landmark ceremony at the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, their leader pledged to fight for the right to conduct baptisms, marriages, and funerals according to the rites of the ancient religion.

"We are a legitimate religion. But the authorities don't let us do this, but we shall claim this right through the European Union," said Doretta Peppa, the high priestess, who led the prayers next to the 15 remaining columns of the temple.

The move is bound to aggravate the highly conservative Greek Orthodox church, which strongly disapproves of what it regards as paganism.

First service

"They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past," said Father Efstathios Kollas, the President of Greek Clergymen.

Hundreds of followers of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Artemis, Aphrodite and Hermes stood in a circle, a mile from the Acropolis, in what was the first official religious service allowed in the grounds of an Ancient Greek temple.

Previous rites have been performed covertly, but the culture ministry was obliged to grant permission for the event after a court last year legitimised the religion, which was eclipsed 1600 years ago by Christianity.

More here...

I just cleaned my yahoogroups out quite a bit, removing myself from a bunch of groups upon which I was standing on ceremony. One list was for a group that was supposed to start up in my area for the Religio Romana, and the guy went off and got some gov't job and had to disappear. No posts for almost a year from that one and he's the sole mod with his email listed as bouncing. The rest were all lists along same lines, no posts and done with standing on ceremony. I'm overusing that expression but I really am at a loss for what else to call it.

It's a similar thing with the NR priesthood list. Once again, every couple of years, the head suddenly remembers that he has like, a priesthood just sitting around there doing nothing with our hands tied because he clearly isn't around, doesn't care, or both. Countless emails have gone out to him over the years asking him wtf I'm supposed to do as priestess of Apollo, and not a single one were replied to. He claims that I've never replied to his, but ya know...I'm no idiot. I never got them, nor did they somehow wind up in a spam filter either. That one is on its last legs with me. I'm waiting to see what happens over the next few months before I figure out what to do with my membership in NR after the past nine years or so--I suspect that once again he'll forget about us and then I'll give up and leave, as I REALLY have better things to do with my time and my money than continue to support a group that well, isn't doing anything. I've stuck around only because people begged me to do so and frankly at this point I have to ask WHY?

It's the waning moon, an excellent time to purge my life of dead weight. That and I'm PMS-y, IBS-y, and shivering in my pjs at home. What better way to spend my spare time? Aside from WoW, that is. ;)

Oh yeah and my new spiritual path is a particular trad of Southern Italian witchcraft. Yay for belonging to a trad where the esoteric and mystical isn't kept separate or locked away in some dark corner somewhere, and I can still worship my gods--which is really what's important to me. And the answer is no, it has nothing to do with Raven Grimassi. :P :)

And the best part about it all?

I'm HOME. And I don't mean just physically, either.

It is interesting to see that the people who think that spiritual advancement as being "self-serving" and "shallow" because it "removes the focus from the gods" are among the most self-centered and self-serving people whom I have ever met.

Interesting more still that those whom I know who genuinely seek to advance themselves spiritually are among the best and finest examples of human beings whom I have ever met.

Lots of people can claim to be into "spiritual advancement" but few walk the talk. You know by the walk, not the talk.

And I am proud to call such people my friends.
( more, plus my conclusion...yes it's long and I'm sorry... )