Modern Practices - Deadly Immortality

Nightshade - Upon Hera's Altar are three glass vials. The first vial holds a number of dried Greek olive pits, the second holds a blood colored measure of the potion used during the Ritual of the Shielded-Warrior during the lunar eclipse winter solstice in 2010. And the third holds a deadly concoction of Nightshade.

Pictured here is the Nightshade during "processing". In this practice only four branches of wild nightshade are to be cut at a time. The blossoms and berries are removed first and place on the altar plate. Then, the leaves are sorted. From the first branch a number of "perfect leaves" are press dried between two stones. Another number of them are placed along with the berries and blossoms on the altar plate. The rest of the selected leaves are placed in an open urn to dry on their own.

The three remaining branches that are left whole are placed into vases on the left and right side of the altar and allowed to cross over the center.

The leaves and blossoms of the Nightshade dry much faster than the berries. As they dry they are crushed in a marble mortar and pestle and the powder is then mixed with half dried green and red berries creating a paste. The paste is then spread on a second plate to dry before it is crushed a second time in the mortar and allowed to set again until the next new moon.

On the night of the new moon the Nightshade powder is then placed into it's glass vial and allowed to remain open until the full moon. Only then is it capped and sealed. By the end of the ritual to create just one vial of "Heraian Nightshade" nearly two months may have passed.


The three vials represent the Sisters of Fate. The seeds of birth, the blood of life, and the dust of death. In a ritual that combines the three "the birth is crushed, the blood is spilled, and death is released".

In a later part of the same ritual enters one of the most mysterious and well guarded secrets of the ancient world. This being pure pomegranate juice.

The pomegranate was once the most sacred and most popular votive offered to the Goddess Hera. Myths abound about this sacred fruit the world over. Visitors to the Temple of Hera would never speak of nor write about it's power aside from one illumination that the juice of the pomegranate temporarily robs a God or Goddess of their immortality yet has the opposite effects on demigods and mortals, temporarily making them immune to the influence of the Fates or will of the Gods.

But when combined with cows milk the metaphysical effects of pomegranate juice are altered. Both are sacred to Hera and when combined become symbolic of her breast-milk ("kholos") or "The Rage of Hera" which, within the myths, are what gave demigods such as Achilles their ability and power. Once inside a demigod or mortal body the potion manifests itself as a "venom" and consumes the heart of the one "inflicted". Like any venom, once the milk of the Goddess is consumed by anyone it will remain in their veins for the rest of their lives.


In other myths, like that of Persephone, the pomegranate is considered to be a fruit of the underworld. It was the food used to trick Persephone into becoming the unwilling wife of Hades. Persephone ate three of the blood red segments of the fruit while in the Underworld and therefore must return to the underworld for 3 months out of every year.

This of course is the mythical reasoning behind the winter months when nothing grows as Persephone is locked away in the underworld and her mother searches for her.


Pomegranate votives were the most common gift left at the Temples of Hera up until about the 6th century B.C.E. when the offerings suddenly stopped. Scholars believe that this was around the same time that Hera went through a "mortal metamorphosis". Meaning that it was around this time that they began to stop seeing her as the all powerful Queen of the Gods, love above all, and began to see her as the more sub-servant wife of Zeus. Zeus, at the time, was not as highly respected or feared as the King of the Gods. Hera had many more followers and influences on the realms of man as an earth/river Goddess than Zeus did as the lord of the skies. But even after their supposed "marriage" which some might interpret as a play for power by Zeus or the early beginnings of a masculine dominated society where women had their rights and influence all but stripped away.

Pure pomegranate juice is a potent brew all to itself. Its a very bold flavored blood red juice that can have a hint of bitterness. It also does not store long. Once opened it should be drank within 10 days. Otherwise, it will begin to ferment itself.

The importance and symbolism of the pomegranate here reflects that of ancient times before the metamorphosis.  It is a common drink, votive offering, and ritual component in anything dealing with Herain the modern world.

Sacred Spaces - A Peek Inside My Altar Room

(Doorway to the Altar of Hera)

(The Altar Room)

Recently, in the Den, Zech brought up a great topic on the differences between indoor and outdoor sacred spaces. I consider myself extremely lucky to have the best of both in the most serenity filled room of our home and I thought I'd take the opportunity to give everyone a peek at some of the things inside my altar room.

Above is a photo of the double folding glass doors that divide the Altar room from the rest of the house. It is located On the south side (front) of the house, extending the front wall to the edge of the front porch which is to the left of this photo. Just in front of the photo is the front primary flower bed which also holds herbs, three watermelon vines, is backed by a panel of purple morning glories and crowned with 5 lilies. At the back (center) of that flower bed stands a large peacock. On the west side, tall ivy and flower vines cover the west wall and the edging is allowed to grow wild to help support the birds, squirrels, and the groundhog that lives under our neighbor's front steps.

The room itself sets just over 4ft above the ground with a large crawl space under it that is accessible through a hinged panel on the west side of the house. The loose sandy soil that lies beneath the Altar Room is the most likely place that someone in the distant future will uncover hand engraved stones that offer names, dates, and one to two line fragments of story referencing old Gods, magic, and immortality.

The East, South, and West walls of the room are primarily made of panel windows that open in the same manner as a cupboard door with the original latch locks on both the top and bottom of the windows which opens three entire walls up to the outside and offers direct light any time of day (or moonlight by night). And the North wall hosts two 3 foot solid strips of wall before breaking for the wide double doors that lead into the shadowed living room that is decorated in antiques, family photos, and accented with glass tables, crystal, and bronze.

(Greek Treasures)

Philosophers and sages throughout the years have played with attempting to describe metaphysical connections to lands we have never stepped foot on. And I have a few of them, all of which are located in central or western Europe. A remnant of a past life, an illusive dream, unbreakable bonds with the people I have met there, or something mused into my mind and heart from a mundane source...who knows? The point is not in the knowing but in the enchantment. And, for me, these lands are enchanting. The way they once lived, the modern approach to life in general, the poetic notes that changed the world over dozens of times all came from here. And any time I get the chance to get something from this land I tend to jump on it. If it was hand made and imported (or otherwise inspired) from Greece I want it in my Altar Room. Having those pieces of the land itself is somehow important to me and makes the illusive dream of what once was seem more real--physical links in a stronger chain of connection with the homeland of my patron Goddess.

This "chubby Pan" statue was one of the first things inspired by Greek myth that I was gifted.

My mother actually received this statue from my Elementary School Principle who had been following a pagan topic newspaper series I was writing back in 2002-2003. The newspapers came to call the nearly 100 editorial series "The Year of the Witch". It was the first time in local history that pagans seemed to be coming out of the woodwork and "witchcraft" became a common and locally excepted word. The public loved following along with the series in the two local newspapers and sales of those papers went up almost 18% during that run. The series is kept safe now on microfilm in the local library's Heritage Room as well as the county museum.

The statue was a gift from my old 5th grade teacher and Principle for a job well done by way of community involvement and education. She said that I had "turned into the teacher". Which was a nice sentiment. But, my mom being my mom refused to take the statue from her for nothing. So, she gave her 50 cents for it. Today, this same statue retails for about $100.00 unpainted.

This cup is one of two 24k gold trimmed, hand made cups that rest on the Altar itself. They are the very first actual imported items I ever received.

I came across these at a yard sale and bought them both for $2. After a meticulous cleaning and cleansing the cups became side pieces for my Altar over the years.

They have thick bottoms that make them heavier than they appear and are numbered. On the bottom of the cup is a decorative bordered "S" and they read "Hand made in Greece in 24k Gold". I have number 8 and 14 in the collection along with a matching small vase that is simply numbered 124.

The only time that I ever actually use these cups is for extremely special and rare occasions and the only thing that ever goes into them is sweet dark red wine (which is rare in and of itself). One cup goes to me and the other to Hera. Her's will rest on the Altar for a bit before being poured out into the earth in offering.

This is Hera's "Tiny Treasures" Offering Plate. The plate is milk glass, trimmed in gold, and has a wheat pattern gold ring surrounding its center.

Wheat was referred to as "The flower of Hera" in the late Bronze Age, for some reason that eludes me because I don't consider it a flower at all. But who am I to argue with the ancients?

The milk glass itself is sympathetic to the myths of Hera nursing mortals and demi-gods such as Hercules and Achilles to imbue them with her power, or as in the case of Achilles, her rage, which is one of the blessings that made him such a great warrior.

On this plate is where I place items such as river stones, polished glass from the beach, bits of pear or willow bark, flowers, or any other tiny treasure I might come across on one of my many adventures.  It is also where I place the two necklaces I never leave the house without every night before going to bed. And always present at the center of the plate is the red box that holds "The Eye of Hera" itself from many of the Denian Myths that you can find in the Den Archive.

"The Wings of Icarus" -- A gift from my beloved Braegan, are proudly displayed on the east side of the north wall of the Altar Room. Every "Angel" should have wings right?

In the Myths, Icarus was the one who was linked (along with his father) in creating the Labyrinth of the Minotaur on Crete. Both were imprisoned by King Minos and Icarus's father fashioned two pair of wings to help them escape.

But, despite being warned, Icarus flew too close to the sun and it melted the wax holding the wings together. Thus, he plummeted to his death. His wings are a reminder of the hidden dangers of being over-ambitious.

On the opposite wall of the Wings of Icarus rests this newly included hand painted copper plate. Another actual imported item that was made in the 1950s.

We found this item just this past weekend while we were out on one of our adventures. I thought it was proper to have a hand made Greek import displaying a Greek Temple in the Altar room. Can't get much closer than that! And the common decorative border on this plate also matches the border on the gold cups and vase that rest on the other side of the room.

This Greek style plaster column rests on the left side of the Altar itself and is a display of simplicity.

For some reason the colors: purple, white, pink, yellow, blue, and gold have always been present somewhere in my dealing with Hera.

The peacock feather accent is common throughout the room with a total of 7 peacock feathers and one statuette present near or on the most sacred items.Two rest on the Altar itself which I cannot display here.

The notion behind the peacock feather relates to the Myth that Hera placed the eyes of Argus (Hera's hundred eyed giant) into the feathers of one of her favorite birds.

Argus was Hera's "spy" and whatever he looked upon she could also see. So, by placing peacock feathers in the Altar Room (or anywhere else in your home) you are pretty much offering the Goddess a free peek at anything that goes on there. Here, Hera's eyes are always watchful.

This is Charlotte, my 11 year old rose haired tarantula in her newly designed "Sisters of Fate" inspired tank.

Charlotte is the spider priestess of the Sisters, spinning, measuring, and cutting her silken threads of time and fate over green glass decorative stones, a small Greek vase, the "Sphere of Time" (which was my very first scrying glass) my gold "Time Teaser" necklace that is inlaid with crystals surrounding a clock face, a golden ring that I discovered on one of my adventures, and another necklace that was a gift from one of my own three sisters.

This many eyed, stinging haired, nearly one inch fanged guardian of the time treasures is a constant muse and aid in many of the things I write, spin, and plan in both the Denian Universe and life in general. A reminder that the past sometimes weaves the future.

These are just some of the many items in my Altar Room dedicated to Hera and it is added to, cleaned, cleansed, redecorated, and visited on a daily basis for the burning of candles and incense. The room is also home to three potted plants, has a scattering of sea salt and white sage in and on nearly everything, has a place for putting coins to be tossed into the river on certain occasions for certain things, an antique trunk where I keep all of my hand written journals and favorite books, a chest that holds rare photos of my son and daughter, and so many other hidden wonders that it would be nearly impossible to put into just one blog.

All of this in the love and service of the ever present and rather over-protective Queen of the Gods who has guided and empowered me so that I am able to do all the things that I do. The more I learn about her the more I learn about myself. This Altar Room is the sacred testament of an epic life, a legendary journey, and an ancient Goddess walking new streets.

Today, just about everything that I am able to cook up for the Denian Universe is mused or conceived of in this one room. Both Braegan and I are extremely protective and territorial of this room. Visitors have access to every other room in the house but this room is a different matter entirely. We have only allowed family members in here twice and they are about as far as you can get from being pagan. But even they describe the smell and feel of the room to that of a church. And coming from non-pagan people that is about as good as a compliment as you can get and  sign that you must being doing something right. No matter what the path or what one believes there is something spiritual here. And it has been nothing but a blessing that permeates every aspect of our lives.

Blessed are those in the eyes of the Gods -- Pitied are those that need them.

The Concept of the Hero

When we consider the Hero in ancient Greek culture, from the start we must
'de-familiarize' our notion of what a hero is. The ancient Greek concept of a
hero was different from our own culture's. First and foremost, the ancient Greek
hero was a religious figure, a dead person who received cult honors and was
expected in return to bring prosperity, especially in the form of fertility of
plants (crops) and animals, to the community. To learn more about the cult
worship of heroes, see Gregory Nagy's Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero
cults.

The hero is also a literary figure, of course, but here, too, we need caution so
that we do not misapply our own cultural ideas and standards to the ancient
Greek hero. A key part to the narrative of the hero's life is that s/he
undergoes some sort of ordeal. The hero, who is mortal, not immortal like the
gods, must suffer during his or her lifetime, and, significantly, must die. Only
after death can the hero receive immortalization in cult and in song.

The hero must struggle against the fear of death, in order to achieve the most
perfect death. Such a perfect moment must be recorded in song, kleos. Kleos
means 'glory, fame, that which is heard'; OR, 'the poem or song that conveys
glory, fame, that which is heard'). To say it another way: this word kleos was
used to refer to both the medium and the message of the glory of heroes.

Within the Iliad itself, Achilles is acutely aware of the possibility of
receiving kleos. In Iliad 9, Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoinix come to Achilles to try
to convince him to return to fighting. They find him singing klea andrôn 'the
glories of men' (Iliad 9.189). Achilles is acting as poet, singing songs about
heroic deeds. After they relate to him all the riches and prizes that Agamemnon
is offering if he will return to battle, Achilles replies by saying what is at
stake for him and what his choice means. He says at Iliad 9. 410-416:

My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end
[telos]. If I stay here and fight, I shall lose my safe homecoming [nostos] but
I will have a glory [kleos] that is unwilting [aphthiton]: whereas if I go home
my glory [kleos] will die, but it will be a long time before the outcome [telos]
of death shall take me.

Achilles already knows the consequences of his decision to reject the option of
a safe homecoming. He is in the process of deciding to choose the other option:
he will stay at Troy and continue to fight in the Trojan War. This choice will
result in his death, and he knows it, but he is ready to give up his life in
exchange for getting a kleos that will never "wilt." Unlike natural flowers that
go through the cycle of blooming and then wilting, this unnatural flower, this
kleos, will forever stay the same, never losing its color, aroma, and overall
beauty.

The songs sung for heroes and the cult honors given to them in worship and
festivals, including athletic festivals, celebrated in their honor, are an
attempt to provide compensation for the death of the hero. because this death
can never be made up for completely, however, these honors are considered
ongoing and never-ending. they are performed on a seasonally recurring basis and
those who participate in the worship believe that it will continue forever, thus
providing a way for the hero to be immortalized, to live on forever.





http://athome.harvard.edu/programs/nagy/threads/concept_of_hero.html

Denia - The Mythmaker

The Goddess Adorned

It’s common knowledge that within the Greek Temple set the ancients only created one statue for any given temple and it was towards this singular focal point that all of the rites and rituals would be directed; whether they be held within the temple itself where the statue rested on its ordinary cult stand or, as in the case of Hera’s Rite of Spring (near Samos) after a procession to the banks of the river by horse draw “chariots” or ones flanked by animals such as lions, gryphons, or sphinxes. But it is within the temple proper that we shall focus to find the characteristics of the altar area and of the Goddess herself.

In 1961 German archeologists unearthed a miniature statuette of Hera that is datable back to as early as 640 B.C. This miniature statue was not a replica of the temple statue but is thought to have been based on it. The miniature was carved from wood, dated within a few decades of the temple statue, and wore a polos (crown) and partially exposed breasts of which were all attributes of Samian art at the time. Such pieces are commonly found as votives offered to Hera along with many other such items like small ivory pomegranates and a variety of wild animals. Other more illustrious votives and items dedicated to the Goddess would have included a variety of vases, statues made of gold and precious stones, and even the shields and weapons of fallen adversaries or brother in arms. At certain times the Temple proper may have resembled a classic “treasure room” full of votives and sacrifices dedicated to the Goddess.

As to Hera herself, there are several archaeological and literary sources we can gain a clear image of an early anthropomorphic altar statue of Hera dressed in elaborate possessions including: chitons with purple fringes (or a white himation), a shoulder wrap that was also trimmed in purple, knotted fillets or woolen appendages hanging from her wrists (which may be one of her most puzzling and important details) a veil which was prominent in Samian art and were a sign of Hera’s general fecundity rather than any bridal array, as theorist such as Varro once thought. The Veil represented general fertility and was not associated with any aspect of marriage until well after the Homeric remythilizations in the Panhellenic age and there is no anacalypsis in any iconography that suggests Hera was an unequivocal Goddess of marriage.

In the Iliad the single mentioning of Hera’s Veil (kredemnon) said to glisten in the sunlight, is a visage of the covering of Hera bringing the sunshine of a Spring morning; another attribute of Hera as an earth goddess that is backed again in a later description of her veil and the budding of the earth at the moment of her seduction. Which creates both a metaphoric and metaphysic link to the veil and the dew on the ground on a Spring morning, most notably on the vernal equinox. The same date which may be suggested for the Procession to the River, binding, and bathing rituals.

The knotted fillets that hang from her wrists are also the attributes of an earth goddess that can be linked to the knotted earth stone at the Delphic omphalos which was thought to be the earth’s midpoint. Hera is also the single figure on ancient coins to incorporate this detail. But these “wrist bands” could also be the very thing use to bind the goddess to her lugos (willow) tree during the river rituals.


Hera was also adorned with a high shield polos (crown), open in the back, and projected upon a low, enclosed cap that was decorated with a series of rectangles with circles beneath signifying Hera as the Protector of the Citadel, represented seasonal fertility, and is primarily defined as: polos- “the axis of a celestial sphere” and telos – “fulfillment” from which came her title of “teleia” – fulfiller.

The sheer amount of detail and dedication to Hera in the ancient world makes it easy to understand why so many had such a profound and direct connection with her, easy to picture Hera not outside of them but among them and interacting with them on a level that can scarcely be understood or commonly excepted today. From the massive temples to the smallest votive offerings the images, rituals, and practices of the ancients leave almost all modern attempts to achieve the same level of devotion and connection…wanting.

Into the Wild

The impact of the Panhellenic mind set and Homeric reconstructions of the Iliad has nearly completely crystallized the modern view of Hera into a figure the ancients never really considered. Her life was far different from that of the modern interpretation which is often based in Homeric poem rather than actual thought and practice.

The Panhellenic social mind set was based in subordination that needed a general metaphoric patriarchy which a retheologized Olympic family could offer. In doing so, the Panhellenic myths were the first step in setting Zeus upon his throne and, in turn, the male as the head of household.

Before Hera was retheologized near Argeia to better fit into her new mythic position we can look to the temples in both Samos and the Delian Heraion where admittedly very little of the mythological lore still exists, however many of the votive offerings to the temples do. Of which are figures of wild animals including: sphinxes, lions, griffins, birds and others that stand in contrast to something befitting the newly cased Olympian Queen and lends more to her original role as a nature goddess and mistress of wild animals as she was in the Mycenaean past.

Athena would later be gifted another of Hera’s original roles as the goddess of the shield and citadel. Most likely a new Athenian sphere of influence due to her Iliadic functioning as Hera’s agent and Hera’s battle Goddess in Argolic myth that transferred over into the Panhellenic myths. Since Athena was the daughter of Zeus the new position subordinated the sphere of influence over war to her father, increasing his own influence and supporting the masculine drive of mortal society.

However the reconstructions may have developed the Mycenaean view of Hera still persisted in many areas and held her as the goddess of untamed animal life, war, and the house, as well as a Spring Goddess of general fertility still worshiped at her tree and bathing in the river, who had the power of life and death over “heroes” - those who won fame from Hera.

Still, as time went on and people began to sway to the new theology, Hera began to lose her power bit by bit. The time when this really began to take hold in Greek consciousness is still shrouded in mystery. Slowly Hera’s connection with the natural world, her sovereignty over life, her influence in war, and her association with tree and river cults began to diminish as she was forced into the suppressive role as a goddess of domestication, subservient to her would be husband. A mortal theme that would last for thousands of years in western culture and is sadly still purported by the majority of writings regarding Hera today.

All of the evidence suggest that Hera was once the dominant Goddess of the pre-Olympian age. Her Hekatombaia that was celebrated in the Archaic Heraion was a New Year’s festival that presented her as the Goddess of Spring and new life, mistress of wild animals, and tamer of the untamed come winter and death; offering context to her non-Homeric description: teleia - “fulfiller”. There is no real evidence beyond the Iliad that suggest Hera as the subservient wife of Zeus or that the two figures had any connection what so ever within the mortal social sphere or in worship.

The sin of the Homeric patriarchy is that it has empowered one sex at the expense of the other. In order for the male to take the role of dominance all of the feminine influences had to be suppressed. Which, above all others, included Hera because she was the dominate feminine with an unprecedented power over her male counterpart in the Pre-Panhellenic world.

Hera was Queen long before Zeus was King. That fact could not be allowed to hold if men were to take full control over hearth and home. It’s a theme that has lasted to the modern age. Even the theology of Christianity has dominant male themes and “tames” the power of women.

Yet, in spite of the mortal habit of reflecting their social whims upon the Gods as a way of justifying their animalistic behavior, Hera remains untamed. She did not yield to servitude or suppression even in the Iliadic myths or in the light of her most often portrayed personification.

In the eyes of mortals Hera may not be commonly viewed as the seasonal mistress of wild animals, the bringer of new life, a goddess of the shield (war) and citadel, or the protector of the home. But the truth will forever outshine their confabulations and misrepresentations that serve only their petty whims. Whims that are easily cast aside once one travels a little deeper into the murk.

Feast of Dreams

“Philotheros [lover of the wild], I desire to feast, not in the city, but at Hera’s shrine, enjoying gusts of the west wind. A linen pallet on the ground beneath my body is enough for me—a bed close by a native tree (promalos), and a willow (lugos), ancient wreathing (stephos) of the Carians. Let wine be brought and the Muses’ charming lyre, that, drinking to our hearts content, we may sing of glorious Hera, mistress of our isle.” (Nikainetos quoted by Athenaeus 15.637b-c Kaibel 1890)

Nikainetos was a poet who lived in Samos in the 3rd century B.C., around 290 B.C. and is often included as one an Abderite, a student of a pre-Socratic school of thought that was founded between 440-430 B.C. The fragment above helps to illuminate a more fragrant view of the sociology surrounding the Temple of Hera and how is was likely a common practice to lounge about the Temple feasting in merriment until lulled off to sleep on a convenient pallet, bed, or couch there on the grounds, to dream dreams and have divine visions of the Mother Goddess while resting there.

One can’t imagine that the noise, smells, and hustle and bustle of city life offered much by way of peace and divine dreaming. Before all Hera was a nature Goddess with rituals founded for river gods and votives proper for a deity of both protection and fertility, the latter extending to crops and the renewal of life from death as a Goddess of Spring. She was also held as a mistress of wild animals that included griffins, oxen, horses, lions, and several birds. And in as many as twenty separate cult houses, throughout time, there is solid evidence that Hera was the Goddess of hearth and home. We may also allude to Hera’s Rite of Spring and the conclusion of the cycle in the autumn with The Harvest of Hera; a seasonal pattern that illustrates the notion that the giver of life (The Earth Goddess) also takes life away. The same notion can be seen in the mythos of “hero”, (Hero/Hera – Those glorified through Hera) who almost always died a young death.

Hera was the most influential and honored at one point in time while Zeus, who many attempt to place above her, can be viewed as a paranoid degenerate whose life and actions only served to back that point of view. His mortal gifted esteem and position was granted primarily by the sexist feminine suppression and social upheaval of Homeric times. Where Zeus was all force and chaos Hera was nurture and serenity; attributes typical of a mother goddess. And so, it is to the Temple of Hera where one ventures to find peace and simplified comforts of life.

It does not take a stretch of the imagination to see a clear vision of what a common Temple visit would have been like. A visit based in relaxation and merriment honoring Hera until one is mused to curl up on a soft pallet and be lulled into dreamful sleep in the arms of the Goddess herself with a belly full of food and drink that only serves to allow Sleep to visit more easily and dreams to become much more vivid.

How many visions came to the minds of mortals in such a manner? How many hidden, subtle blessings to the minds of men; to muse and encourage a much more rustic existence than anything we may experience in the modern world, still with all of its grit and grime. It’s so easy to slip between silken threads to touch the divine, so easy to find the sense of peace to the depths of the soul…and so easy to deny it all in the here and now. Perhaps we have forgotten what is important.

So, we come to the Temple of Hera to feast, sleep, and dream on a common day with common foods. What we might find there are things such as: arugulas, cucumbers, artichokes, cress, fennel, radishes, squash, grapes, olives, figs, pears, plums, apples, pomegranates, peas, lentils, sardines, an array of sea foods, goat, goose, boar, chicken, deer, rabbit, lamb, a variety of breads, and the fragrant bergamot oranges that, today, the essence of which is commonly used in the making of Earl Grey tea. All such foods may be seasons with things such as pepper, dill, salt, thyme, saffron, coriander, mint, and oregano.

Bread was a staple in ancient times with the inclusion of a small amount of vegetables, olives, and wine incorporated into everyday consumption. All of which was eaten by hand rather than with utensils. Raw fruits and olives were common as side dishes with any regular meal and often that meal was not a “fancy feast” but a feast of simplicity. It was perhaps an unrealized effort to take something really good and not screw it up.

All of this there in the cool shades of Hera’s Temple, a wide open space beyond highlighted by pools of golden sunlight. The soft caress of the west wind mixing and mingling the scents of the foods and the Temple together into a new form of ether unique only to that moment. A ghostly, fluid, lubricant that allowed one to slip from mortal form and into something more, however briefly. A simplistic feast set in the divine, an afternoon nap in the lap of a Goddess…a slow, steady, nurturing, and stress free life full of magic, mystery, and wonder known only to those who, with bellies full, dream.

How quickly mortals forget.

Map of the Pagan Afterlife

I've always had a strange fascination with antique maps, the older
the better. And if you go back far enough into history you will find
maps of a world that look so unlike the one we know today that, for a
moment, you think it is a work of fiction. But man has always drawn
the world the way they see it. From the planet we live on to the
lands of our dreams where maps of fictional lands often invoke more
mystery and wonder-lust in us than the reality based ones do.
My love for such maps led me to crafting a few of my own. After a bit
of kitchen witchery I made up a brew that would stain and stiffen
normal paper and make it look like the antique pictures I always
enjoyed glaring at. The stain is easy to infuse with different herbs
and oils to give it texture, durability, and even scent.
These simple pieces of art are decorative and enchanting and if the
brew is right you don't even have to draw the images yourself. A good
printer and good printing paper will set the moder day cyber-witch on
a path that will rip anything out of the realm of fiction and make it
real, with a pagan look and feel that is one of a kind.
But one map I have never come across or created myself was a map of
the Pagan Afterlife.
The vision is of a single land, broken on the east cost in a series
of coves and small islands where towering white statues of many
different gods loom like sentinels looking out to the realm beyond
the sea, into the mist of eternity and to the mortal world. These
statues are so massive that anything mankind has ever created pales
in comparison to their sheer size and mass. At the base of each
colossus is a temple, a home away from home for the patron Deity
symbolized above.
Just off the coast line to the east begins the Elysian Fields. A vast
open plain glittered with wildflowers and hidden pathways through the
briers. The Elysian Fields run in a narrow column from north to south
and are cracked in a jagged line just off of the center by the
rippling river Acheron. The Elysian Fields are peppered with small
villages with dome-like houses that are dark brown in contrast to the
colors of summer and the tans of autumn. Each village is often a
necessary stop to all travelers who are wondering through the Fields
because of the long distance from one end to the other. But the more
experienced traveler has discovered that in this world there are
faster ways to travel than walking. It's just not as scenic.
On the far north of the Elysian Fields is a small shadowy land known
as Tartarus. Tartarus, unlike the plains of the Elysian Fields is
hilly and littered with large grey stones. A few tangled trees
struggle to survive in the rocky soil that is covered year round by
tannish grasses. It is a land locked in a season of fall. Only three
villages are in this land and none of the locals are very friendly to
strangers. They live in rough stone houses and entertain themselves
with difficult games made up to challenge ones soul. The rudeness to
wanderers is sparked by the entertainment value in getting someone
who has no idea what they are doing to play the games. One of which
is recovering certain items from the volcanic island that lies to the
north.
Separated from the rest of the land by the River Styx, running east
and west just below the norther border is the black smokey island of
Hades.
Hades might look bleak but it is packed full of otherworldly
treasures that are extremely valuable in this land. There are weapons
and armor here that can kill the soul and some that can even kill a
God or protect the wearer from such harm. Death in the Afterlife
means rebirth in the mortal realm, or worse, vanishing into
nothingness. The problem is attaining one of the artifacts and
actually keeping it on your way back out. Anyone who has ever ran
this gauntlet might tell you it's not worth the price, even if you
are already dead.
Bordering both Hades and the Elysian Fields and running the breadth
of this realm from north to south is the grey and sharp Valhalla
Mountain Rage. The mountain paths are tangled and twisted and most
who wonder into them never come out again. Not because of some hidden
danger but because it is an extremely easy place to get lost in.
There is no guides to aid you along the way. Here you best chance of
getting any help at all is to find the only building in the entire
land, The Great Hall. The problem is that no one knows for sure where
it will be from one day to the next. The only clue that was ever
given was "Look Up". The Hall rests on the mountain top for one day
and one day only before it vanishes only to reappear on the top of
another. Of course, the residents of the Great Hall are all warriors.
To them it seems fit to set a challenge for those who wish to enter
both in life and beyond.
However there is said to be a path leading through the heart of the
mountains and if you stay true to it it will lead you to the "silver
city". It is the only place still within the mountain rage that is
not part Valhalla itself. The city is called Tir na nOg and it is
rumored to be centered by a tower the reaches far above the highest
mountain peak of Valhalla. Which doesn't aid in finding it because at
that height the top of the tower is always in the clouds.
Tir na nOg is a huge city that rivals any on earth. The residents are
aristocratic types who are welcome enough to those who venture here
but have the worst habit of wanting to "enlighten" both traveler and
each other with lectures that go on for eternity. Because of this
habit it has never been considered rude do get up in the middle of a
conversation and simply leave. In fact, it is seen as being wise
because even the dead don't want to spend eternity in school.
Some distance due south is the sister city of Tir na nOg. The easiest
way to get there is by following the River Acheron which winds its
way through the mountains into the foothills to the south and runs
right down the middles of the smaller city of Tir na mBeo. This river
is known for its silver sheen that by moonlight makes it look like
pure mercury. There is a fiery that makes a run from Tir na nOg to
Tir na mBeo three times a day.
Tir na Beo, unlike its sister city is much calmer and easier to get
around in. There are no huge buildings or twisting streets here and
the locals are warm and inviting. The southern end of the city is
lines by the snake river Lethe. No one knows why they call it a river
really. It's more of a creek that you could nearly jump across. But
it is a good setting for some nice arch bridges.
the Lethe runs west until it meets the much larger tributary of the
Phlegethon River. Where the two meet is the ruins of Sheol which lies
in the foothills. A once beautiful village Sheol was home to many but
was lost some time ago in a great storm that came in off the coast.
Rumor has it that it was punishment after a resident stole a gem from
one of the coastal temples. All that remains here now is a jagged
pile of rock and wall faces. After the village was destroyed the
residents moved into vast underground caverns known as Underworld.
But those caverns are home to more than just spirits. Nearly every
nightmare mortals have ever had came from this place. But it is said
that there is a great gothic city beneath the ruins of Sheol were the
torches burn brightly all the time and a peace can be found there
unlike any other.
Just beyond the foothills of the Valhalla Mountains in the evergreen
forest lies the two tiny villages of Jekinnah and Gehenna. Both
villages coexist and in the past have came to depend on each other.
Together they make up the afterlife's largest marketplace and they
have found a reason for a festival for everyday. This is the party
place where your every whim and delight can be found, cooked, or
crafted. Merchants from all over the mortal world come here to
entertain their earthly habits and passions.
If you happen to travel just beyond the forest to the east you will
come to a ridge overlooking the only place in the entire afterlife
that might be considered a capital. The great city of Asgard.
Asgard sets on the southern border and is so massive that it could be
interpreted as the entirety of the afterlife. From the ridge it spans
the entire horizon and glitters like red diamonds at sunset. Asgard
is the hub of the land. Everyone has been there and everyone has met
there to get news from everywhere else. It's gossip central with all
the food and wine to keep the gossip fueled forever, whether its true
or not.
Asgard is so massive that it engulfs the entire River of Cocytus.
From start to finish the river is within the city limits, running
north to south in an almost perfect straight line.
Beyond the city is the playful Summerland that sets on the southern
end of the Elysian Fields. The Summerland doesn't have any towns or
villages. It's residents seem to prefer nature and nature alone.
Spotted with small forests and wide open meadows the Summerland is
home to some of the most emotional but loving spirits in the realm.
If you have a sweet tooth after death this place can cure you of it.
The Summerland is the latest to be founded, if founding is what you
call it. It looks a lot like a water painting where all of the colors
are melting together in a frightful rainbow display that makes your
eyes water. But the frolicking locals love it. Mind your tongue when
visiting this place. Their a bit confused here and just about
everything you say is wrong or will grant you bad karma. Then some
spirit dressed as a fairy will inform you time and again that you
will be sent back to the mortal realm as a goat or something. No one
really takes them seriously of course. They hardly ever take each
other seriously. They just play and dance on whims and dreams.
Gifting hope and innocents to the mortal realm and a lot of color to
all the others.
And now we are back the the Elysian Fields. Not a bad journey through
the afterlife I suppose. Now all I have to do is actually draw the
map and stain it with the magical brew of imagination.

The Mask and Mirror

While it is always important to take note of the individual identities and
backgrounds of the Gods and Goddesses that pagans worship, follow, or interact
with on different levels, one trait of the Gods that will always remain
universal and transcend all boundaries is how and when they choose to manifest
to the minds and hearts of the mortals who have gained an audience with them.

Personal interactions with the Gods tends to boarder on the taboo. These are
tales and perspectives that should be shared but are often held in secret for a
couple of primary reasons. The first is that such occurrences are often
considered to be personal and, in a way, sacred to the individual. From this
perspective the common defense to not telling the tale is that it's personal and
no one else's business. And in a world culture of possessiveness even words are
given an unrealistic weight in gold. Just ask anyone who wants to copyright and
demand credit for every single word that comes out of their little mouths. (On
this note, anything I do or say is probably more valuable to my readers than it
is to me. The more readers who gain from my words the more value the message
has. So pass it on. I adore seeing others gaining from me with no follow up
effort given to pushing the words forward. It means I did something great that
was worth someone else noting.)

A second primary, and more disturbing reason, is that interactions with the Gods
invokes a kind of fear response in those it actually happens to. Especially if
the occurrence are vivid and not simply an emotional response to a ritual,
spell, or prayer for intervening. That trend was programmed into us by the
cold, hard, and rough perspective of reality gifted to us by the scientific age.
And it's one of the great curses self imposed upon mankind. Often when we are
young and keep getting drilled about growing up. With lines that include phrases
like: ghosts and monsters aren't real. It was just your imagination, a bad
dream, get your head out of the clouds…." the list goes on forever. And what is
the one thing that us pagans value nearly more than anything else? The gift of
sight we had as children before we had that gift taken from us by the world we
live in.

Probably one of the greatest powers that deities have is the ability to manifest
to any mortal, pagan or not, in any manner they see fit to do so at the time.
So, any account of interactions and manifestations recalled by any individual
fails in shocking me or giving me the point of view that this person might just
be crazy. Which is the response they fear the most. They wont recount the tale
simply because they are afraid of what others will say or think. Oddly enough,
the opinions of others rules over many of our actions. Meaning that they are
somewhat in control of what we say and do. Even though we speak venomously about
those we catch trying to do it.

Because of the rarity of the accounts in question they are always valuable to
those they are gifted to. And it's important to respect each tale as it is told
and not try to interpret it or disrespect it in any way. Those who have these
experiences hold some value to the Gods and Goddesses that manifest to them. By
insulting the tale you insult the God or Goddess in question. And none of them
are limited to being kind and loving to any mortal.

Manifestations are an important lesson to learn. Not because they happen but
because of how and why they happen. Those who come to the call of the Gods often
enough get the favor returned. That means that if you run into a person who has
favor with a deity you not only face that person if you have reason to pick a
fight with them. You face the wrath of the God or Goddess who they have favor
with. That is not related to the dogma of karma in any way. That is simply the
equivalent of a pissed off parent or guardian.

While some Gods and Goddesses tend to remain indifferent there are others who
quite literally fall in love with the mortals who worship them. And they will
protect them in a more intense manner than any mortal lover ever could. At the
same point in time, many of the Gods and Goddesses have a strong and intense
hitch for jealousy. There is a fine line between love and hate. Especially when
it comes to the Gods.

In learning the true nature of the Gods we interact with we are better able to
serve and cope with their influences on our daily lives and the lives of those
around us. In this, we must also side note the effects of interacting with
creatures beyond the realm of the Gods. Dragons, fairies, fauns, and all manner
of what the world views as "mythical creatures" often enough appear to us
somewhere along our path. They're part of our world that is no different than
the world of man. Different races, different cultures, different attitudes and
ways of etiquette in dealings with them.

If a God or Goddess chooses to manifest to a mortal there is almost always a
hidden agenda. This could simply be a question of a favor for a favor or they
want you to do something for them just because they want you to do something for
them. And they will use the art of manifestation to aid them in getting the end
of the deal that they want.

All Gods and Goddesses have "mortal world" symbols, animals, totems, and so on
that are considered sacred to them. The reason for such things is one: they do
have a love for the physical world, and two: it offers mortals tangible evidence
for their existence. Something that is quite valuable in any belief system,
especially this day in age. It also gives you tangible worshiping tools for all
those sympathetic magics and rituals.

Deities can mask themselves and appear as anything or anyone they wish. There is
even a wealth of accounts and tales where Gods appeared in the form of a lover,
wife or husband, for the sole purpose of having sex with a mortal. Zeus is
probably the most noted of these exploiters. Beyond deity you can view accounts
of fauns and other creatures who have done the same. These attributes help
mortals to explain our more primal instincts and urges that we most often deny
or keep to ourselves. We note that we have such experiences and we counter
manifest those experiences in the extreme to myths and tales because it helps to
justify the natural tendency to have them. It dulls our sense of shame and guilt
that is pre-set into our psychology by whatever culture or time we happen to
live in. When in Rome…

The mask of the Gods is unlimited. They will appear in whatever form suits their
needs. And they do it to exploit all the darker corners of your mind and soul
that you don't like to visit too often. They do it to let you know that you're
mortal and subject to mortal fears. Granting them instant power and a measure of
respect that they don't necessarily have to earn.

The other technique is to mirror some part of your being. Something personal to
you that you can relate to on an instinctual level. Something sacred to you or
to your "expanded" memory (meaning: transcendent life experiences). They will
mirror something that your soul is more comfortable with. It helps to keep your
mortal mind from becoming overwhelmed. Your not much good to them if you fall
into the abyss of insanity. And in this form of manifestation, if we note the
details, we may often discover aspects of our lives that we may have not
realized in the past. The trick is to realize that they can see all of you. Even
the parts that you can't or refuse to see yourself. And the mere act of
manifesting in such a way is a lesson all in its own.

One of the most potent aspects of manifestation is that they can be
overwhelmingly beautiful. The Gods and Goddesses in particular can be so
seductive that they destroy all boundaries of reason. We simply fall obsessively
in love with them. And in doing so, they claim our hearts and can manipulate our
actions beyond the point of view or perspectives of any other God and mortal
alike. We can find ourselves in their service just because they are beautiful
and have seduced us into something with the same consistency of half set jello.
An exploited weakness in being mortal that can be the single greatest experience
of our lives. Nothing can ever compare to a love spell woven by a God.

Masks and mirrors. All tools and techniques used to interact with mortals on a
mortal level. Just as tangible and creditable as a mountain or a river or the
fact that you have bills to pay. Part of pagan life and the mystical experiences
that will remain beyond the realms of interpretation or expression in any true
form. Something that has to be experienced to be understood. The tales we are
willing to tell are pure gold. To the rest of the world, they don't have to be
understood. Just known to happen. For good reason or no reason what so ever.

Ritual of the Shield Covered Warrior

The Shielded Warrior of Hera is a mythical continuation of a fragment written by Asios of Samos and recounted by Duris. Within the fragment Duris describes the original priestesses of Hera and ends the fragment with the phrase “a shield-covered warrior” which almost appears out of context. Yet, it is the latter from which the modern ritual and tale is to proceed.

The first Hera at Denia Shielded Warrior Dedication Ritual incorporated a 372 year old astrological anomaly of the Winter Solstice coinciding with a full lunar eclipse on December 21, 2010. The event was described as a “return from double darkness” and made the ritual itself unique because astrologically it cannot be replicated for nearly 100 years.  

While the complete ritual itself is veiled in mystery a few of the details can be gleaned including the sympathetic ritual of the transformation of Kholos from Hera to the Shielded Warrior through the incorporation of a potion referred to as “The Blood of Hera”, which is a step beyond ancient concepts of Hera infusing a warrior with power from her breasts.

The base elements of the Blood of Hera potion was a potent brew consisting of: Water, sea salt, red wine vinegar, virgin Greek olive oil, white and green tea, apple, rosehip, chicory root, cinnamon, licorice root, ginger, orange peel, blackberry, currant, pomegranate juice, blueberry, raspberry, and Chianti.

The potion was mixed in “The Cup of Mneme”, a Denian artifact that was hand-made in Greece that is trimmed in gold. This votive offering dedicated to the Goddess was set upon the Alter of Hera during the first luminous phase of the full moon prior to the ritual bathing/cleansing ceremony. The potion was sanctified by dibbing “The Eye of Hera” crystal into the cup; relative to a more common practice of dibbing an athame into a goblet of wine. This was a form of duel sanctification. One for the Blood and one for the blood stained, teardrop crystal.

An external cleansing was incorporated with a smudging of incents and white sage fallowing the bath and an internal cleansing incorporated a feast of foods, many of which were Greek imported items such as a special type of olives; of which, the pits were places aside to be used during the ritual proper. 54 of those seeds were offered back to the earth at the climax of the eclipse and 9 others were place into a glass vial to remain within the alter room  next to an identical vial that holds a measure of the original Blood of Hera potion and thus a measure of the ritualistically invoked Kholos.

In the few moments at the climax of the eclipse the seeds were offered to the earth and thus back to an original sphere of influence regarding Hera as an earth/nature goddess and mistress of wild animals and the entirety of the Blood in the Cup of Mneme was drank; physically infusing the warrior with the Blood of Hera and the invoked Kholos; sympathetically linking the two, Goddess and man, through a mingling of blood as well as the metaphysical link that is also represented by the drinking of the Blood in “closing the deal” aspect of the ritual. The latter being both simplistic and final: an honor for an honor. The Shielded Warrior serves Hera and in turn Hera both protects and empowers the warrior. Thus it becomes a symbiotic relationship with intimate metaphysical as well as physical aspects between the divine and mortal realms and the new medium of an in-between as is describable of the Shielded Warrior himself.

Effigy

There is more to spirituality than just following a path or swearing
to unexplainable or unverifiable events. In most cases spirituality
cannot be proven or disputed with hard evidence. The bulk of the
topic is based largely on faith and the word of the practitioner. But
there are a handful of universal phenomena that seem to transcend the
boundaries that lie between one faith and another. One of those
phenomena happens to be the spiritual energies that seem to flow
naturally from religious symbols, icons, pictures, and statues.
From ancient temples to modern churches mortals have sanctified the
very ground of these monolithic structures with prayers, spells, and
symbolism. The latter often being the central focal point that almost
immediately draws one eyes to the alter or other such place that acts
as the heart of the structure.
Artists have labored for hours and in many cases years to offer their
own unique interpretations of the central figures and symbols of a
particular faith. Sometimes laboring so intently on their work that
it is not out of context to say that part of their very life force is
driven into their masterpiece, be it by pen or chisel, forever
immortalizing their spirit and their passion. Such works help us to
visualize and illustrate what cannot be put into simple words. For as
vast as human language is there are some things we still cannot
explain or express. Sometimes these things simply have to be felt for
us and anyone else to know they actually do exist and many of those
feelings have yet to be named.
However, it is not only shrines, temples, and churches that seem to
be sanctified and enchanted by effigies and symbols of our various
faiths but also our own homes. It would stand to reason that the
simple act of placing an effigy of our Gods, even in the darkest
corner of our home, is an open invitation for their influences,
power, and even direct visitation. An invitation that does not often
go unanswered.
Such practices can be traced all the way back to ancient cave
paintings that remain to this day in southern France. It is clear
that even in the most ancient times of history in art forms, the
power of effigies and symbolism has forever been a wellspring of both
spiritual and metaphysical energy. Often granting us the more common
feelings of solitude, power, and most importantly of all, safety. It
also stands as a reminder to us that our faith remains in our hearts
even if clouds in our minds cover it. Which is one of the many facets
to faith that makes it such as powerful force. In fact, it is a force
that is so intense that there are occasions when the Gods we invite
into our home are not the only visitors we receive.
The energies that flow forth from icons and effigies are not often
signature energies from a particular Deity. Contrary to popular
belief just because a mortal chooses a God does not mean that the God
also chooses the mortal. Which would help to explain why we are
attracted to a particular Deity or pantheon. Our spirits can be
pulled towards the Deity or pantheon we have a certain history or
even kinship with more so than the simple and often egotistical
interests of our minds. We might lean towards one Deity for a time
and then move on to another who has a more defined lesson or interest
in mind for us.
Effigy energies seem to be more neutral in nature and much less
intense than a flow of energy that might come more directly from a
particular Deity. And anyone who has ever had such a direct influx of
energy or influence from a Deity himself or herself will testify to
the intensity of the experience and often tell you that the feeling
is not at all the same. However, we can also say that energy gifted
to the Gods is the same energy received by the Gods. In simple terms,
if you smile and nod at them they will smile and nod back. That
doesn't mean they will hang out for long after. Yet the energy that
flows forth from their effigy seems constant.
Personally I don't believe that pantheons or even the names of the
Gods and Goddesses should be mixed or are in anyway interchangeable.
To do so is both an insult to all the Deities that might be involved
and a common practice of stupidity. Certain Deities have certain
spheres of influence and just because one people have a certain Deity
for the same sphere of influence as another doesn't not mean that the
Deities that rule that sphere are the same entity.
For instance the Roman Goddess Diana is by no means the same as the
Greek Goddess Artemis, although the two are all to often combined or
seen as counterparts, which is an extreme spiritual and historical
error that has been repeated countless times by subscribers, who
choose to believe everything they're told, rather than researchers
who actually search for some accuracy. It has sadly become the norm;
especially with the new age reconstructionist who seem to lean toward
the consolidation of Deity for whatever unfathomable reasons. So when
putting this all into practice it is important to remember exactly
which Deity you are dealing with and not insult one by haphazardly
superimposing another.
In essence on can create a temple-like environment within their home
by integrating a few things into the setting. You don't need to set
up a large alter or even a central location that attracts the eyes of
visitors. Although doing so is both unique and easy enough to pull
off. The air about a home, like that of any place else, gets its
primary feel by the central theme. Structure wise, a church is a
church because of its decor more than it is anything else and the
home is not so different. A picture or even a statue of a Deity can
easily be integrated into the setting of your home in less
conspicuous ways than on some alter. Chances are, if one was to have
a colorful picture of a particular Deity hanging on the wall visitors
would enjoy it before they even knew what it was for sure. Which,
again, is more proof that the phenomenon has some basis in truth.
Any home that has been cleansed and decorated in such a way will
rapidly begin to take on a different feel about it. By opening these
small doors for energy to flow into the home and keeping everything
just a bit tidy for your coming visitors you can make your modern day
home take on a resembling feel to an age old temple.
The only side effect to which is the possibility that your home will
become a sort of spiritual rest stop for all sorts of astral and
otherworldly creatures from ghosts to dragons. They have a tendency
to enjoy the same type of feel and energy as we do. Some of them miss
it and some of them even feed off of it. It can be frustrating at
times but it can also be a blessing in disguise. Just like the
picture on the wall.

Allies and Enemies

"But for me I will abide here, setting within the fold of Olympus, where I will gladden my heart with gazing; but go ye forth that ye come among the Trojans and the Achaians and succoure these or those, howsoever each of you have in mind." (Zeus - The Iliad, Book XX-369)

All of the Gods from any land, and no land, have both a love and envy of the mortal soul. The world of men is the great game. For men, unlike any other are driven to succeed. Driven by passion and rage, by the unknown, but more importantly by themselves.

For their love, a price was paid. For in loving mortals the Gods adopted and mimicked many of mankind's attributes. Not all of which were kind. Envy, jealousy, obsessive love, and rage. In all of their might and magic the Gods themselves would turn on and to each other, day in and day out, in a never ending battle over what was best for the world below but also in smaller, more personal, matters.

In the past men were judged by their deeds. The greater the deed the greater the blessing bestowed upon them. Some where even able to obtain the mortal equivalent of immortality in that their names would forever be remembered, their deeds never forgotten. But no more so than the unforgotten deeds of the Gods who lead them to glory.

Some of the Gods and Goddesses had their favorites among mortals and they readily acted against each other in their efforts to ensure a good fate for those they watched so closely and loved. A blessing from one would bring a curse from the other. And it was the mortals who were forced to stand alone in the dust. Blinded by the love and hate of the Gods as they dueled over what would be. Even mighty Zeus would act in secret to keep white armed Hera ignorant to his own deeds. Not that he had fear of the immortal goddess but simply for the fact that he often grew weary of being forced to listen to her constant complaints. Another attribute unbecoming of a Goddess but practiced relentlessly none the less.

The Gods also adopted the plight of favoritism and vanity. They held great contests amongst themselves over things such as physical beauty, musical talent, and even who among them could drink the most wine. That honeyed potion nectar of Dionysus that could gift both wisdom and madness to God and mortal alike. A test that the God of Wine enjoyed seeing played out in any case.

Even ego plagued the Gods. They failed to fully yield to the symbiotic nature of their relationship with mortals. Their wars with each other were on such an epic scale that all things mortal seemed insignificant at times. The gods granted many things to the world of men and in return for those gifts mankind loved, honored, and worshipped them. In doing so it was man who opened the gateways between the divine realms and the mortal world. The more worshipers a God or Goddess had the more influence they had in the mortal realm. And without mankind as a grounding rod their influences would often go unnoticed or fail to manifest at all. To make things worse, the loss of worshipers and the flow of love from the mortal realm struck the old gods like a plague. They grew weaker in influence and power, less focused on a world less focused on them, and some of them would loose all musing to aid mankind at all. For mankind was no longer aiding them. The strings were cut. The pieces on the board no longer moved at the gentle nudges of the Gods. Now, it took something more.

It was only the God of War who still had a hold on the heart of man. For it is in mankind's nature to destroy. And all throughout time wherever and for whatever mankind was led into battle they did so under the watchful eye of the God of war. Though even the new generations of pagans have often denied the nature of this deity, he cared not. His nature was undeniable and seen the world over. Beyond all text, teaching, or philosophy, the gift and art of war has forever been the most honored among men. And this again was a trait reflected above.

"So urged the blessed gods both host to battle, then themselves burst into fierce war" (370)

So it is with the Gods, both kind and cruel, wise and foolish in the designs and plots against and for man and each other. Not so unlike the mortals they move to govern to some still unforeseen end. Unforeseen because like mortals they have little control over the fate of the free willed. And thus, so willed, that there have been times when even a mere mortal has dared to defy a God…and the God was defeated.

A blessing from one, a curse from another. But curses break. Deeds are forever. It was a man, not a God, that did the deed. And the man was favored many times over thereby.

Angel Snowden - 2011

The Peacock Feather

(After Hera's first appearance at Denia)

One of my general rules, I don't believe in coincidences.



Now, many of my dealings with the Gods in the past centered around Athena, for
good reason, and I think that her influence can be seen rather easily in many
things around here. Hera on the other hand...
ahem....

Not going to get into those tales just yet.

Anyway, back to the story...

I changed the Den homepage pic to the latest model interpritation of Hera. I'm
all for various images of the Gods and Goddesses. I think that the essence and
influence of the Gods can by invoked through any image that stirs something
inside you. You get that feeling for a good reason. It's a divine interpritation
of different strokes for different folks. And anyone who reads the old tales
knows full well that they will appear as damn near anything they want to appear
as. (Usually to screw with your head...but that's just my oppinion...)

Now to the oddity....

Yesterday, I found a single short peacock feather in the fountain at the center
of my garden.

My personal teachings tell me that feathers in general are normally a message.
Telling me something or letting me know that I need to pay attention ect. But
those are your average feather. The common type you would expect from local
messanger birds.

A peacock is NOT a local bird.
No where near local, not even as a pet, anywhere near here.

So, what was it doing in my garden and how did it end up there?
The garden proper where the fountain is is not a place frequented by anyone but
me. Most visitors get run out of there.

At any rate, I took the feather and put it in a small vase on my alter. The
"eye" on a peacock feather has always made me feel uneasy for some reason. Kind
of that excited/fear feeling. Also one that makes my defiant nature come out.

So...until I find out what she wants with me this time, the feather will stay
where it's at. It's probably going to be a key to an adventure I don't feel much
like having. But probably wont have a choice in the matter. I'll keep ya
updated. Once the key is turned and whatever door the feather is ment to open
opens, I'll place the feather in the trunk of all the other things that have
seemingly appeaered out of no where over the years and led me this way or that
along with a note that includes the date and story behind the "artifact". Then
I'll close the trunk and wait until I have grandkids to open it up, take all
that stuff out, and have proof that once upon a time grandpa had some
adventures. Not a bad practice hu?

Until then, for Hera's benefit...here's some general info:


Hera has three symbols which can be connected with her three ancient phases. The
first of these is the cuckoo, a bird in many places connected with springtime.
Later myths frequently mentioned that Hera had a tender spot for the cuckoo. At
Mycene, a Creatan colony, on the Greek mainland, miniature temples mounted with
cuckoos have been found buried in the rubble along with statuettes of a naked
goddess holding the same birds on her arms. As Hera's worship goes back to that
period, these statutes may represent her most ancient worship.

Another symbol of Hera is the peacock. Hera's watchfulness is symbolized by the
peacock and the 'eyes' in its feathers. The bird was a sacred symbol of Hera and
wandered the in temples of Hera. In addition, the peacock is often associated
with summer and therefore this may symbolized Hera's second phase, the mature
woman, the mother phase.

The third symbol for Hera is the pomegranate which she shares with Persephone.
She is often depicted holding the pomegranate but there is no reference in her
myths to its significant. Ripening late in the year, the leathery-skinned
pomegranate, so full of juicy seeds, is a marvelous image for a woman in her
late years, her crone years. The deep red juice of this fruit was often likened
to blood and in some areas of Greece, was designated as food for the dead,
heightening this connection to her crone phase.

Others symbols for Hera include lilies and cows. In ancient Greece at Hera's
temple in Argos, her priestesses gathered lilies of the valley and garlanded her
alter with them. The lily is a powerful symbol of the feminine and can be given
as an offering to honor the goddess and to invoke her presence. The cow, a less
frequent symbol of Hera, was associated with her because she was said to have
cow eyes, and disguised herself as a cow in one myth. Also cows were often
sacrificed to her. Hera's cow identity shows her to be a heavenly goddess ruling
the celestial vault and its luminaries.

Another symbol with Hera is the apple. At Her forced marriage to Zeus, Hera was
given a special magic garden in the West where she kept Her apples of
immortality. This magical garden was called the Hesperides, probably a symbol of
Her regenerating womb; Her apples were guarded by Her sacred serpent.

Individuality and the Gods

One of the most common habits of neo-pagan and wiccans today is the "cross pollinating" of Gods and Goddesses from one culture to the next. Often these deities are worlds apart and their rituals vary drastically. They come to this because of the mass production of material out and about in the pagan community that was mish mashed together for the sole purpose of having enough content to publish something (aka - laziness). And one of the primary defenses for this gross practice is a trend that leans towards Christianity, monotheism.

The neo-pagan perspective on monotheistic views is simplistic. They sometimes claim that all of the Gods and Goddesses were birthed from a singular source and that their individuality is secondary to the over ruling power of this singular source. So, in their view, it doesn't matter what name you gift to the gods or goddesses if you even grant them a name at all. Some just go with the vague "God and Goddess" and attribute these hollow titles to masculine and feminine energy or the duality trends of nature. It's much easier to hold onto a belief system that allows room for and encourages stupidity.

The Gods and Goddesses of the ancient world that some have come to love and honor so much with the rhyming prayers and baskets of seeds with all the colors of the rainbow flapping in the wind, were all very individualized with their own identities, personalities (that often went to the extremes on the grim), and they all had their own temples and rituals dedicated to them and them alone. They could be petty and cruel and a blessing from one may just bring you a curse from another.

The Gods and Goddesses, in a more realistic perspective, mirror many mortal attributes and not all of them were those we view as being positive. So, why anyone would think that stripping one of them of their identities and titles is a good idea remain beyond me.

One of the most common of these mistakes happens between the Greek and Roman Pantheons. One God or Goddess is viewed as the "equivalent" of the other. And when it comes to general roles or positions of authority that may hold some weight. But in reality we are still talking about two very different cultures, pantheons, and religious practices.

Within the studies of the Heraion of Samos one can find that most of the votive offerings to Hera were stolen from her sacred temple by the Romans in the first century B.C. The Romans had no respect for Hera's temple nor did they fear reprisal from her "Roman Equivalent" Juno because Hera was considered to be an "outland goddess" with no power or authority in the lands of Rome.

The point of view of "outland" Gods and Goddesses seems to be something unique to Denian teachings. I've yet to run into another area of "pagan learning" were the view has even been conceived.

Mortals put so much pride in their gifted names and titles. They wear them like shiny new armor and sometimes demand respect for their position. All with names, identities, personalities, and often very sensitive emotions that they want respected regardless of their actions (or lack there of). They strive for integrity, honor, and respect as well as blessings from the Gods and Goddesses they are free to worship but fail in gifting integrity, honor, and respect to the identities, positions, and lineage of the very Gods and Goddesses they claim to love so much. They love them, call to them, but don't know a damned thing about them as individuals. And many of these same people claim the titles of High Priest or Priestess of the very Gods and Goddesses they disrespect and gain only the hate of. I know, I listen to it every freakin day.

So, with some prodding I continue to put out the message.

Don't disrespect the individual because of something some mortal taught you. You wouldn't like it much if someone stripped you of your name, title, position, or any other attribute that makes you who you are as an individual.

Don't do it to them.

Angel Snowden - 2011