The 22 Votives of Hera

(NOTE: The 22 Chapter adventure chronicling the placement of the 22 Hera Votives in both picture and videos can be viewed HERE)

Hidden within the proverbial pages of The Journeybook Adventures is a somewhat hidden secret that has only been mentioned in one of the chapters thus far.
Among the items taken on each adventure is a single hand carved stone votive (22 votives in all). With each adventure one votive is left behind, hidden somewhere in the landscape at the far edge of the journey.

Each of the stone votives are unique and each depicts the Goddess Hera, one or more of her personal icons, and (always) her name.

This semi-secret mission hidden within each chapter of the ongoing adventure makes each of the stories into an untold evolutionary ritual that includes multifaceted levels of sacrifice and hardship ending with this simple tribute to a very specific Goddess. The ongoing ritual is a proving of worth and devotion for yet another hidden purpose.

Included with the 22 votives of each chapter and trial are many other creations and stories. Such as the trial of the 7 mile altar stone, the rebuilding of the altar room, the procession to the river for a ritualized bathing of the Altar Statue, the writings, videos, and other tributes, the scholarly studies, meditations, and more. All smaller pieces of a much larger story that now spans years.

It is a hard path of many body bending, soul torchering challenges that breaks many boundaries and preconceived limits. It is the art of sacrifice and tribute, the path of devotion with many pains, the practice of going beyond all reason and doubt.


22 stone votives, 22 chapters in story of passing the tests and placing them.

When the 22 trails, adventures, and tributes are completed they hidden stones will form a pattern over the map of the land that extends over 30 miles in every direction with the altar room and my home at the center of it all. Here, where the largest of all stone votives to Hera within this story is held - the 7 mile altar stone itself.

The Journeybook has been a wonderful experience for me and I hope that it has come to be the enjoyment of the many who subscribe and watch the story unfold. This is simply a glimpse of the story within the story. The somewhat hidden, the somewhat mysterious, the absolutely pagan.

The Seven Mile Altar Stone

On July 11 2012 I decided it would be a good enough day to go out hunting for more
crystals in the river. Plotted out a course over a 10 mile stretch and set out
for the hunt. I hit every island and beach I aimed for except the tow closest to
home.

The reason for missing the last 2 islands: On the return journey I was already
lugging over 70lbs of weight in 4 different bags. Th bulk of which was from a
single stone that took up all of the space in my back pack.

I retrieved the stone from an extremely bulky island that all but completely
blocks the river, splitting it into two fast running streams on both side of the
island. The island itself is a hill that is made from sand, gravel, and large
water polished rocks of all sorts. Only a few of which was of much worth to me.

Then there was this one stone. Heavy, flat, and perfectly polished. I wrestled
with the notion of hulling it back knowing how impossible the task was going to
be. I didn't even know for sure if the thing was going to fit in my backpack.

I dumped everything I had collected into my spare bag and tried to divide all
the weight up as much as I could. stuff this huge stone into my backpack not
knowing if the weight was going to break the straps, or worse, my spine.

Once I got the weight situated I made my way to a shallow area of the river and
walked across the water to the steep bank where I had to remove the bag, toss
them up, and climb out before retrieving them and setting up again.

After that, it was a very long slow mile journey back home that included a
climb up the western valley wall. A steep incline of over 200ft.

But the time I reach the top of the valley I was all but ready to call for help.
it felt like my heart was about to fly out of my chest and I was getting tunnel
vision. I sat down for a few moments and tried to calm myself down but I was
overheating bad.

So, I forced myself to make it another block to a tiny little store that sets
there near the top of the hill where I got a cold drink and took a few moments
before weaving my way through the last few blocks home. Once I finally got there I began my work on carving the heavy stone until it ended up looking like this:

The Heraian - Heaven and Earth Masters Edition

The following video has been in the works for three weeks. The creation of this video involved 52 different clips, 50 separate transitions, 7 video length special effects, 6 spectrum filters (each taking at least 3 hours each for processing) and 12 minutes and 49 seconds of digitally enhanced mixed music that plays out in two chapters "heaven" and "earth".

The final video file turned out to be so complex that it took over 2 1/2 hours just to upload it to YouTube so that it could be shared in this High Definition CinemaScope format.

A major part of this video was filmed at a Greek temple garden during the "Master of the Arts" chapter of The Journeybook Series. I took a secret side run during the filming to get the clips to make this very video which I had already been planning for weeks prior. The temple gardens you will see in this video have become an important place for me to visit from time to time.

I had two goals in mind with this video. The first was to tell an unbelievable story in such a way that the story changes from viewer to viewer. Anyone who watches this video from start to finish is going to get a different message, a different story out of it.

The second goal is to offer a beautiful example of what one might be able to create and experience when they have devotion and focus within their spiritual path. In order to experience this kind of thing in full measure one must be able to relate to the idea of being devoted to something beyond reason. To not only have an interest but to fall in love with it to the point where everything beyond it seems pointless.

And above all else, you have to be able to respect the individuality of the Gods as singular, unique entities not much different than your fellow man.

It is from this perspective that such things are created, focused, and empowered. It is from this perspective that we might see old gods walking on new streets.

I consider this video no different than any of the hundreds of votives that decorate my altar room or the hundreds of pages worth of tales involving me and Hera. The journey, the time, the effort, the stress and frustration, the lessons in patience, that it took to create this particular piece were all part of the tribute to her.

And with that, it is my honor to share with the world this latest tribute to Hera, the tale, and the path.

Hera's Star (photo)

The Dark Mysteries and Vengeance

I've written before of a fragment that tells that the greatest gift that Hera might bestow upon a mortal is in allowing them to die in their sleep. Several tales have been written down from the ancient temples chronicling this very event - wherein those who are offered this gift fall asleep within Hera's temple never to wake.
Others tales, right up into present situations, have attributed deaths to Hera as well, but not in-so-much as a gift but as an act of vengeance in response to one offense or another. Of which, I can present what I consider to be a pain filled quote from the accuser while withholding the name of the person who sent it out of respect for the one recently taken, who said to me:

"A curse on you and your Hera for what YOU have obviously done. I would have never believed you would have gone so far to invoke pain."

This, as mentioned, I attribute to grief as it relates to me personally and chalk it up to that grief seeking someone to blame. Yet, even in the freshness of this projected grief I cannot say without certainty that Hera was not involved.
Seemingly unrelated events happened to unfold and fall into certain places that offer the accuser some logical ground to stand on. An offense was made by one party and answered by myself. To which I openly admit prophesying loss and pain for said offense. Within the same time frame that these events unfolded I did visit the river yesterday and I did bring back offerings to the Altar of Hera. 7 spiked seed pods and three roots from a potentially deadly plant that I had dedicated to Hera months ago both in practice and shared forms.
Not long after my prophesy came to light and these deadly gifts were presented to Hera, death did come within the family of the offending party. The fact that it all took place on the same day offers them their credibility of blame.
As shocking as that might be on its own it is not over. It will last for the entire phase of the full moon. More pain, suffering, and loss will come and both I and Hera will be blamed. In this, in spite of being accuse of weaving such curses, I feel nothing but sadness for them. My offerings to Hera on this day had no conscious ill intent behind them (for my own part) and as far as prophesying the loss and pain before it happened - I was simply relaying a message that had been clanging around in my head. One that I wrestled with for hours, gaining no peace of mind or emotion until after the message was delivered.
My sadness now comes to this unrest where I am unable to sleep as this very story keeps playing out in my head and keeps Hypnos far away from me.

Here at 3am I am being forced to consider the depth of my own path and practices of which are my own and of only minute interest to others as far as I am aware, in spite of how often I continue to share them. My efforts and practices are derived primarily from ancient texts which I do my best to follow to the letter in both thought and practice. Some of which has tested me with great pain and visions of what I thought might be my limit - all in the interest of devotion and gaining the favors of this one specific Goddess who has long been noted for her talents with vengeance and some of the most sadistic curses ever recorded in human history.
Of course, I am well aware and read in on what Hera might bestow on those she falls in love with as well as upon those she takes a disliking to. The contrast of which is night and day, good and down right evil.
Before this day I believed the path to be something of an adventure. From the moment I received the feather that cast me into it all, throughout all I have learned and achieved since. In the years that this path with Hera has been playing out many things have taken place that defy logical explanation and even crossed the boundaries of my healthy and well sited ego. I thought that by holding to the ancient ways rather than some neo-pagan modern spin was an honorable approach that could do no more or less than any other. Even within the trails the thought of being in over my head was only a fleeting thought until I achieved what was intended and gained the next blessing there-by. Before this day my path and relationship with Hera has never been attributed to someone's death.
When I received the above message I had no idea what the person was referring to. I didn't respond before looking around to find out what (if anything) had happened and I have not responded since I found out that a death had occurred. It caught me completely off-guard and has since put me here trying to get it all out of my head.
I visited the altar room after the discovery and upon entering was washed in a strong feeling of apprehension. I felt a pang of fear entering into my own altar room - a warning. I, in deep and stark contrast to my own sense of strength and ability, with all of my confidence and ego, felt extremely small in the anger that is currently filling that room. Anger not directed at me in the least. It is tinted with something protective but at the same time it is so intense and overwhelming that I could do nothing but lower my head and step back out of the room, closing the door behind me.
I set here now gazing through the glass with a single question echoing over and over again in my head and heart...
"What have you done?"