Thanks to teal_cuttlefish , I now have an RSS feed.

melia4ofwands

You can read my new blog on your LJ by going to the below link and entering in the web address of my blog http://4ofwands.wordpress.com/

http://www.livejournal.com/syn/


I'm told there is a way to send new entries on that blog onto my LJ but I can't find how to do that.

After much thought and prompting from Zeus, I'm going to combine my LJ (my spiritual journal) and my mundane blog into one.  The new blog is going to be located on wordpress.  I will keep this one but I don't expect to post to it very often, if at all.  For my reasons and such, please check out the first post.

http://4ofwands.wordpress.com/

Hermes
Though I speak your name not
in the various letterings
that I have urge to write,
know that in writing them
I honor you also.
I never needed to write,
not a single letter,
until you entered that rite
and set me to giggling.
Whatever gambling game
you played to win me
from ivy-tressed Dionysos
has caused me to continually
write, praise, laugh and honor
both daimons and deities.
Hail Hermes, silver tongued thief,
Gambling Fiend and Irreverent One.
May I continue to honor you
through my offerings to others.

The tale of Man

Kore sits to rest
near the cool comfort
of a meandering river.
Idle hands went to work
shaping clay near at hand.
Quickly her clever fingers
sculpted a god-shape.
While studying her work,
she was joined by Zeus.
"Father, give it life."
Zeus readily breathed
life into the clay.

"I will call him, Korian."
"No daughter, he should be
named for my breath of life.
Zeusian or maybe Aerian."
As they spoke, a shape rose
from the clay and vegetation
surrounding the bank
where the two gods sat.
"No, he should be named for me
as he is made from my body.
I shall call him Gaian."

"Enough of this squabble!"
stated Kronos the judge
when they later presented
to him their case.
Zeus shall control his fate
for giving him life,
Gaia shall have him
for that lifetime,
but Kore gets him
when life expires
for she is his creatrix.
As for his name,
let it be Homo
for the detritus
Of which he is made."

------

idea for this poem taken from Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 220 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.)

I am delighted to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the Zeus devotional. Please spread this announcement far and wide.

This devotional will focus on Zeus, King of the Hellenic gods. All his historical aspects in myth, cult, art and philosophy are fair game. Modern experiences are also desired but they must have the above logical foundation or be clearly labeled as opinion.

Entries on other deities will be accepted if and only if they focus on said deity's relationship to Zeus or historical syncretic realities.
Examples:
Jupiter as the Roman equivalent of Zeus
The Indo-European Sky Father as the cultural ancestor of Zeus;
Tyr and Indra compared and contrasted to Zeus:
Zeus-Ammon;
Serapis embodying aspects of Zeus;
Hera as sister, wife and queen to Zeus.
Hermes as herald to Zeus.
Apollo as oracle of Zeus.

The following types of entries will be accepted:
hymns, prayers, poetry;
ideas for rituals, festivals, meditations and divination scholarly essays ;
opinion essays and personal experiences;
original short stories.

Non-fiction should be at least 1 full page in MS Word and should not exceed 10 pages. It should be documented as needed. The editors prefer endnotes or in-text citations to foot notes.

The editors reserve the right to make minor changes to any submission for purposes of spelling, punctuation, grammar, style, formatting and clarity. The editors also reserves the right to reject any submission that is deemed not commensurate with the criteria set forth above.

As with all of our devotional anthologies we cannot provide payment or contributor copies, since the proceeds will be used for charitable donations and to help bring out further volumes in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina line. Please read the BA policies: http://www.neosalexandria.org/publishing.htm

Please send all submissions to zeusdevotional@gmail.com. With your entry please submit a 2-5 sentence author biography. Submissions will be accepted starting October 1st, 2009 and ending on March 31st, 2010.

A bowl of water,
the sea in miniature.
A small rock,
a piece of earth.
Smoke of incense
tracing the sky.
These are her realms.
Crossroads are not
always paths or roads.
A play yard puddle.
A sea cliff.
A river bridge.
These are subtle
yet crossroads still.
Birth
Puberty
Death
More crossroads
internal and personal.
Whenever there is change,
wherever there is transition,
there she is found.
Hekate

The Tale of Mint

Nymphe of Kokyos,
plaything of Aidoneus,
overstepped her bounds
in jealousy over her,
the new underworld queen.
Queen to her lowly status.
Loudly complain did the nymph
about her better form
about her beauty excelling
that of her rival,
about her lascivious arts,
declaring that Aidoneus
would return to her arms
within a fortnight
while the soiled maid
would be left to wander
bereft and alone.
Anger, unchecked,
that had already laid
waste to the land of man,
found another outlet
and trampled the nymph
leaving nothing behind
but a strongly scented herb,
Mint.

Zeus and Hermes
The travelers two
Know how hard it is
To find a clean loo
Some say that
Was their beef.
Not the lack of welcome
That met the Chief.
But no outhouse,
or rest room
or even latrine
was the cause of doom
for a village Phrygian.
With one exception,
Philemon and Baucis,
whose kind reception
included the use
of a homely privy.
So Zeus and Hermes
Saved those civvys
And set them up,
Never left alone
all because they offered
the gods a throne.


All in thanks for getting us quickly to our destination so that my son could use the toilet.

Bless the Harvest
With variety and abundance
as your daughter's descent begins!
Oh Holy Demeter, Mother of the land,
the Dance of Life continues.
From life comes death,
as Plouton calls back
his wife who went out
his gates in the spring,
much to our delight.
Do not mourn too long or
too hard, have a care for us,
your children yet here on Earth.
May the harvest last us
Through your sadness.
Hail Mother Demeter!

Zeus, Lord of Moisture,
You who release the snow,
bless the Earth
With neither too little
nor too much.
Help us to appreciate
this time of snow and ice,
of internal activity,
so that we live in the now
instead of in anticipation
of your daughter's return.
Hail Father Zeus!

Kore,
Beloved May Queen,
Your return to Earth
gave joy to your mother
and all that dwell here.
But the wheel has turned,
the Dance of Life continues.
Please gentle Lady,
do not be in a rush
to be with your love.
Let us glide slowly
into the realization
that your time here is done.
Long has your husband looked
for your return,
while the spirits await
Your even hand.
Your return brings joy,
passion and light
to the world below.
Hail Kore!

Parents will understand and laugh about this post.  Others will probably just roll their eyes or may just want to skip this post.

( Read more... )

When one moves down a spiritual path, I don’t believe you leave everything behind. Some of it, you carry forward. I’ve purposely kept a couple of things from my past…the Easter Bunny, Santa and the Wheel of the Year. To me, the Easter Bunny and Santa are Spirits or Daimon’s of selfless giving. The Wheel of the year I’ve kept because it makes sense to me and because it gets me through the long Rocky Mountain winters. It is a never ending yet constantly changing cycle. It is the Dance of Life.

( Read more... )

1. Open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. New question– press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

( Read more... )

Born in a cave,
then abandoned
for safety's sake.

An orphan raised
by nymphs and warriors
fed on milk and honey.

Dance and arms,
discovery and learning
filled his youthful days.

Gaia and Metis
help him trick his father
into rebirthing his siblings.

With wisdom and strength,
he leads his siblings and allies
to victory over the Titans.

He proved his mettle again
in battle with Typhoeus
and in war with the giants.

Creativity unleashed
with all equally,
whether mortal or divine.

Interests unbound:
home and community,
fields and stars.

Eagle, snake, ram and wolf;
oak, crown and lightning;
these are his symbols.

Sky god and king of all
Cave dweller and wanderer
Guardian and guide of men.

This is Zeus.

In the shower I found myself singing/chanting "Zeus, Lasheikmi, Tykhe-Aprodite, Hermes, Hekate, Hestia." to a tune similar to the chant "Air moves us, fire transforms us, water shapes us, earth heals us."

It had me wondering about other chants that people do .  So 'fess up.  What do you sing or chant when you honor your gods?

not any more than the average Pagan any way.

So I called up the HP of my mostly defunct coven to get her opinion on my meditations of late.  Not long after she sat down, she asked me if I've been doing any major energy work.  I told her no.  She says well you have some major energy portal (or something like that I don't remember exactly) in your house.  I could tell she was having a hard time focusing on what I was saying.  She said she was having a hard time not slipping into an alpha state which is where she tends to channel information.  After I finished telling her what was going on lately, she slipped into her alpha state.  She starts telling me what she is seeing then she says "you better start writing this down because it isn't coming from me".  So I start writing.  Below is a copy of what I wrote.

-soon you will shed what is limiting your knowledge; transformation coming

-senses gentleness (but that may lift), amusement and curiousity

-3 paths that are currently running parallel
   one path has a plant that is shaped like flame but isn't flame colored (after describing it we decided it was very similar to a cobra lily)
   one path has a shallow reflecting pool that gives answers, leave offering by pool to gain wisdom
   one path is dark gray, foggy and torch lined

-Hears "priestess" and "naga rampa magaria"; sees a figure drapped in faded black with wings and serpents intwined around her feet.  Can't see head because of drape.    Sees "your" Father's face smiling with approval (described as dark haired man in his prime with not quite a mustache or goatee).  Also hears "pick a path".

After that she returns to normal saying everything is gone.

I think rampa is ramp but I have no clue what magaria means or who it may be.  Any ideas?  Thoughts?  It seems that Naga Kanya will lead me to another?  Whatever is happening has Zeus' approval at least.

This is really outside the realm of normal for me.  Really it is!

According to J. C. Cooper’s “An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols” (page 150):
“The Naga and nagina are serpent kings and queens or genii, often divinities in their own rights; they can be depicted as either fully human, or as snakes, or as humans with cobra head and hoods or with ordinary snakes heads, or as human from the waist upwards and serpentine from the waist downwards. They frequently share the same symbolism as the Chinese Dragon as rain-givers and the life force of the waters, fertility and rejuvenation. They are guardians of the threshold, of the door and of treasures, both materials and spiritual, and of the waters of life.”

Naga Kanya are the daughters of Nagia with similar duties. Naga Kanya is a bringer of treasures (akin to Lakshmi) but not merely of material wealth. She brings the ultimate treasure, wisdom, represented by the gem or diamond-pattern on the back of a cobra's hood or the jewel imbedded in Kanya's forhead. Symbolically, the snake part represents the realm of the unconscious or the animal world or underworld; the wings represent Spirit or celestial realm and the human is the intermediary between the two realms or represents the earth. She holds a conch shell to show her willingness to pour her blessings on any of the 3 realms. I thought this would make a beautiful representation for Hekate since I dislike most statues of her.  Too many statues are just ugly or emphasize her underworld aspects.  I want one that is more rounded especially since I'm starting to see her as more of a pre-Greek mother goddess. If I could find one with out all the India features and costume, even better. (No such luck.)

I did another meditation before bed again trying to make sense of the previous night’s meditation. I went up to the cliff and to see if someone, like Hekate or Zeus, would show up. I heard a feminine sound kind of like a clear of throat. I looked around and didn’t see anything. I heard it again and so looked some more. A tiny sprite or spirit came up to me and grew as it got closer looking like a baby naga. Then she acted like she was distressed so I tried to hold her to give comfort but she just shrunk and dissipated. I did a whole bunch of silly things to try to help before she disappeared. I then heard a giggle. She was teasing me. The next thing I remember is hearing the feminine sound again and turn around to see a (the?) Naga Kanya, just like the statues I saw earlier that evening only less heavy on the indian features and costume. She grabbed at me and held me close. Then preceded to tickle me which set me to squirming, laughing and gently wrestling to get away (I’m not normally ticklish). She then grew very large until I was infant sized and then proceeded to set me to nursing for a few seconds. About this time I started to think this was a bit odd. I don’t remember what happened next but as the meditation was ending I kept hearing “Lasheikmi” repeated over and over until I consciously “kept” a hold of it. The first couple times unconsciously I dismissed it as nonsense. But it kept repeating until I kept it even after I laid down to sleep. I was even told how to spell it. (“La-sheik-mi” Sheik as in the middle eastern name for prince, La as in the French feminine article, mi like the greek e on Aphrodite only with an “i”.) I slept lousy because of fear of forgetting the word/name. Never thinking to get up and write it down. A couple of times during the night I did and worried at it until I remembered it correctly.

So, as per usual, I'm at a bit of a loss.  Can my internal world get much stranger?  Forget that I asked that.

So I saw a "calling card" for Zeus.  Something that he seems to send me when he wants "see" me.  So last night before I went to bed I sat down to meditate.  Now I ought to point out that I often see in meditations "movie fashion" instead of active participant.

I started out in the usual cave opening, sitting on a bench.  Someone took my hand.  I look over to see a youngish male whose face I can't see.  I at first wonder if this is Zeus.  No that isn't the feeling I get.    Before I can figure out who he may be, he stands up and gently pulls me to my feet.  We leave the cave.  We follow some paths up until we get to a cliff.  I stop but he doesn't and pulls me with him.  Mid fall I have golden brown wings that unfurl that stop our descent...well my descent as the "man" is floating besides me.  I have had another physical change to add to the wings, from the waist down I am serpent-like.  The meditation pretty much ends there.  No explanation, no clues.

I've started looking to see if there is a name for the being I became.  The wings motif isn't new but the serpent-like body is.  The closest I've been able to come is dracaenae but they don't have wings.

The "man" who was with me I suspect is my agathos daimon or guardian spirit.

Any thoughts?

Deep in the forest,
A double pipe was heard.
The birds joined the tune.
The Korybantes danced
through their forms
beating their shields
in time to the pipe's
rollicking melody.
Only to be joined
by lumbering bears
skipping and wheeling
bringing them face to face.
The trees hummed,
the rocks clacked and
the Dryads slipped in
with a counter melody.
The lions roared
And the wolves howled
with approval and joy.
Why all the joy?
To honor Lady Hekate,
Divine friend of dogs,
Lady of the paths,
Lightbearer.

idea for this poem taken from Nonnus, Dionysiaca 3.61ff

My child, you have never walked alone.
Me and mine have always been in the by and by.
Ancient and yet still relevant
Protection from the catty and the beastly
You are a reflection of me
Look within to find me
My bounty is yours, be patient.
Weaver and web am I
Knowledge spirals in and spreads out
As shadow queen, I deal with the shadows
But ask me for help in dealing with your own
Learn from me, return to me
Try, try and try again
For you cannot find that
Which was never missing.
Celebrate your harvest
Fortune is with you.

another tarot poem