Mea Pietas

Salve Regina

2010-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hail Juno!
Eternal Goddess,
Most-chaste Mother
Whose sanctity is pleasing to the hearts of the Gods.
O Queen of Heaven
Who rules the stars of the Northern sky,
From whose very breast the Milky Way pours forth.
Blessed art Thou Light of the Goddesses
Who was cherished by Jupiter above all others.
Grant me the strength,
Goddess to whom I ask,
To whom I pray
Deliver us from peril
And free us from our fears!

Juno is our celestial Mother and Queen of Romanitas. Her very name takes its root from the Proto-Indo-European root-word 'yeu-' which signifies "vital life force" which descended into the Latin language with other names such as Jupiter and Juventas. It variously relates to youth, vigor, and life, which all correspond to Juno's essential sphere of influence.

As Queen of Heaven, Juno is said to rule the stars that circle about the North Pole, and it is believed that from Her very breast the Milky Way itself pours forth eternally. She is first amongst the Goddesses and Queen of the Heavenly Court. Just as Juno reigns supreme in Heaven, so too does Her dominion extend to the earthly realm. Atop the Capitoline Hill, Juno stands tall alongside Her glorious husband Jupiter and His wise daughter Minerva. Together, They are the very foundation and cornerstone of all Romanitas.

In life, Juno is the driving force behind birth and labor. Her very essence exists in the creation of life, and as all women reflect that same nature, thus do all women share a piece of Juno in their spiritual essence known as the 'iuno'. It is for this reason that Juno is the patron and protector of all women and children. Juno walks beside us all, teaching us from birth how to breathe and drink, to walk and speak, for in birth are we brought into the light of the world by the tender hands of Juno Herself.

Concerned with the life-giving force, Juno presides over the fertility of all creatures. From the fruit of fig trees and the rutting goats, to the noble matrons and civilians of Rome, She assures the continuance of life--even time itself! For Janus alone could not even bring forth a new month without the aid and power of the life-giving Goddess of birth.

Blessed Juno is a proud warrior for Her children, ready to bear a spear and shield in battle for us. Once upon a time, She warned the Romans of impending doom from the invading Guals by moving Her sacred geese to honk and rouse the Romans from their sleep. She dons the pelts of wolves and goats, standing as the Matron of the Roman Army. Juno grants us life, health and relief from pain, sorrow and terror.

She is our Queen,
our Mother,
our Savior,
our Life.
Hail Juno!

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First image, Juno (Mrs Annabella Blake) by Samuel Reynolds, 1939.
Second image, Juno Receiving the Cestus from Venus by Benjamin West, 1771.
[No Copyright infringement meant, will remove if necessary]

Feast of All Souls

2010-11-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today is All Souls' Day.

This past weekend some of the Western world took time to remember and honor their ancestors and beloved dead on what is variously called Hallowe'en, All Hollows Eve, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, Festa dell' Ombra, All Saints Day, Calan Gaeaf, Zaduski, Ognissanti, etc...

Despite the candied commercialization of these last couple of holy days, there are those of us who took time out of our festivities and costume changes to venerate our blessed family and friends who have passed on into the afterlife.

Thus do we pray, with candles lit to guide the way and offerings to feed their spirits:

Peace be upon Thee,
O blessed Lares of my family.
O honorable ancestors who watch over us from the celestial heights.
You forefathers and foremothers of our noble blood,
You mothers and fathers who give life to our entire family!
I pray to Thee and call unto Thee,
I raise Thee up and venerate Thy names!
I bestow great thanks, praise and adoration upon Thee!

[Names...]

O Blessed Ancestors,
Intercede for us when we are in need,
Guide us when we are lost,
Defend us when we are in danger,
Rejoice with us in all that we do,
Bless each and every step we take!
May You be ever present and ever active
In our prayers,
In our hearts and
In our lives,
This day and forever without end.

A Night for Vediovis

2010-11-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Vediovis is a deity of which there is little information about Him, at least information that is credible. Most of what we can gather about His nature, history and role in the Cultus Deorum Romanorum consists of educated guesses and associations. What we do know is that He undoubtedly held a special significance in regards to the Roman State as a type of Guardian figure. We gather this from His presence as one of the only four deities who received a dies Agonales, where the Rex Sacrorum sacrificed a ram in the Regia, as well as His invocation in the rite of Devotio, where His name is used in the place of importance in the sequence of deities called upon.

We also know Vediovis wielded a specific type of thunderbolt, one which had a deafening effect upon its victim. These thunderbolts have sometimes been displayed in ancient art as arrows. There is, and must be, some relation between Jupiter and Vediovis when we consider the origin of Jupiter's name in Jove or Diove Pater and the obvious root of Vediovis in Diove as well. Not to mention the very fact that Vediovis is one of the few Gods in Roman theology who was able to wield a thunderbolt. What could it be? We can only speculate. It may be that Vediovis is akin to an infernal Jupiter, an avenging Jupiter, etc...

There is some speculation that as Romulus was apotheosized into Quirinus, His murdered brother Remus descended to the Underworld and became Vediovis.

Ultimately, we can only research and study what history has left us so much. Academically, Vediovis is somewhat mysterious and therefore it lies within the realm of spirituality and religion where we must come to know this Latin God.

Some good sources of information:

"Who Was Vediovis" - http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Article/1013406
"Vediovis on the Capitoline" - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReligioRomana/message/12952
"Agonalia" - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReligioRomana/message/13170
"Vejovis" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vejovis

============================

Below is a prayer, which should be accompanied by an appropriate offering, to be used during the Last Quarter of the Moon but prior to the Dark of the Moon.

Blessed art Thou, Vediovis
O Magister of the Good
Who is First amongst the Manes!
May Thy countenance be as a beacon of light
For the Righteous,
For the Mighty Dead!
O Great Defender of the Roman People, the Quirites,
May Thy deafening thunder rise up from the deep below!
May it strike fear and panic,
May it pour terror and pain
Into the hearts and hands of those who would wish ill upon us!

Living Legend, You Can Look But Don't Touch

2010-06-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

The time has come, as promised, to speak on the one and only, the legendary, Miss Britney Spears…

This past Monday Britney released official commercial footage of her very own collection for Candies, sold exclusively through Kohl’s retail stores.

Britney designed the collection herself, and was long in the making for she’s always talked about designing her own clothing line but was too busy with various other endorsements, records deals, tours, etc, to do so. Why is this important you ask? What is the point in this little tid bit of info that has initiated this post?

Well, after Kohl’s Facebook entered its status as:

“She’s a singer. She’s a mom. Now she’s a fashion designer. I ♥ Britney! Her new line for Candie’s hits in July. Get details: http://bit.ly/cHZ18d”

numerous “moms” took to the Kohl’s Facebook page to comment on how horrible and terrible it was for them to endorse Britney as their spokes model. Here are a few of the hundreds of comments left:

Kohls - it takes a lot more than birthing children to be worthy of the name "mom". Really - consider your choices. This might not be the best idea you've had. I am seriously considering closing my kohl's account.

Sorry, as a mother, she gives the rest of us a BAD NAME!!!! I would never have chosen her as a selling point. Just advertise her clothing line if you want the sales!!!!! Just doesn't impress me!

A mother, really? This ridicoulous "post" makes me so upset I don't even care about my spelling.
KOHL'S - WHY ARE YOU MARKETING SUCH TRASH TO YOUNG GIRLS???
Shame on you.

The list goes on. But I have a few questions for these ladies too…

A) Is your life completely publicized with cameras following you around non-stop all day, everyday?

B) Are you really all that “perfect”? Blameless? Faultless? Guiltless? Innocent? Hmmm… I’m going to assume you’re all humans so…

C) Have you ever stopped to think, ask, or find out who Britney Spears is beyond her public image?

Now…I’m hoping everyone would answer “No” to each and every one of those questions. However, I’m quite sure we’d hear tons of if’s, and’s, but’s, etc, to rationalize their answers. And I think B) would get a few lies…

Ya know what? Everyone fucks up in their life, everyone makes mistakes, everyone has been a in bad place before…and they shouldn’t be harassed or attacked for it. The world only sees what the paparazzi are cashing in on with the magazine companies. Is that how we should view and accept everyone? Think about it, should each and every person be followed around by a camera for 1 week, have that footage aired for the world to see, and then sit back and watch how the media eats it all up? To walk a mile in another person’s shoes, eh? That phrase doesn’t exist for nothing.

The difference between “us” and Britney is this…we can hide behind closed doors, she can’t. We can lie about where we’re going, we can lie about who we’re going to see, we can lie about what we’re doing…she can’t. We can bury our mistakes, we can hide them from our friends and families, we can make believe they never happened…she can’t. We can go the grocery store with our children and not be followed, we can go to the park with our kids to play and not be bothered, we can go on vacation without being tracked down…she can’t. I’m sure someone is saying, “Well, she chose this life and should be more careful about what she does”. Yeah, well, that is great advice, but do we do as we preach?

People say Britney should just live a normal life. Well…what is “normal”? In Britney’s fall 2008 documentary, For The Record, her interviewer asked her “Do you know your life is weird?” Her response, “Do I know my life is weird? … Its… Its all I’ve ever known…” Britney’s lived this life since childhood, what is normal for you is not normal for me, so how can anyone place those same expectations on her?

In late 2003, Britney sat down with Diane Sawyer for an interview at the very brink of her evolution from teen pop sensation to the adult artist she is today. During the interview Diane Sawyer brought up the comments made by the wife of Maryland’s Governor at an anti-violence rally who said “if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I would”. The woman was, at the time, commenting about being a parent with her kids exposed to the example Britney was setting—-shortly thereafter the woman was forced to retract her statements due to the incredible irony of the statement during an anti-violence rally.

Britney told Diane Sawyer, “I’m not here to baby sit her kids... If parents don’t like them to see it, then change the channel. I’m not perfect, I make mistakes everyday but I want to be a good person for me. But, I think it’s a huge pressure to think that you have to take the responsibility to be this role model.” Diane replied, “Its one thing to not want to be the role model anymore, it’s another thing not to know that a lot of young girls are looking at this, a lot of them.” Britney stated, “But am I responsible for them?”

The answer? No, she isn’t and shouldn’t be. The American public has come to rely so heavily on everyone else in the public sphere to actually parent and discipline their children. If we are placing responsibility on everyone else, and in particular to the Federal Government’s censorship bureaus, then why should the American public have custody of its own children? Social workers, school teachers, the FCC, etc, are all funded and paid for by the State. America needs to wake up and parent its children.

In 2007, we began to see what became THE biggest public breakdown of a celebrity since Mariah Carey years prior, and now of all time. We’ve all seen the photos and heard the stories…but how many of those stories are real? Since then BritneySpears.com, her official website, now has a B[ull]S[hit] Alert page which posts images of the latest stories and articles that are being printed about her that are false. Let me ask another question, does anyone know where the breakdown came from? Anyone know the root of its cause?

I’m willing to bet people will quickly answer drugs, alcohol, partying, etc… Well,you’d be wrong if you agreed with them. In 2003, Britney’s Aunt Sandra Bridges Covington was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Britney was extremely close to her aunt and she’d gone on tour with Britney as her chaperone. In January of 2007, Britney’s aunt died. Two months prior in November of 2006, marriage troubles with Kevin Federline came to an all time high and they filed for divorce. Couple these two life-changing events, both rooted in pain and sorrow, and you have the perfect recipe for disaster. There’s only two things anyone could do at that point: deal with it, cope and grow or ignore it and pretend like it isn’t there. Having gone through a far lesser form of this same situation myself recently, I can tell you that those choices aren’t as clear cut as they seem…

Moving on, at such a time, can become confused with pretending you’re not hurt by it. You think you’re fine, you’re ok and you will do better, but you’re so wrong. We forget to grieve, we forget to deal, we forget to feel. That’s exactly what she did, and so did I. You go out, do things you’d normally do, have fun, and enjoy yourself. This is when we saw Britney with Paris and Lindsay. But these two were only the beginning of contact with individuals that would ruin her.

During this time, Britney entered the studio to work on her 5th studio album called Blackout. The title was inspired from the idea of “blacking out negativity and embracing life fully”. Producers, initially fearful of what a recording session with Britney would be like, couldn’t believe the amount of professionalism and breath of fresh air that she was when she entered the studio. When constructing Blackout, Britney hired new management, Sam Lutfi. Various websites on the internet have leaked text messages, phone conversations, video, etc, of his verbal abuse of the troubled artist. Britney’s mother, Lynn Spears, mentioned him in her book Through the Storm, citing him as a bad influence for Britney. I’ve heard reports that he controlled her cell phone, disabled all contact with Britney’s family, and supposedly had drugged Britney as well. What’s true, what’s rumor, I don’t know...but it is very easy to control someone when they’re in a vulnerable state.

From February into May of 2007, Britney was in and out of a few rehab facilities and lost custody of her children. One night, after leaving rehab, Britney drove to a small salon and shaved her head. When asked about this in her 2008 documentary, Britney said:

Like I was going through so much artificial stuff with my kids and with Kevin and all that stuff at the time, and he just left me. And I was devastated ya know? People thought it was me going crazy and stuff like that, but people shave their heads all the time, ya know? But, I mean, I was going through a lot, but it was just kinda like me going through a form of a little bit of rebellion or feeling like free or shedding stuff that had happened.

[Why did you not tell anyone that what you were doing?]

I didn't think it was anyone's business, really.

I’ve always understood the event to be a means for her to shed her image, to free herself from herself. Britney later posted a message to her fans on her website saying:

Recently, I was sent to a very humbling place called rehab. I truly hit rock bottom. Till this day I don't think that it was alcohol or depression, I was like a bad kid running around with ADD

.

In July of 2007, Britney’s divorce with Kevin was settled. Throughout the summer, Britney continued to run around with then-manager Sam Lutfi, Ally Sims and paparazzo boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. Things didn’t come to a complete crash until September when Britney opened the MTV Video Music Awards with her performance of her comeback single, “Gimme More”. Despite rehearsal videos showing a Britney like we’ve seen in the past, her official performance failed to deliver.

In October, Britney was submitted for drug testing, parenting classes, and regained visitation rights with her children. She also released her first studio album in 4 years, Blackout, with an opening day sale of 120,000 copies. Unfortunately, the album failed to garner the record breaking sales her previous albums easily acquired—it did debut at #2 however, the first and only studio album in her entire catalogue to-date to not debut at #1.

Things sailed so-so for Britney until January of 2008. Refusing to end her visit with her children, Britney was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for psychiatric treatment. In the course of 1 month Britney lost her senses, her children, and her legal rights. By the end of February of 2008, Britney was released from medical care to her father, who was assigned as sole conservator of Britney’s personal and financial affairs.

Between then and the premier of Britney’s documentary, For The Record on November 30th of 2008, we had little access to the life of Britney. In July, Britney regained visitation rights with her children. She appeared as a guest star on the television show How I Met Your Mother and, apparently, was taken into the recording studio. Larry Rudolph, Britney’s first and current manager, stated in an interview that Jaime Spears allowed Britney to begin recording music for fun, as something to do to occupy her downtime in April. By the summer, it was confirmed that these recording sessions would go on to form Britney’s 6th studio album entitled “Circus”.

Britney went on to film commercials alongside comedian Russell Brand to promote the MTV Video Music Awards. The ceremony opened with a pre-filmed comedy sketch with Britney and actor Jonah Hill, after which Britney commenced the night with an introductory speech. Britney went on to win 3 awards for her single “Piece of Me”.

Britney’s appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards signaled the re-emergence of the singer. The day prior to the awards, filming began for Britney’s documentary For The Record. Weeks later Britney released her first single off the new album, “Womanizer”. It peaked at #1 on the charts, Britney’s first #1 hit since “Baby One More Time”. On December 2, Britney’s birthday, the album was finally released as well as its second single, the title-track “Circus”. The album debuted at #1, marking it as her 5th album to debut at #1. The Guinness Book of World Records noted Britney for being the youngest artist to have 5 albums debut at #1.

Ever since, Britney took the world by storm. She embarked on a major world tour, The Circus Starring Britney Spears. It was later ranked as the 5th biggest grossing tour of 2009. She went on to release 2 more singles, the notorious “If U Seek Amy” and the belated “Radar”. During the tour Britney entered the studio to work on new songs for her 3rd compilation album, The Singles Collection which commemorated her 10 years in the business.

The final song chosen for the new album was “3”, it would be the only new track to be featured on the greatest hits album. It went on to debut at #1, breaking Billboard records for being the first single to do so in 10 years that did not belong to an American Idol contestant. “3” became Britney’s 3rd single to hit #1, and most impressive for she did absolutely no promotion whatsoever for it or the album--the single went on to break numerous other records as well. Britney was also endorsed by Candies in 2009, and was re-signed for 2010.

So what is Britney doing now? Well, she’s been working on her 7th studio album, designed a clothing line, been taking great care of her kids, is out of the public eye, became the most followed person on Twitter, and that’s all we know. Oh, Forbes named her the #6 Most Powerful Celebrity of 2009. Ya know what she did in 2009? Tour, release 2 singles with music videos off of the Circus album, release a greatest hits album with a #1 single.

Do you know what Gaga did to get #4? She went on tour, released 3 singles with music videos off of The Fame album, released The Fame Monster album, released 1 single with music video off of that, performed on SNL, Gossip Girl, MTV VMAs, American Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Jay Leno, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, BRIT Awards, Tubridy Tonight, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, she also did numerous talk shows as well. Gaga worked her ass off, promoting like crazy and only got to #4, Britney barely did anything to hit #6…imagine if Britney promoted like Gaga? Not to mention, Britney made $4 million more than Gaga too!

Britney’s a bad role model, eh? A picture came out on the internet comparing Britney Spears to Christina Aguilera:

It would appear the legendary rivalry is resurfacing amongst the fans, but it’s worth nothing that Christina’s public image is very clean. Yeah, she got “Dirrty” for a moment back in 2002, but since then has been pretty clean. She’s managed to stay out of the limelight, get married and have a baby. In the beginning of June she released her 4th studio album Bionic with an opening week sale of 110,000 copies and charted somewhere in the 30’s for its debut. Her first single, “Not Myself Tonight” barely reached the Top 20. It is also worth nothing that Xtina has gained a reputation in the industry for being a bitch, and a lot of producers don’t like working with her.

Britney’s other contender Gaga changes outfits more than the notifier light on my BlackBerry blinks. Gaga carries an image that is supposed to shock us, but despite her 1 year in the business Gaga has managed to accrue an eating disorder destroying her body. Compare picture and videos when Gaga first came out and check out her latest videos and images. Her face is sunken in, her limbs are so thin, her body is a wreck. The “over-the-top” shtick Gaga is trying to perpetuate in her so-called “fashion” obsession is merely putting more coats upon her evidently buried insecurities. This girl is gonna break soon. As for sales? Gaga hasn’t had a #1 hit since “Pokerface”, her second single—she’s had 6 singles since. Neither The Fame or The Fame Monster hit #1 status. The issue with Gaga? Her public image and “shock” factor have outgrown and overshadowed her music—-and even those things have become old and predictable. Not to mention, Gaga has become very pretentious lately.

So I say again, Britney’s not a good role model? Or, even worse, not a good mother? Who’s the judge? Do you live her life? Have you gone through what she has gone through? Unless you are Britney freakin’ Spears herself reading this, you’d have to say “No”. You have no idea what she’s been through and therefore it is no one’s place to pass judgment upon her.

Britney could have died in the episode that was her life between 2007 and 2008. Heck, people have wished death upon her. People wish her ill, wish her ruin, wish her to fail. But ya know what? The bitch keeps coming back and she keeps owning the business every time. She’s the finest in the industry. She’s been recorded as the best-selling artist of the decade. No one can top that. She is, rightfully, the new Queen of Pop.

My charge to you? Go watch the Primetime special with Diane Sawyer on youtube, then go watch the documentary “For The Record”. Watch those and tell me what you see. Still say she’s so terrible, that she’s such a horrible person? Bullshit, because she is the sweetest individual you will ever meet. She’s a real southern belle kinda girl. Go watch her ET interviews about her clothing line, she’s incredibly kind. Despite, the dark period she was in, Britney has never done anything to hurt anyone. So why do we keep hurting her?

Check out Bebo Norman's song "Britney" on youtube:

Britney survived what no ordinary person could, she resolved to fix her life, she rose from the ashes and proved herself once again. That is inspirational. That is a story for the history books. What has Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Beyonce or even Miley Cyrus done that marks them as “good” role models? All I’ve seen is them riding the cash cow of their career. ...cause that’s something worth idolizing and looking up to...

Britney Quotes:

I’m here to inspire people through my music and take people on journeys, and let them feel stuff.

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When you tell people that and when I tell them the way I feel, like, they hear me but they’re really not listening. They’re hearing what they want to hear, they’re not really listening to what I’m telling them. Its like...its bad... [long pause, starts to cry] ...I’m sad...

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[What do you want people to take away from this film?]

...mmm... That I’m just like them.

Prex Iani

2010-06-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Come, Father Janus,
Opener of the Gates of Heaven,
Attend, Holy Father,
May You begin my song.

Arise, Thou God of Good Beginnings,
To whom my ancestors first invoked in their prayers.

Come, Janus, renew my spirit.
May You grant what I ask of You.

Hail Janus!
The Good Creator
Who observes from the East and from the West!
Thou Bi-formed God of Gods
From whom all things proceed.

Hear me,
Janus of the Quirites,
Gatekeeper of the Vaulted Heavens.
You who are the beginning of the Most Beautiful and Shining World.
With a nod, open Your gleaming gates onto peaceful precincts
And grant favor to my works and life’s labors.

-- Written and assembled by myself based upon ancient sources.

Tempus Pater

2010-06-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Good ole Father Time...

It is well known that Janus Bifrons is perceived to look deep into the past and ahead into the future just as much as each face looks upon the opposing ends of a single tunnel. It is this portal-like aspect which allows Janus such power and predominance in the divine realm, and I've noted this quite well in my previous blog entry.

Today, however, I'd like to look at Janus in relation to time. We are quite familiar with His intimate relationship with beginnings and endings, and for this reason alone can easily comprehend where the month of January takes its namesake. The same can be said for Latin 'ianua', or doors.

Remember when Ovid said, "I sit at at Heaven's gate with the gentle Hours...so I, porter of the heavenly court, behold at once both the East and West"? This clearly demonstrates the celestial importance of Janus and His hand in the revolution and rotation of the heavenly bodies. He is the passage which allows the light of the heavenly bodies to pass into our world as well as its scheduler. Janus may choose when the sun shall rise and set, however it is Sol's own discretion for how long and how fierce the sun shall shine each day. Not to mention, the Horae must be present in order to aid Janus in knowing the appropriate times for each to occur. Here we begin to see the unique balance between Janus and the Divine powers taking place.

The first day of each month is also sacred to Janus, and according to the original Roman custom the calendar month began on the new moon. This day was known as the Calends. Though we understand Janus' role in beginnings, this day equally belongs to the realm of Juno. In ancient Rome, the Calends of each month marked a sacrificial rite to Juno and Janus Junonius--the two deities who's dominions preside over the initiation of the month. It would even seem that Janus takes a secondary role to Juno and hence received Her name in epithet, or else a role that is in aid to Juno.

Janus is understandably present for obvious reasons, while Juno is present in Her role as energizer and birthgiver. Naturally, Janus is akin to the midwife or nurse of Juno in creating the new month. Though it belongs in the power and hands of Juno to regenerate and restore the moon to the heavenly heights, it is necessary for Janus to be present in order for such a process to occur. Here again we see a unique balance taking shape, and can begin to recognize the interdependence of deities in the cultus Deorum Romanorum. This is very reminiscent of the story of Hera withholding Ilithyia from Leto's pregnancy with Artemis and Apollo.

If we take this particular event of the Calends one step further, we can see how both Luna and Diana are also affected by not only Janus but Juno as well. Luna, the moon proper, is regenerated with life-force by Juno and is allowed by Janus to re-appear in the heavens. Once fully regenerated and restored, Diana may begin to cast Her light through Luna upon the wilderness of the night. [A simple breakdown here is that Luna is the physical moon that we see in the heavens whereas Diana is the source of light that Luna emanates.]

Despite Janus' aspect as being a God of Beginnings and Endings, Openings and Closings, He is not exactly all alone in His task.

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I mentioned previously the idea of Janus being a "watcher". In ancient Rome, it was believed that when the sun had set the Gods of the Heavens ceased to watch over mankind. Jupiter would take respite beside Juno in Their nuptial bed, Mars would lay down His battle spear, Minerva Her spindle, and so on. It was in the night, when the light of the Gods Themselves no longer shined, that the spirits of ill-repute would venture into the world of man freely.

However, there certainly were Gods who remained steadfast as watchmen in the night or, like Summanus for Jupiter, those who took on the authority of another as regent until the former returned to His post. Such a deity is Janus. Just as He initiates the dawn and conducts twilight, so does He give passage for the moon as well as the stars and assures that they to will set in order for the sun to rise again. Janus is a God who never sleeps and never leaves His post.

It is in the opposing heads of Janus that we find such protection during the night. He faces the East to know what comes and faces the West to ensure what goes. He guards our door from those that would break in and keeps those of us within safe. He knows the past and can teach us about the future. He sees all things in one single moment. He is, essentially, omniscient--and that makes Him powerful.

Janus, having no mythological or cultic equivalent, finds Himself similar to the Greek Hekate.

Ave Iane Pater

2010-06-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Divine Janus,
As Day follows Night,
Let me start my life anew.
As the Shore is scoured by the Tide,
Let me be clean.
As the Seed becomes the Flower,
Let me be born again...

-- Marcus Iunius Brutus,
HBO's Rome

Thus begins my devotional journey, as all good things should, with our heavenly watcher Janus.

For the last 2-3 weeks I've pondered about pursuing some sort of periodic devotional in which to better understand and align myself with the Gods I worship. Now, this is not to say I do not offer my prayers and burn incense to the Gods on a regular basis. I've always been sure to acknowledge the Gods in my life and do so daily. However, this is something different.

Currently, I can only hope for what I would like to gain out of the practice and how I plan to go about this experience. My plan is to follow a meditative routine of burning incense to the deity and using a set of prayer beads to recite prayers specifically to the deity like a mantra. Through devotion, prayer and contemplation I hope and seek communion with the given deity.

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Who is Janus? Who is the God of Good Beginnings, the Initiator of the Celestial Court, the Sower of the Years, the Planter of the Stars, the Opener and the Closer? Janus is variously identified as a source and a portal as well as the means by which things take origin, pass through and cease to be.

Janus, like San Pietro, sits at the Gate of Heaven and bears the keys which may grant one access to the divine realms or else lock one out. Ovid recounts when Janus Himself enlightened the poet, "My office regulates the goings and the comings of Jupiter Himself". Hence, we call Janus the Gatekeeper. No heavenly being, regardless of His or Her divine status, can evade Janus or bypass His authority as even the Almighty must submit to His will. Is it for this reason the Salii call Him the "God of Gods"?

Janus is likewise identified by Ovid as the "porter of the heavenly court, behold[ing] at once both East and West". Without Janus, Sol's glorious light would not be able to pass into our world and rouse us from our slumber nor would Sol be able to recede back into the heavenly realms and grant us respite from life's labors. Hence, Janus is Patulcius and Clusivus--the Opener and the Closer.

Janus is the very pathway by which the Lux Deorum may enter our world, enter our lives and, ultimately, enter our spirits. Without Janus mankind would not be able to receive the blessings and divine favor of the Holy Ones, and without the Gods life would cease to be. He is the means by which our prayers are delivered to the Heavens and is equally the means by which the Gods may enter our world and commune with us. Is this why the Salii name Janus the "Better of these Kings"?

It is quite plausible to see in Janus a type of guardian and protector of mankind. For should a God wish ill upon the world or seek to bring ruin to us, such an act would be unable to fly under the radar of Janus' post. Is this why we say that Janus is "the beginning of the shining and most beautiful world", for He could not allow for such wanton destruction and tragedy to enter the world unwarranted, even more so for a world He allowed the Mighty Ones to create?

Thus, too, do we recognize in Janus a certain virtue to His divinity and status that grants Him the title of "Father of the Gods". As the primeval source and initiator of all things, it must have been in the will and interest of Janus Himself to bring forth the Gods or else why would such glorious beings exist? Festus even tells us that Janus was "before all the Gods" and "from whom all things proceed". For what reason or purpose would Janus, having instituted and allowed creation to occur, not be favorably disposed towards His creation? This is why Janus is truly named the Good Creator by the Salii. He simply did not just create, but He ensures that all of creation is good and maintains that creation's custodians are favorable toward it and bring good into the world.

So, who is Janus? Well, He is many things to us. He is a creator, a maintainer, a guardian, a watcher and a friend. He is the one God who interacts with us the most throughout our lives. He grants the birth of our very being, allows good things into our lives and ensures us that one day rest will come for our spirits.

He is very much the keeper of our doors, a guardian to our homes--one face smiling upon our hearths and ancestors while the other stands watch over our threshold. So too is Janus always at our side walking with us as we take our first steps into some new venture. He is the conduit through which we may contact and commune with the Gods and the gateway through which the Gods may enter our world. He is all these things and more, and for today I wanted to focus on that 'more' part. Too often is Janus regarded as simply the God of doors and beginnings.

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In times of war, the doors to the Temple of Janus would remain open, whilst in times of peace they would be sealed shut. Legend tells us that during the war with Titus Tatius, a flood of boiling-hot water erupted from the Temple grounds and forced the enemy back. Thus did the Romans henceforth open the Temple doors during war so that Janus might flee at the ready and come to the aid of His children. The opening of the doors was regarded as a sign to the initiation of war, and closing of them signaled the end of the war and thus represented the sealing in of peace within the city.

Janus,
make peace and the servants of peace eternal.
Grant that the author of peace may not desert his work.

-- Ovid, Fasti

Omen Jovis

2010-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

On June 14th last week, a thunderstorm rolled through Ohio, and in the night a single thunderbolt dove out of the sky and claimed the enormous King of Kings statue at the Solid Rock Church as its victim. The statue, better known by its nickname "Touchdown Jesus", went up in flames immediately.

Recent discussions on the Religio Romana Yahoo! Groups list brought Nova Roma's current Pontifex Maximus, Marcus Moravius Piscinus Horatianus, to comment:

Our ancient ancestors were well aware of lightning striking in many places and having no auspicious significance. I think it is Seneca who discusses it in Quaes. Nat. where he gives lightning out at sea or in desert places as examples. Only certain lightning strikes would be considered as auspicious, only certain ones were believed to have come from Jupiter. Summanus and Minerva are also mentioned as sending lightning bolts. Lightning was classed at times according to their effects. Significant, too, was what was struck.

Knowing that there was so many lightning strikes, when a temple was struck, you might say that the query of whether it was a sign was not that it was struck but why the Gods had not spared it. A simple strike might be dismissed as just a natural phenomenon. It was in causing damage that some significance would then be raised. And if the result was a complete destruction by fire, then it was seen as ominous.

In this particular event with Touchdown Jesus, utterly destroyed by fire from a thunderbolt, it would certainly have been viewed as a sign of disapproval by the Gods because of the result. The question would then arise as to why the Gods were angry and how might errors be expiated? That is, if a lightning strike causes destruction of this nature, it would have to be seen in the context of other things. In this case, this area of Ohio in and around Cincinnati, is the bastion of conservative, fundamentalist Christians in Ohio who have been pushing their agenda of discrimination and intolerance. It was from this area that a law was proposed for a statewide ban of same-sex marriages. These same people have preached against the pagans who assemble each year at the vernal equinox at the famed Snake Mound in southern Ohio, and they can get especially inflamitory in their statements. One Baptist temple was preaching that pagans be burned at the stake, with myself as one of those they singled out for the pyre. These are the same people who opposed the erection of the largest Hindu temple in Ohio, the people who opposed certain other legislation on religious grounds, who prosecuted a curator for a show of Maplethorpe, and now they are trying to place into law a prohibition of homosexual couples adopting children or even keeping their own children. Northeast Ohio is quite a contrast to the area around Cincinnati. A few years ago the National Convention of the Baptists singled out Cleveland because it is a predominantly Roman Catholic area, with the largest populations of Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs, as well as Orthod Christians in Ohio. The Baptists were upset that there were not as many Baptist churches per capita in Cuyahoga county as, say, Alabama. They therefore announced a crusade to convert people to their particularly intolerant views. These are exceptionally radical Christians who busy themselves in promoting intolerance. As one Baptist minister, John Hagey, has preached to his congregation, "Tolerance is a sin!"

It is not a matter of statistics. Context is everything. That obscenity needed to be taken down, and in part because of what it represented. As for perspective, I see the hand of Jupiter in this. Others will see Jesus having a hand in it as that statue misrepresented him as that church misrepresents his teachings.

Everyone's mileage may vary.

I just thought it was an interesting event and insightful commentary.

...and the statue was gaudy as all hell too...lol

Mediumship, Musica & Mysterium

2010-06-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago a few of my covenmates and myself began getting together semi-weekly to pursue learning and practicing mediumship. I've been to mediumship learning circles in the past but have never been consistent in attendance due to whatever reason at the time. To say the least, I'm quite certain I possess the ability, but I don't possess the confidence or belief in myself.

The most "famous" experience of mine was back in Samhain 2008 when I foresaw the pregnancy of my two covenmates who had kept everything hush-hush from trying to conceive to actually conceiving. At the time, she was 2-3 weeks pregnant and, well, I let the cat out of the bag! I don't even think her sister, also a covenmate, knew at the time. Anywho, the little baby boy I saw on that Samhain night just had his first birthday 2 days ago! :-)

Since then however, I've never really been confident in my abilities. It is difficult for me to sense the distinctions between what my mind might be creating and what I might be getting from "the great beyond" lol. Perhaps it is a trust issue more than confidence, but regardless it still makes me hesitant.

The first couple gatherings of our mediumship circle mainly involved meditation, visualization, chakra working, and just focusing on sensing energy and becoming receptive. At our last meeting, we headed outside and sat beneath the canopy of some trees and opened ourselves up to spirit. As a side note, we prepped the area, set our intention and all the fun stuff to keep the nasties away.

I don't know if I was the hot topic in the spirit world or what, but I got quite a few messages from my covenmates! One involved this spirit guide, or guardian or whatever you might want to classify him as, who I've had for a few years. I've seen him, he's like a miniature man dressed in a Roman style tunic. Not like a "little person" [is that the PC term these days?], but literally as if you took a regularly sized man and made him about 2 feet tall--think like oversized Ken doll, lol!

He particularly spoke through one of my covenmates. He told her his name, Lazarus, and he showed her an image of a forested area with a cliff. His message was basically just to take the plunge, and now that I think about it the image is incredibly similar to The Fool card of the Tarot. Funny how that works out...

Another covenmate was given the image of an Athenian warrior with helmet, spear and all a la 300 who just let out a fierce roar. This message was clarified by another covenmate. I forgot the exact words, but it summed up in something to the effect of regaining confidence, just doing it, etc...

The last message, and the one central to this post, was given from this particular spirit that revealed itself as a woman holding a violin with both hands. From the violin vines and flowers grew forth and stretched out upon the ground and she said something to the effect of "This is my passion, embrace yours".

Throughout all this I received a few messages as well for others. One in particular, and oddly enough, concerned the future grandchild of one of my covenmates. This summer she's heading to Japan to visit her son and new daughter-in-law. Who knows, maybe they have news they've been waiting to tell her? I don't know, but ever since I've earned the nickname..."The Baby Whisperer"...LOL!

When I returned home I immediately hopped on the internet to find out who the woman with the violin is. Well, I happened to search "saint woman violin". What turns up? Wikipedia's article on Saint Cecilia...with Guido Reni's 1606 painting Saint Cecilia which depicts her with a violin and music was her passion and is her patronage.

While I was doing this I, obviously, had my iPod on and was listening to the song "Fall Back" or else "Feet on the Ground" by underground artist Myah Marie: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0TBqq1j8wA]. One of the lyrics in the song is: Taking back the reins again, I've changed my ways. And that is something that struck home with me, and pretty much connects all the other messages about taking the plunge and taking back my confidence. Was Santa Cecilia giving me a message to pay attention to the music? Probably.

The Saints, I feel, are there to help us regardless of faith. They were once human too, they knew and still know our pain, our sorrow, our struggles as well as our joys and strengths. They have a unique understanding and experience of the human condition and now have the divine abilities to guide and help those they see that are in need.

Two to three weeks prior to this revelation with Santa Cecilia, I was listening to my iPod and the song "Out From Under" by Britney Spears came on. It is a song I've heard a million times before and, in all honesty, never cared too much for. But this time was different. It spoke to me and really struck a chord for me: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3m0GVimn8k]. In particular these lyrics:

I don't wanna dream about
All the things that never were,
And maybe I can live with that
When I'm out from under.

I don't wanna feel the pain,
What good would it do me now?
I'll get it all figured out
When I'm out from under.

It really hit me, hard, and it forced me to mentally/emotionally deal with what my lay-off had done to me. For so long I fooled myself into thinking it didn't hurt me and that I wouldn't let it get me, that I'd be fine. But I was wrong. It was a major hit to my ego, my confidence, my self-esteem, and so on. I realized I had to mourn this like anything else because it signaled an end in my life and that nothing would change or would be able to if I didn't. In the course of three days I underwent a depression and came out of it renewed and better. Through it, music was my therapy.

That is the science, art and above all, the mystery of music. Music evokes emotion and entices the listener into an experience that exceeds auditory stimulation; it intimately connects with and influences the spirit directly.

Go back 2,000 years ago and we find the cult of Cybele doing this very thing all across the Mediterranean. The song produced by the drum, tambourine, cymbals, lyre and castanets drew the celebrant into a trance that would lead them to experience the Magna Mater Deum Idaea. It was in that vulnerable state where the Mother would lay Her blessing granting rejuvenation and a new spiritual understanding or else lay Her curse, leaving the individual's spirit in a state that modern science would declare as insanity.

I can say I've been touched and blessed by the music of the spirit. I can only offer my thanks to the Magna Mater for casting a favorable eye upon me instead of suffering me into a darker fate.

Years ago when the Magna Mater first appeared to me in the night sky amongst the clouds and stars, She claimed me and announced the path of my career. She lead me into a career of healing, now being a Licensed Massage Therapist. I'm just wondering now if all this is Her forcing my hand towards another path...

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I've always been surrounded by music. My mother often recounts how I would wake up in the morning singing and fall asleep singing when I was very very young. One teacher I had in pre-school told me several years ago that I would always sing Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe". In high school I would drag our living room's cd player into my bathroom, put in Britney's In The Zone, and sing in the shower, LOL!

... With a taste of your lips
I’m on a ride
You're toxic I'm slipping under
With a taste of a poison paradise
I’m addicted to you
Don’t you know that you’re toxic
And I love what you do
Don’t you know that you’re toxic

Classic...

I'd listen to my discman [how ancient is this now, LOL!] waiting for the bus and on the bus ride to/from school. I'd have the radio on all day when I was home. Since I started driving I would blast my CDs, and now I blare my iPod everytime I get in my new car and go somewhere. And singing goes hand-in-hand. I'm that guy rocking out in the car next to you! To say the least, I love being in my car and I always make it a fun time! Ever since my senior year in high school I've written various lyrics as well. I lose a bunch of them, LOL! But have been better about saving them.

For about 2 years now I've been highly interested in getting into musical production. When Britney went out on her promotional tour for the release of her sixth studio album Circus, she performed an amazing circus-style remix of her #1 hit "Womanizer".

I loved the mix so much I tried to find it online. Many fans tried to recreate it by taking the circus-styled intro and just apply it to the original track, but the remix is slightly different. The circus-styled sounds appear three times throughout the song; intro, pre-bridge and outro. The lyrics as well differed on the intro and they mixed a new bridge, or perhaps I should say lengthened it to be a more defined bridge lyrically speaking. I downloaded some free software and extracted a portion of the circus sound and recreated the track to about 80% proximity to her professional mix.

The new bridge part however I extracted from the live performance, though I did make my attempt to recreate the track completely using the extracted circus sounds, professional instrumental and official accapella. Unfortunately the software I was using wouldn't save properly and the edited acapella would speed up while the instrumental I created would slow down. I tried several times to correct the problem but it would never work. But I was damn close and the pre-saved version was quite incredible for my first attempt at any kind of music editing!

However, the first mix I made is very good and its even on the Top 25 Most Listened To Songs on my iPod, currently at the 17th spot though it was a number of spots higher in the past.

As you can see, music has always been a part of me and a very big interest of mine. Apple has created programs like Garage Band and iLogic Studio which basically take an entire recording studio and place it conveniently on your Macbook. I've been determined to get a Macbook Pro for this very purpose. But with all said and done, it will cost $2500. It isn't a bad price for everything it does, but being currently unemployed doesn't make any closer in attainment...but soon!

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Life is a funny thing...a confusing thing...and a crazy thing...

But with the Gods, life is Good.

Rosarium

2010-06-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago back at the end of May it was my little sister's First Communion/Confirmation. Yes, it would seem they're tryin' to get the kids in sooner these days before they lose 'em! LOL! I have no idea, I'm sure there is some ecclesiastical explanation for it, whatever. But anywho, so for the longest time I've always had a particular interest and admiration for rosaries. Back in early 2007 after I got my first job after graduating Massage School and passing NYS's Licensure Exam, I bought myself a Dolce & Gabbana rosary necklace--the one made prominent by legendary footballer David Beckham.

Fast forward to some point in between then and now, I think it wasn't long after I started my first job... I was at my grandmother's house and she showed me a bunch of old family treasures. From some cherished sterling silverware that was her mother's [I believe] to her father's retirement present, a sterling silver knife engraved with numerous names from his coworkers, to her mother's [my paternal great grandmother] sterling silver rosary. I was amazed at the sight of it. It was gorgeous. On the back of the thick, solid crucifx the word "LAMB" is engraved in that old medieval script. A genuine antique with nothing like it--seriously, after I saw it I tried to find one like it...lol!

But anywho, I've always been fascinated by them. They're so beautiful and very intricate. So when I heard of my sister's Communion-Confirmation I knew I wanted to attempt to make a rosary. So I did. I went to Joann's and bought strands of fresh water pearls, rose quartz beads, various pliers, eye pins, jump rings, etc... Later, after I couldn't find any rosary center's for the life of me I drove out to a religious shoppe in a local suburb and found a rosary center and crucifix to use. I went on to purchase two Saint Medals as well; Clare and Teresa, for my sister's namesake and Confirmation name respectively. Then I went to work.

The actual assembly was quite easy for my first attempt. I've never been very crafty--I can get creative and come up with the ideas, its the hands on that gets to me. I would say its my OCD with perfection that gets in the way of being crafty...but I can't help it, I prefer things to be neat and esthetically pleasing. What can I say? Perfectionist much...oh yeah!

Anywho, the assembly was easy and when I finished I was amazed at how large it turned out... But I guess that's what happens when you buy 10mm rose quartz beads...which are marked as being "8mm". Which leads me to a little side note here: WTF is up with beading companies? I swear, do they NOT know how to measure anything? I have ordered 8mm jet beads and got 6mm beads instead--marked as being "8mm". I've also ordered 10mm garnet beads and received 12mm, which actually worked out for the better in the end, but still! I don't get it...you'd think the metric system would be so great...*rolls eyes* No wonder the US doesn't use it... ...Millimeters are metric, right? LMAO!!!

So, yes, the rosary turned out larger than expected, but still incredible! I was amazed at my work! So much so, I kept going. Ever since I've made a jet rosary, a black coral rosary, a white glass Servite rosary without the medals, an amethyst Servite rosary with the medals, a sterling silver rosary and a red coral rosary. I've also made a Eulabeia chaplet [based on the Church of Thessaly's model--which they seem to have disappeared] with 22 cyan-dyed jade beads (I think it was jade...could have been an A- name though...) as well as a chaplet I invented/designed myself with 33 jet, sterling silver and coral beads for uses in Witchcraft.

Prayer beads are fascinating, and I think they transcend religion and/or spirituality. They're here for our aid and our connection to the divine. I've looked into Eastern Orthodox chotki or prayer rope, Greek komboloi, Muslim misbaha/tasbih, Hindu Japa mala, Buddhist mala, and the traditional Witches' Ladder as well as Robert Cochrane's Witch cords, not to make...yet...but just for interests' sake.

Oh, I almost forgot. Since my sister's First Communion-Confirmation and all this rosary making, my grandmother gave me my great grandmother's sterling silver rosary. Its a blessing and honor to have. For Father's day, I'm going to give my dad the sterling silver rosary I mentioned above. I had the sterling crucifix engraved with "Paterfamilias" on the back. I was kind of going for a modernized twin of my great grandmother's antique. It came out quite nicely, I think!

PS - if and when I figure out how to post pictures on this thing...I will! :-)

Salvete!

2010-06-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Welcome to my blog!

I have no idea how often I'll be prone to post or how on topic I'll be able to stay, but I can guarantee that I'll try my best to do both! This is my first attempt at blogging, and simply being able to set it up and assemble some form of esthetically pleasing organization to the page itself is a triumph!

You can expect to see topics somewhere along the lines of the Religio Romana or Roman Reconstructionism, Folk religion or Popular religiosity, Traditional Roman Catholicism, Wicca, Witchcraft and Magic, my [eventual] aspirations to musical exploration, Britney Spears [anyone who knows me knows that this is a given! lol], my frustrations with certain devices known as iPods and BlackBerrys [*shakes fist*], and of course my life, experiences, and opinions on all of the above and more!

Hope you enjoy!