Right now I’m putting together a book review and it is taking me a little longer than I would like. Fortunately for you guys (No! Don’t leave yet!) I’ve been all over the internet reading new blogs, some older content, and subscribing to everyone’s delicious thought feeds. I’ll share it with you as, sometimes, one needs to take the Andy Warhol approach; do fuck all and still come out seeming brilliant.
This is where I point out someone doing it wrong. I love science and have since I was a little girl. It really irks me when pagan authors attempt to manipulate theories that are a)not fully explained and b)not completely proven in the first place. The Secret did this and I was the listener who sent a letter to Deo’s Shadow asking them to watch, and review, the woo-woo crap fest Oprah made popular.
Say it with me guys: Quantum Mechanics is not magic. Quantum Mechanics is not magic. Quantum Mechanics is not magic.
I can enjoy and find fascination with a lot of things, but nobody woo-woos science and gets away with it. Seriously, the article would have been much better had she left out the quantum realm all together.
I read a few translations of Tibullus the Farmer on this page and each was just as beautiful as the last, if that’s even possible. Rogue Classicism always delivers tasty historical tidbits to my inbox. It’s like waking up to candies covered in edible diamonds.
Come hell or high water I will force SOMEONE to read Iamblichus with me.
Heliogenna is fast approaching and I’ve just moved my altar, again, for the time being. I could be wrong, but HellenicGods.org says Heliogenna is an “ancient festival” when I am fairly certain Hector Lugo is the father of this tradition and he’s nowhere close to ancient. In fact, he’s still alive and can be found arguing politics with Todd Jackson every once in awhile.
And to wrap up, Lykeia posted the second part of her series on Artemis as nurturing huntress. These are heaping dollops of beautifully expressive writing so be sure you have some time to really absorb the material. She helped me see Artemis in an entirely different way which, in my opinion, is one of the primary roles of a priest/ess: making the gods accessible and helping the common person (that’s me y’all!) feel a better connection with them. You can read the first part of the series here.
So I’m sure I missed quite a few people but I spend too much time procrastinating exploring the pagan/historical/anthropological blog realms and to share it all would get pretty dull.
Blessed Belated Saturnalia To All!
LOL Iamblichus is on my reading list, so I wouldn’t mind reading it with you
My point being that I can see it may have been recognized in some way but perhaps commonly as much importance as people place on it today in their worship.
As for Heliogennia, I am sure the ritual as most are familiar is indeed entirely an invention of Hector Lugo, but it seems to me that the winter solstice as a solar event wouldn’t have been overlooked in Hellas considering that the Hellenic calendars tend to take place either on a equinox or solstice. I am trying to recall offhand which calendar started at the winter solstice. I want to say Boeotia or Rhodes maybe, but don’t quote me on that hehe. It has been a while since Iooked at it
that is “perhaps not common with as much importance”
typo lol
Your blog is amazing. Mine is mere bones right now. Talk soon!
It’s certainly a shame that Palestinian activists don’t get mentioned…..but this is TIME MAGAZINE! Do you honestly think they would ever give good press to the palestinian cause? This article is surely a step in the right direction for a mainstream (and rather conservative) magazine.
Also, I take issue with your statement that Arab Spring protestors are merely “seeking what those in the west consider “ideal” so they get the applause, the accolades” This seems to be a terribly condescending statement….
I think there might be some matters more pressing to the protestors than the opinions of the average western newswatcher. The western gaze is not as all-determining as our vanity might imply. If they wanted to win favors with “the West” then they would have surely not overthrown Mubarek, who was heavily backed by the U.S. These protestors know what you obviously don’t….there is a huge gap between the conventional wisdom of the masses and American foreign policy
I don’t see how this movement could be rendered invalid or undemocratic, just because some (but only a minority) of the protestors were conservative Muslims, and because the Muslim Brotherhood has taken advantage of the situation for electoral gains. Meanwhile, the revolution itself is still struggling to gain equal participation in elections. The U.S. media loves to exaggerate the influence of islamic fundamentalism in this revolution…..and for one reason….U.S. Firms are scared of any”instability” which might reduce their hold on the region.
Throughout the past 50 years, it has been American intervention which has bolstered islamic fundamentalism especially in Afghanastan and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia. The only reason why the Muslim Brotherhood is being placed under such scrutiny is because they are not necessarily friends with Western Multinational Corporations
OK…I’m just realizing that I may have taken your statement out of context….
sorry…
But here’s the reason I was so confused: The American media has been very very cautious about this movement! It has not sought to peddle any sympathy for this cause, in fact it has only sought to muddy the waters. This revolution is not in the interest of American power. But it is unbelievably popular here and around the world.
The American media has a long history of either downplaying or misrepresenting many pro-democracy causes aroung the world (i.e. East Timor, Haiti, Palestine, Honduras), but these movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, etc, seemingly came out of nowhere and the press is still grappling with how to portray them. The same thing is true of Occupy Wall Street.
So, the fact that these movements are being portrayed in a positive light is a victory for those movements. It is not simply an issue of the American media feeding us a certain message in favor of a desired foreign policy goal. This is real grassroots efficacy at work here.