It’s been awhile. Okay, maybe about two weeks. But in the blogging world that seems like forever. Between the holidays, being sick
as a dog, and my own religious/occult studies; writing was the farthest thing from my mind. But, I still did a lot of reading and today’s
post is a review of one of my latest acquisitions; The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes. 
It takes a certain amount of talent to the make the classics, and the philosophers therein, exciting to most readers.
While Marcus Aurelius, Lucretius, Plato, and Epicurus are considered great thinkers among men their actual words can come across as
a little dry. Okay…maybe a lot dry. Dry like overcooked 2 day old turkey breast dry. Alright I’m done now, I promise.
Ms. Haynes flips this model on its head and brings us the philosophies and lessons of antiquity with a fresh spin to fit our modern lives. How interesting to find how parents, and religious leaders, railing against the indoctrination and “corruption” of our youth by our public school system are nothing new. Luckily, these days, teachers have the protection of the state and federal governments unlike dear Socrates who perished for “corrupting” the Athenian youth and encouraging “impiety.”
The casual brutality of the Roman empire is compared to our current humanist near-worship of human life. Life in prison, and even death by lethal injection, seems humane compared to being scourged, tied into a sack with a rooster, a snake, a monkey, and a dog and thrown into the Tiber. We enjoy football instead of the gladiator ring; though some think the latter sport could make one hell of a come back.
But beyond contrasting the obvious differences between antiquity and the here and now, Haynes shows the similarities between us; the left
over wine from a long-established, and esteemed, philosophical banquet. The Hellenic Greeks performed, and perfected satire. Then, as now, political careers could be made, and broken, by a talented comedian’s turn of phrase.
From sex and marriage, to the subjects of death and religion Haynes fleshes out the history behind some of the greatest myths and legends, while making it easy for the 21st century reader to see just how pertinent these stories are to us today. Whether you love the classics or are looking for a fun, before bed, read The Ancient Guide to Modern Life is worth every minute spent.
Lykeia of Apollon reminds Hellenists of the importance of worshiping all of the Olympians and not just the “patrons” to whom we feel attached. It is very easy to forget this, especially since so many writings within the pagan community tend to focus on “working” with gods (instead of worshiping them) and, as Lykeia points out, the prevalence of monotheistic religion causes some pagans to bring the same hierarchical structure to polytheistic religions with many focusing on only one (or 3) god(s) out of an entire pantheon of interconnected, and relevant, deities.
The Latrines at Minturno make me thankful for even the gamiest college-dorm bathroom.
My excitement grows at the prospect of getting to know, and potentially worship with, Leonidas: Lion of Krete. He has done amazing work with local Hellenists and I can’t wait to pick his brain. I may, or may not have, pressured him into starting a blog.
And, finally, Star Foster touches on the topic of demographics within the pagan community and what that means when it comes to defining paganism. Who is, and isn’t, pagan? This was in response to an earlier post by Cara Schulz.
