For the Other Parts of the Documentary, Click on the YouTube Link and you will see them to the right of the page in other videos. Plus lot's more.
Folks, it is TIME to stand against sexual violence everywhere. STOP looking the other way in your family, town, life, home, or church.
Monday, November 30, 2015
About the movie Spotlight and the Epidemic of Child Molestation by Reverend Crystal Cox
Audio Only
Do Something in you family, your town, your world. Make a stand against this issue. Give Voice to Victims who are being silenced, a Conspiracy of Silence protecting Priests, and so many others to abuse, rape, control and oppress children. The Light is Hear. Give Victims Voice.
Do Something in you family, your town, your world. Make a stand against this issue. Give Voice to Victims who are being silenced, a Conspiracy of Silence protecting Priests, and so many others to abuse, rape, control and oppress children. The Light is Hear. Give Victims Voice.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Church Powers, Control and the Fight to Keep you from Knowing who you are.
by Reverend Crystal Cox
What doctrine did the church use to control the people before Jesus died on the cross and they used his death to control people?
In whose name was Jesus’s Trial carried out?
Who was the power at the time? And what “people” gave these armies, the church, the taxing powers PERMISSION to persecute, prosecute and execute someone exposing corruption and empowering people?
And what does this Energy Loop have to do with right NOW?
It is time to change the tape, and to remove the hologram. It is time to let in the Truth into our mind, souls and human bodies and truly let the teaching of the man named Jesus Christ come into play on this planet, in this time.
Why did this power that persecuted, prosecuted and executed Jesus Christ later claim to be Christian, as if they followed his word, his teachings, or even his living example?
Was it to control you? Side with you? Manipulate your thoughts so that you were confused as to what being Christ like, Christian, real was?
Why are we still today oppressed by this same power? Why do people claim to be Christian? Is it mostly because it’s a hand me down faith? And they have no personal relationship with the ascended master Jesus Christ or with the Holy Spirit, in which we all come from equally?
The “church” of the time worshipped a “God” right? Who? And why did the church work with the local powers, Caesar? The local governing body to FORCE the people to work and pay them taxation or die, be beaten, lose loved ones and be constantly tormented? The CHURCH of that time and the local taxing POWERS used violence, oppression, fear and torment to force loyalty to them. Jesus threatened this as he came here to show YOU that YOU are ALL God’s, all God’s people, all God inside and that you, they did not have to be tortured but to be like him and truly come to their power to the real GOD, and away from GREED, Oppression, Taxation, Violence and being slaves to the Church of the Time and their partner in crime, the Army of the governing power of that time.
Jesus was exposing them, he was removing the curtain and empowering the people. To be like Jesus, a Christ follower, a Christian, we would all do the same. We would not worship those behind the curtain, the puppeteers who do not want us to know who we are, to know our power or to worship, follow or know the God Within each of us.
Were the Catholics, the “church” at the time? Who were the Catholics at that time?
Who gave them the enormous barbaric perverse powers they had and have over humankind?
If they were the Church before Christ, and they, along with the taxing power of greed at that time, persecuted Jesus Christ for trying to awaken mankind, and give them back their personal power and their divine relationship with the Holy Spirit, then how can they be Christians? Or have any love or respect for who Jesus Christ was, his teachings or what he stood for?
The whole idea was to STOP Christ from his teachings, his whistleblowing against corruption, his hands on healing, his non-judgemental love of all, his “magic” that he was showing ALL they too could also do, and with no need of the Church, the Army or the Taxing Greedy Powers that be. And to STOP Jesus Christ from reaching people, awakening people so that they would have the COURAGE, the Christ like Courage and the Knowledge, Magic, Healing, and Power of Jesus Christ and therefore leave the oppressive of the Catholic Church and the Taxing Army of which violently oppressed them every single day, OWNED THEM.
Then what? Later these Powers became Christians because the masses loved Jesus Christ so much? They had to embrace it? So they conjured up the bible and made up doctrine to control people and keep in power, and oh that Jesus guy ya we love him too, Ya Right. THEY killed him after they persecuted and prosecuted him for Truth Telling and Whistle Blowing.
Jesus did not write the bible. Man did. And what women did in history at that time and before was hidden by that same partnership (Catholic Church and Greedy Army Taxing Powers).
What was Jesus really teaching?
What did Jesus really do here and what does that have to do with the powers of Greed, Government and the “Church” at the time?
They had the power to persecute Jesus for his teaching, and render this horrific images of what happens to a son of God if he goes against the Catholic Church (the “church” of the time) and the powers of taxation and army violence of that time. This image to you, to children, a violent bloody image of a man who dies a slow violent Death if he dares to heal, to love equally, to oppose taxation and corruption and to teach of the God inside, as if to say if you do this we will do the same to you and THESE POWERS stayed in charge of your bloodline, your consciousness and kept you in fear and paying them to oppress you.
You know in your heart and soul, whether you believe in Jesus as a real man, a God, or even a Fairy Tale; YOU still know that the teachings, the parable, the tales is NOT about killing your fellow man or woman in his name or whom they claim is his father’s name.
YOU know that any church, any governing body, any religious order of any kind is not HOLY is not of the Jesus Christ’s teachings, if they are killing, oppressing, instilling fear, harming, judging, taxing, beating, hating or acting corruption and claiming they are Christian or doing such in the name of Christ in any way. You know this. In those tales, Jesus simply did not do those things, nor teach those things. So therefore being like Christ, being Christian, has NOTHING to do with those things, period, NOTHING.
Does this stuff matter? Yes to the point of those same powers, those religious persecuting powers, those powers who shut up those who speak out about corruption and greed and those powers that do not want YOU, the INDIVIDUAL, to know your truth, know your power, know that you are of God and take control of your own thoughts and beliefs.
They want to keep control over your thoughts, your life force, your energy, and the power you have in your own mind, your soul to create a world of peace, love, justice and true, beautiful equality for ALL.
Think on these matters. It is important that you know what YOU believe.
You do not have to share it with anyone ever. You do not have to teach it or preach it. Yet it is imperative that you ponder all of this and come to your truth for you, this is the Awakening we are in. This is our Gift. To have the courage to be like Christ, even if only in our certain beliefs in our own mind, values, and heart. It is a matter of mass consciousness and the Jesus Christ aspect of our history, our planet really does affect us all so the it matters to clear this energy.
While you are pondering. Ponder this; you know who you are, who you pray to, what your true intentions are, what your teachings are, and who you are at your core right?
You know what you prefer, believe, and how you wish things to be. Now think for a moment, what if 12 people in your life wrote about you, your thoughts, your love life, your morals, your teachings, your intentions, your parents, and all about what and who you are? Do you think ANY of them would get any of it TRULY Right?
Then factor in Greed and Control and think, hmmm what is this thing they call the BIBLE.
Once you have pondered this and released the controlling illusion to the LIGHT, to the Holy Spirit, then and only then can we all get on with it. And all of us live the beautiful life we came here to Truly Live.
I typed this out tonight in a matter of minutes. I feel it is a message I needed to hear and to share. And So It Is.
~ Reverend Crystal Cox
Friday, November 27, 2015
Ley Lines, Dragon Lines & Energy Grids
"Ley lines, also known as “leys” and “dragon lines” are phenomena most people have heard of but few really understand. Indeed it would be fair to say that no-one understands them fully, as they remain largely unexplained.
From what we do know, a ley line seems to be a straight line that carries an altered form of the earth’s magnetic field, however it is proving difficult to define that power even to this day.
It has been claimed that birds, fish and animals use them as ‘compasses’, helping them find direction back to breeding grounds and to warmer climates during winter months. They have also been said to be vast prehistoric trade routes.
An article in New Scientist magazine, published in 1987, suggested that species as diverse as pigeons, whales, bees and even bacteria can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field.
It is thought that a tissue containing a substance called magnetite is responsible for this.
Magnetite enables living creatures to sense magnetic changes and has been found in human tissue linked to the ethmoid bone in the front of the skull."
Source and lot's more
https://dragondreaming.wordpress.com/ley-lines-dragon-lines/
From what we do know, a ley line seems to be a straight line that carries an altered form of the earth’s magnetic field, however it is proving difficult to define that power even to this day.
It has been claimed that birds, fish and animals use them as ‘compasses’, helping them find direction back to breeding grounds and to warmer climates during winter months. They have also been said to be vast prehistoric trade routes.
An article in New Scientist magazine, published in 1987, suggested that species as diverse as pigeons, whales, bees and even bacteria can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field.
It is thought that a tissue containing a substance called magnetite is responsible for this.
Magnetite enables living creatures to sense magnetic changes and has been found in human tissue linked to the ethmoid bone in the front of the skull."
Source and lot's more
https://dragondreaming.wordpress.com/ley-lines-dragon-lines/
Real Love is Easy. Who Knew. I guess you don't know until you know. Things is, real love is friendship, playing, companionship, laughs, lust and it is not "Authorative", judging or unkind. Real love is actually fun. You really want to be with that person and not just "have them" in your life. Or know they are out there somewhere. But you REALLY, actually like to be with them in your REAL LIFE. Loving another human being intimately should not be oppressive, and you should not find yourself wondering if they are into you. If you are not "with", giving your time, love and energy to someone who actually shows you that you matter to them, spends time with you and pays attention to the real you and actually likes that really you then LEAVE. Nothing is worth Staying if that is the case. ~ Reverend Crystal Cox
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
THE ORACLE AT DELPHI
"The oracle at Delphi is a figure of great historical importance that was, and still is, shrouded in mystery. She spoke for the god Apollo and answered questions for the Greeks and foreign inquirers about colonization, religion, and power.
By her statements Delphi was made a wealthy and powerful city-state.
The oracle was at the height of power around 1600 B.C. when Greece was colonizing the Mediterranean and Black Seas (Hale), but was stationed in Delphi from 1400 B.C. to 381 A.D.(Roach). Despite her long tenure it is still debated today how she received the words from Apollo, weather by hallucination or suggestion.
The history of an oracle at Delphi existed long before Apollo came there. According to Diodorus Siculus the first oracle appeared to a shepherd. The shepherd approached a chasm and as he neared he noticed his goats acting strangely. When he got close to the chasm he was affected with divine frenzy and began to tell of future events.
Word spread and others began to visit the oracle of the Earth to divine their own futures.
Unfortunately too many people fell into the chasm and it was decided that only one person would be the prophet. It would be a woman and she would sit upon a tripod so as to not fall into the chasm.
Later stories in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo tell how the site was conquered by Apollo. The Earth mother Gaia kept a holy serpent at Delphi known as Python. Apollo slays Python and keeps the oracle for himself to speak to mortals. Hence, the oracle at Delphi is known as Pythia in honor of the killing of Python.
Also, unlike tradition where the gender of the priestess or priest is the same as the divinity they served, the oracle was female because she originally served Gaia (Lloyd-Jones, 61). Once Apollo secured the oracle a temple was built.
According to myth there were five temples to Apollo, only two of the five exist in historic record. The first temple was a hut of laurel branches, the second was built by bees of wax and feathers and eventually sent by Apollo to the land of Hyperboreans, the third was of bronze and was either burned or swallowed by the earth in an earthquake.
The fourth temple was built by Trophonios and Agamedes, respected architects, and was burned in 548 B.C.. The fifth temple was also damaged by an earthquake in 373 B.C. and took fifty years to rebuild, by which time the Pythia had lost power (Sourvino-Inwood, 231).
Over the entrances were inscribed three sayings “Nothing in Excess”, “Know Thyself”, and “Go bail and ruin is at hand” that all would have seen and thoughtfully considered before entering the temple (Lloyd-Jones, 65).
It is known that the temple was built upon a spring that was used for purification by the oracle and her attending priests.
Plutarch, a priest to the oracle, described the vapors from the spring as “sweetest and most expensive perfumes” (Littleton, 77). It was these perfumes that made the oracle ready to speak the words of Apollo.
Inquiries could only be made of Apollo once a year on the seventh day of the Greek month of Bysios-Apollo’s birthday. However according to Plutarch in a passage from Quaestiones Graecae this was eventually changed to the seventh day of each month except the winter months when Apollo did not reside in Delphi. The change from yearly inquires to monthly was made no later than 480 B.C.. Obviously many people wanted to consult the oracle.
So many that Plutarch describes times of there being three oracles on hand, two that worked in shifts and a third in case one wished a reprieve. To organize the people and communities that wished to see the oracle on the given day precedence was given. The city of Delphi always received first precedence and bequeathed second place to a city of their choosing. Those without precedence drew lots for place. Unfortunately, those at the end of the line may not have gotten a chance to see the oracle because of the setting sun and would then have to wait until the next month to try again.
Often the Pythia was asked about colonization. If land was gained because of prophesy by the oracle it was believed that the oracle had some possession of the land and legitimized the conquest, thus increasing the stature of Delphi even more.
The oracle was also asked frequently about introducing religion to the new colonies. She would often respond with what gods would be proper to worship there. Her answers could be direct, conditional on some particular thing, or entirely ambiguous. The more direct the answer given the more legitimate the colony was considered to be.
Before the Pythia could be questioned she had to ritually prepare herself. Much of the purification rites involve laurel as it is the tree of Apollo and associated with divination.
The Pythia would chew laurel leaves and bay leaves, drink from the sacred spring and wear a crown of laurel while sitting on a tripod adorned with laurel over a fissure in the cellar of the temple.
Vapors rose from the fissure and caused the Pythia to go into a trance like state. When she was ready inquirers would be led in by a priest who would ask the question. The oracle would respond and the priests would interpret the answers for the visitor.
Any type of woman could be chosen to be an oracle. Education, marital status, wealth, and age were of no consideration. Women were chosen for their aptitude to speak for the god. However, if a woman was married she would give up all family duties while stationed as the oracle (Hale). Similarly, despite the precedence system, any person could consult the oracle as long as they made an offering to Apollo according to their means.
The reasoning for the Pythia’s riddled answers and the nature of the vapors rising from the floor of the temple has been richly debated in the twentieth century. Early research believed there to be no vapors or chasms below the temple, despite descriptions in ancient texts. New research shows that there are two definite fault lines intersecting below the temple. The Delphic Fault runs east to west and the Kerna Fault runs north and south. Analysis of the hydrocarbon gases in the spring water near the temple are shown to contain ethylene which is sweet smelling and if rising into an enclosed chamber would have been potent enough to cause a trance state (Roach).
Today the concentration of gasses is weaker because of the absence of seismic activity to push the gasses to the surface. It is also believed that the earthquake that damaged the temple in 373B.C. closed the fissures that were releasing the gasses. The oracle’s last response in 362B.C. states that “the temple has fallen” and as Christianity gained power she states that it was interrupting the flow of divine power from Apollo (Hale). It is accepted today that the Pythia lost power not only because of the rise of Christianity, but also because she lacked the hallucinogens necessary to prophesy."
Source
By her statements Delphi was made a wealthy and powerful city-state.
The oracle was at the height of power around 1600 B.C. when Greece was colonizing the Mediterranean and Black Seas (Hale), but was stationed in Delphi from 1400 B.C. to 381 A.D.(Roach). Despite her long tenure it is still debated today how she received the words from Apollo, weather by hallucination or suggestion.
The history of an oracle at Delphi existed long before Apollo came there. According to Diodorus Siculus the first oracle appeared to a shepherd. The shepherd approached a chasm and as he neared he noticed his goats acting strangely. When he got close to the chasm he was affected with divine frenzy and began to tell of future events.
Word spread and others began to visit the oracle of the Earth to divine their own futures.
Unfortunately too many people fell into the chasm and it was decided that only one person would be the prophet. It would be a woman and she would sit upon a tripod so as to not fall into the chasm.
Later stories in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo tell how the site was conquered by Apollo. The Earth mother Gaia kept a holy serpent at Delphi known as Python. Apollo slays Python and keeps the oracle for himself to speak to mortals. Hence, the oracle at Delphi is known as Pythia in honor of the killing of Python.
Also, unlike tradition where the gender of the priestess or priest is the same as the divinity they served, the oracle was female because she originally served Gaia (Lloyd-Jones, 61). Once Apollo secured the oracle a temple was built.
According to myth there were five temples to Apollo, only two of the five exist in historic record. The first temple was a hut of laurel branches, the second was built by bees of wax and feathers and eventually sent by Apollo to the land of Hyperboreans, the third was of bronze and was either burned or swallowed by the earth in an earthquake.
The fourth temple was built by Trophonios and Agamedes, respected architects, and was burned in 548 B.C.. The fifth temple was also damaged by an earthquake in 373 B.C. and took fifty years to rebuild, by which time the Pythia had lost power (Sourvino-Inwood, 231).
Over the entrances were inscribed three sayings “Nothing in Excess”, “Know Thyself”, and “Go bail and ruin is at hand” that all would have seen and thoughtfully considered before entering the temple (Lloyd-Jones, 65).
It is known that the temple was built upon a spring that was used for purification by the oracle and her attending priests.
Plutarch, a priest to the oracle, described the vapors from the spring as “sweetest and most expensive perfumes” (Littleton, 77). It was these perfumes that made the oracle ready to speak the words of Apollo.
Inquiries could only be made of Apollo once a year on the seventh day of the Greek month of Bysios-Apollo’s birthday. However according to Plutarch in a passage from Quaestiones Graecae this was eventually changed to the seventh day of each month except the winter months when Apollo did not reside in Delphi. The change from yearly inquires to monthly was made no later than 480 B.C.. Obviously many people wanted to consult the oracle.
So many that Plutarch describes times of there being three oracles on hand, two that worked in shifts and a third in case one wished a reprieve. To organize the people and communities that wished to see the oracle on the given day precedence was given. The city of Delphi always received first precedence and bequeathed second place to a city of their choosing. Those without precedence drew lots for place. Unfortunately, those at the end of the line may not have gotten a chance to see the oracle because of the setting sun and would then have to wait until the next month to try again.
Often the Pythia was asked about colonization. If land was gained because of prophesy by the oracle it was believed that the oracle had some possession of the land and legitimized the conquest, thus increasing the stature of Delphi even more.
The oracle was also asked frequently about introducing religion to the new colonies. She would often respond with what gods would be proper to worship there. Her answers could be direct, conditional on some particular thing, or entirely ambiguous. The more direct the answer given the more legitimate the colony was considered to be.
Before the Pythia could be questioned she had to ritually prepare herself. Much of the purification rites involve laurel as it is the tree of Apollo and associated with divination.
The Pythia would chew laurel leaves and bay leaves, drink from the sacred spring and wear a crown of laurel while sitting on a tripod adorned with laurel over a fissure in the cellar of the temple.
Vapors rose from the fissure and caused the Pythia to go into a trance like state. When she was ready inquirers would be led in by a priest who would ask the question. The oracle would respond and the priests would interpret the answers for the visitor.
Any type of woman could be chosen to be an oracle. Education, marital status, wealth, and age were of no consideration. Women were chosen for their aptitude to speak for the god. However, if a woman was married she would give up all family duties while stationed as the oracle (Hale). Similarly, despite the precedence system, any person could consult the oracle as long as they made an offering to Apollo according to their means.
The reasoning for the Pythia’s riddled answers and the nature of the vapors rising from the floor of the temple has been richly debated in the twentieth century. Early research believed there to be no vapors or chasms below the temple, despite descriptions in ancient texts. New research shows that there are two definite fault lines intersecting below the temple. The Delphic Fault runs east to west and the Kerna Fault runs north and south. Analysis of the hydrocarbon gases in the spring water near the temple are shown to contain ethylene which is sweet smelling and if rising into an enclosed chamber would have been potent enough to cause a trance state (Roach).
Today the concentration of gasses is weaker because of the absence of seismic activity to push the gasses to the surface. It is also believed that the earthquake that damaged the temple in 373B.C. closed the fissures that were releasing the gasses. The oracle’s last response in 362B.C. states that “the temple has fallen” and as Christianity gained power she states that it was interrupting the flow of divine power from Apollo (Hale). It is accepted today that the Pythia lost power not only because of the rise of Christianity, but also because she lacked the hallucinogens necessary to prophesy."
Source
Now it is time to heal and not just this lifetime. You are processing many lifetimes. You are and have been grieving them. You have been clearing old stuff from many lifetimes. As you heal the layers in this body, and in your eternal energy field. You clear all your past and future lifetimes, and not just on this planet, but on any planet you have incarnated on throughout universal time.
~ Reverend Crystal Cox
~ Reverend Crystal Cox
The Delphic Oracle
The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi was one of the world's most intriguing and unusual establishments. Within that ancient temple-sanctuary located beneath the "Shining Rocks" of Mount Parnassus, the god Apollo spoke through a Pythia, or human priestess, and offered inspiration and guidance to all who sought his aid. For over a thousand years, before and after the time of Christ, the great and less great came to consult him. Pythagoras went there, and stayed to train a Pythia to serve as voice of the god. Herodotus also went there to record what was said. Plutarch served as priest of Apollo for many years. The great lawgivers Lykurgos and Solon obtained suggestions for laws which made their city-states models of justice and freedom. Oedipus, King of Thebes, consulted the Pythia and so did Alexander the Great. Croesus, King of Lydia, sent envoys as did innumerable others of the Greek, Roman, and Christian world. Today tourists travel regularly to Delphi even though the god is silent and few believe, as the ancients did, that divinities communicate with mortals. Yet, in examining the procedures and responses of this most respected of oracles, one wonders if we are wise to close our minds to the possibility of there once having been this form of divine assistance.
Legends tell us that Delphi and its environs had long possessed a mystic power. Diodoros Siculus, Greek historian of the 1st century B.C., for example, wrote -- whether as fact or fiction we cannot be sure -- that a herdsman, following his goats into a rugged glen suddenly became wondrously inspired and saw the future before him. His goats also were affected, gamboling about and bleating oddly. Others even now mention feeling "something" uplifting; and Plutarch, when officiating at the temple at Delphi, explained that "not often nor regularly, but occasionally and fortuitously, the room in which they seat the god's consultants is filled with a fragrance and breeze (pneumatos) as if the adyton were sending forth the essences of the sweetest and most expensive perfumes" (Moralia, 437c).
The area of Delphi originally was called Pytho and belonged to Gaia, goddess of Earth. She and her daughter, Themis, are believed to have spoken oracles ages ago. In the Odyssey, Homer (c. 800 B.C.) has Agamemnon consult the deity there about his prospects in a war against Troy. Earlier, or later than this -- legends are vague about time sequences -- Apollo is said to have journeyed south from the Hyperborean "Land of Truth and Virtue," and arriving at Pytho (Delphi) he slew the great python-dragon that guarded the site and thereon established a sanctuary. This, in the language of myth, suggests that Apollo, a semidivine teacher using the name of the god, revitalized the old and declining serpent- or wisdom-mysteries at Delphi. As representative of Zeus, he offered advice on personal, civil, and sacred matters through Pythias or priestess-prophetesses -- advice that was highly esteemed by the many who visited the Apolline centers, whether at Delphi, at Klaros and Grynia, at Thebes in Boeotia, or elsewhere.
Archaeological findings indicate that the first sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was erected in the 8th century B.C. This may have been the fabled "first three temples of baywood, beeswax and feathers, and bronze" which were destroyed by fire and rebuilt of stone. The crumbling columns and statues one sees there today are apparently the ruins of temples, treasuries, and theater built during the 4th century B.C. However, centuries earlier, Delphi had become a well-established oracular center whose dignity of procedure, and wisdom of pronouncement drew multitudes. Its prestige continued during the entire golden era of Hellenic culture. This was a time when there flourished a galaxy of enlightened men and women whose lives and achievements in the fields of the arts and sciences have become ideals of human endeavor. Solon and Thales lived then, as did Pindar, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and Euripides, Pericles, Herodotus, Demosthenes, Phidias, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. But these wonder-days declined and with them the flow of Apollo's inspiration. His oracles functioned less often and finally, by the 4th century A.D., when the Roman emperor Theodosius ordered all oracles closed and forbade divination, the god had already withdrawn. When the emperor Julian asked how he could help restore the Pythia to power, Apollo replied: "Tell the emperor that my hall has fallen to the ground. Phoibos [Apollo] no longer has his house . . . nor his prophetic spring; the water has dried up" (Fontenrose, p. 353). Earlier, when Emperor Augustus had asked: "Why is the Oracle silent?" he was told: "A Hebrew boy, a god who rules among the blessed bids me leave this house . . . So go in silence from my altars" (op. cit., p. 349).
What has been recorded of the procedure followed at these oracular centers is fragmentary, possibly because it was so well known no one felt the need to describe it. Centuries later reliable writers culled what they could, while others filled in details from imagination. All agree, however, that young girls were selected and carefully trained so that they could transmit the high inspiration of the god without in any way marring its purity and meaning. Later it was found prudent to use married women -- who were required to live apart from their husbands before and during their oracular duties. In fact, even those who consulted the Pythia were expected to practice chastity, and also to undergo purification, offer sacrifice, approach the holy precincts with reverence and trust and, when waiting in the vestibule, to remain silent, thinking pure thoughts.
The Pythias, keenly aware of the sanctity of their responsibility, endeavored to live accordingly. They purified themselves in various ways, such as drinking from the crystal waters of the Castalian spring, and wearing simple garments as shown in vase-paintings on Greek pottery. On the days of consultation the prophetess burned bay leaves and barley meal on the altar and mounted the "high seat," as the tall tripod was called. Once seated and attended by a priest, she waited for the divine afflatus or "breath" to infill her. When she was ready, inquirers were escorted into her presence one at a time. They either asked their questions orally or in writing. She answered them "directly and clearly." Accounts of these sessions mention that "the enquirer spoke directly to the Pythia (or to the god) and that then the Pythia (or the god) responded directly to him," unless the consultant had been sent by someone not present. In such case the response was copied by the priest who sealed it in an envelope, and gave it to the envoy to deliver to the consultant (op. cit., p. 217). When the sessions were finished the Pythia departed, feeling, as Plutarch says, "peaceful and composed."
It is well when examining the god's pronouncements to bear in mind that what has come down to us may or may not be authentic, or carry high inspiration. Some messages undoubtedly were so lofty and private they were treasured in silence, others have suffered through translation and interpretation, and a few may be pure fiction composed long after Delphi had ceased to function. Thus, like the original recipients, we would be wise to test each statement against our inner judgment.
A general procedure was followed: first, the Pythia announced that Apollo himself was the speaker and therefore the message should be heeded. Then she, as the god, expressed concern for the consultant, e.g., "Happy is this man who enters my house. . . ." Next, she answered the query proposed, and finally gave a message that challenged the recipient's judgment and intuition. As Herakleitos declared: "Nowhere or ever did the God of Delphi either reveal or conceal. He indicates only" (Fragment 93).
An example of this type of pronouncement is that received by a Scythian prince who had asked how he would die and was told that a mus (mouse) would cause his death. Forewarned, the prince not only had his houses cleared of mice but refused anyone named Mus to approach him. He died from an infected muscle in his arm, having overlooked the fact that the Greek word for muscle is also mus.
The majority of questions asked of Apollo concerned personal affairs, though some, from statesmen, sought guidance as to what laws or reforms would benefit their state, or sanction to build a temple, found a city, establish a colony, declare war, or make peace. On occasion the oracle found it necessary to deflate an ego as, for instance, when a wealthy magistrate, after sending Delphi a sizable offering, asked: "Pray tell me, who is the most pious man alive?" Apollo told him it was a peasant who had offered a handful of barley.
The earliest oracles are believed to have been given some time between the 9th and 7th centuries B.C. to the Spartan king Lykurgos who on two or three occasions sought advice on how best to govern his unruly subjects. The responses he received enabled him to establish a constitutional government whose benefits were unique in the history of the Greek city-states. We quote from Diodorus Siculus two examples of quasi-historical responses (Fontenrose, pp. 270, 272):
Q7 [Request for good order.]
R. You, Lykurgos, dear to Zeus and all the gods, enter my temple. I don't know whether to call you god or man, but I rather think god. [You have come in quest of good order. I shall give you an order such as no other city has (Diodoros)].
Q9 What shall the rulers do to rule well and the citizens to obey?
R. There are two ways opposite to each other, one leading to the house of freedom, the other to the house of slavery. Lead the people on the road that goes through courage and harmony; avoid that which leads through strife and ruin.
Thus encouraged, Lykurgos established a council of Elders or Senate, and an Assembly, and when the new constitutional order was functioning smoothly he instituted further reforms sanctioned by Delphi. He was, in fact, so successful in bringing divine law within human reach, that after his death his countrymen built a temple in which they and future generations could pay tribute to this man who in character and wisdom was equal to a god.
The best known Delphic injunction was carved into the lintel at the Temple of Apollo: GNOTHI SEAUTON, Know Thyself. These words may have originated in Apollo's response to a question Chilon of Sparta asked: "What is best for man?" The reply, "Know thyself," is similar to the one believed to have been given to the Lydian king, Croesus, when he was told that he must know himself if he would live most happily. Croesus, a man of action and not philosophical, took this to mean that he should know his own strength, know what he wanted, and should rely on his own judgment. Others have found deeper meaning in these words, taking the "self" to mean the higher self, the true Self; to imply that as man is the microcosm of the macrocosm, he who knows himself knows all.
Many who consulted the oracle missed the god's meaning. Still, Apollo gave help through inspiration and the gentle guidance of ideas, without coercion or any interference in an individual's free will. Nor was there ever any appeal to egoism.
Philosophical responses are recorded:
Q. -- Does the soul survive death or does it vanish?
R. -- While the soul is bound to the body, it yields to mortal ills.
But when it finds release at the body's death, it goes entirely to the sky, always ageless, and remains forever whole. For this is the ordinance of divine providence (Fontenrose, p. 428).
And when asked how men can become good, and godlike, Apollo said: "By acting rightly like the gods, and telling the truth" (Davis, p. 26).
These responses give an idea of the quality of guidance offered at Delphi, and they dispel the erroneous idea that has somehow arisen that the prophetess was in any way intoxicated or in a mediumistic trance. H. W. Parke denies such ideas unequivocally in his A History of The Delphic Oracle (pp. 21-2), saying: "Geologically it is quite impossible at Delphi where the limestone and schist could not have emitted a gas with any intoxicating properties." Nor did any ancient writer mention such fumes.
The idea that the Pythia was intoxicated or that she entered a cavern evidently came from the Romans who, when they rose in power, applied to Delphi the features they were familiar with both in the cave-sanctuary of Klaros and the grotto at Cumae. Later writers, unfamiliar with the geological and procedural differences, picked up this explanation and in some cases romanticized it.
Another misconception is that the Pythia's messages were ambiguous and incoherent. Joseph Fontenrose (pp. 223-4) carefully examined the genuine responses and found them unusually clear and direct. What ambiguity he found may have been put there, he believes, by the poets who at one time attended the sessions and wrote the responses in hexameter verse. They, not the Pythia, added the metaphors, riddles, and pompous phrasing. When their services were discontinued, the responses came through again as clear and understandable as originally.
Plutarch, an initiate and careful biographer, explained how the Pythia transmitted the inspiration of Apollo:
the prophetic priestesses are moved [by the god] each in accordance with her natural faculties . . . As a matter of fact, the voice is not that of a god, nor the utterance of it, nor the diction, nor the metre, but all these are the woman's; he [Apollo] puts into her mind only the visions, and creates a light in her soul in regard to the future; for inspiration is precisely this. -- Moralia, "The Oracles at Delphi," V, 397d
Plutarch also rejected the idea that the god in any way possessed the body of the prophetess or that there was mediumship involved. For him the Pythia's inspiration was her reception of divine force, for she had been trained to receive "the inspiration without harm to herself " (op. cit., 438c), and could receive it safely only when she was rightly prepared. An example is often cited of an ill-prepared priestess who was forced against her will and better judgment to enter the adyton and respond to a questioner. She gave a response, but suffered acutely, collapsed, and died a few days later.
The idea that the Pythia was in a trance condition may have come from a misunderstanding of how the Greek words mania and pneuma were used in connection with oracles. While today the term mania refers to various forms of hysteria and insanity, to the ancient Greeks it meant ardor, rapture, enthusiasm, i.e., being infilled with a god. The word pneuma was used for "air," "vapor" and, philosophically, for "soul" and "spirit." When the Pythia mounted the tripod she received, according to Strabo, the pneuma, the divine "breath" or afflatus, a word defined as a divine imparting of knowledge and power and of inspiration, meaning in this case the divine wisdom or breath of Apollo.
Initiates of the Greek Mystery schools were familiar with the idea, having themselves undergone arduous moral, psychological, and mental training and purification in preparation for the sacred experience of transcendent Reality. In similar fashion, the Pythias, by subjugating a portion of their nature, were able to receive and pass on to others something of this import and wonder.
Has this oracular gift been withdrawn from mankind? Many are asking today if it is still possible to receive such inspired advice. Perhaps it is: if we take to heart Apollo's injunction, Know thyself, and turn inwards for counsel. What we make of that counsel, however, is our challenge. Lykurgos used what he received to raise the level of Greek thought and conduct. Croesus, blinded by ambition, misunderstood, and destroyed his kingdom. Others found in the words of the god whether they came through oracle-priestess, prophet, or their own inner source -- guidance of a very high order. "
Source
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/med/me-elo.htm
Legends tell us that Delphi and its environs had long possessed a mystic power. Diodoros Siculus, Greek historian of the 1st century B.C., for example, wrote -- whether as fact or fiction we cannot be sure -- that a herdsman, following his goats into a rugged glen suddenly became wondrously inspired and saw the future before him. His goats also were affected, gamboling about and bleating oddly. Others even now mention feeling "something" uplifting; and Plutarch, when officiating at the temple at Delphi, explained that "not often nor regularly, but occasionally and fortuitously, the room in which they seat the god's consultants is filled with a fragrance and breeze (pneumatos) as if the adyton were sending forth the essences of the sweetest and most expensive perfumes" (Moralia, 437c).
The area of Delphi originally was called Pytho and belonged to Gaia, goddess of Earth. She and her daughter, Themis, are believed to have spoken oracles ages ago. In the Odyssey, Homer (c. 800 B.C.) has Agamemnon consult the deity there about his prospects in a war against Troy. Earlier, or later than this -- legends are vague about time sequences -- Apollo is said to have journeyed south from the Hyperborean "Land of Truth and Virtue," and arriving at Pytho (Delphi) he slew the great python-dragon that guarded the site and thereon established a sanctuary. This, in the language of myth, suggests that Apollo, a semidivine teacher using the name of the god, revitalized the old and declining serpent- or wisdom-mysteries at Delphi. As representative of Zeus, he offered advice on personal, civil, and sacred matters through Pythias or priestess-prophetesses -- advice that was highly esteemed by the many who visited the Apolline centers, whether at Delphi, at Klaros and Grynia, at Thebes in Boeotia, or elsewhere.
Archaeological findings indicate that the first sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was erected in the 8th century B.C. This may have been the fabled "first three temples of baywood, beeswax and feathers, and bronze" which were destroyed by fire and rebuilt of stone. The crumbling columns and statues one sees there today are apparently the ruins of temples, treasuries, and theater built during the 4th century B.C. However, centuries earlier, Delphi had become a well-established oracular center whose dignity of procedure, and wisdom of pronouncement drew multitudes. Its prestige continued during the entire golden era of Hellenic culture. This was a time when there flourished a galaxy of enlightened men and women whose lives and achievements in the fields of the arts and sciences have become ideals of human endeavor. Solon and Thales lived then, as did Pindar, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and Euripides, Pericles, Herodotus, Demosthenes, Phidias, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. But these wonder-days declined and with them the flow of Apollo's inspiration. His oracles functioned less often and finally, by the 4th century A.D., when the Roman emperor Theodosius ordered all oracles closed and forbade divination, the god had already withdrawn. When the emperor Julian asked how he could help restore the Pythia to power, Apollo replied: "Tell the emperor that my hall has fallen to the ground. Phoibos [Apollo] no longer has his house . . . nor his prophetic spring; the water has dried up" (Fontenrose, p. 353). Earlier, when Emperor Augustus had asked: "Why is the Oracle silent?" he was told: "A Hebrew boy, a god who rules among the blessed bids me leave this house . . . So go in silence from my altars" (op. cit., p. 349).
What has been recorded of the procedure followed at these oracular centers is fragmentary, possibly because it was so well known no one felt the need to describe it. Centuries later reliable writers culled what they could, while others filled in details from imagination. All agree, however, that young girls were selected and carefully trained so that they could transmit the high inspiration of the god without in any way marring its purity and meaning. Later it was found prudent to use married women -- who were required to live apart from their husbands before and during their oracular duties. In fact, even those who consulted the Pythia were expected to practice chastity, and also to undergo purification, offer sacrifice, approach the holy precincts with reverence and trust and, when waiting in the vestibule, to remain silent, thinking pure thoughts.
The Pythias, keenly aware of the sanctity of their responsibility, endeavored to live accordingly. They purified themselves in various ways, such as drinking from the crystal waters of the Castalian spring, and wearing simple garments as shown in vase-paintings on Greek pottery. On the days of consultation the prophetess burned bay leaves and barley meal on the altar and mounted the "high seat," as the tall tripod was called. Once seated and attended by a priest, she waited for the divine afflatus or "breath" to infill her. When she was ready, inquirers were escorted into her presence one at a time. They either asked their questions orally or in writing. She answered them "directly and clearly." Accounts of these sessions mention that "the enquirer spoke directly to the Pythia (or to the god) and that then the Pythia (or the god) responded directly to him," unless the consultant had been sent by someone not present. In such case the response was copied by the priest who sealed it in an envelope, and gave it to the envoy to deliver to the consultant (op. cit., p. 217). When the sessions were finished the Pythia departed, feeling, as Plutarch says, "peaceful and composed."
It is well when examining the god's pronouncements to bear in mind that what has come down to us may or may not be authentic, or carry high inspiration. Some messages undoubtedly were so lofty and private they were treasured in silence, others have suffered through translation and interpretation, and a few may be pure fiction composed long after Delphi had ceased to function. Thus, like the original recipients, we would be wise to test each statement against our inner judgment.
A general procedure was followed: first, the Pythia announced that Apollo himself was the speaker and therefore the message should be heeded. Then she, as the god, expressed concern for the consultant, e.g., "Happy is this man who enters my house. . . ." Next, she answered the query proposed, and finally gave a message that challenged the recipient's judgment and intuition. As Herakleitos declared: "Nowhere or ever did the God of Delphi either reveal or conceal. He indicates only" (Fragment 93).
An example of this type of pronouncement is that received by a Scythian prince who had asked how he would die and was told that a mus (mouse) would cause his death. Forewarned, the prince not only had his houses cleared of mice but refused anyone named Mus to approach him. He died from an infected muscle in his arm, having overlooked the fact that the Greek word for muscle is also mus.
The majority of questions asked of Apollo concerned personal affairs, though some, from statesmen, sought guidance as to what laws or reforms would benefit their state, or sanction to build a temple, found a city, establish a colony, declare war, or make peace. On occasion the oracle found it necessary to deflate an ego as, for instance, when a wealthy magistrate, after sending Delphi a sizable offering, asked: "Pray tell me, who is the most pious man alive?" Apollo told him it was a peasant who had offered a handful of barley.
The earliest oracles are believed to have been given some time between the 9th and 7th centuries B.C. to the Spartan king Lykurgos who on two or three occasions sought advice on how best to govern his unruly subjects. The responses he received enabled him to establish a constitutional government whose benefits were unique in the history of the Greek city-states. We quote from Diodorus Siculus two examples of quasi-historical responses (Fontenrose, pp. 270, 272):
Q7 [Request for good order.]
R. You, Lykurgos, dear to Zeus and all the gods, enter my temple. I don't know whether to call you god or man, but I rather think god. [You have come in quest of good order. I shall give you an order such as no other city has (Diodoros)].
Q9 What shall the rulers do to rule well and the citizens to obey?
R. There are two ways opposite to each other, one leading to the house of freedom, the other to the house of slavery. Lead the people on the road that goes through courage and harmony; avoid that which leads through strife and ruin.
Thus encouraged, Lykurgos established a council of Elders or Senate, and an Assembly, and when the new constitutional order was functioning smoothly he instituted further reforms sanctioned by Delphi. He was, in fact, so successful in bringing divine law within human reach, that after his death his countrymen built a temple in which they and future generations could pay tribute to this man who in character and wisdom was equal to a god.
The best known Delphic injunction was carved into the lintel at the Temple of Apollo: GNOTHI SEAUTON, Know Thyself. These words may have originated in Apollo's response to a question Chilon of Sparta asked: "What is best for man?" The reply, "Know thyself," is similar to the one believed to have been given to the Lydian king, Croesus, when he was told that he must know himself if he would live most happily. Croesus, a man of action and not philosophical, took this to mean that he should know his own strength, know what he wanted, and should rely on his own judgment. Others have found deeper meaning in these words, taking the "self" to mean the higher self, the true Self; to imply that as man is the microcosm of the macrocosm, he who knows himself knows all.
Many who consulted the oracle missed the god's meaning. Still, Apollo gave help through inspiration and the gentle guidance of ideas, without coercion or any interference in an individual's free will. Nor was there ever any appeal to egoism.
Philosophical responses are recorded:
Q. -- Does the soul survive death or does it vanish?
R. -- While the soul is bound to the body, it yields to mortal ills.
But when it finds release at the body's death, it goes entirely to the sky, always ageless, and remains forever whole. For this is the ordinance of divine providence (Fontenrose, p. 428).
And when asked how men can become good, and godlike, Apollo said: "By acting rightly like the gods, and telling the truth" (Davis, p. 26).
These responses give an idea of the quality of guidance offered at Delphi, and they dispel the erroneous idea that has somehow arisen that the prophetess was in any way intoxicated or in a mediumistic trance. H. W. Parke denies such ideas unequivocally in his A History of The Delphic Oracle (pp. 21-2), saying: "Geologically it is quite impossible at Delphi where the limestone and schist could not have emitted a gas with any intoxicating properties." Nor did any ancient writer mention such fumes.
The idea that the Pythia was intoxicated or that she entered a cavern evidently came from the Romans who, when they rose in power, applied to Delphi the features they were familiar with both in the cave-sanctuary of Klaros and the grotto at Cumae. Later writers, unfamiliar with the geological and procedural differences, picked up this explanation and in some cases romanticized it.
Another misconception is that the Pythia's messages were ambiguous and incoherent. Joseph Fontenrose (pp. 223-4) carefully examined the genuine responses and found them unusually clear and direct. What ambiguity he found may have been put there, he believes, by the poets who at one time attended the sessions and wrote the responses in hexameter verse. They, not the Pythia, added the metaphors, riddles, and pompous phrasing. When their services were discontinued, the responses came through again as clear and understandable as originally.
Plutarch, an initiate and careful biographer, explained how the Pythia transmitted the inspiration of Apollo:
the prophetic priestesses are moved [by the god] each in accordance with her natural faculties . . . As a matter of fact, the voice is not that of a god, nor the utterance of it, nor the diction, nor the metre, but all these are the woman's; he [Apollo] puts into her mind only the visions, and creates a light in her soul in regard to the future; for inspiration is precisely this. -- Moralia, "The Oracles at Delphi," V, 397d
Plutarch also rejected the idea that the god in any way possessed the body of the prophetess or that there was mediumship involved. For him the Pythia's inspiration was her reception of divine force, for she had been trained to receive "the inspiration without harm to herself " (op. cit., 438c), and could receive it safely only when she was rightly prepared. An example is often cited of an ill-prepared priestess who was forced against her will and better judgment to enter the adyton and respond to a questioner. She gave a response, but suffered acutely, collapsed, and died a few days later.
The idea that the Pythia was in a trance condition may have come from a misunderstanding of how the Greek words mania and pneuma were used in connection with oracles. While today the term mania refers to various forms of hysteria and insanity, to the ancient Greeks it meant ardor, rapture, enthusiasm, i.e., being infilled with a god. The word pneuma was used for "air," "vapor" and, philosophically, for "soul" and "spirit." When the Pythia mounted the tripod she received, according to Strabo, the pneuma, the divine "breath" or afflatus, a word defined as a divine imparting of knowledge and power and of inspiration, meaning in this case the divine wisdom or breath of Apollo.
Initiates of the Greek Mystery schools were familiar with the idea, having themselves undergone arduous moral, psychological, and mental training and purification in preparation for the sacred experience of transcendent Reality. In similar fashion, the Pythias, by subjugating a portion of their nature, were able to receive and pass on to others something of this import and wonder.
Has this oracular gift been withdrawn from mankind? Many are asking today if it is still possible to receive such inspired advice. Perhaps it is: if we take to heart Apollo's injunction, Know thyself, and turn inwards for counsel. What we make of that counsel, however, is our challenge. Lykurgos used what he received to raise the level of Greek thought and conduct. Croesus, blinded by ambition, misunderstood, and destroyed his kingdom. Others found in the words of the god whether they came through oracle-priestess, prophet, or their own inner source -- guidance of a very high order. "
Source
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/med/me-elo.htm
the Oracle of Delphi
"Dating back to 1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece, and in theory all Greeks respected its independence. Built around a sacred spring, Delphi was considered to be the omphalos - the center (literally navel) of the world.
People came from all over Greece and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. And her answers, usually cryptic, could determine the course of everything from when a farmer planted his seedlings, to when an empire declared war.
Arguments over the correct interpretation of an oracle were common, but the oracle was always happy to give another prophecy if more gold was provided. A good example is the famous incident before the Battle of Salamis when the Pythia first predicted doom and later predicted that a 'wooden wall' (interpreted by the Athenians to mean their ships) would save them.
The lack of a strict religious dogma associated with the worship of Greek gods also encouraged scholars to congregate at Delphi, and it became a focal point for intellectual enquiry, as well as an occasional meeting place where rivals could negotiate.
Delphi became a fantastic showcase of art treasures and all Greek states would send rich gifts to keep the Oracle on their side. It finally came to an end in the 4th century AD when a newly Christian Rome proscribed its prophesying"
Source
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/7_p1.html
People came from all over Greece and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. And her answers, usually cryptic, could determine the course of everything from when a farmer planted his seedlings, to when an empire declared war.
Arguments over the correct interpretation of an oracle were common, but the oracle was always happy to give another prophecy if more gold was provided. A good example is the famous incident before the Battle of Salamis when the Pythia first predicted doom and later predicted that a 'wooden wall' (interpreted by the Athenians to mean their ships) would save them.
The lack of a strict religious dogma associated with the worship of Greek gods also encouraged scholars to congregate at Delphi, and it became a focal point for intellectual enquiry, as well as an occasional meeting place where rivals could negotiate.
Delphi became a fantastic showcase of art treasures and all Greek states would send rich gifts to keep the Oracle on their side. It finally came to an end in the 4th century AD when a newly Christian Rome proscribed its prophesying"
Source
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/7_p1.html
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Goddess of Peace; Please Be with Mother Earth and Her People Right Now
"EIRENE (or Irene) was the goddess of peace (eirênê) and of the season of spring (eiar, eiarinos). Late spring was the usual campaign season in Greece when peace was most at risk. Eirene was one of three Horai, goddesses of the seasons and the keepers of the gates of heaven. Her sisters were Eunomia (Order or Good-Pasture) and Dike (Justice).
She was probably identified with the Hora Thallo (Green Shoots), whose name Hesiod gives to Eirene as an epithet in the Theogony. Her opposite number was Polemos (War).
In classical art she usually appears in the company of her two sister Horai bearing the fruits of the seasons. Statues of the goddess represent her as a maiden holding the infant Ploutos (Wealth) in her arms. In this guise she was identified with Demeter and Tykhe.
Hesiod, Works and Days 212 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"But they who give straight judgements [i.e. those who invoke the goddess Dike (Justice)] to strangers and to the men of the land, and go not aside from what is just, their city flourishes, and the people prosper in it: Eirene (Irene, Peace), the nurse of children, is abroad in their land, and all-seeing Zeus never decrees cruel war against them. Neither famine nor disaster ever haunt men who do true justice; but light-heartedly they tend the fields which are all their care. The earth bears them victual in plenty, and on the mountains the oak bears acorns upon the top and bees in the midst. Their woolly sheep are laden with fleeces; their women bear children like their parents. They flourish continually with good things, and do not travel on ships, for the grain-giving earth bears them fruit."
Homer's Epigrams 15 (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"Open of yourselves, you doors, for mightly Ploutos (Plutus, Wealth) will enter in, and with Ploutos comes jolly Euphrosyne (Mirth) and gentle Eirene (Irene, Peace)."
Pindar, Olympian Ode 4. 16 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"And with a heart unsullied labours for Eirene (Irene, Peace), the city's friend."
Pindar, Olympian Ode 13. 6 ff :
"Here [in this city] dwells Eunomia (Good Governance) and that unsullied fountain Dike (Justice), her sister, sure support of cities; and Eirene (Peace) of the same kin, who are the stewards of wealth for mankind--three glorious daughters of wise-counselled Themis.
Far from their path they hold proud Hybris (Insolence), fierce-hearted mother of full-fed Koros (Disdain) . . . But to you sons of Aletes, how often the Horai [i.e. Eunomia, Dike and Eirene], decked in their wreaths, have given the glory of the victor's triumph for supreme valour in the sacred games."
Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragments 101 (from Stobaeus, Anthology) (trans. Campbell) (Greek lyric B.C.) :
"Listen, Moirai (Fates) ... hear our prayers ... send us rose-bloomed Eunomia (Good Order) and her bright-throned sisters Dike (Justice) and garland-wearing Eirana (Peace), and make this city forget its heavy-hearted misfortunes."
Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragment 1021 (from Theogorus the Metochite, Miscellany) :
"O sweet Eirana (Peace), wealth-giver to mortals!"
Aeschylus, Fragment 281 (from Papyri Oxyrhynchus) (trans. Lloyd-Jones) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Not to sow evil . . ((lacuna)) Then Eirene (Irene, Peace) is . . ((lacuna)) for mortals. And I praise this goddess; for she honours a city that reposes in a life of quiet, and augments the admired beauty of its houses, so that they surpass in prosperity the neighbours who are their rivals), nor yet to engender it. And they earnestly desire land for ploughing, abandoning the martial trumpet."
Euripides, Suppliant Women 484 ff (trans. Vellacott) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"How far peace outweighs war in benefits to man; Eirene (Irene, Peace), the chief friend and cherisher of the Mousai (Muses); Eirene (Peace), the enemy of revenge, lover of families and children, patroness of wealth. Yet these blessings we viciously neglect, embrace wars; man with man, city with city fights, the strong enslaves the weak."
Euphorion of Chalcis, Fragments (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III, No. 121 (2b)) (Greek Epic C3rd B.C.) :
"Ares [war personified] allot them their wages in his scales, and rest again from chilling warfare, and send Eirene (Irene, Peace) with her prosperity to men! And in the market let him set Themis (Order) up, requiter of good deeds : and, beside her, Dike (Justice)."
Anonymous, Epigram (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III, No. 113) (Greek elegiac C1st B.C.) :
"Caesar calmed the storm of war and the clash of shields [i.e. at the battle of Actium], and there he cut short the sufferings of fair Eirene (Irene, Peace)."
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 5. 72. 5 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) :
"The Horai (Horae), as they are called, to each of them, according as her name indicates, was given [assigned by Zeus and Hera] the ordering and adornment of life, so as to serve to the greatest advantage of mankind; for there is nothing which is better to build a life of felicity than obedience to law (eunomia) and justice (dike) and peace (eirene)."
Source and More
http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/HoraEirene.html
She was probably identified with the Hora Thallo (Green Shoots), whose name Hesiod gives to Eirene as an epithet in the Theogony. Her opposite number was Polemos (War).
In classical art she usually appears in the company of her two sister Horai bearing the fruits of the seasons. Statues of the goddess represent her as a maiden holding the infant Ploutos (Wealth) in her arms. In this guise she was identified with Demeter and Tykhe.
EIRENE GODDESS OF PEACE
Hesiod, Works and Days 212 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"But they who give straight judgements [i.e. those who invoke the goddess Dike (Justice)] to strangers and to the men of the land, and go not aside from what is just, their city flourishes, and the people prosper in it: Eirene (Irene, Peace), the nurse of children, is abroad in their land, and all-seeing Zeus never decrees cruel war against them. Neither famine nor disaster ever haunt men who do true justice; but light-heartedly they tend the fields which are all their care. The earth bears them victual in plenty, and on the mountains the oak bears acorns upon the top and bees in the midst. Their woolly sheep are laden with fleeces; their women bear children like their parents. They flourish continually with good things, and do not travel on ships, for the grain-giving earth bears them fruit."
Homer's Epigrams 15 (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"Open of yourselves, you doors, for mightly Ploutos (Plutus, Wealth) will enter in, and with Ploutos comes jolly Euphrosyne (Mirth) and gentle Eirene (Irene, Peace)."
Pindar, Olympian Ode 4. 16 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"And with a heart unsullied labours for Eirene (Irene, Peace), the city's friend."
Pindar, Olympian Ode 13. 6 ff :
"Here [in this city] dwells Eunomia (Good Governance) and that unsullied fountain Dike (Justice), her sister, sure support of cities; and Eirene (Peace) of the same kin, who are the stewards of wealth for mankind--three glorious daughters of wise-counselled Themis.
Far from their path they hold proud Hybris (Insolence), fierce-hearted mother of full-fed Koros (Disdain) . . . But to you sons of Aletes, how often the Horai [i.e. Eunomia, Dike and Eirene], decked in their wreaths, have given the glory of the victor's triumph for supreme valour in the sacred games."
Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragments 101 (from Stobaeus, Anthology) (trans. Campbell) (Greek lyric B.C.) :
"Listen, Moirai (Fates) ... hear our prayers ... send us rose-bloomed Eunomia (Good Order) and her bright-throned sisters Dike (Justice) and garland-wearing Eirana (Peace), and make this city forget its heavy-hearted misfortunes."
Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragment 1021 (from Theogorus the Metochite, Miscellany) :
"O sweet Eirana (Peace), wealth-giver to mortals!"
Aeschylus, Fragment 281 (from Papyri Oxyrhynchus) (trans. Lloyd-Jones) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Not to sow evil . . ((lacuna)) Then Eirene (Irene, Peace) is . . ((lacuna)) for mortals. And I praise this goddess; for she honours a city that reposes in a life of quiet, and augments the admired beauty of its houses, so that they surpass in prosperity the neighbours who are their rivals), nor yet to engender it. And they earnestly desire land for ploughing, abandoning the martial trumpet."
Euripides, Suppliant Women 484 ff (trans. Vellacott) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"How far peace outweighs war in benefits to man; Eirene (Irene, Peace), the chief friend and cherisher of the Mousai (Muses); Eirene (Peace), the enemy of revenge, lover of families and children, patroness of wealth. Yet these blessings we viciously neglect, embrace wars; man with man, city with city fights, the strong enslaves the weak."
Euphorion of Chalcis, Fragments (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III, No. 121 (2b)) (Greek Epic C3rd B.C.) :
"Ares [war personified] allot them their wages in his scales, and rest again from chilling warfare, and send Eirene (Irene, Peace) with her prosperity to men! And in the market let him set Themis (Order) up, requiter of good deeds : and, beside her, Dike (Justice)."
Anonymous, Epigram (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III, No. 113) (Greek elegiac C1st B.C.) :
"Caesar calmed the storm of war and the clash of shields [i.e. at the battle of Actium], and there he cut short the sufferings of fair Eirene (Irene, Peace)."
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 5. 72. 5 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) :
"The Horai (Horae), as they are called, to each of them, according as her name indicates, was given [assigned by Zeus and Hera] the ordering and adornment of life, so as to serve to the greatest advantage of mankind; for there is nothing which is better to build a life of felicity than obedience to law (eunomia) and justice (dike) and peace (eirene)."
Source and More
http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/HoraEirene.html
Living in the Here, the Now
Each Day, A new assessment
We look around, Who is Left
what is before us.
Can we smile though
the loss and life we
bear witness to
may not bring a smile?
Can we forgive ourselves,
and smile at the mirror,
and at those who pass us by?
Each day, in the NOW
we look around, we set our intentions
we say a pray, allow the energy
of the day to wash over us,
without Judging it, without Mourning,
without Fear, simply with Faith.
Can we Laugh and Play in the NOW.
As we are STILL HERE. Even though
so many are leaving Mother Earth
at this time?
Can we leave their fate up to them,
and between that individual and the divine,
and make sure we set the intention for what
we, ourselves want to experience?
YOU are in the NOW.
Look Around. Smile.
Set your Intention. Laugh, Walk,
acknowledge the beauty of
Mother Earth and simply be,
without judging yourself,
without the proverbial
woulda, coulda, shoulda,
and simply live until you
Go Home.
~ Reverend Crystal Cox
Each Day, A new assessment
We look around, Who is Left
what is before us.
Can we smile though
the loss and life we
bear witness to
may not bring a smile?
Can we forgive ourselves,
and smile at the mirror,
and at those who pass us by?
Each day, in the NOW
we look around, we set our intentions
we say a pray, allow the energy
of the day to wash over us,
without Judging it, without Mourning,
without Fear, simply with Faith.
Can we Laugh and Play in the NOW.
As we are STILL HERE. Even though
so many are leaving Mother Earth
at this time?
Can we leave their fate up to them,
and between that individual and the divine,
and make sure we set the intention for what
we, ourselves want to experience?
YOU are in the NOW.
Look Around. Smile.
Set your Intention. Laugh, Walk,
acknowledge the beauty of
Mother Earth and simply be,
without judging yourself,
without the proverbial
woulda, coulda, shoulda,
and simply live until you
Go Home.
~ Reverend Crystal Cox
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