Fates

The Three Fates, Leeson Street Gate, Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland - Jaqian via Wikipedia

The Greek Fates or Moirae were three goddesses in charge of the destiny of human beings from birth to death.

Clotho spun the thread of a person’s life. Lachesis determined the length of the thread (one’s lifespan). And Atropos clipped the thread at the time of a person’s death.

Although other Greek gods were immortal, they too feared the Fates. The gods often favored heroic or noble human beings and had to appease or bargain with the Fates to deliver someone from the underworld.

Fortune tellers acted as mediums for the Fates. Normally depicted as ugly old hags, some mythic stories say the Fates were born of Zeus and the Titaness Themis (representing justice) but no unified opinion exists as to their origin.

They were called Parcae by the Romans, who incorporated many Greek core ideas into their religion.

Related articles

• Fate (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• The Moirae: Deities who Spin the Threads of Life (yuenxdioses.wordpress.com)
• Greco roman glossary (slideshare.net)

Juvenal

Frontispiece depicting Juvenal and Persius, from a volume translated by John Dryden in 1711 via Wikipedia

Juvenal (Decimus Junius Juvenali, c. 55-130 CE) was a Roman satirist whose sharp, critical eye gives a reality check to those who uncritically glorify ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt as examples of a mythical ‘golden age.’

The ancient world was typically corrupt, hypocritical and cruel, with large numbers of miserable have-nots (slaves and the over-taxed poor) at the whim and mercy of a tiny group of often tyrannical rulers.

As for sacred temples, Juvenal writes that they are frequently used as meeting places for casual hetero- and homosexual sex. To the “provincial” Naevolus he says:

It’s not so long, I recall, since you used to hang around the temples of Ceres and Isis, or Ganymede’s little shrine
In the temple of Peace, or Cybele’s secret grotto
On the Palatine Hill – all such places are hot-spots for easy women.
You laid them by the dozens then, and (something you don’t mention)
More often than not you would have their husbands, too (Juvenal, The Sixteen Satires, trans. Peter Green, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974, p. 195).

And his take on the Roman state religion’s feast days is just as controversial:

What feast-day’s so holy it never produces the usual quota
Of theft, embezzlement, fraud, all those criminal get-rich-quick schemes,
Glittering fortunes won by the dagger or drug-box? (Ibid., p. 249).

Juvenal’s vivid and piercing portrait of ancient Rome might be more relevant to some contemporary cultures than Voltaire‘s equally powerful satire, Candide, even though the latter is nearer to the present, chronologically speaking.

Contemporary scholars don’t know if Juvenal really stood behind his criticisms or, instead, was simply writing about some of his contemporaries who viewed things as he wrote them.

While Juvenal’s mode of satire has been noted from antiquity for its wrathful scorn towards all representatives of social deviance, some politically progressive scholars such as W.S. Anderson and later S.M. Braund have attempted to defend his work as actually a rhetorical persona (mask) taken up by the author to critique the very attitudes he appears to be exhibiting in his works.¹

—

¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenal#Modern_criticism_and_historical_context_of_the_Satires

Related articles

• Rome by Robert Hughes (guardian.co.uk)
• Roma Antica – Rome, Italy (travelpod.com)

Jupiter

Fresco from Pompeii - Jupiter enthroned with Mars and Venus via Wikipedia

Mythology:

In classical Roman mythology Jupiter is the master deity, often depicted with flowing hair, beard, thunder and a thunderbolt.

He was worshipped by the Roman elite at his sacred temple on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.

Also known as Jovis, Jupiter was regarded as the upholder of justice who protected the state and its rulers. He also presided over the Roman games.

Jupiter is likely related to the Vedic Dyas Pitar and has probable origins as a sky and weather god. However, he clearly evolved into a bellicose deity, and is also seen, among his other attributes, as a god of war.

His Greek counterpart is Zeus. In Britain he was called Jove—hence the phrase by Jove! And mention of Jove appears quite often in Shakespeare.

At lovers’ perjuries,
They say Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully. ¹

Image Courtesy NASA

Astronomy:

In astronomy, Jupiter is the 5^th planet from the sun, with 16 natural satellites, taking 11.9 years to complete a full orbit that travels between the paths of Mars and Saturn.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system with 63 natural satellites.

Culture:

In the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel, 2010, Jupiter figures prominently as the location for a fictional hyperspace portal to the stars.

——

¹ http://www.enotes.com/romeo-and-juliet-text/act-ii-scene-ii

Related Posts » Dyaus, Hephaestus, Hercules, Juno, Mars, Pisces, Sagittarius, Swedenborg, (Emanuel), Venus, Vulcan

Related articles

• Juno (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• The Greatest Mysteries of Jupiter (space.com)
• -aurora -diana -cupid -venus -jove -dido -juno -titan What are these roman gods and goddesses in charge of and what are their characteristics (wiki.answers.com)
• Does Jupiter have damage from being close to the asteroid belt (wiki.answers.com)
• … the Side of Unique Serenity Please (sycalaelen.wordpress.com)
• “The Planets” – A Poem (rodscuriosityshop.wordpress.com)
• Starwatch: Look east for Jupiter and Mars (guardian.co.uk)
• April 30: Mars conjuncts Jupiter (thecolorsofwellness.com)
• Phobos passes Jupiter… as seen from Mars! (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
• A New Vision Explains How Jupiter Ruined Mars (scienceray.com)

Joachim of Fiore

Cistercians at work via Wikipedia

Joachim of Fiore (c. 1135-1202) was an Italian monk and prophet who apparently in his youth experienced a significant mystical illumination.

He left his office as Abbot of a Cistercian monastery to found his own, more contemplative congregation at Fiore within the Sila Mountains.

Joachim’s theory of history is often cited by depth psychologists and theologians. He viewed history as a sequence of three periods.

The first period is characterized by Mosaic law where The Father presides and inspires “servile obedience and fear.”

The second period is characterized by “grace, filial obedience and faith,” dominated by the Son. Being imperfect, it ends badly. This necessitates the third period of the reign of the Holy Spirit.

The third period of The Holy Spirit was to begin in 1260 and continue to the prophesied end-times, delivering the rule of “Spirit, liberty and love.”

C. G. Jung believed Fiore’s understanding of the Holy Spirit charged the prophet’s life with innovative ideas with numinous purpose. Jung says this was further enhanced by the apparent synchronicity of Fiore living during the onset of the astrological aeon of Pisces “the beginning of the sphere of the ‘antichristian’ fish in Pisces.”¹

The fish is an ancient Christian symbol, dating back to early inscriptions excavated at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Even if the appearance of the ‘antichristian’ fish symbol is somehow synchronistic with Fiore’s understanding of the Holy Spirit, we should recall that synchronicity is an ethically neutral concept, and an alleged phenomenon occurring in the context of good or evil.

Related Posts » Adam

——

¹ C. G. Jung, Aion in The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, ed. William McGuire et al., trans. R. F. C. Hull, Bollingen Series XX.  Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press, 1954-79, Vol. 9/2, p. 85.

Related articles

• The Holy Spirit is withdrawing from the world (georgehachmyblog.wordpress.com)
• The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: What They Are and How to Use Them (catholicdefense.blogspot.com)
• May the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with You (sjbrown58.wordpress.com)
• 6/12/2011 The Holy Spirit Amazes (richbrownforewords.wordpress.com)
• Meditation: The Work of the Holy Spirit (deaconjohn1987.wordpress.com)
• Fruits and Gifts (cloudygearz.wordpress.com)
• The Work Of The Holy Spirit (catholicjules.net)
• The living water of the Holy Spirit (deaconjohn1987.wordpress.com)
• On the Identity and Role of the Holy Spirit (brokenheartedboldness.wordpress.com)

Martin Luther

The 95 Theses, circa 1517. Written in protest by Martin Luther against Church abuse via Wikipedia

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the son of a copper miner, born at Eisleben, and the founder of the German Protestant Reformation.

After a traditional education, Luther entered an Augustinian monastery in 1505. He was ordained as a priest in 1507 and in 1512 earned the title of Doctor of Theology and Professor of Scripture at Wittenberg.

Luther became widely known as a reformer after visiting Rome in 1510-11, where he was appalled by the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. In 1517 he denied the Pope‘s authority to forgive sins by posting his 95 theses on the Church door at Wittenberg.

Apparently intended as a mere theological argument, intense controversy followed this pivotal act.

Luther was called to Rome to defend his theses. He ignored the summons and continued to challenge the papacy even more forcefully, publicly setting to flames the papal bull that condemned his activities.

A Church order was given to destroy his written works. Luther was called before the Diet at Worms and expelled from the Empire. His Augsburg Confession, where the character Melanchthon represents his own views, is a benchmark for the German Reformation (1530).

Luther married a nun and had six children, one of whom died young. In his later years he showed definite signs of antisemitism, which has lead to his controversial status.¹

—

¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_and_antisemitism

Related Posts » Bach (Johann Sebastian), Calvin (John), Calvinism, Confirmation, Consubstantiation, Erasmus Desiderius, Evil, Holy, Justification, More (St. Thomas), Nietzsche (Friedrich), Numinous, Otto (Rudolf)

Related Articles

• Celebrating the Birth of Martin Luther (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)
• What man started the reformation movement (wiki.answers.com)
• Does Twitter take itself too seriously? [Jeff Mowatt] (ecademy.com)
• ‘Wittenberg’ is an intellectual workout with Hamlet, Faustus and Luther (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Calvin, Luther and Zwingli: Devotees of Mary (trustinjesus.wordpress.com)

Luna

The Greek Diana was regarded as a huntress and also took on attributes of a Moon Goddess via Wikipedia

Luna is the Latin word for ‘moon’ and the oldest Roman moon goddess. The moon later becomes identified with Diana and Hecate.

Luna’s 6^th-century BCE temple on the Aventine Hill was was destroyed by the great fire, for which Nero blamed and persecuted local Christians.

Luna/Selene by antmoose via Flickr and Wikipedia

Her Greek parallel is Selene.

Related Posts » Artemis, Cancer, Particle-Wave Duality

Related Articles

• Alex & f(x)’s Luna perform a duet for “Idol Star 7080 Best Singer” (allkpop.com)
• f(x)’s Luna prepares for her musical debut through “Legally Blonde” (allkpop.com)
• What is Luna Fest? (greenanswers.com)
• SoLuna – Danny Flippo (itunes.apple.com)
• El ombligo de la luna (danielhernandez.typepad.com)
• SME artists record supportive messages for Luna’s musical debut (allkpop.com)
• Luna Nueva En Huiloapan Group : Mexico (kiva.org)
• [SPOILER] SHINee’s Onew tackles f(x)’s Luna (allkpop.com)
• Oscar Danilo Martinez Luna : Nicaragua (kiva.org)
• Why are moons such as titan an Io named after a specific moon You wouldn’t call Neptune an earth but you would call titan a moon instead of making another name for a category like planet (wiki.answers.com)

Mythic Inflation

Image via Wikipedia

Mythic Inflation is a term introduced by Joseph Campbell.

Campbell says Egyptian cultural beliefs about a ruler’s relation to God or gods progresses through several historical stages, each taking its own form.

In the second stage of mythic inflation, the ruler’s aggrandized ego believes and acts as if it were a deity. Mythically inflated rulers exhibit haughty arrogance and are obsessed with gaining material wealth and power over others. They ruthlessly lie, trick, exploit and murder to achieve earthly desires and prestige.

In contrast to mythic identification, the mythically inflated king would never consider sacrificing himself for the good of the community.

In ancient Egypt the often brutal, power-hungry kings envisioned themselves as “God on earth,” as did Julius Caesar in Rome.

Whether or not the examples Campbell provides to (apparently) support these stages reflect actual social-historical conditions remains open to debate.

Related Posts » Aliens, Alien Possession, Inflation, Mythic Dissociation, Mythic Eternalization, Mythic Identification, Mythic Subordination, Pyramids

Related Articles

• Mythic Subordination (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• Mythic Identification (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• Mythic Dissociation (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• Mythic Eternalization (earthpages.wordpress.com)
• Myth (earthpages.wordpress.com)

Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo, The Libyan Sibyl, post restoration via Wikipedia

Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni 1475-1564) was an Italian sculptor and painter also known for his poetry.

Born in Tuscany, Michelangelo was closely affiliated with the Christian Church and was commissioned for several works. His most celebrated works are the marble David, sculpted in Florence and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, which he painted from 1508 to 1512 while commissioned by Pope Julius II.

Scholars have variously tried to peg his work as Neoplatonic to homoerotic. But such facile pigeonholing probably tells us more about the pedants who study him instead of his multifaceted genius.

Michelangelo said that while sculpting he simply removed the stone that hid the figure already within, an idea containing deep and far-reaching philosophical implications.

Search Think Free » Causality

Related Articles

• Michelangelo found behind sofa in Buffalo, NY (americablog.com)
• New York Family May Own Michelangelo Painting (shoppingblog.com)
• Michelangelo painting in a U.S. living room? (thestar.com)
• Family thinks it has Michelangelo painting (cnn.com)
• Michelangelo painting in US living room? (thestar.com)
• Painting from NY home may be Michelangelo (today.msnbc.msn.com)
• Michelangelo’s American Pieta (socyberty.com)
• Michelangelo’s Color Palette ColorTherapy (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Michelangelo drawings on display in Vienna (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• $300m ‘Michelangelo painting’ found behind sofa (telegraph.co.uk)

Add more, report errors or voice your opinion by posting a comment

Rome

Burning Rome: cuellar / Jose Maria Cuellar

Rome is the vibrant capital of Italy which has a long and complicated history, dating back to the 8^th century BCE.

Pre-Christian Rome fell in the 5^th century to Germanic invaders. In the 6^th century it became an important center for the Christian Church, with Vatican City on the West bank of the Tiber river.

In 1871 Rome became the capital of modern Italy.

When it was the center of the old Roman Empire, Rome was a symbol of worldly power and also of the cruel persecution of the early Christians. Ironically, the center for the persecution of Christians was to become the center for Christianity and later, as the Protestant revolution arose, for Catholicism.

The historian Arnold Toynbee and several others note that as soon as the Christian Romans gained power, they began persecuting individuals just as the pagan Romans had previously persecuted Christians.

Toynbee believes it was mostly power – and the greed and arrogance that often goes with it – that was responsible for this exceedingly cruel behavior among human beings.

» Acts of the Apostles, Aeneas, Aeneid, Caesar (Julius), Church Fathers,  Mythic Inflation, Romulus and Remus, Vestal Virgin

+ Add / Edit / Opinion

Sibyl

The Libyan Sibyl by Cliff

Sibyl

A name representing alleged prophetesses consulted in ancient Greece and Rome, said to prophecize in ecstasy, under the temporary possession of Apollo.

Ten Sibylline oracles have been recorded by history. The best known Sibyl is said to have resided in a cave at Cumea, near Naples–”The Cumean Sibyl.”

In Vergil‘s Aneid this Sibyl is visited by Aeneas before his descent to Hades. She is also believed to have composed the original Sibylline books.

These prophetic works were taken to Rome, where they were guarded by two nobles. Extended volumes of Sibylline books survived into the 4^th century CE.

Another famous Sibyl lived in Erythia in Asia, “The Erythian Sibyl.”

Sibyls appear in Christian art and literature. Early Christian interest in the Sibylline oracles raised them to a status comparable to the Old Testament Prophets.

In 1973 a popular novel, Sibyl, was written by Flora Rheta Schreiber based on the life of Shirley Ardell Mason, a woman diagnosed with multiple personality disorder or MPD. In 1976 the book was made into a film with Sally Field as Sibyl.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, two other novels have also been entitled Sibyl.

» Mistletoe, DSM-IV-TR

Add more, report errors or voice your opinion by commenting