The Secret Texts of Hellenic Polytheism

The Secret Texts of Hellenic Polytheism
Author: John Opsopaus
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0738770930

"Translations and commentary on Plethon's complete system of Neopagan theology and religious practice focused on the Hellenic pantheon and deeply rooted in ancient Greek Paganism. Includes rituals, prayers, invocations, and hymns for holiday and daily use along with Plethon's complete sacred calendar"--

Hellenic Polytheism : Household Worship

Hellenic Polytheism : Household Worship
Author: Christos Panopoulos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2014-11-20
Genre:
ISBN: 9781503121881

Within this publication, the reader is presented with explanations for the central concepts and basic guidelines to the ceremonies that form a part of Hellenic Household Worship as has been established and is currently practiced by the LABRYS Polytheistic Community in Hellas (Greece).It serves as a useful introductory manual for the newcomer to contemporary Hellenic Polytheism as they take the first steps on their journey to worship the Hellenic Gods in a traditional manner.

The Oracles of Apollo

The Oracles of Apollo
Author: John Opsopaus
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2017-07-08
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0738752258

Throughout history, divination has been an important tool for seeking guidance from the gods. Fortunately, several classical divination systems are available to us again today. The Oracles of Apollo shows how to use two rediscovered divination systems: the Alphabet Oracle, a system that uses the ancient Greek alphabet, and the Counsels of the Seven Sages, a series of 147 short, oracular statements that were inscribed on tablets at Delphi. This book shares divination techniques and rituals—including the use of alphabet stones, dice, staves, beads, and coins—and interpretations of the outcomes to help you integrate the wisdom of the gods and goddesses. These oracles were originally designed thousands of years ago to provide insights into practical matters and deeper issues...and they can be used again today.

George Gemistos Plethon

George Gemistos Plethon
Author: Christopher Montague Woodhouse
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 424
Release: 1986
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

This study of the Byzantine philosopher George Gemistos Plethon includes the first complete translation of his treatise, On the Differences of Aristotle from Plato, and summarizes all his other works. Woodhouse emphasizes Plethon's controversy with George Scholarios on the respective merits of Plato and Aristotle and his important impact on the Italian humanists during the Council of Union at Ferrara and Florence in 1438-9. Though Plethon's ambition to create a new religion based on Neoplatonism was never realized, his ideas had a significant influence on the western Renaissance.

Hellenic Polytheism: A Personal Guide for Ancient Greek Practitioners

Hellenic Polytheism: A Personal Guide for Ancient Greek Practitioners
Author: Chris Aldridge
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2017-06-28
Genre: Gods, Greek
ISBN: 1387067702

Dive into Hellenic Polytheism with this wonderful guide for practitioners of ancient Greek religion. Written by a living ancient Greek priest with years of experience, Chris Aldridge leads the practitioner and the student through the basic and in-depth studies on Hellenic Polytheism, including building shrines, altars and religious spaces, daily rites, offerings, divination, purifications, myth, history and more.

Cut These Words into My Stone

Cut These Words into My Stone
Author:
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2013-01-31
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1421408058

The lively ancient epitaphs in this bilingual collection fit together like small mosaic tiles, forming a vivid portrait of Greek society. Cut These Words into My Stone offers evidence that ancient Greek life was not only celebrated in great heroic epics, but was also commemorated in hundreds of artfully composed verse epitaphs. They have been preserved in anthologies and gleaned from weathered headstones. Three-year-old Archianax, playing near a well, Was drawn down by his own silent reflection. His mother, afraid he had no breath left, Hauled him back up wringing wet. He had a little. He didn't taint the nymphs' deep home. He dozed off in her lap. He's sleeping still. These words, translated from the original Greek by poet and filmmaker Michael Wolfe, mark the passing of a child who died roughly 2,000 years ago. Ancient Greek epitaphs honor the lives, and often describe the deaths, of a rich cross section of Greek society, including people of all ages and classes— paupers, fishermen, tyrants, virgins, drunks, foot soldiers, generals—and some non-people—horses, dolphins, and insects. With brief commentary and notes, this bilingual collection of 127 short, witty, and often tender epigrams spans 1,000 years of the written word. Cut These Words into My Stone provides an engaging introduction to this corner of classical literature that continues to speak eloquently in our time.

Witch Hunt in Galatia

Witch Hunt in Galatia
Author: Jeremy Wade Barrier
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2020-09-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1978709765

Approximately 2,000 years ago, some Jewish communities of Galatia in central Asia Minor believed they had fallen under a curse, argues Jeremy Wade Barrier. A fellow Jew named Paul wrote the letter we call Galatians to help them escape its effects. In the letter, Barrier argues, Paul called for the Jews in Galatia to stop practicing circumcision. The rite had fallen into disuse within many Jewish communities in the Roman Empire, but Barrier argues the Galatian Jews believed it was a talisman that would protect them from harm. As a further precaution, they needed to deal with the person who had brought this evil to their community. A witch hunt was underway, and some had concluded that the witch was none other than Paul. Barrier provides a reconstruction of the original occasion of Paul’s letter to the Galatians and shows how Paul defended himself from accusations of witchcraft by countering that the ritual that would protect them from the “Evil Eye” was not circumcision, but rather baptism. Through the ritual of baptism, they could receive healing from a material, yet divine, “breath” of God. Barrier also reconstructs an earlier understanding of this pneuma that was lost to subsequent Christianity under the influence of Neoplatonism.

Damascius' Problems and Solutions Concerning First Principles

Damascius' Problems and Solutions Concerning First Principles
Author: Sara Ahbel-Rappe
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2010-10-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199882150

Damascius was head of the Neoplatonist academy in Athens when the Emperor Justinian shut its doors forever in 529. His work, Problems and Solutions Concerning First Principles, is the last surviving independent philosophical treatise from the Late Academy. Its survey of Neoplatonist metaphysics, discussion of transcendence, and compendium of late antique theologies, make it unique among all extant works of late antique philosophy. It has never before been translated into English. The Problems and Solutions exhibits a thorough?going critique of Proclean metaphysics, starting with the principle that all that exists proceeds from a single cause, proceeding to critique the Proclean triadic view of procession and reversion, and severely undermining the status of intellectual reversion in establishing being as the intelligible object. Damascius investigates the internal contradictions lurking within the theory of descent as a whole, showing that similarity of cause and effect is vitiated in the case of processions where one order (e.g. intellect) gives rise to an entirely different order (e.g. soul). Neoplatonism as a speculative metaphysics posits the One as the exotic or extopic explanans for plurality, conceived as immediate, present to hand, and therefore requiring explanation. Damascius shifts the perspective of his metaphysics: he struggles to create a metaphysical discourse that accommodates, insofar as language is sufficient, the ultimate principle of reality. After all, how coherent is a metaphysical system that bases itself on the Ineffable as a first principle? Instead of creating an objective ontology, Damascius writes ever mindful of the limitations of dialectic, and of the pitfalls and snares inherent in the very structure of metaphysical discourse.

Hellenismos

Hellenismos
Author: Tony Mierzwicki
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2018-08-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0738743755

Heed the Call of the Greek Gods and Goddesses The religion of the ancient Greeks has lain dormant for too long. In Hellenismos, Tony Mierzwicki shows how to bring it back in all of its primal glory. Learn how to forge personal relationships with the ancient Greek deities. Recreate the practices of the Greeks and enjoy the richness of their spiritual practices. Explore this accessible introduction to Greek reconstruction and discover: Ancient Greek history and culture Deities, Daimones, and Heroes Simple daily observances and personal practice The lunar cycle and festival observances Controversial issues regarding Greek reconstruction Praise: "I, for one, welcome Tony Mierzwicki's marvelous work, Hellenismos. In a single volume, it not only fills a vacuum in my education, it clearly and concisely provides fascinating insights into a world to which we are all indebted—a world of gods, and heroes, and spirits, and magick, and all that is great, judicious, and distinct in the western soul."—Lon Milo DuQuette, author of Homemade Magick and Low Magick "Communion with the gods is grounded in everyday practice. Hellenismos provides the reader with the necessary tools to quickly enter into Pagan Greek religion. The book combines an accurate historical understanding with practices updated for today's needs."—Brandy Williams, author of For the Love of the Gods and The Woman Magician "Mierzwicki has succeeded in combining fine scholarship with deep vision to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of Grecian polytheistic theory and practice. His offering brings to life an ancient tradition made relevant for modern times."—Kristoffer Hughes, author of The Book of Celtic Magic, From the Cauldron Born, and The Journey Into Spirit "Hellenismos is an excellent guide to practicing ancient Greek polytheism. Advancing from daily, personal practices, to the sacred lunar month, and finally to the annual festival cycle, Tony gently draws the reader deeper into Hellenic polytheism."—John Opsopaus, author of The Oracles of Apollo and The Pythagorean Tarot "Hellenismos makes an open and shut case for the need to modify the ancient Greek religion to suit the modern world, rather than recreating it faithfully...The author provides a wonderful guide to crafting your own personal path of venerating the ancient Greek gods and goddesses while remaining true to the spirit of the time."—Karen Tate, author of Walking An Ancient Path "In Hellenismos author Tony Mierzwicki provides an invaluable resource for both novice and experienced practitioners of ancient Greek religion...With instructions for holding daily, monthly, and annual observances, this book is nothing less than a toolkit for building your personal Hellenic path."—Alaric Albertsson, author of A Handbook of Saxon Sorcery and Magic and To Walk a Pagan Path

Hittite Texts and Greek Religion

Hittite Texts and Greek Religion
Author: Ian Rutherford
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2020-08-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199593272

Our knowledge of ancient Greek religion has been transformed in the last century by an increased understanding of the cultures of the Ancient Near East. Using preserved cuneiform texts, this book explores cases of contact or influence between Ancient Greece and the Hittites to further our understanding of the complex history of religious practices.