The gods decide all things. I was uncertain whether I should spend the evening telling fortunes on the street corner or writing more poetry. Once I walked all the way down there and set up the shrine the heavens began to thunder and pour though it had been bone dry all afternoon. So poetry it [...]
Posts Tagged ‘kleopatra’
A myth of books
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged ariadne, dionysos, gods, harlequin, heroes, holy fool, italy, kleopatra, magic, marcus antonius, mythology, odin, philosophy, pinocchio on 05/26/2012 | Leave a Comment »
Looking forward by looking back
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged egypt, greece, kleopatra, marcus antonius, philosophy, plutarch, ptolemies, rome on 02/13/2012 | 1 Comment »
One of the most important functions of tradition is that serves as a point of reference which allows us to make sense of our own all-too-often chaotic and confusing lives by furnishing us with a rich vocabulary and a storehouse of symbols and stories from the past that can be used to explain and make [...]
Things are coming together in interesting ways
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dionysos, haides, herakles, heroes, kleopatra, marcus antonius, mythology, ptolemies on 01/12/2012 | 2 Comments »
Enjoy the show. This is what we call: Literary mysteries. So, Dionysos is hypersyncretic because he’s the god of acting, right? Well, that got me thinking. For instance he dresses up like Herakles in Aristophanes’ The Frogs so that he can descend into the underworld. This katabasis scene can’t help but invoke that enigmatic passage [...]
A Revelation
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged artemis, dionysos, eugene, festivals, heroes, holy fool, kleopatra, local focus polytheism, marcus antonius, spider on 10/27/2011 | Leave a Comment »
When you peel away the flesh of a god, don’t be surprised if you find a man beneath, covered in blood and smiling madly. In his madness he’s no longer mortal, but there’s nothing to be done about the weight of the mask. Why do I tell you these secrets, oh ghostly strangers? Because I [...]
I tend to be fairly phallocentric here at The House of Vines
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged kleopatra on 08/20/2011 | 8 Comments »
So, in the interest of fairness I present: Thanks to BEING CLEOPATRA for this one.
Reunion
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged kleopatra, marcus antonius on 08/12/2011 | Leave a Comment »
“I have been away too long.” Antony smiles, but not as freely as he once did. His eyes have grown harder, colder from things he’s seen but will not tell her about. There are more lines etching his handsome face than she remembers, new streaks of grey at his temples. He holds himself stiffly, even [...]
Wedding-night jitters
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexandria, egypt, julius caesar, kleopatra, marcus antonius, ptolemies, rome on 08/12/2011 | 1 Comment »
So this is to be my husband, she thinks as she watches him approach from the scented sheets of her bed – now their bed, by official decree of the Roman people and the conqueror, Julius Caesar. He looks ridiculous in the double-crown, perched precariously on his boyish brow. She hopes he has the sense [...]
On the eve of Sextilis
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged egypt, julius caesar, kleopatra, rome on 07/29/2011 | 5 Comments »
Oh Kaisariōn, my sweet boy, I can see your father’s fire glowing in your bright eyes, so clever and alert and full of ripe promise. And there in your strong cheekbones and soft chin and sharp hawk’s nose, I detect a trace of my own ancestors who came to this river-fed land so long ago [...]
A message from Antony to his beloved Kleopatra
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dionysos, kleopatra, marcus antonius, mythology on 07/28/2011 | Leave a Comment »
I promised you wine and raving in the woods, pine needles clinging to your unbraided hair as you race around, out of your mind, clutching living dead things in your hands, paying respect to poisonous herbs that call forth memories of the long-departed, the fair ones who feast wearing the faces of savage beasts, while [...]
This is starting to get a little absurd
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged anthesteria, dionysos, holy fool, italy, kleopatra, marcus antonius, spider on 07/28/2011 | 2 Comments »
So I was just on the toilet thumbing through a book about Renaissance Italian literature and commedia dell’arte (where better to conduct one’s Classical studies?) when I opened it at random to the following passage: Another play shows him in despair because he thinks his Diamantina does not love him, and he announces that he [...]
A month of Antony and Kleopatra
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexandria, festivals, kleopatra, marcus antonius, oracles, religious practice, writing on 07/25/2011 | 9 Comments »
Although there will be no festivals, no regular devotional days and no oracular session during the month which the vulgar insist on calling “August” it is not entirely true that this will be a time completely devoid of religious significance for me. I plan to spend each of its 31 days intensely focused on my [...]
The New Wine we were promised: I
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexander the great, alexandria, apollon, creative writing pledge drive, dionysos, egypt, festivals, gods, greece, hellenismos, herakles, heroes, jim morrison, kleopatra, marcus antonius, music, philosophy, ptolemies, religious practice, rome on 07/20/2011 | 8 Comments »
For Castus. Act One: Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin. I was recently asked to say a few words on a topic that is near and dear to my heart – hero cultus within contemporary polytheism. My literary patron (whose generosity is exceeded only by his wisdom) had some specific criteria in mind [...]
An important note about the Dionysos Day oracles
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dionysos, kleopatra, marcus antonius, oracles, religious practice on 07/05/2011 | 4 Comments »
The session on July 14th is going to be the last until September 10th so be sure to get your requests in promptly or you’re going to have a long time to wait! I don’t do the oracular sessions – or any sort of ritual or devotional activity – during the eighth month, because it [...]
The Pagan Value of Conditional Charity
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dionysos, egypt, eugene, gods, greco-egyptian, hellenismos, kleopatra, pagan values blogging month, philosophy, zeus on 06/21/2011 | 8 Comments »
As all of you who have been paying attention here are no doubt aware I live in Eugene, Oregon which is, by unanimous assent, the most beautiful and blessed city ever fashioned by the hand of man. Because of our temperate climate, abundant natural resources and generally tolerant, laid-back attitude we have attracted far more [...]
Too good not to share
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexandria, dionysos, greco-egyptian, holy fool, italy, kleopatra, marcus antonius on 06/16/2011 | 2 Comments »
There is a bon mot in The Dinner Guests that I don’t really expect anyone to catch. It’s part of the ἀναγνώρισις scene where Sannio shows that he recognizes Antony: and besides, I’d recognize you anywhere you zany Marco Antonio. That is not a spelling error – it’s actually the later Italian form of his name. But [...]
The Dinner Guests
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexandria, aphrodite, dionysos, hera, herakles, holy fool, kleopatra, marcus antonius, pagan values blogging month, philosophy, poseidon on 06/16/2011 | 14 Comments »
I wanted to talk about what I consider to be one of the most important of all Pagan Values: hunger. But I didn’t want to write yet another essay, so instead I decided to compose a Satyr Play on this noble theme. Granted, it doesn’t conform to the stylistic requirements of the genre but it’s [...]
Countdown to Ecstatic: Day Six
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dionysos, ecstatic, kleopatra, marcus antonius on 06/02/2011 | Leave a Comment »
“But Cleopatra having met Antony in Cilicia, prepared a royal entertainment, in which every dish was golden and inlaid with precious stones, wonderfully chased and embossed. And the walls were hung with cloths embroidered in gold and purple. And she had twelve triclinia laid; and invited Antony to a banquet, and desired him to bring with him [...]
My persuasion can build a nation
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged aphrodite, dionysos, kleopatra, marcus antonius, music on 05/26/2011 | 1 Comment »
I’m not generally fond of pop music, but I was shown Beyoncé’s new video Run The World (Girls) yesterday and the bridge: My persuasion can build a nation Endless power A love that we can devour You’ll do anything for me Who run the world? Girls! Reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from [...]
More weird crap from Sannion’s bookmarks
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged christianity, egypt, funny, gods, greece, hathor, italy, kleopatra, maria nilsson, music, news, rome on 04/29/2011 | 1 Comment »
In what is becoming a somewhat regular feature here at The House of Vines, I present some of the interesting, inspiring and just plain weird news items and blog posts that I’ve read of late: * The Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats. Wonderful story, but they’re a bit confused on who Helena’s son [...]
Some interesting discoveries
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alexander the great, egypt, gods, greco-egyptian, hellenismos, kleopatra, philosophy, rome on 04/20/2011 | 15 Comments »
I have become completely obsessed with my eklogai project. I put up a bunch of new quotes over the last couple days, including extensive selections from Porphyry, Eunapius, and Marinus of Samaria’s Life of Proclus. This last is a work that I think more people should read, regardless of their interest and familiarity with Proclus’ [...]
