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Author Topic: Apollo  (Read 6357 times)

SkySamuelle

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Apollo
« on: June 29, 2012, 02:27:06 pm »
So... this is somewhat incredibly hard to write because writing it kinda makes it real and there's a part of me that truly wants to pull the reins in but... recently I received from my main Lady, Hekate, the warning that while She guided me as far as She could alone, but from this part of my life on Apollo and Dionysos would take the precedence in guiding me.

Dionysos I kinda expected because I used to worship Him and have the sensation He was waiting for me to be really ready, but Apollo... I know His myths but it's not the same as knowing Him.

After receiving the above information from Hekate, Apollo briefly twapped ... in the sense that for awhile I felt His energy around me and the clear invitation to come to Him.

So, before approaching Him with prayers and offerings I would like to know more about Him - how He operates or how His followers understand Him to be- even only so I can be more comfortable with this new beginning.

I believe most of my uneasiness with this is not deity-related, but rather linked to how it changes my path. It makes sense that Dionysos and Apollo would appear in my life now because I was feeling all attraction of going deeper into Mysticism but They are still two very intense deities to handle separately, let alone together.

So Apollo... UPG, experiences, ideas, advice... I will lap up anything you throw at me.;)
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Pain and Light

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2012, 05:33:42 pm »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62112
It makes sense that Dionysos and Apollo would appear in my life now because I was feeling all attraction of going deeper into Mysticism but They are still two very intense deities to handle separately, let alone together.

 

Oooh...Dionysus and Apollo together. Yes, i've got soem UPG on that. Not to mention some ratehr intense dreams and experiences.

The two, to me, are inextricably linked, well beyond just being two gods who are brothers and share a shrine.

I'm a little low on time at the moment but sometime between tonight and tomoerrow, I'll try to post more.

In the meantime, there are a couple of songs that I associate with the two-

Dreaming Blade by Rhea's Obsession
Breaking Point by The Moody Blues

If you listen to these, or even just look up the lyrics, it might help you get an idea of the mindset that this pair brings about for me.

Nachtigall

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2012, 06:26:02 pm »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62112

So, before approaching Him with prayers and offerings I would like to know more about Him - how He operates or how His followers understand Him to be- even only so I can be more comfortable with this new beginning.


He is... very powerful. Very intense, that's for sure - overwhelmingly intense, even terrifying at some times. Very demanding and very persistent - still very patient though, when needed. Merciless - to your illusions, to your fears, to your weaknesses - in His aspect as the Destroyer, the Purifier, the Bringer of Light. But at the same time, very gentle - in His aspect as the Healer.

Do you feel that your connection to Him will be in relation to your oracular work?

SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2012, 01:35:20 am »
Quote from: Nachtigall;62141
He is... very powerful. Very intense, that's for sure - overwhelmingly intense, even terrifying at some times. Very demanding and very persistent - still very patient though, when needed. Merciless - to your illusions, to your fears, to your weaknesses - in His aspect as the Destroyer, the Purifier, the Bringer of Light. But at the same time, very gentle - in His aspect as the Healer.

Do you feel that your connection to Him will be in relation to your oracular work?

 
That and a lot of other things I don't fully 'get' yet. There's my writing too, and the fact ecstatic  practices might play a bigger role on my path from now on.

The one thing Hekate made especially clear is that the task She had undertaken with our work was to be a midwife to my true self and now that it was completed with the end of a certain part of our shadow work, the nurturing of that true self is 'intellectual property' of Dionysos and Apollo .
There was also the hinting that  I was to stop stalling soon, before They got tired of waiting for me to do the first step.

This makes me curious of whether I received any 'hair-pulling' from Them recently and I just missed it.

It's certainly true that a great deal of things came to end in my life lately and I was restless with the feeling I didn't know what to do with that.

Question : during our short thwap, Apollo introduced Himself as 'The Sun, The Judge, The Wise Diviner, The Healing and the Scourge'.

The 'Judge' part is the one that left me wondering if my filters were off - the presence was definitely there, and it was none of my usual deities  and I could see how the rest might fit with Apollo, yet I never heard of Him acting as a figure bringing Judgment.

Any ideas to what that could mean?
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SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2012, 01:35:55 am »
Quote from: Pain and Light;62131
Oooh...Dionysus and Apollo together. Yes, i've got soem UPG on that. Not to mention some ratehr intense dreams and experiences.

The two, to me, are inextricably linked, well beyond just being two gods who are brothers and share a shrine.

I'm a little low on time at the moment but sometime between tonight and tomoerrow, I'll try to post more.

In the meantime, there are a couple of songs that I associate with the two-

Dreaming Blade by Rhea's Obsession
Breaking Point by The Moody Blues

If you listen to these, or even just look up the lyrics, it might help you get an idea of the mindset that this pair brings about for me.

 
thanks, i'll look for those.
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Nyktelios

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2012, 09:34:23 am »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62112
So Apollo... UPG, experiences, ideas, advice... I will lap up anything you throw at me.;)

 
You might know this already, but Dionysus and Apollon shared a temple at Delphi, and each would occupy the temple for half the year. They could be viewed as two complementary aspects of the same divine principle. Dionysus was the dark, wild, untamed god of nature, while Apollon was the god of light, culture, and civilization. This duality is also seen in Apollon's pairing with Artemis as his twin, where she takes on the role as a female Dionysus, the untamed goddess of wild nature in contrast to her brother who represented male order and civilization.

I see Apollon as a very noble, aristocratic deity, epitomizing male beauty and sophistication. He is the god of the sun, purity/cleanliness, health, medicine, arts, culture, prophecy, patron of young men like Artemis cared for young women, and a good deal of other things.

Nachtigall

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2012, 09:58:48 am »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62208

The one thing Hekate made especially clear is that the task She had undertaken with our work was to be a midwife to my true self and now that it was completed with the end of a certain part of our shadow work, the nurturing of that true self is 'intellectual property' of Dionysos and Apollo .

Definitely makes sense; both self-knowledge ("Know thyself"), and striving for excellence, trying to become the best you can be, is in Apollo's domain.

Quote
There was also the hinting that  I was to stop stalling soon, before They got tired of waiting for me to do the first step.

This makes me curious of whether I received any 'hair-pulling' from Them recently and I just missed it.

*UPG here
I've been getting hints from Him (which I only see in retrospection) for a very long time, before I decided to actually pay attention. His last call was anything but subtle though... so I wouldn't worry about you "missing" it.

Quote

Question : during our short thwap, Apollo introduced Himself as 'The Sun, The Judge, The Wise Diviner, The Healing and the Scourge'.

The 'Judge' part is the one that left me wondering if my filters were off - the presence was definitely there, and it was none of my usual deities  and I could see how the rest might fit with Apollo, yet I never heard of Him acting as a figure bringing Judgment.

Any ideas to what that could mean?


He was indeed connected to justice - as a representation of truth and order, specifically, as the giver and the upholder of the divine order. The concepts of miasma and purification from it, which are in His domain, are closely connected to the concept of justice and retribution as well.

Oresteia may be seen as the example of it. While He doesn't act as a judge here (that would be Athena's role), He is seen as the bringer of justice/the one who restores the disturbed order.

SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2012, 05:58:24 pm »
Quote from: Nachtigall;62251
Definitely makes sense; both self-knowledge ("Know thyself"), and striving for excellence, trying to become the best you can be, is in Apollo's domain.
 

I would love further elaboration on the correlation between Apollo and the striving for excellence!

 
Quote from: Nachtigall;62251
*UPG here
I've been getting hints from Him (which I only see in retrospection) for a very long time, before I decided to actually pay attention. His last call was anything but subtle though... so I wouldn't worry about you "missing" it.  


Kinda a relief here. :)

 
Quote from: Nachtigall;62251
 He was indeed connected to justice - as a representation of truth and order, specifically, as the giver and the upholder of the divine order. The concepts of miasma and purification from it, which are in His domain, are closely connected to the concept of justice and retribution as well.

Oresteia may be seen as the example of it. While He doesn't act as a judge here (that would be Athena's role), He is seen as the bringer of justice/the one who restores the disturbed order.  

Oh, it makes sense explained under this light. I also got the vibe that He was more a god focused on balance  (as in He being Balance) more than on moderation, in opposition to my previous convinctions.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2012, 05:59:04 pm by SkySamuelle »
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SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2012, 03:03:02 pm »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62990
I would love further elaboration on the correlation between Apollo and the striving for excellence!

 


Kinda a relief here. :)

 
 
Oh, it makes sense explained under this light. I also got the vibe that He was more a god focused on balance  (as in He being Balance) more than on moderation, in opposition to my previous convinctions.

 
As I am still hunting the net and the blogs for anything Apollo-related, can someone suggest other sources outside the Hellenistai forum, the oi neokoroi site and theoi?
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Nachtigall

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2012, 03:58:26 pm »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;62990
I would love further elaboration on the correlation between Apollo and the striving for excellence!

 
He is a patron of arts and sciences, both fields, where there is a constant aspiration, sometimes even to the point of obsession, to create the best you can. As Agonios, He oversees all kinds of competitive sports. As a patron of philosophers, He represents the concept of arete, the art of thinking and acting the right way.

I'll probably post more about this later.


Quote
Oh, it makes sense explained under this light. I also got the vibe that He was more a god focused on balance  (as in He being Balance) more than on moderation, in opposition to my previous convinctions.


And so far as I comprehend it he is both evil and good, both light and darkness, both meaningless and full of a meaning which we can never perceive, yet never cease to puzzle over. A riddle which is intended not to be solved but to exist. To exist for us always. To trouble us always.
(c) Par Lagerkvist, The Sybill, the words of a priestess of Apollo.

*Again, heavily UPG based*
If you examine His character, you may see how He may manifest through different extremes - the Healer and the Bringer of Plague are probably the most obvious examples, but there are also others.

In particular, there's the rationality of mathematical formulas and the most irrational practice of oracular divination through trace inducing techniques. There's His appearance as both in form of a noble, aristocratic man, and, as Lukeios, in form of a wolf - as I see it, again, representing the sophistication of a human mind, and the irrationality of a wild animal.

Moderation is, essentially, being aware of all the extremes and be able to thread between them whenever needed.
 
Quote from: SkySamuelle;63273
As I am still hunting the net and the blogs for anything Apollo-related, can someone suggest other sources outside the Hellenistai forum, the oi neokoroi site and theoi?

 
Books:
Fritz Graf - Apollo
The essays of Karl Kerenyi
Websites:
http://neosalexandria.org/the-pantheon/apollon/
http://kyklosapollon.blogspot.de/
Facebook groups:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/79552461480/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/299956293389168/
Blogs:
http://queenwithoutacourt.wordpress.com/
http://lykeiaofapollon.wordpress.com/

SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2012, 07:24:14 am »
Quote from: Nachtigall;63277
He is a patron of arts and sciences, both fields, where there is a constant aspiration, sometimes even to the point of obsession, to create the best you can. As Agonios, He oversees all kinds of competitive sports. As a patron of philosophers, He represents the concept of arete, the art of thinking and acting the right way.

I'll probably post more about this later.




And so far as I comprehend it he is both evil and good, both light and darkness, both meaningless and full of a meaning which we can never perceive, yet never cease to puzzle over. A riddle which is intended not to be solved but to exist. To exist for us always. To trouble us always.
(c) Par Lagerkvist, The Sybill, the words of a priestess of Apollo.

*Again, heavily UPG based*
If you examine His character, you may see how He may manifest through different extremes - the Healer and the Bringer of Plague are probably the most obvious examples, but there are also others.

In particular, there's the rationality of mathematical formulas and the most irrational practice of oracular divination through trace inducing techniques. There's His appearance as both in form of a noble, aristocratic man, and, as Lukeios, in form of a wolf - as I see it, again, representing the sophistication of a human mind, and the irrationality of a wild animal.

Moderation is, essentially, being aware of all the extremes and be able to thread between them whenever needed.
 

 
Books:
Fritz Graf - Apollo
The essays of Karl Kerenyi
Websites:
http://neosalexandria.org/the-pantheon/apollon/
http://kyklosapollon.blogspot.de/
Facebook groups:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/79552461480/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/299956293389168/
Blogs:
http://queenwithoutacourt.wordpress.com/
http://lykeiaofapollon.wordpress.com/

 
You gave me a lot to go by here, thank you.

Lately I have been pondering Apollo and Daphne myth in particular, I have found two keys of reading for it.

1) Apollo, who is the ephitome of equilibrium and moderation, spurns the power of Eros' instinctual passions and therefore  find Himself completely swept away by them- in this light, the myth can be read as a metaphor that even for gods, moderation must not become repression. To deny completely on's instinctual side means to see it eventually exploding out of control, and being controlled by it. So ... everything in moderation, even moderation thus coming back to your concept of Balance as capacity of moving between the opposite sides of the spectrum as it is fitting to the sitation.

2) Sex is a methaphor of the mystical union between the god and his devotee, so Daphne's fate can be interpreted as a mataphor of what it happens when one escapes her/his religious vocation. Or again, fighting the mystical union with the god out of fear, causes the nymph to lose part of herself in her escape but Apollo's touch and compassion still transform Daphne into His crown.

3) I think there's a third key I am not still getting here. It strikes me as important that laurel is Apollo's sacred plant and chosen crown, so how Daphne's story still should have a particular relevance in explaining the god's nature.
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SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2012, 05:05:35 am »
Quote from: Nachtigall;62141
He is... very powerful. Very intense, that's for sure - overwhelmingly intense, even terrifying at some times. Very demanding and very persistent - still very patient though, when needed. Merciless - to your illusions, to your fears, to your weaknesses - in His aspect as the Destroyer, the Purifier, the Bringer of Light. But at the same time, very gentle - in His aspect as the Healer.

Do you feel that your connection to Him will be in relation to your oracular work?

 
Firstly - wow you were certainly not mincing words when you said He is overwhelmingly intense. After working with Him for a little, I can say I never quite felt anything like His intensity. His presence alone has such a purity of being, for good and bad, it's really hard to describe in words, maybe even to believe until you don't experience it first hand.


Secondly, Columbine just opened a group blog as a counterpart for her facebook group in His honor. This discussion ended up directly quoted via a comment I did during one of the discussion I partecipated:
http://treasuryofapollon.wordpress.com/

The group accepts submissions from His devotees, if you are interested.
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DashesAgainst

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2012, 07:33:29 am »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;63647

2) Sex is a methaphor of the mystical union between the god and his devotee, so Daphne's fate can be interpreted as a mataphor of what it happens when one escapes her/his religious vocation. Or again, fighting the mystical union with the god out of fear, causes the nymph to lose part of herself in her escape but Apollo's touch and compassion still transform Daphne into His crown.

Hmmm, this sounds familiar.  Would you mind providing a reference?
« Last Edit: September 16, 2012, 07:34:47 am by DashesAgainst »
"Of all the rest of mankind, make him your friend who distinguishes himself by his virtue." - The Golden Verses of Pythagoras

SkySamuelle

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #13 on: September 16, 2012, 08:59:53 am »
Quote from: SeaShine;74099
Hmmm, this sounds familiar.  Would you mind providing a reference?

 
I didn't imply it was a scholarly opinion. I merely suggested a few possibilities of interpretation - I am sure they are both common enough in the web.


On the subject of scholarly work, has anyone read Apollo's Slaughterhouse by M. Detienne? Is it any good?
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DashesAgainst

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Re: Apollo
« Reply #14 on: September 16, 2012, 09:07:59 am »
Quote from: SkySamuelle;74103
I didn't imply it was a scholarly opinion. I merely suggested a few possibilities of interpretation - I am sure they are both common enough in the web.

No need to get snippy, I was just curious.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2012, 09:16:57 am by DashesAgainst »
"Of all the rest of mankind, make him your friend who distinguishes himself by his virtue." - The Golden Verses of Pythagoras

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