Mystical Musings Blog
NEXT DELPHI ORACLE FREE READING DAY: May 14th (northern hemisphere) For the southern hemi, it's May 15th.
Since antiquity, Apollo's day has always been honored on the 7th day after the new moon, as the number 7 is sacred to Apollo. This is the one day a month the Oracle would be in residence at Delphi and take questions.
Dear Seeker - bring your question to me without charge, on Apollo's day, 7 days after the dark moon. Write to me at caritastarot@protonmail.com. Give your gender, birthdate and present location along with a well phrased question, your oracle card choice - of either animal, fairy, mineral, celtic tree or angel - and sprinkle some sugar on top 🍰 such as adding please and thank you. : ) Please check this page when you are formulating your question if you feel you need further details...
OH ANCIENT OF DAYS! WHEN THE FEMININE EARTH ORACLES HELD SWAY....
My fascination with the venerable oracular institutions of old Europe and the ancient world has led me to the Sibyline traditions, but little did I know when I started to study these honored seeresses and prophetesses, I'd be looking at a prophetic heritage that stretched from pre-historic Goddess worship into the periods of the first written histories, on into the high classical period of Ancient Greece, arriving at the Roman Empire from its start and proceeding with it to it's greatest glory, then through its great fall. From that period the Sybils took on a new life, persisting into the syncretic beginnings of the Christian era, then working their way into starring roles in the early and high Medieval chivalric romances, where the early barefoot cave priestesses were transformed into objects of fantasy - as beautiful witches and temptresses with awe inspiring powers living in palaces of caves and castles under the earth where knights were tempted and kings were allowed to heal and sleep for centuries!!
I came to realize that though hardly even heard of today, the Sibyline-Gaia-Feminine mystic practices are arguably the longest running religious and holy set of associations ever known to human history. Remarkably, even as late as the 1890s, waves were made in academia when a great and rare find of 4 lost chapters of the Sybiline Oracles were said to be discovered and were published in Paris to great acclaim.
Now just over 100 years later, I believe the Sybiline tradition is making a come back in full force to assist a world in turmoil retain it's earth grounded spiritual feminine practices, help guide and energize the cultural transition into a more wholesome spiritual era and reinvigorate the human spirit's receptivity to divine forces.
This will be a multi part study, with many chapters, drawn largely from therootcircle.com. Enjoy!
SIBYLS, PYTHIAS, AND PROPHECY
The ancient oracles were the priestesses and mystics that served their community by entering trance states to communicate with the gods and goddesses of Greece and Rome as well as many other regions in the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. They had many names but often held the titles of "Sibyl" and "Pythia." Contact and communication with the divine has been a primary aspect of human spiritual practices from ancient times to the present. The various methods of communication/communion have long been known as divination. The word "divination" is derived from the Latin divinare, "to be inspired by god", and divinus, "of a god." Divination is basically the cultural practices of humans that allow us to communicate with the divine and acquire knowledge of the unseen, archetypal, and omnipotent past, present, and future energies that are influencing our daily lives as well as our fate and destiny.
Divination, to the ancients, and to many of us today, is a healing tradition that aligns humans both individually and collectively with the words and will of the sacred forces that intersect our physical realm. Divination is a medicine that comes from what some may know as gods and goddesses or as others may know as the universal currents and unseen spirits of nature and the Otherworld as they exist in dynamic exchange with living matter. The methods of divination have changed, and continue to change, through time. Based on my own research and direct experience I have surmised that, as people became more civilized/human-centered and therefore more disconnected from natural rhythms, they required more complicated and ritualized forms of contacting the spiritual energies of the Earth (otherwise known as Gods and Goddesses).
The transition in Magna Graecia (Southern Italy) from a deep, rhythmic Earthly life embodied by spirit to our modern rational, standardized cosmology where a male divinity resides somewhere else and his words have been frozen and literalized in print, began with the end of the "Civilization of the Goddess" as determined by the great (and controversial) work of renowned archeologist Marija Gimbutas. Gimbutas discovered vast evidence of a pre-pagan society known as "Old Europe" that was matricentered and peaceful with no evidence of war. The corresponding mythos still holds strong threads of powerful feminine forces with the very creation story beginning with the Sky Goddess Ge or Gaia giving birth to the world. "Ge", from which the name Gaia is derived, is from ancient Greek meaning "land" or "Earth." It is from Gaia that all things were made and she was thought to be the deity that communicated with the original oracles. These oracles were living people known as Pythias, Oracles, and Sibyls, often female bodied but not always, that were capable of deep receptivity and trance that allowed them to become a channel for the divine will. These oracles that once spoke amidst the Greco-Roman landscape belonged to the mythos of Old Europe and the pre-pagan divine feminine where Earth was born from the womb of the Goddess.
Even today, the earth still holds places that run rich and deep with sacred serpentine rivers, blessed mountain sanctuaries of worship, the ruins of dream temples, and caves that reverberate with the ancient prophetic voices old gods. Although the power and agency of feminine forces on Earth and in the Otherworlds has been usurped by first Pagan, and then Christian based patriarchal orders, it is poised for a return as the ritual arts and healing practices of the Goddess culture continue to entwine with our changing culture.
The ancient oracles are thought to have been either fully human or part human/demi-gods, usually females but also males with a finely developed feminine propensity to be receptive. Some of the oldest written documentation about the oracles of the Mediterranean came from the divinatory practices of the temple priests and priestesses in Italy, Greece, Mesoptamia, Egypt, and Persia among other possible locations. The oracles were such a prominent part of the culture in his time that Michelangelo painted them on the Sistine Chapel.
From "Sibylline Oracles," in Lexham Bible Dictionary (ed. John Barry; Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2016). Robert C. Kashow
There have been at least 10 known Sibylline oracles:
1. Chaldean (of the line of Noah)
2. Libyan
3. Delphian - the Sibyl's own rock at Delphi is still dedicated to her and lays on The Sacred Way to the temple ruins.
4. Italian
5. Erythrean
6. Samian
7. Cumean - In a town near Naples. Christians were especially impressed with the Cumaean Sibyl, for in Virgil's Fourth Eclogue she foretells the coming of a savior.
8. Hellespontian - aka Trojan Sibyl presided over the Apollonian oracle at Dardanis.
9. Phrygian -
10. Tiburtian
The word acrostic was first applied to the prophecies of the Erythraean Sibyl, which were written on leaves and arranged so that the initial letters of the leaves always formed a word. The Erythraean Sibyl was sited at Erythrae, a town in Ionia opposite Chios. Apollodorus of Erythrae affirms the Erythraean Sibyl to have been his own countrywoman and to have predicted the Trojan War and prophesised to the Greeks who were moving against Ilium both that Troy would be destroyed and that Homer would write falsehoods.
"Arrived at Cumae, when you view the flood
Of black Avernus, and the sounding wood,
The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,
Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclined.
She sings the fates, and in her frantic fits,
The notes and names, inscribed to leaf commits."
- Virgil, The Aeneid, Book VI
WHO WERE THE FIRST SIBYLS?
Several sources trace the first Oracles to North Africa:
"Some said that this long line of oracles originated in north Africa. A Greek tradition held that the Libyan goddess Lamia gave birth to the first Pythia, fathered by Zeus. Lamia was called "the first woman who chanted oracles, and they say that she was named Sibyl by the Libyans." [Pausanias, X, xii, in Olmsted, 67] This story accords with other Greek accounts of north African settlements and cultural influence, as well as archaeological finds of archaic Greek vessels with human figurines painted in a Libyan style. The African influence is most dramatically reflected in the tradition that "Black Doves" founded the oracular shrine of Dodona" ~Max Dashu
'For 6,000 years, Africa was ruled by a powerful order of Sibyl matriarchs. They produced the world's first oracles, prophetess and prophets. known as "Pythoness," they worked the oracles in the Black Egyptian colonies in ancient Greece, Rome, Turkey, Israel, Syria and Babylon. Their holy temples were more numerous than the churches of today. In ancient Rome, they first established the "holy seat" of the Vatican advising the world's heads of state. Centuries before Christ, they cured epileptics, the blind, lepers and casted out demons. It was a Sibyl who called-up the spirit of "Apostle" Samuel. Their "pagan" prophecies were used by the emerging Roman papals to create a western theological foundation and became the undisputed precursor for their Christian Bible. African women's religious history is finally being unearthed, exposing shocking revelations buried for more than 2000 years.' ~From Mama Zogbe: Chief Hounon Mami Wata Vodoun Amengansie Priestess https://mamiwata.com/index8/index12.html
All of the ancient oracles were dedicated to communion with a specific god, goddess, or nature spirit that spoke through them. At Delphi they have been called "Pythias" and were thought to have been in voice of Ge/Gaia and her water serpent or draikana (she-dragon) whose name was "Pytho." According to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Apollo slayed the serpent and took over the oracle who then became the voice of Apollo.
"Many and different are the stories told about Delphoi, and even more son about the oracle of Apollon. For they say that in earliest times the oracular seat belonged to Ge (Earth), who appointed as prophetess at it Daphnis, one of the Nymphai (Nymphs) of the mountains." ~From Pausanias, Description of Greece
The oracles have also been known as "Sibyls." Sibyl/Sibyla, according to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus comes from sibyllainein, "to be inspired in one's tongue." The Sibyl's occupied several locations around the ancient Mediterranean and serving as the voice of the local deity of each place. So for instance, the Sibyl of Cumae was located in the vicinity of the temple of the god Apollo and she was his voice/oracle and those that heard her prophecy heard the words of Apollo himself. These oracular positions were held for the entire lifetime of the person and were transferred from Sibyl to Sibyl over many generations. It is also thought that in some locations there may have been multiple Sibyls living at the same time and each with the necessary training and skill of prophecy. These oracles were generally located in removed but accessible temples and caves where they lived aesthetic lives devoted to their god or goddess.
The oracles were often consulted by Kings and Emperors usually for information about the strategy and outcome of political strategy, control of power, and war outcomes. They were also consulted by common folks about various matters of love, life, and death.
MORE TO COME....
oxoxoLumenessaxoxox
ANNOUNCEMENT: ORACLE READINGS GRATIS IN THE TRADITION OF APOLLO'S DELPHI ORACLE DAY
Greetings my dear caritas friends!
You may have already enjoyed learning about the incredible wealth, glamour and brutality of the ancient days at Apollo's Temple at Delphi in the last blog post. If you haven't, don't miss my behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the world's most famous Temple complex dedicated to prophetic work.
Apollo's Day was counted as the 7th day after the dark moon, every month. This is the only day the Oracle was in residence, when men could approach the Oracle with their questions, after the walk up the mountain slopes at Dephi, past the souvenier stands and food stalls into the Temple Precinct and on up The Sacred Way, which was based originally on an old winding goat track. Proceeding along the Sacred Way, pilgrims passed various small Treasuries, built sturdily out of marble and stone to house all the fabulous wealth sent to the temple from all over the ancient world. You'd also pass murals depicting the absolute powers of the Priests at Delphi over life and death if one was thought to blaspheme, and grand displays of weapons and arms taken by victorious armies who had consulted with the Oracle. Among other awe-inspiring exhibits, you'd pass a faux omphalos stone, sister to the stone that really was said to be the navel of the world, and was enshrined in the inner sanctum where a never ending fire was tended by priestesses, and the Oracle sat over the rocky chasms under the Temple foundations.
Modern research has confirmed that indeed, gaseous vapors rose from chasms the Temple was built directly over. By the day of her residency, the priestess chosen as Oracle would have already fasted for perhaps a week. On that morning, she would come from the town, her face veiled in purple, and accompanied by High Priests and attendants, would make her way on foot up the same path that the pilgrims trod, then up the Sacred Way. Her procession would stop only once, to bathe in a sacred spring caught in a stone pool by the roadside. We do not know if she made her way accompanied by some kind of flute and drum music, chanting, or in awesome silence, but since Apollo's Temple existed to do this work over many centuries, most likely all three happened, as well as other variations on these themes. At times there were as many as three Oracles "on call" on Apollo's Day to meet the high demand for divination, and just in case something went wrong - While somewhat overprotected by the High Priests at Delphi, in some respects, the job of being the Oracle could be a risky and even dangerous business.
It is thought that the Priestess Oracle sat in a rather small room in the foundations of the Temple, which can still be seen today. Representations of the Oracle sitting in a vast undergrond cavern or large chamber are fanciful flights of artistic imagination. She did sit on some sort of tripod, sometimes represented as having very long legs even by the ancient Greeks. For some reason, the tripod was sacred to Apollo, and many times offerings to the Temple were in the form of tripods made of solid gold or silver. The tripod is an interesting symbol, and is actually a three legged rather squat, large cooking vessel. The depiction of the Oracle in the blog post below, sitting in a short legged vessel is probably fairly accurate.
The Oracle chewed laurel leaves, as the bay laurel was sacred to Apollo. Whether this just gave her fresher breath or actually added to her mystical state of mind is unclear, but theit association with the god comes from the myth regarding Daphne, a beautiful nymph Apollo desired to make love to. Despite his poetic speech, absolutely dazzling physique and golden looks, she was not inclined towards him, and he chased her through the woods. Praying fervantly to remain a virgin, she begged for some kind of celestial help as she darted through the shadows. Apollo's sister Artemis, The Virgin Huntress, heard her heartfelt plea. Just as her brother caught up the fair nymph in his arms, Daphne shape-shifted into the gracefull and bountiful bay laurel tree. One can imagine Artemis laughing happily at thwarting her brother, who was not easy to play pranks on. Still desiring the one female he could never have, Apollo honored the laurel by making the tree eternally his own, and thereafter all athletes, poets, writers, orators, actors, and other esteemed winners of contests in Greece wore a crown of laurel leaves as a mark of victory and favour of the god. Even Greek royalty and Roman ceasars would wear golden laurel crowns as a mark of Apollo's civilizing influence. Still today, we know that some people of high achievement may start to relax and "rest on their laurels".
All the hours of this sacred 7th day, the Oracle Priestess must have made quite a sight, sitting on her golden tripod in the subteranean chamber, inhaling the vaporous damp atmosphere, half starved and chewing leaves, inhabiting the holy and wild mindset necessary to download her god's prophetic divinations. It is said that the priests would give her water to drink from another holy spring under the Temple, and it is speculated they may have spiked this water with some psychotropic substance, or that it may have carried some kind of natural intoxicant released from the vaporous cavern. Despite the dank darkness, it was remarked in histories more than once that the area smelled sweet. Since ethylene glycol (modern day anti-freeze) smells sweet, scientists now beleve it is highly likely that it was released in the vapors from the rocky substrata under the Temple and may have disolved into the spring water there, along with a couple of other petrochemicals released from deep within the underground fissures. In surveys, trace amounts of such chemicals are still detected at the site.
The High Priests were standing by, writing down the Oracle's responses while poets, sacred to Apollo, were employed to translate the Priest's writings into lyrical verse. Being a Temple Poet at Dephi is arguably one of the best jobs any poet has ever enjoyed! People traded gold and favors with the Priests to gain a better place in the line of querents winding up the Sacred Way. At some point it was enshrined into law for some reason that only men could actually physically "approach the Oracle" with their questions, and one hopes that women managed to have their questions conveyed by some male relative or friend.
Times have changed, centuries have passed, and the Temple is a ruin, but never despair! Now YOU my friends have a priviledged place in line on Apollo's Day, here at Caritas Tarot. Simply use the form here to contact me, or write me at caritastarot@protonmail.com with your One question, and I will endeavor to honor the Delphic Priestess tradition and answer it for you. I won't be bathing at a sacred spring, but I might just try chewing on some bay laurel leaves to see what happens!
Every Apollo's Day, Free Oracle Readings Will Be On Offer At Caritastarot.com
Blessings Be!
xoxoxLumenessaxoxo
Sun 7th May 2022 - northern hemisphere
EXPOSED: THE PERFIDIOUS PRIESTS OF APOLLO AT DELPHI
Perfidious- adj. 1. One who deliberately
breaches faith; a violator of trust and norms; treacherous; deceitful
"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." https://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/7_p1.html
PART I
Since my Dream of a Female Snake and Oracles (detailed in full in a post from Feb. below) I have looked further into the enigmatic establishment at Delphi and the female Priestess who served as the Pythia Oracle, named for a female snake goddess slain by Apollo in his boyhood in the same caves his temple was built over. It was said that the vapors that the Oracle inhaled were the rotting body of the snake, and it was because of her connection to this fabled female monster that the Oracle was called the "Pythia". Compelled by it's unrivaled and fabled history, I looked through scholarly works to try and catch a sense of the magic, beauty and harmony that must have existed at Delphi at one time. What I found surprised me and swept away my idyllic notions of a holy institution actually run for the benefit of humanity on behalf of those who needed aid and sought The Truth.
Delphi was designated the Omphalos, or navel of the world, as determined by two of Zeus's own eagles released to fly swift and high in opposite directions until they met. At that point, which happened to be exactly above the crisscrossing steamy faults at Delphi, the center of the world was to be found. Here was erected the holy palace of Zeus' most favored son Apollo, putting his magical rites within the reach of most pilgrims and questers of the ancient world with a boat ride of a few days at most. The Omphalos represented the world's navel, which is apparently an "outie". It resided in the inner sanctum of the temple next to the Oracle as she prophesized. This sacred rock, incredibly, is still with us today.
The early origins of this holy site had been known as a place of Gaia worship since the dawn of time. Priestesses had tended to pilgrims in the local caves, where they would ritually prepare and then sleep in order to dream prophetic answers to their prayers and questions. In fact, it was quite common for male dominated city states of ancient Greece to take over older traditional Goddess sites and repurpose them, putting the male god in charge with a myth of him slaying the divine feminine entity recast as a "monster" - in much the same way Catholics were later known to build churches squarely on top of old pagan holy places.
Delphi was the wealthiest place of its kind in its day and the most studied by scholars and researches in the modern eras as well. It may also be the longest lasting institution ever known to man. Archaeological evidence suggests early feminine based worship was well established by ca. 1600 BC; more than 15 centuries later, Apollo's priest Plutarch still knew the name of the goatherd- Coretas - who first "discovered" the fumes of the site, noting that his goats became giddy when they got too close to certain areas where the fumes rose. Thus humble Coretas thus became immortal in the way the Greeks thought of it, which was to have your name remembered and repeated by future generations.
To be fair, Apollo's temple wasn't truly out of commission until about 400 AD, so it actually ran for about 20 centuries. Name any other single establishment with a similar record? The Catholic Church itself is barely nipping at the Delphi's heels at just around 20 centuries old at present.
Apollo was the god of divination, along with other solar based and light filled pursuits such as poetry, music, drama and comedy, oration, sculpture, architecture and all the many gifts of his attendants the Muses. Divination was given to mankind to reveal The Truth, so that he could better operate in a chaotic world filled with old feminine snakey monsters that were supposed to be more or less tamed by man's civilizing nature - just as the Pythia was kept firmly in the grip of male handlers in Apollo's temple.
Yet despite all these idyllic sounding Apollonian aspirations, in its 2000-year history I never was able to find even one reported instance or description of an act of philanthropy, beneficence, charity, alms, aid, rescue, or even one simple act of kindness attributed to the Priests of Apollo, who would have had ample opportunity to show clemency or be known for their charity or care for the poor and have it remarked on. Instead, they seemed to raise the bar, century by century, on acting as though the entire purpose of a holy institution was to cater to their interests and those of their friends and family.
PART II
In the beginning of Apollo's reign over the vaporous precincts of the old goddess, the temple only opened itself up for pilgrims to ask questions of the Oracle every 7th year of Apollo's sacred day. But because of public demand for the gifts of prophecy, it was decided by the local Council of elite families and the Priest that readings would be given every month, on an Oracle day counted to be seven days after the dark of the moon, seven being a sacred and propitious number.
Another change in direction had to do with the age of the Pythoness. At first the Oracles were young girls and teens, but after a series of assaults on the holy ones, a law was passed that required the Oracle to be a woman over 50 years of age. Apparently a woman of that age was in no danger of rape.
Now that the Temple was consistently open for business, querents from all corners of the known world piled into the port town, each one laden with the best offerings they could afford. While waiting for the big day, other distractions could include festivals, theatricals at the spectacular ampitheater, athletic contests and other displays favored by Apollo featuring poetry, music, oration and debate. The Pythia games which sent winners to the Olympics were held every few years, and there were also the local inns to rest in, tavernas to eat in, libations to be enjoyed, and if all else failed, there was always the temple of Apollo's sister Artemis which could be visited. There were stalls selling souvenirs and snacks at the entrance to the Sacred Way, where the Oracle herself, surrounded by male priests and veiled in purple, would proceed on foot up to the inner sanctum, after fasting and a ritual bath at the Castalian spring along the way.
For nine months, Apollo was in residence at Delphi, but for the remaining three winter months Apollo was said to be on retreat in Hyperborea, and Dionysus would arrive in all of his dark splendor to reside in the caves and inner sanctum of the Temple, hiding from the sun in a tomb. His rites were celebrated in private by the Priests with orgiastic overtones involving sex, intoxication, and no doubt some form of rock and roll delivered by the local well practiced musicians.
The Temple at Delphi blossomed into the ancient world's first and most successful proto-corporation. At first just one Priest ran things, but by about 200 BC, two Priests working like a CEO and Chief Financial Officer oversaw the Temple establishment and all its thriving events and projects. Priests were always installed by the ruling Council from among the few elite local families. Once appointed, they served for life. This status conferred an enormous amount of power into the hands of a couple of individuals who could not be removed, no matter what they did. In this way, just a few elites controlled the most influential, wealthy and powerful religious institution in the world, century after century, and the Priests were allowed to run it like their personal fiefdom.
The female who would serve as Oracle was chosen from local women by the Priests and the Council, and was not considered terribly special or talented. It was thought that only after fasting, ritual bathing and drinking water from a spring under the temple, plus of course inhaling the famous fumes and chewing on bay leaves, sacred to Apollo, that the woman would be able to enter the state which allowed the god to send his gift of prophecy through her.
Because it was determined that being an Oracle was not based on innate psychic talent, the Priests were free to choose another Oracle at any time; thus to retain her position, which cost her both friends and a family life, any Oracle was obliged to go along with whatever the Priests directed her to do. Eventually three women at a time were chosen, two serving as "back up Oracles" to meet ever greater demands from the public, and to insure someone would always be able to perform the role.
Meanwhile, city-states from all over Greece were sending so much bounty to court the favor of Apollo and his two Priests, that individual Treasury strongholds of marble had to be built and manned with guards - all at the expense of each city, not the Temple. These mini-temples were strewn along the path of The Sacred Way, and contributed to the feeling of awe as the pilgrims made their way to the top of the top. Surrounded by breathtaking mountains, it must have felt like they were close to Olympus itself. Each Treasury was the pride of the city that built it, and the inhabitants of these cities received special sacred favors from the Priests, such as the chance to jump ahead in the line for questioning the Oracle.
Beyond Fabulous Wealth
-It was said that one of the objects offered to Apollo and his Priests was a golden tripod won as a trophy by Diomede at the funeral games of Patroclus, which every Greek knew were held during the legendary Trojan War. If true this had to be among one of the oldest and rarest objects in the world, as even during the heyday at Delphi, the Trojan Wars were legendary stories that belonged to the time before words were even written down. Surely nothing was older than this except perhaps the Golden Fleece of Jason and the Argonauts, which was also said to reside in Apollo's temple at Delphi.
-Ever heard the phrase "Rich as Croseus"? Even this ancient Rockefeller practically bankrupted himself giving
gifts to Delphi. It was said Apollo
shipwrecked a great deal of King Croseus' navy in his wrath that the king had begun
sending plated golden eggs instead of the usual solid gold ones.
- A silver bowl was made by another king as a gift to the Temple, but was said
to be so large it had to be broken up before it could be lifted for transport to the happy Priests at Delphi.
-
Aside from the riches brought in by the yearly
festivals, the theater, the Pythian games, and all the general tourism spending in the local town, there was of course all the
food, drink and sundries stalls that lined the entrance to the sacred precinct. Having such a stall could set a family up for life. No
doubt the Priests granted these lucrative spaces only to those who were cooperative with them
in any way they wished, whether it be support, favors or gold.
The Oracle's prophecies and pronouncements - especially the famous ones regarding wars and questions posed by Kings - would swiftly be carried back home on the lips of every pilgrim, and thus go viral by word of mouth, They would be studied, argued, puzzled over, and collected. The priests invented about 100 phrases, which were halfway between an affirmative and a negative, and with such a system, it was very difficult to catch the oracle in a completely wrong answer. Further, there were two layers between what the Oracle would say and what the petitioner would actually receive as a reply. First the Priests would be standing near and listening, jotting down their interpretations of what she had said. This was passed to the temple poets, who would take the gist of it, hopefully, and manipulate it into standard forms of rhyming lyric poetry.
These catchy answers could catch on like memes, and whatever issued from the depths of Delphi actually formed the a great deal of the popular
culture of Ancient Greece, often swaying public opinion in one
direction or another. Now we are
starting to approach understanding the real power of the Oracle.
"For example, it is reported that to induce war fever on behalf of Athens into the Spartans, known for
their piety, the enterprising Cleisthenes bribed the priests of Delphi.
Thereafter, instead of getting the usual ambiguous answers, every Spartan
petitioner who showed up received this very clear and not at all cryptic answer
to every question: "Liberate Athens!" Eventually the Spartans marched into Attica in 508 BC and liberated Athens." Perhaps they realized they'd have to do this
to ever receive an actual answer from the Oracle again. https://historycollection.com/insane-and-inspiring-enterprising-stories-from-history/28/
The Delphic Priests became so known for taking bribes to sway the Oracle's message, that wags began to remark on it in writing. "Demosthenes exclaimed, "The Pythoness Philippizes!" on seeing the priests of Delphi constantly manipulate the Oracle to "speak" in favor of Philip of Macedon. While Philip would send a great deal of gold, he also threatened to burn Apollo's temple and town to the ground the first time the oracle spoke in a way he did not like." One gets the idea that as long as the people believed his armies were unstoppable, sometimes it almost didn't matter what actually happened on the battlefield. These were some savvy ancients who knew very well that perception shaped reality, just like modern advertising gurus, or perhaps this fellow -
"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality - judiciously, as you will - we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do." - Karl Rove https://theweek.com/articles/854892/what-karl-rove-right-about-realitybased-community
PART III
Eventually the open the corruption of Apollo's two powerful Priests, backed by their mafioso-style family members on the Council, became so well known that they enfranchised and named it. The institution of promanteia was one of the privileges offered to cities and individuals which aided the sanctuary financially - "it was the right to acquire an oracle before the others (yet still after the priests and the citizens of Delphi)." You could bribe one's way to get a choice place in line, but the Priests always let everyone know who was at the top of the food chain.
At one point, the lobbying power of Delphi, Inc. was such that in a famous trial of corrupt judges in Athens, the punishment decided was that each convicted judge "had to pay a fine in gold of the same weight as any silver they had wrongfully received, made into a statue and delivered to the Temple at Delphi." In this manner, the Priest's had actually figured out a way to enrich themselves by the corruption of Athenian judges! The more corrupt, the better. No doubt blackmail and extortion played a part in these sordid proceedings. https://brewminate.com/social-and-economic-corruption-in-the-graeco-roman-world/
Anyone who crossed the Priests in their business dealings might end up paying the ultimate cost with a grisly death and their brains dashed on the rocks below the sacred precinct. Along the Sacred Way approaching the Temple were frescos and artifacts aimed to awe the pilgrims and warn them to mind their tongues. Protest was definitely not allowed and there was no free speech except in private mutterings. "Here, a large fresco displayed the exemplary punishment inflicted on an incredulous man, who was flung off a cliff by Priests after doubting the power of the local divinity...Further on, a man, hurled from the summit of a precipice, was called a miser, who had not kept his promises to the god."
Old Aesop, the wise slave that wrote Aesop's Fables, still beloved of children today, met his death at the hand's of the Delphic Priests, who flung him off a cliff for what they considered to be blasphemy. Likewise, if someone dared to cultivate land deemed to be owned by Apollo, they'd meet the same fate, and the dispute could be elevated to the level of a "fierce war" if anyone complained. This kind of petty land dispute was said to happen "frequently" so there must have been ongoing tension between the lesser farming families living in the area and the Priest's ideas of what valuable land belonged under their undisputed control.
Such murders never required a trial or even any apology or penance, for there is none in the record in 2000 years. However it was said that even the god Apollo thought the murder of old Aesop was unjust, and he sent a plague to Delphi and its priests, until they consented to right the wrong somehow. Yet there is another even more shocking murder recorded. "Pausanias next mentions the hearth (ἑστία) at which Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, was slain by the priest of Apollo, but this appears to have been in the sanctuary, as is mentioned below." Committing this atrocious act in the holy of holies inner sanctum is an incident that reveals how little respect the Priests of Apollo held for their own deity, the sacredness of their temple or any sense of justice whatsoever. Moreover, this would have been an extremely cowardly act, as no one would have expect Priests to defile their own sacred precincts. Worse than perfidy, this is true blasphemy.
So far our Delphi Priests have turned out to be greedy, corrupt, cowardly, irreverent, murdering brigands who twisted the Oracle's messages to please whoever threatened them, or the highest bidder, doling out favors to the same. We see a so called holy bastion of truth turned into an establishment wholly dedicated to base materialism, possibly worse even than how the Vatican is regarded today. The early Goddess-oriented dream center had been taken over and run for centuries by a board composed of elite ruling families that would rather war with their neighbors than give up an inch of soil, despite being enriched beyond belief by the glittering excess wealth of the entire ancient world. Their two CEO and CFO Priests had become the sole judges, jury and summary executioners of anyone that crossed these interests. During the warmer months things proceeded at Delphi with flair and certainly some of the charm and beauty attributed to Apollo despite the undertone of wickedness, but in the winter months, these corrupted men could indulge their penchant for whatever vices they pleased in their caves dedicated to the darker Dionysian transports. Even the Marquis de Sade might have envied their position.
"Every sound that she (the Pythia) made, every motion of her body, was carefully recorded by the five Hosii, or holy men, who were appointed for life to be scribes to preserve the minutest details of each divination."
https://www.bookofthrees.com/the-pythian-apollo/
For me, the worst desecration of the early home
of Gaia by these tyrants was the control and manipulation of the Divine Feminine aspect of
the Oracle herself. The Pythia and her close Priestesses were treated like geese laying golden eggs for slave masters, which
abused and sullied the sacredness of their mission to bring Truth and
comfort to the trusting pilgrims who sought their aide, as well as the masses who believed in the institution.
By Plutarch's time, by law, no woman was ever allowed to even "approach the Oracle" meaning no female could ever stand in line to ask a question. On the day the Oracle would be in residence, she fasted, bathed, walked the Sacred Way preparing herself for her difficult and demanding work on which the entire wealth and fame of the Delphi was based, while surrounded entirely by male controllers at all times. Britney Spears would have probably have been very sympathetic to her situation, it seems.
Whether a Queen or a local shepherdess, they could not participate in this most feminine of Greek holy sites, which depended on a women to perform a divine ceremony based on ancient female mysteries. Therefore let us add deep misogyny to the profile of the Priests of Apollo at Delphi, and perhaps our picture of them is finally complete. It's a picture painted from the brushstrokes of offhanded remarks passed down by writers for centuries. If this is what we can learn just from small remarks, the full revealed truth may well have been much much worse. It is almost a blessing we can't know it.
"In winter, November to February, it was Dionysus who ruled over the sanctuary and orgiastic rites occurred in his honor. Dionysus is now often seen as "the dark force" of Apollo, rather than a separate god. Officially, Dionysus was Apollo's divine half-brother, whose tomb was within the temple at Delphi. Apollo signified light and reason and life; Dionysus darkness and ecstasy and (death transformed to) rebirth. Though his tomb was inside the temple, the rites of Dionysus did not occur there, but in the Korykian cave, a cave located higher up the mountain, reached by following a seven-mile journey up the slope of Mount Parnassus. What occurred here is little known, as the rite was part of a mystery cult with initiates pledging to keep its secret. Plutarch did note that Clea was not only high priestess of Apollo, but also leader of the Dionysian rites, suggesting that when not inhaling the fumes of the Python, in winter-time, the Pythia engaged in the sexual orgies of Dionysus - party time." https://www.eyeofthepsychic.com/delphi/
The
very least that can be said, is that most Priests of Apollo had a rather
significant and regrettable dark side, and were free to indulge it at will. Manipulations, lies, propaganda, greed, graft, bribery, extortion, blackmail, sexual power
dynamics marked by misogyny, alongside the most shameful trespass of tyrants, murder on a whim or at will, all in the name of a god that was supposed to represent the highest instincts of civilized men and the fruits of evolved thinking. Let's add hypocrisy as an exclamation point to the end of that long list.
End
------------------------------------------------
Epilogue: After taking this in, let us at least agree that any male currently in charge of a spiritual community - especially one based on the work and talents of a prominent female Oracle - should take note of the examples of the Priests of Apollo and hopefully fail to emulate them, or even step one foot on their path of perdition.
Instead of throwing people away as if off a cliff, perhaps it should be your aim to cultivate the talents of all such women and count as blessings your privilege to nurture them, treating them with care and consideration, kindness and thoughtful dignity, and forgiveness if the occasion arises.
Priests of all classes in all times - "Remember Your Mission - It is Love."
xoxoLumenessaxoxo April 21, 2020
~Blessings Be~
NEW MOON CANDLE MAGIC
Today in about an hour when I publish this there will be a new moon in Aries. A new Moon happens when the moon conjuncts the sun, and does not appear in the sky, or appears black. This is the time of darkness and quiet, contemplation and inward seeking, preparation for the seeding of a new cycle of growth and decline. She'll be wheeling through her ageless program of New, Quarter- Crescent, Half, Quarter-Waning and then, once again, wither in her crone phase into darkness. This cycle has been observed, worshipped and ritualized since
long before humanity developed even writing or markings to notate it.
The oldest Moon phase calendar found so far was in Warren Field, Scotland. The anthropologists and
archeologists who excavated the site in 2004 estimate it to be from the year c.
8,000 BCE. This moon tracker was a large pit aligned to help the hunter-gatherers keep track of seasons and years. At that wild time on earth, the regularity of the Moon's changes must have provided true comfort, as well as crucial timekeeping and ritual planning functions. It must have seemed obvious that the Moon held a supremacy in the night time celestial sphere, reigning as a goddess counterpart to the solar god of the daytime sphere.
To step even further back in time, the
famous Lascaux caves, home of the earliest recorded artistic and ritualistic activities of man and
womankind, have a series of representations of the moon's cycles that are estimated to be 17,000 years old. "People carefully watched the course of the moon, noting its position over the natural horizon and the change of its phases," Rappenglück wrote in the 2015 Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy. Fast forward to today, and one of the most prevalent forms of candle magic can be found all over the world still today, in Catholic and other Christian churches, where candles are lit by petitioners in prayer, often directed to saints or the holy family. The Diwali Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and millions of others all over the globe these days is also a celebration incorporating a kind of candle based ritual magic.
So when you seek out the moon in your backyard or outside your window tonight, and note its phase, you are joining with a vital impulse that has been carried through time from before the dawn of memory. You can join in this chain of observant ritual by using your own candle to create some magic in your life too. Why wait?
~~~Candle Magic New Moon Ritual~~~~
Use any new candle you like, keeping in mind
that certain colors do correspond to different things -
WHITE- Clarity,
Purity, Reset, Cleansing, Good, Justice, Air, Afterlife, Spiritual Gifts, Angelic Realms and Aid, Heaven
GREY - Neutral, Institutions, Liminal, Twilight, Illusions, Disguise, Rest, Starlight, Gandalf, Omphalos, Ancestors, The Center
GREEN - Healing, Renewal, Growth, Fertility, Fresh Starts, Markets, Communication, Finance, Forests, The Elves, Science, Vegetable Realm
BROWN - Earthiness, Grounding, Practical Pursuits, Research, Transportation, Building, Authority, Wisdom, Experience, The Dwarves, Mountains, Labor, Mineral Kingdom
ORANGE - Warmth, Comfort, Friendship, Storytelling, Lore, Gatherings, Hospitality, Affection, Disciples, Memories, Harvest, The Hobbits, Nostalgia, Family, West
YELLOW- Generosity, Solar Vitality, Abundance, Prosperity, Philanthropy, Order, Philosophy, Aragorn, Kingship, Paternal Love, Fields, Jesu, East
RED - Passion, Drama, The Arts, Athletics, Action, Energy, Love, The Magdalena, Blood, Power, Boromir, South, The Ego, Animal
BLUE - Peace, Calm, Contemplation, Shipping, Maternal Love, Dreams, Unconscious, Arwen, Connectedness, Charity, Mother Mary, East, Water, Oceanic Realms
VIOLET - Psychic Abilities, Creativity, Poetry, Mastery, Crown Chakra, Magical
Arts, Upper Astral, Faith, Cosmos, Ascension, Oversouls, Personal Guides, Godhead
BLACK - Endings, Void, Reversing, Shadow Work, Critical Thinking, Hibernation, Caves, Underground, Subconscious, Forgetting, Transformation, Protection, North
RAINBOW - Joy, Unity and Reunions, Sharing, Group Consciousness, Resources, Alliances, The World
The above associations are not hard and fast, you are free to use colors the way they work for you. If you don't have colored candles, a white candle will always do the trick.
It is best to start a manifestation candle magic working with the New Moon, but you could start it further into the waxing of the moon. Waning magic -that is done anytime after the full moon- is best when you want to see an end to something, stop its growth and shut things down.
Always make sure that your desires for manifestation come for a place of high ethics - attempting to manifest negativity will only backfire on you. Once you have chosen your candle, and honed down your intention, you prepare your candle by taking a pen and writing your intentions on it for the next moon cycle of approximately 4 weeks. The first two weeks while the moon begins waxing are the most important for putting into motion what you'd like to see manifest by the full moon or soon after. After that point, at the Waning Crescent, you may experience some challenge to your manifestation, and by the end of the Waning Crescent as the moon moves back to darkness, that will be the time to sort what went right and what didn't if that is the case. Take the lessons in and contemplate them for the next dark moon phase. At that time you can begin the cycle again with new and improved manifestation ideas.
But back to this new moon - After you have written your intention onto the candle, you then "dress" your candle. Take any oil you see fit (and that will not infuse toxins into the atmosphere where you are breathing!) such as olive oil, any essential oil or edible oil will do. Aromatherapy will aid your cause, so you may wish to choose a fragrant oil that suits your aims. Anoint your candle with the oil and use a finger to smooth it on in an orderly fashion in streaks, turning as you go, until the entire candle gleams. Press your intentions into the candle with your mind, or repeat a prayer as you go. Make sure to anoint your wick a little too. I also like to sprinkle some rose water on my candle.
Place your candle on your chosen altar, surround it with simply nothing, or choose crystals,
leaves, flowers, fresh herbs, fruits, objects, or anything that seems good to you. Light your candle and restate your
intentions for manifesting. Say a
prayer and contemplate your candle's beauty, the moment, the moon, and your
wishes. Always Remember - It is with your focused intention, without competing or undermining thoughts, that the magic takes seed, grows, and manifests into your life.
"Dark of the moon, new beginnings,
Dark of the moon, plant a seed tonight.
Dark of the moon, take this seed,
To manifest in the Full Moon's light"
Leave your
candle burning through the night if you like, or snuff it out at bedtime and
light it again the next day for some time.
Keep your candle and your intentions going for as long as you can burn
your candle.
At the first quarter moon, you may receive an indication that your intentions have shifted things. Keep track of the moon enough that you know when it is full -
has your focused intention began to manifest as you desired? Travel alongside the moon for a month, and
see what beautiful magic you two can make together.
You couldn't have a lovelier or more faithful companion on your journey on the path that so many brothers and sisters have trod since the sunsets of
ancient antiquity brought people together under the stars, eyes raised,
to contemplate the gift of earth's illuminated Goddess of the skies.
Tonight the moon dreams in a deeper languidness,
And, like a beauty on her cushions, lies at rest;
While drifting off to sleep, a tentative caress
Seeks, with a gentle hand, the contour of her breast;
As on a crest above her silken avalanche,
Dying, she yields herself to an unending swoon,
And sees a pallid vision everywhere she'd glance,
In the azure sky where blossoms have been strewn.
When sometime, in her weariness, upon her sphere
She might permit herself to shed a furtive tear,
A poet of great piety, a foe of sleep,
Catches in the hollow of his hand that tear,
An opal fragment, iridescent as a star;
Within his heart, far from the sun, it's buried deep.
--- Charles Baudelaire
April 1, 2022 Blessings Be, xoxo Lumenessa oxox Happy Fools Day!!! : D
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PHYSICS AND PSYCHIC ENTANGLEMENT
"Psychic phenomena have been meticulously documented in hundreds of controlled studies since the 1980s. Mainstream science publications resist acknowledging this but the quality and quantity of evidence is overwhelming. Dean Radin, who has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in Psychology, began discovering this decades ago and founded the Institute for Noetic Sciences. He recently joined forces with eminent scientist Stuart Kauffman to harmonize the observations with quantum theory. "
https://evo2.org/podcasts/quantum-entanglement-psychic-phenomena-and-consciousness/
"In this paper, the two scientists work to unify consciousness, psychic phenomena, and quantum mechanics." https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.01538
The discussion at the first link above, and the attached study, are quite fascinating. The interview begins with noting that the basic set of assumptions underlying the classical physics Materialist outlook was (and is) automatically taught in Universities without being explicitly identified. Thus everyone graduates as Materialists without ever questioning those precepts. Materialism as a world view has only been around for about 300 years. Unraveling Materialist assumptions and working with ideas like precognition began a journey both surprising and "radical" for Radin.
While Materialists dismiss "magic", there are very real phenomenon, such as quantum entanglement and non-locality, that are so accepted at this point that they are being researched as the mainstays of future technologies for everything from refrigerators to better solar panels to engines that will be "superior to classical engines." see https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-quantum-thermodynamics-revolution-20170502/
Non-locality - "The connections we are talking about are
some sort of connections through space and time, and also ...outside of space and
time."
Quantum Entanglement - "There is something about the act of observing a system that causes it to react
in some way..."
Both of the above statements apply to both Quantum
Physics and Psychic Phenomenon. Is
this a coincidence?
What I can attest to as a tarot reader, is that I do indeed create a process in which I entangle myself with my client at
a distance. There are a few stages to
this process, which I do in a manner not unlike a light ritual with candle, intention, prayer and invocation. It doesn't need to take any certain amount of time, but it is
like a warm up in which I become focused on the client, their history, their
questions and their ethereal guidance team, which includes their own higher
self. During the reading, when things
are flowing at their best, that is the time of the greatest entanglement. If a client on their end is focused on the reading as well, that can only add to the process. The connection can continue on
for a day or a few after the reading, during which I do the follow up work if necessary. At some point, when that reading's cards are fully put away and time has moved on, the entanglement fades, but can be revived fairly easily at some later point if desired.
There are also other types of connection,
including unwelcome entanglement. In
that case, psychic protection processes will need to be put into play. The need for psychic security can be as
real as the need for cyber security, and the ability to create a stable and
secure psychic environment can be as useful and mundane as protecting your
computer with security software. As an example, I'll finally get to that Ouji board in my next post, and explain how this game board can both BE, and easily NOT BE a portal for perceived devilish and dark spirits. Until then, I wish for you and yours abundant
Blessings Be!
Xoxo Lumenessa xoxO
March 23, 2022
TIMING: WHY I DON'T DO READINGS DURING MOON VOIDS
Astrology is a fascinating, often very useful form of geomancy, which is divination based on observations made of objects and their positions in the material world. The leap of faith that what happens on earth is linked somehow to heavenly bodies is one that is made usually with experience - having a natal chart read to you by a stranger that accurately describes you and your life in great detail is one common experience. Sometimes planetary movements may shed light on relationships or career paths, and what nervous bride wouldn't like to hedge her bets that she picked the perfect day for a wedding? Horary astrology can help to answer questions and even find things based on when the question is posed or "birthed". While none of it would make sense to a hardcore materialist, people that give astro-magic a chance to work are quite often pleasantly surprised, which is why astrology has been around since before time was kept, and is stronger than ever today.
Astrologers in ancient Greece left our first records of efforts to describe the moon cycles, including times when the Moon was finished with one cycle and void of any aspects until entering the next sign's turf. This knowledge was revived and redefined in the Renaissance by sage William Lilly, and yet again in modern times, to the point that it became an argument between competing schools of thought. See https://tonylouis.wordpress.com/2021/02/27/lillys-definition-of-the-void-of-course-moon/. The good news is that since that dust up has settled, it's fairly easy to search for when the moon will next be void in your time zone.
Generally, the moon is said to be "void" when it has made its last aspect to another planet before it leaves a sign. Before it crosses the threshold into a new sign and becomes "energized" there, it is said to drift rather listlessly and without influence. These are natural rest periods in the moon's cycle and they occur just about every two or three days usually. Sometimes a moon void period can be several hours or even most of a day, and sometimes it can be a few minutes - it really depends on the particular dance of the planets at play. But voids are periods when it is best to leave important business, big decisions and even shopping until later, when the moon is infused with energy again by planets it aspects within the next sign.
I can't say how many people who do readings pay attention to moon voids, but for me, I wouldn't feel right about starting any reading for a client while the moon was not at her best. Voids are empty times and actions initiated during these periods will "come to naught" or have no impact. Wags have suggested that a moon void would be a great time to drink too much or pay your taxes or do anything that you don't want any attention paid to at all. So as to not give any fraudsters or con men any big ideas, I'll also say that it works two ways - sure you might not get caught doing something during a moon void, but whatever you're doing might not work so well either!
When I do a reading, I put time aside to prepare myself and my environment to be as positive and receptive to subtle energies as possible. That includes choosing a time when i won't be disturbed, using flowers, music and incense to change the atmosphere, lighting a candle in prayer, and cleansing the "space" of the reading, so that no uninvited energies can be involved. My practice relies very much on tapping into and communicating with the superconscious dimension, where all information is available to myself and to the querent through the aid of personal guides. Having Our Lady of the Moon - the very symbol of intuitive strength - be sapped and feeling fretful just won't do.
If you schedule a reading, I will write back to you letting you know payment has been received and generally when you can expect it in your inbox, which is most often within 24 hours, unless that timing hits a big moon void and I need to work around it. If that is the case I'll let you know.
It's not a bad idea to sort of "tune in" to me and your reading over the next day, as it only enriches the process with something that physicists have come to describe as a sort of "psychic entanglement" which I'll talk about in an upcoming blog. : D Until then...
Blessings Be!
Lumenessa xoxo March 4, 2022
DREAM OF THE FERTILE SNAKE, ENERGIZED MASSES, WARNINGS FROM THE SEA, FEMININE DELTA ORACLE
dreamed the morning of 02/20/2022
Phase One
I had acquired a snake - I don't know how but I felt protective of it. I didn't know if it was male or female. Its skin was very smooth and a color of grey beige, like rocks. It was fairly large and had a wide head. I wanted to keep it safe so I took it to my home which was some non-descript place, also rather grey but not dingy, like a bright grey. It felt safe in my home under my care and it coiled itself then it turned its head and forebody upside down and thrust its head forward putting its mouth around my fingers - but did not bite. I took this as a playful gesture, even a loving one, as in how a cat plays with its keeper, in faux bites that do not harm. I took it as a good sign from the snake.
"This snake is very intelligent," I thought.
Phase Two
I decided to let the snake out for a walk so to speak, so it could get some freedom and fresh air. The snake became very big outside, the size of a large anaconda. At some point I realized the snake was female, had been pregnant and was giving birth to two baby snakes when released.
The snake was free in a parklike setting and there were a lot of people there, like the amount of people that would gather for a concert or a festival. The energy became much higher. Not quite a frenzy and it did not turn negative or into a riot, but the people danced frenetically and there were drums and excitement and they celebrated. It was like word had gotten out that there was a large snake loose , maybe three, and could turn up anywhere. The snake being free to move among the people had turned up the energy to a great degree. I watched this as from a distance, like my viewpoint was from on a nearby hill and I could see the energy rise and fall in the masses. People of leadership would rise in a group and be uplifted and make speeches communicating important ideas, raising the local energy, and eventually fall into the group again, the energy circulating on.
Phase Three
I only barely recovered this part of the dream in the sea as I was writing it down. I was now in the sea, an unsettled sea with waves - yes waves were coming in - one set of outflow was very jagged and drew strongly and I became worried that a set of four big dangerous waves would be soon coming one right after another.
I now walked in a familiar city neighborhood from my past, and it was after dark, which was always a time I liked being in this neighborhood. However I was slightly annoyed by the amount of women dressed in costumes all over the place, they were like a sorority of women having taken up many of the little hotels everywhere. I think I was slightly annoyed that they were being over-protected by guardians and treated like princesses, when I knew they were capable women. There was definitely a lot of feminine energy and they were laughing like on a holiday with many colors and spangles of costumes, like it was an upbeat Halloween or maybe Carnival in a way. They were in many of the clubs and in all the outdoor seating, and I came to realize they had gathered for a kind of planned reunion, so that's why there were so many at once. Once I understood that, I decided I liked their energy and spirited presence and I moved among them, as though one of them more or less.
Phase Four
I took refuge in a room, I think one of the hotel rooms designated for the women. I had a roommate. I was cold from the sea and the night air and turned a knob on the wall to make the room heat up with blowing hot air. She had had the room cold like air conditioning. She came in and said it was okay to heat the room, she'd had it cold but I could have it hot. I told her about the snake and it turning upside down and love-biting me, and it being a female and giving birth. I believe I was telling her about it as though it were a dream and I closed my eyes , and when I did I saw written printed pages like in a book, scrolling upwards very quickly, too fast for me to read the words. But I could have read the manuscript in my dream if it wasn't passing by so quickly., that's how clear the printed words were. I tried to read them but could not stop the scrolling. I told her about this and how it looked, and I remember closing my eyes twice and seeing again a slightly different manuscript but the same scrolling. The first manuscript was like parchment and script, the second was more like a white background and type. It was like having photographic memory, and I felt these documents were somehow embedded in me. After that there appeared a character in the top left corner of my field of vision. It was a cuniform style letter that looked like a triangle. "Delta" was the first thing I thought. Coming to the word "Delta" was significant and ended the dream.
Immediately upon waking I thought what does Delta mean? Delta is the word for the letter D in the Greek alphabet and I immediately thought of "Delphi" and remembered that the priestesses at the Oracle of Delphi. Looking into it further, I found the Oracle of Delphi was always a High Priestess and she was called Pythia. Pythia comes from the snake goddess that Apollo slayed when he took over the temple. That's an early myth about him and falls into the common category of patriarchal age gods who would "slay" the earlier ancient feminine age goddess/es often represented by serpents. In fact I just learned that the two snakes twining around the caduceus which represents to this day the field of medicine, were both forms of Gaia. The Pythia was anglicized to Pythoness.
~xoxoLumenessaxoxo Feb 23, 2022~
WHAT TYPE OF READERS TO AVOID
- This really is number one for
me - If you have a reader that is presenting themselves as doing a
professional job (not just a funny person pulling some cards at a party
for laughs) never trust the answers you get from a reader who
does not seal or Close Off The Reading before giving it. Closing Off The Reading means
in effect saying a prayer silently or out loud asking specifically for
only their guides (or higher self or God) and only your guides to be
involved in the reading for the highest good of all concerned. I also usually add that anyone my/their guides allow may participate - this covers if relatives, friends or other guidance entities may have some input if necessary. Guides are the perfect "doormen" - they easily bounce anything that doesn't belong in your intimate counsel when directed to do so. There can be a lot of variations on the
exact wording and who may be involved, and even the timing of when this prayer request happens - some
readers close off their readings prior to seeing you or going into a group setting. If
you ask them they'll let you know.
Bottom line - without such safeguards, any passing entities, strays, lower astral types, miscreants and random dust bunnies hanging about might just get attracted and check into your reading just for kicks, or to seriously cause damage. Talk about Fake News!
You do not want a reading from someone who has not had the ethical and readership training to take this essential first step with every reading they do. If someone starts up without doing this, you can always ask, "Hey did you forget to seal the reading? Do you want to ask my guides to not allow any entities to participate in the reading that aren't here for the highest possible good of all parties involved?" and smile. If they look at you puzzled or annoyed, or don't wish to go ahead and do this, you know that this is a reader to avoid at least for now. Frankly, I wouldn't let them continue on if they decline to do this, because you don't want to hear the answers they come up with - they could lodge in your subconscious and cause a bit of trickery. That's how important this step is. - Extremely expensive readers
- This one is short but
sweet. I can say I've had several
dozen readings in my lifetime .
The absolute worst readings I have ever had by far were the two
most expensive ones. In both
cases I found the readers to be incredibly materially focused-- Go Figure, right? The First was a "celebrity psychic" and name dropper who first was quite late and flustered when she finally showed up, and had me spend a good part of the reading time watching her
walk around in Keith Olbermann's house (of all things) which she thought would
impress me while she played with her little dog - this was all during my allotted time! When she finally got around to my reading it was fairly
disjunct then the Zoom cut off. After promising she would finish, she never
picked up where she left off, hinted that she could charge a bit more for more time, and I even felt a psychic attack
from her in my sleep that night. The next day
I let go of getting the rest of my reading and told her "spirit tentacle" to get the blank out
of my home. Honestly, should have known
better - this was a person who read regularly for Courtney Love.
On another occasion it was a man who charged hundreds of dollars for 15 minutes. He happily took my giant payment up front and I think I was more excited about this reading than any I'd ever had. He delivered next to nothing. He could tell what X was thinking in general and what Y was thinking. Most of us get a pretty good idea of what people we are close to are thinking - this is what I call a mundane level of awareness. He didn't "do" past lives he informed me, or why things were happening on a soul level, a pattern of lives, or even a pattern in this life. Of course the reading was over in a flash, but I had agreed to that amount of time.
Hello my caritas - yes that headline is super gossipy sounding right? And a little bit negative. But the truth is, it's a wild and woolly psychic jungle out there, and as consciousness ascends, we will have more and more and MORE people reading for others. More people reading does mean more variety and choice of good readers, for sure. But it also means more absolute beginners, more with good intentions but not fully trained, and unfortunately, more outright charlatans.
How to avoid some of the not so great readers? I can give some tips, but of course your intuition can often be your own very best guide. Still, sometimes our intuition is clouded by emotional upset and other factors. Here are two things to keep in mind, in case you may want to just say no to a reader you thought you might be interested in:
I hope you enjoyed this! I would love to hear your thoughts but i'm still figuring things our here. You can always contact me here at bottom of the page through the yellow Contact Form or just write caritastarot@protonmail.com Blessings Be to you!
xoxoxLumenessaxoxoxo
Feb. 12, 2022
Poverty Consciousness
First blog post- Let's start with believing that the universe is endlessly abundant. There are certainly more than enough resources on this earth to support humanity. What is needed is compassionate and caring sharing of these resources with each other. It is our limiting belief systems, political systems and unfortunately the nature of human greed in a material world that keep so much of our fellow human beings in the state of poverty consciousness, and the situations which bring about constantly limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs include - "My situation is hopeless", "I am unlucky", "It can't be done", "I'll never get ahead", "It's worth being miserable at a job I hate to make money", "The deck is stacked against me", etc....Poverty consciousness is an extreme level of what otherwise serves as a balance - the idea that money must be saved and used wisely in the practical world, and that one's efforts will help provide for one's self and loved ones. Transmuting poverty consciousness into a practical level of belief in one's ability to achieve goals is a way to use positive thinking to help yourself, right now, today. Doing so is also a step in the right direction not only for yourself, but towards the real work that must be done to change the balance of wealth in the world to a fair and equitable state of affairs. Beginning to believe that there is indeed enough abundance in the real world to go around, and that everyone must participate in sharing it is an important first step.
Tell yourself daily, out loud if you can - The Universe is Abundant and Rich, I am Deserving of it's endless Bounty, and there is Plenty to Share with Everyone!
- Lumenessa, Feb 6, 2022
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