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LITURGICAL CALENDAR
Introduction
The Sacred Liturgical Calendar of Religio Antinoi is presented here as
a brief illustration of the major festivals recognized by those who believe
in Antinous, and is the result of discussion between the new priesthood
our beloved god, and all those who proclaim belief in his deification.
Adoration of Antinous the God is practiced by ritually calling out to
him for blessing and guidance, and the Liturgical Calendar is an outline
for meditation, and a guide to focus the power and spirit of the Lover
of Antinous upon the Beloved God. The days enumerated here are a catalogue
of historical events, ancient and modern religious festivals, and remembrances
of saintly lives connected with Antinous and with homosexuality in general.
Not all festivals are observed by all members of Ecclesia Antinoi, and
there are other interpretations of the calendar available because the
ultimate goal of our religion is liberation and unity through and with
Antinous, which is highly individual and cannot be dictated by authority.
Therefore this list is only presented as an amalgamation of every holiday,
to which more will be added as time progresses, offering a wide array
of sacred themes to incorporate into the life of one who wishes to participate
in the work of the priests of Ecclesia Antinoi, which is to bring holiness
and sanctity to the common days of the year, through participation in
the benediction and salvation of Antinous the God. There
are three cycles revolving simultaneously within the Sacred Calendar of
Antinous, they are the Ecclesiastic Year, The Peregrination to the East,
and the Common Year.The Ecclesiastic Year
The
Ecclesiastic Year
The
First Cycle is the Holy Ecclesiastic Year, which begins on October 30th,
the anniversary of the Foundation of the City of Antinoopolis, and ends
on October 29th, the night on which Antinous descends into the Underworld,
only to rise again. On this day we celebrate the anniversary of the
foundation of Ecclesia Antinoi which occurred on October 30th 2002.
The
Holy Year is divided into four quarters named after the phases of the
Moon, in keeping with the lunar aspect of Antinous. The "New Year" begins
on Foundation Day and represents Winter and is sacred to Dionysus, god
of darkness, ecstasy and eternal life, its color is Blue. The First
Quarter begins on February 1st and extends to the end of April and represents
the Spring, which is Sacred to the Great Mother, who rules over birth,
and sensuality, its color is Green. The Full Year begins on May 1st
and ends on the 31st of July, it encompasses the high Summer, which
is ruled by Apollo, god of the sun, revelation, and maturity, its color
is Yellow. The Last Quarter begins on the first of August, culminates
with the Sacred Nights of Antinous, and ends on the 29th of October,
which is the last day of the Ecclesiastic Year, it is ruled by Persephone,
goddess of death and mystery. Its color is red, after the color of the
Lotus Flower.
The
major events of the life of Antinous that occurred outside of the time
frame of the Peregrination to the East are part of the yearly calendar.
These include his birthday, the day on which Antinous and Hadrian met,
and the inauguration of the Pantheon in Rome, at which Antinous was
present. The most important events of the Peregrination such as the
Death and Resurrection and the Foundation of Antinoopolis, the Sacred
Lion Hunt, the Miracle of the Red Lotus Flower and the Sacred Boar Hunt
are also celebrated annually in a subdued form, though with deep solemnity
at their appropriate time during the Peregrination.
The
cult of the Antonine Emperors is recognized as part of the sacred yearly
calendar. Although Hadrian is not by name an Antonine, he was the founder
of the dynasty because he chose Antoninus Pius to be his successor.
The Antonines are considered to be the most glorious of the roman emperors,
and their reign is called the Golden Age. The days of the birth, ascension,
and death of Aelius Caesar, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius
Verus and Elagabalus are considered holy because they were supporters
of the religion of Antinous and regarded him as the guardian spirit
of the Empire. Trajan is not part of the Imperial Cult of Ecclesia Antinous
because his reign preceded the religion of Antinous and is therefore
outside of the sphere of Ecclesia Antinoi. This is still a matter of
conjecture because Antinous was born during the reign of Trajan and
he choose Hadrian as his successor thereby initiating the course of
events that we regard as holy.
The
Ecclesiastic Year is also devoted to the commemoration of historical
events of importance to homosexuality. We consecrate these days as Holy
Days. They include the riot at the Stonewall, National Coming Out Day,
the Gay Holocaust and the closing of the Institute for Sexual Science
The
Saints and Martyrs of Ecclesia Antinoi are remembered on the day of
their death, though at present only the foremost and those with recorded
deaths or births are included. In time the full catalogue of Saints
will receive designation, and the number of saints will surely grow.
Recognition of their lives and their contribution to the memory of Antinous
and to Homosexuality is of great importance to the full implication
of this religion.
A
very delicate and important inclusion is the Christian Martyrs who died
in Antinoopolis during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Though
these Christians were against much of what we believe in as Pagans,
Homosexuals, and believers of Antinous, it is essentially that we recognize
their sacrifice and death, because they were Antinoopolitans, citizens
of our Sacred City, and because we do not wish to forget the injustice
that they suffered at the hands of our own people, with the approval
of our own ancient priesthood. They are an example of the evil depth
that our religion is tainted with, and must serve as a reminder that
even as we are persecuted now, we too have once been guilty of the same
crime. We include them as martyrs of our own injustice, and as symbols
guide us away from hypocrisy, and we pray to them to forgive us, that
we may be forgiven and set free by our own modern persecutors.
This
calendar is a Pagan calendar, whose yearly cycle is a celebration of
the festivals of the gods connected to Antinous. Dionysus and Magna
Mater are particularly emphasized because they had the heaviest influence
on the inner meaning of his religion. However, the wide spectrum of
mythological, and syncretic philosophy of the ancient religion of Antinous
necessitates that all the gods to which he was compared be given equal
status. Because his religion emerged during the Roman era, the names
of the Greek and Phrygian gods have been given their Roman aspect, and
the general theme of the veneration of the gods is presented in fashion
of the Religio Romana. But this is in no way the official policy of
Ecclesia Antinoi, which remains open to any and all interpretation and
form of worship.
In
Keeping with the Roman Religion of which Antinous was a part, the yearly
calendar includes many of the major festivals of ancient paganism. The
Solstices and Equinoxes are celebrated under specific names whose tone
alternates in accordance with the three-year cycle known as the Peregrination.
The four major festivals are the Saturnalia in winter, which is sacred
to Dionysus, the Cerealia in Spring, sacred to Magna Mater, the Delphinea
in Summer, sacred to Apollo, and the Persephonea in Autumn, which is
sacred to Persephone. The first of the two lesser festivals is the 72
Days, which begin the day after Foundation Day, and extend from October
31st to January 11th. This long period of time represents the ascension
of Antinous into heaven in defiance of the Archons, and the period of
time in which his body was mummified in natron by the priests of Anubis.
The 72 Days are a period of introspection, comparable to Lent. The second
lesser festival is the Eroticon, which is an elastic festival that precedes
the Sacred Boar Hunt, and can be celebrated all on one day or drawn
out for any number of days according to taste and feasibility. Situated
at the mid-point of the Ecclesiastic Year, the Eroticon is dedicated
to an expression of sensuality and indulgence in honor of the god of
Love, and at the appropriate time includes the Sacred Games of Antinous,
which are an athletic demonstration in memory of the Death of Antinous.
The Sacred Games were traditionally celebrated every four years, and
at the moment Ecclesia Antinoi is adhering to that policy, but this
is still a matter of conjecture.
Peregrinatio
ad Orientem
The
Second Cycle and the most complicated is called the Peregrinatio ad
Orientem, or the Peregrination to the East, which is an outline of the
journey that Antinous made with Hadrian over the three year period between
August, 128 and October, 130. It begins on August 1st and ends on July
31st and is composed of three phases of one year each. This is the most
important time in the short life of Antinous, and the focus of our spirituality
because he was publicly acknowledged as the Imperial Favorite, the boyfriend
of the Emperor Hadrian. In order to align ourselves with this true,
historical event in which Antinous took part, we have delineated the
course of the journey to the best of our knowledge, and in keeping with
the spirit of our holy aspiration. Though the dates are difficult to
ascertain and were essentially settled on by informed guesswork and
intuition, we feel that the itinerary, as outlined by this calendar,
is within the margin of probability. Though many of the cities included
were certainly visited by Antinous, others have been added to fill in
the silence because their religious significance would have made them
likely destinations for the spiritual, wander-lust of Hadrian. They
have been chosen because the essence of their predominating cults, or
the events which took place in their history may have influenced the
spirituality of Antinous and may offer clues to the motivation of his
death, the meaning of his deification, and the religion of his followers.
The
destinations of the Peregrination to the East are followed spiritually
in a manner similar to the stations of the cross, spread out over the
course of three years, beginning with the departure from the Villa at
Tibur, continuing through Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, then Egypt and
the Death and Deification of Antinous.
The
First year of the Peregrination begins on August 1st in Italy, at the
Villa of Tibur, and at Rome and then moves on to Greece, where the Imperial
Court took up residence for the winter months. In the Spring they sailed
for Asia Minor including Antinous's hometown Bithynia. The gods of the
Greek pantheon, especially Dionysus and Magna Mater, are incorporated
into the spirituality of Antinous as he is "initiated" into their cults
along the way. This first year of the Peregrination is comparable to
the Joyous Mysteries because is was the high point of the life of Antinous
and Hadrian, the period in which their relationship was publicly and
privately flourishing.
The
Second year begins as the court enters Syria and is essentially the
time spent in the cities of the Middle East. The court was based in
Antioch, but Hadrian and Antinous traveled throughout the region, going
as far East as Armenia and as far South as Arabia Petra. The year is
predominated by the Syro-Chaldean pantheon which is characterized by
various forms of Sun worship into which Antinous is initiated. This
is also the time when the relationship of Hadrian and Antinous came
under the scrutiny of the large population of Jews and Christians, who
were utterly scornful. This is the most difficult and darkest portion
of the journey, when the homosexuality of Antinous was condemned, and
the deification of Hadrian was rejected as an abomination. The second
year of the Peregrination is comparable to the Sorrowful Mysteries because
of the confrontation that occurred between Judeo-Christianity and the
Hellenism of Hadrian and Antinous, which would ultimately lead to centuries
of repression from which we are only now emerging.
The
third and final year of the Peregrination begins as the court enters
Egypt and the metropolis of Alexandria. One of the most important and
historically documented events of Antinous's life, The Sacred Lion Hunt,
takes place just before the court begins its sacred progress up the
Nile River on a fleet of gilded barges. The religious atmosphere increases
in intensity as Antinous enters the ancient holy cities and is revealed
their mysteries in succession. The tone of the cosmologies of Egypt,
each offering a different yet interrelated interpretation of creation,
is as though in preparation for the death and deification of Antinous
during the Sacred Nights of October. Though the events of the Death
and Resurrection, and the Foundation of Antinoopolis are also part of
the yearly, Ecclesiastic Calendar, they are celebrated in full and with
all solemnity during the final part of the Peregrination. The remainder
of the year is split between two spiritual perspectives, the celestial
progress of the immortal spirit of Antinous above and beyond our Universe,
and the terrestrial odyssey of his mummified body which is symbolically
entombed at Antinoopolis, but then travels on with Hadrian, going as
far as the city of Cholchis on the far shore of the Black Sea, and then
back to Rome where it is brought to the Villa of Tibur, from which the
religion of Antinous extends to the whole world. The third year of the
Peregrination is comparable to the Glorious Mysteries because they represent
the passage of Antinous from the mortal realm to the Celestial Sphere
and are dedicated to our belief in the meaning of what salvation through
Antinous implies.
The
Common Year
Of
the three cycles of the Calendar, the most simple to understand is the
Common Year, which begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st,
following the customary calendar of the western world. This is used
for the basic purpose of reckoning time.
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The Sacred Liturgical Calendar of Ecclesia Antinoi is an ever growing,
forever provisional and changing description of the sanctity of common
days. Membership in Ecclesia Antinoi, or belief in Antinous does not require
participation in every festival, or an adherence of belief to the uniform
interpretation of the inner meaning of the sacred days. Any recommendations
are welcome, as this calendar is intended to be all-inclusive.
Calendar
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