Forwarded from 🏛 S.P.Q.R Central 🏛
🏛 sorry for the long absence everyone it’s because of this current Covid 19 situation. Speaking of that please everyone be safe! We will have our weekly Roman trivia question starting back up soon so look out for that! Have a great day everyone! 🏛
Take it easy SPQR Central, looking forward to any new content. Real life comes before Telegram so it's very understandable.
Forwarded from ☀️The Sun Riders☀️ (Owen Thebes)
Art depicting Slavic deities, by Maxim Kuleshov.
Will you be perform a ritual for Ēostre (Easter)?
Anonymous Poll
30%
Yes I'm planning to
45%
I'd like to but need some information
14%
No it's not relevant to me (follow a different tradition [...])
11%
No, I'm not a pagan/I don't want to
Medb, Goddess of Mead and Sovereignty
Medb, queen of Connacht. From the Proto-Celtic *medu-, “mead” or *medua, “intoxicating.” Legendary stand-in for the goddess of mead and sovereignty.
Medb and her cognate, the Indian Madhavi, with derivatives such as madhu, “sweet, honey, mead,” are daughters of the ideal kings Eochaid Feidlech and Yayati, kings who are models of justice, and rulers of a Golden Age.
As Madhavi sacrifices her womb to save her father’s kingdom, in so doing producing four sons who correspond to the three social functions, Medb’s sister Clothru agrees to bear a son by three fathers in order that her family’s line will have heirs, a son who when born is divided into thirds by two red stripes. This son, Lugaid Riab nDerg, then becomes High King of Ireland.
Medb guarantees the permanence or the renewal of the triad of royal virtues defined according to the three functions and provides for the establishment of good kingdoms.
@solarcult
Medb, queen of Connacht. From the Proto-Celtic *medu-, “mead” or *medua, “intoxicating.” Legendary stand-in for the goddess of mead and sovereignty.
Medb and her cognate, the Indian Madhavi, with derivatives such as madhu, “sweet, honey, mead,” are daughters of the ideal kings Eochaid Feidlech and Yayati, kings who are models of justice, and rulers of a Golden Age.
As Madhavi sacrifices her womb to save her father’s kingdom, in so doing producing four sons who correspond to the three social functions, Medb’s sister Clothru agrees to bear a son by three fathers in order that her family’s line will have heirs, a son who when born is divided into thirds by two red stripes. This son, Lugaid Riab nDerg, then becomes High King of Ireland.
Medb guarantees the permanence or the renewal of the triad of royal virtues defined according to the three functions and provides for the establishment of good kingdoms.
@solarcult
Virtue In Heroic Society
“Every individual has a given role and status within a well-defined and highly determinate system of roles and statuses. The key structures are those of kinship and of the household. In such a society a man knows who he is by knowing his role in these structures, and in knowing this he knows also what he owes and what is owed to him by the occupant of every role and status. In Greek (dein) and in Anglo-Saxon (ahte) alike, there is originally no clear distinction between ‘ought’ and ‘owe’, in Icelandic the word ‘Skyldr’ ties together with ‘ought’ and ‘is kin to’. But it is not just that there is for each status a prescribed set of duties and privileges. There is also a clear understanding of what actions are required to perform these and what actions fall short of what is required. For what are required are actions. A man in heroic society is what he does.” - Alasdair MacIntyre
@solarcult
“Every individual has a given role and status within a well-defined and highly determinate system of roles and statuses. The key structures are those of kinship and of the household. In such a society a man knows who he is by knowing his role in these structures, and in knowing this he knows also what he owes and what is owed to him by the occupant of every role and status. In Greek (dein) and in Anglo-Saxon (ahte) alike, there is originally no clear distinction between ‘ought’ and ‘owe’, in Icelandic the word ‘Skyldr’ ties together with ‘ought’ and ‘is kin to’. But it is not just that there is for each status a prescribed set of duties and privileges. There is also a clear understanding of what actions are required to perform these and what actions fall short of what is required. For what are required are actions. A man in heroic society is what he does.” - Alasdair MacIntyre
@solarcult
https://telegra.ph/Quest-ce-que-le-Paganisme--Que-signifie-%C3%AAtre-Pa%C3%AFen-04-03
Qu’est-ce que le Paganisme ? Que signifie être Païen?
A translation of our first article in French.
-Matamoro, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
Qu’est-ce que le Paganisme ? Que signifie être Païen?
A translation of our first article in French.
-Matamoro, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
Telegraph
Qu’est-ce que le Paganisme ? Que signifie être Païen ?
Avec la montée du nationalisme en Europe, Amérique du nord et Australie qui sont typiquement considérés comme des « pays blancs », le paganisme, aussi connu sous le nom de « heathenry » (anglais, d’heathen : impie) commence de nouveau à susciter l’intérêt…
MEDITATION - PART ONE
Meditation only requires your patience and the rest will come naturally. For an absolute beginner, you can use guided meditations on YouTube but I wouldn't advise sticking with them for more than a few uses. Meditation is after all about the exploration of yourself. The YouTube videos can however walk you step by step into a state of meditation, but what they have you do during this state is somewhat mediocre in my opinion. So first we must understand what we are trying to do and what must be done to accomplish our goal, which is a successful meditation. We must understand that our bodies are complex energy forms, within our bodies are 72,000 "nadis" or energy channels if you like. Through these channels flows "prana" the vital energy. When the nadis meet, they form a triangle. These triangles are what we call "chakras". There are 7 chakras within the human body.
Meditation only requires your patience and the rest will come naturally. For an absolute beginner, you can use guided meditations on YouTube but I wouldn't advise sticking with them for more than a few uses. Meditation is after all about the exploration of yourself. The YouTube videos can however walk you step by step into a state of meditation, but what they have you do during this state is somewhat mediocre in my opinion. So first we must understand what we are trying to do and what must be done to accomplish our goal, which is a successful meditation. We must understand that our bodies are complex energy forms, within our bodies are 72,000 "nadis" or energy channels if you like. Through these channels flows "prana" the vital energy. When the nadis meet, they form a triangle. These triangles are what we call "chakras". There are 7 chakras within the human body.
MEDITATION - PART TWO
The first chakra is the "Muladhara" or root chakra, it deals with basic survival and can be found at the base of the spine, its color is red. This chakra can be blocked by fear within your life.
The second chakra is the "Swadhisthana" or sacral chakra, it is located at the bottom of your stomach. This chakra represents sexuality, its color is orange.
The third chakra, "Manipura" or the naval chakra, is found at the base of your stomach near your diaphragm. It represents power, its color is yellow.
The fourth chakra, the "Anahata" or heart chakra, is found in the chest. It represents love, its color is green.
The fifth chakra, the "Vishuddha" or throat chakra, is located — well, in the throat. It represents communication. People who have empowered this chakra are powerful speakers or poets. Its color is blue.
Now we come to the sixth chakra, "Ajna" or the brow chakra. It's located at your forehead. This chakra represents intuition. Its color is a purplish blue.
And now the seventh and final chakra, "Sahasrara". This chakra is also known as the crown and represents spirituality. Its color is a dark purple.
Now that we know the chakras, we must understand their importance. Our nadis are a very important essence of our life. They flow through us like the waters of life, think of the nadis as a stream of water. Along this stream there are seven pools of water. Each pool of water is clogged by some kind of obstruction. We must work to unclog our streams through meditation. Now we can get into the bulk of the actual meditation, since I've layed the grounds of what is happening. Your body must be completely straight to allow for all of your chakras to be in a line. Your energy may be flowing to one or two of them already, but with enough patience you can get all of them. Some people prefer to lie down and meditate before bed, others prefer to sit with their legs crossed on the floor or even in a chair, whichever you choose doesn't matter, as long as your upper body is completely straight, including your head. Now you must close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. First start with normal breaths in through your nose and out of your mouth. Feel your body start to unwind and notice the tension leaving your muscles. I like to focus on individual muscles or body parts during this phase as I inhale and exhale. This helps relax those parts of your body. Once you have done this, start taking deeper breaths. Still in your nose and out your mouth. If you would like, you can also use the mantra "Om" on your exhale as well. "Om" is the most popular mantra, and for good reason: it is very powerful. Brahman spoke the entire universe into existence with this mantra. It is considered the sound of the universe. We must realise that Brahman and Ātman are one within the same, but that is a discussion for another day and another post. So now we are getting deeper into our breaths. At this point you should try to focus on absolutely nothing. This will be impossible at first. After all, how can you think of nothing? I'm here to tell you it is possible but it just takes some time. Whenever you catch your mind wandering, simply bring it back to nothing. At some point, maybe in your first meditation or a few later, you will reach a deeper state of meditation. You will feel energy in your body, the farther away from the center of your body, the faster this energy is. But what you will feel at your core is a very slow, powerful energy. Similar to that of your heart beating. If you would like to put your hand on your chest, you can. It is after all an unsettling feeling to feel such a strong heartbeat, but once you do, you'll realize that it isn't a heart beat because you won't feel anything on your hand. You are simply feeling the energy of your body. From here things can only get better for you. I feel that I've given enough here so that you can guide yourself into meditation, but I can't tell you everything or I would ruin the journey.
Have fun exploring the unknown, comrades.
Dima, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
The first chakra is the "Muladhara" or root chakra, it deals with basic survival and can be found at the base of the spine, its color is red. This chakra can be blocked by fear within your life.
The second chakra is the "Swadhisthana" or sacral chakra, it is located at the bottom of your stomach. This chakra represents sexuality, its color is orange.
The third chakra, "Manipura" or the naval chakra, is found at the base of your stomach near your diaphragm. It represents power, its color is yellow.
The fourth chakra, the "Anahata" or heart chakra, is found in the chest. It represents love, its color is green.
The fifth chakra, the "Vishuddha" or throat chakra, is located — well, in the throat. It represents communication. People who have empowered this chakra are powerful speakers or poets. Its color is blue.
Now we come to the sixth chakra, "Ajna" or the brow chakra. It's located at your forehead. This chakra represents intuition. Its color is a purplish blue.
And now the seventh and final chakra, "Sahasrara". This chakra is also known as the crown and represents spirituality. Its color is a dark purple.
Now that we know the chakras, we must understand their importance. Our nadis are a very important essence of our life. They flow through us like the waters of life, think of the nadis as a stream of water. Along this stream there are seven pools of water. Each pool of water is clogged by some kind of obstruction. We must work to unclog our streams through meditation. Now we can get into the bulk of the actual meditation, since I've layed the grounds of what is happening. Your body must be completely straight to allow for all of your chakras to be in a line. Your energy may be flowing to one or two of them already, but with enough patience you can get all of them. Some people prefer to lie down and meditate before bed, others prefer to sit with their legs crossed on the floor or even in a chair, whichever you choose doesn't matter, as long as your upper body is completely straight, including your head. Now you must close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. First start with normal breaths in through your nose and out of your mouth. Feel your body start to unwind and notice the tension leaving your muscles. I like to focus on individual muscles or body parts during this phase as I inhale and exhale. This helps relax those parts of your body. Once you have done this, start taking deeper breaths. Still in your nose and out your mouth. If you would like, you can also use the mantra "Om" on your exhale as well. "Om" is the most popular mantra, and for good reason: it is very powerful. Brahman spoke the entire universe into existence with this mantra. It is considered the sound of the universe. We must realise that Brahman and Ātman are one within the same, but that is a discussion for another day and another post. So now we are getting deeper into our breaths. At this point you should try to focus on absolutely nothing. This will be impossible at first. After all, how can you think of nothing? I'm here to tell you it is possible but it just takes some time. Whenever you catch your mind wandering, simply bring it back to nothing. At some point, maybe in your first meditation or a few later, you will reach a deeper state of meditation. You will feel energy in your body, the farther away from the center of your body, the faster this energy is. But what you will feel at your core is a very slow, powerful energy. Similar to that of your heart beating. If you would like to put your hand on your chest, you can. It is after all an unsettling feeling to feel such a strong heartbeat, but once you do, you'll realize that it isn't a heart beat because you won't feel anything on your hand. You are simply feeling the energy of your body. From here things can only get better for you. I feel that I've given enough here so that you can guide yourself into meditation, but I can't tell you everything or I would ruin the journey.
Have fun exploring the unknown, comrades.
Dima, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
Jūratė and Kastytis
Lithuanian folktale
Jūratė was the goddess of the sea (Jūra =sea in Lithuanian), who lived under the waves of the Baltic Sea, in a beautiful castle made of amber. She was the queen of the sea, and so she ruled over all the maritime creatures and maintained the peace and balance between them. One day, a talented young fisherman named Kastytis was fishing near her castle, and he caught many fish. This made Jūratė angry, as she thought he was disturbing the calmness of the ocean by taking too many animals at a time. She decided to punish the fisherman in order to restore the peace of her kingdom, but when she faced Kastytis, they fell hopelessly in love with each other.
They lived happily together in Jūratė’s amber castle for some time, but their happiness was not to last. Perkūnas, the god of thunder, the most powerful and feared of the Baltic gods, was the father of the Sea Goddess, and he discovered the affair between Jūratė and Kastytis. He got furious with Jūratė, not only for daring to love a mere human, which was not allowed for the superior Gods, but also because she had been promised to marry the god of water, known as Patrimpas. Out of his rage, Perkūnas used his lightning bolts to kill Kastytis and he struck the undersea amber palace, reducing it to its ruins. As to Jūratė’s destiny, she was tied to the ruins of the castle to spend her life there to the eternity.
The legend says that even today, Jūratė still mourns in her underwater prison for the loss of Kastytis. It also says that this is why little pieces of amber keep arriving to the shores and beaches of the Baltic Sea: they are what remain of Jūratė’s undersea palace after the strike from the God of Thunder. Those with the shape of a small amber tear are said to be the most precious, as they are the tears of Jūratė that arrive from her imprisonment to the shore during the stormy days that shake the ocean.
Adapted and edited from: https://www.balticrun.com/the-legend-of-jurate-and-kastytis/amp/
-Hariwulfaz, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
Lithuanian folktale
Jūratė was the goddess of the sea (Jūra =sea in Lithuanian), who lived under the waves of the Baltic Sea, in a beautiful castle made of amber. She was the queen of the sea, and so she ruled over all the maritime creatures and maintained the peace and balance between them. One day, a talented young fisherman named Kastytis was fishing near her castle, and he caught many fish. This made Jūratė angry, as she thought he was disturbing the calmness of the ocean by taking too many animals at a time. She decided to punish the fisherman in order to restore the peace of her kingdom, but when she faced Kastytis, they fell hopelessly in love with each other.
They lived happily together in Jūratė’s amber castle for some time, but their happiness was not to last. Perkūnas, the god of thunder, the most powerful and feared of the Baltic gods, was the father of the Sea Goddess, and he discovered the affair between Jūratė and Kastytis. He got furious with Jūratė, not only for daring to love a mere human, which was not allowed for the superior Gods, but also because she had been promised to marry the god of water, known as Patrimpas. Out of his rage, Perkūnas used his lightning bolts to kill Kastytis and he struck the undersea amber palace, reducing it to its ruins. As to Jūratė’s destiny, she was tied to the ruins of the castle to spend her life there to the eternity.
The legend says that even today, Jūratė still mourns in her underwater prison for the loss of Kastytis. It also says that this is why little pieces of amber keep arriving to the shores and beaches of the Baltic Sea: they are what remain of Jūratė’s undersea palace after the strike from the God of Thunder. Those with the shape of a small amber tear are said to be the most precious, as they are the tears of Jūratė that arrive from her imprisonment to the shore during the stormy days that shake the ocean.
Adapted and edited from: https://www.balticrun.com/the-legend-of-jurate-and-kastytis/amp/
-Hariwulfaz, The Sun Riders
@solarcult
Baltic Run
The Legend of Jūratė and Kastytis - Baltic Run
The Lithuanian legend Jūratė and Kastytis tells the sad story of an impossible love between a goddess and a man in the Baltic Sea.