Bean Sidhe, Women of the Mounds

One of the most iconic and well known of all the spirits and Gods of Gaelic Myth and Lore is the Wailing spirit known as The Banshee (Bean Sidhe) though they are also some of the most maligned and misunderstood of all the Fae.

For Banshee's do not bring death, nor do they cause it, they are not killers -no more than any of us really- they are in truth mourners, her wail is that of true and deepest mourning for the death of a great and noble hero, they just learn of it before we mortals do -Time between realms has never really been consistent-

You see, A Banshee is in reality an ancestral spirit or "Faerie Woman" that heralds the imminent death of a beloved family member. Not just of any family though, HER family. Her keening or wailing may only be heard by the family itself. However, on occasion, a hero can be so important to the land and people that the Banshee's wail can be heard by all!

The proof of her bond and her devotion to her Clan is her comb. Banshee carry a comb carved of the leg bone of one of the families great heroes. And you'd do well to remember that the Banshee does not take her role lightly, she truly cares for the family. Keeping the chronicles of their history, watching over them and even washing the bloody clothes of those to die before they are stained. This duty of care for her clan is the most precious part of a Banshee's existence, symbolized modestly in her humble comb. Anyone attempting to steal her comb from her invites death upon themselves and their family as she represents both their protection and destruction.

So should YOU see an old but beautiful woman, or perhaps a younger woman whose eyes betray the weight and wisdom of her years softly singing to herself while combing her hair. Offer to her your time and kindness, comb her hair, tell her a story or sing her a song. You very well might have encountered the herald and historian of your clan.-HR

@Hyperborean Radio (Uncensored)

Michael Whelan

In the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, when Apollo is presented with an opponent who threatens to destabilize the order he wishes to impose on the cosmos (e.g. Pytho or Telphousa), he eliminates them and takes their names. In the HH Hermes, we are presented with another way for a god to gain recognition among the Olympians. Rather than destroying his opponents, Hermes allows Apollo to hold onto his τιμαί so long as he is willing to join in friendship. Through his own inventiveness, Hermes is able to open up parallel spaces within the established cosmos. As a result of Hermes’ exploits, we are reminded of the importance of thinking about the Greek pantheon as a dynamic system in which our understanding of the cosmos comes from the complementary and competing attributes of the Olympian gods.

Reconsidering Zeus’ Order: The Reconciliation of Apollo and Hermes by Christopher Bungard

The music of the spheres. Shown in this engraving from Renaissance Italy are Apollo, the Muses, the planetary spheres and musical ratios

Pythagorean theology was dualistic; it contrasted this corruptible, earthly sphere with a pure and divine realm. One's higher nature, the eternal soul, is entangled in temporal flesh. The body is like a tomb. The soul must not become a slave to the body and its lusts. One must not fall prey to the demands of the flesh.

God isn’t wonderful because he is fabulously wealthy, or because he’s so powerful he can control the thunder and lightning. What makes him so great is his limitless knowledge and awareness. The purpose of our work as priests and priestesses is to attain knowledge of him, the first, the supreme ruler, the ideal one.

The search for truth requires intense study and concentration. This quest is more holy than any other and is most pleasing to the goddess you worship. Indeed when Typhon, her enemy, rips the sacred texts to shreds, it is Isis who collects them together again, and entrusts them to those initiated in the holy mysteries.

Plutarch (Priest of Apollo) to Clea (Priestess of Isis)

Apollo is the god who directs the harmony,
and makes all things move together,
whether for gods or human beings.

– Plato, “Cratylus” (405d)

Focus on making yourself who you want to be: faster, smarter, stronger, more humble, less ego.

Discipline your body so you can free your mind.

Get up early and go get after it. And be that person that you want to be.

Hail Zeus

We need to bring back druidic rituals.
This is how we will win.

Plutarch (Priest of Apollo) to Clea (Priestess of Isis)

The purpose of our work as priests and priestesses is to attain knowledge of him, the first, the supreme ruler, the ideal one.

The search for truth requires intense study and concentration. This quest is more holy than any other and is most pleasing to the goddess you worship.

Indeed when Typhon, her enemy, rips the sacred texts to shreds, it is Isis who collects them together again, and entrusts them to those initiated in the holy mysteries.

Merovingian brooch, 6th century

Merovingi or Merohingii ("sons of Merovech") were one of the establishing Frankish dynasties.
Merovech was the King of the Salian Franks.
They were a Germanic tribe who originally worshipped Woden.

Odin, Anton Marussig