For of the Gods themselves, the divine Homer makes oppositions; representing Apollo as hostilely opposed to Neptune, Mars to Minerva, the river Xanthus to Vulcan, Hermes to Latona, and Juno to Diana. For it is requisite to survey generation in incorporeal natures, in bodies, and in both. It is likewise necessary to consider Neptune and Apollo as the fabricators of the whole of generation, the one totally, but the other partially. But Juno and Diana, as the suppliers of vivification, the former rationally, but the latter physically. Minerva and Mars, as the causes of the contrariety which pervades through both existence and life; the former, of that which is defined according to intellect; but the latter, of that which is more material and passive. Hermes and Latona, as presiding over the twofold perfection of souls; the former indeed, over the perfection which is obtained through the gnostic powers, and the evolution into light of productive principles; but the latter, over the smooth, spontaneous, and voluntary elevation which is acquired through the vital powers. Vulcan and Xanthus, as the primary leaders of the whole of a corporeal constitution, and of the powers which it contains; the former, of those that are more efficacious; but the latter of those that are more passive, and as it were more material. But he leaves Venus by herself, in order that she may illuminate all things with union and harmony ...

Proclus, Commentary on the Timaeus of Plato 1.79

"You will also find in Homer other principles and origins of all-various names, which are considered by the stupid as nothing more than fables, but are regarded by the philosopher as realities. There is also in him the principle of virtue, but it is called Minerva, and is present with its possessor in all-various labours. There is likewise the principle of love, but it is ascribed to Venus, who presides over the cestus, and imparts desire. The principle of art too is to be found in him, but it is Vulcan who governs fire and communicates art. But with him Apollo rules over the choir, the Muses over the song, Mars over war, Aeolus over the winds, Ocean over rivers, and Ceres over fruits; and there is nothing in Homer without deity, nothing without a ruler, nothing without a principle, but all things are full of divine speeches, and divine names, and divine art."

Maximus Tyrius, Dissertation 16

To one desiring to know by what path blessedness is reached the reply is, 'Know thyself'.

Macrobius, Commentary on the Dream of Scipio 1.9.2

But that there are Forms of these concepts - I mean the just, the beautiful, the good and, as [Plato] says, all other such things, i.e. temperance, courage, wisdom - you can convince yourself if you reflect that every virtue, and every perfection in accordance with virtue, makes us like the divine, and the more fully we possess it, the nearer we are to the life of intelligence. If, then, beauty and goodness and each of the virtues make us more like Intellect, Intellect must certainly possess their intellectual paradigms. ... We must then conclude that the Ideas of the virtues and of Beauty and Good exist in Intellect prior to Soul.

But again, we must look at each of these from two different points of view, first of all, in one way as a divine henad [i.e., God], and in another as an intellectual Idea, for these do not belong to the same rank of being. The Just, for example, exists otherwise among the Forms than among the gods. In the former case it is one Idea among others, distinct from all of them; it is a character in something other than itself, and the intellection it carries it imparts only as far as souls. But among the gods, Dikē is all in a manner peculiar to itself, and its providence goes forth to the lowest grades of being, beginning with the primary intellectual deities, for there is where it first becomes manifest; whereas the Just is an Idea in the intellect of the Demiurge, as we said. ... Hence we must not confuse the doctrine about Forms with those about the gods, nor regard the organisation of the particular Forms as identical with that of the divine henads, but study the gods in themselves, distinct from essences and multiplicity.

Proclus, Commentary on Plato's Parmenides 3.810-11

Artemis hunting a stag, surrounded by Zeus (left), Nikê (top) and Apollo (right). The goddess is wielding a torch like a spear, the torch refering to her role as the bringer of light. Attributed to the Herakles Painter, between 370 and 350 BCE

Medieval manunoscript of Calcidius' Latin translation of Plato's Timaeus, First half of the tenth century

When you’re about to embark on any action, remind yourself what kind of action it is. If you’re going out to take a bath, set before your mind the things that happen at the baths, that people splash you, that people knock up against you, that people steal from you. And you’ll thus undertake the action in a surer manner if you say to yourself at the outset, ‘I want to take a bath and ensure at the same time that my choice remains in harmony with nature.’ And follow the same course in every action that you embark on. So if anything gets in your way while you’re taking your bath, you’ll be ready to tell yourself, ‘Well, this wasn’t the only thing that I wanted to do, but I also wanted to keep my choice in harmony with nature; and I won’t keep it so if I get annoyed at what is happening.’

Epictetus, Handbook 4

The Intellect of the Father whirred, conceiving with his unwearying will
Ideas of every form; and they leapt out in flight from this single source
For this was the Father’s counsel and achievement.
But they were divided by the fire of intelligence
And distributed among other intelligent beings. For their lord had placed
Before this multiform cosmos an eternal intelligible model;
And the cosmos strove modestly to follow its traces,
And appeared in the form it has and graced with all sorts of Ideas.
Of these there was one source, but as they burst forth innumerable others were broken off and scattered
Through the bodies of the cosmos, swarming like bees
About the mighty hollows of the world,
And whirling about in various directions -
These intelligent Ideas, issued from the paternal source,
Laying hold on the mighty bloom of fire.
At the prime moment of unsleeping time
This primary and self-sufficient source of the Father
Has spouted forth these primally-generative Ideas.

The Chaldean Oracles fragment 37

You must picture to such men the extent of the undertaking [of philosophy], describing what sort of inquiry it is, with how many difficulties it is beset, and how much labor it involves. For anyone who hears this, who is a true lover of wisdom, with the divine quality that makes him akin to it and worthy of pursuing it, thinks that he has heard of a marvelous quest that he must at once enter upon with all earnestness, or life is not worth living; and from that time forth he pushes himself and urges on his leader without ceasing, until he has reached the end of the journey or has become capable of doing without a guide and finding the way himself. This is the state of mind in which such a man lives; whatever his occupation may be, above everything and always he holds fast to philosophy and to the daily discipline that best makes him apt at learning and remembering, and capable of reasoning soberly with himself; while for the opposite way of living he has a persistent hatred. Those who are really not philosophers but have only a coating of opinions, like men whose bodies are tanned by the sun, when they see how much learning is required, and how great the labor, and how orderly their daily lives must be to suit the subject they are pursuing, conclude that the task is too difficult for their powers; and rightly so, for they are not equipped for this pursuit. But some of them persuade themselves that they have already sufficiently heard the whole of it and need make no further effort.

Plato(?), Letter VII 340c-e

The philosophy I speak of is not the one which takes the citizen out of public life and the gods out of the world we live in, and hands morality over to pleasure, but the philosophy which thinks nothing good unless it is honorable, which is incapable of being enticed astray by the rewards of men or fortune, and the very pricelessness of which lies in the fact that it cannot be bought at any price.

Seneca, Letter 90

An Athenian prayer: "Rain, Zeus, please. Rain on the farmland and the fields of the Athenians." That's how to pray, simply and in a spirit of self-reliance; otherwise, one shouldn't pray at all.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.7

For even though the choice of morally beautiful things lies in our power, still, seeing that we also have this very power from god, we somehow wholly need his cooperation and his ability to perfect our choices. The zeal on our part is like the hand stretched forth to receive beautiful things, while the contribution of god is like the supply house and source for the giving of goods; the former is by nature made to discover the beautiful, the latter to reveal it to the one who seeks in the right manner. And prayer is the border between the seeking on our part and the giving on god's ... Therefore in order not to make our prayer one in word only but also to confirm it in deed, and in order not only to take confidence in our own activity but also to depend on the cooperation from god and to join prayer to deed as form is joined to matter, and - to sum this up - that we may pray for what we do and be effective in what we pray for, the text says summarily: 'But go to your work, having prayed to the gods to perfect it.' ... Virtue is in fact an image of god in the rational soul, and every image needs a model for its genesis ... By making its own discoveries on the one hand, and by being enlightened on the other, [the soul] strives for what it seeks in prayer, and seeks in prayer what it strives for.

Hierocles, Commentary on the Golden Verses 22

This power to preserve through everything the correct and law-inculcated belief about what is to be feared and what isn't is what I call courage.

Plato, Republic 430b

My view on Platonism among Heathens is simple. No one can claim that a heathen has to be a Platonist or that if allowed to continue, heathens would have adopted platonic philosophy just as every other religion in the West did. We can't know that. Therefore we cannot scorn those heathens who reject Platonism. Also, no one can claim Platonism is a heresy among Heathens as nothing like this is expressed anywhere by any heathen source. In fact what we know about Germanic heathens is that they were extremely flexible, allowing the incorporation of Lappish shamanism, and even Christianity and idols of Christ in temples (at least in some cases).

People on either side trying to establish an orthodox dogma which opposes the other are being dishonest.

'Now look at the wisdom of the Greeks, and examine it as follows. The authors of the Orphic hymns supposed Zeus to be the mind of the world, and that he created all things therein, containing the world in himself. Therefore in their theological systems they have handed down their opinions concerning him thus:'

Zeus was the first, Zeus last, the lightning's lord,
Zeus head, Zeus centre, all things are from Zeus.
Zeus born a male, Zeus virgin undefiled;
Zeus the firm base of earth and starry heaven;
Zeus sovereign, Zeus alone first cause of all:
One power divine, great ruler of the world,
One kingly form, encircling all things here,
Fire, water, earth, and ether, night and day;
Wisdom, first parent, and delightful Love:
For in Zeus' mighty body these all lie.
His head and beauteous face the radiant heaven
Reveals and round him float in shining waves
The golden tresses of the twinkling stars.
On either side bulls' horns of gold are seen,
Sunrise and sunset, footpaths of the gods.
His eyes the Sun, the Moon's responsive light;
His mind immortal ether, sovereign truth,
Hears and considers all; nor any speech,
Nor cry, nor noise, nor ominous voice escapes
The ear of Zeus, great Kronos' mightier son:
Such his immortal head, and such his thought.
His radiant body, boundless, undisturbed
In strength of mighty limbs was formed thus:
The god's broad-spreading shoulders, breast and back
Air's wide expanse displays; on either side
Grow wings, wherewith throughout all space he flies.
Earth the all-mother, with her lofty hills,
His sacred belly forms; the swelling flood
Of hoarse resounding Ocean girds his waist.
His feet the deeply rooted ground upholds,
And dismal Tartarus, and earth's utmost bounds.
All things he hides, then from his heart again
In godlike action brings to gladsome light.

Zeus, therefore, is the whole world, animal of animals, and god of gods; but Zeus, that is, inasmuch as he is the mind from which he brings forth all things, and by his thoughts creates them. When the theologians had explained the nature of god in this manner, to make an image such as their denoscription indicated was neither possible, nor, if any one thought of it, could he show the look of life, and intelligence, and forethought by the figure of a sphere.

But they have made the representation of Zeus in human form, because mind was that according to which he wrought, and by generative laws brought all things to completion; and he is seated, as indicating the steadfastness of his power: and his upper parts are bare, because he is manifested in the intellectual and the heavenly parts of the world; but his feet are clothed, because he is invisible in the things that lie hidden below. And he holds his sceptre in his left hand, because most close to that side of the body dwells the heart, the most commanding and intelligent organ: for the creative mind is the sovereign of the world. And in his right hand he holds forth either an eagle, because he is master of the gods who traverse the air, as the eagle is master of the birds that fly aloft - or a victory, because he is himself victorious over all things.

Porphyry, On Cult Images fragment 3

Just not true.

Platonism comes out of Pythagorean teachings. It is consistent with polytheism and thus was the only philosophy extent among the last pagans of Rome who resisted Christianity, including Emperor Julian.

It does not EVER advocate for the destruction of regional religious cults, or of ethnic religious tradition. It does not advocate for monotheism!

People keep saying this but it just shows they don't know what they are talking about.

Anyone can be a Platonist, but it doesn't prevent one from maintaining the rites of their ancestral religion. Platonism is not a religion, it is a philosophy of everything which informs how one interprets the theology of one's religion.

Every pagan religion had an elite, highly educated class who were instructed in the deeper metaphysical principles of their tradition but this knowledge of people like the druids is lost! - however one such school of advanced pagan metaphysics was preserved in the writings of many members of the academy. The survival of such works is a blessing from the gods. They are an excellent tool to show us how pagan intellectuals approached the great questions of life.

We know as a fact that Celtic druids and Scythians went south to learn from Platonist thinkers. Why did they make such great journeys?

Again and again I see the claim made against Platonism that it is "universalist." Unfortunately nobody ever bothers to substantiate that claim, so I have no idea why so many people believe it.

Sometimes, it sounds almost as if by "universalist" they mean "believes there is such a thing as objective truth." And I guess the idea is that, somehow, believing in objective truth is supposed to lead to bad immigration policy. I don't know what to say to people who think like that.

Other times, "Platonism is universalist" apparently means something like a singular, oppressive dogma which wipes out local cult or ethnic distinction, as if Platonism is a sort of Wal-Mart of paganism destroying regional expression. Not only is this a false claim, it is the exact opposite of reality. In fact, Platonic theology allows us to understand how ethnic and local rites and traditions are metaphysically grounded in the nature of divinity. That is to say, it enables us to see that ethnic particularism is not mere social convention but a real and meaningful relationship with and expression of the Gods or a particular God.

Furthermore, I want to emphasize that Platonism is only one aspect of the Greco-Roman tradition. It happens to be one of the better preserved strands of intellectual paganism, but there were several others, including Aristotelianism and Stoicism. While it's true that late Platonism incorporated the wider Hellenic tradition and synthesized it - everything from Homer to Aristotle - it's also true that Platonism isn't and never was the only option for pagans. What I want to say is this: as STJ rightly points out, the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition is a gift from the Gods; it is a vast, profound and pagan European wisdom tradition, one that is already a part of our general European heritage. We would be fools to ignore it.

Please take the time to come to your own conclusions on this topic. Do not let other people - who are often very ignorant of the tradition they lambast - do your thinking for you.

1 of 2. QUOTES ABOUT NATIONAL RELIGIOUS CUSTOM AND RELATED TOPICS

Since this is a topic that comes up fairly often, I thought it might be useful to collect some of the quotes I've come across that are relevant.

"Doing good varies according to the doer and his station, and so for each different rank there are differences in sacrifices, incense, and the use of pigs and wine, and festivals, and so on, and in this matter ancestral ruling is followed; this is what is meant by 'law'. The reason why the rulings of the law differ is that they conform to the difference among the minds, beliefs, and habitations of men: the law of the Athenians was to sacrifice the pig and to make offerings of diluted wine, whereas the Egyptians refuse to sacrifice pigs. These are principles which were derived from Hermes, who commanded man to abide by the laws of his fathers and ancestors, and to avoid alien practices. In accordance with the disposition of each nation of mankind and its rule, the usages established by the wise men regarding sacrifice, festivals and incense vary, and they trace back these principles to the gods. This is why, if any nation transgresses against its own custom, it perishes." pseudo-Proclus, Commentary on the Golden Verses 92a

"If, therefore, these were human customs alone, and derived their authority through our legal institutions, it might be said that the worship of the Gods was the invention of our conceptions. Now, however, divinity is the leader of it, who is thus invoked by sacrifices, and who is surrounded by a numerous multitude of Gods and angels. Under him, likewise, a certain common presiding power, is allotted dominion according to each nation of the earth. And a peculiar presiding power is allotted to each temple. Of the sacrifices, also, which are performed to the Gods, the inspective guardian is a God; but an angel, of those which are performed to angels; and a daemon, of such as are performed to daemons." Iamblichus, On the Mysteries 236-237

"'It is fitting' for each of us to [give offerings and sacrifices] 'according to the customs of one's country'. For God is always simultaneously present everywhere, with all of his divine powers. But we are limited to one form among those many forms produced by God, the human form, and within the human form are limited to one form of life for now and one choice of life, and are divided up into a little portion of the universe and of the earth itself. So different people partake in a different instance of divine goodness, and they do so in a different way at different times and places. You can at least see that when it is day with us, it is night for others, and when it is winter in one place, it is summer in another, and that these sorts of flora and fauna prevail here, and elsewhere other sorts: the earth and the things on it partake of divine goodness in a divided way. So, just as the places and lives of people differ, each person propitiates the divine through the rites which God revealed and which they themselves became aware of through experience, rites which differ in their occasions and methods, and in the variation of the objects sacrificed and offered." Simplicius, On Epictetus' Handbook 94.8-21

2 of 2. QUOTES ABOUT NATIONAL RELIGIOUS CUSTOM AND RELATED TOPICS

"Again, therefore, attend to the assertions of our fathers on this subject. For they say, that the Demiurgus is the common father and king of all things, and that to other nations he has distributed Gods, who are the prefects of nations, and the curators of cities, each of which governs his own allotment, in an appropriate manner. For since in the father all things are perfect, and all things are one, but in the natures distributed from him, a different power has dominion in a different divinity, hence Mars presides over the warlike concerns of nations; Minerva over the same concerns in conjunction with wisdom; but Hermes over such as rather pertain to sagacity than bold undertakings; and thus the nations which are governed by the several divinities follow the essence of their presiding Gods." Emperor Julian, Against the Christians

"Citizens should honor all the Gods according to the particular country's legal rites, which should be considered as the most beautiful of all. Citizens should, besides obeying the laws, show their respect for the rulers by rising before them and obeying their instructions. Men who are intelligent and wish to be saved should, after the Gods, divinities and heroes, most honor parents, laws and rulers." The Preface to the Laws of Zaleucus the Locrian

"For, by Jupiter, our country is as it were a certain secondary God, and our first and greatest parent. Hence he who gave a name to the thing did not rashly denominate it patris; this word being derived from pater, a father; but pronounced with a feminine termination, in order that it might be as it were a mixture of father and mother." Hierocles the Stoic, On How We Ought to Conduct Ourselves Towards Our Country

"By paying honor and respect to one’s kinfolk and all who share in the worship of the gods of the tribe and who also share descent and blood, a person will also enjoy the favor of the gods of the household who will be well disposed toward his own begetting of children." Plato, Laws 729c

But as a general rule keep this in mind, that it is we who cause aggravation to ourselves; that is to say, it is our own judgements that aggravate us and crowd us in this way. What does it mean, for instance, to be abused? Go up to a stone and subject it to abuse; what effect will you produce? Well then, if you listen like a stone, what will anyone who abuses you be able to achieve? But if he is able to use the weakness of his victim as a handhold, then he can achieve something.

Epictetus, Discourses 1.25.28 - 29