"Then holy Janus, amazing in his double appearance, suddenly presented his pair of faces to my eyes. ... He held a staff in his right hand and a key in his left, and he uttered these words to me from his front-facing mouth:
'Put aside your fear, industrious bard of the days. Learn what you seek, and take in my words with your mind. The ancients - for I'm a primitive phenomenon - used to call me Chaos. See of how far a time I sing the history! The bright air here and the three elements that remain, fire, water, earth, used to be just one heap. When once this mass separated, because of discord in its parts, and broke apart and went off into new homes, flame sought the height, a nearer place caught air, and earth and sea settled in the middle region. At that time I, who had been a round mass and a bulk without form, resorted to a shape and limbs appropriate to a god. Even now, small indication of my once chaotic shape, what's in front and behind in me appears the same.
Hear the second reason for the shape you've asked about, so you may know this and my function together. Whatever you see all round, sky, sea, clouds, lands, everything is closed up and opened by my hand. The guardianship of the vast universe rests with me alone, and the right to turn the hinge is entirely mine.'"

Ovid, Fasti 1.95-120

A Roman tomb was recently unearthed in Giugliano, southern Italy, dating to the 1st Century. One of the frescoes inside depicts Hercules and Mercury capturing Cerberus…very reminiscent of early depictions of Tyr and Fenrir further north. ᛏ

Today, we celebrated the lunar phase corresponding with Imbolc. We prayed to Brid (Athena, Hestia, Eileithyia), Kronos and Rhea, Artemis, and Zeus and Hera. Beforehand, we initiated a catechumen from Greece into the Temple as a lay member, and afterward the rites, we held a prayer group meeting.

The smell of patchouli, frankincense, myrrh, and vanilla mingling with the damp mountain air this morning was heavenly. Beautiful rite and communal worship, as Hellene, Celt, and Germanic came together as Priest, Initiate, and Laity to adore the Gods and reflect on their virtues as we enter the season of Late Winter.

Ancient Greek Clay Anthrakia; also known as Charcoal Stove, used for cooking and heating, commonly used on Island of Delos, Greece (6th-1st Century BC). With an extremely impressive design, made of clay, it served needs of household like electric stove today.

"Venus Presenting Aeneas with Armour Forged by Vulcan", Pompeo Batoni (1708 – 1787), Italian

Aeneas was a Trojan hero, son of goddess Aphrodite & her mortal lover Anchises. In Rome, he is considered ancestor of Romulus & Remus, and as such, the founder of the Roman race.

In no order of awesomeness, some smaller channels worth checking out:

The Scandinavian Colonist
Rekindle the West
From Modern to Ancient
The Contemporary Grantist
Raw Milk Racism
Strength Kvlt
Dharma Vajrā
Halend Metsk
World of Ice
Goat's Milk and Honey

MoonMaidenMusings
Natural divinity
Redbad's Hall
Hermean
The GAK Channel
Wunderwaffe
Eternal Dharma
Männerbund
Vault Ov Vril
The Salty Polytheist

The Path of Wotan
Swærdh
Harrowman Ealdham
Musings of the Maenad
Anglo-Saxon Ksatriya
Folkish Appalachia
Hyperborean Housewife
Echoes of the Overman
Dharma Dispensary
The Monthly White Art Challenge

Thanks!

Cupid and Psyche by Annie Swynnerton (1890)

Hekate

Against the counter-religious slander against serpentkind—their insistence that only the chatoic aspect of serpents, malevolent serpents, and dragonslayers be remembered and commemorated every year on this St. George’s Day—, we preserve the memory and honor the divine drakôn, gods of healing, good luck, wealth, protection, intelligence, magic, terrestrial character, and watery potential:

Zeus Melichios, Philios, Ktesios, & Sosipolis
Dionysos
Ares
Agathodaimon–Sarapis (paired with Agathe Tyche–Isis Thermouthis)
Demeter
Persephone
Kronos and Janus as Ouroboros
Asklepios
Hygieia
Amphiaraus
Trophonius
Glukon

The dragon-masters:
Apollon
Herakles
Athene Drakaina
Perseus
Jason
Cadmus
Medea
Regulus and the Naiads of River Bagrada
Hestia
Argive Hera / Juno Sospita
Artemis

And the Snake-Master races, among whom the males possess the special powers of the snake:
The Psylii of the Libyan Syrtes;
The Ophiogeneis of Parium, Cyrpus, and Phrygia;
and the Marsi of Marruvium.

O Beautiful Gods,
With the fall equinox, we stand in balance before You, as the day and night now stand equal before us.
May we spend this day honoring You in harmony with the seasons.

Dionysos, who lords over the vine and harvest,
Bless our harvest, the fruits of the earth, the wine, and the grain.
Your dance of life and death today have us enchanted.
The dying of the year approaches, but with You, we know new life is promised.

Athena, wise protectoress of our cities,
Guide us through the turning of the year.
As leaves fall and winds grow cold,
May You grant us strength and wisdom as we prepare for the winter ahead.

Demeter, our Earth Mother, who today and for months onward grieves the loss of her daughter,
May Your tears nourish the fields,
As You gift us the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

Persephone, Holy Queen of the Underworld,
Your journey deep into the Earth is upon us.
May Your descent remind us of the mysteries of the soul,
And of the return to light that is yet to come.

Hades, lord of the unseen,
Keeper of the dead and the treasures that lie below,
We acknowledge Your domain,
And the quiet rest that comes.
As with the turning of the seasons in perfect harmony,
we honor You as we pass through our annual death.

Ares, Srong God of strife and battle,
In this season of fading warmth,
May You keep our courage strong and our hearts steadfast,
For the trials that may come with the waning of the Sun.

Hera, blessed Queen of the heavens,
Bless this time of transition with Your grace.
In the gathering of the harvest, may we also gather peace,
In the darkening days, find harmony, order, and comfort.

O mighty Gods, who deserve praise eternal, receive our prayers as the year turns,
We ask You to grant us Your protection and guidance.

Divination Fundraiser, and Lunar Rites Reminder

Tonight is the Deipnon. This is the day of monthly home-cleaning and self-purification, and the night when one makes offerings (of which they do not partake) to the ancestors and to Hekate. It is also the best day of the lunar month for divination, and it is an ancient tradition to perform divination for the new year.

This year, I am going to perform divination for those who make a fully tax-deductible donation of $15+ to the Temple. My preferred method of divination is I Ching, but I am also trained in Tarot, Futhark, and Ogham. Unless you have a particular preference, I will provide I Ching divination. If you have deep, burning questions about your personal or spiritual life or about the nature of things, or if you are curious about your future or outcomes of the next year, this is the service for you. I will perform the divination at the hour of sunrise Monday morning on the lunar day of the Deipnon just before the New Year, a triply propitious time to perform this work on the most powerful planetary hour and planetary day possible to perform it.

You must donate within the next 19 hours (before 7:30 a.m. EDT on Monday) if you would like to receive this service at the most propitious time of the year. The next propitious time will be chosen for those who donate after this time.

Donate at https://otnr.net/donate/ for the Custom Amount $15 or greater, and check the box "Write us a comment," leaving the comment:
"For Divination by I Ching/Futhark/Tarot (choose one). My question is "What will/would be the outcome of ___? Please send fortune to [First and Last Name] at [email address]."