Did anybody else notice that the Festival of the Marriage of Zeus and Hera falls on VALENTINE’S DAY this year????? It’s a good thing I don’t have an significant other, so they can’t get offended when I say I’m going to spend the day with the Gods instead of them.
Zeus, Father of Gods and men, was one of the most important Gods in Makedonia, as 
He was in most of Greece. He was in fact called by the title Panhellenios, “Of All the Greeks”. He is the only Greek God I have seen referred to like this. You see, some times Gods shared titles. Both Zeus and Dionysos are called Soter (“Savior”), and Athena was called Soteira, which is the feminine form.
Ammon, which means “Hidden” in Egyptian, is by coincidence very similar to ammos, the Greek word for sand. So among the first Greeks to encounter Ammon, Zeus-Ammon was also a kind pun. It meant to them “Sandy Zeus”, which is very appropriate for a God of a country that is primarily desert. Ammon and Zeus were related very early on:
Moreover, most people believe that Amoun is the name given to Zeus in the land of the Egyptians, a name which we, with a slight alteration, pronounce Ammon[1].
Some writers said that not only are Zeus and Ammon the same Deity, but is the same as the Jewish God, Who Celsus called Sabaoth, and basically every God called “the 
Highest God”, or the King of the Gods in each pantheon. He explicitly states that it makes no difference which one you invoke[2]. Roman author Minucius Felix comments on the various depictions of Zeus and/or Jupiter:
What is your Jupiter himself? Now he is represented in a statue as beardless, now he is set up as bearded; and when he is called Hammon, he has horns; and when Capitolinus, then he wields the thunderbolts; and when Latiaris, he is sprinkled with gore; and when Feretrius, he is not approached; and not to mention any further the multitude of Jupiters, the monstrous appearances of Jupiter are as numerous as his names. – Minucius Felix, Octavius
Osiris has been given the name Sarapis by some, Dionysos by others, Pluto by others, Ammon by others, Zeus by some, and many have considered Pan to be the same God; and some say that Sarapis is the God whom the Greeks call Pluto. – Diodorus Siculus 1.25
Zeus is not a God Who is popular with Neo-Pagans. As a Sky-Father, He probably reminds many people of Yahweh, the Christian Father that many Pagans are running from, including myself in my earlier years. Zeus has been called authoritarian. The fact is, someone has to take responsibility. As much as we love Them, the world cannot be made up entirely of trickster Gods. There has to be order. There have to be boundaries, there have to rules, or there is no meaning in a trickster God crossing the boundaries, no rules to break in the first place.
Even the ancient Greeks didn’t quite know what to think about Him. Homer saw Him as a principle of abstract justice. Yes, He could be temporarily distracted. True, He was partial to a few humans, his children especially, but what God didn’t have a favorite among mortals? But ultimately, He cannot be deterred from acting out justice. Aischylos, the playwright who wrote Prometheus Bound, thought He was a evil, selfish, drunken tyrant. Euripides saw Him as destiny, “He who brings the unthought to be.” Poets wrecked hell with some of the stories. Plato vehemently declared the poets to be liars. As I said before, the myths are not literal truth.
Socrates and his disciples believed that Zeus represented unity, and his followers discarded many of the myths surrounding Zeus as blasphemous. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of those myths were the tales of His sexual exploits. But they also cut out His jolly and playful sense of humor, and tried to make Him a more philosophical and severe God. This is one of the reasons that the Athenians didn’t like Socrates, and he was even accused of atheism.
Zeus was sometimes called simply The Good God. He was the protector of travelers and strangers especially, and was the God who upheld Xenia, the law of hospitality. Anyone who violated the sacred bond of host and guest had Him to deal with. Murders were another crime He especially hated, and He sent the Furies to pursue those who committed them. Zeus was also the God who made sure that you kept your oaths. Both He and Haides were invoked in oaths, and both saw that anyone who willfully violated an oath was punished.
As ruler of the sky, Zeus is the God of weather, called the “cloud-gatherer”. His legendary weapon was the lightening bolt. In ancient times, temples to Zeus were built where lightening had hit the ground. They were also built on mountain-tops.
Some might be surprised to learn that Zeus is also a household God, as well as God of the State. He was considered the God who protected the pantry, where He was believed to guard the family’s food in the shape of a serpent. Zeus is associated with the family as well. He is the Divine Husband, and He is a loving father to His children, if a strict one at times. Under the title of Zeus the Mild, He is a protector of children. Oddly enough, in this same aspect He is considered a Khthonic Deity, meaning He is associated with the Earth and with Death. In this aspect He was depicted as either a bull, or a snake, again. He is also God of Purification, an aspect He shares with His son Apollon.
Zeus’s most sacred animal is the eagle, which is He sends to earth with omens for seers to read. The bull, the goat, the wolf, and the serpent are all holy to Him as well. His trees are the oak and the white poplar. Some of his other symbols include the ram’s horns, lightning bolt, scepter, aegis, and honey. Some of Zeus’s titles are Loud-Thundering, Good Counselor, the Purifying, He Who Rejoices, Earthly, Son of Kronos, Ktesios (Who Protects Provisions), Wolf, Cloud-Gatherer, Father, and Savior. (for a more complete list, and the names in Greek, see: http://neosalexandria.org/zeus.htm or http://www.theoi.com/Cult/ZeusTitles.html). Zeus is Equated with Jupiter, Ba’al, Ammon, Ra, Seth, Serapis, Helios, Ptolemy Soter, and the Emperor Hadrian.
“To whom the Sun has given victory, the living image of Zeus, Ptolemy, living for ever.” – The Rosetta Stone [the Greek portion]
But from Zeus come kings; for nothing is diviner than the kings of Zeus. Wherefore thou didst choose them for thine own lot, and gavest them cities to guard. And thou didst seat thyself in the high places of the cities, watching who rule their people with crooked judgements, and who rule otherwise. And thou hast bestowed upon them wealth and prosperity abundantly; unto all, but not in equal measure. One may well judge by our Ruler, Ptolemy, for he hath clean outstripped all others. At evening he accomplisheth what whereon he thinketh in the morning; yea, at evening the greatest things, but the lesser soon as he thinketh on them. But the others accomplish some things in a year, and some things not in one; of others, again, thou thyself dost utterly frustrate the accomplishing and thwartest their desire. Hail! greatly hail! most high Son of Kronos, giver of good things, giver of safety. Thy works who could sing? There hath not been, there shall not be, who shall sing the works of Zeus. Hail! Father, hail again! And grant us goodness and prosperity. Without goodness wealth cannot bless men, nor goodness without prosperity. Give us goodness and weal.” – Kallimakhos, Hymn to Zeus 80-93
Ammon was one of the supreme Gods of Egypt. He was believed to be behind the accomplishments of the Pharaoh, and one of the Pharaoh’s protectors. He was originally a Libyan or Aethiopian God, pictured as a ram and believed to be a protector of their flocks.
Eventually He became identified with the Sun and so was called Ammon-Ra (or Amun-Ra). In the Hermetica, Atum is written as not just the supreme God, but the God behind all Gods, the unifying power of the Universe that flows through everything and is incomprehensible to mortal (and even most immortal) minds.
The Ennead combined is Your body.
Every god joined in Your body, is Your image.
You emerged first, You inaugurated from the start.
Amun, whose name is hidden from the gods.
Oldest elder, more distinguished than these,
Tatenen, who formed [Himself] by Himself as Ptah.
The toes of His body are the Eight (Ogdoad).
He appeared as Re, from Nun, so that He might rejuvenate.
He sneezed, as Atum, from His mouth and gave birth to
Shu and Tefnut, combined in manifestation.
-Hymns to Amun, Leiden Papyrus I (c. 1250 BC), Chapter XC
As Zeus-Ammon He became known throughout the entire Greco-Roman world. Pindar even wrote an ode to Him. Herodotus tells a myth of how Zeus came to be associated with the ram. In this story, as Herakles (Hercules) wanted to speak directly with Zeus. However, Zeus could not reveal Himself in His true form without killing the then-mortal Herakles, so He wore the head of ram and covered His body with its skin.
Besides Zeus, Ammon was equated with Ra, Min, Hermes and Jupiter. The Romans called Him Jupiter-Hammon. Alternative spelling are Amon, Amoun, Amen, Amun, Imen, Hammon. Some of His symbols are the ram, goose, bull, lion, double plumes, scepter, uraeus, and ram horns.
[1] Plutarch. On Isis and Osiris. 10
[2] Celsus in Origen’s Contra Celsum 5.41
Haven’t done one of these in a long time.
Heathen Gods and Sacrifice (and Transformation)
Roman women more independent than previously thought
On the burial at the sanctuary of Zeus Lykios
The Arrogance of Monotheism — A Hindu View
The Ancient Greeks’ 6 words for Love (and Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)
Prayer for receiving Stewardship of the Land
Conversations we need to be Having, between Galina Krasskova and Kenaz Filan, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V
Foreign Priests find a spiritual home in Shinto
8 Things Marvel Got Wrong About Thor and Norse Mythology
Because Hera and Zeus should be seen as a team, I had to post His collage right after Hers. Hail the King and Queen of Olympos, Great Mother and Father, Zygios and Zygia, Mighty and Beautiful, the Children of Rheia and Kronus, long may They reign!
So, today is the Noumenia, the New month in the Greek Calendar. Although Noumenia means literally “New Moon”, it is not on what is astrologically called the new moon, which is really the dark moon. Rather, it occurs a few days later, when the first sliver of light appeared. It was considered one of the holiest of days. No other religious festivals were ever conducted on this day. Most public offices were also closed. It was a day to stay home with your family and celebrate the household Gods. Yesterday was Hekate’s Deiphon, the last day of the lunar month. The Deiphon is dedicated to purification and cleansing, of both the spiritual and physical kind. Then on the Noumenia, the newly clean house is blessed. Tomorrow is the day for the Agathos Daimon. In any case, we are entering the month of Gamelion, which gets its name from the Gamelia festival. Alternately called the Theogamia, this festival celebrates the marriage of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Greek pantheon. This year it falls on February 6th. The folks over at Hellenion have a free pdf calendar for 2016, available here if you’re interested in other upcoming festivals.
Below is a Greco-Egyptian ritual celebrating the Noumenia. This is the ritual I will be using myself late tonight. I wanted to write something that had a specific Greco-Egyptian feel, instead of just Athenian or general Greek. If anyone uses it themselves, they should change the Gods in the section titled “Honor Personal and Family Patrons” since these should be the Gods that you or your family members are close to. Even if you are close to the Gods I’ve named, some of what I talk about in this ritual is specific to my current situation. I thought I’d share it anyway. I plan to change the some of the specific lines in this section each month, depending on how my devotions are going, therefore making it even more personal and not just a rote recitation.
Greco-Egyptian Noumenia Ritual
Barley Offering
Sprinkle barley on the altar, SAYING:
“To the givers of life, Life.”
Purify the Circle
Walk around the ritual space with the khernips bowl, sprinkling the water around the perimeter. Say:
“You are washed clean by the life-giving waters of the Nile! You are pure! No man has set foot on you, for you are the primordial mound rising from the broad depths of Ocean at the First Time. You are pure!”
Walk in another circle, taking the bowl to each of member of your family, so they can wash their face and hands. As they are doing so, say:
“You are washed clean by the life-giving waters of the Nile! You are pure!”
Calling the Gods
Hail to the Gods of Olympos, Gods of Starry Night, Gods of green Earth, and Gods of the dark Underworld below. I call all of You Divine Beings to witness my ritual.
Ritual Lighting of the Sacred Fire
[light the fire, whether it be a single candle or roaring fireplace]
First I honor Hestia, Goddess of the Flame, the Hearth, the Center of Olympos
The Heart of All Things, the Axis round which we revolve, the peaceful calm that all Gods cycle back to, the Beginning and the End of All Things.
Come to us, Goddess, and attend our rite.
[pour out libation]
Libations to the Gods of the Noumenia
Next we honor the Gods to Whom the Noumenia belongs. For Selene, silver-haired Titaness, Goddess of the Moon, Lamp-Bearer of Night, Tonight Your power begins to grow again, as Your light waxes to full once more. A thin sliver of Your light appears in the sky again, an eternal promise that after the darkness comes renewal, that the cycle will never end, but begin again. Sweet Selene, Lover of Endymion, Who selflessly lends mankind Her light, I honor You.
[pour out libation]
Zeus Ktesios I sing to next, of the sacred jar, and also Zeus Herkios, of the fence, the boundary between the outside world and the sanctuary of the home. Great are You, the ruler of Olympos, but it is not to the King I pray today, but to the Father. Guard my lands, Father Zeus, and protect my household, as You would protect Your own.
[pour out libation]
Agathos Daimon, Snake-formed God, Guardian of the pantry, Who stands beside fair Tykhe-Fortuna, God of Alexandria, I pray to You also. You are the Good Spirit, so often ignored by scholars, made a minor footnotes in the texts, but so important to the ancients! You Who guard the food-stores through the dark of winter, protect me and mine as we enter this new cycle, see that my lands are made abundant and my animals fertile, so that my family continues to prosper and be fed.
[pour out libation]
Janus, Guardian of the Door, He Who gazes ahead and behind, You see and comprehend all, past, present and future has no meaning for You. Every beginning ends, and every ending begins. Forever and ever, a cyclic rhythm, spinning into eternity. And you stand in the Center and witness it all. Pater Ianus, I pray to You now. Allow no-one Who means me or mine harm to enter here, Let only friendly faces cross this threshold. Protect my family as we leave the safety of Home, and go out into the wide world.
[pour out libation]
Honor Personal and Family Patrons
Athena, Warrior’s Goddess, Mighty Daughter of Zeus, With Hephaistos the patroness of craftsmen, I have felt Your call all of life. These past few years have been hard for me, and I have fallen away from Your worship. My soul has suffered from Your absence. I have known you primarily as a city Goddess, the philosopher’s Goddess, Who haunts the marble halls of higher learning. My life is changing now, as I flee the packed and teeming masses of the city into the tranquility of the country. I pray to You as the Goddess of weavers, that woman’s skill, for I must find a way to learn many forgotten skills in my new life. If You’ll still have me, Goddess, I would rededicate myself to You tonight.
[pour out libation]
Artemis, Virgin Huntress, forest-dweller, Who runs forever with Her hounds and nymphs, Wild and free, Teach me the mysteries of the woods, the language of trees and of babbling brooks, teach me survival in its most basic form, in the magic of predator and prey. I dedicate myself to You Artemis, Whom I have known before, but only briefly. I invite you to walk with me as I carve out a new life for myself, the life of homesteader, of a woodswoman, a person of the wild places.
[pour out libation]
Hermes, Laughing God, Trickster from Kyllene, I have felt Your Presence greatly of late, more so even than Artemis of the silver bow. You are a liminal God, a God of transitions and transformations, of passing from what-was to what-will-be. If You are here to guide me, I welcome You also, for many forget that You are a rustic God as well. God of Shepherds, lover of many nymphs, Father to Eternal Pan the Goat-Footed, Who plays His pipes in the Arcadian woods, I welcome You into my life as well.
[pour out libation]
Isis, Swarthy-skinned Goddess of Aiegyptos, Celestial Deity, Whose eyes are the sun and moon, Great Mother of All, Savior-Goddess, Who enfolds the world in Her embrace, Soother of pain, I pray to You now. I have suffered greatly in my life. When I can no longer be strong, may You be there to comfort me, to help me get back on my feet, and try again. With You beside me, surely there is nothing that I can’t do.
[pour out libation]
Anubis, Jackal-headed God of the desert, feral God in canid form, Prince of the Court of Justice, Once You came into my life like a whirlwind, filled my dreams with Your Divine Presence, and gave me a sense of safety I’ve never known. When You howl, specter scatter and evil quakes in fear. Anubis, I remember You, Hovering at the periphery, as I came to know Your adopted Mother Isis. Opener of the Way, open my eyes so I can see what You see, deep into the hearts of men. Teach me the arts of divination, as I relearn the crafts I left behind in my dark night of the soul. Anubis, I ask You also to watch over my dogs, Your special creatures, who are dear to my heart. I have lost much, and I could not bear to lose them.
[pour out libation]
Ending
O Blessed Immortals, You hail from the shores of both Greece and Egypt, and even might Rome, but my heart is called to worship you all the same. Just as the moon forever returns to the point of darkness, and again to fullness, So do I return to honor You, the Gods of my ancestors. As the silver of light brings the promise of renewal, I bring the promise of my adoration. To You I will pour out libations and sacrifice sweet incense on the fires of Your altars. Forgive my inattention and doubt in the last two years. I am but human, a fallible mortal, and life has not been kind to me of late.
—-
After the ritual, you should some time in the Presence of the Gods if you can. I plan on doing some meditation and divination tonight after the ritual.
Melia talks about the Khthonic Zeus
Pictures from the Day of the Dead
Philipus reveiws the Immortals movie
Ruadhan discusses transgender ritual matters related to the infamous CAYA event at Pantheacon 2011
Hellenism at the Dawn of the Christian Era
The 3rd open Pagan in America is elected to a pubic post in Virgina. Jason at the Wild Hunt reports
A guest post on the Wild Hunt about the spirituality of the Occupy Wall Street movement
A meditation on polytheology
Dver talks about the movie V for Vendetta and how it fits into the Girls Underground archetype
I realize I am posting this two days late, but this weekend was taken up by preparing for and conducting a handfasting ritual for two friends of mine.
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A Prayer for Father’s Day
by Amanda Artemisia Forrrester
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Hail to Ouranos, the First Father!
Expansive primordial spirit
Father of the First Gods
Blue-black, with stars for His beard
Sky Father, I hail You!
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Hail to Zeus, King of the Gods!
Father of Gods and Men
Family man, Who protects young children
And looks after the food stores.
Head of the household, I hail You!
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Hail Hermes, proud father of Pan!
Who delights in His goat-footed Son
And brought Him to Olympos
For all the Gods to see.
Arkadian shepherd, I hail You!
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Hail to Silenos, Father of the Satyrs!
Foster-father and teacher of Dionysos, drunken but wise
Hail to Kherion, teacher and fosterer of many heroes
Wounded healer, Who imparts the knowledge of herbs and earth
Wise foster-fathers, I hail You!
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Hail also to the fathers who have gone before me
The ancestors of my bloodline
But also the men not related to me
Who nonetheless play or have played
The role of father in my life.
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On this day, I pray for the welfare of fathers everywhere
Divine Fathers, watch over us.
A Prayer for Memorial Day
by Amanda Artemisia Forrester
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Lady Libertas, Who holds Her torch high
Watch over Your children today
On this solemn day we remember all our veterans
But especially those who didn’t make it home
Keep Your flame burning, Goddess
So the their deaths will have meaning.
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Zeus, King of All, Your sacred eagle
Precedes You to America.
Watch over all who march under the stars and stripes
And let no more American blood be shed
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Ares, patron of warriors,
Who defends civilization
I honor You today as well.
Watch over all our men and women in uniform.
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Athena Soteria, temper Ares’ anger
And turn His brute force on the enemy.
Virgin daughter of Zeus, Savior in battle
Remember those who have fallen.
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To all the soldiers who died for freedom
To preserve American liberty
Your sacrifices, dear ones, are not forgotten
I offer you bread and red wine
Sustenance for the next life.
May you always be remembered.
Temple of Athena the Savior 