Prayer of Farewell

O Lord of the breath between life and death, He who set the dragon to rot in the holy light of Helios, our Bright Shining God, pleased are we to have hosted You and Your Family.

Delighted were we in Your constant presence, and grateful are we for Your arrival here. But now, as our festival ends, we acknowledge that You must now depart.

In our love for You, we have given You our best, and made room for You in our innermost realms; that which is personal, and that which we share with our loved ones.

O Truth-bearer, we have not recoiled from the lessons You have seen fit to teach, nor have we scorned the revelations You have bestowed.  We know that with Your favor comes a price, and we are glad to pay it.

But for now, we rejoice in the knowing of You, O Lord, in Your coming and in Your going forth from this world.  For there are Other worlds that You must now tend to, with their many corresponding concerns.  Though we love You beyond what mere words can convey, never would we think to deprive these Others of Your grace and devotion.

And so, Apollon, Beloved Anax, Beloved Aegletes, Beloved Hyperboreios, we send You to complete Your journey with naught but love in our hearts.  We know that You will again return to us, so we are not concerned by Your absence.  What is inevitable always comes to pass.

Lord of the Winds, who brings winter in His wake, do not look back, and do not worry, for we are Yours and we are strong.  We are what You have made, and we will shine Your light in the dark months.

And when You return, Apollon, we will be here to welcome You in all Your feral glory, and we will help to ease Your transition back into civilization.  But for now, think only of what awaits You over the threshold.

Farewell, Apollon.  Farewell, Beloved.  Farewell, our Bright Shining God.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 9]

Blessed Are We

Blessed are the Sisters of the Treasury, we whose love for our Lord is pure and powerful, emerging from the depth of our being as a hurricane emerges from the sea.  Swift and swirling, and eager to make landfall, for our Lord is the island awaiting.

Blessed are the multitudes who adore Him, for He feels them all, in their joy and in their despair, keeping them forever close, forever entwinted within His sweet embrace, and dispensing the true peace that is His presence.

Blessed are those who are touched from afar; all who burn within His fury, and in His passion; seeking not for His glory, and yet receiving it tenfold; and drowning in the waters of His attention.

Blessed are those who run, those who flee from the call, for it is maddening and incindiary; all those whose lives are upended by the immensity of His voice, resounding through every erected barrier.

Blessed are the seekers, searching endlessly for He they have yet to know. Guided forthwith by connections untold, swayed by His grace, finding pieces of Him, and discovering themselves along the way.

Blessed are those who struggle against Him, who deny and refuse, as is their choice to do so.  Not all will choose the shining path upon the precipice, but even these are blessed, in knowing they are true to themselves.

Blessed are all the lives touched by Apollon.  Poets and seers, physicians and artists, lawyers and housewives, morticians and homeless men, too.  These and more are blessed by the Lord, and we each are one part of His whole; one part of His truth.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 8]

Bi-Yearly Oracular Forecast

Aegletion through Daphneion 2016/2017

 

Aegletion (XI) Oct. 2 – Oct. 30, 2016

(Μ) Mu, (Ο) Omicron, (Ζ) Zeta

Aegletion looks to be a difficult month, one which compels us to lay strong foundations to rest upon for the coming year.  All that we do has its purpose, and we will reap what we sow.  But, for the trials ahead, it may be best for us to stockpile our energies for the time when they will be most effective.  When we are in the midst of the turmoil is not the proper time to set our will against it.

 

Telchinion (XII) Oct. 31 – Nov. 29, 2016

(Ρ) Rho, (Θ) Theta, (Ξ) Xi

In Telchinion, we may wish to bide our time.  It is fruitless to try to force action, especially of others, at this time.  If they do not come around to your position, know that the Gods are with you and will support your endeavors. Do not become bogged down by the irreverence or bad attitudes of the people around you.  There is a time for everything, and when it comes, with the help of the Gods, you will be ready.

 

Hyperboraios (XIII) Nov. 30 – Dec. 29, 2016

(Λ) Lambda, (Ω) Omega, (Ε) Epsilon

In Hyperboraios, things may be more than what they seem.  There will be difficulties, but it is up to us to see what positive effects are brought about by change.  We will not want to see these things, for we will prefer to hold onto the status quo.  We may also only see the negative impact of change, instead of acknowledging the great benefit of unnecessary barriers crumbling to the ground.  We must not leap to ‘fix’ things too quickly, lest we undermine the reordering which is necessary.  We will not enjoy this time, and yet, what is right is right.

 

Perihelios (I) Dec. 30 – Jan. 28, 2016/2017

(Ζ) Zeta, (Ι) Iota, (Ο) Omicron

Perihelios has the potential to be a frustrating month, but if we remain steadfast, we may achieve our goals.  Keep a check on your temper, never stop working for what you want, and know that the fruits of your labors will be ripe and sweet when you remember to take the proper care.

 

Prostaterias (II) Jan. 29 – Feb. 26, 2017

(N) Nu, (Ω) Omega, (M) Mu

In Prostaterias, harsh truths will be spoken, but they are necessary. Uncomfortable words will gather on your tongue, and you will afflict loved ones and strangers alike.  Do not pretend, and do not cloud your meaning behind empty platitudes.  Truth is the gift of Apollon, meant to be spread amongst deserving ears.  This may make for a hard road in the immediate aftermath, but when the dust clears, the way forward will be unmistakable.

 

Daphneion (III) Feb. 27 – Mar. 28, 2017

(Z) Zeta, (Π) Pi, (Χ) Khi

Daphneion seems to be when the trials of the previous months come to a head in success.  At this time, we will ride the waves of fruition, being brought ashore by the tide.  Keep your head low, avoiding all controversy, surfacing only to complete your tasks and to claim hard-won rewards.  The end is propitious, and to be savored.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 7]

The Stars Have Known Him Longer

The stars have known Him longer, known His blinding force, His unruly heat. The stars, they have seen His ebb and flow over unspeakable millennia– have burned in their love for Him for just as long.

The stars are companions like no others.  They live, and they yearn for Him. And in their pining, they are long-lived, so experience Him in ways so full that we mayn’t dare to imagine.

The stars, they are larger than us– infinitely so.  They contain parts of His soul that mortals would die, and altogether cease to be, from their exposure.

The stars, they are not fragile, nor are they demure.  And Apollon burns with them in their raunchy, rauchuous, roaring inferno.  O, He is the very cause of it, I’m sure– in His ecstatic totality.

The stars, they nourish His need for destruction, and they slake His thirst for creation– exploding, and forming in clouds of death.  The cycle of living and dying, and birthing new life– to burn for Him, to burn with Him.

The stars have known Him longer, and their adoration has sustained Him through the darkness of humanity’s past.  They were never made to forget Him.  They have never forsaken Him.  The stars have shone His light unflinchingly.

The stars, O what they can teach us about constancy, about fortitude, about unrelenting desire.  They, in their marvellous abode, void of all but Him, in darkness and in light.

The stars, they have known Him longer, and loved Him harder than we could, for our lives are fleeting, gone in the space of an instant as they watch from above.  But from them, we may learn of a love that has endured since time began.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 6]

Speaker of Truth

Apollon, my Lord, in these days past You have graced me with Your stalwart presence, always the pillar of excellence.  You have shown me what it means to be truly responsible, and to exist not as a quiet observer of my own life. Through Your blessed guidance have I stepped into the role of my truest self, for that is Your commandment, and it is Your will.

I ask now, O Lord, that You keep me strong of purpose, strong of deed, and excellent in thought and word.  May only truth pass through these lips today, and on days to come. Truth is the law by which You live, and the ideal for which I will continue to strive.

Let me not succumb to societal pressures, that my soul should dwell in Your domain forever.  Today, let me not be swayed by what is easy, to the detriment of my integrity.  I will be a beacon.  I will be Your light.  I will be as You have instructed– a speaker of truth, even if those truths be hard to hear– even in the face of hostility.

Yet, by Your grace, it is possible to speak truth in kindness and compassion. These I choose, for cruelty serves no purpose in the cause of truth.  And what is difficult to accept may be better served upon a plate of tenderness and understanding.

Therefore, I beseech You, my Lord, to keep my reason sharp, my wit fine tuned, and my words compassionate in their delivery.  If I am to be Your example in this world, may I be an example that those in contact with me may truly take to heart.  Let my words be concise and clear, and let them carry the allure of enlightenment, and the illumination of darkness.

Apollon, Speaker of Truth, hear my prayer, and grant me Your blessing as I further Your will within my life, and upon this Earth.  And take with You my love, always freely given.  You are the Prince.  You are the Truth.  You are the Illuminator.

Hail, and praise be to You, Apollon!  Hail, and praise!

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 5]

Prelude of Winter

The winds, and the wolves howl, O Lord, as You ride forth in the retinue of Your Mother, She in Her chariot, with hair uncovered and trailing behind like a cloak of fine-spun gold to lead the way!

Over the wide Earth, You traverse with Your Mother and Twin, touring all the lands of Your people, and calling the spirits forth to follow in Your train!

So it is each year as Autumn preludes the Winter, as the nights lengthen, and as the leaves begin to turn; that vastness of color, like the sunset in a palate of orange and red!

Lykeios, ride the winds, and we shall shiver at Your passage, while the wild things announce the turning of days in the long months ahead!

O Dread Lord, bare Your teeth, and hear the screeching sounds we make in honor of You; our stomping forewarns the unprepared of Your coming, and of Your going, in the bleakest night!

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 4]

Belonging

I belong to Apollon– the prize of my Lord.  He sees me, He knows me.  I yield to His word.  Who I am, what I am, are extensions of Him.  I walk this world primly, and am bound to His whim.

And yet, no greater freedom have I found, anywhere.  For I pursue my own goals with the utmost care.

I belong to the Prince.  Aegletes, Lykeios.  Phosphoros, Telchinios.  God of sunset and wolves.  Of stars and tornadoes.  None of these can ever be tamed.  So it is with myself.  I alone hold the reigns.

And yet, I am compelled to do as He pleases, for my head and my heart embrace all of His reasons.

I belong to Despota, the one who is Master.  He who becomes the unyeilding disaster.  His will becomes mine, and for it I’m grateful.  His eminent knowledge spares me from what’s hateful.

And yet, I am human, and sometimes can be hurt, but Apollon knows all, and rends lies in the dirt.

I belong to the God with the serene smile.  But make no mistake.  With Him, life is a trial.  In all that I am, and in all that I do, He pushes and moulds me ’til I acknowledge His veiw.

And yet, through His shaping I am made better– more whole.  For such is the fate of the untempered soul.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 3]

Welcome Here!

Welcome, my Lord!  Welcome here today!  From now until the end of the ninth day, I will see to your every comfort!  All that you desire shall be my pleasure, and all that you care to bestow shall be received in reverence!

Welcome here, my Lord, and rest upon the throne we have prepared!  High upon the mantle may you oversee our love as it ascends toward you!  Also, may you shower us in return with your grace and presence!

Welcome here, my Lord, and rejoice in the love of your family!  We wish only for your happiness, and to honor you with honest, joyous praise!  We have waited the long months since your Return, preparing to send you forth into your Departure gladly, and with much celebration!

So, welcome here, Apollon Aegletes!  Welcome, Apollon Lykeios!  Welcome, Apollon Telchinios!  Welcome, Apollon Hyperboreios!  Welcome, Apollon Anax!  Welcome, our Bright Shining Lord, Father and Protector of this house!

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 2]

Preparation: Day 1 – Words of Apollon

Sigma, Kappa, Omega, Xi

 

“Wait for Me, for I am coming.  The land pulses with the change of seasons and soon I will leave this world.  But I will not abandon you, My darlings.  Rejoice now, for I am coming to share My splendid glory with you for the these nine days.

“Fret not, and know that I can not be persuaded to remain here.  The winter is long and arduous, and My leave can not be avoided.  Though I will soon embark upon the journey, I am coming now to comfort you.

“Difficulties build the character of my beloveds, so endure what is difficult, grow and change with the oncoming storm.  The rain, though it may be dreary, is essential.  The snow, though it may freeze the land, also prepares it for new life in the spring.  So do I prepare you for My return.  For without absence, none may appreciate attachment.

“And if still you are angered by my leaving, know that the wretched emotion will color your thoughts and actions for weeks to come.  If you would share beauty with Me for Aegletia, you must first be beautiful, cultivating it in your heart and in your soul.

“Take solace, My loves.  I am coming.  So, prepare.”

— Apollon (Transcribed by Columbine) [Aegletia, Day 1]