Do You, my Love, know what anguish Your departure causes? I know that You must do what must be done; that You must cross that threshold, and slip into realities of which I may not partake, and yet my desire does not cease: I want no more or less than Your beautiful focus; Your unerring eyes upon me.
Tis selfish, this desire; I know this well. But to experience You, and then to be deprived of Your glorious intensity, can feel as cruel a reality as any. But You will do Your duty, and I will do mine; to see You off, and to bear Your torch until the warmth of spring again flows through the land.
And while You are away, I will console myself with the Lessons You have taught, and with the strength and endurance I have built– for I have endured this pain before; this desire for You– and each year at this time, I have overcome and channeled this longing toward motivation needed to greet You lovingly when You return.
Free of anguish, free of uncertainty– but never free of desire— I will await You once again, so welcome me as I will welcome You; reveal Your desire for me, as I have desired You, and our reciprocal love shall enfold u/Us within the invariable currents of co-creation, and mutual abundance.
— Columbine, Aegletia, Day 9, 2022
Day 9
*The Procession, and Farewell to the King; festival participants should express their goodbyes to Apollon, as He continues on toward Hyperborea.
Hail to Apollon, who is like unto the sun; bright and intense with warmth; the Lord who reveals Yourself within the space of our shadows, to show that You know– and love– us all!
There are no faults You do not witness, no details too shocking or shameful to accept, in our imperfect completion!
Yes, like unto the sun, You are; commanding our orbit, enticing and empowering; catalyzing and alchemizing; all-knowing, all-seeing– the Prince who defends the right of all beings to determine their fate, and who preforms the Will of Great Zeus!
Nothing is forbidden, all is permitted, in the expression of our adoration for You!
Hail to Apollon, who, like unto the sun, rises and sets upon the earth; You of the waning twilight, who passes forth into realms unknowable, and whom we endeavor to delight in this time of bittersweet farewells– the King of Hyperborea, who challenges us to face the world as Yours, even while distant as the summer rains!
You will refrain from no lesson, with the power and intent to demonstrate what strength we have gained!
To prepare for Your absence, we compose our praises, and regale You of our tenderness; in reciprocity we give in kind what has been given, and Your ethos we absorb into our very pores– for You are like unto the sun; and we, Your satellites, are bound in the wake of Your Love!
— Columbine, Aegletia, Day 7, 2022
Day 7
*Celebration of the Fellowship of the Treasury of Apollon as extensions of our Prince’s mortal family, as well as a safe community for His brides and devotees.
**Proclamations of love; poetry, ecstatic ritual and prayer, and oracular trance are all encouraged on this day.
***Child-friendly, and family oriented celebrations are also advised for those to whom it applies.
Before bedtime. Use your discretion to plan the length of the ritual.
Procedure:
As you begin to wet your body, visualize the water penetrating your natural aura. Allow any barriers you’ve erected to be swept away, in soothing, gentle water fall. As it graces your skin, speak the Names of Apollon, and open your soul to His phantom touch.
Breathe deeply. Feel Him coming into you. Now, lather your hands with shampoo, and work it into your hair, massaging your scalp, as you pledge your mind, body and soul to our Beloved Lord. Again, call out His Names. Ask Him to release all stress and mental burdens from you, so you may be ready to receive Him into your crown. Make promises, if you wish, though these should be of a secret nature, between only He and you.
Rinse your hair thoroughly, casting off all doubt or apprehension. Breathe in the calm that He releases, and lather your cloth or loofah with your usual (or a special) soap/cleanser. Pay close attention to each part of your body as you wash. Feel each limb. Call to Apollon, and ask Him to soothe and purify your body as you make your way down your form.
Feel your muscles release their tension. Know yourself, intimately. This means whatever it means to you.
Continue washing, ever downward. Visualize our Lord bathing you in white light– His pneuma, and inhale it. Let it fill your lungs. Exhale all worries, and revel in the trust between He and you. Know that He has cleansed and claimed you; prepared you for His complete arrival on the second day of Aegletia. Know that you belong to Him– with Him.
Rinse your body, and watch/feel as all that once troubled you is flushed away, and out of your life. Call His names once more, in love and adoration. Pledge yourself to Him, and thank Him for His touch, and His presence.
Continue what you would normally do in the bath/shower. Condition and comb/brush your hair, shave, or whatever else may be next in your routine.
Finish, dry yourself, have a light meal with ambient atmosphere (perhaps music, incense, both, or something else, entirely), then retire to your bed for sleep.
I composed this melody in the year 1994 (at twelve years of age), as part of a greater work on piano. I no longer have access to the original, but this melody has remained a favorite of mine.
Paired with these lyrics written last year (2019) in September, and my own vocals, which definitely aren’t great, but also not horrendous, the piece reaffirms its connection to the melody’s original title.
Today, it is offered to Apollon, in celebration of Aegletia 9. As for what the song means… I believe the title and lyrics speak for themselves, and I think I did pretty good.
Of course, it would be so much better if someone with a decent voice took a try. ^_^
Columbine, Aegletia, Day 9, 2020
The Sullen
When the weather breaks in two
And the storm pours over you
Know the static in the air
Will not leave you in despair
Listen to Apollon’s calling!
Can you hear Him in the wind?
Here is the unburdening of
All you know and hope and fear!
Under pretenses respecting
Only your outer refrain
You have now entered the inner
Barrier of His domain
His deep growl sends you reeling
Back from your own reckless ways
Hear your thoughts, they keep repeating
Are you worthy of His gaze?
Know this! Know this! Know this, child!
All are worthy!
Know this! Know this! Know this, and smile!
Your fears shall be vanquished!
When you surrender yourself
To His Glory and His Wealth
That which is His gift to us
We who seek to earn His Trust
Even in the darkest of times
When our spirits barely shine
He is never so far from us–
Even then we feel His Love
The Prince! The Prince! The Prince endeavors to fill
Our deepest wells
So we! So we! So we must open ourselves
To the truths we wish to ignore
Now at last we’ve come upon
The Mirror reflected on
Our hearts laid bare– stripped clean
Nothing spoiled, all serene
“Apollon, Aristaios and Kyrene”, by Samantha Lykeia Sanders. Click image to purchase prints.
Hail to Apollon, this day! Blessed are we, His daughters, sisters, wives and consorts. Blessed is the Treasury, His family, and blessed are all of our works on earth, and beyond!
Hail to Apollon, as the sun rises. Blessed are all His disciples and priests, sibyls and layman followers. Blessed is the Treasury, His cult, and blessed are all of our works on earth, and beyond!
Hail to Apollon, as the world awakens. Blessed are all the living beings. Blessed are the treasures of the world, all whose splendor adorn Him in love, and blessed are all of our works on earth, and beyond!
“Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry”, by Giovanni Baglione.
O Sovereign Muse, Inspiration’s Crown, who bestows the poetic thrall, by Your hand am I guided, by Your voice am I blessed to turn the pages of my thoughts into words upon the page– words which still, and words which liven– words of silk and words of iron– for what is a tale without blood or love, without death or steel or drive?
Goddess of the tale told carefully– willfully– come forth, that I might recite my song to You who are the Sovereign of Songs, and the peace of the poet’s rest after a lifetime of stories told. If ever I have been dear to You, Goddess, in my frenzy or in my fallow haze, if my joys are known to You as are my pangs, Sublime Wordsmith, grant me the grace of Your ear, that I may improve upon the gifts given, and forever reflect Your mastery upon this bereaved world!
Hail and welcome, Kalliope, Chief of Muses, with Your fingers upon the pulse of history! Hail and welcome, Kalliope, Beloved of Apollon, who coaxes forth the words that set our souls alight! Hail and welcome, Kalliope, first among Mnemosyne’s precious Daughters!
The unity of Apollon and Artemis, quite easily explained by those orphic hymns which call Misa (clearly derived from the name of Artemis as a daughter of Demeter) as the double Euboleus (Apollon as the swineherd son of Demeter fulfilling his character elsewhere in connection with this mysteries as a herder/leader and of a nature parallel to that expressed by Diodoros Siculus as the chorus-leader of Dionysos/Osiris) expresses the nature of Apollon and Artemis as deriving from the same source…mythically the womb of Leto. As such Apollon and Artemis have naturally reflecting features of their domains, which likewise carries over into a great number of shared or closely related epithets. Though they have distinct functions and personalities, they are inseparable and cosmically linked for that even as Artemis drives the prey in her hunt, Apollon receives what she had hunted. Thus establishing a never ending pattern of energy and the effect of the energy under control. Artemis hunts forth, and Apollon destroys. Even in their cult centers it is difficult to find the presence of one without the other.
Of course the masculine-feminine dichotomy is presented here a bit different than it has been presented with other such cases in which you have myths of a divine source being separating into another, usually the case of a male separating himself into a female. She is still part of him, and he is still part of her, but they are at the same time separate. Usually in such cases when this arises in which you have a male and female deity of the same source they will be bonded together in a marital or procreative relationship. However in the myth of Apollon and Artemis these twins fall into a different relationship that follows its cultural expression. Romans seemed to have attempted to modify the tones of the relationship a bit in the retelling of the story of Orion in which Apollon, jealous of the relationship between his twin and the hunter, tricked his sister into shooting him in a contest. Yet such jealousies in regards to the twins rarely crop up, though they are quick to defend each other and act for each other, as Artemis struck down Coronis.
Yet, there is something that ties into their relationship that reflects a reaffirmation of their unity in a vein similar to the procreative elements, and that lies mostly on the part of the maidens loved by Apollon. This is particularly the case when we see his first love, Daphne. This nymph was for all intensive purposes identical to the nature of Artemis. She too was a huntress who hunted with a band of fellow nymphs throughout Peloponnesius. Likewise, the wife of Apollon, Kyrene is also a double for Artemis in her persona and character. She too is a huntress/shepherdess who disdains the womanly arts to tend to the wilds. In fact, she was so closely associated with Artemis that she was said to have been given dogs by the goddess for her hunt. Of course there are figures who are less like Artemis with whom Apollon carries on a brief affair, but these two maidens figure prominently in his myths in Hellas, and Kyrene is the only marriage that he has had in myth, with full honors by the gods via the presence of Aphrodite creating for them their marital bed.
For Artemis there is a case, retold my Apollodorus in his the Library, in which according to an alternate version of the story of Callisto that the maiden was seduced by Zeus not in the form of Artemis, but rather in the form of Apollon. Herein we have the form of Artemis being replaced distinctly by that of Apollon. That Callisto would permit herself to be embraced by Apollon in substitution for Artemis suggests that the lines are easily blurred between what Artemis is doing, and what Apollon is doing and that for one of her followers to be embraced by Apollon was of quite a different nature than the same action being performed by another god.
I would like to reiterate that this post is not intended to say that Apollon and Artemis are one and the same in all ways, but rather that they are a male and female components of a whole for which we see too Apollon also called hunter like his twin, and Artemis as Despoina carrying on her lap the staff, likely of the kind which a shepherd would use that is aligned to the staff of Apollon Karneios. So they dance together in their cosmic actions. They do not need to be procreative, and in fact it is not necessary for their actions. Apollon is the destroyer at the boundary/gate, Artemis is the nurturing lady of the portal/doorway the huntress who drives forward all things through life. They do not need to be procreative together to do their parts harmonically as twin lights of the same function. Just their unity is brought home between the points of their twinship, and the character of the bride of Apollon. It is merely illustrated in this fashion through myth.
This ritual is adapted from my (Columbine) personal purificatory regimen, for use by any bride, lover, consort, etc., of Apollon. Of course, any devotee may use this ritual, but it was adapted with His many lovers in mind. It is not traditionally Hellenic. It is shared for the Aegletia, to be done on the First Illumination: Purification. It is to be done before bedtime.
You will need:
A clean shower or tub
Sea salt
White clothes and veil (optional)
Two prepared purification waters of your choice; one to drink and one to pour over the body
An anointing oil of your choice (olive oil may be used)
A prepared offering of your choice
Bay leaves, and a means of burning and containing them
**** Special diet consisting solely of fruits, breads, herbs/spices, olive oil, honey, salt and water, should be adhered to (by those able and willing) for at least twenty-four hours prior to purification ritual. ****
First, wash the body and hair, shave appropriately (if you choose to shave), then scrub down your whole body with sea salt. Do not rinse. Dry and dress in white clothes, and a loose white veil.
Approach the shrine or altar. Propitiate the Beloved. Give thanks, and praise unto Him. Unveil, and drink previously prepared inner purification water. Anoint the body with an oil that both you and Apollon find pleasing. Begin purificatory visualization, breathing exercises (optional), and chakra cleansing (optional).
Visualize the flow of water, flushing away the impurities, leaving the body clean. Visualize the same for the auric and astral bodies. Continue chakra cleansing (optional), and breathing exercises (optional), while visualizing.
Visualize yourself ascending a tall spiral staircase leading to a spiritual abode where the Beloved waits for you, becoming more pure with each upward curve toward perfection. Visualize your arrival and the Beloved’s presence enshrouding you. Repeat these words: “I am whole. I am holy. I am perfect. I am Yours.”
Commune with the Beloved.
After your communion, awaken, and give thanks and praise unto Him. Veil yourself again, and ask that He create a shield from, and a system with which to flush away all future impurities before they have the opportunity to take root. Accept His divine touch. Give thanks and praise unto Him.
Present previously prepared offering, then burn bay leaves to seal your intent. Give thanks and praise unto Him.
Now, invite the Beloved to be received into your home on the second day of the Aegletia. Leave the shrine or altar and commence rinsing body and hair in a warm bath or shower, then pour previously prepared outer purification water over your body. Dry, dress in comfortable night clothes (or not, as the case may be) and sleep.
Back during the early days, I would often mention, though not in any deep way, my affiliation with the nymph, Daphne. And although Daphne, in my understanding and doxa, was a hamadryad, it should be remembered that originally, and before her transformation, she was a naiad, a nymph of fresh Water.
So, as a tree, Water remained an important element in Daphne’s well-being, probably as much as the Earth she was rooted to. I imagine that being grounded in the way that she was, receiving her nourishment from the Earth below, was not exactly the same type of grounding that we understand today in our modern spiritual practices. I also imagine that when the sky opened up to shower her and the other trees with rain, from which moisture was needed, that it helped to wash away her troubled emotions, cleansing her and freeing her of much of the hurt and trauma she was subjected to during the pursuit from Apollon, which itself was the traumatic result of the vengeful Eros’ ire toward the God.
Water is often lauded as a carrier of emotion, and I have found this to be true in my own doxa and experience. Returning for a moment to the lore of Daphne, it is not surprising for me to realize that the pain and fear she experienced during her trial had to somehow be removed if she were ever to truly succumb to Apollon’s will. This necessarily happened after her transformation, because the perspective of a rooted tree, or hamadryad, rather than that of a free-roaming nymph allowed her to finally be embraced by Apollon’s fierce love.
Daphne must have underwent a series of dramatic purifications before she was able to accept Apollon’s love, and thus accept her fate as the vehicle of purification, through Him. In her final state, we see her in a sort of elemental convergence, where Water joins with Earth, and in turn joins with Fire as her leaves are burned to release the virginal essence still residing within her. This essence is then carried up to the realms of the Divine by Air, in the form of smoke lifting away impurities.
This, in my opinion, is the pinnacle of purification, for it is the convergence of all these elements together which fully expresses Daphne’s innate purity, which is then shared with us through the process of simply burning the bay leaves, or in another way by the preparation of khernips, which itself requires Water, sometimes salt, and usually burning herbs or bay leaves, which results in a small amount of smoke before being plunged into the Water, thus joining all of the elements.
So, in these examples, we see the importance of Water as the carrier of the pure essence of Daphne, and the vehicle through which impurities, both physical and emotional, are washed away.
For myself, as one who identifies in many important ways with Daphne, it is little wonder that Water should be so necessary in my own grounding efforts, for it is not only about the cleansing of impurities, but also the release of stagnant emotion, which through Earthen grounding alone I am unable to dispel. Thankfully, however, I was able to figure this out through meditation, trial and error, and some conversations with Apollon in which He all but hammered it into me that I am not, in fact, attuned to the Earth element in any significant way. This is made more evident in the make-up of my astrological chart, which sadly, contains zero Earth.
I’ve known this for a long time, but only recently have I put two and two together. I believe it is important for us as practitioners to be aware of the nuances of our elemental natures, and to take these nuances into account when attempting even the most basic of spiritual activities, such as grounding and centering. If we try to adhere to forms which are less compatible with our natures, we may likely find our efforts wasted, leading to more feelings of inadequacy and other negative emotions. It becomes a cycle of self-deprecation that can never help to improve our capabilities in the areas we wish to improve upon.
So, what does grounding through Water (for lack of an appropriate Water-based term) look like? For me, it may begin with visualization, as do many Earthen grounding techniques, but instead of visualizing a connection to the Earth itself, I see a pool of ground Water seeping up to cover my feet, or my entire body if I’m feeling particularly needy. I then try to synchronize the movement and flow of this visualized Water with that of my blood. Through concentration, the Water which comprises so much of my physical form then becomes inseparable from the visualized Water. It is at this point where I am able to release the pent up emotion, which is washed swiftly away, soaking deep into the Earth, along with the visualization.
There are other, more immediately physical ways to engage with Water in this way, such as running cool tap Water over one’s hands, then releasing the unwanted energy; or swimming, particularly in the ocean and other natural bodies of Water; and even standing outside during a heavy rainstorm. All of these I’ve found to be effective, and I will continue to experiment with other techniques as they present themselves, and as the need arises.
I love all of you ladies, so much. Let us usher in the seventh Aegletia, of this sixth year of the Treasury, with joy and pride in our accomplishments.
The first Aegletia occurred five months before the formation of the Treasury, thus its celebration was the prelude to our Sisterhood, and is acknowledged as one of our most important festivals.
So, Sisters, let us begin again, with this feeling of love and perseverance among us.
Even as our Lord traverses the world during His flight North, we will welcome and honor Him in our hearts and homes. We will bring Him joy at the end of one Season, and the beginning of the next. And our Lord will return our joy tenfold, come Spring.
Peace and Love to you, my Sisters. Love and Praise, always, to Apollon!
Treasury of Apollon 