Honor the Stillness, to Honor the Path

“Apollo, God of the Sun”, by Juan Manuel Molleví.

Apollon of Delos, and of Delphi, and of Hyperborea

Lighter of the Way, Revealer of the Path

Prince, Benefactor

God who warms, illuminates and inspires

Revealer of the way to the illustrious island

Who is generous, Who is kind

But stern, commanding absolute loyalty

Prince, Benefactor

God Who sears, and melts away impurity

Revealer of the way to the Truth of the individual soul

Who is fierce, Who is joyous

And immeasurably firm

Prince, Benefactor

God Who coaxes life forth with burning passion

Revealer of the way to the land of our descendants, yet unborn

Who is steadfast and unwavering, Who is prime and youthful

But deathless, immortal, yes, so very ancient

Prince, Benefactor

Lighter of the Way, Revealer of the Path

Apollon of Delos, and of Delphi, and of Hyperborea

Apollon’s is the hand which guides us, and leads us toward our ends. Whatever those ends may be, only He knows the extent to which we will be bound by them, thus our goal is to make the choices that will take us down His path, in eventuality.

But how do we know which choices are the right ones? By thinking them through, as any logically-minded Apollonian would; then, by applying our spiritual discernment, may we further inform our decision-making process, testing all decisions along side our established spiritual objectives. When both head and heart agree, then we know it is safe to act.

What our Lord brings into our lives, and what we often ask for, is many times, much more profound and difficult than what we have anticipated, whether it be a mental exercise, physical task. or emotional labor. It is imperative that we take the time to suss out our plans of action, rather than dive headfirst into difficult or unknown situations. Quiet and stillness of being will serve us well in these instances, for it is better to perfect a task after careful training, than to repeat a task for lack of preparation.

Calm and quiet. Let these be a mantra within you, to assist in your assessments, so that we may make the most informed decisions possible, and also so that we may do so within the sphere of Apollon’s influence, always to center His will within our work, and lives.

— Columbine [Aegletia, Day 8, 2019]

Within the Center: A Meditation of Apollon’s Domain

I sit within the center of a song. A song sung by my Lord. Apollon strums His lyre to the tune of the living and dying of the world. Inside me are the notes He coaxes forth. My voice rises and falls. My chest releases and contracts to the breath of nations in flux. His is the Divine Song of the Kosmos, leading all things to their inevitable conclusion.

I sit within the center of a budding flower. I am the stamen and pollen. I am the pistil and the ovule. I am the potential of a thousand, thousand lives after mine. Lives of flowers and insects, mammals and more. Earth gives up Her nutrients to me, so that I might live, conceive and die again, to be consumed once more, in another life and form.

I sit within the center of a beating heart. This heart belongs to a man. He is young and he is old. He is elderly and fetal; all at once, a decrepit child to the Gods, no matter what his linear age may be. And he toils away his short life, dreaming dreams that will not blossom until long after he has left the living Earth behind, and come to the Land of the Shades, where Persephone reigns.

I sit within the center of a shallow stream. Water rushes all around me. It carries with it the hope of all life, and the memory of all that has come before. In this world, water is life, and no life can exists without it. It is the sweat and the blood, and the fluid of sex. Water is life; the lack of Water is death. As Water flows, so too does the fate of the world of man.

I sit within the center of desire. I am the pulse of a body next to mine. I am the stroke of a finger upon glistening skin. I am the soft caress of lips upon lips upon lips. I am the breathlessness, and the deep moaning pleasure. All around me, nothing else exists, and I am free in my wild abandon, to delve within my innermost realm, to see and to feel and to taste the soul of wanting.

I sit within the center of an empty peace. This is the place of detachment from worldly concern. I have found myself, and now need nothing but myself, for I am all things, everywhere. And if I am all things, then nothing exists without me, and the world is a dream of my own making. And if the world is a dream, then I will unmake it, and reveal myself to myself. Unshorn. Unadorned. Unfathomable.

I sit within the center of the One. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End. Creation and Destruction. Order and Chaos. The hand strums the lyre, the song continues. The Seasons dance. I am the breath of a Voice, and the flutter of notes upon the breath. I am the dancer, and the song. I am the joy, and the despair. I am Life, and I sit within the center of all that is, was, or ever will be.

© Columbine 2017

Purification Ritual for Brides, Lovers and Consorts – Repost

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.

— Treasury of Apollon

Within the Center: A Meditation of Apollon’s Domain

Little Flowers

We are like little flowers
Growing upward
Our faces bright with the Sun

We cultivate that stillness
That awareness

Without thought
Without distraction
Without desire

There is only that which is
That which touches us
From petal to stem to root

We create our nourishment from that which is
That which truly exists

By focusing completely upon that which exists
We affirm our existence
Without the taint of a want for that which does not exist

We are flowers

Still, warm, shining
Wild, free
Kept, still, admired

Pure

His Flowers
In His Garden
We

— Columbine