Thursday, May 26, 2022
ANTINOUS WITH MITHRAS
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
HADRIAN IN ALEXANDRIA
IN May of 131 Hadrian returned to Alexandria, where he inspected the many construction projects he began earlier and finalized the administrative reforms he made, setting everything in order.
It was during Hadrian's final stay in Egypt that he organized and delineated the details of the new religion of Antinous. He appointed priests and set forth the liturgy and theology of the new faith.
The artist who sculpted the original bust of Antinous while he was still alive, known as the "Antinoos Haupttypus," was summoned to bring his sketches and make copies of Antinous images to be distributed all over the Empire.
The first Antinous coins were struck which were the prototype for all coins to follow.
It was at this time that the Lion Hunt poem was presented to Hadrian by Pancrates, for which he was rewarded a lifetime position in the Musaeum.
The original reason Hadrian may have visited Egypt was to settle the issue of the new Apis Bull which had been born and which various cities were vying to possess for the religious prestige and immense wealth from pilgrimage that the bull would bring.
Hadrian's decision is not recorded, but it may have been that he presented the Apis Bull to the Serapeum of Alexandria, as a life-size Apis bull sculpture was found in the catacombs dating from Hadrian's reign.
Alexandria had a thriving Cult of Mithras that was associated with the Apis Bull, and which 200 years later became one of the issues that set off deadly riots in the 3rd Century when the Christians pillaged a hidden Mithraeum and paraded the sacred images through the city, causing a riot among the pagans that ultimately led to the destruction of the Serapeum by order of Emperor Theodosius.
Shortly afterward, Hypatia was murdered by Christians in a church that had once been the temple of the divine Caesars. The cult of the bull which had brought Hadrian to Egypt in the first place therefore had a part to play in the ultimate destruction of the last pagan te temples.
Before leaving, Hadrian complained of the ingratitude of the city after all he had done, which included bestowing the Apis Cult upon them, and yet they spoke ill of him and Antinous.
The boat-shaped sarcophagus of Antinous was placed on a ship, the new priests were sent out carrying statues and coins to every corner of the world, and Hadrian made his final departure from Alexandria.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
WE JOYOUSLY CELEBRATE
PANSEXUAL VISIBILITY DAY
PANSEXUAL VISIBILITY DAY
MAY 24th is Pansexual Visibility Day. Much like Bi Visibility Day, when bisexual people remove their invisibility cloaks and instead don their beautiful bi vis jackets, Pan Visibility Day is a day to celebrate and recognise those who identify as pansexual.
To help you do that, here are five things you should know.
1. The word pansexuality originally comes from Greek ... just like the Greek god Pan in the poster here.
Pan means ‘all’, and is related to words like panorama. Pansexual people aren’t attracted to all other people, but they are attracted to people of all genders. This is different from being attracted to everyone; in the same way that a heterosexual woman will not be attracted to all men and a lesbian woman will not be attracted to all women, pansexual people will experience attraction to specific people and not others.
2. It’s nothing to do with saucepans or frying pans. Pansexual people have nothing against old jokes but the one about being sexually attracted to pans isn’t just old, it’s also just not funny.
3. Pansexuality is different from bisexuality but the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Being bisexual means being attracted to more than one gender, while being pansexual means being attracted to people regardless of gender. Pansexuality and bisexuality are not in conflict. In fact, some bisexual people also identify as pansexual, and vice versa. Pansexuality is included under the bisexual umbrella, which covers anyone who experiences sexual or romantic attraction to more than one gender.
4. There are lots of famous pansexual people! Recently, the fabulous Janelle MonĂ¡e came out as pansexual, saying ‘I’m open to learning more about who I am’. Other notable pansexual people include Miley Cyrus, Angel Haze, Laci Green and of course the not-quite-superhero Deadpool.
5. Being pansexual is just one part of who someone is. A pansexual person may also be trans, or disabled, or a person of colour, or all three. Pansexual people come in all ages and sizes and enjoy a range of activities and hobbies. On pansexual visibility day it’s important to remember that we’re celebrating pansexual people from all backgrounds and all walks of life.
Happy Pansexual Visibility Day!
Sunday, May 22, 2022
HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A CHAMPION
IN THE SACRED GAMES OF ANTINOUS
IN THE SACRED GAMES OF ANTINOUS
Everyone has heard of the Ancient Olympics, but there were other Games held in antiquity, and among the most famous were the Games of Antinous, which were called the Megala Antinoeia ... the Great Games of Antinous. These were Sacred Games which were held in Antinoopolis, Bithynia and in Mantinea."
The most famous Games were held at Antinoopolis, the city founded by Emperor Hadrian in Egypt at the spot along the Nile where Antinous had drowned in the year 130 AD.
The Great Antinoeia, as the Games of Antinous were called, were held for hundreds of years.
But little was known of the actual competitions until a fragile papyrus was deciphered recently which revealed some intriguing and somewhat shocking details about the Games of Antinous of the year 267 AD and two wrestlers named NICANTINOUS AND DEMETRIUS.
The Games of Antinous faded into obscurity ... but have been revived in the past decade by us. They are held every four years during the cycle of the blooming of the ROSY LOTUS OF ANTINOUS AFTER THE LION HUNT in August.
The modern-day Religion of Antinous revived the Sacred Games 20 years ago. This is the V ANTINOEIAD of the modern era, and entry is open to everyone wishing to honor Antinous with their own artistic, academic or athletic talents.
"These Games are open to all ... regardless whether you are gay and regardless of gender," Antonius Subia says.
"You can submit any form of artistic endeavor ... poems, paintings, videos or literary works. But you can also submit dancing, running or other physical effort ... as long as you provide documentation of your performance art," he explained.
Prizes will be awarded to winners, details of which are to be unveiled on this blog in coming days and weeks as the deadline approaches.
For enquiries and submissions, contact us here: templeofantinous@gmail.com
WORSHIPERS WORLDWIDE VIA ZOOM
CELEBRATE THE SACRED BULL HUNT
CELEBRATE THE SACRED BULL HUNT

It is these wild forces that we must face, if we are ever to regard ourselves as Men.
HARVEY MILK, SAINT OF ANTINOUS
ON May 22nd the world honors Harvey Milk ... his birthday (22 May 1930) is commemorated as Harvey Milk Day around the world.
Champion of the early gay rights movement, in 1977 Harvey Milk became the first openly Gay person to be elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco.
He advocated the liberation of homosexuality for the benefit of society in general, and jokingly claimed to be a gay recruiter. He was instrumental in passing the Gay Civil Rights Bill in San Francisco, which was to be his undoing.
On November 27, of 1978, Milk was murdered City Hall along with Mayor George Moscone by former City Supervisor Danny White who had resigned his office after the enactment of the bill. Dan White was acquitted of murder but sentenced to only seven years on manslaughter charges.
Following his acquittal on May 21st, 1979, riots broke during a demonstration in front of City Hall, and later, 100,000 people marched on Washington in support of Gay Rights chanting "Harvey Milk Lives!" He became the first gay saint and martyr following the movement that began at the Stonewall.
In a tape recording made one year before his assassination, as if in prophecy, Harvey Milk said, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."
For his actions, for his life, for the changes that he effected, and for the love that continues to burn for him in the memory of his gay, lesbian and transgender children, we priests of Antinous recognize and sanctify Harvey Milk as a Heroic Saint and Martyr.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
CASTOR AND POLLUX
TWIN GODS OF HOMOSEXUALITY
TWIN GODS OF HOMOSEXUALITY
TODAY the Sun enters the Sign of Gemini — the sign of the Twins Castor and Pollux, Gods of Homosexuality. This is the zodiac sign which ushers in a special sacred time in the Religion of Antinous, for this is the time of year when the STAR OF ANTINOUS rises, after having been hidden below the horizon since the Death of Antinous at the end of October.
We honor the Dioscuri who were born as triplets with the beautiful Helen as their sister. The mother of the three was Leda who was seduced by Zeus who came to her in the form of a swan. Leda gave birth to an egg from which emerged Castor, Pollux and Helen.
The photo above shows the Prado's Ildefonso Group, twin statue of Castor and Pollux, with a marble head of Antinous "restored" to the left figure.
The identical brothers were inseparable, and had a deep affection for one another, for which reason they were often worshipped as gods of homosexuality. Helen was constantly being abducted and in need of rescue, which the brothers were usually successful in accomplishing, however, her beauty was eventually to lead to the Trojan War.Castor was a skilled horseman, and Pollux was an unconquerable boxer. They took part in the voyage of the Argonauts, and with Orpheus they calmed a storm, for which reason they were worshipped as the protectors of sailors.
Later in the voyage, Castor was killed. Pollux was so overwhelmed that he begged Zeus to accept his life in exchange for his brother's.
Out of compassion, Zeus immortalized Castor and proclaimed that Pollux would spend half the year in the underworld and half the year in heaven with his brother.
Together they were placed in the sky as the sign of Gemini.
The Divine Twins miraculously appeared in Rome to announce the victory of the Republic over the allies of the last king by watering their horses in the Fountain of Juturna in the Forum.
Flamen Antonius has this further insight into Castor and Pollux:
"The sacredness of the Twin Gods, with their third twin sister Helen is found in Norse Mythology as the Alcis and as the twins Frey and Skirnir with their third twin sister Freya.
"The symbolism of brotherly love, and of sacrificing one's life for the immortality of a brother is at the heart of the Religion of Antinous, and is an example of the sacrifice that Antinous is said to have committed for the prolongation of the life of Hadrian. The Dioscuri are Antinous and his "rival" Aelius Caesar, and they are also seen in the two brothers of Hadrian's court, Macedo and Statianus Caesernius, who were servants, protectors, confidants, lovers, friends, witnesses and first priests of Antinous.
"The Sacred Star of Antinous rises during the sign of the brothers Castor and Pollux."