THE SOLSTICE
AND THE DELPHINEA OF ANTINOUS
THE JUNE SOLSTICE is one of the most sacred days in the Liturgical Calendar of the Religion of Antinous.
It
is the day when Ra Herakhte, the heavenly father of Antinous, stands
still for a moment. In the Northern Hemisphere it is the longest day
and from now on the days become shorter and shorter. For our brothers in
the Southern Hemisphere, this is the Shortest Day and from now on the
days become longer and longer.
That
is an important aspect to remember about the Religion of Antinous. The
Blessed Boy is beyond such constraints as Summer and Winter or even Life
and Death. For Antinous, the days are ALWAYS getting longer and the they are ALWAYS getting shorter.
For HE lives in our hearts — wherever we are.
Antinous would be associated with many deities in the generations to come. Among his many names, the Beauteous Boy was adored as Antinous-Apollo.
The glorious image above left shows a modern reproduction of the Apollon Parnopios
which has been gilded and fitted with gemstone eyes to show how it
might have looked in a temple where a ray of sunlight would have set it
ablaze in gleaming light.
The Delphinea is the celebration of the beautiful,
golden-haired god of light, Apollo, and of his triumph over the great
and monstrous Python which was wrapped around holy mount Parnassus. The
Python was the creation of Juno, a creature of jealousy whose coils were
meant only to stifle and constrict the grace of that which was to
proceed from the Sacred Way of the holy city of Delphi.
Apollo shot the Python and destroyed it, when he was only three days
old, which is like the brilliance of the Sun dispelling the covering of
night. He set the black stone which had fallen from the sky, called the Omphalos,
over the navel of the Earth, and charged a Sibyl, a priestess of the
Great Mother to watch over the stone and to convey his wisdom to
mankind.
Flamen Antinoalis Antonyus Subia explains the significance for us Antinoians:
"The Oracle of Delphi, called a Pythoness, was overtaken while
seated atop a golden tripod, by a fire that is the breath of the God.
Apollo is the Flower Prince reborn, he is the Twin brother of Dionysus,
the Twin brother of Diana. He is the Son of Zeus, and the inheritor of
his Kingdom, just as Aelius Caesar was the chosen son of Hadrian.
"Apollo is the God of wisdom and art, the speaker of truth, the
deliverer of radiance, reason and beauty. Apollo is the God of Socrates
and Plato, and he is the God of Pythagoras who claimed to be his son,
exhibiting a golden thigh as proof. Apollo is the unconquered light, the
full manifested brilliance, power and wisdom of Orpheus.
"Of all the gods, Apollo is the most boy-loving, though
the touch of his heart was invariably fatal. He is the genius of the
dying boy-gods. We pray to Apollo, the great god of homosexuality, and
seek his guidance on this day, the longest day of the year."
The region is teeming with bountiful wildlife and so Hadrian and Antinous went on hunting forays while in Bithynium.
The Boar Hunt had deeply mystical symbolic meaning for Hadrian, as exemplified that it was elevated to mythic proportions for use in public monuments.
The image shows Hadrian and Antinous (looking backwards) during the Sacred Boar Hunt, immortalized on the Arch of Constantine in Rome.
Flamen Antonyus Subia explains the mythic symbolism this way:
"This hunt takes place in the ancestral forests of Antinous, in Phrygia, and its meaning is closely connected to the Mysteries of Adonis, and Freyr. It represents the full vigor of his strength, courage and skill as a hunter.
"This festival is a commemoration of the joy of life, in celebration of indulgence and sensual fulfillment.
"The Sacred Boar Hunt represents the pinnacle of the life of Antinous."
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