Monday, October 31, 2022

TRIUMPH OF THE LIBERATOR


ANTINOUS the mortal is dead. Antinous the God is born! 

On this day, October 31st, we surrender ourselves, body and soul, to the joy of Lord Liber, and join in the festival of Halloween, spreading the Love and Liberation of Antinous to the world of the living and the dead. This is the second day of the Ecclesiastic Year.

The festival of Antinous Liberator, the New Dionysus, is the place from which life comes and all love-joy with the ever-present specter of Our Lady death by its side.


The New God Antinous Liberator, sets us free with a wave of his hand. 
He destroys the bondage that holds our immortal spirit prisoner to the cycles of life and death, as the chains of time and matter fall of their own accord.

In benediction, Antinous Liberator confers the flame of Homotheosis upon the hearts of his chosen lovers so that we may indulge and burn in the ecstasy of being One with HIM.

We are free from the masquerade of the spirit in this world of illusion, we are unclothed before him. 


From his lips we drink the winged intoxication of the flesh and abandoned all reason and logic at his feet.

Antinous stands upon the crescent of the Moon. He passes through the Arches of the spheres, the 7 Archons bow down before HIM.

The god-power of Antinous shines over the face of darkness. The Spirits of the Dead awaken to dance as the wine of freedom flows down into the spider-heart of Tartarus.


As Dark as events in the world may become ... a powerful light is shining stronger for Gay, Bi, Lesbian and Transgender people everywhere in the world!


Every day, more and more of us come together,

Every day, the fire of Antinous spreads

His name becomes less a strange, unheard of and difficult to pronounce name from Ancient times ... and more a realization that once there was a time when being gay was a sacred state of being, and that there was a god who represented us, and spoke on our behalf to the immortal powers.

Antinous is with us again ... his power is growing stronger in our hearts.

Antinous is within all of US!

The Blessing of Antinous is with us all!

The Arisen Antinous has Come Again! 

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

NEW SAINTS OF ANTINOUS FOR 2022




NEW saints of Antinous were announced by the Hollywood Temple of Antinous tonight during Foundation Day ceremonies shared globally with worshipers in North and South America and in Africa, Australia and Europe via Zoom.

Foundation Day commemorates the founding of the city of Antinoopolis by Emperor Hadrian on 30 October 130 AD on the shores of the Nile where Antinous died a few days earlier.

That was 1,892 years ago, and Foundation Day marks the beginning of our liturgical calendar ... Happy New Year 1892!


After weeks of deliberations, FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA announced the following New Year's List of SAINTS OF ANTINOUS for the new liturgical year.

SAINTS OF ANTINOUS

James Alan Bidgood (March 28, 1933 – January 31, 2022) was an American filmmaker, photographer and visual and performance artist, known for his highly stylized and homoerotic works. Bidgood released the film "Pink Narcissus" in 1971, after filming in his small apartment from 1963 to 1970, and Bidgood built all the sets and filmed the entire piece in his tiny apartment. The film is a landmark of gay cinema.


Louis de Bourbon, Comte de Vermandois, born 2 October 1667 to King Louis XIV. During his stay at the Palais-Royal, Louis met the infamous Chevalier de Lorraine who was rumored to be the lover of both Louis' uncle and aunt. Apparently, the young Louis fell under his charm as well and after their meeting it was whispered that Louis was now also homosexual. Louis XIV was furious at the news. Hoping to make his son a man, the King sent him to Flanders where he was to participate in the Siege of Courtray. While there, Louis became ill but was still so desperate to regain his father's affection that he insisted on fighting. That would become his death. Louis died on 18 November 1683 at the age of 16 years old.


Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (15 May 1842 – 18 January 1919) was the youngest child of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria, and as such was the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I. He had a military career, as was usual for archdukes, but did not take part in politics. He was openly homosexual and declined to marry princesses who were sought for him. Ludwig Viktor was "a homosexual and cross-dresser with a reputation as a libertine." After a scandalous incident at the Central Bathhouse Vienna in which he was publicly slapped, his brother Emperor Franz Joseph finally forbade him to stay in Vienna and joked that he should be given a ballerina as adjutant to keep him out of trouble. He is well known for his art collection and patronage as well as philanthropy.


Leslie Jordan (29 April 1955 – 24 October 2022; age 67) was an openly gay actor, musician, and writer and a star on the hit television series "Will & Grace," for which Jordan won an Emmy Award. He was also an accomplished stage actor, with perhaps his most well-known role being the institutionalized drag queen nicknamed "Brother Boy" in the play "Sordid Lives" on stage, screen and television. The Southern entertainer was a regular on LGBTQ programming, and had recently made an appearance on Trixie Mattel’s reality show "Trixie Motel." Jordan gained 5.8 million followers on Instagram, who loved his charming, funny personality, and warm, grandfatherly persona. Jordan died in a car crash in the morning of October 24, 2022, while driving in Hollywood.


HEROIC SAINTS


Raymond Castro, 27 (died October 9th 2010) arrested during the Stonewall riots.  He is reported to have pushed and kicked a police office together with Marilyn Fowler and Vincent DePaul.  When he was handcuffed and being carried away, he kicked an officer to the ground.  This action has been credited as one of the first moments that started the Stonewall Riots.


Marilyn Fowler 28 – Unknown Lesbian who took part in the first moments of the Stonewall riots, no further information is known about her, her name only recently came forth after a lengthy Freedom of Information court order.


Vincent DePaul 24 – Believed to be a pseudonym used by an unknown young man who together with Castro and Fowler were among the first instigators of the Stonewall riots and among the first to be arrested.


Thomas Stanton 22 – Participant of the Stonewall riots arrested on the first night, nothing more is known about him.


Wolfgang Podolski 27 - Participant of the Stonewall riots arrested on the first night, nothing more is known about him


VENERABLE SAINT


Dave Van Rock - (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, who was among 13 people arrested at the Stonewall Inn June 28, 1969. He was beaten badly by police after having struck one police officer with a rolled-up newspaper.


AVE SANCTI ANTINOI


Sunday, October 30, 2022

THE FOUNDING OF ANTINOOPOLIS

 


ON this day we commemorate the founding of the Sacred City of Antinous, the glorious city of ANTINOOPOLIS in Egypt as it originally was called and later Ansenand Antinoé.

Our Lord Hadrian Augustus, Emperor of Rome, Pontifex Maximus, the New Jupiter, Hercules reborn, consecrated the shore of the Nile where Antinous fell, and solemnly founded the Holy City of Antinoopolis in Egypt in the year 130 AD
.

Antinous had risen again from the depths of Tartarus, he had conquered death and returned to the place of the living.

By Victory and Proclamation, Antinous was elevated to godliness, and the ancient religion of Our God was set in motion. 


The Priesthood of Antinous was ordained, sacred statues and images proliferated, and Temples rose up in every corner of the world, for the glory of Antinous the God.

We exalt in the deification of Antinous, and marvel at his assumption into heaven. 


On this day we concelebrate the Foundation of Antinoopolis by re-founding the sacred city within our hearts, declaring ourselves the New Stones of Antinoopolis. 

With love for Antinous in our hearts, the New Temple of Antinous was founded in 2002, called Ecclesia Antinoi, and the New Priesthood of Antinous initiated.

We recognize the Foundation of Antinoopolis as the first day of the New and Holy Year of Religion of Antinous.

Saturday, October 29, 2022

HOMOPHOBIA MARTYRS REMEMBERED
ON ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH OF ANTINOUS



ON four continents tonight, adherents of Antinous took part via an interactive online conference call in a candlelight vigil in memory of worldwide martyr victims of homophobia.


The vigil drew Zoom participants from across the United States, as well as from Australia, Germany and South Africa. The ceremonies coincided with the October 28 observance of the Death of Antinous on that date in the year 130 AD.

At the Hollywood Temple of Antinous, the founder of the modern religion of Antinous, ANTONIUS SUBIA, related the true-life story of how Antinous drowned in the Nile at the end of October in the year 130 AD, and how Hadrian proclaimed him the last deity of the Classical Era.

Priest HERNESTUS, participating from Germany (photo below right), solemnly read out the names of martyr saints ... and linked them to the tragic death of Antinous.

With a quavering voice, Hernestus paused from time to time to remark on individuals whose names were on the list. 

He also honoured hundreds of victims of homophobic attacks around the world.

The full list of Martyr Saints is at the bottom of this page.

Antonius noted that the list of names represents only the tip of the iceberg ... and only one 12-month period. Countless thousands more suffer and are murdered on a daily basis around the world.

On October 28th we commemorate the death of Antinous and his descent into the Underworld.

"Antinous passes out of the world of the living tonight and enters the Underworld, where he hears the names of all these people and gathers them to him and embraces them and saves them from oblivion," Antonius told worshipers.

"I pray to Antinous to watch over them, now as his divine spirit sinks down into the place of the dead ... and when he returns, that he will bring for hope again, that these deaths will stop," Antonius said. "This is what I wish for."

On October 30th, another international interactive online ceremony will be held consecrating newly nominated saints of Antinous for 2022 and also ritually celebrating the return of Antinous from the Underworld and the establishment of the city of   ANTINOOPOLIS by Emperor Hadrian on that date in 130 AD.


MARTYR SAINTS

Amarey Lej
Found dead on a Pittsburgh street early in the morning of January 1. She had been shot. She was one of about a half-dozen trans people of color to have died violently in the area in the past year. 

Duval Princess
24, of Jacksonville, Fla., was found shot to death in her car at a shopping center January 2. Princess’s family told local media that she had an “outgoing personality” and was “a little firefly.” She worked as a hairstylist and was in the early stages of transitioning.

Matthew Spampinato
21-year-old trans man, was killed in a hit-and-run car crash February 9 in New Castle, Del. He was walking home from work at a Starbucks, where he was well-regarded by coworkers.

Naomi Skinner
25, was fatally shot in Highland Park, Mich., February 12. Her boyfriend, Michael Cortez Norris, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder. Friends and family described Skinner as a “very outstanding person” who lived a “fabulous life.” Her death reflects the high level of intimate partner violence faced by trans people.

Cypress Ramos
21, a popular drag performer, was found dead in a storage unit in Lubbock, Texas, February 12. She had died after being struck with a heavy object. Allen Montemayor, 32, has been charged with murder. He has claimed that he acted in self-defense and that he heard a song telling him to kill Ramos.

Paloma Vazquez
29, was shot to death in Houston the first weekend in March. Vazquez had been in the U.S. just six months and had fled anti-trans violence in Honduras. "She had just moved into her new apartment and was very excited about decorating," friend Gia Pacheco said. She had already become active in the Houston trans community, working with the Organization for Latina Trans in Texas.

Tatiana “Tee Tee” abelle
33, was found dead March 18 in a trash can in Chicago. She had been beaten to death. She was last seen alive five days earlier. “It is heartbreaking for someone to beat her to death and throw her in the trash like she was garbage,” her sister Shameika Thomas told Chicago TV station WLS.

Kathryn Newhouse
19, was fatally shot by her father March 19 at their home in Cherokee County, Ga. Her father, Howard Newhouse, 57, then died by suicide. Katie Newhouse was described as a proud Filipina-American who was neurodivergent. She was an advocate for trans rights and an enthusiastic video gamer.

Kenyatta “Kesha” Webster
24, was found dead in Jackson, Miss., March 26. Family members have said Webster’s death was robbery-homicide, but police have yet to confirm. On April 1, more than 100 people attended a balloon release honoring her. At the event, her mother, Sharon Taylor, called for justice. “Everybody share it all on Facebook,” Taylor said. “All over Facebook. Let it go out, because I want justice for my baby. Because she was loved. She had plenty of love. She didn’t deserve that. She ain’t no dog, no rag or dirt. She’s gonna get justice.”

Miia Love Parker
25, was shot to death April 1 in Chester, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, and police have identified a suspect but have yet to apprehend him. Parker was in a parked vehicle when she was shot. A friend took her to a hospital, but she did not survive. Chester police are searching for Saad Najeed Dwight, 38. He will face charges of criminal homicide, third-degree murder, and possession of a firearm not to be carried without a license.

Fern Feather
29, of Hinesburg, Vt., was found stabbed to death April 12 along a road in another Vermont community, Morristown, and the man charged has made statements amounting to a “trans panic” defense. Seth Brunell, 43, told police Feather had made a sexual advance toward him and “attacked” him, so he had to defend himself. But police said they saw no signs of a struggle and that Brunell was not injured. He is charged with second-degree murder.

Ariyanna Mitchell
17, was shot to death while intervening in a fight at a party in Hampton, Va., April 2. Her accused killer, Jimmy Leshawn Williams, asked her if she was a boy or a girl before shooting her, according to court documents. He has been charged with murder.

Ray Muscat
26, was shot to death May 8 at his home in Oakland County, Mich. Police say he was killed by his girlfriend, trans woman Ruby Taverner, 22, who subsequently died by suicide. Her body was discovered the next day. Authorities say she also fatally shot her brother, Bishop Taverner, 24.

Sasha Mason
45-year-old Latina, was shot to death May 13 during a robbery at her home in Zebulon, N.C. Police arrested one suspect, Ali Tariq Khabir Wiggins, the same day, and another, Julius Antwan Smith, two days later, according to TV station WNCN. They are both charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, and additional charges are likely, police said. “Wiggins was a known associate [of Mason],” WNCN reports. “Police believe the attack was targeted.”

Nedra Sequence Morris
50, was found dead May 14 on a street in Opa-Locka, Fla. She was lying in a pool of blood. Family members say she was shot in the head at another location and her body dumped at the site. Police are continuing to investigate.

Chanelika Y’Ella Dior Hemingway
A recent graduate of the University of Albany in New York, was found dead in her Albany apartment May 31, and police have ruled her death a homicide. The police have not disclosed how she was killed and have released few details overall. Her body was found during a wellness check requested by her mother, Jackie Powell, who had not heard from her.

Brazil Johnson
28-year-old Black woman, died of multiple gunshot wounds June 15 in Milwaukee. Her death has been ruled a homicide. No suspect has been identified.

Shawmaynè Giselle Marie McClam
Was shot to death at her apartment in Gulfport, Miss., June 21. Makhari Seven Gasaway, 20, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Kitty Monroe
A Black woman, was shot to death June 29 in Cordova, Tenn., near Memphis. Police have arrested Samuel Ward Jr. and charged him with voluntary manslaughter, Memphis’s ABC affiliate reports. He told police he had been inside a home with Monroe, and she ordered him to leave and pulled a gun on him. They struggled, both fell down a flight of stairs, and then Ward took out his own gun and shot Monroe several times, according to a police affidavit cited by the station. He called the police from another location, and they came to the scene of the altercation and found Monroe, who died there.

Cherry Bush
48, an unhoused trans woman, was fatally shot July 5 in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles. L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón’s office has charged Eric Antonio Sanchez, 29, with one count each of murder and attempted murder with a hate-crime allegation. Bush was "allegedly targeted based on a presumption of [her] gender identity and sexual orientation," said a press release from the D.A.'s office, which also said Sanchez shot at a bystander.

Aaron Lynch
26, was having a mental health crisis when police were called to his home in McLean, Va., the evening of July 7. He approached officers holding a decorative mask, which he threw to the ground, and a wine bottle, which police claimed he was wielding like a weapon.  After the police fired Tasers at him with no result, one officer, Edward George, shot Lynch four times, killing him. George is on reduced duty, and the incident is under investigation, McLean Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

Martasia Richmond
30, was stabbed to death July 11 in Chicago. She was found on the porch of a home there when police responded to a complaint of domestic battery. Police have arrested Daniel Burley, 31, described as Richmond’s partner. He is charged with first-degree murder but his lawyers claim he acted in self-defense. 

Kandii Redd
29, a Black transgender woman and award-winning performer, was stabbed to death July 25 in Kansas City, Mo. There was “an argument that led to a physical altercation,” reports TV station KMBC, which misgendered her. Police found Redd in an apartment and called paramedics to treat her, but she was pronounced dead.

Hayden Davis
28-year-old Black transgender woman, was found dead on a street in Detroit July 25, her body wrapped in a blanket. She had been shot several times. Police are still seeking a suspect.

Acey D. Morrison
A Two-Spirit member of the Lakota tribe, was fatally shot August 21 in her hometown of Rapid City, S.D. Morrison was a “kindhearted, down to earth, joyous, respectful, and loving soul,” says an obituary published by Native Sun News. “She was a helpful and giving person who was always there for her family and friends. Acey always put a smile on others and had those around her laughing and happy. … We will remember her as who she was to each of us: authentic, and unapologetic.” No arrest has been made in her death.

Dede Ricks
Black trans woman Dede Ricks, 33, was shot to death August 28 at a home in Detroit. Ricks was an Ohio resident. Deontae Close, 31, was arrested that day and arraigned a few days later on a charge of second-degree murder.

Regina 'Mya' Allen
Black trans woman Regina Allen, called Mya by friends, was shot to death August 29 in Milwaukee. She was 35 years old and would have turned 36 September 20. Police are searching for Clayton Hubbird, 31, who will face a charge of first-degree reckless homicide. Surveillance video shows Allen getting into a Chevy Tahoe with Hubbird at a gas station. As they approached her apartment, a witness heard them arguing and heard Allen say, “I’m shot,” according to local media. Hubbird’s vehicle was found in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb, the next day, but he remains at large. Friends have described Allen as full of laughter and joy.

Semaj Billingslea
33-year-old Black trans man, was shot to death September 21 just outside a motel in Jacksonville, Fla. No suspect has been identified. Billingslea was a Jacksonville native and entrepreneur who had started a cleaning business. “The character of Semaj was larger than life, and when you’re larger than life there’s always going to be haters,” his father, Tahlmage Billingslea, said at a memorial vigil. “There’s always this kind of thing that comes along when you’re out there and first to do something fully.”

Tiffany Banks
25-year-old Black trans woman, was killed in Miami on October 1,2022. Her death is the fourth known killing of a Black transgender person in Florida.

Marisela Castro
Was planning a birthday party celebration with friends and family. Tragically, on July 29 the eve of her birthday, Marisela was shot and killed in the Northshore neighborhood Houston, Texas. According to her friend Jorge Luis Lizardo, as quoted in the Houston Chronicle, she was a “bright” and “sunny” person who had never made enemies

Keshia Chanel Geter
26-year-old Black transgender woman, was traveling with a friend when she was fatally shot in Augusta, Georgia on July 20, 2022, outside a motel. Initial reports from local media misgendered Keshia. “Keshia Chanel Geter lived her truth as a Black transgender woman, said Tori Cooper, HRC’s Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. “She should still be alive today to embrace those she loved and continue living a bright and full life.”

Shawmaynè Giselle Marie
27-year-old Black transgender woman, was born and raised in Gulfport and attended Gulfport High School. She worked as a personal care assistant and as a certified nursing assistant for almost four years. She was shot and killed in Gulfport, Mississippi on June 21, 2022. On social media, her family and friends remembered her as a “loving, funny, kind and genuine person.”

Naomie Skinner
25-year-old Black transgender woman, was described by a friend as being a “very outstanding person.” Her sister said Naomie lived a “fabulous life.” Naomie was fatally shot by her boyfriend on February 12, 2022 near Detroit in Highland Park, Michigan.

Nohemi Martinez and Yulizsa Ramirez
A Lesbian couple both 28 years old from El Paso TX whose bodies were discovered on 16 January 2022 on the side of a road in Ciduad Juarez Mexico, where the two had gone to visit relatives.  The bodies were found in separate trash bags having been tortured, shot and dismembered.  The following day the bodies of two more women were found nearby.  The couple moved to El Paso, were married the year before, and were parents to three children.  There are no suspects.

Juraj Vankulic and Matus Horwath
Shot to death on October 12 2022 by a radicalized teenager, son of far-right politician from extremist party founded by Stefan Harabin - ex-Chief of highest court of Slovak Republic. The murderer was found dead the next morning. This murder was result of escalation of anti-gay lobbying by the so called "pro-family" and far-right parties.

Tseko Simon Nkoli / Simon Nkoli - Godfather of LGBTQ activism in South Africa & also an Hiv/Aids activist, a human rights campaigner & liberation fighter tried for treason by the Apartheid regime in the Delmas treason trial. Murdered. 

Eude Simelane - Black South African lesbian activist & role model for township youth & lesbians, a star player for our national women's soccer team & a celeb lesbian murdered in Kwa Thema in a gang rape.

Nxolo Nongwasa - A South African lesbian activist also gang raped & murdered in Kwa Thema.

Jacques Camille Picoux (9 November 1948 – 16 October 2016) was a French-born lecturer on French at National Taiwan University and a high-profile gay activist in Taiwan who killed himself because he had no legal rights to make medical decisions on behalf of his cancer-stricken partner, Tseng Ching-chao, nor did he have any legal rights to the home they had shared for nearly 40 years. His death sparked protests which resulted in gay marriage equality in Taiwan. Gays in Taiwan promise that there won't "be another Jacques Picoux"-like tragedy.

ANTINOUS IN THE UNDERWORLD



ANTINOUS is dead. Hadrian is weeping over his limp body on the banks of the Nile where his beloved perished in late October of the year 130 AD.

While mourners wail in the world of the living, Antinous descends into the Underworld. The modern Religion of Antinous commemorates this descent into the Egyptian Duat on October 29th.

Flamen Antonius Subia says:

Antinous is embraced by Osiris beneath the water of the Holy Nile, and he is given over to Hermes-Anubis and led into the underworld.

He appears before the Lords of the scale of Maat, but his spirit is divine and the scales crumble at his touch.

Hermes-Anubis escorts Antinous into the Hall of the Queen of the Dead, Persephone, and because he is a witness of the Mysteries of Eleusis, he obtains from her the pomegranate of immortality.

The immortal spirit of Antinous does not taste death, and he is given to drink of the fountain that restores memory because he has learned from Orpheus that he is from the Earth but is a Child of the Stars.

Antinous conquers death and returns from darkness. At midnight Antinous the God arises from the Nile and steps onto the shore from which he fell. The spirits of the entourage of Dionysus attend his resurrection and he is reborn as the New Osiris-Dionysus.

In the Religion of Antinous, this is the last day of the Ecclesiastic Year, it is spent in darkness and in solemn devotion.

As Antinous journeys through the underworld, we confront the weakness of being without our god, we reflect on the passage of the year, and on the influence of Antinous upon our lives, and we pray for the triumph of his return.


At midnight, a pure candle is ignited to symbolize the deification of Antinous Our God.

Friday, October 28, 2022

ANTINOUS DIES AS A MORTAL
RISES AS A GOD AT THE FEAST
OF THE BENNU PHOENIX



ON October 28th we commemorate the tragic death of Antinous in the Nile in October 130 AD. October 28th is also the Egyptian Day of Transformation into the Bennu Bird. 

This festival is the conclusion of the Mysteries of Osiris ... a festival which Antinous and Hadrian witnessed in Hermopolis during the final days of the mortal life of Antinous. 

They had already visited the Shrine of the Bennu (phoenix) Bird in Heliopolis Egypt. 

Now in Hermopolis, during the passion play, Antinous and Hadrian see how Isis and Nephthys search for and finally find the body of Osiris. 

Then, using the Scroll of Thoth from the sacred library at Hermopolis, Isis raises Osiris from the dead and transforms him into a spirit which can pass from the Underworld into the world of the living.

At the end of the Festival of the Passion of Isis and Osiris, Antinous plunges into the Nile under mysterious circumstances. Grieving Hadrian proclaims him a god ... he is worshiped throughout the Empire as Antinous in the form of Osiris. And Antinous is worshiped as a lunar deity. 

There is a spell of Transformation in the Book of the Dead, Chapter 83 (LXXXIII): 

I fly up and out of the Primeval Waters 
I come into being as the God Kheper
I am the Bennu, the Soul of Ra,
and the guide of the gods in the Tuat.
I become a Shining One, 
I am Mighty,
I become sacred among the Gods,
I am the Moon God
who vanquishes all darkness.


The OBELISK OF ANTINOUS speaks of Antinous becoming "a shining one" and also of being full of the "Semen of the First God" which is the creative force of the universe. That means Antinous can assume "any form his heart desires" since he (like Osiris) is one with the First God ... and one with the Bennu Bird.

Antinous IS the Phoenix.

THE DEATH OF ANTINOUS



ON October 28 the Religion of Antinous commemorates The Death of Antinous.

Near the village of Hir-wer, Antinous fell into the Nile and drowned.

There are those who believe that he was murdered, or that he willingly gave himself over to human sacrifice to prolong the life of his beloved Hadrian, or that his death was the suicidal effect of teenage melodrama, or that is was merely an accident, but there is no way to know, no way to be certain.

Grief-stricken Hadrian only said he "plunged into the Nile" but never elaborated on the circumstances of the death of his beloved.


Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia says:

We priests of Antinous do not take a definite position and leave the matter as an unknowable mystery. The manner in which Antinous died is not important, only the effect that his death had upon the world has significance.

On this day, we solemnly and silently mourn the Death of Antinous whom Hadrian loved and for whom he wept, and we sorrow for the loss of such great beauty at so young an age.

We pray for the Bithynian boy who died so far from home.

With his death, our religion was set in motion.

We lament and exalt in the grief of Hadrian that was so strong and so powerful that it spread to the whole face of the world, and affects us still today.

We pray also for all those homosexuals who have died in youth as a consequence of repression, we mourn the suicides, and commit them to the soothing arms of Antinous, who was assumed into the Nile for all of us.


It is one of the great ironies of history that, by dying dramatically, a  young person who was unremarkable except for his beauty became irrevocably bound with the most powerful man in the world. 

Emperor Hadrian proclaimed Antinous a God. He established a city on the bend of the Nile where the young man died — Antinoopolis. 

He named a constellation in the heavens after Antinous.

And without gentle Antinous at his side, Hadrian became an embittered and broken man. He became capricious and at times cruel. A reign which had been marked by Hellenistic principles of tolerance descended into bloodshed.

It is indeed remarkable how one young man, a commoner with no wealth or political influence, changed the course of history simply by dying. And the thousands of statues sculpted on orders of grieving Hadrian became the iconic image of Classical beauty — the last deity of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Antinous fell into the Nile, beneath the swirling waves, but when his body was pulled from the water ... a God emerged. Antinous is our God, he has accomplished the salvation of all lovers of his beauty. His is our salvation. He is Antinous the Gay God. He is the last pagan God of Classical Rome.

For centuries, he was worshiped in secret by gay men who were afraid to worship him publicly. Men such as Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman sang his praises. When the Nazis marched into the offices of gay-rights advocate Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin, they smashed a ceramic wall relief of Antinous which Dr. Hirschfeld had set in a place of reverence over the doorway.

And now, in the 21st Century, the "Most Great and Good God" (as he was known among his followers) is being discovered by a whole new generation of people seeking gay spirituality.


We dedicate our lives and our souls to fulfilling the Divine Hadrian's command to establish the Religion of Antinous for all who seek gay spirituality. We dedicate our lives and our souls to serving Antinous the Gay God.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

ANTINOUS AND THE SCROLL OF THOTH
BY WHICH ISIS RAISED OSIRIS
FROM THE DEAD

 



ANTINOUS would see only one more sunset and sunrise on this date in the year 130 AD. And after that final sunrise, he would never see another sunset ...

On October 27th Antinous and the Imperial entourage were in the ancient city of Hermopolis, the Sacred City of Thoth/Hermes during the celebration of the Death and Resurrection of Osiris.

We believe that the spiritual forces of this occasion, and the Mysteries divulged to him by the Hermetic priests of the god Thoth, were the inspiration for this ascension into godliness.

The Passion of Isis and Osiris was played out annually in Ancient Egypt and formed the cornerstone of the Egyptian belief system, a belief system which taught that you could die horribly and tragically and yet you could be revived and restored and in fact you could become a god.

Sacred players acted out the roles of Osiris, his murderous brother Set and his faithful consort Isis. It was through the magical spells contained in the fabled "Scroll of Thoth" that Isis brought Osiris back from the dead.




At Oxyrhynchus Antinous had seen just how potent the magical spells of Isis were.

The festival of Osiris celebrated at Hermopolis and observed by Hadrian and Antinous commemorated the rending of the body of Osiris and the searching of Isis for each of the parts.

We believe that something of a cathartic nature happened within the soul of Antinous at Hermopolis just before he plunged into the Nile on the opposite bank across from Hermopolis.

We will never know precisely what happened. Did Antinous get a glimpse at the fabled Scroll of Thoth? Did some Egyptian magician-priest teach him a bit about spellcasting? Did Antinous perhaps believe that he could use a spell to prolong Hadrian's life?

The Egyptians believed anyone who drowned in the Nile would become "a deified Osiris". Some Egyptian magical spells call for the magician to "deify a scarab beetle" -- which means to drown it in Nile water and thus make it sacred and magical.

We will never know for sure what happened as a result of the ceremonies on October 27th, the last day and the last sunset of the brief mortal life of Antinous. The sun would rise on October 28th and, although the mortal Antinous would die, there would never be another setting of the sun for Antinous the Gay God!

FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA tells us:

Like Osiris, Antinous descended into the Nile, and arose to bring the blessing of eternal life to the world. The Religion of Antinous, like the body of Osiris was scattered over the face of the world, and we who worship him, are like Isis, gathering the fragments together again.

Hermopolis was the last city that Antinous ever saw, and the Passion of Osiris was the last religious ceremony in which he took part. Certainly it was here and at this time that an Awakening occurred, dark in its implications, causing Antinous to relinquish his life.

But it was of splendid power in that, from the death of the boy, a god emerged. We observe that in Hermopolis, the scattering of the body of Osiris was the moment when the sperm of the blessed one was planted in the immortal spirit of Antinous, Our God.

The Sacred Nights of Antinous begin tomorrow ....

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

ANTINOUS IN HERMOPOLIS
By Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia



THE  Ancient city of Hermopolis was the center of the religion of Thoth, the ibis-headed the scribe god, which held a cosmology that is believed to have been much older than those of other Egyptian cities. 

It was said that Thoth laid an egg in the void from which emerged eight beings in the form of frogs and snakes, who together are called the Ogdoad, and are the creators of the universe. 

Their names are Naun and Naunet (initial waters-inertia) Heh and Hehet (spatial infinity) Kek and Keket (darkness) and Amun and Amunet (That which is hidden.) 

The Ogdoad created a lotus flower which rose up from the primordial waters and when the lotus blossomed, the god Re was born. Re then proceeded to bring order to the universe, which is where the other cosmologies are concerned. 

The Greeks called Hermopolis "The City of Hermes" because they identified Hermes with Thoth, and from this union was born the mystical religion called Hermeticism whose patron deity was the teacher of knowledge known as Hermes Trismegistus. 

Hermopolis was the last city that Antinous ever saw. He was present during the festival of the Passion of Osiris, and was mystically consecrated to become Osiris. 

We celebrate the visitation of Antinous to Hermopolis as the moment in which our religion became infused with the mysteries of Hermes Trismegistus.

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

THE PASSION OF OSIRIS 2022
By Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia



ANTINOUS  and the Imperial entourage were in the ancient city of Hermopolis during the celebration of the Death and Resurrection of Osiris. 

It is believed that the forces of this occasion, and the mysteries divulged to him by the Hermetic priests of the god Thoth, were the inspiration for this ascension into godliness. 

The story is that Isis returned from Phoenicia with the sarcophagus containing the body of Osiris. 

With the assistance of Thoth, she brought life back into the dead body, and hovering over the body in the form of a bird, she became impregnated with Horus who would avenge his father. 

Set, however discovered that the body of Osiris had returned to Egypt and together with seventy-two accomplices, he attacked it and torn in into pieces, scattering the fragments up and down the valley of the Nile, like the seeds that are scattered over the fields when the Nile recedes. 

The festival of Osiris celebrated at Hermopolis and observed by Hadrian and Antinous commemorated the rending of the body of Osiris and the searching of Isis for each of the parts. 

Like Osiris, Antinous descended into the Nile, and arose to bring the blessing of eternal life to the world. 

The religion of Antinous, like the body of Osiris was scattered over the face of the world, and we who worship him, are like Isis, gathering the fragments together again. 

Hermopolis was the last city that Antinous ever saw, and the Passion of Osiris was the last religious ceremony in which he took part.

Certainly it was here and at this time that an awakening occurred, dark in its implications, causing Antinous to relinquish his life, but it was of splendid power in that from the death of the boy, a god emerged. 

We observe that in Hermopolis, the scattering of the body of Osiris was the moment when the sperm of the blessed one was planted in the immortal spirit of Antinous, Our God.

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

Monday, October 24, 2022

HOW DID ANTINOUS DIE? AND WHY?
By Our Flamen Antinoalis Antonius Subia



I go over this question again and again,
I haven't stopped wondering... and quite honestly,
I still don't know what to think...about how Antinous died.
Any possibility is probable...even Human sacrifice.
The ancients alluded to the rumors...so anyone who repeats them
...is being a scholar.

Dio Cassius suggested (or rather claimed) that Hadrian
Had the body of Antinous cut open for the examination of his organs,
Not to find the cause of death, as in an autopsy
But to examine the organs...for divination.
These were the organs of a god to be.

Horrible, and macabre
but why wouldn't Hadrian have every inch and morsel
Of his beloved Antinous examined and studied,
...Treated like sacred jewels from the depths
Of the most beautiful corpse?

I think we are all in agreement that,
The Body of Antinous was very likely Mummified.
That it was not buried in the earth...like a Greek of a Christian,
Nor laid in the tomb, covered in oil and herbs like a Jew
Nor burned on the pyre...like a Roman,
But that Antinous was very likely given the burial rites
Of an Egyptian King...a fashion still popular
Among the rich Hellenistic- Roman Nobility.
We have all seen the fayoum funereal paintings.
If you could afford it...you would be given the very best version
Of an ancient Egyptian Royal burial,
Your Body would be preserved to the very best of Mummification
Possible at that time...not quite as well as the ancients, but basically well preserved.

Hadrian, I imagine, paid top Sesterses
To have the Body of Antinous treated with the greatest and most sacred respect
Due the highest of kings
The best of the best were brought to Antinoopolis to Mummify the body of Antinous.
It seems very likely to think that the Roman Augurs,
Who were always part of the court, would want to examine
The organs of Antinous, before they were preserved in salt and nitron,
And gain whatever spiritual significance they might reveal,
...like a sacrificial Animal.
Why wouldn't they want to know if there was anything to be known
From the lobes of his liver and spleen,
Ridiculous as it may sound to us now,
And scandalous as it might seem to a Roman...and especially to a Christian.
Why wouldn't they make their examination,
Before his beautiful organs were dried and placed in their eternal alabaster urns?
Hadrian would have wanted to know why.

Maybe the slander came from the fact that his organs were examined,
Like a sacrificial lamb, or a bull.
Many of the coins of Antinous have a bull or a ram on the reverse,
Perhaps because Antinous was the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world."
In slanderous minds...some would say
That he died..for no other reason than to be examined,
...as though Hadrian slit his neck.

Antinous threw himself into the Nile...he died,
But even Hadrian had no idea why,
Hadrian only said that Antinous fell,
...if we are going to be scholars,
The ancient suggest that he drowned to prolong Hadrian's life,
Or rather...if Hadrian represents the Empire,
Then Antinous died for the benefit of the Roman Empire.
Dio Cassius, in his effort to belittle Hadrian,
Made the death of Antinous out to be a sacrifice to Hadrian's vanity,
But avoided the relevance of Hadrian's life to the benefit of all Romans.
If Antinous gave his life to prolong the life of Hadrian,
He was actually giving his life...in human sacrifice,
To prolong the benefit that Hadrian had brought to mankind,
To the whole of the Roman Empire.
If it was suggested to Antinous that by the sacrifice
Of that which was most dear to Hadrian,
That Hadrian would continue to live beyond his natural years,
If Antinous Loved Hadrian...as I feel that he did,
And if Antinous believed in Hadrian...what he meant to the world,
What he had done for Rome...for all mankind,
And what he could do in the future,
If someone were to suggest that through his own death,
Antinous could benefit Hadrian and ensure that Hadrian would continue to reign,
Do you think that Antinous would hesitate?

Of course he would hesitate.
There was more involved than we know,
Something happened...there was some kind of separation of the heart.
Antinous would have found some other way to benefit Hadrian,
With his life...by living...unless there was no other way.
If Antinous gave his life as a human sacrifice,
It would have been a very extreme psychological despair
That led him to take his own life...what could that have been?

Knowing what I know about Love,
I would say that it was simple acts of cruelty
That led to the end of Antinous.
Hadrian must have treated Antinous in a cruel manner
leading up to that sacred night in October of 130.
Antinous must have felt worthless to Hadrian,
Ruler of the Known World,
Hadrian might have said something that pushed Antinous
Over the edge.

Antinous was only a boy of 18 or 19,
Full of emotional turmoil,
The slightest word from Hadrian
Might have set Antinous...full of teenage hormones,
into an unbalanced, irrational state,
in which he was capable of anything.

Their relationship had no equality,
Hadrian was ruler of the world,
Antinous was nobody...a pretty boy
With thousands of rivals, an Empress who probably didn't approve,
And a rival in Lucius Verus...Antinous was harassed
On all sides by everyone who had something to gain,
And then there was that person who suggested 
That if Antinous gave his life,
That the reign of Hadrian would continue.

Hadrian cried as woman because he knew the real reason why 
Antinous died...Hadrian knew...and he cried...because he knew.

There must have been a final moment between them,
A final goodbye....that left Hadrian full of regret,
Our Religion is founded on Hadrian's regret


I think Antinous drowned for his own personal reasons,
He fell into the Nile by accident,
Maybe he was drunk,
Maybe he was suicidal...drowning off a boat is
A hard way to kill your self on purpose,
But there are others who have slipped into the river
And drowned...who were considered gods.
Who knows...rivers have no answers.

In Antinous...I feel that he gave himself to the Nile
He gave himself to such an extent that he died,
Whether by accident.... drunk...or visionary,
Antinous died in the Nile...he drowned.

So why do we worship him?
because Antinous is the god of the gays
There is no other gay god except Antinous,
Find fault in H.I.M. if you wish,
But Antinous is great and strong....
For those who see and know HIM,
There is no such thing as weakness,
Nor strength.
~ANTONIUS SUBIA

Sunday, October 23, 2022

THE SCORPION GODDESS SELKET
GUARDS THE TOMB OF ANTINOUS



23 October is the feast day of the Egyptian scorpion goddess Selket/Serqet ... on this day the Sun enters Scorpio. When Isis went off in search of the body of slain Osiris, she left her baby Horus in the protection of Selket ... because everyone knows scorpions are good mothers ... scorpions carry their babies on their backs. Selket is the guardian of Horus and ... by extension ... she is the guardian of Antinous.

23 de outubro é o dia da festa do escorpião deusa egípcia Selket / Serqet ... neste dia o Sol entra em Escorpião. Quando Isis saiu em busca do corpo de Osíris morto, ela deixou o bebê Horus na proteção de Selket ... porque todo mundo sabe escorpiões são boas mães ... escorpiões carregam seus bebês em suas costas. Selket é o guardião de Horus e ... por extensão ... ela é a guardiã dos Antinous.

23 de octubre es el día de fiesta de la diosa egipcia escorpión Selket / Serqet ... en este día el Sol entra en Escorpio. Cuando Isis fue en busca del cuerpo de Osiris muerto, ella dejó a su bebé Horus en la protección de Selket ... porque todo el mundo sabe que los escorpiones son buenas madres ... escorpiones llevan a sus bebés en sus espaldas. Selket es el guardián de Horus y por extensión ... ... ella es el guardián de Antinoo.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

SOME MODERN ANTINOUS WORSHIPERS
PURCHASE NEWSPAPER DEATH NOTICES



LATE October is the time of the Sacred Nights of Antinous ... culminating with the death and deification of Antinous.

In the modern religion of Antinous, we commemorate the Death of Antinous on 28 October ... but many scholars and Antinous adherents believe 22 October may have been the date.

Some faithful worshipers purchase obituary death notices in newspapers on the anniversary, such as the one above.

The death notice at the left was published in the Camden New Journal on 17 October 2013.

The exact date is uncertain. 

All we know for certain is that his death occurred in the final week of October during a visit to Egypt with Emperor Hadrian in the year 130 AD. 

Near the Egyptian village of Hir-wer, Antinous fell into the Nile and drowned. Antonius Subia says:

"Antinous fell into the Nile, beneath the swirling waves, but when his body was pulled from the water ... a God emerged. Antinous is our God, he has accomplished the salvation of all lovers of his beauty. His is our salvation. He is Antinous the Gay God. He is the last pagan God of Classical Rome."

Friday, October 21, 2022

SUNRAYS ILLUMINATE INNER SANCTUARY
OF ABU SIMBEL AT DAWN OCTOBER 22nd



FOR most of the year, the inner sanctum of the main temple at Abu Simbel is shrouded in darkness.

On two days, traditionally the anniversary of the birthday and coronation of pharaoh Ramses II, a shaft of sunlight pierces the gloom, illuminating statues of gods and the king in the temple's inner sanctum.

On February 22, a day celebrating the king's birthday and again on October 22, a day celebrating his coronation, sunlight illuminates seated statues of the sun gods Re-Horakhte and Amon-Re, as well as a statue of king Ramses II. The statues sit in the company of the Theban god of darkness, Ptah (who remains in the shadows all year).

The spectacle—which has endured more than 3,200 years of Egyptian history—draws thousands of tourists to Abu Simbel to watch this ancient tribute to a pharaoh whose name is still known up and down the Nile Valley for his military exploits and monumental building projects.

Ramses, who ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1270 to 1213 BC (about 50 years after the death of Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut) made a name for himself by battling the Hittites and the Syrians, Egypt's enemies to the north.

To celebrate his victories, Ramses erected monuments up and down the Nile with records of his achievements. He completed the hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes), and completed the funerary temple of his father, Seti I, at Luxor on the West Bank of the Nile.

The main temple at Abu Simbel, which Ramses ordered built near the border of Nubia and Upper Egypt, was dedicated to two sun gods, Amen-Re and Re-Horakhte. 

Standing 100 feet (33 meters) tall, the temple was carved into an already-standing sandstone mountain on the banks of the Nile.

Four colossal statues of Ramses, each 66 feet (22 meters) high, guard the entrance to the temple.

Rising to the pharaoh's knees are smaller statues of family members: his mother; favorite wife, Nefertari; and son, Prince Amonherkhepshef.

Inside the temple, three connected halls extend 185 feet (56 meters) into the mountain. 

Images of the king's life and many achievements adorn the walls. 

A second temple at Abu Simbel is dedicated to Nefartari, who appears to have been Ramses' favorite wife.

"Abu Simbel was one of, if not the largest, rock-cut temples in Egypt," says Bruce Williams of the Oriental Institute of Chicago, "The rock was sacred because the Egyptians believed the deity was living inside the mountain."

Rock-cut temples may have been especially significant in ancient Egypt because the bulge in the otherwise flat land may have signified the location where the gods emerged from the Earth, says Williams.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

ANCIENT CROCODILE SKELETON FOUND
UNDER A TEMPLE AT ANTINOOPOLIS


OCTOBER 20th is the ancient Egyptian Festival of Sobek, the ancient Egyptian crocodile god. 

Sobek is fierce, frightening, nurturing, and virile ... and as such was much loved by the Egyptian pharaohs. 

Archaeologists have found a crocodile skeleton under a temple of Antinous at Antinoopolis (see photo below). 

The crocodile protects the temple in all eternity! 

Sobek is celebrated for his protective and nurturing nature. In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were often mummified with a baby crocodile in their mouth, or on their back. 

This aspect of crocodile behavior was unknown to Western science until late in the 20th century, but the ancient Egyptians knew it. That is why a crocodile was buried at a temple of Antinous ... to protect Antinous for all eternity! 

The crocodile skeleton is one of the mysteries surrounding an INTENTIONALLY BURIED STONE STRUCTURE at Antinoopolis where ot just one ... but three ... human skeletons interred in sand directly on top of the structure.

With the discovery of the first body in 2017, archaeologists reluctantly speculated about "human sacrifice" ... but now they believe humans were buried separately but along with sacrificial animals.

The team of archaeologists working at ANTINOOPOLIS in Egypt say the subterranean "stone structure," which they believe may be an underground mortuary temple, is covered by two meters of soil strewn with sacrificial pottery sherds, bones of livestock and a crocodile ... and the skeleton of at least three human beings.

None of the animals was mummified ... nor were the humans,
says James B. Heidel, president of the Antinoupolis Foundation.

Some of the animals ... livestock ... were ritually butchered as normal for a Roman-era sacrifice. But a crocodile was buried intact, without being mummified.

But the human bodies were interred intact, also without being mummified. One of the bodies was accompanied by pottery vessels and ushabti figurines ... small clay dolls representing spirits who tend the deceased in the afterlife. 
The experts are certain that the pottery vessels and the bodies date to the earliest days of the city which Hadrian founded at the site where Antinous died in the Nile.

None of the pottery is later than the 2nd or 3rd Century AD, the experts said ... meaning the sacrificial offerings were made at the time when the city was founded and under construction.

The archaeologists are also certain that the site is intact and has not been disturbed by looters over succeeding centuries.

They found bones of large livestock, which appear to have been butchered prior to burial. An intact crocodile skeleton is seen as proof that the site was used as a religious sacrificial offering venue ... since crocodiles were sacred to Ancient Egyptians and not a source of food.


But the human skeleton is a total mystery. In Roman times, human sacrifice was taboo, but the archaeologists say the human bones mixed in amongst the bones of sacrificial animals and pottery suggest a gruesome possibility.

"The human burial is sealed in the same clean sand layer as all the other offerings, and the not unreasonable, but somewhat uncomfortable, hypothesis must now be that at least one human was sacrificed and offered with the animals," says James B. Heidel, president of the Antinoupolis Foundation.

The pottery and bones are in soil which covers the mystery-shrouded "intentionally buried stone structure" which Heidel's team found in January 2017 in the heart of the city founded by Hadrian at the spot where Antinous died in the Nile.

Using ground-penetrating radar, the experts discovered the rectangular stone structure ... 12 by 22 meters in size ... which consists of three successive chambers. 

The archaeologists suggest it could be an OSIREION ... symbolic Tomb of Osiris ... raising hopes that this could be the Lost Tomb of Antinous.

The structure was detected with ground-penetrating radar.

It is located near the waterfront peristyle discovered last season.

It is within what possibly was the Great Temple of Antinous and is a rectangular chamber which is subdivided into three sub-chambers ... apparently an antechamber, a middle chamber and an inner sanctum.