THE ASCENSION OF MARCUS AURELIUS AND LUCIUS VERUS AS CO-EMPERORS

UPON the occasion of the Death and Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius on 7th March 161 AD, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus became co-Emperors, both surnamed Antoninus, a name which the ancient Romans equate with inestimable glory.

Marcus being the elder and wiser, was given the title Augustus, while Lucius took the name Caesar. 

They remained cordial to one another though their vastly different characters were always a cause of discord, though never of rivalry or outright animosity. 

They were a harmonious and cooperative pair of rulers, the only example of effective imperial brotherhood in the long history of Rome.

ANTONIUS SUBIA CELEBRATES THE FEAST OF THE SHIP OF ISIS AT PHILAE ISLAND

MARCH 5th is the Navigum Isidis, or Ploiaphesia, the feast of the Ship of Isis. This celebrates Isis both as Moon Goddess and Queen of the Sea ... the Moon being the source of the tides. 

At this time a great procession would go down to the sea and carry with them a boat full of offerings to the Goddess, milk would be poured on the waters, then the boat loaded with gifts would be sent out to sea. 

Apuleius (1st CenturyAD) has described the ceremony in great detail and concludes: "When the ship was loaded with generous gifts and prayers for good fortune, they cut the anchor cables and she slipped across the bay of Alexandria with a serene breeze behind her that seemed to have sprung up for her sake alone. When she stood so far out to sea that we could no longer keep her in view, the priests took up the holy emblems and started happily back towards the temple." 

Our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA, during his sacred pilgrimage to Egypt, visited the last Temple of Isis where these ceremonies were celebrated.

A highlight of my pilgrimage to Egypt

Was the Philae Island Temple 

On the Upper Nile

Last stand of the Pagan religion.

Long after Theodosius outlawed the old religions,

The priests of Isis continued their devotions.

It was a great honor to visit that beautiful little island

And there is a corridor called Hadrian's gate

In my photo at the top of this entry!

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

                        MORE PHOTOS BELOW:

ANTINOUS SAILS THE SOLAR BOAT BY NIGHT THANKS TO THE MYSTERIES OF HELIOPOLIS

MARCH 4th is the festival of Re at Heliopolis ... a city which Antinous visited during his fateful trip up the Nile ... and a city which our spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA visited during his 2020 sacred pilgrimage to Egypt.

After leaving Alexandria, the first important stop for Antinous on the Nile journey in late 130 AD was at Heliopolis, the ancient center of the worship of Re, the sun god.

The Heliopolitan cosmology states that the universe is created when the Atum (first principle) masturbates and creates himself as the sun god Re, the visible manifestation of the Atum, and then rises up from the primordial waters in the form of a mound.

Re then gives birth to the Enneads, the Nine beings who create the cosmos: Shu (air) and Tefnut (fire), Geb (Earth), Nut (Sky), Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nepthys who together are the principles of life. 

The creator, Re-Harakhte, travels across the sky on his Boat of Millions of Years every day, and then as it submerges beneath the horizon, Re-Harakhte battles against death and evil, and is greeted triumphantly each morning by the priests of Heliopolis. 

Antinous was admitted into these mysteries, and gained a place by the side of Re-Harakhte on his sacred boat, according to the hieroglyphs on the Obelisk of Antinous.

The glyphs state that Antinous can "assume any form his heart desires, because the semen of the First God TRULY is in his body."

When Hadrian and Antinous visited Heliopolis, they were no doubt shown the sacred shrine of the Bennu bird, who was said to have burst forth in a shower of radiant light from the heart of the First God.

This is the same First God who ejaculated into his own mouth to utter the words of creation at the moment of Sep Tepy, the Creation Moment. Other versions say he ejaculated in great arcs which created all the other deities and the entire universe.

Then on October 11th, a few days after visiting the Sacred Shrine of the Phoenix in Heliopolis (and acquiring that virulent bit of spellwork), Hadrian and Antinous visited Oxyrhynchus and heard of the fabled phallus of Osiris.

And a couple of weeks later, Hadrian cradled the limp body of Antinous on the shores of the Nile. The body was limp like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Hadrian "wept like a woman" and refused to accept oblivion for his Beloved Boy. Instead, he proclaimed Antinous a god and set about making sure that the Religion of Antinous took root and blossomed.

The Obelisk of Antinous speaks of Antinous 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.

As sacred synchronicity would have it, "Bennu Phoenix" birds (Egyptian storks) flew over Antonius Subia's head during his 2020 pilgrimage ... most notably when three Bennu bird storks flew overhead during the ABU SIMBEL SUNRISE cosmic event on February 22nd.

So it was imperative for Antonius to visit Heliopolis ... which he died on the final day of his pilgrimage ... despite hindrances and setbacks. 

Antonius says:

From the day we arrived I was trying to get there but it kept getting pushed back for another day. Finally the last day came and I was not going to be dissuaded from seeing Heliopolis.

It turned out to be an arduous ordeal across the worst parts of Cairo ... In the Rain and at rush hour ... all of which turned what I thought would be a short solo excursion ... into a four-hour journey.

I decided just to take a taxi ... made arrangements to meet everyone later at the Dervish dancers at 6:30 (actually I was supposed to go back to the hotel first then we would all go together).

The taxi driver didn't speak a word of English but when I showed him where I wanted to go he said okay ... as we left I realized that he thought I wanted to go to a Hotel called Heliopolis ... and he had no idea where to go. 

Eventually he called a guy from the sidewalk who spoke a little English to translate ... and then he said he knew and off we went. 

I had no idea how far it actually was ... and in a rough industrial area full of burning garbage (and I have been in some extremely rough parts of Egypt ... but this was the worst. 

The taxi driver and I eventually could chat using the "translate conversation" function on my phone ... even he said that it was in a Bad Neighborhood.

Suddenly in the distance I see it ... The Giant Obelisk! ... one of the only Obelisks still standing in its original location.

There was a lovely little park surrounding it with what little remains of the once glorious city of Ra, where the Great Temple once stood, which is said to have been larger, older and more spectacular than Karnak.

The Great Temple of Ra at Heliopolis was where the creation story involving the god Atum masturbating the universe into being took place. (Illustration above: "Israel In Egypt" by Edward John Poynter)

The city where Orpheus, Pythagoras, Homer and Plato all came to study with the priests of The Temple of Ra-Atum.

It is also where Antinous and Hadrian came during their visit a few months before Antinous drowned, the place where the event in which Antinous said he would be willing to give his life for Hadrian occurred.

I needed to see Heliopolis

I needed to stand where Antinous once stood,

Where he willingly dedicated his life to Hadrian

So many obstacles tried to prevent me from getting there. 

I went all by myself into the wild worst parts of Cairo, and paid a heavy fare to get there and back. 

I spent as long as I could, absorbing the presence and power beneath what could be seen around me ... and thanked Antinous for making it possible for me to have this magical moment.

My last adventure in Egypt.

The way back was worse than getting there, I barely made it on-time to see the dervish dancers ... which was surreal in its self.

Then back to the Hotel to pack and head to the airport where I am now.

Heliopolis was wonderful ... and heart-breaking.

Egypt was wonderful and heart-breaking.

It has been the most powerful experience of my life so far and it will take a while to go through all that I have experienced.

The Obelisk of Heliopolis will stand as my final pilgrimage station in Egypt. Although so many obstacles endeavored to prevent me from getting there ... I overcame all that came before me and stood in the footsteps of Antinous.

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

MEXICO'S FIRST SAINT OF ANTINOUS IS VICTIM OF HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE

WORSHIPERS of Antinous in Mexico City today solemnly commemorate the anniversary of the horrific murder of the first martyr saint of Antinous in Mexico: Jorge Fernandez Martínez, a victim of homophobic violence.

He was brutally murdered by unknown assailants near his home in the Mexico City suburb of Tultitlán on 3 March 2016.

Forensic tests showed he had been tortured, raped and asphyxiated. His broken body lay undiscovered for days.

Grieving neighbors who had known and loved him for nearly 20 years held a wake and asked for dignified funeral services conducted under the auspices of Epithimia Antinous with Pride Tultitlán Committee and Estamos Contigo.

The rites were held at the famous Shrine of Santa Muerte (Our Lady of Sacred Death) in Tultítlan led by Enriqueta Vargas.

Our sister group Epithimia Antinous at the TEMPLO DE ANTÍNOO MÉXÍCO holds an annual vigil for him during ceremonies at the sanctuary of Santa Muerte in Tultitlán near Mexico City.

Carlos Oseguera Loraca, head of the Templo, says:

Today we commemorate the anniversary of the death of our brother in Antínoo Jorge Fernández Martínez, First Saint of Antínoo in Mexico, victim of homophobic violence in the Municipality of Tultitlán, State of Mexico. 

We also thank the Eclesiae Antinoi for having remember him on this date through the International Blog of Antinous the Gay God.

And we thank our brothers throughout the world who have raised their prayers for their eternal rest at the side of Antinous the God Gay. 

Praised be the gods because there will be justice in this life or in the other, for the crimes of hatred against our community! And let's say together with FLAMEN ANTONIUS SUBIA:

"When Antinous died, he passed into the realm of the dead where he met with our Lord Osiris and they became one God. A single God to rule the Underworld, travel through the chambers of darkness, cross the rivers of blood, cross the lakes of fire, where the light of his beautiful heart shines like a beacon. All the souls of gays, lesbians and trans will be reunited to give them a safe exit from the kingdom of shadows. He will welcome you all in his Million Year Barque. Not a single soul will be left behind forgotten and without love. Everyone will find a place of love and peace by their side. Let us raise our voices of praise, always in this way, from now on, until the end of time ... "!

Ave Antinoo!

DANIEL ZAMUDIO SAINT OF ANTINOUS

WE honor Daniel Zamudio as a blessed and beloved Saint of Antinous.

Through his horrific death in Santiago de Chile at the hands of Nazi thugs, Daniel Zamudio spawned outrage throughout the Spanish-speaking world which forced politicians in Chile to enact anti-discrimation laws.

On the morning of March 3, 2012, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio was admitted to Santiago's Posta Central Hospital with severe cranio-cerebral trauma, cranial haemorrhage, multiple cuts and contusions on the face, thorax and limbs, aspiration pneumonia and a compound fracture of tibia and fibula of his right leg.

Daniel Zamudio had been tortured for nearly six hours by four youths allegedly belonging to neo-Nazi groups, who assaulted him simply because he is gay.

In his statement, one of the suspects, Raúl López, said they "kicked and punched (Zamudio) in the head, on the face, in the testicles, on his legs, all over his body." Then they carved three swastikas on him with the jagged glass of a pisco bottle that, minutes earlier, they had broken on his head.

Zamudio, a clothing store salesman, was attacked in a park in Santiago by thugs who singled him out because he was gay.

The second of four brothers, he had hoped to study theater, his brother Diego said. "He was very loving, an excellent person and that's why it's so hard to believe that they attacked him with such hate," he said.

Antinous is the God of ALL people who have suffered and been martyred for being gay. Daniel Zamudio is in the embrace of Antinous the Gay God.

THE LEAPING PRIESTS OF MARS DANCED THROUGH THE STREETS IN MARCH

MARCH is the month dedicated to Mars, god of war and fertility. In Rome 24 young patrician men would be chosen to act as "Salii" dancers to get March off to a martial start. 

We wonder if Antinous was allowed to be one of the Salii. But at any rate, he would have watched in awe as this ancient Roman spectacle unfolded before his eyes on March 1.

The Salii were the "leaping priests" of Mars in Ancient Rome introduced by King Numa Pompilius: twelve pairs of patrician youths, dressed in outfits worn by archaic warriors. 

They wore an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a red cloak (paludamentum), a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex.

They carried the 12 bronze ancilia (shields).

These shields resembled a figure-of-eight, like Mycenaean shields.

One of the shields was said to have fallen from heaven in the reign of King Numa, and eleven copies were made to protect the identity of the sacred shield, on the advice of the nymph Egeria, 'consort' of Numa, who prophesied that wherever that shield was preserved the people would be the dominant people of the earth.

On March 1 they would lead a procession through the city, singing, dancing and leaping high in the air as they clashed their swords or spears against their shields.

At night the Salii would congregate in the temple and feast in honour of Mars. Emperor Claudius is said to have left his own banquet and gone to join them as their food and wine was better than his own.

MARCUS AURELIUS AND LUCIUS VERUS BECOME CO-EMPERORS OF ROME

ON the Death and Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius in March 161 AD, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus became co-Emperors, both surnamed Antoninus, a name which the ancient Romans equate with inestimable glory.

Marcus being the elder and wiser, was given the title Augustus, while Lucius took the name Caesar. 

They remained cordial to one another though their vastly different characters were always a cause of discord, though never of rivalry or outright animosity.

They were a harmonious and cooperative pair of rulers, the only example of effective imperial brotherhood in the long history of Rome.

THE CONCEPTION OF ANTINOUS

February 27 is commemorated as the date of the conception of Antinous ... Antinous was born 27 November 111 AD. He is no myth. He truly was conceived. He truly was born. He lived. He died. The most powerful man in the world loved him so much that he declared Antinous to be a god ... the last Classical deity ... the ultimate Classical deity!  (Art by Priest Julien.)

ON THE FEAST DAY OF HYGEIA WE HONOR OUR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

THE 26th of February is the Feast Day of Hygeia. A Greek goddess, she is one of the daughters of Aesculapius (Aeskelapios), the god of healing. Her symbols are a water basin and a snake. Hygeia's name means "wholeness" and she is concerned with maintaining the wholeness of the body thus ensuring a long and healthy life. She is goddess of cleanliness, which give us the words "hygiene" and "hygienic". Later she became protectoress not only of the body, but also our environment, the way we live and keep our home clean to help ensure continued health. Offer her pure water and healing incenses such as white sage and lavender.

ANTONINUS PIUS, THE ROMAN EMPEROR WHO FULFILLED HADRIAN'S DREAMS

AT the end of February and beginning of March the Religion of Antinous marks Three Holy Days involving the Divine Antoninus Pius.

On February 25th we celebrate the Adoption of Antoninus Pius by Hadrian. And on March 7th we commemorate the Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius . Also on March th, we celebrate the Ascension of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.

After the death of Aelius Caesar, Hadrian adopted Antoninus, imposing on him the condition that he adopt two sons, Lucius Verus and Marcus Antoninus to be his successors. Antoninus supported the dying Hadrian for the remainder of his years, and obeyed his commands even after his death. For this Antoninus is called Pius.

As the Fates would have it, March 1st is the date when Antoninus Pius died in 161 AD after 23 years as Emperor. His rule is marked by an almost unbroken period of peace and tranquility. The golden era of Rome, known as the Age of the Antonines, takes its name from Antoninus, because every emperor afterward took up his name as an emblem of glory. Antoninus is the emperor most responsible for the perpetuation of the Religion of Antinous.

He had served as Proconsul of Asia Minor under Hadrian from 130 to 135, while the Religion of Antinous was being formed, and it was during his reign that construction of the Sacred City of Antinoopolis was completed.

The Senate deified Antoninus Pius shortly after his death. The base of the column erected in his honor, shows Antoninus Pius and his wife Faustina the elder, rising up to heaven. They are ascending upon the wings of an Aeon, with Mother Rome on one side, and a beautiful reclining male figure on the other who grasps an obelisk. We believe this figure to be Antinous, guardian spirit of the Age of the Antonines.

Upon the occasion of the Death and Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus became co-Emperors, both surnamed Antoninus, a name which the ancient Romans equate with inestimable glory.

Marcus being the elder and wiser, was given the title Augustus, while Lucius took the name Caesar. They remained cordial to one another though their vastly different characters were always a cause of discord, though never of rivalry or outright animosity. They were a harmonious and cooperative pair of rulers, the only example of effective imperial brotherhood in the long history of Rome.

GRIEVING HADRIAN RETURNS TO CANOPUS

CANOPUS was the Egyptian resort where Hadrian and Antinous spent pleasant days away from the hubbub of steamy Alexandria in August and September of the year 130 ... just weeks before tragedy.

In February of 131, grieving Hadrian returned to the resort city of Canopus at the mouth of the western branch of the Nile delta, located 25 miles from Alexandria.  The Imperial court disembarked from the Nile barge and settled into the luxurious port city for a period of rest after the long journey.  

The boat-shaped sarcophagus of Antinous was ceremonially unloaded and carried to the temple of Canopic Osiris.

The city of Canopus was founded by Menelaus, returning from Troy, at the place where his navigator Canopus died and was elevated to the heroic stars.  

Canopus was young and beautiful and was desired by an Egyptian priestess named Theonoe, but he rejected her advances, so she used magic to send a poisonous snake to kill him.

Canopus was the oldest Greek trading port on the Nile, and later became a luxury resort.

Osiris was worshiped in the temple in the form of a pot-shaped image that may have held sacred Nile water, from which the term Canopic jars was taken.

Hadrian later built the famous Canopus area of his Villa in memory of his somber return to the city of Canopus, the gay navigator, without Antinous who had become the navigator of stars.

SET YOUR PERSONAL BOUNDARIIES DURING THE TERMINALIA FESTIVAL

THE 23rd of February is the Terminalia, the feast of the Roman God Terminus, god of boundaries who stops intruders while protecting everyone inside his boundaries. Terminus is associated with Zeus/Jupiter because he deified Jupiter by establishing his position atop Capitoline Hill. Thus, statues of Terminus/Jupiter (like this modern replica) symbolize devotion and steadfastness. Today is an appropriate day to create or renew a magical boundary around your home, to keep out psychic nasties and any negative energies. A simple way to do this is to walk the boundary of your home three times, as you do so imagine magical blue light springing up as you walk. You can also carry with you a bowl containing an offering for Terminus: grain, honey and wine are traditional, you can also include an egg as a "sacrifice." When you have walked three times around, dig a hole at the boundary and put your offering into it, then fill in the hole and put a marker stone on top. Another year you can carry a lit incense stick around the boundary and leave an offering of incense and flowers at your stone.

ANTONIUS SUBIA AT ABU SIMBEL AS SUNRAYS ILLUMINATE INNER SANCTUARY

OUR spiritual leader ANTONIUS SUBIA witnessed one of the world's most spectacular cosmic events when, at the climax of his sacred pilgrimage to Egypt in February 2020, he saw the rays of the rising sun illuminate the inner sanctum of the main temple at Abu Simbel.

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.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW:

THE DAY OF COUNTING THE PARTS OF THE EYE OF HORUS

FEBRUARY 21st is the Day of Counting the Parts of the Eye of Horus. During one of the battles between Horus and Seth, Seth shattered one of Horus' eyes. Thoth, the god of writing and magic, found all the pieces and numbered them as fractions and reconstructed the Horus eye. But nothing on Earth is perfect, and when Thoth remade the eye, he found that he only had 63/64ths ... one tiny piece was missing ... the missing fraction is magic! Each fraction of the Eye also represents one of the senses: 1/64 is Touch, 1/32 Taste, 1/16 Hearing, 1/8 Thought, 1/4 Sight, and 1/2 Smell. And when these are added together we also find it is 63/64ths ... and thanks to Thoth, the last 64th is Magic!

ANTONIUS SUBIA'S PILGRIMAGE TO EGYPT INCLUDES A PRIVATE TOUR OF KARNAK

I was totally and completely overwhelmed by Karnak.

I knew that it is the biggest temple in the world but I did not expect the scale of how magnificent it is and what it must have looked like when it was intact and functioning ... it brought me to tears.

In a secluded side temple away from all the millions of tourists the attendant took us into off limits areas, opening locked doors, down unlit stairways, across single beam walkways over deep pits to see amazing, beautiful rooms that I'm sure most people never see ... all for a heavy tip of course. 

He knew that we were there for religious purposes and took us to the secret shrines.

He even left us alone in an off limits "chapel," closed the door behind him and let us pray ... it was really great ... and extremely moving to have opportunity to see so many beautiful rooms that most people never see.

We took a carriage along the Nile-side Corniche from the hotel to Karnak, and I told the kid who was driving to come back and pick us up if he wanted.

And when we came out, there he was waiting so I gave them a nice tip. The boy insisted that I sit up front with him and gave me the reins to drive the horse.

I actually was driving the horse who's name was Rambo. I pulled him to the right because a car was coming and he responded. He was very cool.

We ended our day watching the sun go down from the rooftop area ... a beautiful day in Luxor.

Ave Antinous!

~ANTONIUS SUBIA

                        MORE PHOTOS BELOW: