SPECTACULAR ROMAN HELMET

GOES ON DISPLAY IN LONDON TODAY

AN ANCIENT Roman parade cavalry helmet, which was found in a field in England two years ago, is going on public display for the first time today.

The helmet was discovered by a metal detector enthusiast in May 2010, and was named the Crosby Garret helmet after the village close to where it was found in Cumbria.

It will be on display at the Royal Academy in London through December 9, along side other bronze works spanning 5,000 years.

When the the helmet was unearthed, a Carlisle museum spent weeks trying to raise money to ensure it remained on display in the UK.

However, it was sold at Christie's to an anonymous bidder in October 2010 for $3.6 million (£2.3 million), and has been under wraps ever since.

The helmet is known for its haunting expression, complete with curls of hair and a face mask, and is one of only three of its type to be found.

At almost 2,000 years old, the helmet will join "the best bronzes" from Asia, Africa and Europe in the new show.

Various sculptures by Rodin, Picasso and Giacometti have been loaned from all over the world to the Royal Academy for its landmark exhibition entitled "Bronze".

ANCIENT BOOT NAILS HELP EXPERTS DATE OLDEST ROMAN ARMY CAMP IN GERMANY

ANCIENT Roman soldiers' boot nails have enabled archaeologists in Germany to date precisely the oldest Legion camp in Germany.

The nails dated back to 53-51 BC during the time of Julius Caesar, the experts announced. The nails were found at a vast encampment near Hermeskeil in the Rhine Valley. The camp could have accommodated 10,000 soldiers.

Announcement of the find coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in early September of the year 9 AD  in which three elite Roman Legions ... the XVIIth, XVIIIth and XIXth ... were utterly annihilated by Germanic guerrilla fighters.

The defeat of the crack troops, who were led to their deaths by ex-Consul Publius Quinctilius Varus, effectively changed the course of Western Civilization.

Prior to 9 AD, Emperor Augustus Caesar pursued a course of military expansion across the Rhine and into central and northern Europe. After 9 AD, the Rhine became the frontier between the "civilized" Roman world and the "barbaric" lands to the east and north. Prior to becoming emperor, Hadrian himself had served a stint of duty along the Rhine. As emperor, he consolidated the borders of the empire and his forces never ventured across the Rhine into across-the-Rhine Germania.

Historians have always referred to the Battle of Teutoburg Forest as a defining moment which affected the course of history. It has even been cited as a factor in both world wars, especially by the French and British, who considered themselves to have a Roman heritage, as opposed to the Germans, whom war propagandists condemned as the descendants of barbarians.

As a result, Germany was never incorporated into the Roman Empire, leaving that region a breeding ground for barbarian incursions which eventually would bring down the empire and eventually (according to Allied war-time propaganda) result in two world wars.

Arminius, known as Herrmann to the Germans, has indeed come down through German history as a heroic symbol of liberty and German national strength. Herrmann turned back the Roman occupation forces forever, according to the popular interpretation by German nationalists. In the late 19th and early 20th Century, unscrupulous German leaders used Hermann as a rallying figure in wars of aggression.

A monument near the site of the Teutoburg Forest battlefield celebrates Herrmann as a national hero. Thousands of German tourists visit the site annually. And the regional soccer team (in Bielefeld) is called Bielefeld Arminia. "Armin" is a popular name for German boys to this day.

Archaeologists in recent years have determined the exact location of the battle near the modern village of Engter north of the city of Osnabrueck. Bones, weapons and armour from the fleeing soldiers of the XVII, XVIII and XIX Legions are strewn along a narrow 17-km-long stretch of marshy woodlands bounded by confining hills to the north and south.

Arminius had been educated in Rome and had become a trusted friend of Varus. The idea was that raising future chieftains in Rome would bond them to Rome when they returned to their families on the frontier.

Arminius was an example of how that policy could backfire and result in knowledge of Roman ways being used against the Romans. Arminius ingratiated himself with Varus, who was one of the most influential men in Rome, a friend of Augustus Caesar himself. 

It was that trust in Arminius which resulted in Varus leading a punitive expedition into an indefensible, boggy forest without sentries or reinforcements -- on advice of his trusted friend Arminius.

In the resulting massacre, Roman soldiers fled for their lives. Most were cut down in the mud. Blue markings in the graphic show where Roman bodies and armament have been found. Those who survived were sold into slavery or else were placed in wicker cages and burned alive as sacrifices to the Germanic deities. Reports of the battle are sketchy for the simple reason that almost no one survived to report what had happened.

Never before had three entire legions been wiped out in a single battle. The defeat was so devastating that the numbers of the Legions XVII, XVIII and XIX were retired forever, never again to appear in the Roman Army's order of battle. 

Augustus was so traumatized by the loss of three elite legions that he went into a prolonged state of mourning as though for a beloved son -- he tore his clothes, refused to cut his hair for months and, for years afterwards, was heard to moan from time to time, "Quintilie Vare, legiones redde!" ("Quinctilius Varus, give me back my Legions!").

This scene from the epic BBC/PBS mini-series I, Claudius dramatically recreates how Augustus received the news:

SACRED PILGRIMAGE
TO HADRIAN's VILLA
September 2, 2012

ANCIENT ROMAN LEAD TABLET IN ENGLAND

CONTAINED CURSE ON 14 PEOPLE

AN ANCIENT thin sheet of lead unearthed in Britain has turned out to be inscribed with curses intended to bring misfortune to more than a dozen people.

The rolled up lead tablet found in Kent, on the site of a Roman farmstead, was found in a 3rd to 4th Century building that may have been some kind of temple.

Inscribed on the lead in capital letters are the names of 14 people, which an Oxford University expert says were the intended victims of the curse.

It was discovered by the Maidstone Area Archaeological Group during excavations three years ago and has since undergone a series of detailed tests in a laboratory in Switzerland to determine its purpose.

Lead curses were very common in Ancient Greece and Rome. A virulent curse would be inscribed into a thin sheet of lead which would then be folded up, preferably with hair or nail clippings or some other personal items from the target subject.

And then the lead packet would be secreted in or near the subject's home, under the bed being the best place.

Or if that was not possible (due to distance or enmity), then the lead curse could be thrown into a well or a river or some other place as close to the underworld as possible so that the gods and demons of the underworld could carry out the magical spell.

Because of the fact that they were safely deposited at the bottom of wells or graves or pits, there are lots of surviving lead curse sheets, which experts call lamellae.

Lead is a marvelous base metal which is pliable to suit all sorts of uses -- both mundane and religious/magical. Gold, silver, copper and lead also had magico-religious significance.

Gold and lead, in particular, were so soft and malleable that they were good for casting prayer spells. Religious prayer spells would be meticulously incised into thin sheets of gold or silver or copper foil (called lamellae) which were then placed inside amulets, or else rolled up and worn as pendants around the neck.

Very often, these lamellae were placed under the pillow so that you the petitioner could receive dreams from the God (as mentioned in the OBELISK OF ANTINOUS) or else could send dreams to a loved one.

This could have been the use of the famous ANTINOUS LOVE SPELL. Since Antinous was well known for his "dream magic," it may have been calling on him to use his "dream magic" to send erotic dreams to the woman who was the object of the petitioner's desire.

In many cases, these lamellae were "demon redirection" talismans. They called upon evil demons to go elsewhere. There is a famous gold lamella found in Romania which says: "Demon hanging over me in this place, go and do your hanging at Julia Cyrilla's house. Do this for me. Now! Now!"

If you can't banish a demon, then perhaps you can persuade it to go elsewhere where it will have even more demonic fun than it does with you.

In Graeco-Egyptian Magic there is only a very fine line between charms which result in blessings and charms which result in curses. 

As you can see from the little clay figure with the pins stuck in all its orifices -- it is hard to distinguish whether the subject of the spell was being blessed or being cursed with love.

Hadrian was fairly obsessed with magic and oracles and portents and potions. 

And we know that, during the imperial tour of Egypt, an Egyptian magician/priest sold the emperor a spell which would cause a man to be drawn irrevocably to him forever or which would possibly kill the man -- depending on the dosage of the potion and the intonation of the words. 

It was said that Hadrian wanted proof that the spell really worked, so the magician/priest used the spell to cause a man to collapse and wither and die before his very eyes.

The Ancient Priests of Antinous would have known all about prayer-spell work and would have been very busy doing oracles and preparing amulets and talismans and love spells and money spells and all sorts of things.

We must stress, however, that there is no historical record of Antinous ever being called upon to curse anybody. On the contrary, there is much evidence that he was called upon to bring love and health and prosperity to his followers.

The Obelisk inscription assures us that Antinous "sends healing visions" to his followers as they slumber.

Nonetheless, less benevolent deities were routinely invoked for curses in Ancient Rome.

If you've watched that HBO/BBC mini-series ROME, you'll remember the exciting scene in which the jilted Patrician matron Servilia of the Junii very determinedly incises a virulent curse into a sheet of lead aimed at her ex-lover Julius Caesar. We all know what happened to him on the Ides of March ...

PRIEST HERNESTUS RECALLS HOW ANTINOUS

ANSWERED LORD MALUK's PRAYER

LORD MALUK and I often corresponded since he and I both shared the same acute cardiac condition and both shared a love for New England.

Despite his fragile health, he moved across the US to leave conservative Florida find his dream home in the mountains of New England, and to find true love. He suffered to achieve those dreams, but he did achieve both.

Priest Uendi remembers how Antinous spoke to Lord Maluk. Let me share with you this dream vision. The hieroglyphic inscription on the OBELISK OF ANTINOUS states that Antinous "hears the prayers of all those who call out to HIM."

When a fledgling worshiper once asked whether Antinous truly answers prayers, Maluk offered this beautiful response:


Greetings all within the Temple of Antinoüs —

My name is (may-luck) Lord Maluk Xzivikus-Meek. I tend to be more in the background of the Ecclesia Antinoi, so perhaps not everybody in the group knows who I am (save for some members).

Absolutely, yes, Antinoüs answers prayers! I will share one example. Once upon a time  I was homeless in the Florida panhandle with no place to live, with no new friends (having left them all behind in South Florida), with no job/income and money running out, and with no place in particular to park my car to sleep.

Yeah, I was living in my car with all of my belongings and the only thing I had for peace were my prayers to Antinoüs, the book BELOVED AND GOD up on the dashboard beneath the wind screen which I would read like it was my Bible and my laminated picture of Antinoüs that I had made myself from a blown up photocopy of one Antinoüs bust which I had placed sitting inside my car before the gear shift.

This was my life and my home at the time — my Camaro — and the year was 2002. But I never stopped seeking work.

I continued to go on job interviews. I would also go to Pilot (a truck stop beside I-10) and ask any of the truckers who were filling up their tanks with fuel if they had any spare free shower coupons the night before the interview so I would not smell badly, shave and to be as neat in appearance as possible.

I eventually had no more money to my name and I still had no job and I was teetering on empty according to my fuel gauge. It sure takes a lot of gas to drive around a rural county!

So I remember this one evening very well because I was driving back towards the truck stop literally crying and praying and calling out to Antinoüs for help... for help with gas!

You see, I had stopped at a pay phone to follow up on a job interview, and the company had informed me that they wanted to hire me but that I needed to sign the papers immediately because there were other applicants!

But I had only 2 or 3 gallons of gas and would never make it to the truck stop to shower and shave and then drive the many, many miles to the company!

I was crying and praying with intensity and volume in my car as a drove along the open road.

But then I heard Antinoüs. He didn't speak audibly into my ear (as he had once in the past); it was more of an internal transmission this time. He spoke to my heart.

Antinoüs told me, "Look at that gas station on the left. Pull in there up to a gas pump and tell the attendant there that you are on empty and need gas but have no money to pay and I will take care of the rest."

I was stressed out, scared and paranoid from this crisis until Antinoüs put me at peace. I was almost about to pass the Chevron gas station before Antinoüs finished speaking to my heart, but I didn't miss the turning lane. I ended up in the turning lane at the last second to stop safely. The red light gave me time to regain my composure and to dry my tears. The light changed and I, obeying God, I stopped at one of the pumps.

Antinoüs seemed to have taken me over. I walked inside of the gas station up to a male about the same age as I. I told him that I have no money and I am on empty but will you please give me some gas because I am starting work at a new job and I don't have any gas to get there.

I will never forget what the gas attendant said to me... he said, "I have seen you before parked outside of here. Your license plate says that you are from South Florida. What city are you from? You are living in your car? Why did you move here? Sure, yeah, it's ok. Go and fill up your tank, man."

It was like a heavy weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I told him thank you. He turned the pump on for me from his register and I filled the tank until it couldn't hold a single drop more of gasoline.

Antinoüs told me to thank him again. I went back inside of the station and I thanked him. I saw him taking money out of his own wallet and putting it into the cash register to cover for what I had taken, and I promised just as soon as I was able, that I would pay him back.

Even though he told me not to worry about it, I paid the guy back within a month or so.

You see, yes, Antinoüs does answer prayers and this is just one of many He has answered from me.

Again, thank you, Antinoüs — Deo gratias.

Ave Antinoe! Deus vobiscum, God be with you!

Respectfully,
Lord Maluk Xzivikus-Meek 
Adams, Massachusetts

PRIEST UENDI REMEMBERS LORD MALUK

I AM FILLED with great sadness and a heavy heart. I have nothing but the utmost respect for this man, who quietly dedicated himself to Antinous.

Maluk wrote a vivid description of his first encounter with Antinous I'd like to share with you all: 

I was dreaming about this boy who I never heard of before and the boy would always tell me his name -- Antinoüs.  Well, I just figured that I was having another one of my psychic dreams, which are common for me, and this boy who called himself Antinoüs was going to appear in my life someday as a living young man.  

Then I had this outstanding dream... I was walking down the streets of Miami (where I was raised) and I looked down the road and seen the darkened sky full of lightning.  My thoughts in the dream were, there is a big storm coming and I have to make it home before I get caught out in it, just one more block.  Well let me say that I was never able to finish the duration of that last block.  

My brain retains this dream foremost of the series.  I was swept down upon as if by a mighty eagle.  The atmospheric disturbance had moved faster than I was able to walk and made itself towards me.  I then found myself trapped by this disturbance.  Some form of energy in the shape of a sphere had taken me in whole and engulfed me.  

I was now trapped inside of this entity and I was beating on it from within trying to escape but it would not burst, and I use the word "entity" because it spoke to me.  

The voice said, "This is Antinoüs and you are my priest.  You must follow me because you cannot escape me!"  I beat on the energy sphere for maybe another minute.  It did not speak to me again in this dream nor would it release me from the bubble.  I remember feeling helplessly subdued by the force all around me.  

The dream was over.  The only way for me to stop this and to escape it was by waking up.  Yes, perhaps I felt a glimmer of freedom by waking myself up from this dream, but then I distinctively heard a voice soon after waking which made it clear to me that I was in no way delivered.  

That is when I heard the name "MALUK XZIVIKUS" spoken into my right ear, and I repeated it, "Maluk Xzivikus."  Though when I heard myself repeat it I knew very oddly that it was *my* name.  I am/was Maluk Xzivikus.  Antinoüs had called me out by name.  

I actually did not know who Antinoüs was entirely as of yet.  But I recognized that I am Maluk Xzivikus.  I went online, and this is before Lord Antonius had created the website we all know and love today, and I managed to find Antinoüs through searches.  I'd discovered Royston Lambert's book BELOVED AND GOD which I ordered.

May Antinous continue to watch over you Lord Maluk. I will miss you, my brother Priest. Your words will never be forgotten by those who love and worship Antinous.

PRIEST UENDI

LORD MALUK XZIVIKUS-MEEK

MAY 3, 1970 — AUGUST 20, 2012

MALUK is dead. One of the most ardent and faithful modern-day worshipers of Antinous has died suddenly and quite unexpectedly.

Lord Maluk Xzivikus-Meek, who had an acute cardiac condition, lived long enough to fulfill his dream of moving away from Florida to a home in the mountains of Western Massachusetts in New England and finding the true love of his life.

Flamen Antonyus Subia and Priests Uendi and Hernestus, along with the many others who had known Maluk were stunned to learn of his death in the prime of life. He was an inspiration to all of us.

ANTONYUS SAYS:

The terrible news that our beloved Maluk has died comes as a huge shock,

This is just right out of nowhere, I am extremely saddened to know that we are without our Maluk,

And with all my soul, I pray that Antinous will watch over him,

and give him a place upon the Barque of Millions of Years.

 

Maluk was the first Antinous worshiper I ever met way back in 2002.  He is also one of the few people devoted to Antinous who I had absolutely nothing to do with influencing his belief.  Yes, there are a great many Antinous believers who I have never met, and many who were introduced to Antinous worship by other people, but I can say with certainty that almost every person who worships Antinous, or has been exposed to Antinous as a legitimate god, has been influenced by my words either directly, or second hand hand...with the one exception of Maluk.  Maluk found Antinous all on his own and began worshipping Antinous with ferocious vigor just before he met me.  I first encountered him on a certain forum where he posted a message about gay spirituality ending his message with something about Praise Antinous!...I couldn't believe what I was reading, since I had searched for two long years for other Antinous believers and had found zero...I wrote to him straight away and we continued to remain in contact ever since, though always somewhat distantly.  In the early days of Ecclesia Antinoi, Maluk told me privately that he couldn't stand any of the people who had joined...I believed he said they were all fuckheads.  I loved Maluk for his quick analysis of the situation...it took me much longer to arrive at the same conclusion.  I was also glad to learn that recently, Maluk had established closer ties with one or two of our current members.

 

I will always regard Maluk as my brother and equal for having independantly discovered Antinous, and for passionately, completely and fully devoting himself to Antinous as his one and only god...Maluk and I had a great deal in common concerning our singular devotion to Antinous...we never once had a disagreement about anything...the one difference was that Maluk was never interested in becoming a priest, prefering instead to worship Antinous in a private capacity.  Maluk was totally out of his mind, but so am I.  Antinous chose two lunatics to be his frst worshippers, I was charmed to know that I had as my companion at the dawn of the New Religion of Antinous...a person as crazy and fanatic and passionately devoted to Antinous as I am.

 

It is therefore very sorrowful for me to learn now that Maluk is dead.  The early chapter of our religion is now closed...the pre-Religio Antinoi years are now known only to me.  My heart and soul go out to him, as he finds his way to the Barque of Millions of Years.

 

May Antinous bless Lord Maluk

 

Antonyus Subia

Flamen Antinoalis