THE MANY FACES
OF ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD

BY ALICIA 7777777

Emperor Hadrian commissioned thousands of statues of his Beloved Antinous, showing HIM in the guise of many deities and heroes. This sublime video morphing montage shows some of the many faces
of ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD.

SOCRATES and GEORGE CECIL IVES
SAINTS OF ANTINOUS

 

ON JUNE 4th the Religion of Antinous honors Saint Socrates and also Saint George Cecil Ives.

The most Divine and gentlest of all Philosophers was born on this day in 469. He was the son of the sculptor Sophroniscus, an artist, whose profession Socrates attempted during his youth.

The artist's love of beauty was to be the foremost drive of his life. The fortune that his father's art left gave the young Socrates the independence to begin a life spent in the adoration and service of wisdom.

He was told that the Oracle of Delphi had pronounced that there was no man wiser than he, but because he felt that he was the greatest fool, he spent his life trying to disprove the Oracle by questioning the most purportedly wise men only to discover that those who professed wisdom were the least possessed of it.

His method of inquiry was the birth of human science because he found that those who understood virtue would naturally follow in its ways, while those who were ignorant of virtue would proceed without its benefit. He proclaimed that "the proper study of mankind is man," and his philosophy centered on temperance, piety, duty to parents, brotherly love, fidelity in friendship, and diligence.

He was an admirer of male, youthful beauty, and devoted his life towards the awakening of virtue in the hearts of young men. For this, in the year 400 B.C. he was put on trial by the many enemies he had made in the ruling classes of the city of Athens and condemned with these words: "Socrates is guilty of crime; first, for not worshipping the gods whom the city worships, and for introducing new divinities of his own; next for corrupting the youth. The penalty due is death."

He was sentenced to drink poison, which he readily accepted, dying as a virtuous martyr, for homosexuality and for human social consciousness.

Though he never wrote a word, he is remembered through the writings of his student, Plato, whose legacy eclipsed that of Socrates, though it was delivered and upheld as the very words of Plato's master, the Divine Philosopher Socrates, who was said by Cicero to have bright the love of wisdom down from the heavens to mankind.

George Cecil Ives was born on October 1, 1867 in England. While in London, in 1892, a gentleman by the name of Lord Alfred Douglas encouraged him to join "The Cause", which was an early British movement to bring an end to homosexual persecution. Ives was a friend of Oscar Wilde and attempted to enlist him, but was unsuccessful.

In 1897, believing that "The Cause" could not be openly discussed due to the extreme moral restriction of his age, Ives decided to go underground and founded the Order of Chaeronea, which was a secret society for homosexuals.

The name and spirit of the order was taken from the battle in which the Sacred Band of Thebes, the corps of 300 pairs of gay lovers, was defeated by Alexander and Phillip at the Battle of Chaeronea. The 300 had to be annihilated by Alexander because they refused to surrender.

Taking this Army of Lovers as their model for courage in the face of oppression, the Order of Chaeronea organized powerful and wealthy homosexuals who were otherwise unable to meet in public, into a secret political and spiritual force.

Saint George Cecil Ives, the guiding light of this first religious organization devoted to the sacredness of homosexuality, worked closely with other prominent homosexuals of the time such as Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and Edward Carpenter, both of whom are Blessed Saints of Antinous.

In his voluminous writings, George Cecil Ives refers to Walt Whitman (another Antinoian Saint) as "The Prophet" and used lines from Whitman's poetry in the ritual and ceremony of the Order of Chaeronea. 

He is numbered as one of the Uranian poets, and referred to Antinous as a symbol of male beauty and perfection.

For his effort to undermine the oppression of homosexuals, for the holiness and sanctity upon which he upheld our sexuality, and for calling out to our beloved Antinous, we thank Saint George Cecil Ives, and pray to him to aid us in the continuation of his divinely inspired work. He died on this day in 1950.

ALLEN GINSBERG, SAINT OF ANTINOUS

ON JUNE 3rd the Religion of Antinous honors Saint Allen Ginsberg who was born on this day. 

St. Allen Ginsberg was an early proponent of freedom for men who loved other men, having already in 1943 discovered within himself "mountains of homosexuality." 

He expressed this desire openly and graphically in his poetry.He also struck a note for gay marriage by listing Peter Orlovsky, his lifelong companion, as his spouse in his Who's Who entry.

Later homosexual writers saw his frank talk about homosexuality as an opening to speak more openly and honestly about something often before only hinted at or spoken of in metaphor.

Also, in writing about sexuality in graphic detail and in his frequent use of language seen as indecent he challenged — and ultimately changed — obscenity laws.

We consecrate Irwin Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 — April 5, 1997) as a Blessed Saint and Exemplar of Antinous for attacking what he saw as the destructive forces of materialism and conformity in modern society.

THE WOLVES OF KROMER

ABOARD THE BARQUE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS

 

"TODAY is Warren's Birthday!" the DJ will announce over the amazing speaker system aboard the ANTINOUS BARQUE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS.

As I said in the earlier entry today...the whole ship will freak out...a disco ball will drop from the mast...and confetti will shoot from the cannons!

...and this is the song that they will all rock out to...a song we're all going to dance to one of these days:

The song is at the ending credits o the movie THE WOLVES OF KROMER.
a great little movie about gay werewolves (kind of)
Actually werewolves is used as a euphemism for Gay.
It stars these two super hot boys who fall in love and find out that they are both wolves,
and they run around in fur coats with tails (excellent!)
At the end of the movie (I'm just going to tell you)
The village priest hunts them down and shoots them with a shot gun.
This is how the movie ends....when they meet in the afterlife
along with also this old lady who was nice to them before she died.
When I first saw this...I thought it was great,
And I also thought that it would make a great song to dedicate to a dead Antinous worshiper.
That was years ago...and I almost forgot about the song,
But now...since the Wizard Warren is the first of the NEW BELIEVERS to die,
It almost feels as though this song were intended for him.

May Wizard Warren Live Forever

Aboard the Barque of Millions of Years!

ANTONYUS SUBIA

THE BARQUE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS

ANTINOUS was a living, breathing human being. That is historical fact. And it is also a fact that he died tragically and that his lover, the most powerful man in the world, the Emperor Hadrian, deified Antinous.

Antinous lived, he died, and he was deified. It is fact.

Now our beloved brother Warren Williamson has died. He is the first of the NEW BELIEVERS IN ANTINOUS to die and we are grappling to come to terms with his death.

And this leads me to an important topic.
How the Cult of Antinous is basically a Cult of the Dead,
...there is a deep current of after-life in our religion.
This is what the BARQUE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS is meant to symbolize,
How basically after death, we set out with Antinous
Upon a Never-Ending journey to a DARK STAR, which may or may not exist,
and to which we may or may not ever arrive.
It isn't about Heaven...but rather the journey to get there...which is everlasting,
and along the way...we simply enjoy the ride...something which in life,
We are never allowed to do for very long.

I would like to suggest that we begin to keep a passenger list,
With the Wizard Warren as the first name,
and then as more and more of us pass away from the world,
Our names will be added to the list of blessed dead.
A list to be maintained by the Priests of Antinous..for as long as there are Priests of Antinous.
In Ancient Rome, there was a funeral society dedicated to Antinous and Diana,
who's members pooled their resources in order to insure that members were given proper Roman Funerals,
even in the event that the family had no money provide for the funeral.
It was basically like an ancient Life Insurance policy,
but with a religious tone, dedicated to Antinous and Diana.

I would like to initiate such an element to our religion,
Basically a request to have a proper Antinous funeral recited at the time of death
For any one who so requests and who insures that the Priests are notified at time of death.
For the time being there would be no charge, as Priesthood is voluntary,
and funeral rites would be offered as a gesture of love and respect,
but for anything more elaborate than a basic recitation of prayers,
..then a compensation system would need to be implemented to pay the costs.
I would suggest that we devise a three tier system.

1. Free Funeral Rites...a special remembrance during a general gathering of Antinous Devotion.
2. Basic Funeral Ceremony...$20...single priest reciting Antinous ceremony long distance.
3. Full Funeral Ceremony...travel cost, and any elaborations as designated by Last Will.

The $20 by the way is merely representative of the coin that would be placed on the tongue
To pay the boatman of the River Styx...$20 seems like a reasonable charge,
But who knows...maybe you have reason to pay more, or maybe less?

The Free part is offered to everyone,
....just make sure that we know when you die.

I will need help to prepare an Elaborate Full Funeral Ceremony of Antinous,
I don't want to just write it of my own accord,
Please use the Birthday of the Wizard Warren to tell me what you think
A full funeral ceremony of Antinous should consist of,
and keep in mind what you would be willing to pay for yourself.
I know that we have a few members who are well schooled in the customs of the ancients,
let us know what you would say at the death of one whom you love.

May The Wizard Warren Live Forever!

ANTONYUS SUBIA

WARREN LEE WILLIAMSON

JUNE 2, 1939 - MARCH 13, 2012

BROTHERS,

(as Warren always saluted us) 

Today we remember our dear gay wizard friend Warren Lee Williamson, born on this day in 1939, and who  succumbed to bone cancer at a hospital in Dallas on March 13 this year, according to his friend Bob, his companion for 45 years. 

I want to send out a huge blessing from the bottom of my heart to the Wizard Warren on the occasion of his birthday!
I know that he is sitting there on the deck of the ANTINOUS BARQUE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS,
watching the hot young ancient Greek sailors manning the oars,
sipping champagne from an old fashioned (Marie-Antionette) glass,
on an Egyptian chaise-lounge next to Hadrian and Antinous and Lucius and all the rest of the sacred gays,
when suddenly our prayers will waft up from down below (or where ever it is that we are)
And the ship's DJ will announce over the amazing speaker system that it's Warren's Birthday!
The whole ship will freak out...a disco ball will drop from the mast...and confetti will shoot from the cannons!

He is the first of the NEW BELIEVERS IN ANTINOUS to check in with his boarding pass for the Barque of Millions of Years.

May Antinous give the Blessed Wizard Warren a special First Class seat with a window.

I love the Wizard Warren...he always had something right out of the cosmos to say,
...he gave me a tremendous boost of confidence when I was feeling out of my mind.

Warren was the holy grandfather of the Religion of Antinous...he was a magic presence among us,

We still continue to feel the ripples of his magic course through us even now.

The Blessed Wizard Warren is now the first of us to stand before ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD!

I know that the Wizard will sit down with Antinous and explain to the ancient boy-god,

what all our modern crazy madness is about (because Antinous must surely be confused)

...and then, with a wave of a divine hand, Antinous will restore the Wizard Warren to his pinnacle of eternal youth,

And in that perfect state of bliss, Antinous will reveal all the mysteries of HOMOTHEOSIS

That can only be known to those who have shed their mortal flesh forever.

I hope to join them there one day on the ship of millions of years.

The Wizard Warren was the 1st champion of the FIRST ANTINOUS GAMES,
He won with a beautiful story and a Haiku poem.

There were other great submissions, of course,
...but it was obvious to me that Warren's submission was something deeper
Than a devotional tribute to Antinous might usually be,
but it had what I can only describe as A VOICE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS
and this is why I insisted that Warren be named the winner.

In Memory of the Great Wizard, I want to share these two emails that were sent by Warren in 2006 during the First Sacred Games,
They are wonderful to read because it is only now that the uncanny VOICE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS
Is clearly obvious.

The Wizard Warren Lives Forever!

ANTONYUS SUBIA

______________________________________

April 13th 2006

Brothers:
I do not know whether I should relate this evenings occurrence, or
just keep it to myself. I choose to tell you; think of me what you will.
I went to church this evening, Thursday before Easter, not because I am a christian but because I love the music. Arriving late, I sat at the back.
I don't know when I first noticed Him, but it was with disapproval.
In the pew in front of me, but at the other side of the sanctuary,
stood a young man, probably 17 or 18 years of age. I felt that he was too casually dressed for such an occasion; he wore a rock style T-shirt, short pants and what we used to call in the old days (1970's) "Jesus boots', the roman style lace up sandals. During the service I kept feeling myself drawn to him; I purposely tried to look away.
He seemed familiar. And I loved His curly hair; He seemed Mediterranean.
As the sermon droned on I kept hoping he would look back at me, and then he did! It was as if someone had slapped me in the face. I was stunned! It was Him........It was Him. I knew....I knew it was Him.
He smiled and my heart stopped. I stood for the hymn not even aware I was doing so. It was by Bernard of Clairvaux. During the second verse his eyes never left me and I realized I was singing it to Him.

What language shall I borrow,
To thank thee, dearest friend,
For this thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
Let me be thine forever.
And, should I fainting be,
Oh, let me never, never,
Outlive my love to thee.

His eyes pierced to my soul, and his smile was more than I could bear. I kept thinking this was not happening.....it couldn't be! I have looked at his statues for years.....I know his visage well.......and it was Him.
At the moment the hymn ended he turned full front to me and I saw what rock band was emblazoned there on his T-shirt: OSIRIS RISING.
My knees went weak, and tears streamed down my cheeks. The woman next to me, thinking I had been overcome by the service, put her arm around me to comfort me.
The service over, I looked up to locate Him, to follow Him, but He was on the other side of the church and the crowd was thick. I saw Him move into the narthex and I pushed my way through the crowd to get there as quickly as possible. But of course, He was not there. He was no where to be found......and I looked for several minutes. I asked casually if anyone had seen the 'young man', but no, no one remembered seeing Him.
I left sadly, yet strangely content. Because I know deep inside it
was Him. So I know He is watching; He is more than myth, much more.
And I shall never forget that smile as long as I live. Antinous lives!

-----------

(Following Submission to the First Antinous Games)

April 21st 2006

Dear Brothers:

Believing that the time of Antinous has truly come, that he is no longer a local phenomenon only, but has taken his place with the eternal Olympians, I offer the following haiku poem to His honor and for the glory of His games throughout the world.

"Antinous Epiphanios"

Maundy Thursday's King,
Brazen, Antinous smiling,
Osiris Rising!

Also,a sad note. I attended both Good Friday and Easter services,
searching each face, hoping that He would be there. But, of course,
He was absent, as I reckoned He would be. I will keep searching,
but I knew it was but a single epiphany. He is indeed Antinous
Epiphanios!

I appreciated, so much, your comments. And I asked myself the same questions you did...........what would I have done had I met Him? I have no answer; I only felt compelled to touch His hand, to be with Him for a moment.

Glory to Antinous and peace to the Ecclesia Antinoi!

ANTINOUS VIVIT, AVE!

INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE OVER PLANS

TO DUMP GARBAGE AT HADRIAN's VILLA

 

INTERNATIONAL outrage has prompted Italian officials to back down on plans to dump mountains of garbage adjacent to Hadrian's Villa at Tibur outside Rome.

When he decided to build his palace in the fields outside Rome in the 2nd Century AD, the Emperor Hadrian wanted to escape the sounds and the smells of the capital.

Little did he imagine that 18 centuries later the stench of the city would follow him there thanks to plans to build an emergency garbage dump near the villa, as Rome runs out of space to bury its trash.

But now, officials are backing away from the plan after environmentalists launched a protest and a "Save Hadrian's Villa" petition which has gathered over 6,000 signatures from historians and archaeologists.

"Hadrian’s Villa and its surroundings must not be disfigured. We cannot allow an international wave of protests," Italy’s Culture Minister Lorenzo Ornaghi told La Repubblica newspaper, after visiting the site.

Ornaghi has threatened to resign while the popular and well-respected head of Italy’s High Council for Cultural Heritage, Andrea Carandini, has vocally slammed the scheme and also threatened to quit over it.

The fight to defend Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli from the garbage trucks has been spearheaded by a high-profile Roman noble. Prince Urbano Barberini, an actor, farmer and descendant of a 17th Century pope, is mustering local farmers for a fightback against a scheme he claims will ruin the UNESCO-listed ruins.

"This is like dumping rubbish next to the pyramids — what if tourists have to time their visits according to which way the wind is blowing?" said Barberini, who produces olive oil locally. "And should people attending the concerts held at the ruins bring gas masks?"

The decision to dump rubbish in an old quarry near the villa, after Rome's main garbage dump at Malagrotta was filled to capacity, involved using emergency powers to overrule bans on developing the virgin countryside.

A 250-acre complex of 30 buildings including palaces, baths, a theatre, temples and libraries built in Greek and Egyptian styles, Hadrian's villa centers around a small house sitting in the middle of a pool, accessed only by drawbridges, where the emperor could seek refuge from his court.

"You can't bury 2,000 years of history under tons of rubbish," wrote actor and campaigner Franca Valeri in a full-page appeal to Italian president Giorgio Napolitano taken out in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

Barberini warned that a Roman era underground aquaduct which still carries water into Rome 25 kms away, is dug into the porous tufo under the site of the proposed dump and risks being polluted.

"A small tributary of a river that runs into the capital is also 30 meters from the site," he added. "It floods regularly, and we risk rubbish floating straight back to Rome."

A descendant of Pope Urban VIII, who commissioned works in Rome by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Barberini owns a castle in the nearby picture postcard hamlet of San Vittorino. But he denied the campaign was a case of not-in-my-castle's-back yard.

"My visibility is useful, but this is really about local farmers who were all told to go organic and now will have nothing. We are fighting tanks with arrows, but this will be a battle to the end."

Local campaigners have been joined by Italian environmental group Legambiente, which has attacked the governor of the region of Lazio, which covers Rome, for opening new dumps instead of promoting recycling in Rome — with 80 per cent of the city's rubbish, it stated, still ending up in dumps.

The regional authority is also planning to unload tons of garbage in quarries next to the small town of Riano north of Rome, where locals have blocked railway lines in protest.

"We are heading towards a garbage crisis like Naples'," said Barberini. "Why couldn't they use their emergency powers to push recycling? The region once promoted the area around Hadrian's villa as a tourist destination, recommending a series of walks. Half of those pass straight through where the rubbish will be."