An Import of my Tumblr Blog
One of my secret ‘things’ is, I am madly in love with the art and concept of Blacksmiths. The sound of a blacksmith working his forge is entirely relaxing to me, and I actually have several videos on my youtube favourite s of a man working on his forge. Sometimes I just play them as ambiance. It’s really attractive to me. Also, I think that Hammer needs to be on my altar.
Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene
- Medium: Blue faience
- Dates: late 2nd century B.C.E.
- Period: Ptolemaic, Period
- Brooklyn Museum
All things considered, this devotional act could be considered one of the more superficial ones. An act that required little actual effort on my part. It might be said that it was easy.
3 years ago I started growing out my hair. Ever since I was 13 I’d wanted to have Cyndi Lauper’s iconic hairstyle. I’d done so many wild things to my hair by that point (and since then), but growing my hair out in order to get that cut was something I didn’t have the patience for. Well, I finally spent a year growing my hair out long enough to shave one side and rock that look. I was so pleased with myself!
The end of that year was also the first year I attended Kaleidoscope Gathering. That was the week in which I was gifted my flower and horn crown, and was told over and over “Oh, you look like a beautiful Dionysus!“. And that’s where it all really started.
That was two years ago. Immediately after that week, I lost my job and in a panic to make myself more ‘marketable’, I cut off my hard-earned locks. I hated myself for it. Having been given my 2 weeks notice at the job I hated, I cut off my hair and suddenly everyone who had been ragging on me was telling me how sharp I looked, how handsome I was, how much better I was doing. It gutted me to think that I was winning them over simply because I looked “normal”.
I decided I was going to undo this. My hair had been a turning point for me. It was what sparked my relationship with Dionysus, and I wanted so badly to see Him in me again, so I promised to grow my hair out as long as it took so that I could donate it to charity, in His name.
As I mentioned earlier, the act of not cutting your hair doesn’t actually require much work. Anybody with long hair will tell you that maintenance is a lot of effort, but compared to some other devotional promises, it can been seen as ‘easy’.
This, however, does not mean that the act wasn’t impactful, or that it didn’t shape new parts of me.
In growing out my hair I’ve been faced with a few things…
My Babylon – Book Six: Commentary is now available. It’s a collection of essays on the religious and magical symbolism in the series. Plus, collected extras and thoughts on the writing process.
You can get it for free by signing up for my mailing list.
My Babylon, The Complete Edition will be available on Amazon July 23rd.
Gustave Moreau
Apollo and the Satyrs
Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.
Ave Babalon
My Babylon – Book Six: Commentary is now available. It’s a collection of essays on the religious and magical symbolism in the series. Plus, collected extras and thoughts on the writing process.
You can get it for free by signing up for my mailing list.
My Babylon, The Complete Edition will available on Amazon July 23rd.
