CULTUS DEORUM ROMANORUM

Calendar for May

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:48:00 +0000

The first day of the month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno. The Nones falls on the 7th. The Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 15th.

The 2nd, 8th and 16th are unlucky (ater).

Festivals this month include:

Festival of the Bona Dea and Vinalia: 1st.
Lemuralia: 9th, 11th, 13th.
Mercuralia: 15th.
Agonalia: 21st.

My notes this month will focus on the Lemuralia.

While the month of April celebrates the generative power of Nature, an important theme in May is "safe continuity", keeping order in the world.

The Kalends of May saw an altar dedicated
To the Guardian Lares, with small statues of the gods.
Curius vowed them: but time destroys many things,
And the long ages wear away the stone.
The reason for their epithet of Guardian,
Is that they keep safe watch over everything.
They support us, and protect the City walls,
And they’re propitious, and bring us aid. (Ovid, Fasti, Book V, Kline trans.)

Romans were aware that they had a history; that important changes had happened since their origin-time. But they also found a thread of continuity through all the change.

The year was once shorter, the pious rites of purification, februa,
Were unknown, nor were you, two-faced Janus, leader of the months:
Yet they still brought gifts owed to the ashes of the dead,
The grandson paid respects to his buried grandfather’s tomb.
It was May month, named for our ancestors (maiores),
And a relic of the old custom still continues.

The Roman honor paid the ancestors in May reminds some of the American tradition of tending the graves of ancestors on Memorial Day, now a movable holiday at the end of May.

Kalends of May and the Lares:

The Kalends of May saw an altar dedicated
To the Guardian Lares, with small statues of the gods.
Curius vowed them: but time destroys many things,
And the long ages wear away the stone.

Lemuralia: The festival of the Lemuralia (or Lemuria) is among the most mysterious of the Roman festivals, but also one of the most resonant. Ovid, our major source for this festival, admits to confusion on several points. The month of May (says Ovid) might have been so-called after the ancestors (maiores). The name “Lemuria” was also a mystery, so the poet calls on Mercurius for an explanation. The story that is given is that the day was once called “Remuria” and it was an expiation for the death of Romulus' brother Remus. The story is not convincing, but it serves to re-enforce the notion, mentioned by Ovid elsewhere, that the festival of the Lemuria was an ancient one. The relationship of the Lemuria to the ancestor festivals of February worried Ovid. His solution was that the Lemuria predated them:

The year was once shorter, the pious rites of purification, februa,
Were unknown, nor were you, two-faced Janus, leader of the months:
Yet they still brought gifts owed to the ashes of the dead,
The grandson paid respects to his buried grandfather’s tomb.

Romans of Ovid's day may have been confused about the origin and meaning of the Lemuria, but Ovid, at least, was clear about one central ritual. The paterfamilias would rise at midnight and go barefoot, making an apotropaic sign (perhaps that of the “fig”), cleanse himself (Ovid says “in clear spring water”) and perform the ritual. He would throw black beans “with averted face”, repeating a ritual formula nine times: “haec ego mitto redimo meque meosque fabis” (with these beans I throw I redeem me and mine). This was done while walking through the house “without looking back”. Then he touched water and beat a bronze gong (“sounds the Temesan bronze”), saying “manes exite paterni” (paternal spirits, depart), this too repeated nine times.

The number nine (the potent number three, multiplied by itself), the connection of beans and the color black with the “underworld”, the appearance of water in a liminal context all suggest that Ovid's attribution of antiquity is correct. These are common features shared by many cultures.

The article in “Smith's Dictionary” (s.v. “Lemuralia”) unfortunately truncates the ritual and so garbles the meaning. The paterfamilias rises at the liminal time of midnight, and protects himself apotropaically while making connection with the home (walking bare footed). The cleansing is the normal Roman concern for ritual purity, but it also marks the start of the ritual proper. The black beans themselves are not apotropaic (as Smith's Dictionary seems to suggest) but simply serve to attract any cthonic spirits. The formula is made potent by repetition and it detaches the spirits from any connection that may exist with any member of the familia (note that the paterfamilias also avoids “eye contact”). Having freed the spirits from any connections and having led them to the symbolic boundary of the water, they are discharged, again using a repeated formula. The expulsion is given additional force by using the noise of “clashing bronze”. The final formula does not necessarily refer to “ancestral” spirits. The word paternus (paternal) may simply be a euphemism, that is, calling potentially hostile spirits “paternal”, meaning “friendly”, as a way of suggesting (or controlling) their behavior.

The purpose of this ritual, then, is to enforce the boundary that is implicit in the Roman world-view; that humans and the Gods each have their own proper sphere of activity. This enforcement is explicitly confined to a class of spirits, the Dii Manes, and as is well known, these are the spirits of the dead. Perhaps we can imagine that to the Romans these were the Gods most likely to transgress the human/divine boundary and because of their origin as humans it was appropriate for humans to have a hand in their “management”. It should be noted that Dii Manes would include not only the Dii Parentes, but also others, for example, deceased children, members of the familia who were not blood relations and those whom had not been given a proper burial. In these ways, the Lemuria is distinguished from the Parentalia (February 13th).

If this interpretation is correct, it suggests that the Lemures are Dii Manes who are not malevolent, necessarily, but simply transgressive, for whatever reason.

The Lemuria is resonant for us today in part because it was on an early 7th century C.E. Lemuria that Boniface IV misappropriated the Pantheon in Rome by burying a large number of Christian bones inside the building. Although the Pantheon remains standing in good condition today, its use as a burial ground continues and so it remains unfit to use for ritual purposes. According to some authors, this misappropriation of the building also marks the Christianization of the Lemuria as “All Saints Day”, although the date was later changed.

Another resonance is the world-wide prevalence of similar festivals. In Japan, for example, bean-throwing as part of an exorcism ritual is the central part of the spring “Setsubun” festival and the conclusion of “Obon” involves sending ancestral spirits off on the journey to the other world by floating paper lanterns down the rivers. Floating lanterns are also part of the similar Yu Lan observance in China.

Ideas for the Cultus Deorum in May

Because Ovid gives us such a clear description of the central ritual of the Lemuria, and because this is confined to the household, this is an ideal event to introduce into each private cultus. It requires no elaborate preparation and the Latin, for those who prefer to use it, is quite simple. In spite of the simplicity, the meaning is profound: keeping order in the world, at least, the part of the world constituted by the household. The foundation of a temple to the Guardian Lares on the Kalends is probably just a coincidence, but it does suggest that, weather permitting, this may be a good time to establish an out-door compitum.

Calendar for April

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:19:00 +0000

The first day of the month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno.

The Nones falls on the 5th and the Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 13th.

The 2nd, 6th and 14th are unlucky (ater).

April is dedicated to Venus. We may think of Venus as "Goddess of love", but that is only a part of her domain. She is, more generally, Goddess of all generative power, or more correctly, the embodiment of that power. In the words of Ovid (Fasti, IV):

They say Spring was named from the open (apertum) season,
Because Spring opens (aperit) everything and the sharp
Frost-bound cold vanishes, and fertile soil’s revealed,
Though kind Venus sets her hand there and claims it.
She rules the whole world too, and truly deserves to:
She owns a realm not inferior to any god’s,
Commands earth and heaven, and her native ocean,
And maintains all beings from her source.
She created the gods (too numerous to mention):
She gave the crops and trees their first roots:
She brought the crude minds of men together,
And taught them each to associate with a partner.
No season is more fitting for Venus than Spring:
In spring the earth gleams: in spring the ground’s soft,
Now the grass pokes its tips through the broken soil,
Now the vine bursts in buds through the swollen bark.
And lovely Venus deserves the lovely season,
And is joined again to her darling Mars:
In Spring she tells the curving ships to sail, over
Her native seas, and fear the winter’s threat no longer.

Titus Lucretius Carus began his book De Rerum Natura with a long dedicatory poem in praise of the generative power of Venus. The 1916 translation by W. E. Leonard is online:

Mother of Rome, delight of Gods and men,
Dear Venus that beneath the gliding stars
Makest to teem the many-voyaged main
And fruitful lands — for all of living things
Through thee alone are evermore conceived...

Leonard's metrical translation may be difficult for contemporary readers, who may prefer something more modern. An Epicurean philosopher, an atomist, a Roman, Lucretius was accused by early Christians of being "anti-religion" when in fact it is better to say that he was "anti-superstitio". Compare Leonard's translation of an excerpt from Book 1, 101-106 with the prose translation of Ronald Latham:

Such are the crimes to which Religion leads.
And there shall come the time when even thou,
Forced by the soothsayer's terror-tales, shalt seek
To break from us. Ah, many a dream even now
Can they concoct to rout thy plans of life,
And trouble all thy fortunes with base fears. (Leonard trans.)

The Latham translatiion

Such are the heights of wickedness to which men are driven by superstition.
You yourself, if you surrender your judgement at any time to the blood-curdling declaration of the prophets, will want to desert our ranks. Only think what phantoms they can conjure up to overturn the tenor of your life and wreck your happiness with fear. (Latham trans.)

tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.
Tutemet a nobis iam quovis tempore vatum
terriloquis victus dictis desciscere quaeres.
quippe etenim quam multa tibi iam fingere possunt
somnia, quae vitae rationes vertere possint
fortunasque tuas omnis turbare timore! (Lucretius, Book 1, lines 101-106)

Readers of this blog are probably aware that the Latin religio does not mean "religion" in the modern sense, but rather something more like "duty" or "obligation", the recognition of the relationship that people have with the gods. (I am aware of the other, technical, sense that specialist Romans used, that of "violation", but that does not apply here.) What Lucretius is objecting to is the risk that one's sense of religio can be manipulated by "soothsayer's terror-tales", "blood-curdling declaration of the prophets", "terriloquis ... dictis" to create fear (timor). In other words, exactly the feeling of superstitio that is anathema to the true Roman Cultus Deorum. Through his Epicurean philosophy, Lucretius proposes an approach that makes the pietas of ordinary Romans immune to superstitio. It is possible that Latham, in choosing the word "superstition" in place of Leonard's "Religion", had this distinction in mind. Understanding this, we can see that Lucretius was not "against religion" and there is no conflict in his dedicating his book to Venus.

The inspiration of Venus (and Lucretius) is not confined to the Roman period. Jonathan Jones of the Guardian has written about how Sandro Botticelli was inspired to paint The Birth of Venus after reading Lucretius. He says, "The power of Botticelli's painting is that it brings an ancient religion back to life. To love this image is to worship the ancient Roman gods. Hail Venus!"

Veneralia: April 1. In honor of Venus

Megalesia: April 4 to 10. (Ludi Megalenses) in honor of Cybele (since 191 BCE, brought to Rome in 203 BCE)

Ludi Cereales: April 12 to 19. Games in honor of Ceres (since 202 BCE)

Ceres was first to summon men to a better diet,
Replacing their acorns with more nourishing food.
She forced bulls to bow their necks to the yoke:
So the deep-ploughed soil first saw the light.
Copper was prized then, iron was still hidden:
Ah! If only it could have been hidden forever.
Ceres delights in peace: pray, you farmers,
Pray for endless peace and a peace-loving leader.
Honour the goddess with wheat, and dancing salt grains,
And grains of incense offered on the ancient hearths,
And if there’s no incense, burn your resinous torches:
Ceres is pleased with little, if it’s pure in kind.

Fordicidia: April 15. In honour of Tellus.

Parilia: April 21. In honour of Pales.

Vinalia urbana: April 23. In honour of Venus and the previous year's wine harvest.

Robigalia: April 25. In honour of Robigus, with foot races.

Floralia: April 28 to May 1. (Ludi Florales), games in honor of Flora.

Ideas for the Cultus Deorum in April

In many parts of the northern hemisphere it is the beginning of the gardening season, and so it is a fitting time to recognize the generative power of Venus. There is a translation of Cato's ritual for digging land here. I am not suggesting that every gardener needs to sacrifice a pig. On the contrary, you should feel free to adapt the rituals, and the exact dates, to suit your own situation. Look on our "Ritual" page (see the menu near the top of this blog) for guidelines on conducting your own ritual, including comments on the bloodless "Numa Tradition".

I invite you to add your ideas for April in the comments. I also welcome submission of photos to help us share what we do and how we do it.

Finally, we will also be discussing this on the Facebook group.

Note: The introduction to "Lucretius: On the Nature of Things" translated by M.F. Smith is available online by permission of Hackett Publishing Company.

Reconstructionism Methods: Community Practice

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:49:00 +0000

OK, so I have Blogger envy. Our friend, Helio, has been making some impressive series of posts on his blog, and I want to try to do the same. I've been thinking for a while about "method", and so I will start what I hope will be a series of posts on this topic.

When I say that I am a Cultor, I mean that I have some attitudes in mind, and they are specific to the Roman tradition. When I say that I am a reconstructionist, I mean that I have some specific methods in mind, and these methods are common to many reconstructionist traditions.

In a metaphorical way, reconstructionism is the process of trying to recover the best likeness of the photo that was on the cover of the now-lost box of a 1000 piece picture puzzle, while having just 100 pieces. The 100 pieces are scattered all over, and many of them are found embedded in other things. We have to collect those pieces and try to fit them together. We may be able to assemble some parts of the picture, but we still have many gaps. We can extrapolate around the edges of the bits we have, giving us pretty good confidence equaling maybe another 50 pieces. The pieces that we have also give us information about the topic and the style of the picture, letting us make some fair guesses about more, maybe another 100 pieces. For the final 750, we can make sure that our educated guesses do not clash with the parts that we have. Can we get the whole original picture with perfect confidence? Obviously not. Can we come close enough that an ancient Roman, seeing our reconstruction, would recognize the original in the reconstruction? I think so.

Even if we do our best to reconstruct every possible aspect of the ancient traditions, another problem remains. What do we do in situations that never faced ancient Romans? How can we know the correct way to respond to a novel situation?

This is a recent thread from our Facebook group, and I copy it here with permission of the participants, because it is an example of exactly what I think we should be doing, in the most general sense:

solving modern problems by
reference to Roman practice and
comparing modern parallel traditions, combined with
personal experience.

It all started when a tongue-in-cheek article, "Goddess Caffeina, Roman Goddess of Coffee", made a member think of a serious issue:

René: I find this hilarious, However it brings me to a serious question, we now sacrifice "new" things that the ancient romans didn't like chocolate or chiles or stuff like that so I was wondering, Since coffee is an intoxicant, is it under the sphere of Divine Bacchus or to what god does this drink belongs to? Would he accept libations and offerings of coffee?

Agricola: Personally, I stick to things that were known to the Romans. Not because I think new things are wrong, but because doing so puts me in the right frame of mind. It reminds me that I have to adjust my way of thinking and not stick with the familiar old habits of thought.

Bert: The Romans offered what was important to them, and precious. This would naturally have been relative to one's ability. The aristocrats, and other rich folks, are known to have sacrificed peacocks. Peacocks are from India, though somewhere along the line they also got attributed to Iuno. The original dirt farmer, cattle stealing Romans would not have had peacocks.

Bert: While on a walk about the neighborhood I went into a Hindi Indian gift shop. In the back is an altar to Ganesha. Large statue with offerings before and on it: flowers, fruit, dollar bills, a bottle of Gatoraid and a small container of Hershey's chocolate drink. The Hindi pagans obviously don't have any problem with offering their immortals new and exotic things. (from a November post of mine on the Roman Recon wall)

René: I think the same as the Hindu pagans, while it does matter what you offer it think that it is not more important than how pious you are, how you offer it and the fact that you even want to offer something, all of this makes those Above us, Around us and Beneath us happy and pleased

Agricola: We didn't really answer the coffee/Dionysios question. I don't think that there can be a clear answer. I say, go ahead and try it, and then watch for signs that it is accepted or rejected. After a number of people do that we can compare experiences and decide.

Anna: I know of Germanic heathens who offer tobacco and coffee to the wights and gods, but it is considered UPG [Unverified Personal Gnosis] and isn't taken as lore. I believe that if it lasts the test of time, it will be considered lore.

Agricola: That's what I'm sayin'.

Damian: Coffee is upper, Alcohol is downer so I don't see Bacchus there. Maybe Mercury (speed/trade/office work)?

Livia: I think the American products like chocolate, maize, peppers, tomatoes all have their own deities. I wouldn't offer them to our deities, just like I wouldn't offer olives to some South-American deity. Coffee is a more complex matter. Apparently its use was started by Sufi Muslims, so it has no deities associated. I would be cautious in associating it with Bacchus, though. According to Francesco Redi (in his "Bacco in Toscana", written in 1685) Bacchus definitely despises such barbarian beverages as beer, or the newly introduced coffee, and likes Tuscan wine best. A different matter are offerings to the Manes. I offer coffee to my deceased aunt, as it was her favourite drink. Cigarettes are also common as offerings to deceased smokers in Italian cemeteries.

Marco: Depends on why I am making an offering. I use copal, rather than laurel or frankincense, when offering incense for the spirits of the land in the Americas. And for Roman deities I usually offer what Romans would have offered. However, if I am just outdoors, speaking with Jupiter, and I happen to be drinking coffee, then I offer to share with Him what I have. In each case it is a matter of thought behind the sacrifice, and not so much what is sacrificed. If Romans had known about chocolate, they would have offered it, just as they offered other rare and precious goods to the Gods. They shared what they had.

Helio: Two thumbs up, Marco Orazio! You took the words right out of my mouth!

I'm very proud of this group's ability to look at problems from different angles without going into conflict mode. Of course, there can be no definitive answer, but this kind of discussion moves us forward, deepening our understanding of Roman thinking and building our modern traditions on a sound basis.

Helio blogs at: http://goldentrail.wordpress.com/

Marco blogs at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religioromana/

Anna is host of the Roman Recon forum.

Damian blogs at http://notawiccan.blogspot.com/

There is a long tradition of "Caffeina" posts, as this Witchvox article attests.

Everything you know about Stoicism is wrong.

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:59:00 +0000

A Guide to the Good Life

"... I had to cobble together a brand of Stoicism from clues scattered throughout the writings of the Roman Stoics. The resulting version of Stoicism, although derived from the ancient Stoics, is therefore unlike the Stoicism advocated by any particular Stoic." (William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life, p. 244)

William B. Irvine may not realize it, but he has succeeded where reconstructionists all too often fail. He has created a modern version of Stoicism that is based closely on ancient sources. Not just an ancient philosophy text, careful reasoning is used to present a coherent philosophy of life that is actually workable in today's world.

Some time ago I posted a small notice about Lifehacker's piece on Stoicism. I took my own advice and I bought a copy of Professor Irvine's book, "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy". In it, Irvine offers a well-grounded and scholarly, but very readable, discussion of Roman Stoicism and shows how it can be a practical modern philosophy of life.

As the quote above illustrates, Irvine's book is focused mainly on the Roman flavor of Stoicism. He starts where reconstructionists must often start; eliminating misconceptions.

"...unless you are an unusual individual, everything you know about Stoicism is wrong." (Lecture at the Center for Values in Sci & Tech)

Irvine is careful to describe not only what Stoicism is, but also what it is not. Unfortunately, what it "is not" is pretty much what many people think it is. Thankfully, Irvine is able to clear up modern misconceptions in a lucid, non-technical way. Some readers of this blog may be among those few unusual individuals for whom this is not necessary, but even so, these parts are worth reading for their very clear explanations.

The Text: Four Parts

"...even though schools of philosophy are a thing of the past, people are in as much need of a philosophy of life as they ever were." (p. 22)

The three chapters of Part One ("The Rise of Stoicism") provide a concise history that places Stoicism in the context of its time. Irvine first sets up the environment in which Stoicism was born. Then he outlines the lives and contributions of the first Stoics, detailing the development of Zeno of Citium, first as a student of the Cynic Crates, then his later studies under Stilpo the Megarian and Polemo of the Academy. Finally he moves on to the development of Stoicism under the Romans, discussing Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Rufus' student Epictitus, and Marcus Aurelius. Irvine's biographical sketches are lively and informative, giving a human touch to what otherwise could be a very dry subject indeed.

"We need to take steps to prevent ourselves from taking for granted, once we get them, the things we worked so hard to get." (p. 67)

The five chapters of Part Two ("Stoic Psychological Techniques") detail some of the general approaches that were advocated by the Stoics. The first of these, "Negative Visualization", has attracted the most attention. This is reasonable because this technique is easy to explain and can be applied alone, apart from a general practice of Stoicism. This does not mean that the other techniques (dealing with issues such as self-control and meditation) are difficult or esoteric. Reading this part of the book alone is possible; it does not depend on the first part for background or the next part for explanation. And although reading just this part would be useful, I don't recommend it. There is no reason to miss out on the other parts. I do imagine, though, that readers will tend to return to this part quite often. On the first reading, Part Two amounts to an introduction to applied Stoicism. It is clear and engaging enough to read right through. Going back to this part, though, affords a chance to focus more on the details and to follow up on some of the primary sources in the notes. Part Two then becomes more of a graduate seminar in Stoical techniques.

"What then is the function of man? Our primary function, the Stoics thought, is to be rational." (p. 129)

Part Three ("Stoic Advice") deals in eleven short chapters with specific issues (e.g., duty, insults, anger, old age) that we all face and that the Stoic writers dealt with. As one might expect, Irvine shows how the techniques from the earlier chapters can be used in these situations. Some of the chapters ("Duty", "Social Situations", "Insults") are clearly applicable (I suppose) to everyone's life as it is now. Other sections ("Grief", "Old Age", "Dying") deal with issues that are inevitable, even if not immediately relevant in any given case. Their inevitability makes them relevant, and Irvine shows how Stoicism not only helps us deal with these things, but to prepare for them. "Seeking Fame" and "Luxurious Living" may not speak so directly to us, but they still deal with aspects of modern culture that we cannot really avoid. Reading all of these sections, it is hard not to think "I want to be a person who deals with this situation in this way".

Readers who are familiar with Cicero's On Duties will note that the explanation of social duty given there matches pretty well the explanation given by Irvine and attributed to Marcus Aurelius. Cicero wasn't a Stoic, but the fact that sometimes things that he said seem "Stoical" suggests that we are getting close to Roman cultural bedrock. In short, serious reconstructionists, those who really want to try to "think Roman", should pay close attention, because there is a lot of valuable material here.

"The Stoics believed in social reform, but they also believed in personal transformation. ... ...if we fail to transform ourselves, then no matter how much we transform the society in which we live, we are unlikely to have a good life." (p. 221)

Part Four is titled "Stoicism for Modern Lives". Having established just what being a Roman style Stoic means, Irvine turns to the place of Stoicism in today's world.

Stoicism poses a challenge to a number of prevailing views. It seems to run counter to modern notions of psychology and all of the attitudes and practices that flow from it. Stoicism also seems to be at odds with modern ideas about politics and philosophy as well. Roman Stoics never addressed these things, obviously, so Irvine's challenge is to answer for them, as they might have done themselves. The real usefulness of everything that came before depends on his success, which is up to each reader to judge. Note that Irvine doesn't need to show that Stoicism is better than the modern alternatives, just that it is a reasonable choice for some. Irvine rounds out chapter 21 discussing just who those people may be.

Those who adopt any particular philosophy of life need to do more than select it, they need to practice it. This is where the book most clearly becomes not about Stoicism but for Stoicism. Recent popular writing on Stoicism from authors as diverse as Tom Wolfe and Admiral James Stockdale may talk about the benefits of Stoicism, or what it is, but no-one that I know of so clearly describes the process of becoming a Stoic. Irvine offers specific advice for the novice Stoic and anecdotes from his own experience. Those who attempt to adopt Stoicism as a philosophy of life will naturally find their own ways to apply the techniques that Irvine describes earlier in the book. His experiences, then, will serve more as examples than as a strict program.

A short final chapter. "A Stoic Reading Program" rounds out the book. This is a sort of annotated reading list that points to some recommended editions of the Roman Stoics and other useful, modern books. I have collected most of these selections in the bookstore.

Final Thoughts

That Stoicism is completely compatible with the Cultus Deorum should need no explanation or comment. That it is also compatible with other religions is not so obvious, but Irvine takes some time to show that this is so. What modern Cultors probably want to know is whether Stoicism complements the Cultus Deorum; does the practice of Stoicism have any benefits for the Cultus? I claim that it does. Irvine focuses on how the practice of Stoicism leads to a joyful inner life. This is a desirable thing itself, but there is more on offer from Stoicism:

"For the Roman Stoics, the goals of attaining tranquility and attaining virtue were connected..." (p. 39)

Through the idea of pietas, the Cultus Deorum shows us the importance of interaction not only with the Gods, but with others; one's family and one's community. Irvine's chapters on duty and on social relations show how Stoicism can help us to fulfill the requirements of pietas. There is a lot of chatter in the Roman recon world about "Roman virtues", but very little depth or advice on how to go about fostering them in one's self. Living a virtuous life is a subtext of Irvine's book. To my mind he has done more to advance "Roman virtues" than all of the online discussion I have seen on this topic.

More from Professor Irvine on Stoicism

Three Essays on BoingBoing:

October 26, 2011 lecture - William B. Irvine: Older and Wiser: Ancient Advice on Aging Well from The University of Texas, Dallas, Center for Values in Sci & Tech on Vimeo: (Dr. Irvine speaks from 0:07:00)

Interview on KPFA:

Against the Grain - The Stoics on Happiness - February 2, 2009 at 12:00pm

Click to listen (or download)

Professor William B. Irvine's website is at http://williambirvine.com/ .

Calling all Cultores!

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:58:00 +0000

I just had a look at this blog's stats, and what a surprise! Our readership is still rising, and I see that we have had recent visitors from around the world. I see connections from Brazil,

Canada,

France,

Germany,

Italy,

Latvia,

Norway,

Portugal,

Russia,

Slovenia,

Spain,

Ukraine,

UK and

USA. This is both amazing and gratifying, and especially so seeing that this blog is only in English.

This seems like a good time to repeat my solicitation for submissions and participation.

Please write to me at "editor@cultusdeorum.org" with any of the following:

Announcements of coming events or
Reports of recently past events or
Book or film reviews or
Links to individual or community blogs or websites or
Any other news...

...related to or focused on the Cultus Deorum.

To promote global networking, we accept material in any language.

We also welcome participation in any language on our Facebook group.

Conventus Announced

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Roman Wedding,
Poltava, 2010

A new conventus (world-wide meeting) of Roman reconstructionists has just been announced for Poltava, Ukraine. This conventus will be held in conjunction with the group "Res Publica Romana", an NPO from Sweden. The dates are August 1-5, 2012.

Readers of this blog will remember the Roman weddings and Temple consecration held there two years ago and that Poltava is the site of the temple building project that was attacked by suspected Orthodox vandals.

The preliminary schedule includes some important events for the Cultus Deorum:

The rite of Suovetaurilia, Consecration of the wider Templum. General Conference. Press-conference for the local media.
(Dies Ater) Minor conferences. Tours. (A): A public (citizens) visionary seminar, with the Consuls giving their and the Concilium Curulis vision and a panel asking questions. (B). Meeting of the Concilium Curulis. (C). Consuls and Concilium Curulis meet with as many Sarmatian citizens as possible.
Ludi, Pompa, Sacrifice for the good of the Res Publica. Maybe a Collegia or Sacerdotes meeting.
2 Weddings. Meeting of all Senatores present, maybe a public part of the Senate meeting.
Private communications. Minor conferences. Departure.

More details are coming soon!

Why You Should Not "Worship The Gods"

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:43:00 +0000

I have been uncomfortable for quite a while regarding the frequency with which I see phrases like "I worship the Gods of Rome". Of course I am happy to see the Cultus Deorum expanding. The problem is that the word "worship" is one of those tricky, culturally-determined words, and I do not believe that it conveys the correct meaning for us. Now of course I am aware that different people may have different ideas in their minds when they use this word, and I fully expect some readers to object to this post on the grounds that their meaning is something other than what I am talking about here. That is all well and good, but when we say things in public like "I worship the Gods of Rome" we should think about how others are likely to understand it.

What does "worship" mean, in the English language of today? The entry in Wiktionary is typical. The verb means:

"1. To honor and adore, especially as a deity."
"2. To participate in religious ceremonies."

The definition of the noun is similar but also adds:

"4. (by extension) The ardent love of a person".

Note that English "adore" derives from Latin "adōrō", (adore, worship, beg). So the question is whether these things actually capture the spirit of the Cultus Deorum. I claim that they do not, and there are two main reasons for this.

In the first place, the emotional tenor is wrong. M. Terentius Varro (1st. c. BCE) said, "The religious man reveres the gods as he would his parents, for they are good, more apt to spare than to punish." As John Scheid (Introduction to Roman Religion, p. 173) put it, the Roman view of the Gods was as "... benevolent partners of mortals in the management of the world". The fever pitch of emotion that "worship" implies may be what led Pliny, after questioning two deaconesses, to characterize their cult as "nothing but depraved and excessive superstition" (Nihil ... quam superstitionem pravam et immodicam). Pliny had no objection to the communal singing and eating that they claimed to do, only their attitude was worthy of notice. Pliny used the word "susperstitio" as a technical term, meaning the belief that the gods are vengeful or jealous, and the attendant excessive and slavish behavior that is intended to placate them.

The second problem is "participate in religious ceremonies", which carries the implication that whatever is meant is confined to some special situation, time or place. There are certainly special situations, times and places in the Cultus Deorum, but more important is the constant application of religio, that is, pietas in all its aspects. Pietas is more than diligence in fulfilling the requirements of the partnership with the gods. It also extends to the social sphere and means the fulfillment of duties and the honoring of obligations. The world and its obligations were all made by the Gods, and so life calls for the constant application of pietas.

In sum, the word "worship" suggests a separation from daily life, a setting off some part of reality for exaggerated intensity or special activity. This is at odds with the Cultus Deorum which encourages us to live rationally, consciously and constantly.

When we read in English about Roman times we have to be wary of culture-laden words such as "worship". For example, in English translations of Tertullian, Apology, 24, (e.g. here) we find "...because we do not worship the gods of Rome". But this is a translation of "qui non Romanorum deum colimus" (source). The verb "colō" has as its participle form "cultus". That is, Tertullian chose to use a word closely related to our preferred term "Cultus Deorum" rather than other Latin words such as adorō and veneror, which gave rise to typical English religious terms "adore" and "venerate". Tertullian is not referring to early Christians refusing to perform such "litmus test" acts as reciting a hymn or burning a bit of incense. If he had meant that he could have said it. Rather, what set the Christians of Tertullian's day apart is that they did not cultivate the Roman Gods. They did not live according to religio and pietas. What should set us apart now is that we do not just worship the Gods but rather we live according to religio and pietas.

It is important that as we reclaim our culture we take care not to import outside ideas. This is the danger if we do not make careful examination of the words that we use. Much English writing about the Romans, especially but not exclusively older texts, is distorted through the use of words whose meanings have been either created or altered to express a Christian world view. And so I hope we will "follow the Roman Way". I hope that we will each "keep a lararium". I hope that we will "observe Roman traditions". I want us to "Romanōrum Deōs colere", but there is no easy way to say that in English. And now you know why I hope that we won't "worship" the Roman Gods.

Pagan Network News from France

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:36:00 +0000

My title is somewhat tongue in cheek, but I am sincerely happy to have received this recent (quadri-lingual!) message from "Forum des spiritualités Grecques et Romaines AGORA":

GALLICI PAGANI PAGANIS SARMATICIS - AVE
GAUDEMUS VIDERE SARMATIA QUOQUE ROMANOS DEOS COLIT
TE SALUTAMUS - VALE
-------------------------------------------------
Галльський язичників язичники сарматської, привіт
Ми раді бачити, що в Сарматія честь римських богів.
Ми раді вітати Вас.
Ціна тобі добре.
-------------------------------------------------
Gallic pagans pagans Sarmatian, hello
We are pleased to see that as Sarmatia honored the Roman gods.
We welcome you.
Fare thee well.
-------------------------------------------------
Les païens gaulois aux païens sarmates, salut
Nous nous réjouissons de voir que la Sarmatie aussi honore les dieux romains.
Nous te souhaitons la bienvenue.
Porte-toi bien.

This is further evidence that our network of Cultores Deorum is growing. I am especially pleased that our scattered communities are reaching out to each other.

I have reported on the Sarmatians (especially in Poltava) before, but the contact with the Francophone community is new. I hope that this is the beginning of a long relationship with them.

If anyone knows of any Cultus blogs in French, please let me know so I can add them to the blogroll. I would also be happy to carry reports of Cultus activity in France.

Priesthoods and the Cultus Deorum

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:26:00 +0000

Our friends at Neos Alexandria have an interesting post on the reconstruction of priesthoods. They suggest an important reason for us to be interested in this:

"...to create religions that provide for the spiritual needs of the people who follow it, and help cement the chances of our survival as a faith in the modern world. Many of the successful and still surviving ancient religions have such divisions, and it is one reason why they still exist, despite pressures from Western Monotheisms." (1)

Neos Alexandria is a multicultural group, and they mention the case of Roman reconstructionism:

"The Romans had similar divisions [of society] particularly with the Pontifices who oversaw the priesthoods, the Flamines who carried the rituals out, and the Augurs who served as diviners." (1)

I agree that our survival and growth depends in great measure on our ability to speak to people's spiritual needs. More than that, we need to agree upon and promote a set of core values and procedures that we can keep in common. I don't mean that we need to have a "Spanish Inquisition" type obsession with orthodoxy, but if we are to be anything we have to be something. This is the reason, for example, that we carry the "Basic Principles" statement at the bottom of every page of this blog. (That statement came out of both scholarly research and discussions with a fairly large group of self-identified followers of the Cultus Deorum.)

What I disagree with, though, is the suggestion that the best way to do this is through establishment of formal priesthoods such as the College of Pontifices. There are several reasons for this.

The first reason, and maybe a rather technical one, is that the major priesthoods of Rome were closely tied to the administration of the state. What I mean by "closely tied" is that the Senate was also involved with the state cult ("sacra publica") that the priestly colleges mainly served. Also, the state religious activity of Rome was situated in relation to a geographical division, the pomerium, that originated with the founding rituals of the city. We have no state and no pomerium, so it is hard to see how the legal and political aspects of the state cult can realistically be recreated.

Another reason that the "state model" is not the best one is that for most Romans, the state cult was not particularly relevant. There were other, smaller-scale aspects of the cultus, related to trade guilds, neighborhoods and families, for example, and these were arguably more relevant to most people than the sacra publica. These other sacra often did not involve priests at all. What "A Young Flemish Hellenist" said when speaking of Hellenismos applies almost equally to the Cultus Deorum:

"Furthermore, priests have no role in marriages, funerals, and the like. Such occasions were seen as private matters, and were dealt with by the families involved. Usually they were led by the the head of the family, most often the father of the the family (Pater Familias in Latin). " (2)

The final reason to avoid the state model of the Cultus Deorum is that it has already been tried, and it has failed. Nova Roma's attempt to buy land and establish itself as a pseudo-state collapsed in what appears to be a case of land fraud, leaving them as an internet-only organization. "Nova Roma Revealed" quotes them as saying:

"The next step however is to remove from our own records this classification of our "undivided 1/40 interest" in ten acres or less of desert as ager publicus. We have to disavow it from ourselves before we can justify disposing ourselves of the land." (3)

After over a decade of effort they have failed to establish themselves as a credible force in the pagan movement. Their lack of ability to produce any positive results, coupled with their famous squabbling has recently led to a 60% drop in membership:

"At the beginning of census in Nova Roma are recorded: 1345 active citizens."
"At the end of census in Nova Roma are recorded: 537 active citizens." (4)

This "official priesthoods" model is likely to continue to lead to failures. It requires a huge commitment of time and energy on the part of the individuals involved, and that for the long term as well, and this has proven difficult for most people, leading to a large number of abandoned initiatives. Even when the time and energy are available, whatever expertise is developed is far removed from the individuals who need it. The top-down model might work for the Catholics, with their money and with their millions of members, but it is not appropriate for the Cultus Deorum, at least for now and for the near future.

A Young Flemish Hellenist touched the heart of the matter:

"I think no need yet of modern priests. Most of us are solitary, and are thus kind of informal “priests” in our own worship." (2)

For Romans, there is no "kind of informal" about it. Each head of household is also the head of that household's domestic cultus. Cicero said:

"The most sacred, the most hallowed place on earth is the home of each and every citizen. There are his sacred hearth and his household gods, there the very center of his worship, religion, and domestic ritual". (Cicero, De Domo Sua 41, 109)

The head of every kind of community or association was also responsible for the religious obligations of that group. The community of Roman Reconstructionists needs to focus on the household and on building local groups, not on a top-down global priesthood. We must dedicate ourselves to spreading our collective experience and the results of our researches as widely as possible, so that we can rebuild the Cultus Deorum organically, from the ground up.

There is no need to wait. If you are interested in the Cultus Deorum, you now have everything that you need to start. Importantly, you do not need to sign on with any organization. You can start your own practice of the Cultus Deorum right now, in your home. To help you, we have a series of "Beginner's Guides" and other things on our website. These are still in progress, though, and collaborators and contributors are most welcome. We are also networking on Meetups, Twitter, Yahoo and Facebook. Follow us, share us and talk with us.

2011 was a very good year, bringing many new friends together. I anticipate that 2012 will be even better. You can help by following those links and participating in our network.

(1) A Comparative Study of Priesthoods and Clergy at Neos Alexandria (N.D.)

(2) Priesthood at A Young Flemish Hellenist (28 December 2011)

(3) Land Fraud at Nova Roma Revealed (27 March 2011)

(4) More than half have left, and most won't pay 5 dollars at Nova Roma Revealed (21 October 2011)

The Benefits of Stoicism: via Lifehacker

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:32:00 +0000

Back in October 2011, Lifehacker posted a brief but useful introduction to Stoicism. It is good to see that such a widely read and practical site as Lifehacker is talking about Stoicism, and doing it accurately.

What I really like about this piece is that it relates Stoicism directly to the modern-day life issue of how to have "a good and meaningful life". Lifehacker's post was triggered by What is Stoicism and How Can it Turn your Life to Solid Gold by "Mr. Money Mustache".

Many Romans, at least, many educated Romans (we know too little about the non-literate classes) embraced Stoicism (for example, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius). Stoicism was and is consistent with a life of pietas and a pursuit of the Roman virtues. Modern followers of the Cultus Deorum are under no obligation to follow any particular philosophical path, but those who do not take a serious look at Stoicism are missing out not only on a major part of our cultural heritage, but also on what has been for many a practical guide to a happy life.

Recommended reading: "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" by William B. Irvine.

EDIT: I bought the book and I review it here.

A Roman New Year

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:24:00 +0000

These are some suggestions for having a Roman New Year:

Clean your lararium on New Year's Eve, so that it is ready for the new year. Decorate it with flowers.
Make offerings to your Lares and to Juno, but first to Janus.
Whatever your livelihood, make a token start of it on New Year's Day. Students take up a book and read for a few moments. Carpenters tap a nail. Whatever your business, resolve to have a prosperous year, with the help of the immortal gods.
Guard your words, offer good wishes and prosperity to all. Avoid dire words.
Give gifts of sweet dried fruits and honey, or other similar sweets, such as honey dipped cookies.

If you are the resolving type, why not resolve to make at least a simple observance at your lararium twice a month, on the Kalends and on the Ides?

"The worship of Juno claims our Italy's Kalends
While a larger white ewe-lamb falls to Jupiter on the Ides." - Ovid, Fasti I

Cato the Elder's instructions for the vilica, (the wife of the overseer of the farm) probably reflect the duties that fell upon the materfamilias of every family: "On the Kalends, Ides and Nones, and any holy day, place a garland over the hearth and pray to the household gods as opportunity offers" (Cato, De Re Agricultura 143).

The Kalends and Ides rituals are a great way to start being active in the sacra privata of the Cultus Deorum, if you have not done so already.

If you are yet to set up a lararium, we have an updated guide for setting up a lararium. My personal opinion is that you should make your initial offerings, maybe incense, wine, bread, flowers, - ask the Lares to protect your household. Be attentive for signs of their acceptance. I think that your display of pietas is more important than fancy ritual or formality.

"Two-headed Janus, source of the silently gliding year,
The only god who is able to see behind him,
Be favourable to the leaders, whose labours win
Peace for the fertile earth, peace for the seas:
Be favourable to the senate and Roman people,
And with a nod unbar the shining temples.
A prosperous day dawns: favour our thoughts and speech!
Let auspicious words be said on this auspicious day."

Ovid, Fasti, translated by A.S. Kline.

Di te incolumem custodiant!

PRO DIIS Report for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:47:00 +0000

We here at Cultus Deorum Romanorum are happy to support the organization PRO DIIS, so much so that we carry their donation gadget in the sidebar. PRO DIIS has just posted their report for 2011, and it is very impressive indeed.

PRO DIIS itself has advanced its organization, and notably the founder, T. Flavius Aquila is active once again. Even greater strides have been made in the construction of the aedes in Poltava. As the report shows, the builders are taking care that all legal requirements for building are met, and the materials for the coming year's construction have been purchased.

Their plan for the coming year includes:

to accept the Business plan for the next year;
to widen the consecrated templum for the Temple of Iuppiter and 16 altars for Roman Gods and Goddesses;
to build the podium and cella of the Temple;
to launch the new web-site of PRO DIIS.

There is every reason to believe that they will achieve these goals, and we continue to offer them our support. Watch here for news of their progress.

Make a Roman calendar

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:05:00 +0000

Keeping a Roman calendar can help you keep pace with the cycles of the year. You can adapt your new 2012 calendar to include some basic dates and festivals from the ancient Roman calendar. To add a more authentic feel, write in UPPER CASE only, just like on real ancient Roman calendars. A 12 month wall calendar with ample space works best.

Put these on your calendar next to the English month names:

Ianuarius (January)
Februarius (February)
Martius (March)
Aprilis (April)
Maius (May)
Iunius (June)
Iulius or Quinctilis (July) *
Augustus or Sextilis (August) *
September (September)
October (October)
November (November)
December (December)

* Iulius and Augustus were the new names in Imperial times. Use Sextilis and Quinctilis to be authentic to the Republic.

The first day of each month, called the "Kalends" is sacred to Iuno, so write "Kalends" on the first of each month. Write the word "Nones" on the 7th day of March, May, July, and October. Write "Nones" on the 5th day of all other months. Write the word "Ides" on the 15th day of March, May, July, and October. Write "Ides" on the 13th day of all other months. The Ides of every month were sacred to Iuppiter (Jupiter), so you can make a note of that too.

"Ater" means "unlucky" in Latin. Each day after the Kalends, Nones or Ides is "ater", an unlucky day, so write "Ater" or "Unlucky" on every day after each Kalends, Nones and Ides.

There are a lot of holidays; these are just some of the important ones:

January Kalends: Add Ianus to Iuno on this, the first day of the year.
January 11th and January 15th: Carmentalia, to the goddess Carmenta.
February 13th: Parentalia, in honor of one's deceased parents.
March 17th: Liberalia, in honor of Liber, god of agriculture.
April 21st: Parilia, in honor of Pales, guardian of shepherds. Also, the founding day of Rome.
May 9th, 11th and 13th: Lemuria. A festival to exorcise the restless spirits of the undead. (Similar to Japanese "Setsubun".)
June 9th: Vestalia. In honor of Vesta, goddess of the hearth.
July 6th through 13th: Ludi Apollinares, the "Games of Apollo", in honor of Apollo, patron of music and healing.
September 13th: Epulum Iovis, sacred to Iuppiter (Jupiter).
October 13th: Fontinalia, a festival to the god Fontus, who gives fresh water.
December 17th: Saturnalia . One of the biggest festivals of the year. In honor of Saturn, celebrating ancient days of peace and prosperity. Romans visited their friends and gave gifts on Saturnalia.

For a much more complete calendar, go here. (Many thanks to L. Livia Plauta and M. Horatius Piscinus.)

We posted an earlier version of this guide on WikiHow.

Patron deities

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:57:00 +0000

A Young Flemish Hellenist posted recently on the topic of "patron deities". I too have seen a lot of talk of patron deities among the Hellenists and to a somewhat lesser extent among Cultores. AYFH points out:

The largest misunderstanding however, from a Hellenic point of view, is the assumption that there is such a thing as a personal Patron, that if one has a special connection or relationship with a certain God(ess) or a few Gods, and that this [makes them] ones Patron(s).

I think that this is true to an even greater degree for Romans. The "client-patron" relationship in Rome was a clearly defined thing, and one that involved obligations on both sides. I do not believe that anyone can unilaterally establish such a relationship with any deity. Even if a person feels a special connection, and even if that person feels "called" by a god, there is still no reason to believe that the bilateral client-patron relationship has been established.

I encourage anyone interested in the Roman way of the gods, the Cultus Deorum, to engage with all the gods, and to avoid making the cultus into an alternative monotheism.

One of the great features of the Cultus Deorum is that it provides opportunities for us to link our lives and our families together with our community, with other families and with all of nature's various rhythms and forces. Each aspect of life has its tutelary divinity, and if we are open to them all, and if we manage our cultus with a balanced pietas, then we are much more likely to keep our lives in healthy balance as well.

Patron Deities at A Young Flemish Hellenist.

Call for Submissions

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:27:00 +0000

The wonderful community of Cultores in Brazil have just announced an online magazine. There is more news coming soon about this community.

The Cultus Deorum Romanorum - Brazil group invites all roman polytheists and / or sympathizers.
In December we will launch a pilot edition of our online magazine. If you want to join the publication send us self-authored articles, poetry and artistic compositions.
The deadline is Dec 10.
Bene valete!
Send to: aemilia.regilla@yahoo.com.br (Aemilia or Denise)

El Cultus Deorum Romanorum - Brasil invita a todos los politeístas romanos y partidarios:
En el mes de deciembre vamos a lanzar una revista en línea. Envíenos articulos, poesías y composiciones de arte en general de su propriedad. Si usted quiere conocer en nuestra publicación. Enviar hasta 10/12/2011.
Bene valete!"
Enviar para: aemilia.regilla@yahoo.com.br (Aemilia o Denise)

The Meaning of the Games

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Following up on the post of the November calendar and the mention there of the Ludi Plebeii, I want to call attention to this excellent post on the E Nos Lases Iuvate blog:

Meaning and Sense of Ludi

Many rites in the Ancient Roman Religion implied the execution of Ludi or sport activites and games. These activities, surely showing competitive and sporting features, had a remarkable "sacred" value and importance. For this reason the Ludi had the feature of Res Divinae. Usually an agape, supported by an invitatione daemonum, completed the Ludi.

Read the rest here.

November calendar

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:46:00 +0000

The first day of the month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno. The Nones falls on the 5th and the Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 13th. The 2nd, 6th and 14th are unlucky (ater).

The major event this month is the Ludi Plebeii, the Plebeian Games. Legend places the Ludi in the early history of Rome, but the earliest mention is of the games in 216 BCE. (Livy 23.30). The last games on record were held in 354 CE (Calendar of Philocalus). By 207 BCE, the Ludi were celebrated over several days, from 4-17 November (Fasti Maffeiani).

The Ludi Plebeii began with a great pompa, or procession, led by statues of the Capitoline Triad, proceeding to the Circus, where gods and humans joined to watch the races. Nine days of theatrical performances and four days of racing in the Circus lead up to the central focus of the Ludi, the Epulum Iovis, or feast of Jupiter, on the Ides.

The Jupiter, Juno and Minerva attended in the form of statues. Jupiter reclined on a couch and Juno and Minerva sat in chairs (reclining to eat being thought undignified for women, even Goddesses) (Source: Valerius Maximus). Food was served, and priests (epulones) and citizens ate with the Gods.
Ideas for celebrating the Plebeian games:

Cook Roman food and have a Roman dinner. Set a place for Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. (Epulum Iovis)
Organize, participate in or attend sporting events. Dedicate your participation to Jupiter.
Organize, participate in or attend theatrical events. Dedicate your participation to Jupiter.

Remember that the Roman religion is based on the community and the family. Make these into events for your family, friends or neighbors. The season of the Plebeian Games is also a good time to make some Roman clothes. Have a tunic-making party and you'll be ready for Saturnalia next month! Tunic instructions are here, and also see the bottom of this page for links to more Roman WikiHow articles.

Get ready for Saturnalia and support this site by purchasing from our shops:

Saturnalia cards and buttons from our Saturnalia shop.
Roman cookbooks from our bookshop.

All proceeds from these shops go to supporting the Cultus Deorum.

Interview with Corvus about the attack in Poltava

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:15:00 +0000

CultusDeorumRomanorum was recently able to interview M. Octavius Corvus, the leader of the community that is building the temple in Poltava that was recently attacked by Christians.

CDR: We were all shocked to hear about this attack. First, exactly when did it happen?

MOC: The attack happened early in the morning of September 26, at about 4 AM.

CDR: Were you alone at the time?

MOC: I was at home and all my family was with me.

CDR: Was there any warning? I mean, had there been any unrest in the area or is there any explanation of why this happened when it did?

MOC: Several months ago, threat messages were posted in all topics of the Sarmatia forum. It was saying that all and any pagan altars, shrines and temples will be destroyed. Also, there was a quotation from the Bible with threats to all heathens and the slogan "Die Heathen" - exactly the words that were written on my fence during the attack. That's why I think the authors of those threat messages on our forum and the people who attacked our templum are the same. Avatars that were used for those messages contained the logo of a fighting organization of Russian Orthodox Church - The “Orthodox Gonfalon Bearers”. On the other hand this organization has been active only in Russia and there is no proof that the attackers really belonged to that organization.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The far-right Union of Orthodox Banner (Gonfalon) Bearers, (Союза православных хоругвеносцев), (SPK) is active in Russia where it enjoys the apparent approval of the Orthodox Church. Their anti-evolution, anti-Madonna, anti-Harry Potter and anti-gay protests and book burnings sometimes turn violent. One of their slogans is “Православие или смерть!” (“Orthodoxy or Death”).]

CDR: How did you first notice that something was happening?

MOC: I heard the squeak of the wheel on the flagpole - someone was lowering the Sarmatian flag in the templum. I looked out of the window and saw a silhouette moving in the templum. Without turning on the light I took my gun and silently went out of the house. But as I advanced, another man who was hiding behind the garage hit me with a wooden stick on the right hand and my head. I managed to fire in the air and both attackers fled over the fence. About 30 minutes Lupus and later Brutus arrived at my house. My wife bandaged me and my friends took me to the hospital.

CDR: There were two of them?

MOC: I saw two of them in my yard.

CDR: Were you able to see either of them clearly?

MOC: No, it was still dark at that time and I just saw the attackers running away.

CDR: Exactly what damage was done? From the photos that we have seen it looks like they spray painted on the fence and they started to spray paint on the altar cover. Was there anything else?

MOC: Yes, they wrote "Die Heathen" on the fence, started drawing the orthodox cross on the altar cover - thank the Gods they didn't notice it was just a cover in the dark! [NOTE: Photo here.] And they managed to tear off the Sarmatian flag and sliced it. Later on we found two "Molotov cocktails" that the attackers did not have the chance to use.

Molotov cocktails that were found later.

CDR: In total, how much time do you think that they spent on your property? Basically, how much time from when you first heard noise until they ran off?

MOC: Starting from the moment I have heard the noise until the attackers disappeared behind my fence it took up to 3 or 5 minutes, I believe. I don't know how much time they spent in my yard before I woke up.

CDR: Has there been any other anti-pagan activity in your area since then?

MOC: No, there was no hostile activity since then and no internet activity either. It is not the first time for christian fanatics desecrate or destroy heathen shrines in Ukraine or Russia, however. There were at least two such accidents in my home town fin the last 10 years.

CDR: How is your community reacting?

MOC: Two armed men of our community stay in my house every night. I am very grateful to my colleagues who protected our Templum and my house while I was in hospital. I want to buy a new dog - my two shepherds suddenly died a month before the attack - now I suspect they were poisoned by the attackers beforehand. And we plan to mount security system devices to protect the Templum from future attacks. I fired my gun in the air last time, and I hope new attackers will think twice before the raid - next time I will not lose my chance to shoot the trespassers directly - I have the full right to do so according to Ukrainian law.

CDR: Could you give a short progress report on the temple? What is the status now?

MOC: This summer we bought the licence for special construction technology to use in the Temple construction. We are preparing construction elements now and we are going to start the construction process in November. This year we plan to build the podium of the Temple. I must consult with the company that sold us the licence if we are allowed to post the pictures of construction in the Internet. This year we have gathered almost $ 4 000 for construction of the Temple, and more than $ 550 were donated by our colleagues and friends from PRO DIIS, Cultus Deorum Romanorum web-site and ResPublica Romana, which I am deeply grateful for. We are also preparing an absolutely new web-site that will help us to find funds for further construction. I hope to present it by Saturnalia.

MOC: I want to give my many thanks to each and every person who supported us, helped us and prayed for us - obviously your prayers have found its way to the Gods' ears - I've recovered very quickly and it looks like we will fulfill our plans on the Temple construction. As the proverb says - every cloud has a silver lining - all problems we have just make our Romanitas grow and our worldwide community stronger. I have the very intense feeling that the Gods of Rome have returned and They are helping us everyday. I have not the slightest doubt in the success of our Sacred Cause!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I met Corvus and the whole community in Poltava and I have no doubt that they will not only survive this attack, but they will also complete the temple in a way that will do them great credit.

Temple site desecration

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:37:00 +0000

These photos just arrived showing the results of the the attack by an orthodox christian mob on the site of the Temple of Jupiter Perennus in Poltava, Ukraine.

Attackers did not notice that they desecrated the altar's cover.

The message says "Die Heathens".

UPDATE: Read an interview with M. Octavius Corvus on the attack.

Temple attacked

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:18:00 +0000

26 September (ante diem VI Kalendas Octobres), the anniversary of the founding of the Temple of Venus Genetrix in Caesar's Forum in Rome. News comes that on this day a group of Orthodox Christians attacked the temple of Jupiter Perennus and injured M. Octavius Corvus, who was trying to defend the altar there. Corvus is now hospitalized and we are trying to find out additional information.

M. Moravius Piscinus has posted information about other, similar attacks.

As always, we support the work of the community in Poltava. Donations can be sent to them using the Paypal box on this page.

Further information will be posted here as it becomes known.

The Salii

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Their origin is lost in the mists of time; nobody remembers how it started. Around the time of the vernal equinox they go through town in their groups, wearing their archaic costume. There are different groups attached to various towns. They perform their leaping dance, the meaning of which most people do not understand and they themselves cannot clearly explain. It is the custom that they do it, though, so each year the sights and sounds are repeated. They are the Salii.

Calendar for March

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:43:00 +0000

Sacra Publica
1st: Matronalia
1st - 24th: Feriae Marti
15th: Anna Perenna
17th: Agonalia, Bacchanalia
19th: to 23rd: Quinquatria
23rd: Tubilustrium
30th: Festival of Salus

The first day of each month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno. The Nones falls on the 7th. The Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 15th. The 2nd, 8th and 16th are unlucky (ater).

March, originally the first month of the year, is named for Mars, who, unlike the Greek Ares, has a dual aspect; war and agriculture.

Come Mars, God of War, lay aside your shield and spear:
A moment, from your helmet, free your shining hair. (Ovid, Fasti, III)

The theme this month may be said to be "good health and safety".

Matronalia: 1st. The kalends is always sacred to Juno, and this month the kalends is also the anniversary of the dedication of the temple of Juno Lucina (Juno who brings children into the light) on the Esquiline, where Dionysius of Halicarnanus says Servius Tullius began the practice of depositing a coin at the birth of a child. The Matronalia festival celebrates childbirth and motherhood. "[M]atrons offered prayers to Juno and her son Mars at the Temple of Juno Lucina on the Esquiline. On this feast day, husbands traditionally gave their wives presents, and female slaves were given special meals and relieved of work.(McManus)". Only women were permitted at this festival, where they untied the knots in their clothing and unbound their hair, symbolically loosening the perils of childbirth.

New fire in the temple of Vesta: 1st. On this date the Vestals renew the sacred fire in the Temple of Vesta.

Feriae Marti: 1st - 24th. Much of the month is taken up with the Feriae Marti, featuring the leaping priests, the Salii. Their leaping is sometimes understood in relation to agriculture, encouraging crops to grow. Whatever the meaning, the Romans thought that the establishment of the Salii predated the republic.

Anna Perenna: 15th. Anna Perenna is the eternal circle of the year. Offerings are made to her "so that the circle of the year may be completed happily" ("ut annare perannareque commode liccat") (Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.12.6)

The happy feast of Anna Perenna is held on the Ides,
Not far from your banks, Tiber, far flowing river.
The people come and drink there, scattered on the grass,
And every man reclines there with his girl.
Some tolerate the open sky, a few pitch tents,
And some make leafy huts out of branches,
While others set reeds up, to form rigid pillars,
And hang their outspread robes from the reeds.
But they’re warmed by sun and wine, and pray
For as many years as cups, as many as they drink. (Ovid, Fasti, III)

A fountain dedicated to Anna Perenna was recently discovered in Rome (report, in Italian) in which was found a large number of curse tablets (report on the tablets, with photos, in English). Some people didn't want others to have a happy year, it seems!

Bacchanalia and Liberalia: 17th. According to Varro, this is also known as the Agonalia or Agonium Martiale. Priests and priestesses wearing garlands of ivy carried portable altars on which offerings were burned. They carried wine, honey, cakes and sweet-meats. 16 year old boys received the toga virilis today.

Liber, before your birth the altars were without offerings,
And grass appeared on the stone-cold hearths.
They tell how you set aside the first fruits for Jupiter,
After subduing the Ganges region, and the whole of the East.
You were the first to offer up cinnamon and incense
From conquered lands, and the roast entrails of triumphal oxen.
Libations derive their name from their originator,
And cake (liba) since a part is offered on the sacred hearth.
Honey-cakes are baked for the god, because he delights in sweet
Substances, and they say that Bacchus discovered honey.

The Dionysia were introduced from Greece into Italy, becoming the Bacchanalia, but at some point things got out out of hand (so said the authorities) and in the early 2nd century BCE (See Livy XXXIX) the Bacchanalia was suppressed and the Liberalia took its place.

Quinquatria: 19th to 23rd, ending with the Tubilustrium on the 23rd.
... the rites of Minerva are performed, Which take their name from the sequence of five days. The first day is bloodless, and sword fights are unlawful, Because Minerva was born on that very day. (Ovid, Fasti, III)

Festival of Salus: 30th. Salus is not only health, but prosperity in general. Coins often show Salus standing, feeding a snake (a symbol of prosperity) from a patera. A temple of Salus was built on the Quirinal in the late 4th century BCE (aedes Salutis a C. Iunio Bubulco censore locata est, quam consul bello Samnitium voverat Livy IX.43) but the cultus there is believed to be much older. There was also a statue of Salus in the Temple of Concord, who was also honored along with Janus and from the time of Augustus there was a celebration at the Altar of Peace. (... Ianus adorandus cumque hoc Concordia mitis et Romana Salus Araque Pacis erit. Ovid Fasti III)

Ideas for celebrations in March

The date of Mother's Day varies around the world and in many countries March 8th is International Women's Day. We can celebrate our "Mothers' Day" now, and you can add a second one following the customs of your own country.

If the weather permits, have an informal outdoor party. In Japan, it is nearly hanami season, and the feeling is much like celebrating Anna Perenna. Party with friends outdoors and pray for long life!

The vernal Equinox is March 21st. Your own Liberalia is not only a great chance to celebrate the end of winter (in the northern hemisphere at least), but it is also the best time to learn to make some liba: step by step instructions; photos and recipe.

Who we are and why you are welcome

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:22:00 +0000

There are questions floating around these days, as one of the Roman-related groups that we know carries out a kind of "cleansing", and so I want to make a couple things clear.

This is my personal blog. Even though I occasionally ask some of my friends to contribute here, I am responsible for the content. My purpose is to report on activities of followers of the Cultus Deorum, for followers of the Cultus Deorum. It is a kind of cultural newsletter. I'm happy to say that there is a lot to report.

I also want to share some information with the community. I started with a few pages here, but that rapidly grew in size and popularity, so the website was created. There is a lot of information there, and although it is still a "work in progress" it is already a valuable resource, I think.

An important goal is to explain the Cultus Deorum clearly to people who are new to it and who want to know what it is about and how to get started. Thank you to everyone who has sent positive feedback on this part of the site!

The community that I report on and that I address is the Roman pagan community that is in substantial agreement with the "Basic Principles" at the bottom of the page. That is pretty easy, and I'm pretty easygoing about it. I am eager to report events that are in planning, and to help that I created the Meetup site that the map above connects to. You are all encouraged to grab a copy of that interactive map for your sites too. Write to me if you need help with that. The more the merrier.

I also like to link to other, like-minded groups, websites and blogs (look in the sidebar). Again, that has grown so much that the website has a more comprehensive collection, but that doesn't mean that I don't want more. Send links, by all means!

I am equally eager to report on what happened at live events. Send your reports to me (address at the bottom of the page) and I'll post a report and include a link to your site. I love photos of events and rituals too; send them along. The one thing that is likely to dampen my interest is a policy of "only members of X organization are welcome". That isn't in the spirit of community building and so groups with that policy are less likely to get coverage here. Other than that, everyone is welcome.

Active group in Warsaw.

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:54:00 +0000

I have received a report from a new group of Cultores in Warsaw, Poland. They had 11 people attend a get-together that was planned to last for 2 hours but lasted almost 4 hours. It was a Lupercalia celebration (with red ribbons instead of blood).

They are planning another event for the 1st of March and they intend to make a regular ritual celebration on the September Ides (the 13th). Gaius Pandion writes:

"The Valentines heart on the wall was hung before by the pub-owner, so not knowing how many of us would be present, we left it, but had added two Lupercalia celebration texts and a wolf-card. Every attending person got a red ribbon with explanation of what it meant and a Lupercalia commemorative card to keep in one's wallet till next Lupercalia. We read the texts on Lupercalia and shared good wishes and good memories."

Their Meetup page shows five more events planned for the coming year.

I think that their idea about the red ribbons was great; maybe more people will try that next year. So congratulations to everyone in this group in Poland! May be gods favor you all!

A Spanish-Roman practitioner at UNESCO

noreply@blogger.com (M. Lucretius Agricola) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:12:00 +0000

This is a translation of a post from the Spanish-language blog "Cvltvs Deorvm". My thanks to the author, Carlos Sánchez, for permission to post it here and both to Carlos and to C. Iulia Agrippa for the translation.

Yesterday, January 30th, I attended the annual meeting of interfaith dialogue groups, AUDIR (UNESCO Association for Interfaith Dialogue). The day was much more enlightening than I expected, I met many people from different religious traditions, including pagan people, so I left that meeting with a pleasant aftertaste.

The day began with personal introductions from those attending the event and a series of group dynamics organized by the interfaith dialogue women. Personally speaking, I did not expect anything like that, and it was a very surprising experience. It all started with some “body dialogue” exercises, and finished with all of us writing and presenting some reflections on what the body represents for us and our religious tradition. Later on, assorted, different projects were presented by several dialogue groups, while enjoying music and songs by the Interfaith Choir.

For me to attend these conferences and join a discussion group meant giving a step forward in my spirituality and the work that I believe I must perform on behalf of my religion. I am the first Hispanic-Roman pagan present at the UNESCO, and for me this is a way to let you know my beliefs and share them with others, a way of normalizing our convictions and make other people know that we exist. I invite everyone who has any kind of religious conviction to attend interfaith dialogue groups; the truth is that what I have lived, however small, has already shown me that we can understand ourselves as human beings, as we are, and many problems due to intolerance can be solved with the best weapon which already exists, the word.

From now on, AUDIR has a Spanish-Roman pagan among its participants. I hope this small step would be helpful to rekindle the acknowledgement of our Gods, through dialogue, respect and mutual understanding.

Eternal Glory to the Gods!

We all owe Carlos a big thank you for representing the cultus at this event, and for reporting it to us. "Cvltvs Deorvm" is one of the blogs featured on the core site, here. I hope you will all visit both sites regularly.

Another featured blog devoted to Hispano-Roman religion is "RELIGIO HISPANO - ROMANA CULTUS DEORUM". Finally, to wrap up this report I will mention that there is a Meetup group forming in Madrid with an event forming for April 23rd.