#weekly contemplation

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Weekly Contemplation 1 - War and the God of Protection

Hello polytheists!

Welcome to the first Weekly Contemplation, where I am challenging myself to talk about things happening in the world and whatever's on my mind, and tie it to the Gods (and do it weekly!). Before we start, I would like to put a small disclaimer at the top ->

I am writing from my perspective, based on my beliefs and way of practising (you can read more on that topic in my post on Reverent practice, if you're interested). I do not speak for the Gods, I am talking about interpretation. You don't have to agree, but I would like to ask you to respect.

Today, I would like to talk about a topic that is not easy to delve into, but I find it particularly relevant due to what is happening on a global scale.

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War has been a feature of human society for a very long time. In a world of scarce resources, people have often had to fight for their survival, whether against the environment, predators or other humans. Over the centuries, societies grew and became more complex, and wars only got bigger, more destructive and deadlier. Nowadays, we see the largest-scale wars in history being fought for the gain of a small group of people at the top, at great cost, both human and otherwise.

Mars was traditionally propitiated by the Ancient Romans to stop war from coming to His worshippers. As the God of physical prowess and protection, wars naturally fall into His domain, but I do not believe He is the cause of them. Wars are always started by and waged for the profit of humans, despite the occasional claim of a holy purpose.

But if we take this view, then what is Mars' relationship to war? In what way is He the God of War if He does not create it?

I believe that He and the other Immortal Gods want humanity to grow, learn and become the best versions of ourselves, but They may not interfere directly. It is up to us to make our way to Them, to understand the wisdoms They can teach us.

So, what can Mars teach us? Though He does not relish war, His message is also not one of throwing away strength or avoiding any kind of conflict. No, I think in our current world we need strength and can't escape conflict. Instead, Mars, as the God of Protection and Strength, can teach us that we need to be willing and able to stand up for our communities, each in our own way.

And especially now, not only due to war, but also because of a global rise in fascism, we need Strength, in whichever form we can muster it. Strength to protect our communities, Strength to keep up to date with what is happening around us and how it will affect us, Strength to go out of our way and out of our comfort zone to make a difference.

But I don't think Mars wants us to be militant soldiers, only focused on fighting. We have our own lives, and we're not compelled by divine command to do one thing or another. I think to honour Mars in our day-to-day, we should seek to embody the ideals of Strength and Protection. This is going to look different for everyone, according to their ability and situation, but in general, we can think of keeping our body strong and healthy, speaking up to challenge harmful ideas around us, and participating in our local communities to protect and help those in need.

So, yes, Mars is the God of War, but not in the sense that He expects us to enlist in the army of an imperialist state and become a cog in the machine of the military industrial complex. We do not please the Gods through destruction and murder. No, Mars wants us to see that we are in a war of a different kind. An ongoing war for freedom, a war for liberation, a war for the survival of life on our planet. There is always a fight that needs fighting, but it's not the one that kills and destroys indiscriminately and only benefits the most powerful people in the world.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Weekly Contemplation 2 - Spring

Hello polytheists! Happy Spring Equinox!

I started writing this post yesterday on the first day of the Roman festival Quinquatria, which honours Minerva, and which, in my practice, I also use to honour Mars. Since it covers the beginning of spring and the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, I'm using this opportunity to talk a bit about the return of spring and my spiritual approach to it. Please note that most of what I'm talking about here is my personal and revivalist approach to these celebrations, though I do base them in historically attested events.

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To me, the return of spring is always multifaceted. It's not just one thing that is spring, it's the whole of our environment, the weather, nature, plants, animals and even our societies that slowly shift and change. Which is why I appreciate the variety of traditional Roman celebrations present around this time, which allow to focus on multiple of these elements and gradually bring yourself into spring as well.

The Sementivae, celebrated at the end of January in two parts, one week apart, was traditionally a festival associated with sowing. Where I live, it's usually still cold and unpleasant, as it was this year, but thinking of all the upcoming changes always fills me with joy. I use the festival to thank Ceres for the coming spring and the first hints of it, as this is usually this time when I start to see the first snowdrops popping up here and there. Spiritually and mentally, this is the moment I shift my perspective, looking out for the brighter and warmer months ahead and starting to get myself out of my winter stagnation. The Sementivae is like the prelude, reset before spring actually comes.

By the 15th of March, the spring weather is usually in full swing where I live, and so I celebrate the Festival of Spring (traditionally the Festival of Anna Perenna) by enjoying it as best I can. At this point in the year, I see the results of Ceres's work all around me, with blooming trees, brand new bright green grass, and a slight twinge in my nose, a hint of the upcoming hay fever season. Traditionally, the Festival of Anna Perenna was celebrated by having a picnic by the river Tiber and drinking as much as one could, but I like transferring the general festive spirit without the specificities. To me, this is the opportunity to enjoy the young spring, not having to wear a winter coat and coming back to my spring wardrobe, which is much more colourful, enjoying the beauty and colours of nature, etc. Spring is here, and you can feel it on your skin!

The Liberalia on the 17th gives an opportunity to feel the renewed energy and freedom. Traditionally a rustic festival for Liber, I like to lean into the freedom and frenzy aspect of the God. This is the time to really let go of the mindset of winter. We have seen the blooming nature, felt the sun on our skin, but maybe we're still a bit tired and need a mindset reset. This can look like just dancing to some fun music at home, or maybe going to an event or just a night out, something special that will get your blood pumping.

And then finally, we arrive at the Quinquatria. We might be attuned to the new look and feel of our environments, excited to start living a bit more, maybe, but we also must channel this energy into something productive. The Quinquatria, to me, is the peak of the celebrations that welcome the new season, and it is very important to channel and carry that renewed energy into the rest of the year. In this context, I see Mars and Minerva as the Gods of the Body and the Mind, respectively, and I like to focus on those two aspects during this festival.

For the Body, it is important to re-evaluate habits related to maintaining our physical health and space. Maybe we ate a bit more fast food during the winter as we had little energy to cook, but want to get back into eating fresh produce. Maybe the dark months discouraged us from going to the gym, but we want to start going again. Maybe we've been putting off a visit to the doctor, or our physical space needs some cleaning.

For the Mind, it's much of the same, but in the mental sphere. Maybe we love reading, but have been slipping more into doomscrolling over the winter. Maybe there are messages or emails that we've been putting off reading or writing, but now is the time to confront them. Maybe our spirituality has been put on the back burner a bit, so it's time to focus on it and get a regular practice going again.

The Quinquatria, to me, is getting back into good and productive habits, using the renewed energy that comes with spring to also renew yourself, your space and your practice. I think it's very important to utilise this time of the year to our advantage, especially if, like me, you struggle with consistency and motivation at other points. I will be trying to set up a bunch of things to build good routines and habits over the year, but it's also important to remember not to go too crazy or place too high expectations on oneself. At the end of the day, this is a joyful time for those in the Northern Hemisphere, and we shouldn't just spend it in stress, trying to optimise every moment.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Weekly Contemplation Announcement

Hello everyone! I am launching a new (hopefully weekly) thing that I've named Weekly Contemplation, where I will be, as the name suggests, contemplating out loud (or, more precisely, in writing) on a certain topic in a polytheist religious context.

What I have in mind is musings on something happening in the world, other news, just small community pagan stuff or something personal, tied to religion and the Gods. I will obviously be writing this from my personal point of view and incorporating elements of my religion (Roman polytheism), beliefs and way of practising. But I also invite discussion from members of my religion or others, and people getting inspired by the concept.

In general, I really want to see more discussion and contemplation in pagan polytheist spaces, so this project is my attempt to create some of that through my own initiative.

I will be posting the first contemplation tomorrow, so in a couple of hours, if anyone is interested!