Apollonion

Why Nothing to Excess?

2009-08-23T16:02:00.000Z

Nothing to Excess, a message engraved in Delphi ,is a universal message.

For the Buddhists, the Middle Way and the story of the Buddha, who realized that neither extreme riches nor extreme poverty were the answer, represents Nothing to Excess.

For Christians the Tenth Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet” means precisely the same.

More recently, Gandhi said that the world has enough for what everyone needs, but not for what everyone wants.

Even psychologists studied this phenomenon and found that when you are in extreme poverty increasing riches, sexual pleasure, power, and so on, will bring you more happiness, but once you achieve a certain point the increase in happiness is so small that it is not enough to compensate the anguish produced in our quest for more.

So, I ask, why do we keep wanting more, why is our society always praising excess? I pray Apollo may give me the answer and guide me in achieving Nothing to Excess.

Delphi, Python and Human Development

2009-08-14T15:27:00.000+01:00

The myth of the Python tells u show Apollo fired a hundred missiles (Hekateros) to slay the Python and take over the Oracle at Delphi. Modern scholars believe this may be a reflection of a male society taking over a female society, or a male cult over a female cult. However, I believe that this holds a deeper message for us, a message found among all Word Religions.

The first to hold Delphi was Gaia, Mother Earth. Later, she passed it to Themis, who was in charge when Apollo, through means of slaying the Python (dragoness daughter of Gaia), got the Oracle.

I find Delphi a most curious metaphor to human development. Psychologists now recognize three stages of development: pre-personal (or pre-conventional), personal (or conventional), and trans-personal (or post-conventional). Curiously, these stages were already known to mystics from both the East and the West, and they find a striking correspondence with the stages of Delphi.

The pre-personal stage, I believe, corresponds with the time Gaia ruled over Delphi. This is the stage we are brought into the world, the primordial stage or, should we say, the earthly stage. This is before education, before we realize we are a person and other people are people too.

The personal stage naturally takes over, through education. This is the stage most people live and die in. It is the stage of conventions and acquiring culture, not the rules set by law but those set by society and tradition – the very essence of the Goddess Themis, second ruler of Delphi.

Finally, comes the third stage. This stage is found in every religion and it is described as enlightment, freedom, recognizing the ultimate truth, liberation. The transpersonal stage is described the same way as Apollo, the third ruler of Delphi.

This last stage was also described by the Greeks, namely by Plato. He says that the transpersonal stage is like, having lived our entire life in a cave seeing shadows, we get to go out and see the light. And he describes, just like Buddhism, Taoism, Christianism, Judaism, Islamism, Hinduism and many others, that to set ourselves free from that cave we need to look inside.

Looking inside is the very essence of Delphi – “Know thyself”. Know that the ultimate truth is inside you, know yourself and you will see the ultimate truth, Apollo will shine on you. Recognize the importance of Gaia and Themis, but don’t let your body rot (root of the word Python) without passing to the last stage, don’t just meet Apollo “whose temple lies at the door of Hades”, know thyself and meet Apollo the slayer of the Python.

Contrary to modern scholars, I believe that “Know thyself” doesn’t mean “Know you are not divine”. Quite the opposite, it means, to me, “Know that the divine is inside you.”

Release yourself from the Asian maya, the dream or illusion, Know Thyself is, to me, one of the most important messages of Delphi, one that should be heeded by today’s followers, far more than oracles, rituals or the many stories surrounding that place that is, after all, each and every one of us.

Know thyself

2008-04-22T22:02:00.003Z

I haven't writen anything lately. I am in an internship, so I don't have much time. But I just came across this in Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and couldn't help but think of how Apollon's Know Thyself is interlinked with his son's job. So, here it is:

As clinicians, we encounter a wide variety of people, each one of whom is unique. Establishing relationships with individuals from a broad spectrum of ages, social classes, races, ethnicities,
and states of health or illness is an uncommon opportunity and privilege. Being consistently open and respectful toward individual differences is one of the clinician’s challenges. Because we bring our own values, assumptions, and biases to every encounter, we must look inward to clarify how our own expectations and reactions may affect what we hear and how we behave. Self-reflection is a continual part of professional development in clinical work. It brings a deepening personal awareness to our work with patients and is one of the most rewarding aspects of providing patient care.

Asklepieia

2008-03-15T12:37:00.002Z

This night begins the Asklepieia. It happens in the same day as the Kyklos Apollon ritual, so it will be a double festival. Today eat moderately or even fast or go in a purifying diet (such as melon only, or juice only) to prepare yourself. At night ask Asklepios for guidance or healing. Then celebrate the God and His Father during the day with offerings, ritual, meditation, yoga, exercise, healthy food! Commit to an healthier life and make an appointment to check your health next year.

The Asklepieia is a great time for a general check up with your doctor. Don't remember that doctors are the hands of Asklepios!

Happy Asklepieia.

Apollo, the Guide

2008-03-11T18:47:00.002Z

Apollo is a guide God, he guides humanity and that is why he is distant and yet so close: he is both the light at the end of the tunnel, our objective, the place which we should try to reach; and the one by our side, supporting us, the torch we hold to guide our way. Evidence for Apollo as a guide God come from many, many sources, here I'll list but a few of them:

The Dolphin: let us start with the animals. The dolphin is seen as the guide of sailors and it is in that quality that he his linked to Apollo: he guided the to-be-Delphians, as an objective, and at the same time he is friendly and is a messenger from the water.
The Raven: the raven is clearly a guiding animal, one who brings messages from Apollo, one who takes messages to Apollo and also one who, at times, guides people directly with his voice.
The Wolf: the wolf is also seen as the leader of the pack, Apollo linked with the wolf can have many meanings, but leader of civilizations is one, as is leader of flocks and even Oracle God (and thus a guide).
The Ram: the ram guides civilization and is the shaman, the guide of the tribe, the settler, the one who runs in front and backs us up.
The Delphic God: from Delphi would sail the fires of Greece, each lighting a new colony. Not to mention how many would go to Delphi seeking the oracles and advice of the God, which brings us to:
The Oracular God: many are Apollo's oracles and it can't be argued that Oracles are guides.
The Light: light is so interlinked with guidance, sight and advice, purity and foreseeing that it doesn't need any sort of explanation why Apollo of the Light is Apollo the Guide.
The Healer: when in despair one seeks a healer, in our most fragile moments it is a healer we seek. Healers are guides and their advice is highly regarded. The healer Apollo also acts as the guide of other healers.
The Musitian: we all know the tales of animals that follow some sort of music. We all heard a music that made us feel like chasing it. Music is a great symbol of guidance - in silence we always follow the music.
The Archer: the archer not only protects us and shield us in our journeys, he is also the God of aiming and accuracy - of wanting and reaching.

There is much more evidence of this aspect of Apollo and countless myths. It is something that permeates most of his being, but it is something quite so obvious that few people seem to consciously realize it.

A&A make the show

2008-03-01T21:04:00.001Z

Another brief reflection on how Apollon and Artemis work together. The music to day is much interlinked with show and dance. When you have a music show it has dance and, obviously, a dance show has music. Apollon is the patron of music and Artemis of dancing, thus this is another activity in which the twins work together as a single force with two components.

I think that the fact that the gods are twins means much more than most people ever care to investigate.

Paean and Paeonia

2008-02-23T18:08:00.002Z

It is possible that Paean and Paeonia and its inhabitants, the Paeonians, are connected. The Paeonians were a Northern tribe present in the Iliad, sided with the Trojans. They lived in the place that later became Macedon. The hypothesis of some form of connection with them and Paean or Apollo in general has been suggested, rejected, re-suggested and re-rejected only to be suggested once again.

It may be possible that Paean is an adjective, meaning "of healing", since it has been associated with Apollo and Asklepios, both healing gods, and when used in the Iliad alone also refers to a healing god. Some scholars say that maybe then this was the title given to the healing deity of the Paeonians, which seemed to be their patron male deity, possible Helios, Apollo or some other God associated with the sun, who was worshipped along with Artemis, associated with the moon.

Not much is known about the Paeonians. We know their religion was centered not only on the sun and the moon (as Apollo and Artemis), but also on the rivers and lakes. In fact, the Axius, a river, was the great-grandfather of the chief Paeonians in the Iliad. From the Iliad we also know that they used to wash their to-be-kings in the water of this river and that would make them kings.

Herodotos says that they offered to Artemis offerings in the same fashion as those sent from the North to Delos from the Hyperboreans. Another clash with Apollo's cult is the fact that they worshiped Helios with rituals similar to those performed in the Daphnephoria.

Their chief god, whomever he was, was linked with not only the sun but also with water. He was a great healer, the god of healing waters and, mostly, of healing herbs, just like Paean and, not surprisingly, Apollo.

It appears that the Paeonians themselves were known for their salves and their knowledge of healing herbs and that Paeonian could also mean "doctor", as iatros.

Another curious thing about the Paeonians, one which I find beautiful and easy to incorporate in modern devotion and cult of Paean, Apollo, Helios or Asklepios, is that they were refered as the famous Northmen of famour pharmakoi and their land was in the road of rose gardens (because in their land grew roses and peony).

One last thing, besides Paean, Apollo and Asklepios, another healer linked with them is Chiron, whom they taught how to heal to Asklepios himself.

More Apollo and Artemis

2008-02-16T13:56:00.003Z

I have been thinking more and more on Artemis and how she connects to Apollo. I think I am becoming a devotee of the Goddess of Hunt, so, I'll leave you with a book and another image.

First, the book. I haven't read it yet because I don't have much money right now and to pay the shippings bills across the Atlantic I usually buy several books each time, so I'm putting this book on my list and buy it next time. It was written by Thista, keeper of Cataleos. It is on Artemis: Dancing In Moonlight (click the name for a link to Lulu)

And now, another image of Apollo and Artemis, this time seeing them as Gods of Sun and Moon. Done by Malicekisho. Again, click on the image to see it in the original context.

Apollo and Artemis

2008-01-27T13:44:00.000Z

I think it is interesting that in some areas of Greece Apollo and Artemis were husband and wife. The most curious thing is that even in "mainstreem" Greek polytheism they relation between the two is still rather erotic (for the lack of a better word). Take the myth of Orion, for instance, when Apollo tricked Artemis into killing her to-be-lover, or when Artemis chases those that hurt Apollo in some other myths.

In fact, the Gods are highly connected. They are brothers, twins, lovers, married, only because we don't have a word for complete symbiosis - they complete each other, one ends what the other starts - the wild and the civilized, women and men, opposites that are embodied in Artemis and Apollo, whom are so close to each other only to show us that opposites are illusions and boundaries artificial.

So, here is the picture that got me thinking, click on it to go to the original site. It was done by the wonderful artist blackeri.

On Archers in Ancient Greece

2007-12-28T12:22:00.001Z

This is an excerpt from the bood Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece by Lesley and Roy Adkins, an excellent book which I highly recommend. This part is about Archers, under the chapter on warfare:

"Archers were used in Greek warfare from earliest times, and archery is mentioned quite often in Homer's Iliad. Archery seems to have played a crucial role in the Trojan War, but Homer implies that archers had a lower status than spearmen. Leaders like Teucer and Odysseus were proficient with the bow, but they also fought with other weapons. However, there is some evidence of groups of specialist archers even at this early date.

Later Greek armies concentrated on soldiers of the phalanx, and archery seems to have been neglected, except in Crete. Contingents of archers in Greek armies were therefore often mercenaries, usually Scythians or Cretans. Athens employed Scythian and Cretan archers as early as the 6th century BC. Scythian archers were often portrayed in contemporary Attic vase paintings, frequently shooting from a kneeling position. They wore a distinctive longpointed cap or hat, loose tunic, and trousers; slung from their belt was a bow case, which also contained their arrows. The Scythians protected the hoplites, and in the 5th century BC Scythian archers who had been bought as public slaves for Athens served as a police force in the city.

Nevertheless, the importance of archery was not fully appreciated until the latter part of the Peloponnesian War, and archers were not always used effectively. In part, this may have been because Greek archers pinched the bowstring between thumb and forefinger, a weak grip that did not allow them to use the most powerful bows. The Scythian used the first three fingers of the hand curled around the bowstring (the "Mediterranean loose", still used today) and so could draw the more powerful Scythian bows. Hellenistic armies made greater use of archers, but unlike the Parthian armies, the Greeks never used archers as a main element of their forces. Archers were generally armed with only a bow and arrows and did not wear armor. They were almost always foot soldiers; mounted archers were rarely used by the Greeks until the time of Alexander the Great."

Some notes to be taken:

Even though specialized archers were inferior in class, don't forget that Apollo also uses the sword and is, after all, the Lord - we could say he is sort of a special archer;
Strenghtning how special he is, on the myth of Delphi he came mounted on a Dolphin and then shoot the Python, but not mounted, much like the leaders in the Broze Age would drive charriots or horses to the battle, but unmount to fight;
The Greeks employed foreigns to their archery ranks and they were better archers than the Greeks; Apollo is also the god of foreign people, maybe it is just a coincidence?;
Archers as policeman sounds really odd, but it fits Apollo as protector of the community.

Know Yourself and Know Your Limits

2007-12-16T18:20:00.000Z

Apollo is the God of gifts. If you think of it, all gifts can be seen as coming from Apollo: beauty, physical excellence, intelligence, balance, compassion but also cold thought, any form of artistic talent, any skill with the body or the mind. If you have a gift, and you are bound to have at least one, odds are Apollo is related to it somehow. Perhaps it comes from being the God of perfection.

This may seem to draw him nearer humanity, as a distributor of gifts, but because he has all the gifts it actually draws him farther away. He is all we will never be alone, but he is all we could be if we came together and joined our gifts to make our jobs, his lesson is that we need to know ourselves, know what we excel at, then we can contribute with it to the building of a greater humanity, because you cannot try to do it all by yourself, you have to know your limits and be kind with your friends who will help you when your limits can't be overcome.

Knowing thyself and knowing your limits is not meant to be a barrier to your deeds. Instead, it is meant for you to know when to stop and realize that only together, working with the rest of humanity, can we hope to draw nearer the God of Light, who is also, coincidently, God of Community Building and the founding of colonies, in this age spiritual colonies and communities.

So, we need to find our Oracle of Delphi again, not as the physical place where the future is told, but as the spiritual place where all humanity will come together and seek advice from each other, complementing each other with the gifts the god gave us, for that is, in truth, seeking the God himself and having his light as our guide.

Apollo, to you, of you

2007-12-05T21:23:00.000Z

Apollo,
Beam of music and dance,
Sound of the universe,
You who cross the skies,
Melody of Olympus,
I call.

Paian,
Trance of healing and chaos,
Creator of unseen beauty,
You who command the mind,
Destroyer of light and shadow,
I praise.

Phoebus,
Light of the stars and suns,
Fame of voice and body divine,
You who outdo all,
Whisper of wisdom and oracles,
I worship.

And to you,
Archer of plagues and blessings,
Wizard and Shaman of Gods,
To you who work from afar,
Orb of infinity and nothingness,
I offer this prayer.

Light and Mood

2007-11-29T00:52:00.000Z

I have always associated Apollo with the mood and feelings. Mainly, I used to connect this with his music and poetry. However, today I realized how limited that idea was, because so many more facets of his being deal with mood changing and extreme feelings.

For instance, Apollo himself is falling in love all the time. But just as easily you can see him mad shooting people and animals alike. At one time he is playing the lyre, then he grabs his bow and, like the night, he comes and destroys. Just like day and night always follow one another.

It was light itself that reminded me of this. With the days shortening, we have fewer and fewer light hours here in Portugal where we are so used to light. Today my bedroom's light bulb went out and I was studying for ours with just the desk light. I got really depressed and started watching sad clips on youtube... Just because of the light! That's how strong Apollo is.

And I don't even need to mention the strong emotions that come with disease, death, health, growth, manhood, etc, etc, etc... All those associated with Apolo.

So, once again, I would like to contradict Freud and re-state that Apollo is not a god of meere cold reason - He is a god of cold reason and intense emotion. I guess one could say he is the god of the brain?

To Roxy

2007-11-09T20:55:00.000Z

For a while I haven't post here. My life has been a little busy, but that is no excuse. Apollo harshly remembered me by killing one of the few friends I have... My dog. My posts will re-start with a a little homage to my lost friend.

To roxy

The bright archer has shown his dark face
And now you rest in the embrace of his sister.
Go, reach the Goddess and play with her
For you certainly are fit for the playful Artemis.

I will remember your beautiful eyes
And your sweet nose, dark and moist.
The joy it was to play with you,
How you comforted us when we were down,
How you reached for us and thanked
For as little as a soft tap in your head.

You always seek to please us,
Often you showed confusion,
For we did not know what we want.
But still, you tried to do it…

I will remember your soft hair
And your warm licks,
Your joy and ecstasy every time we got home,
When I came from Lisbon
How you greet me jumping and running.
Now you left us and we are less.

But go, dance in the sky with the Dog Star,
Hunt with the archer in the deep forests,
Howl in the night with the wind that sweeps,
Become whatever you wished to be!

The Power of Music

2007-08-29T10:48:00.000Z

All I need is
The Rhythm Divine
Lost in the music
Your heart will be mine
All I need is
The look in your eyes
Viva la music
Say you'll be mine

"Rhythm Divine" by Enrique Iglesias. This music may be about love but it can also be about music and its power. Somehow it reminds me of Apollo and how it takes over all our being when he wants. I can't quite remember who was the ancient poet that focused so much on this, I believe it was Pyndar, that even said that Apollo's music even has power over Zeus, casting sleep over the eagle when He wants. I believe that is this power that makes Apollo so powerful and even equates the bow with the lyre and makes Apollo patron of Spirit.

Besides, this can be a great way for Apollo to gain lovers in a way that may seem involuntary: we can't quite control ourselves or our emotions when music meddles with them!

Apollo is home!

2007-08-28T17:50:00.000Z

Heed him! Do you not see?
Do you not recognize the light
Pouring from the windows
Like a violent stream?

Heed him! Do you not feel?
Do you not smell the golden perfume,
Isn't an ever burning flame
Inside you dancing?

Ah, ripples in the lake,
The palm trees waving;
How can't you recognize him
In the wind that blows doors apart?

Away evil! Out with miasma,
Cleanse your soul,
For the ground noisily trembling
Announces the Lord has come!

Golden! All is gold;
Feel the wind in your face,
Open your temple houses,
For Apollo is home!

See the flames stirring,
Listen to the sweet sound of the bow
And sing Ie, Ie Paion!
It is him who comes singing!
Ie, Ie Paion!
See him coming fair and pure
And all together do sing
In your houses and altars
Ie, Ie Paion!
Welcome Lord!
Welcome Apollo!

Poem I wrote to invoke Apollo at the begging of mystic rituals concerning His being (namely my Kyklos Apollon Ritual) and the revival of His cult. The poem is inspired in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful hymns and certainly the best to call for Apollo, though I am a little biased because it was when I called for Apollo with this hymn that I first felt him answer and fell Him by my side and inside me. I speak of the first lines of Callimachus Hymn to Apollo:

How Apollo's laurel sapling shakes!
How the whole temple shakes! Away, away with the wicked!
It must be Phoebus kicking at the door with his fair foot.
Do you not see? The Delian palm nods gently,
All of a sudden; the swan sings beautifully in the air.
Bolts of the doors, thrust yourselves back.
Keys - open the doors! For the God is no longer far away.

I especially like the last "Keys - open the doors! For the God is no longer far away." It fills me with awe and seems so very fit to the revival of an Ancient religion!

PS: the translation is found in Kerenyi's Apollo - The Wind, the Spirit and the God and I don't know who is the translator

Apollo God of Magic, Shamanism, Poetry, Oracles...

2007-08-24T12:20:00.000Z

No update for over a month! Shame on me, shame on me! It's not that I have been so filled up with work that I can't find time to update, in fact I have no work at all and that has caused me to slowly but steadily descend into... laziness, I guess. I have been doing just regular worship activities (daily devotions, monthly ritual to Apollo and Asklepios and a few small devotions here and there) and have been searching about Zeus on my new books. I have also written a review for Ancient Greek Religion by J.D. Mikalson for Amazon, which you can find here.

I am now reading Greek Divination A Study of its Methods and Principles by W.R. Halliday. So far I have seen ltos of Principles and few Methods but it still makes me think. Evidence I have come up with in that Apollo is a God of Medicine-Men, Shamans, Magicians and the likes (without much detail):

The most obvious is that he is God of oracles;
He often possesses and chases people, just like magical/divine/mana power;
He requires purity and it is widely known that purity is also required to perform magical, healing and divining actions;
He killed the serpent Python and goes through a series of tests, purifications and evolutions, just like shamans have to, like magicians do and like oracles were portrayed doing (the first that comes to mind is Tiresias);
He is Hekatos, the far darter and the one who strikes from afar, an epithet often found in magicians who strike their enemies from afar;
He has a magic wand, the laurel, which comes ready with a mythical story of its acquisition;
He is God of music and poetry which have probably originated in magical incantations and are still a part of many rituals;
Inscriptions regarding magic and oracles most often feature him and also his brother Hermes;
He has a very dark side and a light side, just like the magical powers (mana) can be used for good and bad alike.

I'm sure I will come up with a lot more and probably I will eventually have enough material to write a small essay.

It is good that the book makes me think about this, but I wish it had more practices...

The Distance

2007-07-16T15:19:00.000Z

The song "I can go the distance" of Disney's Hercules soundtrack not only conveys perfectly the spirit of Herakles but it always reminds me of Burkert's description of Apollo: the God is distant and remains distant, but it is through that distance that Man can identify himself and strive to reach a little further and make that distance smaller.

In other news, I just received, 10 minutes ago, The Cults of Apollo at Sparta: the Hyakinthia, the Gymnopaidai and the Karneia, by Michael Petterson. However, I am still reading Asklepios' book and haven't even finished his page for Neokoroi yet.

Apollo, Asklepios and Portugal

2007-07-14T19:15:00.000Z

I just learnt that the laurel and the olive tree are the two tree-symbols of Portugal. By coincidence they are also symbols of Apollo (whom I think is the patron of Portugal) and Asklepios, both of them my patrons! I love this little coincidences.

And what interest may this have for the majority of the worshipers? Well you probably already knew about Apollo and the laurel, but that the olive tree is considered a tree of Asklepios is not so well know (in fact the laurel was also often found at his festivals, probably a reminescence of when he was dependent on his father, Apollo, to act). So, you learnt something, which is why I will put this under the "Facets" umbrella.

Update

2007-07-11T16:35:00.000Z

Phew, it has been a while since I last updated something on the net. Like I said previously this is due to my exams buy... Now they ended, I finished the last one just a few hours ago (Psychology). Therefore I will be a lot more active than I have been.

To my surprise when I got home I had "Apollo - the Wind, the Spirit and the God" by Karl Kerényi waiting for me! I can't wait to read it, but right now I am reading "Asclepius: a collection and interpretation of the testimonies" by the Edelstein's so it will have to wait. I have been working on the Asclepius page for Neokoroi but now it will proceed much quicker and I expect to have it finished by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, since last saturday was the 7th of the 7th month of the 7th year of the 2nd ( :( ) millenia, I did a little something for Apollo and also wrote the article I promised about the Homeric Hymn number 21, which you can now see at the Neokoroi page at http://www.neokoroi.org/apollon.htm#homeric

I also watched the ellection of the new 7 wonders (hosted in my own country, close to my College and my apartment, but I wasn't at Lisbon that day, so I didn't even bothered to try and buy a ticket) and I must say I was not happy that the Acropolis did not win. Anyway, it was good for us if that meant that it would receive less turists (it would be much easier to preserve it and the cluster of turists sure reduces the sense of mysticism) but I doubt that will happen...

Homeric Hymn to Apollo

2007-07-03T10:06:00.000Z

I am currently developing the idea of writing about the Homeric Hymn XXI to Apollo. I will be doing it in the next few days (probably not today as tomorrow is my immunology exam (which I consider something under the tutelage of Apollo), but then I will only have psychology so I can afford to write this) and submit it to Neokoroi for Apollo's page. I am also developing Asclepios' page for the same group, though I wont send it until I read the book I ordered through Amazon and just shipped today (Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of Testimonies, by Emma J. Edelstein, Ludwig Edelstein, and Gary B. Ferngren).

With this shipment there are also loads of other books (namely Farnel's Cults of the Greek States, except volume 3 which was out of stock and will arrive later) and I have also ordered through a separate shipment Apollo the Wolf God by Daniel Gershenson, Apollo: the Wind, the Spirit and the God by Karl Kerenyi and Cults of Apollo at Sparta by Michael Pettersson, among other books about Delphi. I guess I will have a busy summer! It is so good to have my birthday just before my summer break!

I plan on making a summary or at least a review of each of these books and post it, probably on the Online Temple of Apollon and Asclepios, sometime in the next year.

Apollo and Poseidon

2007-06-29T12:07:00.000Z

The relation between Apollo and Poseidon is worthy of, at least, an entire article (hack, I think some would even be able to do more than one book!), but right in the middle of my finals I cannot afort to do it, even though it is something that interests me a lot.

Anyway, so you won't complain I haven't been very productive, here is a small list of things I might include in the said article:

The very famous confrontation of the elder and stormy (literally) Poseidon and the younger and moderated Apollon in the Iliad, were the young God avoids confrontation with the elder saying the humans are like leaves and not worth of a fight between them (even though he kept fighting with Athena, Ares and even, indirectly, with Hera throughout the book!);
The fact that they are opposites in age and self-control (in general, of course) but still they are often associated in cult;
One account according to which Poseidon was lord of Delphi before Apollo;
The myth when Apollo and Poseidon both wanted Hestia who chose not marry any of them not to offend them;
The detail that in myth Zeus often makes decisions when Poseidon is not present (of which the God many times complains) while Apollo, on the other hand, is like a "book keeper" of Zeus' plans;
Poseidon is obviously Lord of the Sea, but Apollo is also the dolphin, guides sailors, saves them, is the God celebrated when the sea travelling season opens and is "of the cliff" and "of the shore"
They built together the Walls of Troy, but then were not paid: Poseidon turned against the Trojans, but Apollo stood by their side;
It is also interesting that the other Gods usually have no problems, most of the time, having mortals love them (or at least have an affair with them), while many myths show both Apollo and Poseidon having problems with love;
Poseidon is father of Evadne, who later had a son of Apollo, Iamos;
This has probably no meaning, but of the 4 pan-hellenic games, 2 were celebrated in honour of Zeus and the Isthmic Games in honour of Poseidon and the Pythian Games in honour of Apollo.

Apollo Near and Far

2007-06-26T11:08:00.000Z

Apollo is the one who shoots from afar, who stands at the distance watching down at us, meere leaves that fall just as easily. This is the aspect most schoolars focus, trying to understand all his being through this - Burkert does this brilliantly IMHO.

However, no one ever says that:

He is the God that possesses people and inspires them prophetic mania;
He whispered to his prophets in clear words and some even say that he sexually raped them when they were prophetizing;
He has contless myths where he falls in love with mortals, plays with mortals, talks with mortals;
He did a number of works on earth: killed the Python, built the walls of Troy, worked has a shepherd, not to mention his participation on the Trojan War;
He was reputed to conduct men sailing abord a ship, to save them and even guide them in the form of a Dolphin;
He has several earthen symbols (plants such as the bay and the cypress, animals like the mice, wolves and lion) and few aerial (crow, some types of falcon).

And these are just the ones I can think of the top of my head. I wander if this has something to do with Apollo being a God of contradictions because he teaches moderation: neither too much distance nor too much closeness.

Temple Updates

2007-06-23T10:29:00.001Z

I have updated the Temple of Apollon and Asklepios with links (finally!). Not that much, just a side note :)

Apollo and Daphne

2007-06-23T10:24:00.000Z

Muses of the divine Olympus, Goddess whose braids are crowned with violets and whose lyres and thousand arts mesmerize the Gods and inspire the mortals, daughters of Mnemosine, I beg you inspire me to sing of the golden archer who strikes form afar, Lord of Delphi and Delos, Apollo of the lyre.

Great is his power, when he shines like the day in the house of the immortals and plays his magical lyre, entrancing the Gods like no other, inspiring them the sweet sleep and heavy reflection. But he can also excite the heart and electrify the soul with his tunes, inspiring movement and dynamic to the Gods who soon rise from their seats to enjoy the dances of Artemis and the Kharites.

And when the feasts are over is power does not end. Then he descends to the earth and cleans all that is too much, the great Alexikakos, purifying us from our core so that we may be pure and thus may worship the Gods not fearing they won’t respond for repugnance of our miasma.

It was on one of these days, when he walked in the earth, a laugh like the song of a thousand birds, a freshness of the chastest spring radiating from his golden hair, the splendour of his being astonishing all creatures, that he was seen by the young Eros, the trickster, who soon armed himself.

He watched the God and the nymph who sang in the woods hugging the trees and worshiping Ge, our Great mother, and soon his heart filled with dark plans, for Apollo had won him in competition. Eros grabbed his feared and loved quiver and from it took two arrows: with one, golden and lilac, fair as the flowers, he shot the God who instantly fell in love for Daphne; the other, dark as Tartarus, he aimed without failing to the innocent nymph, whose heart filled with disgust for the one who now loved her.

Apollo immediately ran chasing the nymph, like hunter and prey, unwearyingly trying to gain her affection, but the nymph always repudiated him and ran away. Until one day, desperate with the strength of Apollo’s love, she asked the Great Mother for help. And thus from her fingers spring perfumed leaves, thus reaching her arms towards the skies branches they become, with her feet set in the earth they pierce it and her eyes become beautiful berries.

Greatly Apollo grieved in his heart, for love did not abandon his heart, like hate did from Daphne’s, for it is not correct that a tree hates. And so the God gently picked a few branches from the mighty tree and with them made a crown which now graces his hair. And ever since he declared the bay, Daphne’s tree, his most sacred plant, and instituted that it shall represent him on earth.

And hence we use laurel leaves to purify and sweep the temples, and hence we grace our winners with bay branches and offer the perfumed leaves to the great Golden God.

May you be favourable towards us, Apollo, and may we please you with simple rites and words. Ie, Apollon!

Apollo in the videogames

2007-06-20T12:22:00.000Z

These are my two favorite images of Apollo. Funy thing is they are both from video games and not ancient...

This picture is from the game Age of Mythology. You can see in the last post this is also the picture I currently have on my Shrine to Apollo, and it is also the picture I have has a cover in the notebook I use to record rituals I make to Apollo, offerings and divination. I think it blends in a very profound way both the light and dark aspects of Apollo.

This picture is concept art from the game Zeus, Master of Olympus. I currently have it as a cover of my journal and use it everywhere to keep the God present in my mind (at my wallet, my notebooks..). I just like it, don't know why...

Apollon's Shrine

2007-06-19T11:07:00.000Z

Yesterday I took some pictures of my thanksgiving ritual to Apollon, Asklepios, Hermes and Aphrodite and decided to take one of my Apollon's Shrine. It is quite simple, and is like this since last Noumenia (probably by the next Noumenia it will be different), and I use it to pray, do ritual, divination, meditate and practice Yoga.

Noumenia Hymn

2007-06-17T15:42:00.000Z

An Hymn to read during the Noumenia in honour of all the Gods and in the context of Neokoroi.

Noumenia Hymn to All the Gods

A new month begins and we, the neokoroi, again join to worship the immortal Gods and request their aid in re-establishing their cult. Hear, athanatoi, while I praise you and sing of you in this new month, after cleaning your shrines and lighting the perfumed incense in your honour.

First Hestia, Goddess of the hearth so calm and gentle, the One who comforts us, always the first, always the last, as the law commands, may your fires burn once again in lovely temples inside each of us and outside as well.

Then Apollon, the God to whom I sing and whom I praise with greatest enthusiasm, the Lord, guide of light in the darkness, with his bow of fair heart-calming music he soothes the thunder and with his lyre of lethal arrows the God tremble before him, may your oracles guide us once more and help us, may our actions fit the words you inspire in an ever-flowing stream.

And then Selene the Moon, who now slowly unveils her face and greets us, mere mortals, again with her silvery beauty, the Goddess for whom the shepherds’ heart long as they gaze the starry sky, the one who stands among the stars, may you look down and see us, your worshipers, once more singing and celebrating the Immortal Ones.

And to the Agathos Daimon as well, the gorgeous heavenly spirit, may you possess us always, may our actions be righteous reflexes of your guidelines and mirrored images of your unspeakable brothers, great serpent and youth of the vine.

And now, Muses of fair braids and crowned with violets, maidens of infinite art, lend me a piece of your grace to honour all the Gods, and may my words please the voice no man can resist as well.

So I sing of the Olympians, father Zeus who rules all: Zeus that was, Zeus that is, Zeus who will be, Zeus who is all, Zeus who is nothing, the voice of thunder and wind; and Hera of the divine throne, whose beauty entrances even the most powerful of Gods, perfect, Teleia, heavenly bride who guides us with the strength of your spirit; and to Poseidon too, who rules the seas and also the fertility of the land, shaker of the earth with his feared trident, ancient and venerable God; and Demeter, sister of Zeus, of golden hair like the cereals, the one who feeds us with care, eternal mother for us, even after such great sufferings her heart bearded. May the brothers and sister I already sang of and also the other, the terrible, the unseen, the venerable Hades, Lord who rules over our souls for ever, help us and be please with the offerings we offer with our heart, may their temples again be filled with perfume and the sweet taste of everflowing libations.

And also Aphrodite is a righteous Olympian, Goddess who amazes mortals and immortals alike, with an irresistible smile, whose web of Eros, her winged son, no one can oppose, feared and love with an equal measure is this pair. To she who walks with the Kharites, powerful Goddesses who decide what a man shall have and shall not, beauty, wisdom, character; and to all her power we sing.

And Hephaistos, noble artisan, a God who does not refuse work or arts, lord of the anvil who teaches to persist and to labour, great immortal who is in Olympus by merit and not just by birth, as is common and right to such superior beings, great artisan of lovely arts, may our rude craft please you.

And Ares too, who bears so much, tough God and teacher for Man, may we understand the valour of strife and bravery, give us strength to stand steady and face all obstacles. Keep Eris by your side, ride Phobos and Deimos away from us, so that you may enjoy with them our songs.

And Artemis, Goddess so charming as she dances and laughs through the mountains, and the beautiful Nymphs who dance with her, all spirits of Nature and the Great mother Gaia, all of them we worship and with all of the the Great Artemis rejoice, a terrible Goddess of love and agony, nurturing Goddess of children and brides, may your vitality inspire us and may we be free to worship you! And to Leto as well, you mother and of the divine Phoebus, we worship in our heats.

Athena too, of the sparkling eyes shining in the night, who whispers wise advices at her heroes hears, Goddess who weaves strategies like no one and with tools relieves our labours, may you guide us, the neokoroi, with words of wisdom and divine counsel.

And the blissful Dionysus who worship, God of enthousiasmos who allows us to understand a tinny spot of the immortal aspect, who dances with his satyrs and maenads, great is our wonder and our heart burns with praise when the divine pompé walks by, crown with the God of ivy, may rivers of wine flow in your honour once more and our minds become obscure and our spirits filled with divine ecstasy. And may our heart sing of your mother Semele and your lovely Ariadne.

And to Hermes, winged God swift as no other, great Angelos and guide, may your messages reach us loud and clear and may you guide us in the way of the neokoros, you who guide even the dead, who transpose all we thought unbreakable, who shake the world and give all that is dynamic, and to your great mother Maia.

And also to those who inhabit the dark ends of the world, their king the horrifying Hades, their queen the awful Persephone for whom our hearts rejoice in spring and mourn in winter, Goddess of great forgiving heart, and also to the Styx, great oath of the Gods, Kharon, to whom we own a dark trip, and to all the beings I dare not name. To all of you I praise and also to Hekate, endowed with power over all that exists in our material world, who commands the skies, the earth and the seas with magic of her unseen hand, triple Goddess of road crosses and night.

And those deities that rejoice in the Earth, the Nymphs and the Satyrs, also Eos who shreds the mists, pink Goddess who loves her brother Helios, of the golden chariot, whom brings Hemera and carries Hiperion, great Gods whom we love. And to all the rivers and seas, all the mountains and trees, the caves that hide beneath the earth, the springs and wells, the lakes, clouds, stars, the rain and the land, prairies, swamps, oceans, the frozen fields of the peaks, the hills and cliffs, beaches and deserts and all that is and was I praise. And to Pan with his flute, who rejoices in fields with herds running in panic, and the Anemoi who always run.

And to Themis, divine order whom all weights and pounders; and her daugheters, the Horai, Goddess of the just and righteous measurem, Eunomia, who does all in the right order, Eirine, of whom we sing hymns and to whom we praise, and Dike, whom so many offend; but Zeus lets no man offend the daughters of Themis for long, harshly punishing any who does. And to Metis, eternal wisdom, Thetys, a name of water, leader of the Nereids and also Tethys, source of water. And surely to the great Ocean who embraces all.

And to the Moiroi who impose the limits and weave endlessly, to Nemesis who is terrible to the enemies of the divine order, as well as to the Eumenids, whom the wrong-doer fears greatly. To Nix, the awful night without end, to Khronos, who eats all and has no mercy, to Tartarus, dark place of the great offenders. To Ananke of whom none escapes we also praise, and to Khaos, who was first.

And also to Rhea, great Mother, Ouranos, father Sky, and to Kybele, to the Titans favoured by the immortal one and to those that, yet inferior to the Gods, are terribly superior to the strongest of Man. To the Kabeiroi, the Koribants, Kouretes, Dione, Bendis, Zagreus, to all the beings that are companions of the Gods, to Hebe, who serves the divine nectar, to Iris, who carries their messages, blissful bridge from heaven to hearth, Eileithya for whom the women yell, to Priapos, who suffers a curse and still blesses us, to Prometheus, who endured a great pain and nurtures us, to Nike, the sweet victory, may all Gods and Goddesses be pleased and bless us.

And also to Tyche, whose power is great, the Goddess who decides what each man and woman will have and not have, the Goddess who gives and takes away, great is the power Zeus gifted you and great are our praises.

And to the Gods who already experience our mortal suffering, my dear Asklepios, great father of Medicine who relieves the terrible pain, may you teach us and bring with you your lovely daughter Hygia; to Herakles, great inspiration to us all, you who bearded so much and gained the hug and breast of Hera, whom taught you in the harshest way; to the protecting Dioscuroi, their sister, the fair Helen, Ganymedes who was taken, Adonis who was loved, and also to all heroes of all the world, to the dead ones – to all of them, ancestral creators of what we are today.

May I delight all the divine beings, and also those I didn’t mentioned, hoping not to offend any of you and hoping to have pleased you.

And again I praise you, maidens of violet braids, with lyres and arts, and to your mother Mnemosine, I praise and thank you for inspiring me in this hymn to the Gods!

And, as is fit, again of Hestia, the first and the last, I sing.

Asklepios Ascends

2007-06-16T13:52:00.003Z

And now the hymn to Asklepios for that same thanksgiving. (I have also made and hymn to Aphrodite and Hermes for the same ritual, but this is no place for them, you can read them inmy livejournal, Writing Temple).

There is a God, who once was less,
But still he would relief our pains,
Still he would teach us and aid us,
And even still he could break death.

Dazzling was his father,
But he was a splendorous man,
A wise, bright and selfless man.
But alas, Ananke must never be broken,
And death is not to be reversed:
Slowed down, fooled, stoped,
Never reversed.

And a powerful thunder,
A great bean of divine energy,
Came down from the skies…
Oh, why haven’t you foreseen this?
You, father who cried tears of amber,
Who can foresee all there is to come,
And who knows all there is and was…
And we lost a great man.

But Zeus is not blind to our prayers
And the same energy that destroys
Can also create and bestow eternity.
And so it was that Asklepios,
Great helper and reliever,
Became a God, a much loved God.

To you I sing this hymn;
I thank your for your blessings
And ask that you continue to watch over me,
And stay by my side, close to me,
With your perfumed haired daughter.

Dark Darter, Bright Archer

2007-06-16T13:32:00.000Z

Like I said, I need to make a ritual of thanksgiving to Apollo, here is the only English poem I wrote for that occasion (the others will be in Portuguese), Dark Darter, Bright Archer:

The sun rests once more
In the land beyond the world
Where a dark temple of gloom
Houses the darkest light.

In the quiet sounds of night
A shadow moves terribly,
All Gods tremble as he goes,
Soft and dreadful as a panther,
All creatures hide in terror
At the sound of the plague arrows
Clashing against the golden quiver.

And our hearts shiver
At the sound of the dark laugh,
When the Lord draws an arrow
And points His terrible bow.
A dark dart crosses the skies
And we fall like leaves from trees.

But He is sweeter than the work of bees,
And soon the sun is born again,
The night turns to day
And pink-fingered Eos smiles.
Then, the Lord descends once more
Laughing like a lovely song
Singing and dancing,
All Gods rise from their seats and dance,
All creatures rejoice and greet Him,
And the birds sing, both the swans and sparrows.

And again he darts, with golden arrows,
All troubles are relieved, all pain suppressed,
Light fills us and all is clear and soft;
No more desperate, no longer darker.

And again the night, the dark darter,
Again the day, the bright archer,
Dark darter, bright archer,
Again and again.
Apollon, I thank you for your gifts,
Gifts darker than the absence of light,
Gifts brighter than a thousand days,

And As this worshiper prays,
May the words please you
And may we meet again
In joyful celebration of your being!

Apollon Dionysodotes

2007-06-16T09:30:00.000Z

I have several thoughts on what does it mean to have an Apollon Dionysodotes (who gives us Dionysos), but yesterday as I watched the replay of the Award Ceremony of the Nobel Prize for Peace (awarded to Muhammad Yunus) it just occurred to me:

Apollon is the God of music and music induces trance and is a vital part of Dionysos worship (not to mention the cult of all other Gods, but especially Dionysos), so maybe what Apollon Dionysodotes means is that it is through the arts of Apollon that we can communicate and experience Dionysos.

Apollo Butterfly

2007-06-15T10:55:00.000Z

Yay! I just discovered that there is a butterfly named Parnassius Apollo. This is probably of no interest to any of you, but here are some pictures anyway:

Bow = Lyre

2007-06-15T09:33:00.000Z

On Kyklos Apollon list there has recently been a discussion about the lyre and the bow. People eventually got to the conclusion that they are one and the same. Yesterday I was reading Pindar (Olympic Odes) and found this:

Many are the arrows I carry underneath
my arm in the quiver,
arrows that speak to those who understand them! But in general
it is necessary interpreters.

A poet carries arrows underneath his arm (where bards would carry lyres) and arrows that speak to those who understand? That seems quite like the same conclusion that the bow and the lyre are one and the same. I leave you with another of Pindar's disturbing sentences:

But now from the bows that strike from afar, of the Muses

PS: I am reading Pindar translated to Portuguese by Frederico Lourenço and am translating from Portuguese to English myself. This last sentence looks confusing in English with the words arranged like that, but if I were making a freer translation it would be:

But now from the bows that strike from afar, which the Muses own

Long time...

2007-06-14T17:38:00.000Z

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted something!

I am in the mid of my exams and have little time, so my religious life is now in a sort of standby in which I merely do daily devotional acts and think about the gods now and then, but the thoughts are immediately replaced with physiology, immunology, biochemistry, histology and the likes and I forget them.

Either way, I am being very luck and I recon that at least Apollon, Hermes and Asklepios are being kind to me. I also get the impression Aphrodite is calling me, but this is subject to another place.

Anyway, when I have time I have been researching about Pyanepsia, so I am actually doing something, just not updating that much.

Kala Thargelia

2007-05-22T17:19:00.000Z

Happy Thargelia!

There has been a lot of talking lately in quite a few number of Hellenic groups about this festival dedicated to Artemis and Apollon. This year the Thargelia starts today (22nd of May) at sunset and ends when the sun sets two days later, Thursday, May 24. I thought of gather a small list of "all things Thargelia", so here it goes:

Pharmakos, the very famous space goat. In ancient times the pharmakos would be a real person, or more than one, whom would either be stoned to death, wiped with onion, kicked out of town or other forms of pain purification or of riddance of miasma from the community. This is the purpose of the pharmakos, though nowadays it can also be used as a way to purify oneself. Also, in modern times the pharmakos is a symbolic representation which is usually ritually charged with all one wishes to change in one self and then disposed in a ritualistic manner (mostly burning), and there are even people who don't use it at all and have some other less violent form of purification instead. And, on a side note, the pharmakos ritual does not involve Apollon or Artemis in particular;

Thargelos: the thargelos is either a stew of all kinds of grain you can find, a bread of all kinds of grain you can find or both. Either way, it is an offering made to Apollon in a kind of first fruit offering, so the God might give plentiful harvests. This is that kind of offering witch you give to the god but don't eat yourself, unlike the feast that follows, which, many suggest, should be vegetarian;

Birthday: this festival celebrates the birthday of Artemis (6th Thargelion, the first day) and of Apollon (7th Thargelion, the second day) according to some sources, although this would vary from city to city and even inside one city. Anyway, this could be an appropriate time to offer significant gifts to the Gods, such as jewelery, statues, clothing and such. It could also be celebrated in a modern frame by singing happy birthday and offering a birthday cake (although I suspect the Thargelos can be kind of a birthday cake)

Artemis: ok, it should be obvious that Artemis is celebrated in this ritual as well as Apollon. However, many find it difficult to understand why, or in what way, because of how the Thargelos is given to Apollon only and the all purification theme. However, it should be noted that not only is this Artemis' birthday (as well as Apollon's) but the celebration was originally Artemisian and only later shifted to being primarily Apollonian. Also, Artemis is often associated with purification by pain, most famously in Sparta;

Brutality: the Thargelia is a brutal and abhorrent ritual, it is about the dark side of everything and it is an obscure ritual in the first day (read the hymn just below), and a bright ritual in the second. In my opinion, one should not dismiss the dark part of the ritual just because we don't feel comfortable with it, darkness is a very common attribute of both Artemis and Apollon, the slayers of Niobe's children;

Purification: Thargelia is about purification with the pharmakos, which can be wiped with onion, stoned and burned. It has also been suggested that one would purify oneself in a more literal way, by wiping oneself with onion, maybe throwing some stones or do something painful. Tradition says that the all society and community should be purified, but nowadays it is common to purify just the the community celebrating the festival;

Eiresione: the eiresione is a branch of olive tree with fruit and oil hanging from it that is made either in the Pyanepsia or the Thargelia and is hang in the door for the year, until another one is made. Either it is made in the Pyanepsia or the Thargelia, on the second day of the Thargelia it is carried around in the procession by the boys;

I will be posting the ritual and a small page about the festival in Ancient and Modern times in my page (http://portuskale.org/) which, unfortunately, is in Portuguese, probably tomorrow. However, at my online Temple of Apollon and Asklepios (http://portuskale.org/temple/) I will probably also post something about this and maybe a recipie for the Thargelos either tomorrow or Thursday.

The Dark Singer

2007-05-21T23:17:00.001Z

*Some parts of this hymn may be shocking for some people. Please don't read if you are easily impressed (and also if you don't want to learn or come in contact with the dark side of the Gods)*

*Warning Made, enjoy*

Darkness covers the skies
And only your dark gloom shines,
The distance of your eyes amazes
And only frightened we may approach.

Fools we are, mere instants
Whom laugh and sing and dance.
But distant you gaze and shoot,
Your arrows made with pain and sorrow,
Your skin covered in the blood of youngsters,
Your truth so terrifying and lethal.

And you sing and laugh with pureness,
You dance among the piled bodies,
So pure as death, so clear as emptiness,
Your voice commands Thanathos
And the powers of shadow are yours,
For only you can withdraw light.

And we tremble before the dark side,
You who truthfully give us Dionysus,
Whom is both happiness of drunkenness
And the dark myst of death,
For we are fool and cannot see the balance,
How the body must fall and blood be spilled
So our truth self, the divine offered by the Gods,
Whom is both dark and light,
May be released and meet in ecstasy
With the Gods below.

And so you continue to laugh
With a voice that stops our hearts,
You remain in your eternal song
Of death and void beyond our comprehension,
Eternally you dance in the pool of blood.
Oh, so Dark and Plagueful,
Great Apollo, whom strikes from afar!

Kala Noumenia

2007-05-16T22:19:00.000Z

Happy Noumenia!

The Noumenia is celebrated in the night the moon first becomes visible after a dark moon, which is this Thursday. I celebrate the Noumenia in the context of the Neokoroi ritual (visit at http://www.neokoroi.org) which means I have a small ritual in which I have a libation to, among other Gods, Apollon Noumenios. The other libations are to Hestia, Selene, Agathos Daimon and all the Immortal Ones.

Besides the libation and standard ritual, I also use this day to deeply clean the room where I keep my altar (which will vary depending on whether I am in Lisbon or Castelo Branco) and clean the altar and images of the Gods.

In the context of Apollon cult, Apollon Noumenios is celebrated as a God of purification and renewal, whom purifies so we can star anew and kills all unnecessary. Another aspect of Him I find present in Noumenios is light bringer: the moon will again reflect the sun and cast light upon the night, and as the new month starts we ask Apollon to guide us with His light.

This is essentially a day when we renew our vows towards the Gods and honor them all with offerings, hymns and libations. It is primarily a family / private ritual, but because our community is so small it can easily be adapted to a community festival.

A Temple in Hades

2007-05-09T15:34:00.000Z

I am not sure about other sources, but in Plato we often see Apollon referred as a God whose temple rests at Hades' entrance.

What can this mean? I have several thoughts:

Apollo Thanatos, who brings death with his deadly arrows, killer of youths, defender of the city, striker from afar - Apollo delivers death and, therefore, he is at Hades entrance;

On the other hand, Apollo Paian, who delivers health and keeps death away also seems eligible to have a temple at Hades' entrance, for he would stand there and decide if one would die or live, which also relates to His aspect of prophet and his epithet Moiragetes;

Apollo Alexikalos, who purifies, also has a right to stand on Hades' entrance to rid one of all lies and miasma so that our soul would be pure again and either be judged or enter Hades or reincarnate, depending on one's believes;

Apollo Isodetes, who binds all equal could also be a judge on Hades to distribute souls according to some divine criteria;

Apollo Phoibos as patron of Philosophy, according to Plato, could be the final step upon soul ascension: in short, Philosophy is the work of the soul and philosophers upon dying would rise and join the Gods, while those who didn't work out the soul would fall again and reincarnate - this according to Plato theories. Therefore, if this "temple at Hades' entrance" is only found in Plato it can mean this;

Apollo is also called Dionusodotes, the one who gives Dionysus, and this God in undoubtedly connected with death and life beyond death;

Finnally, Asklepios, Apollon's son, once resurrected a man, which could theoretically not be done for, according to Zeus in the myth, it is against the Divine Order. Because of this Zeus punished him, however Apollon revenged his son by killing the cyclops, which shows how he supported his son - in my opinion Divine Order cannot be broken unless the God who watches over it allows it to happen. Apollo clearly was pro-resurrection in this case and therefore could well be the God who allowed Asklepios to resurrect a man.

Apollo the Purifier

2007-04-28T20:58:00.000Z

Dark as the night you come with your light
Shining upon the world, in your hand the bow
In your eyes so pure the truth of ages to come
From your mouth song flows like a stream
From you skin a perfume of a thousand flowers
And in your hands a golden sword dances.

Lord of the darkness within and without
Great power, with your being of shining light
Disperse the mists of doom and evil.

As you come from the land of the warm sun
All untruth and impure trembles before you
And the whole world shines with you radiance.
With your sword of golden waters and fire,
With your bow which strikes from afar
You fight the serpent of chaos and undoing.
With your eyes which gaze across the time,
With your hands of perfect works
You honour the serpent of origins and mind.

For only you other than Zeus are called Moiragetes,
Only you can read the mind of even the Great King,
Only you can see beyond the being and the mists
And tell the truth from lies. Teach us with your balance.

We who are impure stand before your might
And wonder fills our hearts and our eyes sparkle.
And with your soft hands you touch our forehead
And your light enters our being:
All that was me becomes yours,
All I thought I controlled slips through my hands
In the rape of your golden touch.
But as the sudden bright fills our soul
We become one with ourselves,
We are aware of the divine Ananke
Which permeates our existence.

Divine Apollo Purifier,
I ask you bless your followers
And dispel all evil and darkness
Which is too much from us.
Hail, Great Phoibos!

A God of Contradictions

2007-04-27T09:45:00.000Z

Apollon is God of:

Light and Darkness
Healing and Plagues
Saviour and Death-bringer
Boy protector and boy slayer
Colonization/Exploring and Home/Doorway
Purification and Murder
Who Shoots/Works from afar and One who helps and is often seen in battle
Truth and Poetry (which is many times a lie)
Who shines like the sun and comes like the night
Of youth and the transition to adulthood
Of the pastures and of the city
Of Music an Holy Silence

Does this has any correlation with "Nothing to Excess"? Just a small thought.

Apollo, Death-bringer and Growth into Manhood

2007-04-25T18:25:00.000Z

Just some random thought I had in the bus today:

Apollo is often named "Death-bringer", "of deadly arrows" and is seen as an active God on war. This of course correlates with the slaying of the Python, plague-bringing, and the likes; but it is also in a very war-like (or Ares-like, Athena-like) kind of death bringing.

I just realized how well this connects with another facet of him: the transition between adolescence and manhood - Apollo is the God of this initiation, just like His sister is for girls. This passage marked the entrance of a boy into the world of men which, coincidentally, is the world of war, which means that one facet of growing into manhood is war and therefore he would be death-bringer in this way as well.

Like I said, just some random thought which needs a lot to be developed upon.