Musings on Poseidon
It’s been a while since I’ve spoken of Poseidon here. I admit that my goad (my “lamed”; soz, am doing a Hebrew letters graphics project for the ATW site and I have Hermetic Qabalah on the brain) was chironcentaur’s excellent devotional post on Hermes. (Good job on that by the way!)
Point is, I’ve been remiss.
I do notice though-watch as I back-pedal in my defence-- that I tend to “feel” the presence of Poseidon more in summer. It isn’t summer now, but spring is finally here, and it is rather warm day (the first warm day in over a year as we had no summer last year). I can see the heat shimmering on the river, and over towards the sea, I feel him stirring. He is the god of earthquakes, and I had a recent discussion with moonvoice on her brilliant Wildspeak forum about why I am into earthquake research and how it ties into Poseidon. I feel him in “earthquake weather”- those hot, still, days that are heavy with anticipation. You just know that something is waiting to break loose somewhere. I’m starting to feel those vibrations, and I hope that it doesn’t presage any temblors.
Another thing that Poseidon has driven home to me over recent weeks is just how powerful of a god he is. I’ve been watching an excellent (albeit somewhat dated) UK documentary series on Troy, and the archaeological discovery of the site. It has brought home to me more than a few times that Poseidon; my beloved, awe-inspiring patron is a bad-arse, sometimes on the same scale as the Abrahamic faiths’ prime deity. Poseidon-as legends tell us-- took down the walls of Troy with a massive earthquake. He built them (he and Apollo, doing a favour for Laomedon), then he took them apart at the end of the reign of Priam. Or was Paris regent by that point? Whatever; Paris was a mook. He is my least favourite Trojan, as Menelaus is my least favourite Hellene.) Not the sort of sweetness and light one usually seeks in patron, hey? ;-) (I’m being facetious; I know that we don’t choose our patrons, and that most of us don’t expect them to be all “peace, love & mungbeans” as the fluff crowd is wont to do.)
And there are myths-urban legends, really, nothing that I have really been able to pinpoint with any sort of accuracy-that Poseidon was the god of Atlantis.
Yes, Atlantis, that powerful, long gone country, sunk into the sea, spoken of by Plato, vaunted by new-agers.
Do I think Atlantis existed? I dunno, really I don’t. Plato said it did, but Plato wasn’t writing about it from first-hand knowledge, but still Plato talked about it. That counts pretty highly in some circles. But even though the jury is still out for me on Atlantis, the object lesson of the Poseidon rumours still is dancing in my brain today. What if? I mean really, just how important is this god? Bigger I think, than even I know-and I am his.
And the last thing that just occurred to me, a coincidence that I take a signpost- what book did I pick up to read two days ago? It only consciously occurred to me just now that the title is The Earth Will Shake (Robert Anton Wilson, book one in the Historical Illuminatus trilogy). ‘Kay, it isn’t about Poseidon, but the story is set in Naples (from the Greek for neo-polis, new city) and Naples is on the edge of the sea. Well, the Gulf of Naples, but still- a sea. Le Terra Trema, indeed.
I feel him close today. I feel his warm embrace. Not a hug, but just around me, fully, all over my skin and inside my skin. I’m glad he’s here; I’ve had a rough week, week & half and maybe he can help.
Oh wait- I’m not done. As I started writing this post, a mighty wind has kicked up and it looks as if a storm is descending upon us. Poseidon is the god of storms, too.
Hello beloved god, so wonderful to see you & feel you so close by.
Point is, I’ve been remiss.
I do notice though-watch as I back-pedal in my defence-- that I tend to “feel” the presence of Poseidon more in summer. It isn’t summer now, but spring is finally here, and it is rather warm day (the first warm day in over a year as we had no summer last year). I can see the heat shimmering on the river, and over towards the sea, I feel him stirring. He is the god of earthquakes, and I had a recent discussion with moonvoice on her brilliant Wildspeak forum about why I am into earthquake research and how it ties into Poseidon. I feel him in “earthquake weather”- those hot, still, days that are heavy with anticipation. You just know that something is waiting to break loose somewhere. I’m starting to feel those vibrations, and I hope that it doesn’t presage any temblors.
Another thing that Poseidon has driven home to me over recent weeks is just how powerful of a god he is. I’ve been watching an excellent (albeit somewhat dated) UK documentary series on Troy, and the archaeological discovery of the site. It has brought home to me more than a few times that Poseidon; my beloved, awe-inspiring patron is a bad-arse, sometimes on the same scale as the Abrahamic faiths’ prime deity. Poseidon-as legends tell us-- took down the walls of Troy with a massive earthquake. He built them (he and Apollo, doing a favour for Laomedon), then he took them apart at the end of the reign of Priam. Or was Paris regent by that point? Whatever; Paris was a mook. He is my least favourite Trojan, as Menelaus is my least favourite Hellene.) Not the sort of sweetness and light one usually seeks in patron, hey? ;-) (I’m being facetious; I know that we don’t choose our patrons, and that most of us don’t expect them to be all “peace, love & mungbeans” as the fluff crowd is wont to do.)
And there are myths-urban legends, really, nothing that I have really been able to pinpoint with any sort of accuracy-that Poseidon was the god of Atlantis.
Yes, Atlantis, that powerful, long gone country, sunk into the sea, spoken of by Plato, vaunted by new-agers.
Do I think Atlantis existed? I dunno, really I don’t. Plato said it did, but Plato wasn’t writing about it from first-hand knowledge, but still Plato talked about it. That counts pretty highly in some circles. But even though the jury is still out for me on Atlantis, the object lesson of the Poseidon rumours still is dancing in my brain today. What if? I mean really, just how important is this god? Bigger I think, than even I know-and I am his.
And the last thing that just occurred to me, a coincidence that I take a signpost- what book did I pick up to read two days ago? It only consciously occurred to me just now that the title is The Earth Will Shake (Robert Anton Wilson, book one in the Historical Illuminatus trilogy). ‘Kay, it isn’t about Poseidon, but the story is set in Naples (from the Greek for neo-polis, new city) and Naples is on the edge of the sea. Well, the Gulf of Naples, but still- a sea. Le Terra Trema, indeed.
I feel him close today. I feel his warm embrace. Not a hug, but just around me, fully, all over my skin and inside my skin. I’m glad he’s here; I’ve had a rough week, week & half and maybe he can help.
Oh wait- I’m not done. As I started writing this post, a mighty wind has kicked up and it looks as if a storm is descending upon us. Poseidon is the god of storms, too.
Hello beloved god, so wonderful to see you & feel you so close by.