On Worship
On Worship
It may seem strange to be a priest to a god in whom one does not believe, but it is merely to acknowledge that worship is not ultimately about gods (whom would surely have no need of worship), but about men, for whom it is a felt necessity. History itself suggests that having an outlet for the psychological need for worship may be safer than simply suppressing it (the reader may feel some similarity with Freudian views about sex).
The Sacred: Imagining and Possibility
What is the sacred? The sacred is an opening onto another world, in which we are invited to let the mind wonder and imagine. This is not merely a daydream, but it does not exclude it either. Roman generals and statesmen would consult the auspices before starting a battle against an enemy. Discounting the possibility of the gods answering via the entrails of some beast, it provided an opportunity for the mind to be concentrated and for a part of the decision to be externalised, according to the interpretation speciously given.
The ancient Roman calendar consecrated three days per month (as well as feasts) to the worship of the gods; the Kalends, Ides and Nones. All other days were days of work and idleness was considered to be against Romanitas. Flavius, opening the play, articulates it thus:
Hence! home, you idle creatures get you home:
Is this a holiday? what! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk
Upon a labouring day without the sign
Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?
The revolutionary French Republic followed the general principle in giving three days per month to rest and worship of the Supreme Being along with five general holidays. Such holidays were days of leisure and worship, in which work was put to one side. One might sacrifice to the household gods, or frequent the temple of some favouring deity to beseech their favour. The more philosophical might consult the works of the ancients, or frequent the company of learned and virtuous friends in honour and service to sophia, wisdom.
By entering the sacred, we move beyond the indicative mode of language into the subjunctive, the mode in which we articulate wish, possibility and desire. Perhaps the blessing of the gods is not that they are real, but that they are not real, allowing us to ponder what is possible for us. This explains the power of texts such as the Bible and the Qu'ran, despite their lack of objective truth. The sacred is thus a form of poetry in which we seek for our deepest desires.
The Worship of Jupiter
Observing the Ides, Kalends and Nones is perhaps the best starting point for would-be pagans, alongside a form of reading and support for one's thought and moral life. Every worshipper should, to some extent, be a philosopher.
For some ideas, see: https://romanpagan.wordpress.com/prayers-vows-and-oaths/
It may seem strange to be a priest to a god in whom one does not believe, but it is merely to acknowledge that worship is not ultimately about gods (whom would surely have no need of worship), but about men, for whom it is a felt necessity. History itself suggests that having an outlet for the psychological need for worship may be safer than simply suppressing it (the reader may feel some similarity with Freudian views about sex).
The Sacred: Imagining and Possibility
What is the sacred? The sacred is an opening onto another world, in which we are invited to let the mind wonder and imagine. This is not merely a daydream, but it does not exclude it either. Roman generals and statesmen would consult the auspices before starting a battle against an enemy. Discounting the possibility of the gods answering via the entrails of some beast, it provided an opportunity for the mind to be concentrated and for a part of the decision to be externalised, according to the interpretation speciously given.
The ancient Roman calendar consecrated three days per month (as well as feasts) to the worship of the gods; the Kalends, Ides and Nones. All other days were days of work and idleness was considered to be against Romanitas. Flavius, opening the play, articulates it thus:
Hence! home, you idle creatures get you home:
Is this a holiday? what! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk
Upon a labouring day without the sign
Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?
The revolutionary French Republic followed the general principle in giving three days per month to rest and worship of the Supreme Being along with five general holidays. Such holidays were days of leisure and worship, in which work was put to one side. One might sacrifice to the household gods, or frequent the temple of some favouring deity to beseech their favour. The more philosophical might consult the works of the ancients, or frequent the company of learned and virtuous friends in honour and service to sophia, wisdom.
By entering the sacred, we move beyond the indicative mode of language into the subjunctive, the mode in which we articulate wish, possibility and desire. Perhaps the blessing of the gods is not that they are real, but that they are not real, allowing us to ponder what is possible for us. This explains the power of texts such as the Bible and the Qu'ran, despite their lack of objective truth. The sacred is thus a form of poetry in which we seek for our deepest desires.
The Worship of Jupiter
Observing the Ides, Kalends and Nones is perhaps the best starting point for would-be pagans, alongside a form of reading and support for one's thought and moral life. Every worshipper should, to some extent, be a philosopher.
For some ideas, see: https://romanpagan.wordpress.com/prayers-vows-and-oaths/
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