A POLYTHEISTIC DAY OF PROTEST & REMEMBRANCE
When: July 31, 2015
Why:
- in remembrance of the over three hundred ancient and in many cases holy sites destroyed by Daesh.
- In grief and terror over the damage to and potential destruction of the UNESCO city of Palmyra, and the Temple of Ba’al Shamin.
- In silent protest against the attack and forced eradication of even the vestiges of polytheism across the world.
This is not a Syrian issue. This is not a Muslim issue. This is a world issue. It is a human issue. Daesh is purposely targeting memory. They’re targeting their history, and their own *physical* connection with their polytheistic ancestors. It is done to demoralize, terrorize, and desecrate.
We polytheists who have the freedom to practice our religions without fear of our lives (regardless of how much Christian hatred we may experience) have the opportunity to unite ritually, magically, spiritually in mind and will, with hearts and spirits in a cross-community day of ancestral reverence and remembrance.
Over sixty Deities were venerated at Palmyra alone, from multiple traditions: Canaanite, Mesopotamian, Arab, Greek, Phoenician, and Roman, as well as local and ancestral gods. Deities given cultus there included Bol/Bel, Yarhibol (god of justice), Malakbel (god of the Sun), Aglibol (god of the moon), Astarte (Phoenician Goddess of love and power), Ba’al Hamon, Ba’al Shamin, Ba’al Hadad, Atargatis, the Sumerian Nabu and Nirgal, the Arab Azizos, Shams, and Al – Allat, the native Gods Gad Taimi and Arsu, and even Dionysos.
What to do? :
- Print out this graphic or copy it onto a piece of paper.
- Meditate for a few moments, focusing on all the destruction, desecration, and damage, on the sacred places that have been destroyed, on the erasure of these ancient polytheistic spaces, and all the other horrors Daesh have committed.
- Offer this prayer:
“May the holy places of the Many Gods remain inviolate for all time.
May the hands of the enemies of the Many Gods of be smashed and their efforts come to naught.
May the worship of the Many Gods flourish in many lands once again.
May those who hold true to the Many Gods be preserved and strengthened.”
- Burn the paper in offering.
5.make whatever other offerings you wish.
If possible, do this NINE times throughout the Day.
Feel free to share about this experience on facebook, blogs, twitter – this is an act of evocation of all those Gods Whose sacred places have been destroyed and Whose people are being violated. The internet is a perfect way to keep this evocation going.
This is a way of holding space for polytheism, ancient and modern, it is a way of drawing a line in the sand and declaring to the world that we stand in solidarity with those whose voices once rang out in praise to a plenitude of Gods and Goddesses. It is a statement that for every stone of every temple destroyed, we will restore that cultus a thousand fold. It is an act of evocation, execration, and magic. We’re still here.
(art by M. Gage. The logo is one of the symbols of Ba’al, heavily stylized. It seems particularly appropriate with Palmyra. Divination was done to ensure that it was ok to use the image for this purpose).
Posted on June 22, 2015, in community, Polytheism and tagged Canaanite Stuff, Community, Day of Protest and Remembrance, Mesopotamia, Palmyra, Polytheism, ritual work. Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.
We’ll incorporate this into the opening ritual of Many Gods West as well, which is on the 31st of July.
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THANK YOU! that is huge and personally, very much appreciated!
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Reblogged this on The Gargarean.
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Reblogged this on Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous and commented:
I don’t usually reblog, but I’m very busy at the moment…
In any case, this is an important matter, and we will be incorporating the ritual Galina has suggested into the opening ritual at Many Gods West, since we’ll have a near-unprecedented gathering of polytheists in one place at that event. I’ll also see if we can get a banner of the image here to have up with our shrine space throughout the weekend.
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Reblogged this on Pagan Church Lady and commented:
Well-written and powerful, I’ll be engaging in this rite and I encourage others to as well. I intend to take the whole day for some silent contemplation and vocal praise and offering to the Many Goda and all the Ancestors who honored them. Apparently it’s being done as the opening rite for Many Gods West, which makes me want to attend even more than I did before.
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Reblogged this on Rose Is Reign and commented:
The destruction of polytheist sacred sites – the loss of an irreplaceable cultural and spiritual legacy – is a critically important issue. It matters to me so deeply that rage has stoppered my voice. But silence and inaction will solve nothing; this working – I hope – will. I’ll be participating, and I hope you’ll consider doing the same.
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Reblogged this on adayinthelifeofawitch and commented:
I will be working on some other spellwork to aid the human victims of Daesh, too.
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Reblogged this on birdsandtoads and commented:
“This is not a Syrian issue. This is not a Muslim issue. This is a world issue. It is a human issue. “
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Reblogged this on spiritridden and commented:
If you haven’t seen it already, please consider participating in this magical and religious action against Daesh.
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Reblogged this on Mysa.
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