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| Home > Reconstructionism > Greek/Hellenic > Kerux Index > Kerux #1 | Search |
| The Kerux #1 1 Hekatombaion 4/694 (3 July 2000) edited by Drew Campbell |
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THE KERUX #1
1 Hekatombaion 4/694
3 July 2000
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
* Khairete! Welcome to the Kerux!
* What's a Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagan anyway?
* Calendar for the 4th Year of the 694th Olympiad
* "Childhood": Poetry by Sara A.
* Offering Cake Recipe
* Upcoming Events
* Poll: What drew you to this religion?
* How to Submit an Article or Announcement
* Legal and Technical Mumbo-Jumbo
***
KHAIRETE, O PHILOI!
May Iris and Hermes bless this effort!
Welcome to the first issue of the Kerux, an online newsletter for Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagans and their friends. I'll be sending out the newsletter at the beginning of each Hellenic month, usually a day or two after the new moon, or thereabouts.
I hope that this newsletter can become an useful resource for members of our religion, especially those who practice alone or don't have access to a large local pagan community. Please let me know what I can do to make the Kerux as helpful as possible to you. To start us off, I'm contributing most of the content myself, but I hope that others will share their work too. The Hellenic community is still fairly small and the need for basic and not-so-basic information about our religion is great, so your research and experience matter!
What kind of stuff is appropriate?
* articles on myth, history, language, you name it
* event announcements
* recipes and craft projects
* devotional writing
* reports on rituals (what worked; what didn't)
* book and web site reviews
* ritual group contacts (PO Boxes or email only, please!)
This is your community newsletter. Please feel free to pass the word about it to others. Again, thank you for subscribing and welcome!
Your humble editor
Drew Campbell
***
What's a Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagan Anyway?
"Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagan": It's quite a mouthful, and it doesn't fit easily on forms! Still, it's become a common way for people who practice a modern form of ancient Greek religion to describe "what it is that we do." What does this term really mean?
Hellenic
First and foremost, our tradition is a culturally specific one, deriving from the practices of the ancient Greeks. Not all of us are ethnically Greek, but through our religion, we feel a strong connection to the gods, culture, and history of Hellas. Most folks who practice this religion today choose not to mix worship of the Hellenic gods with the worship of deities from other pantheons--at least not in the same ritual.
Reconstructionist
The ancient religion was effectively wiped out by conversion over 1500 years ago. What we practice now is a revived religion, based on historical research and personal inspiration. Reconstructionists place a strong emphasis on historical precedent, usually preferring to worship in ways as close as possible to those of the ancients, while still respecting modern mores and laws. In our developing religious culture, "tradition" isn't seen as oppressive; it's our link to the past.
Pagan
At least as I use it, "paganism" isn't the name of a single religion, but an umbrella term used to describe many distinct religious traditions, both ancient and modern. Given the diversity of the faiths currently under the pagan umbrella, it's nigh unto impossible to come up with a satisfactory positive definition of the term without resorting to a lot of "either/or" clauses. What all these religions do have in common, though, is that they are not one of the dominant monotheistic faiths--Christianity, Judaism, Islam--from the Near East. As one friend of mine puts it, "pagan" is the "other" box on forms, the one you choose when all the usual responses don't apply.
So, a short summary definition might read: A Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagan is one who practices the traditional, pre-Christian polytheistic religion of ancient Greece as it has been revived and adapted in the modern world.
How do you explain your religion to others? Send your response to kerux-owner@egroups.com.
***
MONTHS FOR THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE 694th OLYMPIAD
If you follow the Athenian calendar, you know that sundown on July 2, 2000, marked the beginning of a new Hellenic year. Counting from the first Olympiad in 776 B.C.E., we have just entered the fourth year of the 694th Olympiad. Here is a list of how the months fall out in the upcoming year. Hellenic days begin at sundown on the civil date listed. For an extensive, detailed calendar, see HMEPA: Hellenic Month Established Per Athens at http://www.numachi.com/%7Eccount/hmepa/ (Prize amphoras to Maureen and Craig for creating this wonderful resource for our community!)
* Hekatombaion begins 7/2/00
* Metageitnion begins 7/31/00
* Boedromion begins 8/30/00
* Puanepsion begins 9/28/00
* Maimakterion begins 10/28/00
* Poseideon begins 11/26/00
* Gamelion begins 12/26/00
* Anthesterion begins 1/25/01
* Elaphebolion begins 2/24/01
* Mounukhion begins 3/25/01
* Thargelion begins 4/24/01
* Skiraphorion begins 5/23/01
The first year of the 695th Olympiad begins on 6/22/01. In upcoming issues, we'll be looking at various festivals. If you have done research on any festivals and would like to share it with the readers of the Kerux, please contact me at kerux-owner@egroups.com.
***
Childhood by Sara A. <gossmur@a...>
in the damp clean coolness he rests waiting,
in the crisp cold forest she pauses
he dances through green and vital
she hunts the cooling forest deer give themselves to her will
So long in their protective gaze i have grown
strong in the knowlege of the green thing...
strong in the knowledge of the kill...
yet none dared speak their names...
weak in body yet the mind learn all they had to teach..
the song of the forest - sweet and seductive...
feel the forest around you it calls...
see into the mysteries...
the lake shimmers in the moonlight...
freedom in the air...
put fear behind you...
and stalk the night...
***
Offering Cakes
These simple cakes can be used for devotional or festival offerings. They contain several of the most common foodstuffs offered to the gods--grain, milk and honey. Makes 4 small or 2 large cakes.
1 1/2 c. spelt or whole wheat flour
1 c. barley flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk (goat's milk or buttermilk may also be used)
1/4 c. honey
Optional flavoring: 1 tbsp. rose water or 1 tsp. vanilla, almond,
or lemon extract
Optional additions: sesame, poppy, or sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F. and lightly oil a cookie sheet. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flours and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, mix one egg, milk, honey, and any flavorings until smooth. Add to the flour mixture and knead into a firm dough, adding more flour as necessary. Form cakes by hand, or roll out and cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheet. Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush the tops of the cakes with it. Sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake 15-20 minutes for small cakes and 25-30 for large ones, or until done.
*** Upcoming Events
Taste of Greece festival, September 22nd-24th, Annunciation Cathedral, 245 Valencia St., San Francisco. Local Hellenes plan to meet at this annual Greek food, wine, and dance extravaganza. For more information contact Drew at brightwave@y....
***
Poll: What drew you to this religion?
I'm often asked how I came to practice this admittedly somewhat unusual religion. What's your story? Go to http://www.egroups.com/polls/kerux to respond to the poll. Results will appear in the next issue.
***
If you would like to submit an article or announcement for publication in an upcoming issue of the newsletter, please cut-and-paste the text into email and send it to kerux-owner@egroups.com. Please let me know if it is all right to include your email address in the newsletter so that peoplc can contact you directly. Fortune is unlikely, but fame is sure to follow!
***
The Kerux is a project of Nomos Arkhaios, an educational resource center promoting the study and practice of traditional Hellenic religion. The Nomos Arkhaios web site is currently under construction (i.e., a complete mess), but Gods willing, it will be available later in the year at Individual authors appearing in the Kerux retain all rights to their work. If you'd like to reprint something you see here, please write directly to the author of the piece for permission.
This article originally appeared on Andrew Campbell's Nomos Arkhaios site which is currently on hiatus.
This article is copyright © 2000-2003 by Andrew Campbell and is reprinted here with permission.