As I said in my last post, one tool I suggest that people who are facing homophobia can use is the Antinoan “Prayer Against Persecution.” If you have any interest in Antinous as an appealing divine figure, that’s all you need. The Obelisk of Antinous says that Antinous “hears the plea of he who calls upon him,” and if your wish is for peace and strength in the face of persecution, this might do the trick for you.
Prayer Against Persecution
Ave Ave Antinoe,
Beate, Iuste, Benevolentis…
I cry out in supplication to you, Antinous;
I raise my voice in song and prayer to you, O Bithynian;
I give thanks to you for my trials and my triumphs, O Good God!
I give glory to you, the Beautiful, the Just, the Benevolent!
It is you who is the sustainer of my life;
It is you who is my protector in the afterlife;
It is you who is the visitor and the rejuvenator and the consoler in my dreams and my sleep and my rest.
May I rejoice in the successes of both friend and foe;
May I weep with all who are in suffering and travail.
May you give me the strength to not curse those who would wish me harm;
May you give me the peace to not be troubled by those who would persecute me.
When I hear the words of those who would condemn me, may my heart not be hardened toward them;
When they beset me with their hosts of hatred, may their flood tide wash over me as harmless as it was for you on the day of your foundation;
May I never succumb to the temptations of hatred, spite, and violence.
Though I am not perfect,
I pray that in this affirmation I may become more perfected.
May my mercy and compassion and forgiveness extend to all,
and may the love of the Beautiful and the Just pour out over me in my difficulties!
To this god Antinous I have chosen to address my prayer,
and in this god Antinous I take refuge.
May harm never come to those who do good!
May I always be in the presence of he who is Beautiful, Just, and Benevolent!
Ave Ave Antinoe!
Haec est unde, Haec est unde, Haec est unde vita venit!
Ave Ave Antinoe!
Haec est unde, Haec est unde, Haec est unde vita venit!
Ave Ave Antinoe!
Haec est unde, Haec est unde, Haec est vita venit!
[...] and solace in prayer and spiritual work, and has provided a spell against homophobia, and a prayer against persecution. What do you think? Is Spirit Day a worthwhile endeavor that will change opinions, or is merely a [...]
By: The Wild Hunt » Quick Notes: Separation of Church and State, Sedona, and Spirit Day on October 20, 2010
at 12:07 pm
[...] or only for a specific context or occasion. It is often repeated several times in a row. In the “Prayer Against Persecution” it is repeated at the end of the prayer three times, but on the third time, unde drops out of the [...]
By: Triads of Antinous #21-22: Triads of Words « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on November 15, 2010
at 2:32 am
[...] two previous posts, I’ve discussed prayer at least to some extent: one, the “Prayer Against Persecution,” which is a prayer that I (and I assume several other Ekklesía Antínoou members) do on a regular [...]
By: Thoughts on Prayer « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on January 20, 2011
at 7:32 pm
[...] preliminary prayers, exercises, and then inundation. The preliminary prayer is, facing east, the Prayer Against Persecution. (I have it memorized at this point–not everyone does, though, but that’s okay…) [...]
By: PantheaCon…Finally! « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on March 2, 2011
at 2:59 pm
Just curious… This version doesn’t contain the acknowledgement of the other gods that appears int he version posted over on the NA site. I am assuming that was conscious decision to leave those out of this version?
By: Kurt on March 3, 2011
at 8:59 am
The NA version was the initial version, which was originally written by me after having read the Qu’ran in its entirety. I was so absolutely floored by how hate-filled it was, not only about queer people, but about polytheists, that I wanted to write something that was affirming of the deity in question there, but also very polytheistic. Those sections were fulfilling an immediate emotional need…
Thus, those further sections were left out in the “canonical” version (which is published in The Phillupic Hymns, and is the same one as linked to here) because they no longer seemed needed or relevant in the context of using this as a regular or daily prayer that is specifically designed to gain the favor and attentions of Antinous. Doing this prayer without them no longer makes it an “Oh yeah? I’ll show you!” prayer, and instead an earnest and honest expression of praise and a wish for assistance. When I do it these days, I usually don’t remember that original context at all, which I think makes it more powerful, personally…
By: aediculaantinoi on March 3, 2011
at 10:51 am
[...] year has resulted in suicide. So, an introduction to the group, and giving them things like the “Prayer Against Persecution” and the “Spell Against Homophobia” to use in their own practices, would be really [...]
By: PantheaCon: The Final Day, and Further Things After It… « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on March 4, 2011
at 8:24 pm
[...] goodness we communally made our Prayer Against Persecution earlier at the dinner [...]
By: How Dionysos Crashed an Antinoan Feast Week « Digital Enchiridion on March 10, 2011
at 6:52 pm
[...] group that is severely homophobic, I carried the Ekklesía Antínoou banner, premiered the Prayer Against Persecution, and also handed out cards reading “Friends of Dumbledore”!) And then there was the [...]
By: Harry Potter and the Christian Controversy… « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on July 18, 2011
at 11:50 pm
[...] devotions done to the the god, using the Obelisk of Antinous to set sacred space, and saying the Antinoan Prayer Against Persecution. In addition, devotion to Antinous provides an avenue for me to experience queer [...]
By: My Fourfold Spirituality « Whereto We Speed on October 14, 2011
at 4:04 pm
[...] anyone who has use for such things, for that matter: the Spell Against Homophobia and the Prayer Against Persecution. (I handed out copies of these to all the attendees at the session at PantheaCon.) The [...]
By: PantheaCon 2012: The Ekklesía Antínoou and Queer Youth Spirituality « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on February 29, 2012
at 12:18 am
[...] one another; and I’m sure Antinous would prefer it as well. The prayer I pray every day, the Prayer Against Persecution, has the line in it “May my mercy and compassion and forgiveness extend to all,” and so [...]
By: Herodes Attikos’ Day « Aedicula Antinoi: A Small Shrine of Antinous on March 11, 2012
at 5:27 pm