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Today is a major festival in the turning of the year for us in the Ekklesía Antínoou–or, at least for those of us who choose to follow this particular devotional thread in their practices and theology.

It was determined by papyrologist J. R. Rea in his 1996 commentary on a papyrus hymn relating to Antinous from Oxyrhynchus that January 29 was the day in early 131 upon which a series of celestial events was centered that was recorded in Chinese astrological records. The date of January 29, 131 is about ninety days from the date of the death of Antinous in late October 130.

We know that the constellation of Aquila was re-configured to include Antinous/Ganymede by the time of Claudius Ptolemy, who wrote in the mid-2nd century; but, it had been assumed that the information found in Dio Cassius on the “star of Antinous” that was pointed out to Hadrian after his death was mere propaganda. This discovery by Rea, however, indicates that–whether or not it was mere coincidence, or how one chooses to interpret the phenomenon–the actual stellar event was real and did happen (just as the flooding of the Nile did happen in excess the year following Antinous’ death). This date, therefore, commemorates one of the Three Miracles of Antinous, and is thus known as the festival of the Stella Antinoi, “Star of Antinous.”

[As an aside, I mention the following: given that the planned uprising in Judea started to take place at this point in time around 131 CE, and its leader Simon bar Kosiba was nicknamed Bar Kochba, "Son of the Star," right about this time as well, this suggests that the star of Antinous and the star that heralded the liberation of Judea and the messianic movement under Simon Bar Kochba were the same star. That has some interesting theological implications in itself, but I leave those aside for the present...!]

In our own modern Antinoan theologies, we have often recognized Three Aspects of Antinous: Antinous the Lover, Antinous the Liberator, and Antinous the Navigator. Antinous the Liberator’s period of greatest activity in the year begins on Foundation Day, October 30. Antinous the Lover’s period of activity, which encompasses more than half the year, begins on April 21, the Megala Antinoeia and the Erotikon, etc. The period of Antinous the Navigator, the most sublime and celestial and etherial form of Antinous, begins on January 29. I imagine that this date is the “victory” of Antinous in his long struggle against the archons, daimones, and forces of oppression and binding in the otherworlds and afterlives, and that now he is free to guide souls more easily and peacefully since the struggle is ended…for now, at least. (Though, of course, the struggle never ends…but, neither does Antinous’ guidance!)

I would like to write a piece on this action of Antinous Victor at some point; but until then, the following text, from the Coptic Manichean Songbook, actually captures the feeling of it for me quite specifically…in an almost uncanny manner. I suggest reciting this text today, if nothing else, therefore. It is given here in C. R. C. Allberry and Willis Barnstone’s translation, from The Gnostic Bible.

The Child Armed and the Son of Evil

The child got through his months
until he could walk.

The little one among the tall stepped in.
He took up arms. He armed his waist.

He leapt and raced into the abyss.
He leapt and got to their center to battle them.

He humiliated the son of evil
and his seven companions and twelve slaves.

He wrecked their camp and cast it down.
He put out their roaring fire.

He bound the miserable myrmidons there,
who plotted to make war.

He grabbed their armor hanging there, readied
for war, destroyed their readied traps.

He ripped up their outspread nets.
He released the fish to go out to sea.

He let the birds fly up into space.
He let the sheep into their folds.

He seized the evil one’s wealth. He went off
with it and took it up to the land of rest.

So he saved what the living took.
They will come back to what is theirs.

Powerful stuff, eh?

All sorts of things are possible for observation of the festival, but I suggest lights in the form of candles (especially white candles) are quite useful. In years past, when I had access to these things, I had a white star-shaped candle that was a water candle, and I floated it on a nearby lake at night, which was quite beautiful. (If you do that, be sure and recover it in the morning and clean up after yourself!) If the weather is good and the skies are clear, see if you can go star-gazing (even though Aquila may not be visible at present), or just watch the night sky, the moon, and the clouds. Read about the universe and astronomy or astrology. Or, just do something–anything!–for Antinous, including simply thanking him for his role as a guide in your life, if he has fulfilled that function, or asking him to be a greater and more present guide in your life in the coming months and the future generally.

In terms of candle matters, I note something here. I purchased three large candles a few years ago (red, white, and black) for Antinoan devotional purposes, and often in between, I had no access to the tripartite candelabra that held them, so I didn’t use it for a while. In the last seven months or so, however, I started using it heavily once again, and on each occasion, I would light all three candles on it, but in an order that would tend to correspond to the season and the festival, with the main candle of the color of the aspect of Antinous appropriate to the time being in the middle. In the last month, the candles have burned down, despite each of them being lit when the others were, at different times. The white candle of Antinous the Navigator spluttered out first, and made a very odd shape in the wax left over that is rather flamboyant. The red candle of Antinous the Liberator burned out next, with a more conventional/bland shape. However, the black candle of Antinous the Lover was left the longest, and had a good few inches remaining on it over the last few weeks. I have been burning it for the Sancti, Hadrian, and on other occasions in the past few weeks. The evening of the 28th, I lit it once again as I was doing some devotional writing in preparation for PantheaCon, and it burned out the rest of the way just after midnight. I now have three new candles, which I will inaugurate for the first time today as I welcome in Antinous the Navigator later in the day.

I wish everyone well today, and please feel free to share your own thoughts, observations, ideas, and observances on the festival of the Stella Antinoi, as well as anything else you may wish to contribute, and I look forward to your further conversations in the near future!

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