Neptune's Dolphins

 

To construct the Starry Bear proto-tradition, Sannion listed several ways to uncover elusive knowledge. The objective is to connect with the Gods Themselves. According to Sannion, the Gods are still revealing Themselves, especially to those who seek Them out. Consider the various visions of the Virgin Mary from Fatima to Lourdes. Meanwhile Mary of the Cell, the Mother of Austria, became known through the experiences of monks and others.

 

How does Unverified Personal Gnosis (UPG) occur? Dreams, visions, ritual encounters, and inspired writing and painting are ways that Gods often reveal Themselves. For me, free writing is how the Gods prompt me. I write what comes to mind while practicing cursive letters. Writing a page of Bs for me can release my ability to listen inwards.

 

We can start by being in our sanctuary space or altar. Sitting quietly in the presence of the Gods brings about divine silence. Allow for the spark of the Divine to enter the space. This is the heart of prayer, where visions of the Holy Powers are possible. There we practice incubation and gestation of the vision that we have received.

 

A God that I have a cultus for is Summanus, one of the oldest of Roman Gods. Romans honored Him at the summer solstice with summanalia (baked bread resembling sun wheels). Since Summanus was regarded as the Night Thunderer, He was thought of as Jupiter’s “Dark Twin.” Pliny wrote “They attribute daytime thunderbolts to Jupiter and ones at night to Summanus.” Varro claimed that Summanus was originally adopted from the Sabines. However, by early Imperial period, the Romans forgot who He actually was. In “Fasti,” Ovid marked the solstice as dedicated to “Summanus, whoever he is.”

 

I see Summanus as the Jupiter of the Night. Dreams are a portal to the Otherworlds, where I feel Summanus’ presence. Tradition has it that the time of the full moon is when the worlds are close. During that time, I felt a subtleness that told me Summanus rules the skies from May to October, while Jupiter reigns from November to April. That is my UPG.

 

Another tool for knowing elusive Gods is divination. This is the traditional manner to converse with the Gods. (Note 1.) Engaging in divination puts a person into a sacred space. Divination shifts the boundaries between the known and unknown. In divination, the answers always stand outside of ordinary time, since Gods are not linear. Since the meaning is immanent, it can be found in trees or stones and other things. UPG comes from pondering the answers.

 

People should share their UPG. By comparing and contrasting theirs with others, a group gnosis can emerge. This is how a fuller picture of the particular God develops.

 

Notes:

Note 1. Never ask the same question twice. It drains the moment of meaning and therefore is useless.