Five Dollar New Member Bonus for Temple of Fortuna dot com

Make the holidays even more special for Temple of Fortuna dot com

Even people who don't shop often shop this time of year. And they love to help. If they're like me, they want to make sure Shopping = Giving. A $5 bonus makes it even sweeter. It's up to you to let them know they can easily help. It's as simple as forwarding this post. As always, iGive is completely free, all costs are paid for by the stores. Over 1,000 of the greatest online stores participate, like Amazon, Macys, jcpenney, Dell, HSN, Nordstrom, and lots, lots more. On behalf of Temple of Fortuna dot com, I've posted this because you've got the easy ability to help the group. iGive has already informed its members of this special offer, but it means so much more coming from you. Share now by forwarding this post, sharing it on your Facebook page (this is possibly the single best thing you could do all year), posting on your website or blog, or even tweeting. Here's the special link: http://iGive.com/welcome/warmwelcome.cfm?c=59696

Now is the moment for maximum help for Temple of Fortuna dot com. That's why iGive is giving an extra $5 for every new member that tries the iGive Button, even if they don't end up shopping.

The iGive Button makes it really, really simple

It automatically makes sure that a portion of purchases at over 1,000 stores means a free donation to Temple of Fortuna dot com. Shopping = Giving year 'round. The Button makes sure every purchase counts, even if you forget.

P.S. Watch Small Turn into Big

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Websites ... including A New Website for Magical Ads and Psychics

Since working on the Temple of Fortuna site, which is presently being used by the Temple of Fortuna dot com organization as an outreach tool, I have acquired a number of domain names and started working on new websites and webpages as time and funding allow. Here are the mythology inspired domain names I have acquired inexpensively and am developing as one-to-five page sites, based on the package included with the domain. These are in addition to Temple of Fortuna & Mama Fortuna which have complete content, monetization and regular hosting. These other domains are all in various stages of development:

Temple of Venus

Temple of Juno

Temple of Hecate

Temple of Isis

Temple of Mercury

Temple of Seshat

Temple of Earth Creation

My only question was, how can I afford to keep these domains, which although reasonably priced, certainly aren't free. How do I make enough money from these mini-sites to pay for themselves, or even better, add to my own income? Although I've been blessed in bringing my private tarot reading to a very accepting and appreciative public, I've been unemployed since 2009, and the only money I've made in the last year has been from self-employment as an Intuitive Consultant and part-time piano teacher. What happens if a particular deity deserves more than a short description ( as did the Goddess Fortuna ) ?

Most devotional sites have donate buttons or links to affiliate programs or book stores, which is great when lots of people purchase products or make donations. What I've found, though, is that most people who contact me through my website want to work with me personally, not a huge corporate company selling stuff. My clients value my experience and education. They want consultations, not products they can buy at Amazon or eBay. This is why I decided to put buttons for my live chat and phone consultations on the contact pages, instead of an email address, just like the buttons on this blog page.

Since I am studying the Goddess Hecate under the direction of High Priestess Brandi Auset, Temple of Hecate is much closer to completion than the others. And, it is the first spiritual site I have included my buttons on ... as recently as this afternoon. I will not know whether more work will be done on that site until Spring of 2014; my expected completion date of the Hecateian chapter. My vision is to remove all the excess negativity from Her worship and help return to Her roots. All with large text, and as much simplicity as possible, to avoid the kind of information overload that online research can generate.


* * * * * * * * *

So what about everyone else? All my online friends who own stores or do consultations, and want to connect in a way that doesn't waste time and money? I've actually given my online friends, clients and the merchants I personally do business with a lot of thought. This idea came to me, after I found a few souls who were still able to do business on eBay as magical vendors. One of whom, I invited to put an ad on my website, which is on the main and tarot page of Mama Fortuna  website at the time of this writing. 

Well, that brings me to another subject: Other options for how to enjoy earning a living online, while doing what I love. These are arriving with due process of prayer, exercise, nutrition and meditation. My most recent project is inspired by " Times Square " in New York City. I wondered what kind of energy would be generated by a site devoted entirely to advertising beautiful banners and graphics? Well, the website has only been up a short while, and already we have a few lovely banner ads:

 Stalleon.biz

A New Website for Magical Ads and Psychics

Paying hundreds of dollars a month for advertising is out the door. So is having your magical store kicked off of websites. I would rather you keep your store open and spend your money on what you need to live.I am launching a new website especially for magical stores, websites and psychics.

Advertising on Stalleon will be a low, negotiable monthly fee. ( No contracts, you can cancel at any time )

If you sign up now, you can get premium placement for three months for a LOW FEE of only $1
( after that, the monthly fee is negotiable, based on YOUR results :)


store banners chat & phone buttons photo & website links
JOIN MAGICAL PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WITH PREMIUM PLACEMENT AND A WARM WELCOME.
(If you need help creating your ad don't worry I will include that too.)

 Stalleon Lightworkers

Editing back in: Have been blessed with a way to bring in Live Chat and Phone, and offer an opportunity for psychics to make money on the website. I had hoped to start a network with Click4Advisor but their rates were more than I could afford, as a start-up. And then, magically, I found myphonesite which offers similar services without any fees until the advisors make money. I was ecstatic :D Banners and links are through Stalleon.biz home page.

Please Help Stop Animal Sacrifice at Nova Roma

This petition has been closed and sent to Nova Roma Organization for review and action. See petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/996/933/414/stop-animal-sacrifice/#bbtw=711742524

Nova Roma is an international organization devoted to the restoration of classical Roman religion culture and virtues. 

I was offered membership with Nova Roma and won an award with their organization before I became aware of the organization’s policy regarding animal rights. I have since requested cancellation of my membership in protest until the policy is modified to clearly be in support of animal rights at all times. This is a direct affront, not only to animal rights, but to most NeoPagan religious organizations that specifically prohibit animal sacrifices by their members and religious leaders.

The present policy regarding animal rights, as shown at Nova Roma's organization website at http://novaroma.org/nr/Decretum_pontificum_de_sacrificiis_(Nova_Roma), does not clearly state that animal sacrifices are prohibited or even discouraged by members or representatives of Nova Roma during religious reenactment ceremonies which involve animals.

I am familiar with reenactment rituals for ancient Pagan religions. In addition to reading the tarot, officiating weddings, and various other things that I do for a living, I am also the founder of Temple of Fortuna dot com, and I understand that incense and botanical offerings are as historically accurate as animal sacrifice in many ancient rituals, and that some things of the past are best left alone.

In association with Temple of Fortuna dot com, I have produced over 100 audio-visual worship services. Many of the episodes included reenactments of ancient rituals, as modified to be appropriate for contemporary practitioners. At no time during these productions were animals harmed, intimidated or mistreated in any way.

Most contemporary NeoPagans and their associated organizations similarly provide humane ritual offerings. It is not necessary to sacrifice animals to authentically restore the Roman religion. Nova Roma organization must change their policy to clearly be in supports of animal rights at all times by their members and representatives.

I have personally signed many petitions in support of animal rights.

Please urge Nova Roma to specifically prohibit animal sacrifice in their reenactment religious rituals by signing my petition and sharing it around.

The goal is 1000 signatures by November 6th.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/996/933/414/stop-animal-sacrifice/#bbtw=711742524

Invitation to Tarot Artists

I am posting this as an invitation to tarot artists to submit up to three samples for a proposed new tarot deck, which may be named either
" The Musician's Tarot or " The Tarot of Music "

image by Amorbrujoclub in Madrid Spain

This summer, I had begun teaching piano lessons in my neighborhood. The community where I live has plenty of opportunities for kids to swim, go to the park, and play in the lake, but few options to get involved in the arts or entertainment. 

Surprisingly, not a single piano teacher has been included in regional directories or websites, despite that piano teaching is a fairly common way to bring in some extra cash in many communities, all over the world. Our county home business licensing has been fairly lenient with music teachers as well, despite " special " permits required for local tarot reading ( hence my online presence )

Oddly enough, as my attention shifted from international fortune-telling to local piano lessons, my chat and phone requests for tarot consultations began to drop off. If transitioning to piano teaching represented a huge increase in finances, I could understand the karma. 

However; neither profession has been adequate to pay the bills, and my goals were to increase both options for work; not to shift from one meager living to a similarly meager living in a different field.

Fortunately I have extensive training in music, from many years ago, and my credentials include a college degree in music as well as a lineage in the piano which extends back to my great-grandfather! I have been aware of a connection between music and the tarot, as I learned the cards as an extension of the manual dexterity exercises that I mastered as a pianist. 

As I researched the connection, I became aware that western music transitioned from simple Gregorian chant to advanced harmony around the same time that the first Trionfi decks added a major arcana to four-suit card games, during the Italian Renaissance.

However, as I searched for correspondences between music and tarot, there was little available save for a reference to writings by 20th century occultist Paul Foster Case, who apparently assigned musical tones to the Major Arcana. 

Since there are a maximum of 12 musical tones ( or 17 to 21 individual notes if we include, for example, both G flat and F sharp as separate notes, and exotic or theoretical notes such as E sharp ) the number of standard major arcana exceeds the number of individual notes. 

Paul Case chose to assign the same note to several different cards, for example High Priestess, Hanged Man, and Temperance are all assigned to G# whereas the only card assigned to A# is the Wheel of Fortune.

Although I'm sure there is logic and reason behind Paul Foster Case's correspondences between the major arcana of he tarot and musical tones, like many occult major arcana interpretations, I'll just accept his offerings without undue concern and not attempt to explain it to clients whose interests are often more about how the card interpretations may relate to " real life " questions and concerns.

However this may be, my feeling as a person of musical background is that the individual tones may have been very profound in ancient times when they were first established, and very likely from a standpoint of physics, sound waves and the harmonic vibrations of various elements.

For most of the public who listen to music, however, the power of the medium is really much more basic. We remember the song that was playing when we fell in love, but not necessarily the key signature. We remember whether we were listening to guitar or drums, and the words to a song.

This, for me, is a powerful correspondence which has not been served by musical tones and major arcana.

I began to wonder if, since there was not an existing workable system of musical correspondences, perhaps I should come up with one myself? And, in a frenzied evening of inspiration, this is exactly what I did.

What I am finding, as I post the various cards and correspondences, is that people are interested music and tarot correspondences, based on the first few examples that I posted:

 card images from

the Visconti-Sforza Trionfi

The fool
symbolizes youth, folly and the adventure that life brings to the young. He is the rebirth of life and his traditional instrument is the funereal bagpipe, to which he is attached like a baby to an umbilical cord which connects to the placenta of his knapsack.

His contemporary instrument is the saxophone, the sensual relationship of his parents, from whence he was conceived. The instrument is not of his own, nor does he understand how to play it. It’s the only a dim memory from the last cycle which precede his birth or rebirth.

The magician
symbolizes transition beyond youthful folly. He is the development of skills, personality and abilities. His tools, laid out on the table before him, are simple. His strength is within himself and his personal development, and not in the workings of complicated machinery.

Unlike the fool, he is knowledgeable in magic and capable in the rhythms of his craft. His instruments are hand-held percussion; traditional finger cymbals, tambourine and hand drums. His contemporary instruments include castanets, maracas and the wood block.

The priestess is the first of four archetypal human figures. She symbolizes feminine connection to the divine and soaring flights to upper realms of heaven. She is the girl priestess, the virgin, the temple prostitute, the Sibylline crone and her sounds reach up to the highest pitches.

Her instrument is the violin of the string quartet and her voice, like the three other archetypes, speaks through an instrument which closely resembles the human body and with a voice which emanates through the vibration of strings, much like human vocal chords.

* * * * *

The remainder of the correspondences is currently only in schematic notes in a private notebook at this time, although I may publish them as I write. As mentioned in the beginning of this post, I extend an invitation to tarot artists to submit up to three samples for a proposed new tarot deck, which may be named either " The Musician's Tarot or " The Tarot of Music "

Please use the contact link at mamafortuna.com for questions and submissions :)

Gnostics and Goddesses

Gemstone charm used by ancient Gnostic sects, carved with the image of Abraxas. 
From the 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, now in the public domain.

Over the past three years I have been tasked with the study of the Gnostic religion; an ancient version of Christianity. The task was begun as part of a “ deal “ with an acquaintance from overseas. Each time I’ve felt that I met my part of the bargain, a new excuse comes forward from this particular Gnostic for wimping out. The most recent excuse extended the Gnostic study for 100 days, which will end on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. At which point I may discover whether the entire “ bargain “ was just another bible-bender with a phony sales pitch.

Or, will I be pleasantly surprised? By summer’s end, we will perhaps know the answer. Stay tuned, or change the channel … at this point, the Gnostic instructor in my region ( a woman, thanks Goddess ) has recommended a path which lead to Isis. As a creative individual, I will always put my own twist into a sacred study, so it’s not as if I’ve ever been slavishly devoted to Gnosticism at the expense of my own beliefs. And, it’s nice to see the ancient Goddesses included, even if it seems that the energies are “ Marianic “ in nature and not genuine nor pure Goddess energies.

I have, in fact, taken the exercise back to ancient Rome. My “ Isis “ statue is actually a deified Cleopatra, which puts Her smack dab into Rome after the fall of Egypt. The exercise provided the impetus to look up Isis’ festival dates from ancient times, and put them on one of my webpages http://templeisis.info/There are some differences of opinion regarding the festival dates, but Her link to the moon phases is clear, so I have recreated my own version of a “ Kyphi “ oil to anoint candles and light them during Her moon phases.

One thing I do appreciate, in this new research for Isis, is not only that it provides some contrast to the studies of Fortuna, it also provides an alternative to Dianic moon worship. Isis does fill some voids that are not well represented by Diana, such as a link to love, marriage and childbirth as well as the mysteries of the October and November season. So, I cannot say that the Gnosis is without its gifts. I do appreciate the study and my new Gnostic friends. The only difficulty is having to wade through so many layers of Jesus before getting to the Goddess.

Because, on the surface, Gnosticism is really just another branch of Christianity. However, for the Goddess community, the Gnostic studies may possibly offer a doorway between hardcore Christians and Pagan studies.

However, the basis to Gnosis is still Jesus and although Goddesses are mentioned in the bible, the passage which had come to my attention in the past was Dianic … and not particularly flattering to Jesus or his economic misconceptions.

The story begins with Jesus and the apostles coming into Ephesus, performing miracles, and exorcisms. When some of the townspeople believed they had been possessed, they burned their own books of magic valued at 50,000 pieces of silver. In an edited quote:

And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines to Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.

He called them together…and said: "Men…we have our prosperity by this trade...Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not Gods that are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana…and all Her magnificence." … And when they heard this…they cried out "Great is Diana..!”…all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana…!" 

And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: ‘…what man is there who does not know that the city…is temple guardian of the great Goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. For…these men here…are neither robbers of your temple nor blasphemers of your Goddess…if you have any…inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly…And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

The fact is, although Jesus’ ideals were very lofty, he was bad for the economy. His entire financial strategy depended upon people who had more wealth sharing that wealth with him and his followers, in the form of food, lodging, expensive oils and other things. He had no concept of working for a living and acquiring wealth through honest trades within a consumer society which purchased, borrowed and repaid loans. 

Jesus was bad for the economy in ancient times, and this may have been the most salient issue which led to his downfall. The Roman government simply could not afford to bend to his whims. His teachings were bad for the economy in Ephesus and, if history repeats itself, strict adherence these teachings may possibly prove to be detrimental to the economy in the present day. The blending of teachings of Jesus, along with the ancient wisdom regarding commerce influenced by the Goddess religions, may be a strength in Gnostic teachings.

Humanists and Goddesses

• 

  
  

  
  This morning I received a question from David Ptasnik, pastor at The Congregational Humanist Church of Washington, in a conversation regarding whether or not my tarot reading practice was based on superstition or spirituality. He inquired:
  
  "Well above the disclaimer at the bottom I see 'After the cards are laid out into a pattern or "spread", I interpret their meaning with the assistance of divine guidance.'
  
  What divine guidance might that be?"
  
  Here was my response:
  
  "If you would like to book a tarot reading, I will be happy to explain on a paid basis, thanks ;)
  
  

  Who among us can explain the divine? From whence does divine inspiration come? Is it the same every day, the divine source? Or, does it change with the seasons, the tides and the phases of the moon? Is it the same for every person, every conversation?
  
  

  Or, is it just ' luck of the draw ' ... the divine in random selection .... and inspired by the individuals, their personal backgrounds or situations, and the good fortune that they came together within this conversation ... from the billions of possible conversations and human interactions possible at any moment in time ...
  
  

  Is, in itself, that luck, that divine good fortune of random interaction, that is in itself what is divine? ... the excitement, anticipation and inspiration which comes from the unknown ? Will today be ' lucky ' ? Will I find a parking space in a crowded mall, will the light turn green at just the right moment, will I make more money than I expected to in business?
  
  That excitement, that chance for good luck, is a valid human emotion. And, as humans, we are natural beings and so are our emotions. Not supernatural.
  
  How does the sun appear to rise and set each day, or how do the planets actually revolve around a sun? What is our impression, what is reality, and how do those perceptions influence us to make particular choices in the ' real world ' ?
  
  And, what creates the situations that allow our choices to result in a better or ' more lucky ' situation? Is that what is divine? ' Luck ' itself ? Are there days when we want to just ' thank our lucky stars ' ? ( Wow, was I lucky today ! ! ! Praise the divine ! ! ! )
  
  If, by boldness and good preparation, we have made the right choices; we have boldly gone in a particular direction or path, and the return of ' good fortune ' on our human investments in decision-making is somehow personified in a way that humans came relate to ...
  
  for example, in the anthropomorphic deification of the feminine gender as a Goddess ... then we have a concrete symbol of an abstract concept that is a very real occurrence ... the personification of ' good luck ' or ' good fortune '
   
  Or, by mythological terms according to the ancient Roman paths, the Goddess Fortuna; divine personification of ' good luck '
  
  Now, if alongside the good fortune that we have already shown is considered divine and linked with natural bodies ( such as the stars and the ancient Goddess Fortuna ) , natural bodies such as the sun are also perceived as being divine inspiration ... which by honoring the solstices and equinoxes, we are calling the sun divine as Spiritual Humanists ....
  
  ... then the personification or anthropomorphism of the sun, according to the same ancient Roman ( and also Hellenic Greek ) paths, would be called Apollo. Both the divine Apollo and the Goddess Fortuna were affiliated with ancient, sacred oracles at Delphi and Praeneste ( respectively ), and both divine inspiration for oracular predictions.
  
  Do the sun and good luck influence the future? Perhaps they did in ancient times, and perhaps people have not really changed that much over the past few millenia. The sun and good luck are pretty basic concepts, and both are part of my personal divine inspiration. As an artist, I enjoy the ancient mythologies, and prefer to call these divine natural things by their Pagan names; Goddess Fortuna and the divine Apollo.
  
  However, a humanist may prefer to call them by more ' scientific terms ' for example: I am inspired by the randomness of human interactions and choices, based on preparation and good sense, that result in a better future by means of free will selection, and I also am a bit of a sun-worshiper because I honor nature in all forms.
  
  When we understand the ancient mythologies as a human need to express

  nature or natural events, then the ' supernatural ' effect just goes away. In my opinion, the details of mythology tend toward the supernatural, whilst the deities themselves symbolize the natural. Here, we find a common bond ... generally, in the adoration and love of nature. Science and mythology are often harmonious.'

A Sacred Ritual Bath

Recently, a follower of ancient Roman traditions contacted me regarding an altar to Fortuna which originally presided over the bath for an old fort in the region. My initial response was to emphasize that an altar located within such a strongly masculine function would most likely be presided over by a priest and not a priestess. Which also brought in the issue that women were not always chosen to serve the Goddess temples in ancient times, although I do connect with many, many women who represent the divine feminine in contemporary NeoPagan practice; a very strong force in personal, spiritual belief.

The second response was the concept that this Fortuna was “of the bath” ( perhaps as “Balnearis” or “Salutaris”, regardless of whether the inscription actually included these aspects of the bath or health-bringing  activities ). In ancient times, the bath was a place of bonding and exercise. In contemporary times, when we go to the public swimming pool or gymnasium, we join with other humans in a similar way. However; the ability to bond with others, and also with the deity of Fortuna, is no longer part of the public sector. This points to another strong contrast between the past and NeoPagan expression.

In today’s society, we make choices regarding our beliefs and interests. Do we work out in the gymnasium and swim in the public pool as a secular activity? Do we make an offering to the Goddess before or after the swim in respect for past traditions? Or, alternatively, do we choose nature walks and private exercise so that we may more closely bond with the Goddess, as She exists in our own homes and personal beliefs? How open are we with our personal beliefs, in a society which may be predominantly of non-Pagan religious persuasions?

Public bonding is a very “Roman” tradition. However; studying and understanding the past is very NeoPagan and, although I am quite new to the belief system of the “Religio Romana”, perhaps understanding the past is also a strong part of this resurgence of classical Pagan reconstructionism, as a beautiful and amazing new branch of the continuously growing tree known as “NeoPaganism”.

How may we duplicate some of the rites of the ancient Roman baths in the privacy of our own homes, to bond with the past, and with the Goddess? Do we shower and  simply focus on the aspect of cleanliness and its health-giving properties? Do we place a statue of the Goddess near our shower or bath ( hopefully in a separate room than our toilets ! ! ) Do we engage in occasional ritual bathing in respect for the past? Or do we incorporate ritual bathing as part of our daily routine? Which brings us around to the question: how did Roman priests and priestesses live their lives, when they weren’t actively engaged in ritual?

What do we know about bathing in ancient Rome, and how do we recreate that experience?

We know that the baths provided access to everyone, regardless of gender or social class. Because the public baths were very beautiful, we may decorate our private baths as our own sacred places. Those who are handy with home improvements, and also having the necessary budget, may choose to remodel the bathroom, or refinish the surfaces with sumptuous materials like marble, decorative tile and large mirrors. The more budget-conscious among us may prefer to display an honored house plant, a smaller decorative mirror or picture, or to use a single marble tile in a unique way.

Bathing was a daily ritual that began with warming and cleansing the body with scented oil, a practice which can be easily adapted to contemporary bathing ... taking care with slippery surfaces!  Vegetable and olive oil are natural products, and often economically priced when compared to the cost of a similar sized bottle of lotion. Essential oils, such as Lavender ( from the Latin “lavar” to wash ) are expensive luxuries, but only a drop or two are needed to scent a very large bottle of oil. Women who are pregnant or nursing may prefer fragrance-free vegetable oil, checking with their personal physicians to be sure.

After a fragrant, steamy bath, attendants would clean the skin by scooping off the oily surface with a metal tool. This part of the ritual is a challenge for those of us without daily access to a personal massage artist, or a spoon large enough to scoop off the oil ourselves. Alternatives may be personally explored; perhaps concocting a natural, home-made salt or sugar scrub with some of the scented oil. The thick outer layer of oil may be diluted from the skin surface with a light lathering of vegetable-based liquid or bar soap, allowing the layer of clean oil at the skin surface to soak in as a warm, fragrant emmolient.

The final phase of the bathing routine was a swim in the cooler water of the public baths. This is easily included in the daily routine with a rinse in the shower, from a separate pitcher of water in the bath, or perhaps even travelling to a spiritual place for bathing in a lake, river, or the ocean when convenient. For a very Roman finale of your private ritual, suiting up for a swim in the community swimming pool is becoming an option, as the weather begins to warm and the public pools entice us with open doors.

References include http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/ancient-roman-baths.html

http://suite101.com/article/lavender-the-quintessential-essential-oil-a159100

http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/romans/baths.html

A Sign From the Roman Oracle

Last night, after five days of practice with the Roman Oracle of divination by casting lots or sortes from ancient texts, I received a sign that my training was complete:

 “Ready for sea, they sent a messenger” Homeric sort from the Odyssey
“For I desire to do this if I can” from the Iliad

I am ready to take requests for divination by the Roman Oracle. I will ask for your name and date of birth ( month and day ) and also the question that you are asking. 
In return, you will receive a single line from the ancient texts, which I will personally divine for you, specific to your question. These sortes will be a little different from the tarot readings, in which I work with you as a consultant. Because the sortes are part of an ancient spiritual tradition, the divination will require my attention as a high priestess, or as a priestess of the Goddess. Due to the concept that these are sacred texts, I will not be consulting nor interpreting the line; it will be yours to meditate upon.

The intention is to devote a page on my website to Roman divination, and perhaps donate 10% of any proceeds therefrom ( of Roman divination only, not of my regular consultations ) to Nova Roma in exchange for Equestrian class.  Nova Roma citizens will receive a 10% discount on any purchases from the new Roman Oracle page. 
The Roman Oracle page is up! It may be found at  http://mamafortuna.com/Roman_Oracle.html. 

References include: http://www.ask.com/wiki/Sortes_(ancient_Rome)?qsrc=3044

The Roman Oracle

I was invited to join the Nova Roma organization last December, which was kind of odd because I had applied a year before and had completely forgotten about the application. Let me explain: Nova Roma is an educational organization that is devoted to recreating the ancient Roman culture. There is no fee to join, but a level of understanding Roman names is required, hence the learning curve. 

After lengthy conversation back and forth, I chose the name of "Gaia Veturia Sacerdos", with an optional suffix of "Fortunalis". "Gaia" is well known in NeoPaganism as a mother earth Goddess; in ancient Rome, the name was commonly used by any woman in the process of ancient Roman weddings. Some marriages were sanctified when the woman uttered "ube tu gaius ego gaia" ( "wherever you are, I am there" ). Sometimes, Gaia became a first name; perhaps loosely translated as "Mrs." This unique blend of meanings for the name "Gaia" was very attractive, perhaps because I've been a single woman for a very long time, and getting just a little bit tired of it. 

"Veturia" was my choice for a middle name, as a tribute to an ancient priestess Goddess Fortuna. Veturia was a married woman, and a mother, who took a stand alongside other women for peace. Ancient Roman women were given the right to speak out in public, as a result of Veturia's work. A rather magickal aspect of this name is that is sounds a little like "Victoria" which evokes contemporary images of exotic, frothy outfits and amazing levels of feminine fitness, although I can't particularly say that I am part of that particular "secret society".

"Sacerdos" means, simply, "priestess". The word "sacred" comes from this word, and also the contemporary latin word for priestess, which is "sacerdota" or "sacerdotisa". The informal suffix of "Fortunalis" implies that the sacred duty is doing honor for the Goddess Fortuna. Since it's informal, and not part of the actual name, the ability to do priestess work on behalf of other deities may be represented by swapping out "Fortunalis" for a different deity ( if I actually wish to do so ). All's well, and the name is good, happy and lucky :)

Since choosing the name, I have been enjoying my new incarnation as G. Veturia Sacerdos ( "Veturia" for short ) and taking part in Roman Games and other enjoyable activities, as I get to know my way around the organization and meet new friends online. There is another temple to Fortuna, which is run by a different member of the Nova Roma organization. I was getting around to introducing myself, and she popped in and very nicely answered a question I had posted about ancient Roman divination. 

Which brings me to the subject of The Roman Oracle. 

It seems that Romans were very keen on interpreting omens, and every major public decision was preceded by divining whether the Gods and Goddesses approved. Some of the public rites were fairly complicated to learn. Other public rites were, well, a little primitive for contemporary culture. Some ancient practices are really best left back in ancient times. 

Private divination rituals, and oracles accessible to individual families or citizens of the Roman community, were much simpler. These simpler methods are more in "tune" with the style of divination I do as a Master Tarot Consultant, including Roman Oracles known as "sortes" or "lots". These oracles were based on drawing out short phrases from the work of ancient poets to answer the questions allegorically, if not literally. The most common poets were Virgil and Homer, with the texts of Homer being more ancient and known during the time of the actual "Veturia" from antiquity. In those days, Virgil's poetry was still several centuries in the future. 

To learn how to provide The Roman Oracle, the first step was to locate a copy of poetry by either Virgil or Homer. My closest book store is our community thrift shop, so I sent my intentions that direction and dropped by earlier today. Lo and behold, Homer was there ... and Virgil, nowhere to be seen. For less than a dollar, I now have two editions of poetry written by Homer, and translated into English language. Leafing through them, I was very glad that I had familiarized myself with lyric poetry in school. Reading these books, cover-to-cover seems entirely too daunting a task for me now, as a working adult. Fortunately, actually reading the books is not required :)

Having procured the required texts, the next step will be to practice "ad sortes Sortes Homericae" or the Homeric lots - divination using the works of Homer. 'The Iliad' was the usual text for sortes and, surprisingly, a paperback "Odyssey" with loose binding had been included at no extra charge. 

Although it may not be as traditional, perhaps the Odyssey is requesting preference over the "Iliad" for this exercise. The reason being, the pages may be removed to more easily simulate "lots", as compared to a bibliomancy implied by a completely intact "Iliad". Those of us well-practiced in honoring the messages of the Goddess pay attention to these small yet significant details. Both texts will be resting on the altar for several hours, and then likely fumigated with incense and blessed elementally before embarking on the Roman lots 

While I am learning this method, over the next few days or until I am comfortable using this method of divination, I will be providing complimentary "sortes" alongside my paid divinations :) Post your inquiry, and discover how The Roman Oracle answers ...