Sunday, March 31, 2013

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

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

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

Thursday, March 21, 2013

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 ...