[pagan-magik] the tongue in cheek gospel

[steve ash]

This emerged from a recent philosophical debate I had,
and while writing it up got the urge to mythologize
it, enjoy....


Symposium of the Gods

AKA  The Wisdom of Hermes

Bacchus asks the Olympians,

’What is the greatest Good?’

‘Order and Conservation’, answered Saturn

‘Order is Foundation of all, but whose order is best,
and is it worth conserving?’ replied Bacchus.

‘Love and Beauty’ declared Venus

‘But Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Love
can be the murder of the Self!’ laughed Bacchus 

‘Power and Struggle’, shouted Mars

‘Power over World and Self is indeed worth struggling
for, but alone brings only conflict and war, inner and
outer’, warned Bacchus

’Individualism and Self Will’, said the Sun

’Very desirable, but no one is an island’, added
Bacchus

‘Oneness and Community’,  said the Moon

‘We cannot live without it, but alone it is the death
of the Self!’ warned Bacchus
 
’Freedom and Justice’,  cried Jupiter

‘Very true, but freedom and justice for whom o King?’
Bacchus laughed

‘What then!?’  sighed Hera

‘I know not,  I am no philosopher’, said Bacchus, ‘for
me Pleasure is the only Good’

‘You are wise Bacchus!’, declared Hermes, ‘But Jupiter
has shown why he is still
our King, and why you remain merely heir to his
throne!’ Hermes added. ‘Freedom is the key, for only
when one acts freely according to their own will and
law, without external restraint or rule, can they
become their Creative Self, this is true Power, the
Power to realise our Selves and our World, as is our
destiny and purpose. But for each of us to achieve
this Freedom all others must be free also, a Slave is
a dead weight for a true Master and a Herd no place
for the Free Self. Though we cannot survive without
each other, thus the Community of Equals, in Love and
Hate, in communion and antipathy, is the only true
Foundation for our Unity in Diversity, least we fall
into the swamp of Oneness or the fires of eternal War,
a narrow path to tread. This is the only Just Order,
the only Universal Beauty, and the only thing worth
Creating and Conserving. Fortunately this Just Order
is The Way of Nature, and in following it we alone
experience Pleasure in Eudemonia, and ignore illusory
lesser pleasures, so Bacchus speaks true in his own
way!’  


‘But we are only Gods, how can we ever live up to this
Ideal?’ sighed Hera

‘It would take greater beings than ourselves to find
such a discriminatory way!’ laughed Pan

’Yes, we must rely on our Creator and Master for an
example’, declared Bacchus, ’we must rely on Mankind
to show us the way!’



		
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