"The Old Gods & The New": From The Book of Maccabees to Game of Thrones
There is a question in Game of Thrones that is often asked when individuals meet or are introduced from different family houses or clans. "Which gods do you honor? The old gods or the new?" To which is (often) replied, "The old gods and the new." In an era of increased religious polarization, fragmentation, and fundamentalism, this phrase has always struck me with a certain potency, urgency, and most importantly, inclusivity that is detrimentally lacking today. "Which gods
Touching Ecstasy: Dionysian Women's Initiation Rites at Pompeii
I recently attended Erica Lorentz' lecture at Smith College (Northampton, MA) on the Dionysian women's initiation frescoes at Pompeii, Italy. Her reflections were based upon her background and training as a Jungian analyst, first hand encounter with the images in Pompeii, and Linda Fierz-David's work Women's Dionysian Initiation: The Villa Of Mysteries In Pompeii, recently re-issued under the title, Dreaming in Red: Reading the Women's Dionysian Initiation Chamber in Pompeii
