 |
TEMPLE OF IARHIBOL How to start practicing private rites to Iarhibol |
|
|
(Iarhibol at an altar upon which fruits have been offered - image from Temple of Bel-Marduk, Palmyra) IntroductionThis "How To" manual has been written for individuals who are interested in connecting with the Sun God Iarhibol through rites and rituals, but are unsure of how to begin. This is a basic primer rather than a scholarly text, and further research and reading are highly encouraged. BackgroundPrivate worship was the foundation of personal life in the ancient world. The Public rites, with their grand Temples and many festivals have received the most attention from historians. Yet such things were possible only because of the religious feeling which grew from household and family rites. Each household in the Classical world, from Rome to the farthest province, included personal worship as a part of daily life. Most ancient homes had a household altar, ("lararium" in Latin), at which the family interacted with the Goddesses and Gods on a personal level each day. The rites of the home and family were so important to the ancients that such worship persisted into very late antiquity, surviving centuries longer than the public worship at the Temples which were officially banned in the Roman world in the late 4th century CE. The reasons why household worship was important are understandable even today. The family was the basis of ancient culture, and the household is the "center" of a family's existence. Inviting the Gods into ones house helps to ensure that one's property, relatives, and worldly efforts are blessed by the Gods, and that the positive powers of the Goddesses and Gods will enrich ones daily life. Such a sharing of life between humans and the Gods is the essence of the Pax Deorum, or "Peace of the Gods." Therefore, even though Iarhibol was worshipped both in his own temples, and included in the temples of Bel-Marduk, there was a real precedence for solitary worship in the home. The Basic Outline of Household WorshipThe basics of household rites to Iarhibol are simple and easy to do. To begin, a "sacred space" is set up in the home, in the form of a household altar. At this altar both the deities that are responsible for the home and the patron deities of the family are worshipped. In ancient Palmyra, etc. Iarhibol was often included in such rites, along with the worship of other deities important to the family. Historically, there are often two simple rites done at the household altar each day - in the morning and evening. During these rites the Gods are honored, and asked to watch over the affairs of the family. The home altar was of course also a place where individuals could worship the gods privately, and make small offerings to them. In essence, such an altar is the "sacred heart" of the household, where the positive forces of Iarhibol and other deities may be brought into everyday mundane existence. The AltarThe household altar is the sacred place of the home where offerings and prayers are made to the Gods. In more affluent homes, such as private villas, the main altar was usually set in the front room where guests were welcomed. . In smaller homes which might not have an large public room, such as multi-family apartments, the altar was most often located near the hearth (the kitchen or place of a central fire). But a house could have several minor altars as well, indoors (specially in individual bedrooms, in outdoor gardens or courtyards, etc. The forms of ancient household altars varied greatly. Rich homes might have a huge affair of carved marble which looked rather like a temple in miniature. In other homes the altar might only be a simple wooden cabinet or wall shelf. Big or small, the important thing about a home altar is that it should be permanent rather than something to be put away when the rites are not being held. Either the Gods have a place in one's home or they do not. The easiest way to set up a household altar is to reserve a small one-tier wall shelf, or a table or cabinet as an altar. A trip to a hardware store, a department store or an antique shop will usually yield something workable. Your altar need not be any special style or color, if you like the look of it, it works! It's nice if one can place the altar in a front room or near the kitchen area as was done in history, but this is not essential. The important thing is that the altar be placed somewhere that isn't so remote that it will be ignored or forgotten, or in a place so obtrusive it gets bumped into and knocked about during the course of the day! One doesn't really need a lot of surface space for the altar. A square foot of space or so is about the average, as long as there is room for a candle, incense, and an offering dish. Space for statuary or wall space to hang pictures on is nice but not critical. The household altar should be kept clean, and may be decorated to taste in Classical or Palmyran style if one wishes. Once you have a sacred place reserved by setting up a home altar, it's time to add some of the tools used in ancient worship. We'll start with the basics and work up from there.
The Basic ToolsSacred FireLucernaThe Lucerna, "Loo-KAIR-na", or sacred lamp, was most usually the source of sacred flame at the home altar. This was an oil lamp made of clay or metal that was lit during the rites in honor of deity. There are companies which make reproductions of ancient Roman oil lamps, but one can use a small modern oil lamp just as well. It is the flame that's important, not the container. Even more easily, a white votive or taper candle in a holder may be used... the tallow candle was invented by Romans and certainly was used in ancient times. A lucerna or candle should be on the home altar always, but it needs only be lit during the rites or when an offering of food, flowers, etc. is made to the Gods. PateraThe Patera, "Pah-TER-ah" or offering dish was also used at the household altar throughout all periods of ancient religion. The Patera is used to offer bits of food or wine from houshold meals to the Gods. The ancients thought it important to symbolically share the sustinance of life with deity, as honored members of the home. In ancient times there were many different forms of Pateras. Most often it was a clay or metal saucer-like dish, shallow and perhaps half an inch deep at best. The patera was usually round or oval in shape. Obviously, the Patera is an easy tool to use. A small bit of food from the family table, or liquid such as wine or milk is placed into it so that the Gods may share with the members of the household. The offerings placed in a Patera need only be left for an hour or two, although they can be left from meal to meal if one wishes. The Patera should be kept spotless when not in use. TuribulumThe Turibulum, "Tur-IB-yoo-lum" or incense
burner was also used in household worship throughout ancient history. The
Turibulum is used both to create sacred scents pleasing to the Gods, and
also to change things from solid form into an ethereal form by consuming
them with fire. Sica The Sica, "SEE-kah"
is a knife used in preparing offerings for ritual. In the ancient world
plants, food and other offerings to the Gods would often have to be cut
into pieces for burning, placing on the altar, etc. The Sica may also be
used for marking items to be offered, such as carving an prayer into a
candle to be burned. Ideally the Sica should be a small dagger of
some sort, preferably in an ancient style. AcceraThe Accera, "Ak-KER-ah" is a special container
for sacred incense. As with the Turibulum, in the ancient Roman world
the Accera could be made from a variety of materials and designs. SalinumThe Salinum, "Sa-LEE-num" is a container for
sacred purifying salt. The ancient Classical cultures considered
salt to be a very powerful substance that removed negative spiritual
influences. The Romans understood that salt had antiseptic qualities
even though they did not know about bacteria, etc. Salt was used for
health in baths as well as in medicine. The name of the goddess
Salus (the Roman goddess of public health) is associated with the Latin word
for salt. Salt was also of course important for life itself, and was so
precious in the ancient world that the Roman Legions were paid partially
in salt. GutusThe Gutus, "GOO-tus" is a container for sacred
milk or wine that is offered to the Gods. As with the Accera and the
Salinum, the Gutus is used to keep a sacred offering substance clean and
protected. Any of a variety of materials may be used, such as pottery,
glass, stone or metal.
|
