Welcome To Justin's Homepage


Here is a picture of me -- Click here for more pictures!



  • Basics:My name is Justin. I am a 21 year old gay male living in Raleigh, NC (click here for a listing of a few of my favorite local hang outs). I am a sociology major at NCSU and so far I am interested in a career in research, marketing or human resources.

  • Religion: I am a Hellenic Pagan. Hellenismos is a revival of the classical Greek religion and mystery/philosophical traditions. The use of reason and the freedom of the individual are very key to Hellenism which is part of why it appeals to me. Hellenismos is a polytheistic religion, worshipping many gods and seeing the Universe as being made up of many different forces which are sometimes in harmony and sometimes in conflict. Sometimes this works out to the benefit of humans, often times to our peril, but we have hope because by achieving our human potential and working with the gods we can achieve great things and live happily. While I do not believe that life has an ultimate set-in-stone meaning, living a pious and philosophically examined life of moderation to personally evolve (perhaps through many lives) back to the Cosmos (a state called Apotheosis, comparable to the Buddhist goal of Enlightenment) is the goal and purpose I have chosen for my own life. I achieve this goal by constantly challenging my ideas and beliefs, seeking out new and interesting experiences, enjoying worldly pleasures (in balance) and by communing with the gods through rituals, meditations, sacrifices, prayer, divination, trance and other spiritual practices. Some important inspirational (although not divinely inspired or infallable) writings are Homer's The Odyssey and The Iliad as well as Hesiod's Theogony and Works & Days as well as the writings of the ancient philosophers (such as Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Thales, etc). I have started a Proto-Demos (local denomination of Hellenion) in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel-Hill area, if you are interested in participating please Hellenic Pagan site, which explain and explores the religion and its various philosophies in more detail.

  • Philosophy: Of ancient philosophers I greatly admire the work of Plato, Plotinus, Pythagoras and Aristotle. Through their at times conflicting accounts of the nature of reality, spirit, the gods, the self and higher ethics, many universal truths can be found. I particularly admire the work of the Neo-Platonists. It has often been said that even if you never catch up with it, pursuit of the truth will set you free.

  • Favorite Things:
    - Music Types: Swing, Techno (especially Trance), Ska, Folk Rock, Rock, New Age, Classical.
    - Music Groups: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Indigo Girls, 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, Rachels, Enya, Lisa Gerrard, Dead Can Dance.
    - Games: RPG's (esp. Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game, Spades, Hearts, Chess, Backgammon, Senat, Risk.
    - Magazines: XY Magazine, Utne Reader, Atlantic Monthly, Parabola Magazine.
    - Foods: Lasagne, sushi, pizza, tiamisu, baklava, tabouli, hummus, salmon, tomato basil or minestrone soup, gazpacho, greek salads, pasta..
    - Click here to read my review of various clove cigarettes!

    • Friends' Web Pages

    Here are some links to some of my friends' websites. This section is always growing as I gather the URL's from my friends. If you consider yourself my friend and have a website, e-mail it to me and I'll include it.

  • Nate Hanschen: Nate is probably my best friend. Unfortunately he moved to Michigan recently, but while he was here we shared many fun times and did a lot of spiritual exploration together in addition to some fabulous dancing and partying!
    Ryan Davis: I met Ryan through Nate and of my friends in the area he has been my most loyal friend. He is eternally upbeat and optimistic and always views the world around him with an open mind.
    Rob Rankin: Rob is a fun-loving new age guy also studying at NCSU. I met him at Third Place coffeehouse and have enjoyed many fun outings and deep discussions with him. Lesley Templeton: Lesley is a cool girl I met at NCSU. Her and I were both officers in BGLA, NCSU's gay and lesbian student group, until neither of us had the spare time to commit to it any longer. She throws some of the best parties around and we'll all miss her when she moves this winter to find a job.


    Tina the Troubled Teen

    Links

  • Shadow of Olympus - A good general Hellenic Pagan page.

  • Sannion's Sanctuary - A Hellenic page with a slightly different focus.
  • Hellenion - A national group dedicated to the revival of Hellenism.
  • The Onion - A humorous newspaper.

  • Triangle Citysearch - A directory of businesses in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel-Hill area.

  • Human Rights Campaign - A political lobbying group dedicated to equality for gays and lesbians.
  • The Libertarian Party - The US political party which comes closest to my personal beliefs about government (of course no one can agree 100% with any political party without being a brainwashed cultist--I take pride in corrupting my mind on a regular basis by thinking for myself and I take great pleasure in pissing off cults of any kind-- be they secular, spiritual or political).
  • The ACLU - A political group dedicated to preserving civil liberties, defending equality and keeping the church and state seperate.


    What Video Game Character Are You? I am a Breakout Bat.I am a Breakout Bat.

    I am an abstract sort of creature, who dislikes any sort of restraint. If you try to pigeonhole me, I'll break the box, and come back for more. I don't have any particular ambitions, I just drift, but I am adept at keeping life going along. What Video Game Character Are You?


    Contact Me...


    To contact me, send an e-mail to madmagenc @ bellsouth.net (remove the spaces to send e-mail, they were inserted to prevent spam-bots from picking up my address).