A traditional observance

[ecosophia]

Last month's fifth Wednesday post over on the blog discussed what it would mean to experience the forces of nature as persons rather than things, and a fair number of people expressed interest in trying to meet the world that way. It so happens that I've been reading up on the religious life of late classical Paganism, for a book project currently under way, and realized that I should have mentioned a habit of that time that I picked up quite a few years ago. 

There was a traditional gesture of respect that people in classical times did in the presence of the holy; you did it, for example, when you went into a temple and stood before the divine image there. It was quite simple: you kissed the palm of your hand, and then held the hand with the palm toward the holy presence. You could add a prayer or what have you, but the straightforward physical action was enough. There are still plenty of bronze votive statues around of Greeks and Romans making the gesture -- those were put inside temples to offer perpetual recognition to the gods. 

In late classical Paganism, as spirituality merged with philosophy and people became aware that (as Thales put it many centuries earlier) all things are full of gods, it became a common habit among the devout to make the same gesture every morning when they first saw the Sun, and whenever in the cycle of the day and night they first saw the Moon. In the final golden autumn of the classical Pagan world, reverence for Helios the Sun, Selene the Moon, and the other visible powers of nature became very common, and what we may as well call the ecological dimension of such rites as the Eleusinian mysteries -- their connection with seasonal cycles and the life cycles of vegetation -- were increasingly central to the celebration of the rites. Directing the old token of respect toward Sun and Moon was a part of that refocusing. 

Many years ago, when I first read of that custom -- I think it was in the pages of Walter Burkert's magisterial volume Greek Religion -- it struck me as a very good idea, and I started doing it. I still do it. It can be done quietly, even surreptitiously, as I imagine Pagans did it to avoid being noticed and beaten or worse by Christian mobs, but it makes a connection, and acknowledges Sun and Moon as living and holy beings rather than dead things. (Mind you, late classical Neoplatonic Paganism in general has always seemed profoundly sane to me, but that's a topic for another time.) But I'd encourage those who want to live in a living world rather than a dead one, a world full of gods rather than a vast lifeless machine clanking its mindless way through time, to consider trying this simple respectful observance. It may lead you in directions you don't expect. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

I love this idea--thanks.

I'd also love to hear more at some point of your take on late classical Neoplatonic Paganism.

Take care, and happy new year.

Pierre

[ecosophia]

I'll probably do a post on that in the fairly near future. I've been revisiting a lot of the old literature and, as usual, being blown over by the calmness, grace, and sanity of that tradition.

[wire_mother]

I'm catching up on Dreamwidth entries that I'd been skipping for the past month or more, and came across this.

If I may, if you intend to examine neoplatonism, please look into the works of Edward P. Butler. He's a Ph.D. whose dissertation was on "The Metaphysics of Polytheism in Proclus". He's written a number of articles that attempt to look at what the polytheistic neoplatonists were writing in themselves, undisturbed by the later commentary of Christians pressing neoplatonism into a makeshift theological basis for Christianity and humanist philosophers who took the Christian writings as definitive of the original neoplatonists. A number of his articles are available in print in two small but dense volumes, Essays on a Polytheistic Philosophy of Religion and Essays on the Metaphysics of Polytheism in Proclus. He also blogs occasionally at henadology, and includes a number of his articles on philosophy and theology there for free in downloadable PDF format. He's also here on Dreamwidth as endymions_bower.

kiss your hand to the moon

[amritarosa]

So that's where that (probably) came from! I remember reading about "kissing your hand to the Moon" early on in practice, then subsequently trying to figure out what exactly was meant by that (kiss the back of the hand, then lift it?, put your hand between yourself and the Moon and then kiss it?, kiss your hand then stretch it out to the Moon like a slow sign of the enterer?, do as you described here?, etc.)

This description makes the most sense, though I like blowing a kiss off my palm in many situations too.

Thanks!
B

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[ecosophia]

You can certainly blow a kiss to the Moon! I suspect she'll appreciate that. ;-) As I understand it, it's a matter of kissing the palm and then holding the palm up to face the object of your reverence. Have you seen ancient statues or paintings of people in togas or the like standing there with their right hand raised, palm forward? That's the way of it.

It also interests me that people in ancient times didn't clasp their hands to pray, and they didn't kneel. They stood upright, with arms raised in a curve, almost as though they were offering the god or goddess a hug. The difference between that open and expansive posture, and the cramped, crouching, closed posture of modern prayer, says a great deal to me about the differences in the traditions.

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[https://openid-provider.appspot.com/bryanlallen]

Oh my goodness. In one of the readings we studied at the Men’s group of the Episcopal church I was attending many years ago, a similar arms-wide gesture was mentioned as being appropriate for giving thanks, especially when in nature. I found it resonated positively with me, and I’ve been doing it since. One documented example: https://bryanlallen.smugmug.com/Nature/Mineral-King-to-Kaweah-Gap-to/i-nwT2gBq/A

I’ve been offering the upraised palm too in appropriate circumstances, but had not stumbled upon the kiss as a energizing & validating part of the gesture. Thank you for opening my eyes to that!

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[(Anonymous)]

That's how things were done as late as the 17th and earlier 18th centuries in the Protestant churches of New England: the congregation would sit to sing psalms (the only hymns used), but stand to pray (with uplifted hands). The First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island, used to hold one Sunday worship service every year in that old-fashioned manner. -- Robert Mathiesen

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[ecosophia]

Most interesting. I wonder why it got replaced with the current posture of prayer.

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[orathbone]

I remember learning about this when I studied Archaeology many years ago. It’s called the ‘orans posture’’. More details here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orans

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[(Anonymous)]

Part of the answer to your question can be found at this link. Apparently the orans posture is reserved for the clergy.

http://www.catholic365.com/article/5408/the-faithful-are-not-to-use-the-orans-posture-during-the-our-father.html

Interestingly at the catholic church I still attend, no one has told the parish that we can't do this so I see many adopting this posture during the Our Father without generating a fuss. If some zealot does eventually insist on our being more orthodox, I may adopt the thumb to nose posture.

And then they wonder why so many are dropping out of the church. :P

jlfromnh

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[ecosophia]

One of the other things I really appreciate about classical Paganism is that anybody could make offerings to the gods and goddesses. There were priests and priestesses, some of them from specific families that had a traditional connection to certain rites, some of them elected by the community to carry out religious functions for a year at a time, but the habit of treating the right to make offerings as a pyramid scheme where you have to have the right upline -- no, that nonsense never found a home there. Can you imagine how different Christianity would have turned out if every believer could celebrate communion?

Re: kiss your hand to the moon

[quietmagpie]

The Armenians were heavily persecuted for that (among some other heresies).

[(Anonymous)]

This is a great practice that I plan on adopting; thank you.

If I may ask, What are some of the sources that you have been working with?

Steve

[ecosophia]

So far, I've been rereading Walter Burkert's Greek Religion and a very solid sourcebook of classical texts, The Ancient Mysteries edited by Marvin Meyer. That's just the first round -- I have a good shelf and a half of texts and scholarly works on late classical Neoplatonic Paganism, and plan on rereading all of them as this project proceeds.

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting. I wonder if this was the the real origin of the "Roman" salute used by Fascists and Nazis.

On a more personal note, when I started paying attention to the Sun and the Moon as more than mere celestial bodies, I began saluting them with the first gestures that felt right and, for the Sun, it came natural to offer the palms of the hands long enough to feel the warmth of the sun rays on them. I usually also whisper a few words, but nothing complicated or too lyrical. To the Moon, I tend to only whisper words and stare at Her spellbound.

I never felt the urge to kiss my hand(s), but occasionally before taking leave and walking away I breath on the right hand (I am right-handed) before raising it towards my forehead. Again, I don't know where this gesture came from, but it felt natural to express deep reverence. But I only use it occasionally.

I wonder why these gestures felt right and not others.

-Gigoachef

Traditional Observance

[(Anonymous)]

Beautiful! And thank you. I had no idea. Husband and I tried this, and I swear I felt a slight, and refreshing, breeze from long ago. Will do this from now on, with gratitude.

[(Anonymous)]

First observation, from several days of handkissing both natural forces and man made sacred objects (including lovingly decorated Christmas trees):

I notice an immediate energetic connection with the sacred object in question. I often feel called to speak silently, though not always. But energetically it's like plugging in an electrical chord.

I'm in.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for that pointer, JMG. THAT makes sense. I am in.

mac

[(Anonymous)]

For my part I usually say hi, or face my palm toward the entity and hail, or sometimes put my hand on my heart and bow a little. Nobody told me about this; it seemed quite sensible to respectfully greet living beings as one would a fellow human.