The Apollonian 2

Hymn to Apollon
by M.H., 1997

Hail to You, O Apollon, leader of the Muses, Lord of the Seasons,
Golden haired Phoibos, whose perfect lyre unites all opposites,
Healing Paian, whose darts afflict not those striving for good,
All seeing God, Delphic Prophet, Lord of Intellectual Light,
You delight in the rocky crags of Parnassos and in the lovely cape of Delos,
As Helios’ nourishing rays bring forth fragrant white laurel blossoms and ripen sweet brown dates.
Giver of Life, by your Delian altar, unsullied by blood and fire-charred flesh,
You inspire in the lover of wisdom a respect for every life.
Glorious Youth, by slaying Pytho who bars the way to the Omphalos,
You show that selfishness must be transcended along the path to the Source, Center of All.
Great Purifier, You alone liberate life from such selfishness and mind from the limitations of thought,
Thereby, making most direct that path to the One, beyond Being, absolutely infinite and free.

There are seasons where devotion does not feel like lightness or ease, but like endurance. Where faith is not loud, but quiet and steady, carried through difficult days and uncertain moments.

In those times, I remember that light is not only what warms us.
It is also what guides us when the path is unclear. It does not remove the darkness, but it makes it possible to keep going within it.

Hail Apollo, Bringer of Light and Revealer of Truth.
May clarity hold me steady when everything else feels heavy, and may I continue forward with integrity even in difficult seasons.

The god Apollo accepts the sacrifices of the shepherds
By: Gustave Moreau

Hail Apollon Leschenorius,
Guardian of sacred halls and steadfast counsel,
Protector of words exchanged in trust,
I call upon Your wisdom and grace.

By Your light, may discourse be just,
By Your hand, may alliances be forged.
You who see beyond the spoken word,
Grant clarity and harmony in gathering.

I adore You, radiant Apollon,
Guide our hearts in unity,
Guard these halls with Your eternal watch.
Hail and be ever honored!

Bronze Apollo with Lyre

Only when we appreciate what purity and purification can mean in the Apollonian sense, will the true character of his spiritual stature become intelligible. We realize at once that to this spirituality belongs Apollonian music, knowledge of right and of the future, institution of higher ordinances. All these qualities characterize the Homeric Apollo. We sense that these properties and perfections radiate from a single basic quality and are manifold manifestations of a single divine being which the Greeks had worshipped as Apollo even before Homer.

The Homeric Gods. The Spiritual Significance of Greek Religion

Apollo and Daphne
By: Daniel Seiter

Roman period Head of Apollo

Symbols of the nine Muses, Greek mosaic from Elis C1st B.C., Archaeological Museum of Elis