Cute Snow Monkeys
The Wheel of Fortune refers to the fact that things tend to go in cycles.
There are good times and there are bad times. Even if your external environment is difficult and challenging, there will come a time when this will ease off and you will be able to focus more on creating fun and frivolity.
The lesson of the Wheel of Fortune is that you must accept that there are always ups and downs in life.
If you were to have only good times, you would become less appreciative of what you have.
Sometimes the bad times provide the contrast and perspective you need to be able to recognise how blessed you are when the good times come.
So, when times are good, enjoy the benefits but do not become complacent because things can change.
When times are bad, do not be discouraged because even when things seem their worst it simply suggests that things can only get better!
The Wheel of Fortune suggests that you should not simply stand still and accept what life hands you.
You can take an active hand to try and remain on the upside of the Wheel.
When things are down, instead of waiting and hoping for things to get better, you can work actively towards improving your situation, thereby speeding up the recovery process.
Finally, the Wheel asks you to not become discouraged when faced with adversity.
Adversity is a natural part of life and should be expected from time to time.
The fact that bad times happen should not worry you.
Accept them as natural and not necessarily indicative of problems.
Instead, look for ways in which you can face and conquer the adversity.
If it cannot be addressed, then that might be taken as a suggestion of a problem.
The Wheel of Fortune suggests that there are external factors that are influencing your situation that may be unknown to you or outside of your control.
It is as though the Universe is just dishing up whatever it pleases at this time, and it can feel quite unpredictable and unnerving as a result (especially if you like being in control most of the time!).
This is one of the challenging aspects of the Wheel of Fortune since no matter which way the Wheel of Fortune turns, it is impossible to try and change it.
So, you might as well try to accept what is happening and adapt accordingly.
If a crisis seems inevitable, recall that in every crisis lies opportunity.
When you have been pushed in a new direction, know that every path leads somewhere, even if you do not know where it is.
Such events are simply out of your control, and if you can accept that then the ride gets a lot easier.
If you struggle against the Wheel it will crush you. So just go with the flow!
The Wheel of Fortune is about keeping optimistic and having faith in the Universe that it will take care of the situation in the best way possible.
You need to remain optimistic yourself, thinking positively and keeping as upbeat as possible.
Through meditation and visualisation, the Wheel of Fortune can assist and reinforce your intention to bring increased abundance, good fortune and prosperity into your life.
This archetype allows your life to turn in more positive directions if you are willing to grow and expand.
This is also a ‘lucky’ time in life when you are sensing the action of fate and destiny working in your favour.
You may even be witnessing miracles or a very fortunate series of events.
The Wheel represents karma and reminds you that ‘what goes around comes around’.
In the upright position, you are likely to be at the positive end but again, do not become complacent.
You still need to act in ways that are fundamentally ‘good’ to ensure that luck or positivity stays on your side.
The Wheel of Fortune speaks of a pivotal point in your life, where new options become possible.
The appearance of the Wheel of Fortune shows that change is not only likely to happen, it is certain to happen, and soon.
Generally the change shown in the Wheel of Fortune is a dramatic change from the established order.
These changes are distinctly personal and may require making a first step on a new and unfamiliar path.
You may also need to alter your present course, move things in a different direction or turn things around to ensure that you are creating the right outcomes in your life.
A great affirmation for the Wheel of Fortune is, “Through all the changes that the Universe brings, I feel the centre of stability which is within me.”
https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/wheel-of-fortune/
Delphi became the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo
The name Delphoi is connected with delph "hollow" or delphus "womb" and may indicate archaic veneration of Gaia, Grandmother Earth, the Earth Goddess at the site.
Apollo is connected with the site by his epithet Delphinios, "the Delphinian", i.e. either "the one of Delphi", or "the one of the womb".
The epithet is connected with dolphins (the "womb-fish") in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (line 400), telling how Apollo first came to Delphi in the shape of a dolphin, carrying Cretan priests on his back.
Another legend held that Apollo walked to Delphi from the north and stopped at Tempe, a city in Thessaly to pick laurel, a plant sacred to him (generally known in English as the bay tree).
In commemoration of this legend, the winners at the Pythian Games received a wreath of laurel (bay leaves) picked in Tempe.
Delphi became the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo, as well as the Pythian Games and the famous prehistoric oracle.
Even in Roman times hundreds of votive statues remained, described by Pliny the Younger and seen by Pausanias.
From a late myth that deviates from much older ones, when young, Apollo killed the chthonic serpent Python, named Pythia in older myths, but according to some later accounts his wife, Pythia, who lived beside the Castalian Spring, according to some because Python had attempted to rape Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis.
The bodies of the pair were draped around his Rod, which, with the wings created the caduceus symbolic of the god. This spring flowed toward the temple but disappeared beneath, creating a cleft which emitted vapors that caused the Oracle at Delphi to give her prophecies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since she was a child of Gaia.
The shrine dedicated to Apollo was originally dedicated to Gaia and then, possibly to Poseidon.
The name Pythia remained as the title of the Delphic Oracle. As punishment for this murder Apollo was sent to serve in menial tasks for eight years.
A festival, the Septeria, was performed annually portraying the slaying of the serpent, the flight, the atonment and the return of the God. The Pythian Games took place every four years to commemorate his victory.
Erwin Rohde wrote that the Python was an earth spirit, who was conquered by Apollo, and buried under the Omphalos, and that it is a case of one deity setting up a temple on the grave of another.
Another view holds that Apollo was a fairly recent addition to the Greek pantheon coming originally from Lydia. The Etruscans coming from northern Anatolia also worshiped Apollo, and it may be that he was originally identical with Mesopotamian Aplu, an Akkadian title meaning "son", originally given to the plague God Nergal, son of Enlil.
Apollo Smintheus the mouse killer eliminates mice, a primary cause of disease, hence he promotes preventive medicine. It is a popular misconception that the oracle predicted the future, based on the lapping water and leaves rustling in the trees; the oracle of Delphi never predicted the future, but gave guarded advice on how impiety might be cleansed and incumbent disaster avoided.
Science and the Sibyl
There have been occasional attempts to find a scientific explanation for the Sibyl's behavior. Most commonly, these refer to Plutarch's observation that the Pythia's oracular powers appeared to be linked to vapors from the Castalian Spring that surrounded her, together with the observation that sessions of prophesy would either take place in, or be preceded by a visit to, an enclosed chamber at the base of the temple.
It has been suggested that these vapors may have been hallucinogenic gases. In 2001 evidence of the presence of ethylene, a potential hallucinogen, was found in the temple's local geology and nearby springs.
Inhalation of ethylene in an enclosed space might well have exposed the Sibyl to sufficiently high concentrations of the narcotic gas to induce a euphoric or trance-like state.
This oracle exerted considerable influence across the country, and was consulted before all major undertakings: wars, the founding of colonies, and so forth. She also was respected by the semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt.
Croesus of Lydia consulted Delphi before attacking Persia, and according to Herodotus received the answer "if you do, you will destroy a great empire." Croesus found the response favorable and attacked, and was utterly overthrown (resulting, of course, in the destruction of his own empire).
This claim is related to one of the most famous mottos of Delphi, which Socrates said he learned there, Gnothi Seauton: "know thyself".
Another famous motto of Delphi is Meden Agan: "nothing in excess".
In the 3rd century A.D., the oracle (perhaps bribed) declared that the god would no longer speak there.The temple to Apollo at Delphi was built by Trophonius and Agamedes.
The power of the Delphic oracle fluctuated and eventually lost favor as Christianity became the dominant religion of the land, said De Boer.
Moreover, ancient legend suggests that the concentration of the vapors became weaker - possibly because the absence of a major earthquake failed to keep Earth's narcotic juices flowing.
The earth star chakra is not a part of the physical body like the other seven chakras. It’s actually located below our feet, and makes up part of your etheric body. It connects directly to the core of the earth and to Gaia. The earth star chakra is sometimes referred to as one of the “new chakras” or “subpersonal chakras.” Think of your earth star chakra as a high-performance root chakra!
https://zennedout.com/what-is-the-earth-star-chakra-how-to-connect-to-it/
https://zennedout.com/what-is-the-earth-star-chakra-how-to-connect-to-it/
Today, the water that helped transport the gases to the Delphic temple is tapped and siphoned above the temple to supply the modern town of Delphi.The work by De Boer and his colleagues is an example of modern science helping archaeologists understand how ancient peoples lived.
The Treasury of Athens, built to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Marathon
From the entrance of the site, continuing up the slope almost to the temple itself, is a large number of votive statues, and numerous treasuries.
These were built by the various states Ð those overseas as well as those on the mainland Ð to commemorate victories and to thank the oracle for advice important to those victories.
The most impressive is the now-restored Treasury of Athens, built to commemorate the Athenians' victory at the Battle of Marathon.
The Athenians had previously been given the advice by the oracle to put their faith in their "wooden walls" Ð taking this advice to mean their navy, they won a famous battle at Salamis.
Another impressive treasury that exists on the site was dedicated by the city of Siphnos, who had ammassed great wealth from their silver and gold mines and so they dedicated the Siphnian Treasury.
Creation of Delphi
Apollo is connected with the site by his epithet 'Delphinios', 'the Delphinian', i.e. either "the one of Delphi", or "the one of the womb".
The epithet is connected with dolphins (the "womb-fish") in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, telling how Apollo first came to Delphi in the shape of a dolphin, carrying Cretan priests on his back.
Greek legend recounts how Apollo chose Delphi as one of his chief places of worship, along with Delos. Greek mythology tells of a time when the gods of the sky overcame those of earth.
Then the infant Apollo took control of Parnassus by killing Python, the dragon snake that had possessed it. Apollo took the form of a dolphin and swam out to sea to capture a group of sailors, whom he appointed the first priests of his cult.
The sybyl or prophetess took the name Pythia and sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the Earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit.
In this state she prophesied. She spoke in riddles, which were interpreted by the priests of the temple, and people consulted her on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs.
Upon arriving at Delphi, the supplicants registered and paid a fee; when their appointments neared, they purified themselves at the Castalian Spring, where the bathing trough is still visible. They then proceeded along the Sacred Way, a zigzag flagstone walk up the hill.
The Sacred Way was lined with statues and offerings, most of which have long disappeared, although a few surviving examples can be seen in the Delphi Museum.
Also along the way were a series of treasuries, small shrines sponsored by various Greek cities as thank-offerings for important victories.
The best perserved of these is the Athenian treasury, built in 490 BC to celebrate the Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon. Because of its balance, harmony, and purity of line, it is regarded as the finest example of ancient Doric style.
The Sacred Way ended outside the temple. There the pilgrims would sacrifice a sheep or goat, whose entrails were examined by the priests for omens. Then the pilgrims entered one by one to ask the sibyl their question.
A carved domed rock, the omphalos, or naval of the earth, was kept at the place of prophecy. In an ancient flood story about the human race, the omphalos was the first thing to emerge from the waters as they receeded.
In another account, Zeus sent two ravens out from from the ends of the earth to find its center, and their beaks touched at the omphalos. The stone is presently kept in a museum.
The centerpiece of Delphi was the temple of Apollo, built with donations from every Greek city-state and from abroad. The base of the temple still stands, with half a dozen of the original columns.
On the outside of the base are over 700 inscriptions, most announcing the emancipation of slaves, which was considered a special act of piety to be performed at Delphi. At the far end of the temple is the altar, originally decorated with memorials, ex-votos, statues, and offerings.
The myths said that during winter, when Apollo went to his other shrine at Delos, the slopes of Mount Parnassus became the playground of the god Pan, patron of fertility.
Above and away from the shrine of Delphi is a grove that is difficult to reach, at the end of an ancient cobblestone trail called the Kalki Skala, or "evil stairway."
Nearby are two pinnacles from which those convicted of sacrilege against the gods were thrown to their deaths.
Also in the area is the Corycian Cave, sacred to Pan, and here each November ancient worship rituals involved drinking and sexual orgies took place.
The contrast with the Delphic shrine is striking, and perhaps out of embarrassment, no attempt has been made either to publicize the place or to make it easy to visit. Pan's image in art -- half-man, half goat with horns -- was adopted in the Christian era as the image of the Devil. Above the Temple of Apollo is an outdoor theater with 33 tiers of stone seats that held about 5,000 people.
A stadium seating 7,000 nearby was used for the Phythian Games, held every four years to celebrate the victory of Athens over the Phoenicians, who had attacked Delphi and tried to seize its treasures.
Several centuries later, when Rome conquered Greece and Athenian protection collapsed, the Emperor Nero looted 500 statues from the shrine.
In the fourth century AD, Julian the Apostate, a Christian emperor who returned to paganism, ordered Delphi's restoration as part of his campaign to restore the ancient gods, but in a eerie scene, the oracle wailed but refused to prophesy.
That event was considered a sign of the end, and by 390 AD the shrine was closed by the Christian Emperor Theodosis. Soon after the temple was razed.
Delphi was the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo, as well as the Pythian Games and a famous oracle. Even in Roman times hundreds of votive statues remained, described by Pliny the Younger and seen by Pausanias.
http://www.crystalinks.com/delphi.html
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