Some people, apparently, are quite curious about my religious profession. They want to know where to place me on the spectrum of things, and by what authority I write the content that I do. While I think there are far more important matters to concern oneself with, in the hopes of resolving further conflict I’ll attempt to clarify certain questions once and for all. I am, certainly everyone will agree, the best authority on the religion of Sannion, so here it is in my own words.

First and foremost, I am a Dionysian. Everything I do, and hold dear, and am revolves around my relationship with the god Dionysos. My life has been subject to a great deal of change over the better part of the last two decades, but the one constant through it all has been an abiding love for him, a desire to know him as completely as I can and to follow his path as best as I am able. I wear his ivy tattooed on my flesh for all to see; I dedicate my every waking moment to serving him as his priest. I write for him; I keep his shrine; I celebrate his festivals; I give out his oracles; I answer countless questions from people about him, and help guide them through the painful and bewildering changes that can come when the god enters their life. I have stripped away everything in my life that has held me back from being a Dionysian – and continue to do so because it is an unending process. There is nothing that I hold closer to my heart than the Lord Dionysos.

And because of that, I have been led to honor the other gods as well. I would have been quite content being a henotheist, with Dionysos as my all and everything. But that was not his wish. He urged me to pay respects to the other gods, who are his friends and family, to do my part to contribute to the revival of their worship in the modern world. So to honor him, I serve them as well.

At first, I focused only on the Greek gods, since they were his immediate family. I established a strong relationship with Hermes, whom I now count as my patron as well, only slightly below Dionysos in the hierarchy of my affections. Other Greek gods that I grew to love included Aphrodite, Hera, Asklepios, Zeus, Apollon, Hekate, Nyx, and Persephone. I have shrines in my home and perform regular cultus for each of them. Of course, these are not the only gods that I honor from the Greek panthon – only the ones that I can afford to keep shrines for. But on their holy days and festivals I make offerings to most of the other Greek gods, as well as devoting time to studying them, writing for them, talking about them to people, and reflecting on the ways in which they intercept with my life.

But the Greek side is only part of the picture of my spiritual life. Several years ago, while I was living in Las Vegas, I had a very powerful and vivid encounter with the god Horus. At the time I was a fairly strict, culturally specific Hellenic Reconstructionist. As such I only drew on material from ancient Greece for my philosophy and religious practice. While I accepted that there were gods other than the Olympians, since converting from Wicca several years prior I had had nothing to do with them, and they were pretty much non-entities to me, save for what I saw of them reflected in the lives of my friends from other religious backgrounds.

And that was pretty much how I expected things to remain. But Horus refused to go away. Over a couple weeks’ time he kept popping up all over the place, in the most random but undeniable of ways. And at first, it was a little troubling. Why was this Egyptian god appearing to a Hellenist of all people? What could he possibly want with me? And if I did end up accepting him – and honestly, how could I turn my back on him: wouldn’t that be against the laws of hospitality - how would that fit in with the rest of my Hellenocentric worldview? More importantly, how would my own gods feel about me accepting this Egyptian into their ranks?

Well, as it turned out they didn’t have any problem with it whatsoever – in fact I felt myself nudged to explore ancient Egyptian culture and history by Dionysos, who I later learned had strong roots in that part of the world – and the more I learned about Egypt and her gods, the more fascinated I became. Many of the things that I had always had a deep interest in such as magic, mysticism, and the afterlife at that time were frowned upon in large parts of the Hellenic Polytheist community and at best were seen as marginal to our faith. (This attitude has changed considerably, so that most people hardly bat an eye at such interests today.) But in Kemetic circles they were warmly embraced and even, in some senses, considered central to the religion. I found myself intensely drawn to certain periods of Egyptian history (especially the 18th Dynasty), as well as to the art and literature of the culture. Concepts such as Ma’at (order, balance, justice) and the cyclical nature of time appealed to me as a Libra, and there was something in the myths (especially those surrounding Osiris and his family) that resonated deeply and powerfully within my soul. In time I was forced to admit that this had become more than just an academic interest for me and that the scales were weighed more heavily in favor of Egypt than Greece.

I began identifying as a Kemetic or Egyptian Reconstructionist, read everything I could find on Egyptian history and religion, and studied with a couple different temples before finding what I thought would be my spiritual home in the House of Netjer. They were a very warm and accepting community, and I quickly got over certain misgivings I had had about the group prior to joining. I was impressed with their level of organization, their accomplishments such as a detailed training program for beginners and clergy, a widely-attended series of annual retreats, and the fact that they had managed to purchase temple land. Tamara Siuda, far from being the meglomaniacal evil cult-leader that many ex-members made her out to be, struck me as a charming, intelligent, passionate, and highly devoted woman deserving of the respect her followers accorded her.

While in the House I was divined as a child of Hathor (Hethert-Sekhmet), which came as quite a surprise to me since I had never felt particularly drawn to her before. But the choice proved an eerily appropriate one as I soon discovered a great number of affinities between the goddess and myself, some so coincidental and impossible for Tamara to have known beforehand as to remove any doubt in my mind as to the efficy of the House’s Parent Divinations. Had I not joined the House, I suspect I never would have persued any kind of relationship with her, and thus would have missed out on a considerable number of wonderful experiences with this most amazing of goddesses, as well as the insight into my own nature which was gained from the divination. Other Kemetic deities that I have developed a relationship with (and now maintain shrines for) are Sobek, Nephthys, Anubis, Isis, Osiris, Seth, Apis, Bast, Re and Thoth. While I love all of the Netjeru, these are the ones that are dearest in my affections.

But I am no longer in the House, and I suppose that is part of what has led me here. My time there was largely pleasant, and certainly important for my spiritual growth, but there were some individuals (and I do not know if they are still members or still hold to such extreme views and regardless want to make it abundantly clear that these views are not representative of the community as a whole, which is very tolerant and accepting of different paths) who insisted that I was not Egyptian enough, that I had held on to too much from my Greek past. Some (though again, not all) espoused the innate superiority of all things Egyptian, and xenophobicly looked down their noses at the Greeks and Romans as barbaric infidel invaders who had destroyed everything good and beautiful about the country and its culture. (The irony of such comments coming from people with lighter skin than I who lived in the heartland of the U.S. was not lost on me.) I grew tired of constantly having to defend the Greeks and battling such ignorance and biggotry and finally stopped posting on the boards. Other problems, with different members, eventually necessitated my departure from the community. But I have no lingering bad feelings in regard to the House: I have a great deal of respect for its leadership and frequently direct people there who are looking for a solid Kemetic community, and have since maintained strong friendships with a number of House members. A few bad apples do not spoil the bunch, be those bad apples Kemetic or in this case Hellenic.

There was one positive to this conflict, however. It made me reflect on the fact that Greece still mattered to me. When I had converted to Kemeticism I had thought that it was necessary to put all of that behind me. (Except for my worship of Dionysos, who I increasingly saw to be trans-cultural and has always been the one constant for me, the pole star around which my life revolves.) I felt that I needed to turn my back on those traditions in order to adopt new ones, that I had to give up all of those parts of myself which had been so deeply invested in Greek thought and religious practice, as well as the groups I had helped found and the body of writing which I had contributed to the community. I think that’s part of why I felt so alienated in Kemeticism – I had become alienated from myself. I was living as only part of the man that I truly was. And so I re-embraced Hellenismos and my history – but with a catch. I vowed that I would not make the same mistake twice. I would not turn my back on the gods that I had found in Egypt, or the beliefs and practices that had come to mean so much to me, or the insight I had gained about myself over the year I spent in Kemeticism. Ideas of cultural purity be damned. I would stradle two worlds if need be, and tear down all the self-imposed and illusionary walls that served to separate them in the process. (This defiant act was one of the most Dionysian actions I have ever undertaken.)

Out of a desire to honor both cultural traditions and their gods, I began to research the history of Egypt under the Makedonian Ptolemies and later the Romans. My studies led further and further back. What I found surprised me: not only was there a superficial overlay of a Greek upper class ruling the native Egyptian populace, but for centuries and perhaps millenia before that the two cultures had met via trade, war, and intermarriage, mutually inspiring each other in the fields of religion and philosophy and contributing to a powerful synthesis of cultures best exemplified by Hellenistic Alexandria. Many of these contacts have been documented in my article Greece and Egypt before the Ptolemies, as well as Kallistos’ excellent Foreign Gods, Syncreticism, and Hellenismos.

At first I thought that I would be alone in this, always an outsider, not entirely Hellenic but not entirely Kemetic either. Then as I began discussing my experiences straddling two faith traditions and chronicling the discoveries I had made, others came out of the wood-work. More and more people related experiences similar to my own, of feeling called to honor gods from other pantheons, of having an intense interest in the Hellenistic era and Ptolemaic Egypt. As we talked and started hashing things out, it became obvious that there were enough commonalities in our approach to justify the creation of a Greco-Egyptian group – and thus Neos Alexandria was born.

Over time we have put together a wonderful website full of resources of interest to people from both the Hellenic and Kemetic community. We have developed our own festival calendar, honoring the gods of Greece and Egypt jointly. We have our own rituals. We are working on numerous projects, such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina which is going to bring out devotional anthologies and other writings for all of our gods. We are planning a major gathering in 2009. And we have a thriving community where people can come to learn, share their experiences, and talk about the gods and issues relating to their worship. The members of Neos Alexandria are diverse in their approach: we have Greco-Egyptians, as well as folks who are predominately Kemetic or Hellenic but feel a call to include some of the gods from the other pantheon into their worship; and we also have people who aren’t the least bit interested in syncreticism, but just enjoy the conversations and fellowship. All are welcome, provided they respect the gods and treat each other politely.

That is my religion: I am a Greco-Egyptian syncreticist, primarily devoted to Dionysos but honoring all of the gods of Neos Alexandria. As I am able, I keep all of the festivals on our calendar, at least making a small offering to them when I cannot do something more substantial. I find equal inspiration in the wisdom of Greece and Egypt, and do not see these systems as incompatable. Both traditions teach piety towards the gods, have a high regard for justice, hospitality, moderation and self-control, and even their conceptions of the afterlife are strikingly similar.

Some people have accused me of being eclectic. Actually, since I focus on the festivals and forms of worship known to have been performed in Alexandria, Naukratis, Ptolemais, Panopolis and the territories that fell under Ptolemaic control from roughly the 4th century bce to the 1st century ce (and a little after) I am far more strict in my approach than many who haphazardly borrow from very different poleis and any time period from the Greek Dark Ages to the fall of Rome, without concern for regional variants or the diversity of understanding that can exist between say, a farmer and a philosopher. Not that I am saying that that is a superior approach: whatever is pleasing to the gods and fulfilling to the individual is what I count the best. Nor, for that matter, is my reconstructionism a show-piece: it is a vital living religious faith, open to innovation and adaptation when the current situation necessitates it. But everything I do and believe is weighed against the spirit of antiquity, and hopefully found to be consistent with that as it finds expression in the modern world.

Some have questioned whether I am entitled to continue writing about Hellenismos since I also honor the Egyptian deities. I am as Hellenic as Plato, Socrates, Pindar, Phillip II, Alexander III, Ptolemy Soter, Plutarch, and Pausanias, all of whom paid respects to the Egyptian gods as well as their own. Hell, the term Hellenismos itself was coined by a Roman emperor who worshipped Kybele and Mithras, so exclusivity has nothing to do with it. You may not agree with what I say, and that's fine. But you cannot dismiss it as ‘not suitably Hellenic’ without tossing out most of what makes Hellenismos so great as well.

Some have accused me of making it all up to justify my ‘eclecticism’. I would suggest that these people crack open a book. To begin with I would recommend:

Walter Burkert’s Babylon, Memphis, Persepolis: Eastern Contexts of Greek Culture
Walter Otto’s Priests and Temples in Hellenistic Egypt
David Frankfurter’s Religion in Roman Egypt: Assimilation and Resistance
P. M. Fraser’s Ptolemaic Alexandria
Justin Pollard and Howard Reid’s The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern World
Gunter Holbl’s History of the Ptolemaic Empire

Once they have finished those I have a couple hundred others they could look into. There is no excuse for such ignorance when the material is amply available for them to read.

Some have suggested that I am elitist, that I want Hellenismos and Greco-Egyptian syncreticism to be the bastion of scholars and academics, with no place for newbies or those without an interest in philosophy. I would suggest that such people actually go back and read what I have written:

http://www.neosalexandria.org/principles.htm
http://www.neosalexandria.org/communicating.htm
http://www.neosalexandria.org/getting_started.htm
http://www.neosalexandria.org/smoke.htm
http://www.neosalexandria.org/ges_gmc.htm
http://www.wildivine.org/dionysos_paths.htm

If you still maintain that after reading those articles, I would sure as hell like to know what you’re basing that on.

Others again assert that I am a would-be tyrant who expects people to take my word as gospel truth on everything I say and never question me in the slightest. This is perhaps the most laughable accusation I have ever seen.

First off, anyone who has even skimmed my writing can’t fail to have noticed the ample citations I make. Unless I am stating my own personal opinion about something (which is always carefully labeled as such, with the caveat that others may justifiably see things differently) I make sure that I either quote the passage I am discussing in full, provide the proper citation, or point out where this is being discussed in an academic’s work. Why do I do this? Because I think it makes the text look pretty? Hardly – footnotes and citations are often ugly and interfere with the flow of the writing. To show off my ‘book smarts’? That would be vain and pointless. Everyone knows I’m smart; I have no need to advertise the fact. No, it’s for the simple reason that I hope that if the reader has a question about something I’ve written they’ll follow up on it and track down the original text to read it for themselves. By all means, if you feel that I’m making something up or quoting a piece out of context, go ahead and show me where I’ve done that.

I believe in the free flow of information. I believe that no one is above reproach or that what they say should be accepted without question. I believe that all people have an equal say in how things should be run, and that the greenest novice has just as much right to be heard as the crustiest old-timer. I hold these beliefs generally – but insist on it as an absolute fact when it comes to religion. No one can tell you how to worship your gods, what the proper way to understand them is, or what your identity may be. That is why when Neos Alexandria was drafting it’s guiding Principles I insisted on the following:

Neos Alexandria is a non-hierarchical religious organization, governed by a strict adherence to the principle of isopoliteia which means “equality under the law”. As such, all of our members are held to the same standards of behavior and have an equal say in determining how the group will be run. We have no priestly caste; every member can approach the altar of his or her god and make offerings there and participate in whatever religious activity they feel compelled to. We do recognize that some individuals may be more experienced in religious matters or have a stronger relationship with a given deity than another: as such their knowledge and experience are to be respected, without necessarily feeling that such a person is fundamentally different or superior to his or her fellows.

Nor are those just empty words. I am one of the founders of the group, the moderator of the list, and by many people’s assent, instrumental in shaping it into what it is today. But I am no better than anyone else, possess no greater authority than even our newest member. Several times now that has been amply demonstrated. I have proposed things to the list which were soundly rejected. Did I bitterly attack the members for not seeing things my way? Cajole them until they left the list and then hassle them in their own private journal? Did I accuse them of not understanding things properly and having ulterior motives in saying what they did? Did I write endless diatribes and shlocky essays attacking everything they said, wrote, or did – including intimate personal details that have no relevance to the issues being debated?

No.

I congratulated them on speaking up, on thinking critically about the issues, on taking an active role in determining how the group is going to be run, on seeing things more clearly than I had.

And that is how it should be. That is what isopoliteia means. It is one of the most cherished ideals of ancient Greece – and central to Greco-Egyptian syncreticism as it is being revived by the members of Neos Alexandria today. I am proud to stand with these people, proud to call them co-religionists, proud to make offerings to the gods of Greece and Egypt collectively with them. If other people don’t like it, and wish to kick me out of their little club, so be it. I have a strong and active religious community already, and nothing they can do or say can touch that.

Now that that has been resolved, I hope that people can move on to more important things, like honoring the gods and helping to revive their worship in the modern world. Believe me, I am not worth your time. If I wasn't Sannion, I wouldn't spare a second's thought for what he believes.