Are you willing to brave the perils on the
path that leads to Olympus? Can you walk forever apart from your fellow mortals, following the whispered counsel of a centaur
or satyr? Armed with god-given weapons, can you defeat the modern day equivalent of a multi-headed hydra or a freakish chimera?
If your soul yearns for mythical adventure, it may be worth your while to quest for the out-of-print works of Murry Hope on
the heroic Greek Tradition.
Ms. Hope, a metaphysical writer and lecturer with over forty years of magickal experience,
has authored such diverse works as The Way of Cartouche, Atlantis: Myth or Reality, Practical Techniques of Psychic Self-Defense,
Practical Egyptian Magic and Practical Celtic Magic. She was also the founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Sensitivity
and co-founder of the Atlanteans.
In her Greek magickal system, based on the classical heritage upon which Western
civilization has rested for millenia, the aspiring hero awakens slowly to their divine nature by undergoing initiatic ordeals
clothed in mythic symbolism.
Without relying on anyone else, the aspiring hero must first identify their Olympian patron.
Then they must wait patiently until they receive god-sign, proof positive that they have chosen wisely and have been accepted
by one of The Twelve. The deity will grant their charge a magickal weapon or artefact that is essential in triumphing over
the trials that are sure to come. In turn, the hero must establish and maintain an altar to their tutelary god and, above
all, learn how to recognize deific guidance (which is oftimes revealed through mundane events and chance utterances).
A
tutor will appear when the hero is ready, half-human kin to wise Cheiron and crafty Silenius of old. Another task which must
be completed is the establishment of a functioning oracle.
The hero, armed, guided and divinely blessed, must then
confront life's many perils (compounded by initiatic quickening) until he/she has successfully triumphed in all inner and
outer contests, conquered death and overcome mortality. Only then can the god within truly manifest.
Practical Greek
Magic (Aquarian Press, 1985) and The Elements of The Greek Tradition (Element Books, 1989) complement eachother fairly well,
revealing the particulars of the Heroic Path and exposing the seeker to an overview of Hellenic arcana. Olympus: An Experience
in Self-Discovery (Aquarian Press, 1991) is an oracular system which expands on certain aspects of the path merely touched
upon in the previous works. The Key and the Labyrinth are two spreads used to gain insights and answers.
Whether you
are a mythic hero in embryo or not, Murry Hope's pioneering work - currently out of print - is a welcome edition to any
mythophile's library.
To those in Neos Olympos however, the Heroic Path is a way of life.
A Musing by Thor
the Barbarian
