Sunday, February 16, 2025

Will You Go To The Asphodel Meadows?

The ancient Greek Underworld is a fascinating place. In fact, the entire afterlife of ancient Greece is profound and capitavating because there are so many possibilities. A lot of Hellenists believe in reincarnation because it's talked about in Plato. But I'm more traditional; I believe in the Underworld and the many roads that proceed from it. I do not deny the possibility of reincarnation, but I do believe that most of us will go to some place that the Underworld leads us to. There are three main realms, two of them being extremes. Elysium/Isle of the Blessed is where the most virtuous souls go, and Tartaros is where exceptionally wicked people are sent to be punished. Tartaros is our version of Hell, except one could argue that it's not an eternal sentence. Once the price has been paid, the soul can leave. 

Then there's the Asphodel Meadows. This is where "ordinary" people go, those who are neither good nor evil. It's considered the destination of most souls. The name, Asphodel, means flowery and fertile. The flowers that cover it are ghostly looking in color, and the atmosphere is like overcast. Which, I must confess, I initially do not find pleasant because I love sunshine, but then again, we don't know everything about the afterlife until we have actually ventured there. Asphodel flowers actually do the best in sunlight, so who knows? There may indeed be sun there.

Do you consider yourself "ordinary?" Do you think you are more likely to go to Asphodel? I asked my wife this question, and she said she does plenty of extraordinary things that common people are either unable or unwilling to do, especially for poor and homeless people. I think I am more than ordinary as well, because I've started a lot of people on their path to Hellenism with my works. I have helped to rebuild ancient Greek religion in the modern world, even though it's a small contribution. So I cannot say where I will go. But we will all go to one of these 3 places. Unless you become a Hero, then you will ascend.

But there is one thing that I am indeed certain of. Unless you live an evil life, there is nothing to fear.

Picture Attribution: By SuperJew - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56861127