Death Was A Pollutant, and For Good Reason

Even today as a priest, I am hesitant to attend or lead funeral functions, even though the body has already been properly cleaned and preserved. I am not saying I would not lead such a service for someone if they had asked me, but I would still be taking a bath with soap that contains antibacterial sulfur afterwards so that the strength of sulfur could purify me. Like ancient Greeks, I still believe death is a general pollutant on the living. Not because they are some kind of an affront, but simply because of the state of the body and the process.

Ancient times was not like the modern era, where you have Christian churches who fill themselves up with the tombs of dead bodies. Burials in ancient times may have sometimes taken place in the vicinity of a temple, but the Greeks would have never filled their temples with corpses. 

The first obvious reason is blood. Sometimes when a person is killed by something, they bleed. We know that blood can carry infectious pathogens, and the Greeks obviously knew as well that blood could carry contaminants because a bleeding body and other excrements coming from it could pollute someone who came into contact with it. Now after the corpse had been cleaned, purified and properly presented for funeral rites, the pollution may have been less of a concern. The undertaker, as it were, would have taken most of the burden.

However, the situation still did not become 100% foolproof. Death is a disruption of life itself. That's one of the reasons we become so sad and morbid when thinking about death or entering a funeral home, because there are two contradictory forces at play. The presence of death affects the ability to experience life for the living. Keep in mind, death does not pollute the dead. The person is already gone from the body. It's just their decaying physical presence that has remained here with us. This interference is an impediment on the natural order of the living around it, and thus, it can pollute the living.

This belief, on the other hand, was not to show any kind of hate or disrespect toward the dead. In fact, the Greeks believed firmly and fearfully the opposite, that if the body was not handled and buried properly, with the correct rites, it could make the Gods angry or cause retribution upon the entire community by the Gods or the dead themselves, as the Greeks believed the spirit of the deceased could end up trapped between the two worlds or be at unrest until they were properly buried. And once the funeral is over and the body is in the ground, the grave itself becomes a place for offerings to that deceased person, such as libations poured out upon the burial spot. Some believed the grave itself was a direct portal into the Underworld where the dead person resided, or simply to the dead individual themselves.

Therefore, I take special care when involving myself with the dead. I have never come into contact with a freshly dead body, the last time I remember attending a funeral with a body was in 1995 at my great grandmother's, and when I pass by a cemetery or a funeral home that is having a funeral at that time, I turn off my radio and place my hand over my heart to show respect to the deceased and their family. When I pass a funeral procession, I immediately pull my car over on the side of the road until it passes. Once again, to show respect. I would additionally encourage that painstaking effort take place to ensure proper rites and respect for that person.

In our time, I would say that cremation is probably the best way to have the least contact with the body as possible (if that was the wish of the dead). In fact, I have greatly entertained that option for myself when I pass on. I still want a tomb and a place of respect for my resting place, but I also don't want my body to slowly decay and rot, or be any kind of burden.

In the Goodness of the Gods, I'll see you at the next Herm down the road, Chris Aldridge.

Sources:

Photo is Licensed under GNU Free Documentation License, and is in the Public Domain in the United States because its copyright has expired in countries where the copyright is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. No changes were made, nor does the author or provider endorse me in any way. File and author found here.

Mental Miasma Is Real

All religions, that I know of, have an emphasis on being clean and pure, especially before religious or spiritual activity. Even Christianity, the religion that is supposed to accept the dirtiest among us, often has holy water at the doors of its churches for people to use before they enter. Specifically in Hellenic Polytheism, we routinely practice purification not only of our clothes and bodies before rituals, but also of the altar, altar tools, and offerings themselves. We even clean our statues on a regular basis, sometimes ritually. Nothing is left to chance with negativity or impurity, because we believe that too much negativity or miasma (pollution) on something, in whatever form that pollution may be, can hinder one's connection with the Gods, if not disrupt it completely. This holds dire consequences in both the short and long term. In the short, it may obstruct your ritual activity. In the long run, it can have a profound impact on your relationship with the Gods and therefore your general feelings and attitudes in daily life. The good news is that miasma is normally easily remedied with simple purified sea or sea salt water and good hygiene. The only thing that would require higher measures would be unusual miasma like coming into contact with a dead body. In that case, you might want to use sulfur for purification along with the other elements. A good scrubbing with Lava soap might do the trick.

But I think there is another form of miasma that I myself have experienced, and that may be overlooked in some circles, and that's the pollution of the mind. Mental negativity on the quality of life is not just an opinion, it's scientifically documented. Think about it, the body cannot live without the mind. In fact, you cannot do anything correctly or productively without your brain. If it is in disrepair, you will be too, and the bad part is that a mind which has been damaged a lot or allowed to deteriorate, can take a little while to mend, although it's certainly possible to do so. So what do I mean by mental miasma? It is any ailment of the mind that causes you to lose connection with the Gods or Higher Powers in any way. This normally happens during prayers or rituals, but can impact you at any time. It's really a problem with people who have depression, anxiety or other mental problems, but it also consists of simple negative thoughts entering your consciousness during the given time period that disrupts your connection with the Gods. It can actually make you feel so terrible that you don't feel as if your prayers or rituals did anything, literally a feeling of nothing. It's the worst state you can find yourself in. 

In my own experiences, I have consistently recorded these negative impacts of mental pollution on myself. I have noted, for example, the difference in how I feel during a simple prayer when I have a positive vrs a negative mindset or attitude. The first thing I considered was the building up of negative energy and emotions over time, because these can have a lasting impact on the brain. If you're routinely pessimistic about life, hate people or the world, think negatively of yourself or others, or do things to others or yourself that are negative, that can infect your mind with enough negativity to divide your connection with goodness (the Gods). Or, simply not thinking rightly about the Gods, Higher Powers, or yourself can cause it, and I am not talking about your personal beliefs. I am referring to an attitude of pessimism toward the Gods. If you fear things such as, They aren't listening, they don't care, they don't like me, what if I am wrong or doing something wrong, etc. This will overwhelm you with negative feelings of the mind and body and you won't feel spiritual. Furthermore, if allowed to persist, this is how your mind will be conditioned to respond to all forms of spirituality at any time. You'll find yourself in constant combat for the right to simply be spiritual.

So, the question, is how do we curtail mental miasma? The answer is good news. Quite simply, don't be a negative person in your actions or thoughts, and when it comes time to do rituals or prayers, leave all else behind. In other words, focus and don't let go of it. If you feel it slipping away, just realign back to the former state. Think goodly about the Gods and yourself at all times. The Gods are good, they always do good, there's no evil in them, life is beautiful, I am a good person, I can achieve, etc. These self-statements are typically called affirmations, but depending on how badly your mind has been polluted, you may have to do them several times during the day instead of just once or at a certain time. The important thing to always do when reciting these affirmations is to hold firm. Never let them slip away into any form of doubt or fear, because then all will be lost and you'll have to refocus. Just literally shut it all out, give it no consideration or thought at all. It can be a battle, but eventually, your mind will recondition itself and a positive feeling will happen naturally for you.

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.

If you enjoy my blog posts and writings, please keep in mind that I am the author of several Pagan and fantasy books that are sold at very low prices in the right hand column of my website, some of which have been sold around the globe and loved by all who read them.

------>