Today, I'm posting a mix-tape for Ares. This idea is not mine; it's a combination of a wonderful idea by Sannion and Hellenion's monthly libation schedule. Hellenion is a Hellenistic organization from America and I've been using their wonderful calender and the great store of information they have gathered to start my own practice. Every month, Hellenion members pour a libation to a different Hellenic God or Goddess. This month, it's Ares' turn. To make the day more special, I have created a mix-tape of songs which either describe or would speak to Him.
In every community, there must be one who gets the short end of the stick. I'm afraid that for the Theoi, that short end was given to Ares. In a society where strategy, logic, control and a clear mind were key, Ares' temper, His bloodlust, His rage always put Him in a disadvantage. In most of His myths, He loses. In others, he is ridiculed. He's on the losing side of the Trojan war; he gets caught by Hēphaistos while sleeping with Aphrodite. It isn't pretty. Yet, Ares is a powerful Theos, a feared Theos, and as such, He deserves the most loyal of worship.
Imogen Heap - Whatever
Ares plays immortal life loose and fast, and who in their right mind would say no to Aphrodite anyway? Yet, I can also understand that playing loose and fast with one's heart would suck, even if you're a God. So, I always feel He just deals with it; accepts his weakness for the beautiful Goddess and takes it as it comes.
"You, you come to me / So perfectly yeah /So perfectly made
And you're all that you are / And you're all that you said / You're so exquisitely bred / Hmm yeah what more can I say
So yeah, yeah / I guess it's alright / Yeah, no, no / I guess it's alright whatever"
Timbaland - The Way I Are
I have no good excuse for this one, but I think Ares would love to go clubbing to this one. All the lyrics would be just as much a lie from Him as they are from Timbaland, and I think it would score Him just as much girls.
We all know Ares is a player; he's had countless women and fathered well over fifty children--and that's not even including the Amazons. He's also the 'bad boy' of the bunch. In my opinion, this is a perfect song to honor that.
Casey Stratton - Blood
I would have linked to the album version if I was on youtube but alas... As it is, I'm a big fan of Casey's first album, Standing at the Edge. There's something incredibly moving about his music. Take 'Blood'; it's one of my favorites in that it sways you into the madness, the deep, dark desire for the unspeakables of life. It fits Ares' obsession with the liquid red to a tee. Ares got hurt in the Trojan war, a strike aided by Athena. The lyrics are so very fitting for vengeance in the name of justice.
"I can remember the pain / My river of red that would eventually stain me / Now it's your turn to swim / Open your latitude line - let me in
Yes it's time to go / Time to drain you down / Time to let those fears come to the surface"
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
I don't think it's necessarily true, that Ares only enjoys his days when others suffer, or when everything is depressing. Yet, we all know the feeling, when you are so... angry, so unfulfilled, so on edge that brazenly moving through the rain, letting it soak you completely, and watching others try to avoid getting wet is the only way to deal with what you feel inside. I feel Ares so very close to me then, howling with laughter at the poor souls depriving themselves of life's darkest joys. Sometimes, we are only happy when it rains. That's when I feel Ares closes to me.
M.I.A. - Born Free (!NSFW!)
I can not repeat this enough: this video is not suitable for work. Then again, it's on the news every night, isn't it? Wrapped in pretty word packages and hate speech: genocide; the slaughter of war. I could have picked any of a hundred protest songs for my last one--as Ares is also the inciter of righteous anger and civil unrest--but I chose Born Free for it's lack of cover-up. This video is about an ethnic (loosely interpreted) group, being rounded up by the regime and either shot or send running through a minefield. It isn't pretty, it isn't fair, it makes my blood boil, but I feel this video (and--of course--the many real life examples it was based on) would have Ares howling with rage. This is not the honor-filled war of the ancient Hellens; this is a massacre--as are all our wars these days. I don't think Ares, God of war, would agree one single bit with our definition of the word war. Not one, single, bit.
In every community, there must be one who gets the short end of the stick. I'm afraid that for the Theoi, that short end was given to Ares. In a society where strategy, logic, control and a clear mind were key, Ares' temper, His bloodlust, His rage always put Him in a disadvantage. In most of His myths, He loses. In others, he is ridiculed. He's on the losing side of the Trojan war; he gets caught by Hēphaistos while sleeping with Aphrodite. It isn't pretty. Yet, Ares is a powerful Theos, a feared Theos, and as such, He deserves the most loyal of worship.
Imogen Heap - Whatever
Ares plays immortal life loose and fast, and who in their right mind would say no to Aphrodite anyway? Yet, I can also understand that playing loose and fast with one's heart would suck, even if you're a God. So, I always feel He just deals with it; accepts his weakness for the beautiful Goddess and takes it as it comes.
And you're all that you are / And you're all that you said / You're so exquisitely bred / Hmm yeah what more can I say
So yeah, yeah / I guess it's alright / Yeah, no, no / I guess it's alright whatever"
Timbaland - The Way I Are
I have no good excuse for this one, but I think Ares would love to go clubbing to this one. All the lyrics would be just as much a lie from Him as they are from Timbaland, and I think it would score Him just as much girls.
We all know Ares is a player; he's had countless women and fathered well over fifty children--and that's not even including the Amazons. He's also the 'bad boy' of the bunch. In my opinion, this is a perfect song to honor that.
Casey Stratton - Blood
I would have linked to the album version if I was on youtube but alas... As it is, I'm a big fan of Casey's first album, Standing at the Edge. There's something incredibly moving about his music. Take 'Blood'; it's one of my favorites in that it sways you into the madness, the deep, dark desire for the unspeakables of life. It fits Ares' obsession with the liquid red to a tee. Ares got hurt in the Trojan war, a strike aided by Athena. The lyrics are so very fitting for vengeance in the name of justice.
Yes it's time to go / Time to drain you down / Time to let those fears come to the surface"
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
I don't think it's necessarily true, that Ares only enjoys his days when others suffer, or when everything is depressing. Yet, we all know the feeling, when you are so... angry, so unfulfilled, so on edge that brazenly moving through the rain, letting it soak you completely, and watching others try to avoid getting wet is the only way to deal with what you feel inside. I feel Ares so very close to me then, howling with laughter at the poor souls depriving themselves of life's darkest joys. Sometimes, we are only happy when it rains. That's when I feel Ares closes to me.
I can not repeat this enough: this video is not suitable for work. Then again, it's on the news every night, isn't it? Wrapped in pretty word packages and hate speech: genocide; the slaughter of war. I could have picked any of a hundred protest songs for my last one--as Ares is also the inciter of righteous anger and civil unrest--but I chose Born Free for it's lack of cover-up. This video is about an ethnic (loosely interpreted) group, being rounded up by the regime and either shot or send running through a minefield. It isn't pretty, it isn't fair, it makes my blood boil, but I feel this video (and--of course--the many real life examples it was based on) would have Ares howling with rage. This is not the honor-filled war of the ancient Hellens; this is a massacre--as are all our wars these days. I don't think Ares, God of war, would agree one single bit with our definition of the word war. Not one, single, bit.
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