Ares is a God who, in some circles, isn’t understood very well. He is viewed mostly as a symbol of pure rage and frenzy, as well as an icon of unbridled toxic masculinity. The latter confuses me, as anyone who worships Ares and does their research will understand that this is far from fact. Ares is a God of Civil Order and Rebellion, and it is this aspect I want to focus on. This is a necessary message for our times.

Civil strife and disobedience is not a very well-known aspect of his. Under his epithet of Laossous, Ares is known as “He who rallies men.” Note that Ares is a God who rallies ALL men, not just a select few because of the color of their skin and sense of superiority over others of a different skin color. ALL MEN. This means that Ares is a God who also transcends societal boundaries, much like Dionysos. In fact in Thrace he was worshiped alongside Dionysos. Herodotus in his “Histories” writes:

They (the Thracians) worship no Gods but Ares, Dionysos, and Artemis.

But if you think that only men are capable of channeling Ares, you’re wrong. Women have had a lot of dealings with Ares as well. ALL WOMEN. In Tegea, one of the most ancient and powerful towns in Arcadia, Ares had an icon in the marketplace. According to Pausanias in his “Description of Greece:”

Carved in relief on a slab [Ares] is called Gynaikothoinas (Feasted by Women). At the time of the Lakonian War, when Kharillos king of Lakadaemon made the first invasion, the women armed themselves and lay in ambush…When the armies met and the men on either side were performing many remarkable exploits the women, they say, came on the scene and put the Lakadaemons to flight. … The story goes on to say…that the women offered to Ares a sacrifice of victory on their own account without the men.

To add, Apollonius Rhodius in his “Argonautica” states that Ares was the God of the Amazons, a group of female warriors. It was said that they founded many temples in his honor. Apollonius calls the Amazons the daughters of Ares. As you can see, Ares does not discriminate, but he is very well-favored by women especially.

Ares, as the God of Civil Unrest as well as Civil Order, is not a contradiction within himself. Ares is glorious in his campaigns to bring Justice to civilization, and to speak up for the downtrodden who are killed beneath the boot of the oppressor. Ares is an ally of Themis, the Goddess of Divine Order, Law, and Right Judgement.

What does all this mean?

Currently with all of the unrest throughout the nation, we are seeing boundaries shift. As a God of all men and women (especially the latter), Ares is the spirit of sedition: destroying the Old Order to make way for the New. When civil order is no longer order but oppression, it takes rebellion to stoke the fires in order to restore real divine law in our land.

Ares stands with the ill-treated. He defends the defenseless. He gives anger to those who have been beaten down and left for dead. Ares is the shout of civil strife. Women are minorities and were subjugated in many periods of history. How much more so in this day and age for any minority?

In StrixCraft as I teach it, there is the lesson of the Doctrine of the Four Elements and their oversight by both Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite (Unity/Love) brings together the Elements for Creation. However, Ares (Strife) separates the Elements for Destruction. By separating them, they return to their natural, pure states. This creates the potential for new beginnings. Expansion and Collapse are the ways of our Cosmos, and follow the natural law of Themis. Ares, as the aforementioned ally of Themis, attempts to bring that pattern to the microcosm so that civil order is always in a state of flux and flow, but the purpose is always Harmony.

As patron of sedition, Ares is there to upend society. Before anyone tries to claim that Ares is for white supremacy and the earlier rebellion of the Confederacy, I remind you that slaves, as the oppressed, are under the oversight of Ares. Violence against their masters is his blessing. Do not try and claim a God who does not side with you.

Violence, Anger, and Rage are found in the uprisings which take place. But I must also remind you that in that anger, Ares also helps us to control that anger. In the Homeric Hymn to Ares it is written:

Ares…Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, o blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.

There is always anger when you have been maltreated by the Powers that Be. There is always going to be pure rage. This is as it should be. But take care to focus that anger upon the Powers, and not be blinded  by it to indiscriminately wage a war upon the innocent, who are also under the purview of Ares.

Remember: your uprising is to create a new society. It is to restore what has been lost; or else make what has never been there. It is to fight for your rights. All of this is Ares guiding you. Ares is with you. Do not be afraid to fight for a better day. When all is said and done, a newer society of civil order will be born. May Ares guide you.

Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle

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