March, 2005

During the third century there lived a Roman nobleman named Julianus. A good and pious man, Julianus was a follower of the Great Goddess and spent a great deal of time in meditation and prayer.

Goddess worship had fallen out of favor with the government and worshippers were often persecuted. Consequently, Julianus prayed only at night. Often he would get so weary that he fell asleep without finishing his prayers. He prayed that the Great Goddess would send him a way to stay awake at night to pray.

One day while he was out for a walk Julianus met a shepherd who was surrounded by a frolicking herd of leaping and dancing sheep. Julianus had never seen sheep behave like this.

Julianus asked the shepherd why the sheep were so lively. The shepherd pointed to a bush and explained that the sheep had started cavorting just after eating some of the beans growing on the bush.

Julianus plucked one of the beans and popped it in his mouth. He suddenly felt so energized that he wanted to dance too! The Goddess had answered his prayers!

So Julianus boiled the beans and made a beverage from them. The drink, of course, was coffee. It was quite tasty, and he decided that he would drink it every night. Now he found it easy to stay awake to pray and meditate. He thought "This must be a miracle sent by the goddess."

And so began the Romans' devotion to the goddess Caffeina.

Soon Julianus became the emperor of Rome (Julianus II). Even though he had been educated as a Christian, he worked to restore the paganism.  For this reason he is often called Julianus the Apostate. Following his death in Persia in 363 A.D., no other champion of religious freedom emerged to assume leadership and the empire returned to Christianity as the only government sanctioned religion.

Is Caffeina for real? Or is she a 'found goddess'?

Frankly, I don't know. Coffee was 'invented' in the Middle East, though it easily would have made its way to Rome. And I haven't been able to find a truly authoritative source that really mentions a goddess Caffeina specifically, so I have my doubts about her presence in antiquity.

But I depend on her helpful influence in my life nonetheless!

Invoking Caffeina

Eventually they talked and fell in love. He broke his engagement with the young noblewoman Berta and, in time, convinced Ondine to marry him. When they exchanged their wedding oaths, Palemon vowed that "My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you."

But it was not to be.

The following year Ondine gave birth to their son. From that moment on, her beauty began to fade, her body suddenly susceptible to the effects of age. As her youthful attractiveness gave way to a more mature beauty, Palemon's eye began to wander to the younger women he met at court.

One fateful day Ondine was out walking on their estate when she heard the sound of Palemon's familiar snoring. Planning to take him back home so he could finish his nap, the amused Ondine entered the stables to wake him.

The scene she encountered filled her with great sorrow. Discarded garments littered the floor and her beloved Palemon lay sleeping in the haystack, his arms wrapped around his former fianceé Berta. Having sacrificed her immortality for this man, she was filled with anger and regret.

Kicking her sleeping husband, she woke him and uttered her curse. "You pledged faithfulness to me with your every waking breath and I accepted that pledge. So be it. For as long as you are awake, you shall breathe. But should you ever fall into sleep, that breath will desert you."

Ondine still retained some of her magic . . . enough to make the curse come true. And so it was. Palemon would never sleep again.

(Note: There actually is a medical disorder, a genetic form of sleep apnea, that is named 'The Curse of Ondine'. It is a devastating illness that causes rapid aging and, fortunately, is rare.)

And as always, here's the link if you want to read our monthly progress report: Blog

In closing, a reminder to...