Have A Wonderful October Celebration

No matter if you celebrate the Rite of Haides with our temple during the end of this month, Samhain with the Neo-Pagans, or the Day of the Dead in November with the Hispanic community, I wish all of you very wonderful and spiritually uplifting celebrations. We have all had to deal with the loss of a friend or a family member that wounded us deeply, and may still leave a scar on our hearts. But in wonderful Gods like Haides and Hermes Chthonic, and knowing of wonderful worlds like the Isle of the Blessed and the Asphodel Meadows to name a couple, we can trust that those who have lived good and virtuous lives will have splendor and peace in the lives to come. Throughout the course of my own life, I have lost good friends and also my father, 4 grandparents, and my dear mother-in-law who was like a real mother to me in life. But the Gods eventually gave me peace with it all. I know they are in better places and on wonderful journeys. And I can take comfort in the memories and times we shared, and learn and grow from them, because that's what life is, an experience.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Priest Christopher.

End of Summer Update

Dear Member and Friends,

As many of you have probably noticed, the website has not had any new posts since this past May. That's because I, the Head Priest, was sick with a serious mental breakdown for most of the summer, but by the Gods, I have now recovered and ready to return to my duties. My experience with illness has filled me with a new sense of humility and gratitude, and even a release from the negative things of my past. It even took me on some new journeys and explorations, but as I have found with this in my past, I am always led right back to where I truly belong. I even feel like I have a new life now. And I thank the Gods for my family, for all of you, and for my life and health.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Priest Christopher,

Forever Hellenic.

Myth of the Month: Persephone

Demeter, the Olympian Goddess of agriculture, the fields, fertility and abundance had a beautiful daughter She loved dearly, named Persephone. Born of both Demeter and Zeus, She was fully Divine, and a fair and wondrous Goddess who liked spending the day picking flowers and enjoying nature.

One day, Haides, God of the Underworld, saw and fell in love with Her, desiring Her to be His wife. He went to Zeus and asked that He be granted this honor, His daughter's hand in marriage. The King of the Gods agreed and Haides too Her down into His confines, to rule the Underworld as His Queen, all of this having been done without the consultation of Demeter, as a mother's consultation was not required at this time in history.

But upon hearing this, Demeter was both devastated and furious. For 9 days and nights, She searched over the world, but without success. Then Helios, the Titan Sun God, loyal to Olympos, told Her what had happened, as He was able to see everything. Demeter knew She could not overrule Zeus, but She could use Her own personal leverage. And thus She declared, until my daughter returns, nothing shall grow upon the Earth. I shall remove my presence and all shall die.

Zeus then called Haides and Demeter into negotiation, and it was agreed that for half the year, Demeter would be reunited with Her daughter, while Persephone would spend the other half of the year with Haides below. During the latter, winter and death covers the Earth. But when Persephone returns, so does Demeter's presence, and spring and summer reign. Thus, Persephone became, among other things, the Goddess of spring, and Demeter the Goddess of the seasons.

Myth of the Month: Deukalion

The Golden Age of man was now over. Next would come the Age of Silver. In the Gold, before Pandora's Jar, there was no death or disease, and nothing of immorality, but now man began to lose his long life and blissful existence. In the Silver, mankind lived under the authority of their mothers, and reached the ages of a hundred years.

Then came the Age of Bronze, when man's life was much shorter, and war was a constant event. But men of this Age could also achieve great strength and Heroism. However, there eventually developed a growing disrespect and irreverence toward the Gods. Zeus would not tolerate this.

The final act came at the hands of the king of Arcadia named Lycaon, who killed a young boy, dismembered him, and attempted to offer the remains to Zeus. For this offense, and for impiety in general, Zeus decided to send a flood to wipe out the entire Age.

Zeus ordered Poseidon to slam His trident into the sea and create a tidal wave. It was so powerful that even mountains were submerged. Zeus also unleashed downpours of rain from above.

The only people who survived the flood were a man named Deukalion (son of Prometheus) and His wife, Pyrrha (the daughter of Pandora), who had been forewarned by the Gods about the coming flood because they were the only suitable people left. They built a chest large enough to hold them above the water, and when the flood receded, they landed on Mount Parnassus. 

The two also built a new Temple of Themis to re-establish Divine Law. Themis later instructed them to walk along the mountain and throw stones behind in their wake. Each one by Deukalion created a man, and each one by Pyrrha, a woman. Mankind would now get a second chance.

Myth of the Month: Phaethon

Phaethon was the son of Helios, the Titan Sun God. Phaethon's name means "shining" and "radiant."

Perhaps out of pride for his heritage and birthright, he one day begged his father to let him steer the sun's chariot. Helios was reluctant, probably citing the young man's mortality and lack of experience, but He nevertheless eventually consented.

Phaethon soon lost complete control of the chariot and started to scorch the Earth. The King of the Gods, Zeus, seeing this calamity unfolding, threw a lightning bolt and sent Phaethon hurling down into the river Eridanos, killing him.

Legend has it that people of dark colored skin were created by this mishap, as the rays of the sun burnt them.

Phaethon's sisters gathered on the river banks to give mourning and were transformed into the poplar tree. Phaethon himself was also put into the constellations as The Charioteer. Some say he was actually made into, or the God of, the planet Jupiter or Saturn.

The lesson taught to humanity in Phaethon is that when humans should not go beyond their natural limits. In short, we are not Gods.

List 12 Blessings A Day

In your daily rites, it's a great practice to list 12 blessings each time. The number because 12 is an obvious sacred number in Hellenism, and listing your blessings each day will build gratefulness and light in your soul and life. It will help you live a more positive existence, which means that less negativity will follow you around.

You can even correspond them with each Olympian God. Below I will list several examples.

By Zeus, I am grateful for my husband/father.

By Hera, I am grateful for my wife/mother.

By Aphrodite, I am grateful for the love in my life.

By Poseidon, I am grateful for the waters.

By Demeter, I am grateful for the food on my table.

By Artemis, I am grateful for my children.

By Apollon, I am grateful for the sun.

By Athena, I am grateful for my strength and knowledge.

By Hephaistos, I am grateful for the beauty in my life.

By Ares, I am grateful for overcoming my enemies.

By Hermes, I am grateful for the wealth I have.

By Dionysos, I am grateful for life.

I have found that this helps me greatly in moving out of a state of pessimism and sadness. In all of your religious and spiritual activities, one of your goals should be holiness and freedom from all that hinders your enjoyment of life.

Priest Christopher.

3 Dimensions Of Greek Worship

There are several different ways to practice ancient Greek religion, but one of which, especially for people who don't have a lot of shrine and altar space, is what I call the 3 Dimensional. It's mainly used for general shrine setup and does not, in any way, denote any other part of Greek religion. This is just part of the uniqueness and pluralism of our beautiful religion.

There are actually at least 5 levels of Greek theology and worship, those being God, Spirit, Hero, Ancestor and Deified Mortal. But in this example, we look to the three highest dimensions, which are God, Spirit and Hero.

For this, the practitioner has a Patron God, a Patron Spirit and a Patron Hero to adorn their shrine or altar. For instance, if one's Patron God is Poseidon, then the central statue of Him can be joined on the right by His son Theseus (Hero of Athens and Slayer of the Minotaur), and on the other side, a representation of a Spirit of the Sea, such as Tritones (which are the Spirits of Poseidon's retinue).

However, the three also do not have to be inherently related. One could have, for example, a central statue of Apollon, a statue of Bellerophon (Hero of Korinth and Slayer of the Chimera), and a representation of Eusebeia (the Spirit of Piety). One might even include a Nymph in place of the Spirit, as they are often servants of the Gods. For example, Artemis in the center, Her Heroine Atalanta, and the Nymphs of Artemis (The Pleiades).

In daily practice, these three levels connect you to a whole of Greek spirituality, beginning with prayer and offering to each one in the order of God, Spirit and Hero, invoking them in their most relevant realms. Below is an example prayer,

Blessed Goddess Athena, Aegis- Bearing daughter of the King of all Gods, Nike, blessed Spirit of Victory, Achilles, Hero of the Achaeans, humbly do I pray that you lift me into the presence of Divinity, of heaven, of piety, of goodness and of virtue, all throughout the Hours of Hemera.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Priest Christopher.

New Year's Address From Priest Christopher

I pray the Gods bless each and every one of you in the year 2025.

There's no doubt, not even with myself, that a lot of us had a hard 2024. Here's to hoping the old wounds heal, the bad memories fade, and the light of Olympos shines on us from now on. No matter what we have or are yet to endure, let's trust in the Gods, for all that comes from them is good, and all things bad they can make better.

The temple went through 2024 pretty normally and steady at times. I have taken the property, inside and out, through a final remodeling, save for the inner temple area itself. But this progress was largely brought to a halt in the winter because of how harsh the cold is in northern Illinois. I plan to restart immediately when spring arrives, and be fully completed by the first day of summer, with no more future plans to change or remodel anything significant. 

I've started talking with the Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes in Greece about possibly taking part in some of their public speeches or events, insofar as that can be done virtually, in order to more globally support Hellenism and our temple. It has always been my hope that Temple Of The Greek Gods has among the best relations with our native Greek brothers and sisters. I hope that 2025 will bring that to fruition. 

Additionally, I am looking this year to get the temple noticed by the Parliament of World Religions. As you may remember, their last meeting was held in Chicago, only about 2 hours from our location, but I as the Head Priest never made arrangements to attend, although I have, in the past, applied to be a speaker, which was turned down. But I am looking at 2025 with a fresh start and a positive attitude to getting Hellenic Polytheism noticed by the Parliament, and in turn, by America.

As always, our work in our City continues, although we have yet to do anything with the City Council because they haven't responded to any of our inquiries over the last year.

Finally, as always, and first and foremost, 2025 will be another year that we serve the Gods and the people of their temple and religion. That's why we exist, and why I, as the Head Priest, took the career in the first place. Each and every day, I serve them and you.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I pray you all have a wonderful year,

Priest Christopher.

Myth of the Month: Midas

Midas was king of Phrygia, a region in Asia Minor, east of Troy. It may be that the name Midas was a dynastic title, and was therefore carried by more than one king, but this Midas found himself loved by Dionysos.

Midas received generous blessings from the God, but Midas was never satisfied. He wanted everything, and so the God gave him the ability to transform anything he touched into pure gold. Thus, all around Midas began to turn into the gorgeous metal.

Even the floors upon which he walked, and the clothes that covered him, became solid gold. At first, all seemed a wondrous splendor for Midas, for he would now have wealth beyond imagination. But when he went to eat the drink, the food and liquid also turned to gold as it entered his mouth, making it impossible to consume. Even as he cried out for help, the people he touched turned to golden statues, even his own daughter.

Midas fell to his knees and begged Dionysos to reverse all that had been done and take the power away from him. The God told him to take a bath in the holy river of Pactolus, a lush water source on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. 

The powers of gold were then washed away, and since then after, the remains of gold could be found in the sediments of the river.

Myth of the Month: Actaeon

Artemis became not only the Goddess of the hunt and the wilderness of the natural world, but also of virginity. She beseeched Her Father Zeus to remain unwed and therefore a virgin for all time. Out of love for His daughter, He granted this request, and Artemis became a fierce guardian of Her own chastity, especially if it came to be threatened or disrespected by men. There was one day a hunter named Actaeon, grandson of Kadmos, who accidentally happened upon Her bathing naked in the forest. Instead of turning away in a pious manner and leaving, he chose to stand and stare at Her body sexually. When Her eyes caught him, there was no escape from the offense. She transformed him into a deer, and turned his own 50 hounds upon him who ripped him to shreds.

Credit For Picture: Licensed under Creative Commons 2.5 Generic. No changes were made. File location here.

Myth of the Month: Psyche

Psyche, whose name means Soul, was a beautiful mortal princess of exceptional aesthetics, beyond those of normal women. Psyche as well knew of Her grand charm and sexual appeal, for male suitors from all across the kingdom came.

However, She did not recognize Her pleasing appeal as a gift from heaven, for She knew men started to neglect the worship of Aphrodite, and instead stood in awe of Her, and She said and did nothing to restore the rightful and proper worship of the Goddess. Aphrodite's temples and altars began to experience wide desertion.

So Aphrodite called on Her son Eros, that mankind should once again be reminded of who the Gods are, and that they are far more beautiful than mortals. She ordered Eros to make Psyche fall in love with the worst of men, and She fell into a deep depression and loneliness as men began to turn away from Her. But on this mission, even Eros Himself fell in love with the beauty.

Psyche visited the Oracle of Delphi for guidance. The Oracle sent Her to a beautiful palace where Her appropriate husband would await. But She would only be able to lay with him at night, unable to see his face.

One morning, Psyche decided to look upon the face anyway before the husband was able to awaken and leave. Using a lamp, She saw that it was Eros Himself, who awoke and saw that Psyche had betrayed His trust. The marriage was ended.

Psyche was devastated, but also now humble enough to beg Aphrodite to allow Her to see Eros again. Aphrodite bestowed upon Her great labours, one of which being that in order to see Eros again, She would have to visit Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, and bring back a portion of Persephone's beauty.

Psyche eventually reached both Haides and Persephone. The Queen took favor upon Her and gave a small fragment of Her beauty in a small box. But as Psyche made Her way back, She could not help but look inside, and it caused Her to fall into a coma.

Eros, moved by Her devotion to Him, came to Earth and shot an arrow, jolting Her from the sleep. The union that the two then shared moved Zeus to wed them and grant Psyche the gift of Goddesshood. Together, Eros and Psyche gave birth to Hedone, the Goddess of pleasure and enjoyment.

Myth of the Month: Pandora

A child born to Zeus and Hera was Hephaistos, the God of fire, forge and universal creation. Zeus asked Him to create a perfect companion for man, and to give beauty from Aphrodite, curiosity from Zeus, and speech from Hermes, and it was this God who gave the woman her name, Pandora (meaning all gifts). In addition, Apollon taught her to sing, and Demeter taught her to garden; Poseidon gave her pearls from the sea.

She was so named, obviously, because the highest Gods had each given her something of immense value. Thus, women have all the gifts of the Gods. The final one, however, was a box which held all of the world's ills, that had been gathered up and imprisoned. She was told to never open it. Pandora would give birth to a daughter named Pyrrha, by the brother of Prometheus, whom they both loved dearly.

For many years, she had many suitors, and lived a wonderful life. But she could never take her mind off the box the Gods had given her, eventually losing her battle with resistance and opening it. All of its contents were released into the world, but there was one occupant that came out harboring good, and She was Elpis, the Hope of the world. And because man would always have Hope, they could weather all ills.

Myth of the Month - Arachne

Athena, the Goddess of Athens, wisdom, war and Heroism, is also the Goddess of domestic art, among them weaving and tapestry.

In Lybia lived a beautiful young woman named Arachne, who was also a master weaver. Her skills surpassed that of all other mortals. Eventually she boasted that she was better at the art than even Athena. Athena heard and came to accept the challenge. She told Arachne to realize who She was or pay the price. Arachne refused and instead challenged the Goddess to a weaving contest. While Arachne was able to create wondrous scenes of human life, Athena was able to show the gorgeousness of the heavens that no human had ever before seen. Arachne lost.

The punishment Athena inflicted was to turn her into an insect, but still making sure that the woman's exceptional skills would not go to waste. And so, Arachne was turned into a spider, to weave beautiful webs for the rest of eternity.

Myth of the Month: Iphigenia

The Trojan War lay on the horizon for the Greek fleet, but Agamemnon, supreme commander of all Hellenic forces, made the fatal mistake of killing one of Artemis' sacred animals, some say a deer, others a hare and its children. She responded by unleashing battering winds upon the ships so that they could not sail.

Agamemnon was told that he needed to sacrifice his oldest daughter (Iphigenia) to Artemis, otherwise the fleet would never reach Troy. As a war that would be the defining event of his life and career, Agamemnon decided to concede to the demand.

Luring his daughter to the altar with the false promise of marriage to Achilles, he prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, but before he could deliver the fatal blow, Artemis Herself came and spared Iphigenia, putting a deer upon the altar in her place, and later taking the girl to serve as Her priestess to the City of Tauris.

Myth of the Month: Tithonos

Eos, the Titan Goddess of the dawn, rises each morning gloriously with Her trumpets and roses to announce the coming of the new day for both Gods and men.

Eos, like other Goddesses, loved Gods as well as mortal men, and one of such in the times of old was a Trojan Prince named Tithonos. He caught Her eye in a very exceptional and unique way, and She grew so in love that She would visit him every single day.

Eos knew She never wanted to be without him, so She asked Zeus to make him immortal, which the King of the Gods granted. However, while Eos had now made Her lover immortal, She had forgotten to also ask that he remain young forever. After a century, Tithonos was so old that he could barely move, and the longer time went on, the more pain and decay he found himself subjected to, but death never came. Eos attempted to ease his pain by locking him in a safe, unknown location away from the outside world, but even that couldn't change the fact that he was not even a shadow of his former self, only a bed ridden man in constant pain. 

Eos realized that despite Her attempt to keep Her love forever, She had indeed lost him in his mortal form. But She discovered a way to change that form and forge it into a new life that became the grasshopper. These insects chant at the break of dawn, singing to Eos as She comes forth each day.

Myth Of The Month: Narcissus

A great many women were sexually attracted to the beautiful and handsome man named Narcissus, a simple hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia. He was so aesthetically appealing that men also lusted after him. Both sexes desired to have him in their beds. He was blessed in unique and immeasurable ways, something that many other humans will never experience.

But he was unable to recognize and appreciate those blessings because of his own selfish and self-righteous vanity. Instead of loving the Gods for his gifts, he began to basically worship himself. Furthermore, no one was good enough for him in his eyes, and so he rejected all advances

In the end, he fell in love with himself, always gazing lovingly at his own reflection. Because of his arrogance, he not only worshiped himself, but believed he would never find anyone worthy of his love. His vanity eventually drove him to suicide, stabbing himself through the heart.

The blood that fell from his self-inflicted wound created the flower narcissus. They are also modernly called daffodils. 

Myth Of The Month: Io

Beautiful Io, a renowned Priestess of Hera, was beloved of Zeus who desired deeply to make her His own, but knew His wife Hera would not approve. However, His love was far too reaching. Hera found out about the affair and Zeus transformed Io into a cow in order to give her protection and concealment. But the Queen of the Gods knew and demanded the bull as a gift of reconciliation. Zeus consented but did not put her out of mind.

Io was taken by Hera and placed under the guard of Argus, a monstrous being that had 100 eyes. This was so that he would never lose watch, as half his eyes could sleep while the other half remained open. Both portions of each day, therefore, would pass under guard.

After a long passing of time, Zeus sent His messenger Hermes to liberate Io. The God took along His flute and made friends with Argus, eventually sending the guardsman into a complete sleep for the first time with His music and songs only known in the heavens, Divine power in all the notes. Finally, with all of his eyes closed, Hermes drew His sword and killed him. Io was finally free, and thus, Hermes was known as the Slayer of Argus.

Hera relinquished Her hold on Io, but still felt the need to honor Argus for his loyalty. Taking all of his eyes, She put them on the tail of the peacock, which became Her sacred bird. Still today, the gorgeous animal possesses 100 to 130 "eyes" on its feathers.

Io continued her journey, now as the life of a cow. To mark the course of her land travels, the Ionian Sea took her name, and also the Bosphorus, which means Ford The Cow. Io eventually reached the Nile River where Zeus restored her to human form. Together they had a child named Epaphus.

Priest Christopher's 2024 Address

With the end of each passing year, and the beginning of anew, not only do I take increased honor and delight in having the privilege of being the Head Priest of the only ancient Greek temple to ever exist in the Polis of Machesney Park, Illinois, and quite probably, all the State of Illinois, I take the same in being of service to all of the people who are a part of each.

Temple Of The Greek Gods of North Central Illinois is indeed a beautiful one, but as I have said before, we are more than a singular portion of land and building. We emanate from our central location(s), but we are more broadly a community and an ideal. We are made up of Greek Polytheists from everywhere. We are an organization as well as an idea by which to live. One does not even have to ever visit our physical location to be considered a member. I will always continue to build our home into the most beautiful I can, but it's also not just about me. It's about all of us, wherever we may be in the world. And most importantly, about the Gods.

I note the progress our temple has grown into as a community, for it is not all the splendor of a beautiful piece of property, but the people at large who create the support we have for one another. We are always so concretely united in our devotion to Olympos. Life, perhaps, isn't about who is advantaged or disadvantaged, or who has Greek blood and who doesn't, or where a physical temple is or isn't, but all of us helping one another and being united in our love for The Dodekatheon. When we allow the goodness of the Gods to shine through us, we always make the world we live in a better place, and our lives more blissful.

Remember always, both in your public and private life, there is no such thing as a good or bad year. There is only the year that you make. How you perceive something, and therefore how it makes you feel, is based largely on how you make it, and how you decide to look at and interpret it. If you want to see your statue, for example, as an old piece of metal, then so it shall be. But if you see it as a holy, sacred, and immortal depiction of the God it represents, shrouded in mystery, intrigue, and an eternal undying story for all of humankind that you yourself have the privilege of worshiping at, decorating and making your own, you will go a far greater distance.

But living a Hellenic life, I think, is not only about our own private lives and community, but to ensure that the ways of the Ancient Hellenes will never again be threatened with eradication, that to the greatest of our ability and dedication, the true Spirit of Hellas will never perish from the Earth. And take assurance in the fact that we have been winning that struggle every day since the founding of America and the Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes.

I hope that in 2024, you will continue to take that undying dedication with you in your worship, writings, and activism. To not only build a shrine or temple, but save one too. To not only recite hymns of old, but write new ones. And to not only recall the deeds of ancient Heroes, but make new room for your own to be told.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Priest Christopher.

Priest Christopher, To Parliament of the World's Religions

Priests and Priestesses, Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with regret that I was not able to attend this year, but also a pleasure to know that the Parliament decided to come so close to my temple's home here in Illinois.

I'm Priest Christopher. I'm the founder and Head Priest of the only ancient Greek temple in Illinois. While many would classify me as Pagan, I am part of a religion that is a minority within a minority at present time, and that is Hellenism, the adherence to ancient Greek religion and theology.

But even as such a minority, I speak with firm pride and confidence in my community. We are a growing movement, not only in America, but in Greece herself, where the Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes finally won the legal battle to have the Greek government once again recognize the legitimacy of the Hellenic religion.

I myself have also enjoyed a wonderful experience of interaction and growth during my past 14 years in Hellenism. 

But one thing that should draw us all to an admiration of Hellenism, is the fact that ancient Greece built the Western world upon which we stand today. In a society of freedom and democracy, of human liberation, where the courthouses and government buildings are built of ancient Greek architecture, and where the faces of famous ancient Greeks overlook the chambers of the federal House of Representatives, I never feel alone or out of place.

As even former presidents such as Bill Clinton have said, "We are all Greeks." And more specifically, ancient Greeks in that metaphorical sense, because all that we are and hold dear as a national institution, originated there.

It has also not been without extreme strife, however. Since the forcible take over of Greece by the Christian Orthodox powers, the traditional Hellenic identity has faced the threat of extermination. It's true that my people have no readily available temples from historical times because they were all burned and left to decay. We have no treasuries because they were all looted. And we have no nation because the land was taken from us.

But even after enduring over 2,000 years of persecution, we still know who the ancient Greeks were enough to continue on their religions and ideals. And even though temples and sanctuaries are ruins scattered about the landscape, we Hellenists still meet there to pray and sacrifice to the Gods. The faith and spirit of a Hellene or a Hellenist simply cannot be conquered.

Knowing the Gods of Greece has been the most blissful experience of my life, and I am so honored that I found myself able to participate in their religion's movement in such a crucial time for Greece, America, and the world.

I am also delighted to see such an amazing turnout of diversity in the Parliament this year. We are all unique. We all may have completely different ways of looking at Deity, humanity and the world. And yet there is no hatred or holy wars here. We are living together in peace, with respect for each other's humanity and human right to freedom of religion.

Instead of listening to those who tell us all the reasons we should be against one another, we know it's vital that our world conquer hate and intolerance, and free itself from ignorance and propaganda through education and experience. And it's wonderful to live in a nation, still carrying on that ancient ideal, where we are free to pursue that interest.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Thank You, All,

and May Olympos Smile On You Always.

Temple Relieved of Debts!

As of August 15th, 2022, the temple had accrued roughly $3,760 in debts for the construction of the inside portion of the temple and the outside sanctuary. In the years previous, other debts had been taken on for the same reason, resulting in around $2,000+. All together, the temple has spent around $6,760 birthing itself. Great pains and hardships have been taken to make our organization the best it can possibly be with our given means.

However, as of today, I am pleased to announce that all major debts have been paid off, including the entirety of the $6,760. The temple no longer owes money for anything. Any remaining debts are meager and have been transferred to my personal business account to be handled privately. I also do not foresee any reason whatsoever as to why the temple would again have to take on such high debts. Any major repairs that may be needed in the future (Gods forbid) are protected by insurance.

Finally, not only is the temple out of debt, but its property now has a wealth value (not income value) of $195,000, a wealth value that has increased from $101,000 since we bought the house and land in 2019. Basically, we have paid off our debts and ended with a surplus.

We are in good standing with a bright future, and I thank the Gods every day for seeing us down the difficults roads, and for all the blessings they've given us.

Priest Christopher.