Why is there a Golden Apple at the bottom of every missive in this collection?
Spiritually speaking, I am several things: A Jew, A Druid, a Kabbalist, and,for fun, a Discordian (I also throw in a little Buddhism, Hinduism (am I a Hin-Jew? A Hin-Dru?) and a bit of Quakerism for flavor).
Discordianism is a bit of a black sheep in the Pagan world (or perhaps they would prefer to be called purple sheep?) One of the symbols of Discordianism is a golden apple, with a K on it. Though much of Discordianism seems based in improv, this symbol has its roots in a well-known Greek myth.
The Discordians honor Eris, the Greek goddess of discord and chaos. She is not as well known as some of the other Greek Deities, but she does have a prominent place in one of the major Greek myths: the Trojan War. And it’s in this myth that the golden apple is found. It all began at the wedding of the Goddess Thetis and King Peleus of Greece. Eris had not been invited, and decided to do a little mischief as payback. She tossed an apple of gold in among the guests (gods and mortals alike). This apple was engraved with the word Kallisti, meaning “for the fairest”. Needless to say, all the Goddesses present at the wedding felt that the apple belong to them. After much bickering, the choices were narrowed down to Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Being a wise man, Zeus wanted no part of this contest and sent the 3 Goddesses to find Paris of Troy. He would be the one to decide who gets the apple. Well, all three Goddesses did their best to sway Paris, but in the end he chose Aphrodite. As his reward, Paris was given Helen (the most beautiful mortal woman) as his wife. Unfortunately, she was already married to King Menelaus. Well, Paris took Helen back to Troy anyway and King Menelaus attacked the city in retribution. And thusly, the Trojan War was born.
Discordianism may seem like a mess of made-up madness, but those who follow this path say that there is a deeper meaning within the chaos. I think the moral of this particular tale, is that even a very small action can lead to huge results. I like to think that my little missives are like Eris’ Golden Apple: creating chaos in the minds of those who read them, and thus, inspiring order as well.