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The World Needs the Spartan Philosophy
Freedom, Equality, Unity,
One with Nature, Silence
Natural Law and Life
as an Egalitarian Community  
 

“Spartans are the best educated in philosophy and speaking.”
The words of Socrates according to Plato

Eternal Flame of Freedom

 
The Lacedemonians, more commonly known as the Spartans, have been idealized and demonized down through the centuries. The truth of the Spartan culture seems to be as difficult to grasp as an early morning mist swirling around our ankles. It seems that the total paradigm of Spartan culture and history has been pigeonholed into a society exclusively of warriors exemplified by the heroic story and legend of Thermopylae. It has focused solely on the 300 Spartans and their warrior-philosopher king, Leonidas—the Lion.

 
 
This representation of Leonidas and the Spartans is justified but it does not convey the total story of the Spartan people and their enlightened culture. It also detracts from the valiant support of the other Greek warriors that were there with the Spartans at Thermopylae such as the Thespians who chose to die rather than depart.  
 
“If you understood what was honorable in life, you would avoid lusting after what belongs to others. For me, it is better to die for Greece than to be monarch of the people of my race.” Leonidas’ response to Xerxes offer to make him King of All Greece. 

For the idealized the Spartans were the ultimate physical specimen of a warrior. For the ones that demonize the culture, the Spartan warriors were nothing more than homosexual blood-thirsty-baby-killing soldiers. This website will offer an alternative view to both of these extreme assumptions.

There is no other culture and society closer to my heart than the Spartans. On the day of my 60th birthday, I walked barefoot the sun-soaked crusty soil of the field of battle of Thermopylae. The sparsely treed ground was hard and scorching as if the memory of that time 2500 years ago was imbedded in the cracked earth beneath my feet. As well, the purified waters of the flowing volcanic sulphurous springs that I dipped my feet into were indescribably hot. Memories flowed within me as red-hot lava, which finally erupted in a mass of tears as I cried and spoke from my heart to the warrior ancestors of a time long gone. My salty waters purified the mound of the last stand. A place not of defeat but one of victory—a victory in defeat.

Four years later I led two of my martial-spiritual students on a warrior pilgrimage that took us from the sacred site of Herakles First Labor to Sparta (Sparti), Olympia and finally to Delphi. In Sparta we trained in the Acropolis of Sparta and on the ridge-top site of the Menelaion. It was a bitter/sweet journey for me. The sweetness of the journey was being able to physically and mentally train on the hallowed ground of the Lacedemonians. This brought both beauty and joy to my heart and mind.

Our training on the Menelaion was a further taste of heaven for my body and soul. The Menelaion is the hilltop site of the legendary King Menelaus, Helen (of Troy) and the Dioscuri, the twin heroic brothers of Helen—Castor and Polydeuces.

Castor, the mortal one of the twins, was a martial artist and a teacher of swordsmanship to Herakles. Both were Spartan heroes, Polydeuces being an unbeatable boxer, while Castor was the fearless warrior. How appropriate for us to train on the sacred ground of the Dioscuri and to honor them and Herakles with prayers, meditation and martial activity. It was due to this myth of the Dioscuri that the ancient Spartans had two kings. Keep in mind that the most important priests in Sparta were the kings.

Our training was only a slight healing salve for my anger and bitterness. You may ask what was the root cause of my emotions—the indignation within me?

Dis-respect and Dis-honor

Arriving in Sparti the most important thing that I noticed was the absence of any sense of the warrior spirit that was and still is Sparta’s historical birthright. Not that I would want to see workers of the Municipality of Sparta walking around dressed as ancient Spartan Knights, but I would love to see a shift in the consciousness. This would be a shift from the purely mundane materialistic to a sense of spirit, honor and pride in their warrior philosophical ancestral heritage and a reinstatement of the equality of men and women.

If you have never been to Sparti, you may question this statement about spirit, honor, pride and equality. For one thing when historical ruins are left to linger as an afterthought or absence of thought of ‘glory days gone by,’ this act alone paints a vivid picture of an absolute rejection of ones ancestral heritage. This is the case with Sparti/Sparta. And for the inequality, just spend one day in Sparti and you would discover this for yourself.

The Good News

The short time we were in Sparta, we trained, honored and blessed the land and the Spartan ancestors—the Spirit of the Warrior Philosophers.

And the Good News—you may also physically and mentally train in Sparta, while blessing and honoring their spirit.   

Join us in Greece and in Sparta!

 Rev. Dr. JC Husfelt