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My mom as a young lady in high school. This photo was taken in 1963 during her graduating class trip to the Parthenon of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

Welcoming you to the island, the cats of Tinos are the key holders to it’s secret spaces.

My Photos | August 25, 2012 | Tinos Island, Greece | Shot by: John Zeus

December 20th, 2000 | Oia, Santorini Island, Greece.

In December of 2000, I embarked on a journey to build a shrine on a cliff edge on Santorini Island (ancient Thira) over the caldera of an ancient underwater volcano.

My pilgrimage to Ancient Thira, a.k.a. Santorini started with a dream inspired by an angel…

Click on the gallery below to scroll through full size images.
Music Tie-in, listen to: Stairway To Heaven.mp3 – Led Zepplin

December 2000, building my shrine overlooking the caldera of an ancient volcano. Location: outside Oia village, on a remote hiking trail northern tip of Santorini Island.

I constructed the shrine out of tin, glass and ceramic tiles and painted it. Inside there’s an alter made of volcanic rocks, an icon of the Old Testament Archangel Uriel, an oil lamp, matches, olive oil, personal keepsakes. It is cemented to a boulder at cliff edge. The caldera is in the distance. The sea below me is very deep almost bottomless, the crater created by the eruption.

Uriel’s shrine cemented to boulder on cliff edge.

Lighting the oil lamp one last time before I leave the island. — at Santorini Island, Greece.

The shrine was visited by my friend Jennifer in 2007: This is how it looked after years of exposure to the sun, rain, wind and saltine air. Haven’t been back to the island since i built the shrine. According to Jennifer it has become a popular stop along a remote hiking trail. Hikers have been maintaining it, writing their names on the rocks, making offerings and leaving possessions. I don’t know when I’ll get back there again. if you are interested in lighting the oil lamp for me let me know. I’ll send you a map and instructions. I buried something special to me under the rocks.

December 2000 | The last eruption in Santorini was the largest in the ancient world. In legend It buried Atlantis which is suppose to be underneath me in this photo. Volcanologists predicted another eruption around 2000 that will sink the island. It didn’t happen.

AEGEAN SEA

A reproduction on wood of this Icon is in the shrine. The inscription reads Archangel Uriel written in Byzantine script. More on: Uriel – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I found an Iconographer Greek Orthodox Monk in Athens. Told him my story and what I saw in my dream. He painted this image of Uriel in traditional Byzantine style on wood.

The Book of Enoch describes Uriel as one of seven archangels who preside over the world. “One of the holy angels, who is over the world… the leader of them all.”

Two of many dogs that call Oia home without belonging to anyone in particular.

“ELLAS! Your people created Western Civilization and shone their light on the world for 3000 years. From the ashes of economic collapse they will rise and shine their light again. Be strong, stand united and strong, believe in your dreams, have faith and have hope.”

Hymn To Liberty

I know you of old
Oh divinely restored,
By the light of your eyes
And the edge of your sword.

From the graves of our people
Shall your spirit prevail
As we greet you again-
Hail, Liberty, Hail!

Long did you dwell
Amid the peoples that mourn
Awaiting some voice
That should tell you to return

Ah, slow broke that day
and no man dared call,
For the shadow of tyranny
Lay over all.

Oh, unfortunate one!
The only consolation you had
were the past glories,
and remembering them you cried.

Long you have awaited
for a freedom-loving call
and in despair one hand
hits the other one.

And you cried:
ah! When do I raise my head
in this desolate land?
and the answer was chains, cries so sad.

Then you shifted your gaze
tearfully, clouded in haze
and on your garment dripped blood
from your children’s tortured hearts.

With blood-stained clothes
I know for a fact
that you secretly sought help
in stronger hands of foreign lands.

On your journey you started alone
and alone you came back
doors do not easily open
when you need them so bad.

Someone cried on your breast,
but no response at its best;
another promised you help,
but he tricked you no less.

Some, allas! in your misfortune rejoice
and with such a cold poise
“go find your children” said they
as doors were shut in your face.

The foot slips and slides
and in such a haste it steps
on stone, or grass
reminders of a glorious past.

The miserable head shamefully leans
and the image it brings
is of a poor beggar, going door to door
with no interest in life any more.

Yet, behold now the sons
with impetuous breath
Go forth to the fight
seeking freedom or death.

From the graves of our people
shall the spirit prevail
as we greet you again-
Hail, Liberty, Hail!

The Hymn to Liberty is a poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists of 158 stanzas, which is used as the national anthem of Greece. It was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, and is the longest national anthem in the world by length of text. In 1865, the first three stanzas and later the first two officially became the national anthem of Greece and later also that of the Republic of Cyprus. Source: Wikipedia

Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν

Σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν κόψι
τοῦ σπαθιοῦ τὴν τρομερή,
σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν ὄψι,
ποὺ μὲ βία μετράει τὴ γῆ.

Ἀπ’ τὰ κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἱερά,
καὶ σὰν πρῶτα ἀνδρειωμένη,
χαῖρε, ὦ χαῖρε, Ἐλευθεριά!

Ἐκεῖ μέσα ἐκατοικοῦσες
πικραμένη, ἐντροπαλή,
κ’ ἕνα στόμα ἐκαρτεροῦσες,
ἔλα πάλι, νὰ σοῦ πῇ.

Ἄργειε νἄλθῃ ἐκείνη ἡ μέρα,
καὶ ἦταν ὅλα σιωπηλά,
γιατὶ τἄσκιαζε ἡ φοβέρα,
καὶ τὰ πλάκωνε ἡ σκλαβιά.

Δυστυχής! Παρηγορία
μόνη σοῦ ἔμενε, νὰ λὲς
περασμένα μεγαλεῖα,
καὶ διηγῶντάς τα νὰ κλαῖς.

Καὶ ἀκαρτέρει, καὶ ἀκαρτέρει
φιλελεύθερη λαλιά
ἕνα ἐκτύπαε τ’ ἄλλο χέρι
ἀπὸ τὴν ἀπελπισιά,

κ’ ἔλεες· πότε, ἄ! πότε βγάνω
τὸ κεφάλι ἀπὸ τ ‘ς ἐρμιές;
καὶ ἀποκρίνοντο ἀπὸ πάνω
κλάψες, ἅλυσες, φωνές!

Τότ’ ἐσήκωνες τὸ βλέμμα
μέσ’ στὰ κλάϊματα θολό,
καὶ εἰς τὸ ροῦχό σου ἔσταζ’ αἷμα,
πλῆθος αἷμα Ἑλληνικό.

Μὲ τὰ ροῦχα αἱματωμένα
ξέρω ὅτι ἔβγαινες κρυφά,
νὰ γυρεύῃς εἰς τὰ ξένα
ἄλλα χέρια δυνατά.

Μοναχὴ τὸ δρόμο ἐπῆρες,
ἐξανάλθες μοναχή·
δὲν εἶν’ εὔκολες οἱ θύρες,
ἐὰν ἡ χρεία τὲς κουρταλῇ.

Ἄλλος σοῦ ἔκλαψε εἰς τὰ στήθια,
ἀλλ’ ἀνάσασι καμμιά·
ἄλλος σοῦ ἔταξε βοήθεια,
καὶ σὲ γέλασε φρικτά!

Ἄλλοι, ὠιμέ! στὴ συφορά σου
ὁποὺ ἐχαίροντο πολύ,
σύρε νά βρῃς τὰ παιδιά σου,
σύρε, ἐλέγαν οἱ σκληροί.

Φεύγει ὀπίσω τὸ ποδάρι,
καὶ ὁλογλήγορο πατεῖ
ἢ τὴν πέτρα, ἢ τὸ χορτάρι,
ποὺ τὴν δόξα σου ἐνθυμεῖ.

Ταπεινότατη σοῦ γέρνει
ἡ τρισάθλια κεφαλή,
σὰν φτωχοῦ ποὺ θυροδέρνει,
κ’ εἶναι βάρος του ἡ ζωή.

Ναί· ἀλλὰ τώρα ἀντιπαλεύει
κάθε τέκνο σου μὲ ὁρμή,
ποὺ ἀκατάπαυστα γυρεύει
ἢ τὴ νίκη, ἢ τὴ θανή.

Ἀπ’ τὰ κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἱερά,
καὶ σὰν πρῶτα ἀνδρειωμένη,
χαῖρε, ὦ χαῖρε, Ἐλευθεριά!

See Photo Gallery:

• Aegean Winter Ferry On Deck.

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