The Curse of Cassandra

Odd as it may sound, of all the literary and mythological characters I have been made aware of during the span of my lifetime, I most identify with the Trojan princess named Cassandra. According to ancient mythology, mystical pythons whispered in her ears when she slept in the temple of Apollo when she was young, and she was granted the gift of prophecy. Later, as an adult, she revisited Apollo's temple, where he manifested and made advances upon her. When she resisted him, he cursed her, rendering her gift of prophecy fairly useless: her prophecies would be disregarded, even though they were entirely true.

Interestingly, I once read somewhere that the ancient Oracle of Delphi had a giant python wrapped around a crystal orb that served as a divination device that allowed prophecies to be produced. In the New Testament Book of Acts, you can find a reference to a demonic spirit of "python" in the original Greek translation of the story of the girl who utters prophecies while under the influence of a devilish entity before she comes to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:16-18).

Bear in mind that I'm not identifying with any satanic aspect of the story of Cassandra, or even the young girl in the Book of Acts. I identify, however, with the fact that, over the years, I've - quite often - seen things differently than many people in my circle of friends and family do. If I've not offered up a more rounded-out understanding of something obviously misperceived, I've offered warnings regarding things to come that I clearly saw looming on the horizon. Or I've felt instinctively repulsed by certain public figures, or situations or opinions that seem to be readily embraced without question as if there were no room for doubt, even under close examination. And every time I'm eventually proven right - without fail -  (and this is quite often) what I originally said goes entirely unacknowledged. I never receive a word of apology, I'm never told I was correct all along, and anything and everything I've been adamant about in the face of differing opinions simply goes ignored. It is frustrating beyond words. 

Because I would just be opening a Pandora's box of controversy, I won't go into any details about anything specific I warned people about in advance, or when I've offered up words of correction or clarification. I just want to note that it would be nice to see this curse lifted, if that's what is upon me. And it would be really nice to hear an apology every once in a while. In my gut, though, I know getting any apologies would require that the puffed-up and proud humble themselves, and that usually requires divine intervention. And I ain't divine. Nor am I perfect. I just wish certain people would acknowledge when I've been proven right once in a while instead of acting like they agreed with me all along, or we never butted heads in the first place.

An ancient coin w/Oracle of Delphi's Python on Right Side