My Ancient Roman Life

Or: Why I feel/think one of my past lives took place during the time of the pagan Roman Empire, as opposed to the Holy Roman Empire and all that jazz. Some of these reasons are not too pleasant; consider yourself warned. First on the list: my veneration for the Roman gods. Since my first readings of mythology I've always been attracted to the Greco-Roman gods and there's never been any doubt or dithering on the matter. I also seem to have an innate knowledge of some ancient Roman practices. For example, since I was 11 or so I've collected various kinds of ceramic and porcelain masks and placed them strategically around my room. They are concentrated around what in time became an altar. I've also got a crystal mask on my altar. Long before I ever read about neo-paganism I painted one mask all in green and another with a moon. Only years and years after I began collecting and venerating these masks and the spirits behind them did I learn of the ancient ritual uses of masks within ancient Roman culture and the ancient world in general. But that's another post in itself. Next, a gross reason I think I might have lived in the Rome of ancient times: bulimia. Long before I knew anything about the ancient world I rather foolishly embraced the practice and philosophy of binge and purge. I could say more about it but for the sake of topicality I'll try to make it brief. The ancient Romans specialized in binging and purging, especially the wealthy with their outrageous dinner parties. The whole point of these get-togethers was for the host to put on the most expensive, prolonged and varied show possible. And that meant lots and lots of food, some of it pretty gross even by ancient standards. There were also copious amounts of wine consumed. And in order for the extravagant parade of food and strong drink to continue through numerous courses the ancient Romans saw fit to periodically induce vomiting. It wasn't accepted or practiced by all but it was certainly not unknown. Another reason for my Roman life theory: I'm submissive almost to a fault. I think I may have been a slave. I don't mean one of the many unfortunate slaves who were treated worse than livestock. I think I was one of the lucky ones who was born into a good situation and was loved and treated well. It did happen and frequently in some cultures. Or perhaps I was a freedwoman, that is, a daughter of a slave who was granted freedom. I'm not sure on the details as these are just the wild ramblings of lover of ancient history but these are ideas based on intuition and dreams and other experiences. Do you have any ideas about your past lives?