Gay deities
This month of June is Gay Pride 2022, and it’s mete and just that we parade and party. It would be great to have a patron “saint” to honor (“saint” being the title the dominant creed uses to replace the earlier gods of paganism). I want to glorify a patron god of gays, not a vengeful and homophobic deity whose devotees revile and condemn us.
There once was indeed such a god of gays in the distant past, beautiful boy named Antinous, who was deified by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. By sacrificing himself to the River Nile to bring his imperial boyfriend good fortune, the excellent ephebe became a god of beauty and love.
Temples, statues, and even an entire city in Egypt were raised for beneficent Antinous, and as an honest-to-god deity, he was for a good while a strong candidate for the title of humanity’s savior—much more appropriate than the heavily marketed Messiah from Judea, who was merely (and messily) executed for rabble-rousing. The cult of Antinous was soon eradicated by righteous believers in less tolerant traditions, and I still mourn the loss.
But nowadays, as ever, it takes a lot more than an imperial decree to change into a god. Anyway, lovely Antinous probably quali
In Christian theology, we are told that we are made “in God’s image and likeness.” Taking a broader view across all religions, it is more accurate to say that humans make gods & goddesses in our image and likeness – even where they are visualized in non-human form, their reported behaviour is frequently anthropomorphic.
This is especially clear outside of the monotheistic religions. In these, the necessity for imagining gods & goddesses in relationships and interactions with other gods produces tales of jealousy, rivalry, and amorous adventures that look remarkably human. Reflecting what each culture sees in itself, the deities also reflect a range of interests, temperaments – and sexual preferences. Many pantheons, especially those from Classical Greece and Rome, China, India, South America and Oceania, feature prominent gods and goddesses who had homosexual relationships or adventures. (Hindu deities are especially notable for the ease with which many of them change gender from time to time).
This much I knew. But the biggest surprise for me yesterday, when I was reading some more about LGBT themes in mythology, was the discovery tha
It’s PRIDE MONTH and I want to celebrate that!
As a homosexual witch, I haven’t always experienced inclusive sacred spaces. I’ve been to plenty of circles and gatherings where the subtext seemed to be that to fit in you needed to be:
straight
white
female
able bodied
middle class
english speaking
formerly Christian (Lol)
You acquire the idea.
This has fueled my passion for creating truly inclusive sacred spaces that are diverse, respectful, and real.
EarthSong Temple is for all earthlings: women, men, trans and neutrois. Earth magic is for everyone.
This is a group, and a consciousness, that allows people from all different backgrounds, faiths, gender expression, sexual orientation, and varied life experience to unite through our treasure for nature and celebrating the song of being, the EarthSong.
Thank you for being a part of it.
To further acknowledge and celebrate queerness in spirituality, beloved EarthSong Temple Council sister Rachel Russell helped research and compile this list of:
LGBTQIA+ Deities
ARTEMIS / DIANA
Artemis is the Greek goddess of Wilderness/the Search, Childbirth, and one of three well-known virgin* goddesses.
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