Monday, November 30, 2015

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 18

18. How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)

Hekate has traditionally been the Goddess of Outcasts. Protector of those that society by and large shun. This includes witches who have faced persecution over time, the LGBTQQIAP community, the mentally ill, etc. MANY priestesses, including Hekate's Semnotatoi, the "Revered ones of the Goddess". These assigned male at birth misgendered priestesses told fortunes, practiced magic and cared for Her sacred places/temples. Some of them were even ritually castrated. She was also served by assigned female at birth misgendered priests and cisgendered priests and priestesses. Her priesthood  (the Demosioi), in addition to horoscopes, spell work and maintaining the sacred temples and groves, also led processions in which children clad in flower garlands sung hymns of praise to Hekate. They served the patron goddess of thetemenoa, of magic, and of all those who live on the edge.

Hekate isn't the only ancient deity to follow this practice either. Cybele is associated with transformed priestesses, her gallae, Isis had gender-variant priestesses, often self-emasculated, they danced and performed magical rites with the other devotees as viewed on a marble relief at Ariccia. These devotee were called cinaedi. Hera also had gender variant priestesses who dwelt on the island of Samos. Ma-Enyo from Asia Minor was served by thousands of hierodules known as fanatici carried double-axe emblems in procession and used a whirling dance to achieve states of ecstasy, the latter tradition remains today in the dervishes of Konya. Roman Goddess Bellona becamr syncretized with Ma-Enyo. Aphrodite's priestesses also crossed the boundary between the sexes. Venus Castina became the patroness of Roman males who were born with a woman's soul. Diana was served by two kinds of priestesses, the melissai "honeybees", and the remarkable assigned male at birth misgendered Megabyzes, these gender-variant priestesses commonly served as makers of magic amulets, telling fortunes through the casting of Ephesian runes.

Hekate does not care how you identify or who you're attracted to. You can be straight, lesbian, gay, bi, misgendered, curious and questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, etc. She wants you to be you.

Personally, I'm a cis gendered female who married a man and most of my sexual partners (99%) have been male. I am not sure 100% how I'd identify truthfully as I've fooled around with females but I don't actively prefer or seek them out. I identify as straight but every so often. I also have several non straight relatives and friends and one of my own children identifies as non-straight. Just like my Lady, I welcome all and will fight for each of them.

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