For the second of my blogs celebrating Pride Month, Gay Spirituality and the LGBTQ+ Community I wanted to explore “LGBTQ+ Archetypes” or those gods and goddesses who are recorded as having LGBTQ+ natures. Although I am sure the list below will contain some deities that you – dear reader – are less familiar with I am sure too that some of the names you will know very well – though you may be unfamiliar with their connection to LGBTQ+
Sad to say this is because many of these characters have been “straightened out” by our modern day media, their homosexual exploits and trans natures completely white washed from existence, remaining now only in the dusty annals of academia. However their importance as archetypes for the LGBTQ+ is non the less important – as it is for the heterosexual community too and hopefully now – with a new up and coming community of spiritually minded LGBTQ+ people and allies they will find their place back in the stories and minds of the people.
Apollo – often portrayed as being uber masculine due to his association with the Sun had a male lover – Hyacinth a beautiful Spartan prince who was also adored by his eventual murderer Zephyrus out of jealousy.
Artemis – the patron of the amazons – a female only community of women warriors and philosophers who bread with men only to perpetuate their community – abandoning their male children in favour of their female off spring. Artemis was also the patroness of same same sex unions and herself known to be attracted to both men and women.
Astarte – an incarnation of the Great Mother Goddess sometimes seen to have a hermaphroditic form.
Asushunamir – Sumerian companion spirits of Innana created by Enki to help rescue her from her dark sister, their name means “whose face is light” and they are described as being neither male nor female and therefore where considered to be the first Gay Spirits! Cursed by Ereskigel to hide in the shadows and blessed by Innana with magical powers as well the gifts of prophecy and healing they are Divine Spirits linked to the transgendered Priests of Innana the Galatur and the Kurgarru. They are sometimes mentioned in ritual invocation as the Queer ones!
Baphomet – the hermaphroditic God linked to the knights Templar who later became used by Hollywood as the archetypeal form of the Devil. Baphomet is in truth the alchemical God/Goddess representing not only the composite energyes of male and female but also the composite energies of man and beast!
Bona Dea – the “Good Goddess” of Italy whose ceremonies include acts of Lesbian love as worship.
Dionysus – “twice born” of mortal and of his father Zeus he dressed in women’s clothing to avoid being murdered by his Step Mother Hera. Depicted as a God who was a balance of both masculine and feminine he was also a God of extremes being the God of ecstasy and wine and gathering a rich cult following. Some of his festivities where peaceful and loving whilst others where cannibalistic and crazed (those of his female worshippers the Maneads and Bacchante) who perused a representation of his and then ate him! His lovers included Aphrodite, Persephone, Adonis and Hermaphrodite and he has both an upper world God of light image and a form as a lost child of innocence seeking the spirit of his Mother.
Eros – the son of Aphrodite and latterly the Victorians Cupid, a God who possessed both masculine and feminine qualities he is the patron of homosexual love and along with Hercules and Hermes could grant blessing upon male couples!
Ganymede – Cupbearer of Zeus (who loved him) and holder of Ambrosia the drink of the Gods looked upon as a symbol for semen.
Hermaphrodite – the hermaphroditic God who is the son of Hermes and Aphrodite – hence the name! This God/Goddess is said to contain the best of the divine.
Hypnos – homosexual God of sleep who put Endymion (the Moons lover) to sleep (whom Hypnos coveted) so he could spend time in dreams with him!
Isis – Egyptian Mother Goddess, Goddess of the Moon, worshipped by men and women (and the transgendered alike) she was worshipped twice as long as Christ before the rise of Christianity! Sometimes her priests would dress as her in their rituals.
Loki – Norse trickster God who having assumed the form of a mare, gets pregnant and gave birth to Odin’s magical eight legged steed. Referred to by Odin as “argr” a derisive term for a receptive male! Possible the only persecuted homosexual God! Loki also later adopts or dresses up as his Mother – provoking much debate as to whether he also had a transgendered cult. In the latest Disney+ TV series he is portrayed as being “gender fluid”.
Pan – Greek and Wiccan God of nature whose name coined the phrase “pansexual” meaning not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity because of his appetites, God of eroticism, vitality and nature.
Quan Yin/Guan Yin – Chinese female Bhuda or Bodhisattva who began as an male called Avalokiteshvara and was later represented as female! A transgendered Goddess who becomes female when in a state of Ascension!
Tlazoteotl – “Eater of filth”, the Aztec “Dirt Goddess”, “Goddess of the Anus” an alchemical deity who transforms darkness into gold, goddess of life and death and underworld deity who was protector of the huastecs the transgendered Lesbian Priestesses!
Xochilpilli – the Mesoamerican “Prince of Flowers” God of flowers, pleasure, fine food and perfume. Among other things he is patron of Gay men, gender variance and male prostitution and was said to have introduced homosexuality to his people. He was the ruler of the age of flowers a time ruled by warrior women where men focused on the arts and love.
Yemaya – Santerian Goddess of oceans and rivers she is a great sorceress and shape shifter who is patroness of Lesbians and can be called upon by all homosexuals for healing and cleansing.
How interesting then that these Gods and Goddesses and those who are other have been largely forgotten or ignored – what a shame that they were not known to the many members of the LGBTQ+ community who were in need of a blessing or at least some form of deity to turn to to make them feel accepted and loved by the Divine and not ostracised and ashamed as the Christian God does.
It is my explicit hope in time that more and more people will remember these beings and see them for who and what they truly are and in celebrating and calling upon them welcome them back in their full form to the collective consciousness of all!
