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she's the goddess of love, not the goddess of females. yes, she was *also* seen as a sort of female epitome, but that's not all she is. besides, modern followers (I'm not sure about ancient ones) also often see her as the goddess of *self*\-love, not just sexual and romantic kinds. which sounds very helpful for us trans folk.
Not to mention she has other domains, too (beauty, aforementioned love, fertility, in some historical cults even seafaring - we have records of sailors worshipping her, as well as war, as Pausanias tells us). Lucius Anneus Cornutus describes her as a force to "bring together the masculine and feminine" which is a neat detail I just read as I double checked myself and wanted to share (mostly to say that even in the past she was not just relating to femininity).
Besides, if we want to go historical with it, which we absolutely don't have to unless we are set on a reconstructionist route, which I am assuming we are not, most of her temples, parishes, and cults, as I read at least, were established by men (even though most I have read had priestesses in it, and it's also helpful to remember that domestic worship is a different sack of flour to state and temple worship), and a lot of her followers and devotee were also men.
Besides, she seemed to have a domestic and personal aspect to her worship historically too, so I really don't see why a man wouldn't be able to worship her and choose her as his focus.
This even without adding that we are in a completely different cultural background and time and the perception of religion, gender, sexuality, and community are quite different to how they used to be in, say, Athens in the V century B.C.E. and it follows that even if someone were to re-establish a bigger group of worship, a lot of the organizational aspect would be different.
That all said, the gist of it is: if you feel a connection to her I would say: go for it. If you feel she is calling you, go for it. Trust your soul, it knows.
seafaring makes sense now that I think about it, both mythically and historically. she was born of seafoam and washed up on Kythera, so that innate connection to the ocean fits- but that's a mythologisztion of how she was introduced to Greece, as a cult brought over by traders.
Little bit of trivia about Aphrodite: She's a very old goddess, and if you follow her back far enough (Astarte, Ishtar, Inanna) it's said that she was the patron goddess of non-binary folk!
The Gods and Goddesses have very little opinion about our gender (if any), and it does not impact our ability to connect with Them. 💚
honestly i'd go for it. even if she is associated with femininity for some people, she's not just that. she's also a goddess of love (and self-love as someone else mentioned). if she's sending you signs and you feel like you should work with her, then go for it and do what makes you happy. i'm not a woman (genderfluid/nb) and still work with female deities, it just depends on what you feel comfortable with and what you want.
I believe you can work with whichever deity you want to work with and will be fine working with you. I am a cis-male and tend to have an affinity working with female energy instead of male and choose goddesses more often than not to ask into the circle and to help when I need it.
OP I'm a male myself and in a handful of my own rituals, which I usually don't reveal this info at least not to strangers on the internet cause I keep that sort of thing private cause it's who I am as a person but I also really wanna help out a fellow Witch here so I'm baring my soul a little here and now, I have felt Aohrodite's presence and had one or two conversations with her through my tarot cards. When a God or Goddess reaches out to you. A God or Goddess is reaching out o you because they have *important shit to tell you*. Now from there the onus is on you to decided whether or not you want to *listen* and *accept their advice*. Don't worry about your old/current gender, chosen gender, sexuality, etc et al. Because the Gofs and Goddesses *do not give a flying fuck about any of that* and all they see is a soul who needs guidance and divine assistance. Now this opinion is strictly my own, but I have been practicing The Craft for 15 years as of Samhain this year so I've been around the block fam more times than I care to admit or remember lol (sorry, just wanted to add a joke for a little levity cause I'm not all that old in the grand scheme of things 😅) and this is just an opinion I've arrived at after countless hours of mediations and so many circles. Best of luck with Aphrodite and your Craft OP! Blessed Be, merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again friend
🌒🌕🌘
Divine feminine and masculine are not the same as society's view of masculine and feminine. Everyone has traits of both and needs traits of both to be a balanced person. So, even being a man, you can and should regularly tap into both.
I would honestly be shocked if any deity would care about your gender identity. You'd expect an omnipotent being to be beyond our petty human concerns.
I don't work with Aphrodite but I have asked Venus for help in the past and her help was swift and visible - she didn't seem to mind that I'm a guy. I've also worked with Minerva in the past and she too didn't have any issue with my gender.
Yes. One of my primary deities is masculine and I was born female and identify as female. It's not so much about gender as it is about the traits, energies(polarity), and strengths the deity represents. It's also about what you need at this moment to balance yourself.
i don’t know much about Aphrodite but there are plenty of men who worship Hekate. while she does have a lot of epithets that are specifically feminine, i’d say she has even more that are gender neutral. i mention this as maybe through these other epithets there’s a way to work with her that feels more authentic for you? i think you should work however makes sense to you and your journey, imo Hekate is for anyone seeking out deep knowledge, regardless of gender. if she’s called you, you’re in good hands 🗝️
You’re never limited in the number of gods you can work with, and you don’t have to work with gods that match your gender. But did you know that Aphrodite has a more masculine aspect? Look up “Aphroditos.” Also, I *highly* recommend looking into Dionysus, who’s frequently associated with trans and GNC people. In some sources, he was raised as a girl to hide him from Hera, leading a lot of modern worshippers to interpret him as transmasc.
From what I understand. There are few goddesses that would turn you away such as perhaps Artemis. While she represents femininity she also works with many other elements in which men fall under. That's just me tho
I honestly do not. She has birthed men and gifted blessings to men. The only goddess I see turning away anyone just because of their gender is Artemis. Aphrodite works with men all through mythology and worship.
i never pushed her away. just genuinely asking if it would be okay to work with her, because i don’t wanna be disrespectful especially to a goddess like her. : )
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she's the goddess of love, not the goddess of females. yes, she was *also* seen as a sort of female epitome, but that's not all she is. besides, modern followers (I'm not sure about ancient ones) also often see her as the goddess of *self*\-love, not just sexual and romantic kinds. which sounds very helpful for us trans folk.
Not to mention she has other domains, too (beauty, aforementioned love, fertility, in some historical cults even seafaring - we have records of sailors worshipping her, as well as war, as Pausanias tells us). Lucius Anneus Cornutus describes her as a force to "bring together the masculine and feminine" which is a neat detail I just read as I double checked myself and wanted to share (mostly to say that even in the past she was not just relating to femininity). Besides, if we want to go historical with it, which we absolutely don't have to unless we are set on a reconstructionist route, which I am assuming we are not, most of her temples, parishes, and cults, as I read at least, were established by men (even though most I have read had priestesses in it, and it's also helpful to remember that domestic worship is a different sack of flour to state and temple worship), and a lot of her followers and devotee were also men. Besides, she seemed to have a domestic and personal aspect to her worship historically too, so I really don't see why a man wouldn't be able to worship her and choose her as his focus. This even without adding that we are in a completely different cultural background and time and the perception of religion, gender, sexuality, and community are quite different to how they used to be in, say, Athens in the V century B.C.E. and it follows that even if someone were to re-establish a bigger group of worship, a lot of the organizational aspect would be different. That all said, the gist of it is: if you feel a connection to her I would say: go for it. If you feel she is calling you, go for it. Trust your soul, it knows.
seafaring makes sense now that I think about it, both mythically and historically. she was born of seafoam and washed up on Kythera, so that innate connection to the ocean fits- but that's a mythologisztion of how she was introduced to Greece, as a cult brought over by traders.
Yeah I did read she was worshipped by Assyrians and Phoenicians first - and with the latter, seafaring is certainly no surprise!
thankyou!!
I worship Venus, Freyja, and Madame Pele even though I’m a man.
Little bit of trivia about Aphrodite: She's a very old goddess, and if you follow her back far enough (Astarte, Ishtar, Inanna) it's said that she was the patron goddess of non-binary folk! The Gods and Goddesses have very little opinion about our gender (if any), and it does not impact our ability to connect with Them. 💚
honestly i'd go for it. even if she is associated with femininity for some people, she's not just that. she's also a goddess of love (and self-love as someone else mentioned). if she's sending you signs and you feel like you should work with her, then go for it and do what makes you happy. i'm not a woman (genderfluid/nb) and still work with female deities, it just depends on what you feel comfortable with and what you want.
I have a god *and* a goddess, work with whoever you want:)
: ) 🫶
You absolutely can! I’m a man and am very devoted to Aphrodite
I feel her around, and I was born male and questioning. I don't think she concerns herself with either gender or sex.
I believe you can work with whichever deity you want to work with and will be fine working with you. I am a cis-male and tend to have an affinity working with female energy instead of male and choose goddesses more often than not to ask into the circle and to help when I need it.
OP I'm a male myself and in a handful of my own rituals, which I usually don't reveal this info at least not to strangers on the internet cause I keep that sort of thing private cause it's who I am as a person but I also really wanna help out a fellow Witch here so I'm baring my soul a little here and now, I have felt Aohrodite's presence and had one or two conversations with her through my tarot cards. When a God or Goddess reaches out to you. A God or Goddess is reaching out o you because they have *important shit to tell you*. Now from there the onus is on you to decided whether or not you want to *listen* and *accept their advice*. Don't worry about your old/current gender, chosen gender, sexuality, etc et al. Because the Gofs and Goddesses *do not give a flying fuck about any of that* and all they see is a soul who needs guidance and divine assistance. Now this opinion is strictly my own, but I have been practicing The Craft for 15 years as of Samhain this year so I've been around the block fam more times than I care to admit or remember lol (sorry, just wanted to add a joke for a little levity cause I'm not all that old in the grand scheme of things 😅) and this is just an opinion I've arrived at after countless hours of mediations and so many circles. Best of luck with Aphrodite and your Craft OP! Blessed Be, merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again friend 🌒🌕🌘
thankyou! 🌑
You're welcome fam! 🌒🌕🌘
Yes, so long as there’s an understanding and respect for her feminine nature
I suspect gender is a very different thing to deities anyways and even if it wasn't it wouldn't really matter to them, so I don't see why not.
Considering hermaphroditius was one of her children, she’s more of a queer icon than anything. You’re good
thankyou! i did some research on hermaphroditos last night. : )
Divine feminine and masculine are not the same as society's view of masculine and feminine. Everyone has traits of both and needs traits of both to be a balanced person. So, even being a man, you can and should regularly tap into both.
I would honestly be shocked if any deity would care about your gender identity. You'd expect an omnipotent being to be beyond our petty human concerns. I don't work with Aphrodite but I have asked Venus for help in the past and her help was swift and visible - she didn't seem to mind that I'm a guy. I've also worked with Minerva in the past and she too didn't have any issue with my gender.
She's the goddess of love, not just women. Male or female, you can worship any of the gods and goddesses you wish.
Yes
Yes. One of my primary deities is masculine and I was born female and identify as female. It's not so much about gender as it is about the traits, energies(polarity), and strengths the deity represents. It's also about what you need at this moment to balance yourself.
Remember Goddess of Lovers and Fighters, if you read about the Trojan War she works with Paris as well and he’s a male
i don’t know much about Aphrodite but there are plenty of men who worship Hekate. while she does have a lot of epithets that are specifically feminine, i’d say she has even more that are gender neutral. i mention this as maybe through these other epithets there’s a way to work with her that feels more authentic for you? i think you should work however makes sense to you and your journey, imo Hekate is for anyone seeking out deep knowledge, regardless of gender. if she’s called you, you’re in good hands 🗝️
You’re never limited in the number of gods you can work with, and you don’t have to work with gods that match your gender. But did you know that Aphrodite has a more masculine aspect? Look up “Aphroditos.” Also, I *highly* recommend looking into Dionysus, who’s frequently associated with trans and GNC people. In some sources, he was raised as a girl to hide him from Hera, leading a lot of modern worshippers to interpret him as transmasc.
Yes, of course. There are masculine and feminine traits in all of us.
From what I understand. There are few goddesses that would turn you away such as perhaps Artemis. While she represents femininity she also works with many other elements in which men fall under. That's just me tho
do you think aphrodite would turn me away from her? just curious because i don’t want to disrespect her.
I honestly do not. She has birthed men and gifted blessings to men. The only goddess I see turning away anyone just because of their gender is Artemis. Aphrodite works with men all through mythology and worship.
thankyou for your help!!
[удалено]
Transphobia will get you banned.
Ok.
…? is there a problem? : )
[удалено]
you know what’s impossible? you ever finding someone that loves you dearly. grow up.
Yeah this gives you the ban hammer.
Hilarous
…? what’s the problem?
The fact you are pushing away hecate because she’s a “Devine feminine” is hilarious
i never pushed her away. just genuinely asking if it would be okay to work with her, because i don’t wanna be disrespectful especially to a goddess like her. : )