The Ultimate Cocktail: Mixing Pantheons

When I first started this blog, I thought I'd be writing a lot more about what it's like to follow two different paths at the same time (and now three, because back then I wasn't a Canaanite polytheist yet). It's pretty clear now that the reason that I only write about them separately is because I keep them separate in practice. It only makes sense that my blog would follow that same pattern. But here at long last, I have something that involves all three.

One issue that pops up on various forums and groups is whether or not it is appropriate to follow multiple spiritual traditions or paths, and how to go about doing so. It is this issue that I'm going to address today.

To anyone who has has read this blog before, it must be unsurprising to hear me say that I think it is absolutely appropriate to honor more than one pantheon of deities. I'm sure it is also unsurprising to hear me say that what I recommend is keeping your practices separate. The only real trick to this is keeping a separate shrine for each pantheon, and after that, tailoring your rituals to each specific path in regard to that path's gods, their mythology, and the culture from which they come.

One of the most basic reasons I say this is because once you've separated everything, it's easier to get a sense of what works well for each pantheon, and which deities or practices (if any) mesh well. Another important thing to consider is that one thing that is acceptable to one pantheon's practice might be taboo in another. Blood, for example, can be a powerful offering to certain Celtic deities, but in certain Kemetic religions, blood is fairly widely considered to be an inappropriate thing to have at a shrine. Other such offerings include pork (which was never named in Canaanite texts as as an offering to the Iluma) or incense made with dung as a binder (which is a big no-no in both Kemetic and Canaanite traditions). Kemetic and Canaanite religions also often require some form of purification before ritual, whereas ritual purification isn't as commonly practiced in Celtic traditions.

So let's say you're working with two different pantheons of deities, and you are keeping those paths completely separated. How do you make this work? How do you strike balance between them and give a fair share of your time and effort to each?

Well, if you have a path that is primary, that pretty much solves the problem right there. You may only practice your secondary path as you see fit, or perhaps once every month or so. However, if that's not the case, one thing that works well is dividing ritual time evenly between the pantheons. For example, if the Netjeru get offerings one day, the next offering can be made to the Déithe. Or you can alternate between weeks or months (or whichever time period works for you), with the Netjeru getting all of the offerings and rituals for one month, and the Déithe getting all of the offerings/rituals the following month.

The only issue with this is that every now and then you may feel the need, either on your end or the gods', to focus on one deity or pantheon for weeks or even months at a time. A pantheon might suddenly become primary (if one wasn't before), or whichever pantheon was primary might change for a while. For well over a year, I was focused very heavily on my Kemetic path, but once I established my Canaanite shrine, my path was almost exclusively dedicated to 'Anatu and 'Athtartu for about three months. In my experience, the gods tend to be quite understanding when it comes to realizing what you need at any point in time. Besides, another deity's turn probably won't be far behind. The key to this is that it requires a certain amount of attention and intuition to maintain this balance, to know when which god wants what when, but you'll get better at it as you go along.

However, I know from experience that it's not always possible to have the space to set up two or three (or more) different shrines. And I'm sure there are also cases in which keeping them separate just doesn't work for an individual. If you want to mix different paths into a singular practice, the most important thing to keep in mind is what is considered acceptable to the deities (purification, blood, etc.), which I mentioned before. If I had a shrine to the Iluma and Déithe, I would refrain from offering "impure" incense at that shrine. I might not offer pork, either. Pig may make a wonderful offering for Celtic gods, but not so much for the gods of Canaan. If I felt I needed to give Mannanan Mac Lir some bacon, I might make a small, temporary shrine elsewhere, and offer it there. Again, attention and intuition are very important here. As you go along, the gods will let you know where the lines are.

While I will freely admit that I don't get the appeal of mixing deities of different pantheons into one practice, the recon-snob in me can't make too much of a fuss about it, because it was done in ancient times. Greeks honored Heru and Anpu as Horus and Anubis, and Egyptians honored 'Anatu and Yamu as Anat and Yam. Moreover, the Greeks and Egyptians honored these gods within the religious contexts into which the deities were adopted. I know that there are plenty of discussions as to how appropriate doing a similar thing in modern times is, and I think there are good points on both sides. But in the end, I think that as modern polytheists, honoring our gods and having respect for them and their cultures is the most important thing.

Kemetic Priesthood – a Response

A little while ago, I read this awesome blog post about Kemetic priesthood in antiquity as well as today. I enjoyed it so much that today I'm going to try to answer a couple of questions that Devo posed. (And if you must know why it took me almost two weeks to do so, the answer is simple: I'm lazy. Deal with it.) 

"What is your take on priesthood then..."

The Temple of Isis at Philae

I can't say that I am very familiar with the subject, but the most striking aspect of the priesthood of ancient Egypt are the rituals. They are fascinating in their intricacy, artistic even, and the level of commitment required to perform those rites every day for months on end is astonishing (not to mention intimidating). Yet that could only be accomplished because, as Devo pointed out, priesthood then was a job. The temples, as well as the culture itself, supported priests during their service, and that is certainly not the case today. It makes me wonder if those rituals could ever truly be revived as a part of a modern priest's daily practice. 

"...and now?"

With the exception of Kemetic Orthodoxy, Kemetic priesthood is largely fractured and undefined. Individual temples may have their own requirements for priesthood, but the subject becomes a bit confusing when we talk about independent practitioners. Someone who is devoted to learning about the religion as it was practiced, the myths, and the gods, and has made a serious commitment to serving them is as good as a priest to me. I suppose what we get then is a collection of unaffiliated practitioners, many of whom act as their own priest, whether or not they claim that title for themselves. 

"What do you think the modern Kemetic community needs from its priesthood, if anything?"

A few things. One is to be educated. For the priest in question to really know his or her stuff. Kemeticism is specific to a time and culture, and learning about that culture is key to understanding the religion and its rituals, and how to best adapt them for modern practices. A myth or ritual action might not make sense on the surface, but once you put it in the context of it's culture, a new understanding and appreciation can be gained. Egypt's ancient religion survived for thousands of years and left us no shortage of information to work with. (Some people might disagree with me on that point, but after studying Celtic religion, learning about the religion of a culture that actually wrote stuff down leaves a wealth of information by comparison.) I'm not saying that recon is the way to go for everyone, but knowing where the religion comes from and why it's practices were valid to its people are vital to creating viable religion that is meaningful to our own time.

Another important thing for our priesthood is to have a presence in Kemetic and Pagan communities. I don't mean to say that everyone who is a priest needs to constantly be available to give counsel and teach. That may be a focus for some people, and is an invaluable service, but for many, it would be enough to simply maintain a blog or peruse various Kemetic groups online or off. The knowledge and experience that priests gain is invaluable (especially considering the misconceptions that can be found), and needs to be shared with other Kemetics to ensure a richer, healthier religion and community. It also provides opportunities to be recognized by someone who may be looking for Kemeticism, and the chance to share any information they may need. And of course, there's the fact that getting out there and being seen ensures that we are understood by the Pagan community at large.

And then there's devotion, which in my opinion, is the most important part. The word for priest was hem-netjer, meaning "servant of god." The gods of Kemet were central to its religious practice, and this should be mirrored in the religion today. As I mentioned before, I doubt that the rituals could be practiced daily in the manner that they once were, given the state of modern Kemeticism. Many of us have jobs and family, or any number of other obligations, and I don't think any temples will be able to support full-time priesthood any time soon. But regular devotions can easily be practiced on a smaller scale, and should be done so by anyone wanting to call themselves a priest. Priesthood was about serving the gods, and that theme from antiquity remains as relevant today as it was then.