Deity Profile: Phanes

As we develop a better sense of deities over time, we want to share our findings and encourage others to share their experiences as well. Though some of this information is taken from text sources in ancient Greece, much of it comes from my direct experiences with Phanes. If you have had different knowledge arise from your work with Phanes, please share in the comments!

Pantheon: Greek

Pronouns: He/His/Him or Ze/Zir/Zim or They/Their/Them

Original Text: Orphic Hymn to Phanes

Witches of Transgression— With Water We Heal

AN INVITATION TO THE WITCHES OF THE WORLD - PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

2018 Witches of Transgression Working:

With Water We Heal

The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe is a Mystery Tradition within CAYA Pagan Congregation devoted to exploring and honoring sacred mxgender Mysteries. Our Priestxes embody the experience of identity beyond the gender binary, and celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is Powerful, Delightful, Enthusiastic, Playful, Transformative, Magickal, Compassionate, and Reverent. We invite people of all genders or none, but especially mxgender and non-binary people, to join us in doing a public, world-wide working to bring a better world into being. By performing this ritual in our own spaces all over the world each Full Moon, we grid the Earth with the energy of the Divine, toward a shared vision of intentional change.

I want to participate. What should I do?

To Phanes

[video shows a white button down top and a necklace with a crystal heart]

Invocation for Sovereign Phanes

"Great Winged One
Protogonos, come
We follow thee from dark to light
O scepter bearing Father of Night
Sovereign Phanes, come."

- Written by Rainbow Melissa ra Karit

Body Temple/Body Dysphoria

Content Notes: Includes brief mentions of messed up relationships with food and lots of discussion of body dysphoria, particularly that which is based on gender. Please take care if this content would be triggering for you.

###

I decided early that the social messages we receive about our bodies are bullshit. At eleven, I was furious at the world that sent my best friend on a series of diets urged on by her mother. At thirteen, I was heartsick watching another friend disappear, shrinking down between nibbling at the cracker she insisted would be her entire lunch. At fourteen, I declared fiercely that bodies- my body, my friends' bodies, the bodies of everyone, everywhere- were sacred.

Born In The Fire: Witches of Transgression Full Moon Working

BORN IN THE FIRE

 

The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe is a Circle within the CAYA Pagan Congregation devoted to exploring and honoring sacred mxgender Mysteries. Our Priestxes embody the experience of identity beyond the gender binary, and celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is Powerful, Delightful, Enthusiastic, Playful, Transformative, Magickal, Compassionate, and Reverent. We invite people of all genders or none, but especially mxgender and non-binary people, to join us in our first year of doing a public, world-wide working to bring a better world into being. By performing this ritual in our own spaces all over the world each Full Moon, we grid the Earth with the energy of the Divine, toward a shared vision of intentional change.

I want to participate. What should I do?

If you would like to join us in this effort, please:

1. Share this working and its intent with other people you know, or in your own social media, using the hashtag #witchesoftransgression
2. Follow our blog.
3. Perform the following ritual at your own altar each Full Moon between now and December 3, 2017. We begin Jan. 12, 2017, but join us whenever you wish.

THE RITUAL WORKING: EVERY FULL MOON

You will need:

• a red seven day candle
• a copy of our ideals

The Working:

• Light your candle. If you are not able to get or use a candle safely, please feel free to instead watch this video: https://youtu.be/IrR2u4_8LLg
• Gaze into the fire, feel the strength of your own inner flame burning inside you. Envision your inner flame manifesting in the world. Contemplate our ideals and the ways you embody them and act upon them. Do not dwell on the fears and pains of the past. Instead, know that the world we wish to create is already coming into being. When you feel ready, recite the Witches of Transgression prayer.

I whirl at the edge of the universe

Like my Ancxters before me

I am a breaker of chains

My love is unstoppable

Holding the Now to my heart

Embodying the future unfolding

There is nothing to fear

I am a Witch of Transgression

On the last full moon of the year, on Dec. 3, 2017, if you are somewhere it is safe to do so, burn a candle all night.  

We welcome binary-identified people to lend us energetic support in this ongoing project, and we thank you for your alliance. We invite you to embody and exemplify our ideals, as we also are doing. You may also wish to join our sisters in the Mothers of the New Time prayer, our brothers in the Fathers of Change prayer on the dark moon, and families in the Children of Promise working.

Our ideals

• Honor for elders, respect for their survival strategies, attention to their stories and the complexities of their lived experiences, continual respect for their choices including correct gendering throughout end-of-life care and into death.
• Communities connected by love and solidarity that center and amplify the the needs and voices of those who have been oppressed, bringing healing and justice
• A world that creates and maintains spaces of creativity, playfulness, and innovation.
• Alternatives to the prison industrial complex that better serve the needs of those who have been oppressed
• Equitable, accurate and accessible information and education which recognizes the intersectionality of sex, sexuality, gender identity and gender expression
• The establishment of public policies and laws which recognize and support the equal rights of all people, regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, and any other aspects of being and identity.
• Reclamation of the natural and sacred roles of mxgender people in their communities and cultures; reclamation of repressed histories, stigmatized words and expressions; recognition that gender diversity is a sign of a healthy and holistic culture and restoration of that vitality to our living communities and societies by co-creating cultures of hospitality and freedom of being and expression.
• Respect for the self-determined identities of all people; accurate use of the names, gender identities, titles, and pronouns an individual claims, whether they are new or established; acknowledgement that an individual's identity may change over time or society's understanding of their identity may change; easy correction of medical or legal forms that do not reflect an individual's current identity.
• Accessible and appropriate medical care for all people, especially vulnerable populations such as the homeless and incarcerated; medical professionals knowledgeable about the particular health issues of trans, mxgender, and intersex people; medical forms that allow a person to indicate their sex, gender, and pronouns, and allow for these to change over time; an end to restrictive requirements for changing gender or sex.
• Honor for children; an end to unnecessary medical intervention in the bodies of intersex infants and youth; respect for the clothing, toy, activity, friendship and other preferences of children without regard to gender norms; an end to gender assignment before an individual is able to inform others of their identity; resistance to the systematic oppression that threatens children who in some way transgress gender
• Honor for our trancestors and ancsxtors; respect for the various ways their identities have been expressed over the millennia; honor for the unique cultural and spiritual roles they played; honor for individuals that played important roles; acknowledgement of the hardships they faced; reverence for our named and unnamed transcestors and ansxtors.
• Feel free to add any of your own ideals here.

These are the ideals of the Witches of Transgression

We are all forms of identity intersection in body, mind and spirit

We resist, refuse and reject unkind, unnecessary, and unnatural attempts to control or conform our inherent sense of selfhood

From the gleams in the eyes of the parents to the legends after we die, we call for an openness and loving curiosity about gender, sex, ability, spirituality, and all aspects of unique, individual selfhood

Respect the unknown without labeling it and honor that which has been self-identified.

SO MOTE IT BE!

Witches of Transgression Full Moon Magick

AN INVITATION TO THE WITCHES OF THE WORLD - PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

2017 Witches of Transgression Working:

BORN IN THE FIRE

The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe is a Circle within the CAYA Pagan Congregation devoted to exploring and honoring sacred mxgender Mysteries. Our Priestxes embody the experience of identity beyond the gender binary, and celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is Powerful, Delightful, Enthusiastic, Playful, Transformative, Magickal, Compassionate, and Reverent. We invite people of all genders or none, but especially mxgender and non-binary people, to join us in our first year of doing a public, world-wide working to bring a better world into being. By performing this ritual in our own spaces all over the world each Full Moon, we grid the Earth with the energy of the Divine, toward a shared vision of intentional change.

I want to participate. What should I do?

If you would like to join us in this effort, please:

1. Share this working and its intent with other people you know, or in your own social media, using the hashtag #witchesoftransgression
2. Follow our blog.
3. Perform the following ritual at your own altar each Full Moon between now and December 3, 2017. We begin Jan. 12, 2017, but join us whenever you wish.

THE RITUAL WORKING: EVERY FULL MOON

You will need:

• a red seven day candle
• a copy of our ideals

The Working:

• Light your candle. If you are not able to get or use a candle safely, please feel free to instead watch this video: https://youtu.be/IrR2u4_8LLg
• Gaze into the fire, feel the strength of your own inner flame burning inside you. Envision your inner flame manifesting in the world. Contemplate our ideals and the ways you embody them and act upon them. Do not dwell on the fears and pains of the past. Instead, know that the world we wish to create is already coming into being. When you feel ready, recite the Witches of Transgression prayer.

I whirl at the edge of the universe

Like my Ancxters before me

I am a breaker of chains

My love is unstoppable

Holding the Now to my heart

Embodying the future unfolding

There is nothing to fear

I am a Witch of Transgression

On the last full moon of the year, on Dec. 3, 2017, if you are somewhere it is safe to do so, burn a candle all night.  

We welcome binary-identified people to lend us energetic support in this ongoing project, and we thank you for your alliance. We invite you to embody and exemplify our ideals, as we also are doing. You may also wish to join our sisters in the Mothers of the New Time prayer, our brothers in the Fathers of Change prayer on the dark moon, and families in the Children of Promise working.

Our ideals

• Honor for elders, respect for their survival strategies, attention to their stories and the complexities of their lived experiences, continual respect for their choices including correct gendering throughout end-of-life care and into death.
• Communities connected by love and solidarity that center and amplify the the needs and voices of those who have been oppressed, bringing healing and justice
• A world that creates and maintains spaces of creativity, playfulness, and innovation.
• Alternatives to the prison industrial complex that better serve the needs of those who have been oppressed
• Equitable, accurate and accessible information and education which recognizes the intersectionality of sex, sexuality, gender identity and gender expression
• The establishment of public policies and laws which recognize and support the equal rights of all people, regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, and any other aspects of being and identity.
• Reclamation of the natural and sacred roles of mxgender people in their communities and cultures; reclamation of repressed histories, stigmatized words and expressions; recognition that gender diversity is a sign of a healthy and holistic culture and restoration of that vitality to our living communities and societies by co-creating cultures of hospitality and freedom of being and expression.
• Respect for the self-determined identities of all people; accurate use of the names, gender identities, titles, and pronouns an individual claims, whether they are new or established; acknowledgement that an individual's identity may change over time or society's understanding of their identity may change; easy correction of medical or legal forms that do not reflect an individual's current identity.
• Accessible and appropriate medical care for all people, especially vulnerable populations such as the homeless and incarcerated; medical professionals knowledgeable about the particular health issues of trans, mxgender, and intersex people; medical forms that allow a person to indicate their sex, gender, and pronouns, and allow for these to change over time; an end to restrictive requirements for changing gender or sex.
• Honor for children; an end to unnecessary medical intervention in the bodies of intersex infants and youth; respect for the clothing, toy, activity, friendship and other preferences of children without regard to gender norms; an end to gender assignment before an individual is able to inform others of their identity; resistance to the systematic oppression that threatens children who in some way transgress gender
• Honor for our trancestors and ancsxtors; respect for the various ways their identities have been expressed over the millennia; honor for the unique cultural and spiritual roles they played; honor for individuals that played important roles; acknowledgement of the hardships they faced; reverence for our named and unnamed transcestors and ansxtors.
• Feel free to add any of your own ideals here.

These are the ideals of the Witches of Transgression

We are all forms of identity intersection in body, mind and spirit

We resist, refuse and reject unkind, unnecessary, and unnatural attempts to control or conform our inherent sense of selfhood

From the gleams in the eyes of the parents to the legends after we die, we call for an openness and loving curiosity about gender, sex, ability, spirituality, and all aspects of unique, individual selfhood

Respect the unknown without labeling it and honor that which has been self-identified.

SO MOTE IT BE!

Midsummer growth and gratitude

I have lots of room for growth.

This is a mantra I have been working with recently. It fits so well with being in an ally role, which is what I am as a Rainbow Sparkle, in my service through the mxgender circles CAYA offers (Rainbow Moon Circles and Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe sabbats). I am a cis woman, and am navigating my way in serving the non-binary pagan community in a respectful and supportive way.

One key for me is grooving out to the harmony part in the song the Priestxs co-create for each public ritual I help offer (metaphorically speaking). Not needing to be in the spotlight to know that I’m doing essential and valued work. Really relishing being a pillar of support. I think of my harmony part as similar to when I was Second Alto in a college choir: I never had the melody, but always had these rich tones to carry that added to the complexity and beauty of the music. Plus I got to listen to the melody without being engaged in creating it myself, which let me revel in hearing that part (metaphorically: receiving that wisdom). Many people are forced into the position of second (or fifth!) fiddle, so I know choosing it actively is a privilege. And I am SO grateful to have that choice, and to learn about the community I serve, and about myself, by singing harmony.

Because one thing I have learned so far: I have lots of room for growth.

I think of myself as socially liberal, as knowledgeable about and respectful of individuals’ chosen identities, as kind and curious. And I am those things. But that doesn’t mean I already know all the gender identities that exist (partly because there are an infinite number!), or that I didn’t learn a few new things about myself by reading The Gender Book (by Mel Reiff Hill and Jay Mays, and Co.) (and also, it’s gorgeously done, if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet!). And it didn’t mean I already understood the three-axis distinction between sex and gender and sexuality until after I’d completed a BA in Sociology. And it certainly doesn’t mean I know anything about a person’s gender identity until I ask, or have been informed!

So maybe particularly if you’re cis-gendered (or know an ally who is!), and not used to thinking about gender variance in all its rainbow glory, consider whether you know your 3D identity (or maybe it’s 5D?!?) as accurately, at least in the moment, as I’ve come to know my own:

Sex (based on anatomy/physical traits): female

Gender (based on personal perception/experience): woman

Sexuality (based on who I find attractive): pansexual

There are so many intersecting aspects of identity that you might easily be a hyperspatial, multidimensional being! But at least for me, it’s been enough of a learning curve just to get those three accurate. ;)

And still: I have lots [more] room for growth.

Blessed Midsummer!

And blessed be your journey of self-discovery!

- Shell

---

Witches of Transgression 2017 Full Moon Work

AN INVITATION TO THE WITCHES OF THE WORLD - PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

2017 Witches of Transgression Working:

 

BORN IN THE FIRE

The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe is a Circle within the CAYA Pagan Congregation devoted to exploring and honoring sacred mxgender Mysteries. Our Priestxes embody the experience of identity beyond the gender binary, and celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is Powerful, Delightful, Enthusiastic, Playful, Transformative, Magickal, Compassionate, and Reverent. We invite people of all genders or none, but especially mxgender and non-binary people, to join us in our first year of doing a public, world-wide working to bring a better world into being. By performing this ritual in our own spaces all over the world each Full Moon, we grid the Earth with the energy of the Divine, toward a shared vision of intentional change.

I want to participate. What should I do?

Charge of the Rainbow Goddessx

Charge of the Rainbow Goddessx

(written by Rainbow Melissa ra Karit & the RMC Loving Moon committee)

Here ye the words of the Rainbow Goddessx,

The arc of whose beauty enraptures the soul

Whose light brings hope to all

I am the red of first blood

And the yellow-orange of the rising sun

And the blue-green of the ocean’s magnificence

And the purple of a field of wildflowers

Call unto your soul, arise and come unto Me

For I am the path to your heart’s content
That lays bare where you travel

From Me seek your life’s fortunes

And unto Me bear your dearest truths

Before My presence, beloved of all

Let your divine innermost self

Be filled with infinite possibility

Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices

For behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals

Therefore let there be power and delight, enthusiasm and playfulness, transformation and magick, compassion and reverence within you

And those of you who seek to know Me, know this:

That all of your seeking and yearning shall avail you not

Unless you know what dwells within your heart

For if that which you seek is not already there, then you shall never find it

For behold, I have been with you from the beginning and I am with you always in the eternal Now

Witches of Transgression Full Moon Working

AN INVITATION TO THE WITCHES OF THE WORLD - PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

2017 Witches of Transgression Working:

BORN IN THE FIRE

The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe is a Mystery Tradition within CAYA Pagan Congregation devoted to exploring and honoring sacred mxgender Mysteries. Our Priestxes embody the experience of identity beyond the gender binary, and celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is Powerful, Delightful, Enthusiastic, Playful, Transformative, Magickal, Compassionate, and Reverent. We invite people of all genders or none, but especially mxgender and non-binary people, to join us in our first year of doing a public, world-wide working to bring a better world into being. By performing this ritual in our own spaces all over the world each Full Moon, we grid the Earth with the energy of the Divine, toward a shared vision of intentional change.

I want to participate. What should I do?

If you would like to join us in this effort, please:

1. Share this working and its intent with other people you know, or in your own social media, using the hashtag #witchesoftransgression
2. Follow our blog.
3. Perform the following ritual at your own altar each Full Moon between now and December 3, 2017. We begin Jan. 12, 2017, but join us whenever you wish.

THE RITUAL WORKING: EVERY FULL MOON

You will need:

• a red seven day candle
• a copy of our ideals

The Working:

• Light your candle. If you are not able to get or use a candle safely, simply use whatever is available and appropriate for you and dedicate it to this intention. You may also feel free to instead watch this video: https://youtu.be/IrR2u4_8LLg Gaze into the fire, feel the strength of your own inner flame burning inside you. Envision your inner flame manifesting in the world. Contemplate our ideals and the ways you embody them and act upon them. Do not dwell on the fears and pains of the past. Instead, know that the world we wish to create is already coming into being. When you feel ready, recite the Witches of Transgression prayer.

I whirl at the edge of the universe

Like my Ancxters before me

I am a breaker of chains

My love is unstoppable

Holding the Now to my heart

Embodying the future unfolding

There is nothing to fear

I am a Witch of Transgression

On the last full moon of the year, on Dec. 3, 2017, if you are somewhere it is safe to do so, burn a candle all night.  

The Community

Witches of Transgression is open to all mxgender and non-binary people, people questioning their gender identity, and those who question the authority of the gender binary.

You may also wish to join our sisters in the Mothers of the New Time prayer, our brothers in the Fathers of Change prayer on the dark moon, and families in the Children of Promise working.

Our ideals

• Honor for elders, respect for their survival strategies, attention to their stories and the complexities of their lived experiences, continual respect for their choices including correct gendering throughout end-of-life care and into death.
• Communities connected by love and solidarity that center and amplify the the needs and voices of those who have been oppressed, bringing healing and justice
• A world that creates and maintains spaces of creativity, playfulness, and innovation.
• Alternatives to the prison industrial complex that better serve the needs of those who have been oppressed
• Equitable, accurate and accessible information and education which recognizes the intersectionality of sex, sexuality, gender identity and gender expression
• The establishment of public policies and laws which recognize and support the equal rights of all people, regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, and any other aspects of being and identity.
• Reclamation of the natural and sacred roles of mxgender people in their communities and cultures; reclamation of repressed histories, stigmatized words and expressions; recognition that gender diversity is a sign of a healthy and holistic culture and restoration of that vitality to our living communities and societies by co-creating cultures of hospitality and freedom of being and expression.
• Respect for the self-determined identities of all people; accurate use of the names, gender identities, titles, and pronouns an individual claims, whether they are new or established; acknowledgement that an individual's identity may change over time or society's understanding of their identity may change; easy correction of medical or legal forms that do not reflect an individual's current identity.
• Accessible and appropriate medical care for all people, especially vulnerable populations such as the homeless and incarcerated; medical professionals knowledgeable about the particular health issues of trans, mxgender, and intersex people; medical forms that allow a person to indicate their sex, gender, and pronouns, and allow for these to change over time; an end to restrictive requirements for changing gender or sex.
• Honor for children; an end to unnecessary medical intervention in the bodies of intersex infants and youth;r espect for clothing, toys, activities, friendship and other activities of childhood that do not enforce a strict gender system, but allows for safe, respectful exploration and discovery; an end to gender assignment before an individual is able to inform others of their identity; resistance to the systematic oppression that threatens children who in some way transgress gender
• Honor for our transcestors and ancsxtors; respect for the various ways their identities have been expressed over the millennia; honor for the unique cultural and spiritual roles they played; honor for individuals that played important roles; acknowledgement of the hardships they faced; reverence for our named and unnamed transcestors and ancsxtors.
• Feel free to add any of your own ideals here.

These are the ideals of the Witches of Transgression

We are all forms of identity intersection in body, mind and spirit

We resist, refuse and reject unkind, unnecessary, and unnatural attempts to control or conform our inherent sense of selfhood

From the gleams in the eyes of the parents to the legends after we die, we call for an openness and loving curiosity about gender, sex, ability, spirituality, and all aspects of unique, individual selfhood

Respect the unknown without labeling it and honor that which has been self-identified.

SO MOTE IT BE!