Danielou rightly makes the point about the awe with which Hindus regard hermaphrodites, and the use of cross-dressing is often used in imitation of this, as in Kathakali theatre. The only transgender surgery available historically was that of the eunoch, all part of the Virgo axis of the Piscean Age that gave us monks and nuns in large numbers. Whereas we wish all shades of the rainbow of sexual orientation well, there can be no gay or surgically modified sexual polarity maithuna in Tantrika, because it rests on the psycho physical polarities of opposite sexes, especially in Northern tradition which has inherited much from Taoism into Chinacara.

----Original Message----
From: [log in to unmask]
Date: 20/02/2014 09:07
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subj: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] transgender and paganism

On 19/02/2014 12:05, Mgr. Kamila VELKOBORSKA Ph.D. wrote:

Perhaps Randy Conner "Blossoms of Bone" and "Encyclopedia of Queer Myth" -

Wendy Doniger OFlaherty for Hindu background perhaps:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Androgynes-Other-Mythical-Beasts/dp/0226618501

Prof Anne Macy Roth for Egyptology -
eg:

Reading the Body: Representations and Remains in the Archaeological Record

should also consider something on hermes / hermeticism - and androgynous nature of many egyptian deities which influences the
Hermetic idea of all-god as being male and female

Alaine Danielou "Shiva and Dionysos"

?
Dear Ethan,

thanks for your prompt reply. I am interested in both pre-Christian beliefs and in contemporary Paganism that is inspired by  the previous.

Nice blog :-)

Thanks a lot,

Kamila


 Středa, 19 Únor, 2014 11:55 CET, Ethan Doyle White <[log in to unmask]> napsal:
Dear Kalima
That's a very interesting subject. To clarify, when you say "paganism", are you referring to pre-Christian and non-Christian religious beliefs (i.e. using the definition provided by York, or Jones and Pennick), or are you instead referring to the contemporary Pagan movement, including contemporary Neo-Shamanism ? That will of course determine how best we can answer you.
Best, Ethan
Ethan
Doyle White MA
http://ethandoylewhite.blogspot.co.uk/


https://independent.academia.edu/EthanDoyleWhite
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 11:52:26 +0100
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] transgender and paganism
To: [log in to unmask]

Dear colleagues,

could you, please, recommend some relevant texts dealing with the problem of transgender and paganism and perhaps shamanism, or even religion in general. I´ve got rich fieldwork data but almost no theoretical background, dealing with gender for the first time.

Thank you very much!

Kamila Velkoborská
University of West Bohemia
Czech Republic
 		 	   		  