Dionysos Arsenothelys

Dionysos Arsenothelys (Man-womanly)

I direct you to Sannion’s blog about the “queerness” of the god for a marvelous discussion on this aspect of Dionysos , including his unconventional relationships with men and women and his mercurial personas (both feminine and masculine and in-between).  I particularly like his conclusion that Dionysos shows us that our gender, and especially gender-roles, are simply masks.

From a very young age I have been drawn to men who were feminine or androgynous. Particularly men who are obviously male/have masculine qualities, yet who also have a feminine grace, style and/or prettiness.  I suppose I just see a hell of a lot more strength in a man who can wear makeup than a man who has a lot of muscle.  It’s more complex than that, but I’ll just say, It’s one of the many things that I can point to and say, no wonder I love Dionysos.

I think it’s significant to consider, too, that shamans in many cultures have some aspect of androgyny or gender-bending.

Tarot Card drawn:  The Knight of Cups

Seems appropriate!  Combines the passion and energy of the knight with the sensitivity and creativity of the cups.  

There’s a wide range of different definitions one can find for this card, all basically focused on what constitutes and what it means to be a person who is “emotionally intense”. Usually it’s read as a weakness or a liability. Some will say he’s too passive, a non-commited lover, others say too self-absorbed or too intense, another says he’s obviously an “emo” teenager prone to depression and substance abuse.  But I disagree that being an emotional person automatically means being a weak person.  True, the knights are by definition not as stable or established as the King or Queen, but is there not some power also in being mercurial, being able to shift from one moment to the next?  (Note the winged helmet in the Rider-Waite card.)  In being passionate, in having a cause?  You hear the archetype of the person who “loves too much”, but is there such a thing?   In Rachel Pollack’s 78 Degrees of Wisdom, she paints a pretty harsh picture of this knight, but ends by pointing out his similarity to the Death card, indicating that if his energy is properly directed he can be a very transformative figure.