I dedicate February to Themis, the Greek goddess of divine order. I devote each month to a different goddess. I spend the month learning about the goddess and deepening my devotion. But when the month ends, I don’t just put her away until next year; I carry her lessons forward. I’ve written about who Themis is, my devotion, and how I connected with her in Delphi and Dodona. This last blog entry on Themis describes how I continue applying her wisdom daily.
Themis is a Titan, a pre-Olympian primordial deity renowned for her role as a divine force embodying the natural order of the cosmos. She is the force that brings and binds people together. She instructed us in assembly, hospitality, justice, good governance, and piety. As an oracular voice of the Earth, she issued directives through the Oracle at Delphi.
To Themis, I dedicate my divinatory, oracular, and dream work, the journey to know myself, my commitment to feminist justice, and creating connections for the benefit of all beings.
Divinatory, oracular, and dream work
I dedicate all my divinatory, oracular, and dream work to Themis. My primary tools–the tarot, dice, cowrie shells, pendulum, and beeswax candles–sit on her shrine, and I made vows to Themis when I visited Delphi last year. I use divination to gain insight, for reflection and self-discovery, decision-making, fortune-telling, and communicating with the spirit world.
I’ve been interested in tarot since I was a teenager. Still, over the last 14 months, while in Via Carmen Pythia, the Sybil Training program at the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple, I’ve developed an oracular way of seeing the world, interpreting messages, for instance, through bird and weather signs.
"Know thyself"
“Know thyself” is one of the best-known Delphic maxims, the moral precepts inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. I dedicate my journey of self-discovery to Themis (and Aphrodite). This means regularly engaging in introspection, analysing experiences to discern patterns and gain insights into my strengths and areas for development, and embracing successes and setbacks as opportunities for growth and self-discovery. I journal, debrief with close friends, and seek professional support when needed. By actively seeking to understand myself, I honour the ancient wisdom associated with the Oracle at Delphi and cultivate my ability to live in harmony with the principles of justice, balance, and cosmic order.
Feminist justice
Themis’s name means “to put”. As the daughter of Gaia, her order is rooted in the rhythms of Earth herself. From tribal customs to the development of the polis (city), Themis taught humans the rules of conduct established by the gods. In this role, her image survives in many courthouses and universities, on state seals, on currency, on the desks of lawyers and most tarot decks as Lady Justice. Although I like seeing her, it’s problematic. Themis is a pre-Olympian Titan, the Oracle at Delphi before Apollo claimed it. She is not a symbol of patriarchal justice.
Lady Justice is said to be blindfolded (a 16th-century addition) to represent the impartiality and objectivity of the law, which is not affected by sex and gender, race, wealth, politics, and so forth. However, countless studies show that these factors affect legal outcomes. The blindfold reflects how patriarchal justice ignores our differentiated positions in society.
My year-round devotion to Themis includes educating myself on social issues and supporting organisations and initiatives championing human rights, equality, and justice. February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada, so I learn more about Black history and anti-racism. This year, I’ve also been absorbed (read: overwhelmed) by the crisis of violence against Indigenous women, the ongoing battle for reproductive freedom in the U.S., and how women and children bear the heaviest burdens of men’s wars.
Back in my little corner of the world, I aim to foster an inclusive environment in my social, magickal, and professional circles and respect the inherent dignity of others, which is really hard sometimes. I also work on my communication and conflict-resolution skills, which are also very hard for a fiery, straight-talking Sadge.
Connections
Themis was the spirit of the agora, the assembly, who taught humans the virtue of hospitality, the divinely ordained moral obligation expressed through generosity and reciprocity. Hospitality has been an easy application of Themis’s teachings. My husband and I enjoy welcoming people into our home, and he works hard to make our house warm and inviting. And I enjoy bringing people together. I realised recently that this is one of my superpowers. You’re looking for a coven? I know a few. You’re looking for a stellar astrologer? I’ve got the one for you. You’re looking for a Lukumi mentor? I know someone. You’re looking for a Feri teacher? I know someone. You want to have an Akashic Records reading? I know someone. Let’s have coffee.
I will dismantle my main altar to Themis next week, return her image and devotional items to her smaller shrine elsewhere in my room, and rebuild my altar in honour of the goddess Kali, to whom I dedicate the month of March. But this doesn’t mean I’m putting Themis and the work she inspires away or aside. She is a guiding light inspiring my divination practices, journey to self-knowledge, social justice activities, and hospitality.
