As February comes to a close, I will soon dismantle my working altar dedicated to the goddess Themis, the Greek Titan of divine order, the assembly, and the oracular power of the Earth. This article briefly looks at how I apply my devotion to Themis in various areas of my life.
My devotional practice dedicated to Themis is simple. She has a permanent shrine on a shelf of my bookcase, and it holds her images, candles, and various tools. Every February, I move Themis to my main working altar, and she becomes the centre of my morning practice. During this month, I aim to expand my knowledge and deepen my understanding of her, as well as of subjects I connect with her, such as ancient Greece, divination, and justice. I look for ways to apply what I’ve learned throughout the year.
Themis as Justice
Themis is popular in the form of Lady Justice. The image of her standing blindfolded and holding scales and a sword adorns many desks of lawyers and judges, and she stands outside many courthouses. Maryland attorney Michael Allan Dean has an impressive collection of links to images of Themis worldwide. Themis wasn’t blindfolded initially; she was more than an allegorical personification of a social function or philosophical concept. She was a living, divine force.
In antiquity, Themis’s concern was not with the judicial system as we think of it today. In the Oresteia by Aeschylus, we learn that Athena established the first trial with 12 Athenian citizens; Athena cast the deciding vote when the votes were tied. The trial of Orestes ends a cycle of murder and revenge, representing the evolution of justice. “Justice” is a procedure for peacefully resolving disputes in which public negotiation replaces physical conflict (between people, at least). Further, the goddess associated with human law and legal pronouncements was Dike, a daughter of Themis and Zeus.
Themis refers to divine law. She taught humans the rules of conduct established by the gods. She instructed us in assembly, hospitality, justice, good governance, and piety. Themis communicated this through her oracles.
My modern approach to Themis embraces her as a goddess of divine order. I struggle to view her as a symbol of legal justice because she seems to be appropriated and misused–blindfolded–to represent legal systems that can be anything but just. What is justice? Who defines it? How do we determine what people deserve? How do we determine what someone is due? When should we override the principles of justice? Still, I think of Themis as the virtue of justice and dedicate my actions towards a more just, fair, and equitable society to her. When I sign a petition, attend a socio-political demonstration, or even vote, I do so in the spirit of Themis. Although she is not Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, I also keep a figure of the Statue of Liberty on her shrine.
Themis, the oracular goddess
Themis is also an oracular goddess connected to Delphi, Olympia, and Dodona. She inherits her oracular nature from her mother, Gaia. However, placing the goddess of divine order at these important oracle sites of Apollo and Zeus guarantees their truth and infallibility. To Themis, I dedicate all my divinatory, oracular, and dream work and the journey to know myself, as was inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. I pray to her for vision, understanding, and purification around this work.
Themis Agoraea
Finally, Themis is the goddess of assembly and civic community. In Thessaly, she was worshipped with the epithet ‘Agoraea’. This epithet refers to the agora, the central public space in ancient Greek city-states, the centres of business, social, artistic, and political life. This function speaks to her role as the goddess of divine order. I apply this by dedicating my hospitality to Themis. When I welcome people to my home, it is in the spirit of Themis.
Although Themis is on my main altar one month out of the year, I have a permanent shrine for her. Her roles as an oracular goddess of divine law and of the assembly inspire actions throughout the year.
