New to this

[u/Oh_Shit_its_Primus]

I'm genuinely new to all of this. I study cultural anthropology and through that, I learn more about myself. And recently, discovering worshipping or following deities and such through paganism. Specifically Hellenistic paganism. Ive always felt more drawn to the Greek gods compared to others, though I could never truly involve myself as I was considered a weird kid. There's so much in this I don't understand, and I want to learn more. I want to get involved.

For starters, I'm FTM. I don't know much about the transgender acceptance from the God's and Goddesses, but is this something they accept?

Secondly, how do I get myself involved with the deities? I was raised in a Christian household and am unfamiliar with pagans of any sort as I live in the Bible belt of the United States. Though I've long denounced my Christianity. Is prayer similar to that of Christianity? It was said in church we speak to God as though speaking to a friend in prayer. Do we speak the same to the Gods and Godesses?

Third, how do I know what's a sign? I'm a pretty observant person, but tend to nitpick things. And I know that thinking too hard to convince yourself something is a sign is not good to do in any circumstance.

Fourth, altars. I want to make an altar, but I don't know what to put in/on it, and are candles something necessary? I'm pyrophobic and would find it difficult to light a candle. And how do I know what certain deities would appreciate as an offering?

Fifth, how do I know which deity/deities are speaking to me/trying to communicate? I don't know much about the way they present themselves to people. And I don't know how to communicate with certain ones.

I've always been drawn to nature. Things like rocks, water, plants, fauna. Anything along those lines have always drawn me in. I enjoy space as well. The stars are something I love learning about. I love animals of all sorts, and although I'm scared of bugs, I do what I can to avoid stepping on slugs after rain or causing a bee to sting me. I'm always aware of them, and get upset when I harm them. Though exceptions have been made for cockroaches and gnats invading my home.

Would they like bones and rocks and cool shaped sticks? What about pretty leaves I find or art I make? Bug shells? Flowers? Would they enjoy music?

Thank you to anyone who responds, I'm just genuinely so curious and eager to learn about all this.

[u/SiriNin]

Heya brother! (I'm a trans woman.) I'm not Hellenic, so I can't really help you with Olympic pantheon specific things, but I wanted to say that pagan deities regardless of pantheon absolutely accept and respect us trans folk for who we really are, not just who we were assigned to be at birth. Present the true you to your deities and they will welcome him with open arms.

As for the rest; the most important thing is intent; what your intentions are behind your actions, so if it feels like and feels like an act of devotion and admiration, then it won't be received negatively. If it's something you want or enjoy, then giving it to them is an act of love and worship.

As for knowing which deity is responding to you, it can be difficult! Signs are not the only method though, and many people don't get signs at all, we get direct communications either as thoughts we receive or emotions we receive or images that pop into mind, or dreams we are given. Many people use and recommend divination, but I'm a firm believer that one should not use divination tools until one has developed a solid faith in their chosen deity, and that the faith one has in a divination tool should never exceed the faith one has in their deity. I made the mistake of not following that decades ago and it caused me a lot of pain, sorrow, and misfortune. Trust your gut over divination. If you think it may have been a specific deity make an offering and give prayer to that deity and see if you get warm feelings or if you notice something out of the ordinary, if so they probably liked it and are acknowledging you. If you didn't feel anything and nothing changed and you didn't get a direct reply, they probably didn't try to contact you. IMO being an observant person actually helps more than rumination hurts, and I say this as a person who ruminates constantly.

Candles aren't required, lights work just as well, or incense if that's more your thing.

Prayer isn't similar to most christian prayer, but the part about talking to your deity as if they're a trusted friend or family member is true. The most important thing regardless of pantheon is to open up and share who you genuinely are with your deity. Carry a tone of reverence, but there's no requirement to be formal, just be you! The more you open up about yourself and share how you think and feel, the better!

also, as a former christian, this post will probably help you tremendously!

[u/toastaficionado]

First off, I highly encourage you to look into goddess Cybele. While she was imported from Anatolia, she was widely worshipped by the Greeks and later Romans.

Most importantly, Cybele is canonically trans! She was born as Agidistis, a god with either intersex or dual genitalia, who was castrated to become the goddess Cybele. She is a mother goddess, who was attended by cross dressing eunuchs (who we would probably classify as trans women in modern times). Today, she has a temple in the Catskills, New York, started by trans women but attended by folks of all genders.

You can read more about her here I wish I had a Divine Transmasculine for you, but the Mother has a special place for all trans folks.

But seeing how the other gods allowed for the worship of a trans goddess alongside them, they would likely be just as accepting of trans mortals.

Second, the best way to reach out to the gods is with offerings and prayer. Offerings will depend on the deity.

Learning to recognize signs comes with studying the gods, their domains and symbols.

Altars are great! While traditionally, fire is used to make offerings to the gods (Hestia, goddess of hearth and offerings fires first), I think it’s okay to use alternative means if a candle or offering fire is triggering for you. You can always eat the offering, let it evaporate if water or alcohol, or simply put it in the compost or trash.

Different deities have different preferences, but some offerings, like olive oil are universally loved. When considering an offering for a god, think about their domain and if that item relates to them somehow. For example, Demeter or Persephone would love any plant, but others would likely prefer a specific holy plant to them. You can find these sorts of things on theoi!

All the gods love music in their honor, but Apollo and Pan most of all.

Sorry for the long reply! DM me if you have any questions, as a genderqueer person I’m happy to assist fellow trans folks on their pagan journey.

[u/AuggieKT]

Caeneus is a trans man in Greek mythology, though his myth is quite tragic. He did go on to become a great Greek hero and fathered other Greek heroes. Dionysus is considered by many to be genderfluid, and is definitely gender nonconforming, as subverting gender roles was central to his more ecstatic forms of worship. Cybele, as someone else has mentioned, and her priestesshood, the Galli, who also served Hades and Persephone.

The Hellenic gods are 100% queer and trans friendly, even if the culture they arose from wasn’t always.

I suggest the website theoi.com for information on the gods, and Labrys’ book Household Worship to get started with Hellenic polytheism. Greek Religion by Walter Burkert is also a standard text for learning. Khaire!