According to the myth of Hermaphroditus, this son of Aphrodite and Hermes was loved by the maiden Salmacis, but did not return her love. In an effort to make love to him, she embraced him with such passion that the two became one, and that is how s/he came to have two genders.

It's interesting to note that this myth repeats itself in various cultures. In India, the same is said of the god Ardhanarisvara, which is really an aspect of Siva, and is worshipped by gender variants in India. The Indian hermaphrodite is imagined having half his body with male attributes, and the other half with the breast, jewelry, and body curves of a woman. He is literally a blend of Shiva and Parvati, who became one person in a passionate embrace. However, this "mythic monster", in his Indian manifestation, is sometimes perceived as an unhappy marriage between opposites. I've read that, in Indian imagination at least, the male and female aspects of Ardhanari are still two separate identities, and struggle against each other for control of Ardhanari's body. So, some people imagine Ardhanari, not as a Two Spirit person, but as literally two spirits who possess one body, something like Siamese brothers with one head.

There is also a third hermaphrodite, in the Yoruban pantheon (from what is now Nigeria, in West Africa). His name is Erinle, and in the Americas he's identified with Saint Raphael (Healer of the orishas, or gods), and with Ochosi, the patron of hunters. Lesbians in Cuba revere him/her as their matron. The myth is not very different from the other ones. He was walking by the seashore, and the spirit of Yemayá/ Olokún fell in love with him. Yemaya and Olokún are often identified as one person, but in myth they are sometimes mother and son, the Goddess of motherhood/nurturance and of the seas, where life began, and her son, the mysterious god of the depths of the ocean. So, after making love to the beautiful Erinle, Yemaya noticed that Erinle had gained her wisdom, and was afraid that he would share it with others, which would be dangerous. Therefore, she cut Erinle's tongue and cursed him, so that the only way that he can communicate is through her. Erinle never again had sexual relationships with women. It is believed that Erinle has two aspects. His more masculine aspect (worshipped mostly by lesbians, transgendered persons and "straight-acting or straight-looking gay men") bears one of the names or titles of Yemaya, and his more feminine one bears one of the titles of Erinle. Yemayá in particular is said to be fond and compassionate of gay people, thus displaying the motherly unconditional love inherent in her character. Other orishas also have male and female aspects, but these are male or female aspects to their idiosyncrasy, which doesn't necessarily make them gender-variants.

It would seem, from this sample of hermaphrodites from very separate world cultures, that this archetype is, rather than a balance of opposites, an incarnation of a struggle for power (Ardhanari) or for control over wisdom (as in Yemayá's case), or just a monster. Although these creatures were all created from a passionate embrace, and embody sexual ecstasy and pleasure, and a glimpse of the Complete Self, they became, to the cultures that gave birth to them, monstrous entities that embodied chaos and disorder in the minds of those that did not understand variations in gender identity and the power of this archetype. It seems obvious that these interpretations of these mysterious, awe-full, and numenous deities, were not made by people who had balanced their male with their female qualities. They were made by homophobes, or simply by people who lacked understanding of two-spirit powers and potential.

Today, we know that all human beings carry within them male and female hormones and qualities, and that a perfect, holy, and balanced person is both male and female. S/he has integrity (which not only means authenticity, or the ability to have harmony of thought, word and deed, but also he/she is ONE person, capable of experiencing his/her whole SELF). She/He knows that the human mind is very flexible and has the power to transform him/herself into whomever s/he wants to be, and to stretch and bend his spirit. He/She is a Shape-shifter, much like RuPaul. She can be a majestic manly Queen.


Okay, so you may be asking yourself: so what does this mean FOR ME? I'm a queer man or woman in the 21st century, I do not live among a tribe, I'm not a Navajo or a Lakota or living in India. I may be excited to learn some of the things about intersexed people, but our society does not sponsor a spiritual or ceremonial role similar to Two Spirits in these societies. So what does this all mean to me? How do I incorporate this into my life? How do I empower myself? How do I act on my convictions or beliefs?

All the research that I've done is good, but where to from here? What does this knowledge give you, if you don't use it, if you don't turn it into real personal power? What is the place for Two Spirits in today's world? This question has been brought up to me by some of my readers. The answer is, it is entirely up to YOU, and US, where this will take us.

First of all, knowledge is power. Knowing our history may be enough for some of us. It allows us to realize that we were not always hated and humiliated for being who we are. We were celebrated and honored once, and will be once again. But more than that, ACTION is power. When this knowledge transforms our lives, how we think of ourselves and act, we become the message, and we become role models. We develop pride to heal the internalized homophobia and the hate, and the low self-esteem. We heal. We develop our talents and gifts and own them as opposed to thinking of our sexual orientation or gender identity as a burden or a curse. So it transforms our awareness.

But some of us may want to go further in affirming our Two Spirit identity and awareness. Since the path that each must take is unique, I can only suggest some things, but never suggest that I have THE answer or THE formula, because I don't. Here are some clues, based on what I know from experience:

1. The Inner God: While masculine spirituality focuses on a transcendental Godhead, God the Father in the Heavens, and feminine spirituality focuses on God the Mother on Earth, or immanent Godhead, God the Androgyne incorporates both and focuses on God within. The Great Spirit is both within us and everywhere all around us, it guides us from all places at all times if we only listen. This is the most mature approach to godhead, assuming personal responsibility for our actions and our SELVES. The Perfect, Most Authentic Self is within, and it shines forth within us and through us, if we allow it to express itself, in the way that we talk, dress, and carry ourselves, and in the service that we engage in. It is our responsibility, if we choose a spiritual path, to develop a personal relationship with the inner Godhead, perhaps in the way that is taught by the spiritual tradition that we follow. It is also our responsibility to create the lives that WE want, trusting this guidance. In order to develop a personal relationship with Godhead it's a good idea to have a spiritual path where we find consistency. We may join the Hare Krishnas, a coven or church, or simply pray regularly and fervently within whatever tradition we follow to our chosen deity. Indians have an interesting concept, the 'ishta devata', or chosen deity. This is the deity that we choose to follow and worship because we love and prefer this deity over all others, and have some affinity with it, and our ishta devata protects us and helps us as a response to our devotion. This idea helps provide consistency and develop a meaningful relationship with God. We may also marry a God-husband. Here's what a friend of mine, Sreekishen, has to say about this phenomenon:

"... the cult of the god Kutandavar Aravan, who is worshipped primarily by tranvestite, transgendered and gay people (although several heterosexual people adore the god as well, the fact that the gods lover is a transvestite makes him appealing to gays etc...). Yet the festival of the god, and his marriage to the men attending it, is described as it occurs in two different villages. Niklas's article documents the festival in the remote village of Pillaiyarpukam, while Gariyali describes her experience in the equally remote village of Kuvagam. The people in these villages are quite friendly towards gays and transgendered people, and invite such people from all over India to come and wed their god, Kutandavar, who, as a good husband, will protect his "wives" and see to their welfare ... "

The person who wrote this to me also mentioned a transgendered friend of his who told him that she was now a saddhu (an ascetic or mystic) and married to Lord Krishna whom she served, which is acceptable within the bhakti tradition in India (one may worship God as one's son, parent, guru, or husband). So Native American culture is not the only one where it is accepted for a biological male to worship God as husband.

2. A Service Plan: What impact do you want to have in your society, based on your deepest longing for fulfilment and Self expression? Explore the impact that you'd like to have, the healing that you want to bring to others, reminding yourself that the gifts of a Two Spirit belongs to our community. You may educate, care for the sick from HIV or for the dying, become a priest in whatever religion you follow to counsel and help others, learn shamanic practices or divination systems, become a Social Worker or Counselor and work with a community for which you feel a special compassion. You may choose to lay out your Service Plan in writing, sort of as a map to help you direct yourself. It may be as detailed as you choose it to be, but it does not have to be detailed. It only needs concrete steps so that it does not become a mere abstraction, like 'education', or 'community work'. Something more concrete than this would be "I'll serve by volunteering at such and such organisation", or "I'll become a nurse and work in such hospital where they attend to the needs of HIV patients" ... You may even choose to share your service plan with others in the community.

3. Training: The more private part of our spiritual path consists of the spiritual training that we undergo in order to serve. This may include yoga, magical practices, counseling, formal schooling, learning any of the healing arts, and within each spiritual tradition there are 'sacred roles' that many of us may be drawn to. Divination through the runes (I learned on my own, and the learning never ends here), being a christian priest or a muslim Sufi, learning to use affirmations (here, again, no formal training is required, only a good attitude and a little bit of time), etc. Depending on what our goals are, we may choose to undergo any of the above, or some other form of training.