Khonsu Temple

As Pride Month arrives, many modern pagans and Kemetics find themselves asking: What place does queerness have among the Netjeru?

The answer is more nuanced than a simple modern label. Ancient Egypt did not categorize sexuality and gender in the same ways we do today. Yet when we look at the myths, symbols, and nature of the gods themselves, we find a divine world that is often fluid, transformative, and resistant to rigid boundaries.

The gods of Kemet regularly transcend the limits that humans experience.

Aset becomes a bird and a woman. Ra becomes Khepri, Ra, and Atum in a single day. Djehuty is both moon and wisdom, both divine speech and divine record. The Netjeru shift forms, merge identities, and embody multiple truths simultaneously.

The divine is not limited by a single shape.

One of the oldest goddesses of Egypt, Neith was described as a creator who existed before the world itself. In some traditions she is said to have brought forth creation without a partner.

She is warrior and mother, creator and protector. Neith reminds us that divine power does not always fit neatly into expected roles.

The story of Aset is one of persistence, magic, and transformation. Through knowledge and determination she changes fate itself.

For many queer practitioners, Aset represents the sacred ability to become fully oneself despite obstacles. Her myths celebrate self-determination, resilience, and the power to reshape one’s destiny.

The moon is never static.

Khonsu appears as child, youth, traveler, healer, and protector. Each month he changes form before our eyes while remaining entirely himself.

For many modern devotees, Khonsu’s cycle can be a reminder that change is not the opposite of authenticity. Growth is part of being alive.

Perhaps the most important Kemetic concept for Pride Month is not a particular deity but Ma’at itself.

Ma’at is truth, balance, rightness, and the proper order of the world.

Living according to Ma’at means living truthfully. It means rejecting falsehood and honoring what is real.

For many queer Kemetics, embracing one’s authentic identity can be understood as an act of Ma’at: choosing truth over concealment.

The ancient Egyptians left us no single doctrine about modern LGBTQ+ identities. What they left instead is a rich spiritual tradition filled with transformation, multiplicity, creativity, and divine complexity.

The Netjeru appear as animals and humans. They are one and many. They change forms. They merge. They reveal hidden names and hidden truths.

The gods themselves remind us that the sacred is often larger than the categories we try to place around it.

This Pride Month, may the Netjeru bless all who seek to live in truth.

May Aset grant courage.

May Djehuty grant wisdom.

May Khonsu light the road ahead.

And may Ma’at guide us toward a world where every soul can stand openly in its truth.

Hail Djehuty, Lord of the Moonlit Word,

Keeper of wisdom by gods long heard.

Under the blue moon’s rare-born light,

You open the gates of hidden sight.

Twice-Great One, whose ibis flies

Between the earth and secret skies,

You measure the stars, the years, the sea,

And write the fates that are to be.

O Scribe Divine, whose thoughts are flame,

No secret lives beyond your name.

By this strange moon of silver hue,

Let ancient knowledge awaken anew.

Lord of Time and sacred art,

Set clear understanding in mind and heart.

As the blue moon crowns the heavens high,

Let wisdom deepen, let falsehood die.

Djehuty, shining, calm, and wise,

Moon of truth in midnight skies,

Guide our tongues and guide our hands

Hail Khonsu, Wanderer of the Sky,

Lord of the rare moon lifted high.

In the blue-lit night your secrets gleam,

Keeper of tides, of fate, of dream.

Silver-crowned traveler, silent and wise,

You walk the pathways between the skies.

Your hidden light bends time’s old stream,

Opening roads unseen, supreme.

O Khonsu Neferhotep, calm and bright,

Guardian who moves through deepest night,

By this strange moon of doubled grace,

Bring blessing, wonder, and sacred space.

Let doors unopened turn their key,

Let bound hearts loosen and wander free.

As the blue moon shines beyond the known,

Guide us through paths not yet shown.

Moon-lord eternal, hear our song,

To your bright course all nights belong.

Rare is your hour, yet clear your sign—

Hail Khonsu the Child, in silver flame,

Young lord of the night, ever new in name.

At Beltane’s fire where life runs free,

You dance through branch and flowering tree.

Moon-born youth with the crescent bright,

You rise in joy on the fertile night.

Your steps awaken the sap and seed,

You bless all growth in field and mead.

Child of Amun, beloved of Mut,

Where you wander, new paths are put.

In laughter soft and shining grace,

You bring good fortune to every place.

As fires are lit and garlands worn,

You walk the world in green reborn.

O Khonsu, guide this turning true—

O Khonsu the Child, bright moon newly born,

Young lord of the night and the silvered horn,

Beloved son of Amun and Mut,

Where you step, all good paths are put.

Child of light with a laughing face,

You bring fresh fortune and gentle grace.

As you grow, let my fortune grow too,

Let all things favor the works I do.

Drive off mischance with your youthful might,

Turn every shadow into light.

Khonsu the Child, so pure and bright,

Hail Aset, Great of Magic, crowned in gold,

Mother of Life, whose power is old.

You breathe on earth and seeds arise,

Green shoots awaken beneath your eyes.

Mistress of Breath, of hidden art,

You stir the pulse in field and heart.

Where you pass, the waters flow,

And tender life begins to grow.

You who restored the broken king,

Now call the buried root to spring.

From silent soil your voice is heard—

Each bud unfolds at your command, each word.

Lady of Wings, whose shade is grace,

You warm the world in your embrace.

With gentle hand and sovereign might,

You turn the dark again to light.

O Aset, Mother, ever true,

All living things return through you.

In spring renewed, your blessings start—

Hail Bastet, Golden, who dances in light,

Daughter of Ra, whose heart is bright.

With soft-step grace through blooming air,

You wake the laughter everywhere.

The fields grow warm beneath your gaze,

The flowers rise in scented praise.

Your gentle paw on earth is laid,

And winter’s shadow starts to fade.

Mistress of Joy, of song and play,

You turn the night to living day.

With sistrum’s sound and bright delight,

You fill the world with shining light.

Soft is your step, yet strong your will,

You guard the home, you calm, you thrill.

In spring renewed, in warmth begun,

You purr beneath the rising sun.

O Bastet fair, with eyes that gleam,

You walk the world in golden dream.

Bring life, bring joy, bring love anew—

Under the red moon that burns in the sky,

I call to Khonsu who walks the night high,

Traveler of shadows, hunter of fear,

Silver-armed guardian, draw ever near.

I call to Sekhmet, the Flame of the Sun,

Lioness raging till evil is done.

Lady of power, whose breath is fire,

Let no dark will cross this circle entire.

Khonsu who hunts through the star-strewn sea,

Drive out all spirits that trouble me.

Sekhmet who drinks the strength of the foe,

Turn back the malice wherever it goes.

By moon made crimson and lion’s roar,

By fang and flame and the lunar shore,

Stand at my side till the night is done—

Khonsu above me, Sekhmet the Sun.

Let shadow break and danger fall,

No harm shall pass this guarded wall.

Blood moon witness, sky and flame—

Hail Hapi, Lord of the flowing tide,

Who comes from the caverns deep and wide.

When you arise, the Two Lands live,

From your full hands all blessings give.

You swell the river, you wake the plain,

You loose the earth from dust and pain.

Grain stands tall where your feet have passed,

Life follows you, rich and vast.

Father of Plenty, gentle and strong,

You bind the land where gods belong.

Come in peace, let your flood be fair,

Hail to you, Sobek, Lord of the Crocodile,

Watcher of waters, patient and vile.

You lie in silence, you judge in stillness,

You know the scent of deceit and ill will.

Devourer of lies, whose jaws are law,

No wicked heart escapes what you saw.

What was sent forth with poisoned intent

Returns to the source by your judgment bent.

O Sobek, Strong One, sharp of tooth,

Turn back all harm, restore the truth.

Let evil circle and find its face,

Let wrong fall back to its proper place.

You who guard Ma’at in fang and scale,

You who make falsehood quake and pale,

Do not strike me, do not delay—

Only consume what came my way.

Sobek the Mighty, whose justice is clean,

Let the innocent stand, let the guilty be seen.

By water and fang, by shadow and sun,

Hail Osiris, Lord beneath the soil,

Green One who waits through death and toil.

You lie as grain in earthen bed,

Not gone, but dreaming among the dead.

At Imbolc’s breath the roots awake,

The sleeping field begins to shake.

From darkened ground your life shall rise,

Fulfilled by time and sacrifice.

O Osiris, seed and spine,

Hail Ra, whose fire is born anew,

Small but strong in morning’s hue.

The sun returns with gentle might,

Lengthening days, recalling light.

You lift your eye from winter’s sleep,

Across the sky your promise keep.

At Imbolc’s dawn your rays are thin,

Yet in that spark the year begins.

O Ra, arise, though still restrained—

Hail Amun, Hidden One beneath the land,

Whose breath moves seed by unseen hand.

In winter’s hush your power waits,

Life held fast behind closed gates.

You are the warmth not yet revealed,

The pulse beneath the frozen field.

At Imbolc’s turn, we feel you near—

First breath of hope, the year made clear.

O Amun, source before all sight,

I am Khonsu, who walks the night,

Silver-limbed, strong in lunar light.

I cross the dark, I know its names—

No terror stands before my flame.

I am Khonsu who binds the unseen,

Who hunts the demon between and between.

Fear that whispers, fear that clings,

You are seen — and cut from things.

I strike the shadow that grips the heart,

I loosen the knot, I tear it apart.

Anxiety, crawler of breath and thought,

You have no place where I have walked.

By my traveling, the night is clear,

By my command, begone, fear.

I am Khonsu, He Who Goes Forth—

The demon falls, the heart stands north.

What was heavy is now released.

What was loud is now deceased.

The night is guarded. The body is whole.

Hold moonstone or selenite(clear quartz also works) close to your heart and let the breath slow.

Let the body soften and the night gather around you.

Say:

Breath grow slow, and body still,

Night grows calm, I bend my will.

Lift your gaze to the sky, or imagine moonlight moving above.

Khonsu, Walker of the Night,

Traveler crowned in silver light,

You who cross where fears are spun,

Come now gently — journey begun.

Name the fear once, quietly or aloud, without feeding it more words.

As the moon moves, so this must wane,

Fear grows thinner, loosens its chain.

Feel cool silver light settle across your chest and shoulders, steady and protective.

Khonsu who drives the dark away,

Bind what troubles me this day.

Unfasten knots around my heart,

Let peace return, let fear depart.

Stand or sit grounded, feet firm on floor or earth.

By crescent thin and moon made whole,

I am guarded — mind and soul.

No shadow clings, no dread draws near,

I stand in calm, I stand in clear.

Hold the crystal once more and let the night finish the work.

The night is walked, the spell is sealed,

My strength restored, my heart is healed.

Khonsu goes where I must be,

I am Amun-Ra, Hidden One who rises,

Whose light opens the day in power.

I go forth at dawn, and luck goes with me;

No door is closed before my face.

I am the breath of favor in the nostrils of men,

I am the right moment, the fitting word.

What I touch prospers, what I seek is found,

For Ra walks before me, Amun stands within me.

Ill chance is driven away,

False paths fall silent.

Today is ordered by Ma’at,

And I move in her balance.

As Ra shines, so I succeed.

As Amun conceals, so I am protected.

This day is good.

Hail to you, Khonsu, He Who Goes Forth,

Strider of heaven from south to north.

Your feet know paths no eye can see,

You walk the dark so I may be free.

Moon-lord who measures the turning sky,

By your steps the days pass by.

You cross the waters, you pass the gate,

You know the hour, you know the fate.

Traveler divine in silver flame,

No road confounds your holy name.

Where night is deep and borders thin,

You go before, you lead me in.

Protector of those who move and roam,

You guard the road and guide us home.

By crescent light and fullness bright,

You chart my way through time and night.

Khonsu the Wanderer, hear my call,

Be my companion, first and last of all.

As you return and rise anew,