To the Jackal's Gate [January 2006]

Anpu, called Yinepu-Wepwawet, called Anubis by the Greeks. He who is named Guardian, Challenger, Guide of the Dead. Jackal who places the heart on the Scales of Ma'at; Divine Child, Opener of the Ways...

When I started out in paganism, I knew that a lot of people had a patron god or goddess or both. Without questioning the why and how and who of it all, or where the idea of patrons came from, or the validity of it, I accepted the idea and decided I ought to figure out who my patron was. My more experienced friends (dedicated to such pleasant deities as Kali and the Morrigan) warned me, said I'd know if I belonged with someone specific. They said such things as "Trust us. Belonging to a specific deity is not all it's cracked up to be. It's a lot more trials and a lot more work." They said, "Don't go looking unless you have to."

I didn't listen. I wanted to have a patron; that was normal procedure, right? I was excited about this new path, I was eager and serious, I wanted to immerse myself and do things right. I'd longed for so long to be close to God as a Christian; I'd wanted so badly to believe and be, but the closeness and faith I'd had as a kid remained always out of reach. Now I'd found something I could believe in and immerse in and feel, and I wanted more.

So I looked, kept myself open for signals and possibilities. I thought at one point I was Heimdall's, but learned better; I thought then that I was Sekhmet's, which led me into a flurry of research about kemetic reconstruction and Egyptian belief.

It fit. Kemetism fit me and my beliefs like nothing else I'd encountered. After a while, I came to realize that Sekhmet had served only to point me to kemetic paganism, that I'd just jumped to conclusions again. Embarassed once more by my hasty thinking, I finally heeded my friends' advice and stopped looking for "my patron". Instead, I focused on learning about kemetic beliefs and practices; I concentrated on my own personal growth, on fundamentals.

It wasn't until August that the subject of personal deities came up again with a vengeance, and not of my own accord. I tried avoiding it, but any time the subject rose, I felt a restlessness in my stomach that refused to leave. I finally gave in and set about to researching deities of various pantheons, determined not to jump to conclusions in any way this time.

The research dragged on for a month and more. I refused to make any hasty decisions - or any decisions, for that matter. I felt prodded and pushed, a sense of impatience from someone or some ones. My excuses of "I need to do more research!" weren't holding up. I finally buckled down and started narrowing down my list of possibilities.

When I got to Anpu, it was like a shockwave of recognition as I read information on the Jackal and the experiences various individuals had with him. I described my reaction in my LiveJournal:

Holy crap. It's Anpu. At least one of them is. Yinepu/ Anpu/ Wepwawet, whatever name, but... holy crap. I'm reading the descriptions people are giving and on a lot of them, I'm sitting there going "That's what I've been feeling, that's one of the presences I've been sensing!" And the feeling just kept getting more intense and clear as I was reading peoples' stories and thoughts on Anpu, to the point where I had tears in my eyes and a fullness in my chest coming out of nowhere.

It was like being embraced, almost; warm sleek jackal-body curling around my back; a canine sigh. And then, in my typical fashion: "...All right. Back up. Go through procedure. Nothing hasty."

I tried going through a systematic process and tried looking at everything logically, dispassionately, objectively. But the decision wasn't mine, and I had to admit that in the end. The recognition described above settled the matter in my heart; my mind was slower to realize the truth. There came a point where I had to do away with the pretense of method; had to admit that it was nothing more than pretense, and bow to the conclusion my deeper self came to long before.

A friend remarked on my usual logic, and said it seemed odd that I let intuition and instinct guide me in this matter. After all, I usually followed my head. Why was I now letting my heart lead?

I replied that logic does not solve everything, and too much reliance on logic alone can cause problems, as I'd learned the hard way. I had to listen to intuition as well as logic. Logic tempered with instinct; intuition tempered with reason. It's a fine line.

Yes, I used feelings a lot in my narrowing down of things. I did my research and learned about each deity in consideration so that I knew precisely who I was looking at, and so I had more information to react to. But in the end the matter fell to gut reactions - because I believe that the gods choose their own. How will using solely logic help me discover which god has chosen me? There's no real way; it takes paying attention to symbols and feelings and intuition.

If I used solely logic, I'd be reduced to picking names out of a book. Going "Hey, so-and-so sounds like someone who I could work with, and I like these various domains of this god better than these others, so I think I'll go with this one" is... well, it doesn't make sense to me that it would work too well. Going up to a deity and saying "Hi! I've chosen you to follow/ worship/ work with!" just doesn't make much sense to me. If I believed that the gods are all just archetypes and thoughtforms, psychological tools - then yes, that would make perfect sense. Then I'd definitely pick and choose the archetype I'd work with for a while to improve myself. But that's not what I believe.

So my path led me to the Jackal. Since accepting his call, I've experienced much of him, grown much, learned much - and still have a long way to go. I've experienced his love, his challenge, his disappointment and his approval. He guides but does not coddle. He guards his own when they are in danger that they cannot survive by themselves - but he also challenges them, allowing them to face alone those challenges they can overcome, so that they will be strong enough to someday overcome those trials they cannot currently win. He is a guide, and protects those he guides, but does not shield them from all challenges. That would be no protection at all.

My God is velvet shadow and sleek black fur; my God is alertness and silent knowing in the Hall of Two Truths; my God is jackal-laughter and child-wisdom and father-wisdom; He is ancient and proud and honor and truth, He is sternness and playfulness and innocence and understanding. So many things all at once, sometimes seeming paradoxes but never truly so.

Anpu, Wepwawet-Yinepu, Lord of the Hallowed Land...

I accept.

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