An Interview with Anya Kless, author of “Lilith: Queen of the Desert”

Galina: I know that you’re primarily owned by Odin and most Heathens hesitate to move outside of the Norse Pantheon. So why Lilith? What was it about this Goddess that demanded a devotional?

Anya: As I discuss in the book’s introduction, Lilith was the first deity who claimed me, long before I had an inkling of Odin’s role in my life.  Through Her, I learned what it meant to communicate with a deity (speaking and listening), to work for a deity, to place my life in the hands of a deity, and love a deity. Lilith also guided me through some of my own dark places, forcing me to own parts of myself I deemed unsavory and to shed others. To be blunt, She whipped me into shape. Without Her teaching, I honestly don’t know if I would have survived being claimed by Odin. I needed the strength, the skills, and the openness She cultivated within me as Her priestess. She paved the way for my relationship with Him, and She is still an important figure in my life and practice. I owe Her quite a lot, and the least I could do was complete this project for Her.

I think a lot of people like the neatness of having one, clear-cut pantheon from which to draw gods. This is how most modern pagans and pagan groups define their identities, whether it be Heathen, Kemetic, Celtic, etc.  A lot of people perceive the act of working with multiple pantheons as a type of dilettantism or cultural opportunism. This is always a risk–Gods aren’t just statues to be collected. One thing I’ve learned from this process, however, is that we do not claim our Gods–They claim us. My spiritual life probably would have been a lot more straightforward if I had been just Lilith’s, just Odin’s, or just Loki’s. For whatever reason, that’s not what They had in mind, and it’s not my place to question a logic greater than myself. I can say, however, that having all of Them woven into my life has brought it a richness and complexity I could not have anticipated.

I usually don’t associate with pantheon-specific groups, if only because the realities of who my deities are tend not to fit in their practices. Working primarily with Lilith, Odin, and Loki often places me at the edges or crossroads, which does have its advantages. I interact with many communities and have a different perspective on their relations. Being “homeless” in this way also brings me closer to the Misfit or Exile face my Gods often wear. To me, They are Gods of liminality. Even Odin, the Sacred King, is a wanderer. His insatiable desire for knowledge never allows permanent stasis.

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