Reading the quote by Ursula Le Guin, I can't help but think of Mann's Death in Venice and the theme of the Dionysian vs. the Apollonian. I've always found it fascinating how the two seem to be polar opposites, and yet both can have an equal draw on people. Just using the more reconstructionist pagan denominations as an example, I've noticed that many Hellenics (at least the ones I've encountered online) are devoted to both Dionysus and Apollo. And among Kemetics, almost all children of Heru-Wer are Beloved of Set. I don't know if I'm a Heru-Wer kid, but I've certainly felt a connection to Him as of late...and yet, I also see many aspects of Set in myself. It's something I've been mulling over quite a bit recently.

I had never thought of the concept of angels and demons in the way that you described, but it's certainly given me food for thought. "Angels inspire virtue, demons inspire passion"...I like that.

Huh...I'm using...a...lot of ellipses...in...my comments. I suppose I'm guilty of my own pet peeve. :P

It would seem that most priests, whether Christian or Kemetic or whatever, are "priests of light," as you put it -- emphasizing virtue and order and tradition. It's rather hard to picture priests in any other way, because the notion of what a priest is like (even from different religions) is pretty ingrained in our heads. What sort of priest would you consider to be a priest of the dark? Is there any modern example of what it would be, and would its role differ from a priest of the light? Is the difference mainly in mindset and outlook? I'm rambling here and I'm not even sure if my questions make any sense whatsoever, but I guess I'm asking in a round-about way if you could elaborate on your concept of a "priest of the dark." My curiosity has been piqued. :)

(I also should have read fyrekat's original post before writing this. Whoops! *scurries off to do so*)