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TexasMadness Profile
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What are your beliefs about deities?


I realized today that I don't really know the beliefs of the folks that post on this forum! I realize that not everyone has a concrete set of beliefs (mine sure aren't) but I just wanted to explore the minds of the people here. So I thought I would start a series of questions.

There was a thread about this almost a year ago, but I thought I could get folks to elaborate a little. And reevaluate and see if things have changed!

What are your beliefs in regards to deities? Do you hold an Ultimate Divine to be true or do you have many gods and goddesses? What are these divine beings exactly? What do they want from us? How do they come into your regular life (i.e. do you worship? how? when? do you communicate with them? etc).


9/12/2008, 3:40 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
Saijen SilverWolf Profile
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


Do you hold an Ultimate Divinity to be true, or do you have many gods and goddesses?

For me, there are many God/desses, not just one. It was a strech for me at first, since I came out of Christianity, and in that religion, you can only have one God. It didn't feel right to me.

The main deities that I worship are Rhiannan and Cernonos (Kernunos). Rhiannan is a very patient and loyal Goddess. She was extremely kind to all she came in contact with, even when she was being punished. To read a bit more about her, read the Mabinogin. She has a very gentle way about her, not just with people, but with all life..plants, animals, etc. She is the embodiement of what our coven was founded on..how we wanted to be seen, and how we wanted to be, period. Even though the coven has been disolved, my HPS and I still prefer to worship her.
Cernunos, on the other hand, is a bit on the mischevious side. He is Pan, more or less. There isn't a great deal to find about Cernonus, but what we do know about him is that, while being gentle, kind, etc, we also need to keep the fun in our lives. Not to become stodgy, or rigid....to allow our spirits the freedom they deserve and crave. So, that's why those 2, specifically. However, we don't use JUST those 2. If we need a favor for our men when they hunt, then we go to the Huntress, Diana. If we need power for love, we go to Aphrodite...etc.


What are these divine beings exactly?

I think that will differ with each person. To me, they are the powers that ultimately serve the Universe. They are the ones I seek when I need something...be it to find something, to fix a problem, to help someone with a problem, etc. Each deity has a different use/power, if you prefer to call it that. They are the ones that help us to manipulate things around us. When I was studying for my first degree, one of the things we were asked to do was to close our eyes and visualize what our main deities look like to us. Again, this will be different for each person. Rhiannon, to me, starts out as a glowing silver light. When she forms, her hair is almost platinum, she's dressed is blues, silvers and white, and she's beautiful. Cernuonos comes as a glowing gold light (they both shimmer), and as he forms, he's dressed in golds, browns...more earthy tones. His hair is not exactly brown, and not exactly blonde.


What do they want from us?

I think they only want us to be happy, and to use them when we need them. Our worship of them helps, but we don't have to give our all to them. It's a give and take relationship. They give, we take...we give, they take. Our giving is in the form of nurturing the Mother, giving gifts of food, water, etc, back to the earth. They do not want sacrifices, of ourselves or of other things. All that is given, must be given freely and without grumbling about it. They just want our happiness, and for us to make the most of our lives on this plane.


How do they come into your regular life (i.e. do you worship? how? when? do you communicate with them? etc).


They come into my life when I ask for them, or if I'm doing a ritual...which, you usually ask for them. They don't intrude without being asked...they are not buttinskis.
How do I worship...well, sometimes through general ritual...either a Sabbat or an Esbat. Something I've not done in a long time. Other times, when I am doing spell work here at home, and I request their help, or if I'm doing amulets/charms, etc.
When do I worship...every day. Much like a Christian does. If I'm watering my plants, to me that is a form of worship and gratitude. Planting is a form of worship. Meditating. I try to set aside a few minutes every day if I'm able, to do a quick meditational worship. I don't always succeed, but I do try. Again..worship for one person may be very different from worship in someone else's eyes.
Do I communicate with them....well, of course. If you don't communicate, how can you worship? Worship is, within itself, a form of communication. You are letting them know you've not forgotten them, and that you are pleased you've been allowed into their circle.

One thing a lot of Pagan/Witches have a problem with..especially those coming out of Christianity, is that while the dieties are there for us to ask help from...they serve us..not the other way around. I was having an issue with this when I first became a Witch, and my HP told me that if I don't get what I want from a deity, to let them know they are not worth worshiping if they're not going to help me. They thrive on the worship of humankind, and if you threaten to take that away, they generally will help you more than they did the first time. They serve us! They are there for our benefit, for our use, if you will. A lot of Pagan/Witch/Wiccans will disagree with this, but this is something that I've come to rely on, and use to my advantage if it's needed. And yes, I've had to use it..and it worked. Just because they are called a deity does not make them all powerful in the respect of we should fear them...it only means that they have the power to help us do what we can not do on our own.


Very good questions, Texas!!! emoticon

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~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
9/17/2008, 4:02 pm Link to this post Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


Wow, great answers Saijen! As you may know, I'm a non-deist - meaning deities play no role in my life. I would never go so far as to say that I don't believe they exist, as that would be rather arrogant of me to think that I only know the secrets of the universe. But I have no personal experience with deities of any kind (and I have tried!) so it is still so foreign to me.

Another quick question - do they communicate with you? And in what way?

Maybe I have had an "experience" but I interpreted it wrong. I don't have anything in mind, but I'm just open to possibilities in the future.

Thanks for answering! Good insight about the gods serving humans and wanting their worship. I don't think I had heard that interpretation before.
9/17/2008, 7:23 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


Texas, a lot of this is garnered from my studies, but some of it is just from my own personal feelings....and that's how we really need to function....on how we feel. Not by how someone else thinks we should feel.

Another quick question - do they communicate with you? And in what way?

Usually I don't get communication from them unless I start. But yes, they do communicate with me, and it took me a LONG time to figure it all out.
Most of the communication comes to me in the form of thoughts. For the longest time I just said...well, that's my own mind telling me this, or saying that, but as I grew spiritually, I realized that some of that stuff I didn't have the knowledge to come up with, so it had to come from someone else.
Sometimes, I'll ask for a specific sign, not just a sign....you can easily miss it if you're that broad. I may ask for a leaf to hit me on the head, or a butterfly to land on the porch rail or for a small snow shower to come. Other times, I will use my pendulum (this is my most common at the moment) and a + with yes at the top and bottom, no at each side, and ask very specific yes/no questions making sure the pendulum is steady for each question. If the answer is an 'I don't know', it will go in circles. My most recent purchase for communication is called a Spirit Board. It's not a Ouija board, but it works in the same way, but a lot more involved. I've not had an opportunity to work with it yet. Some people communicate through dreams with the deities. So far, I've not had that happen. For a lot of people, the most visible means is the pendulum. It's easy, takes up very little room, and you don't have to worry about if you 'heard' them right, or if you're afraid it's your thoughts and not those of a higher power. You just have to keep working at it till you find what works best for you, and what you're the most comfortable with.

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~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
9/18/2008, 8:24 pm Link to this post Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


My cousin uses a pendulum. She doesn't know where the answers come from, but she thinks that it's something like the greater human consciousness. That we are all connected in some way and we can essentially know anything that anyone else knows - we just have to tap into it correctly. I've always thought that was such a cool idea.

Asking for a specific sign. I like that. I'm not so sure about the dream thing. I'm trying lucid dreaming right now and I've got a LONG way to go to figure out what the heck is going on in my head! I'm sure I'd miss anything from a deity in all the confusion. emoticon
9/18/2008, 8:42 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


Asking for a specific sign eliminates the doubt, if you're a believer. emoticon

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9/18/2008, 9:26 pm Link to this post Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo
 
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


For me it's an overall presence -- maybe like a "higher power." I can't or don't define it. I love the phrases "it's all good," or "it's all god/goddess" even though I'm not always crazy about the word "god". Maybe "Spirit" sums it up best.

I often talk to beloved animals who have passed on and might even ask them for advice -- and I realized one day that I'm talking to them much like someone might talk to god. Interesting realization.

Maybe because I am a word person, I have a hard time getting out of my way when it comes to words. So when Spirit is trying to communicate with me, I will usually get it other ways (mostly smells, but sometimes sensations).

Cat
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


Good thoughts Cat. I am a bit apprehensive about the word 'god'. I don't know if it's because I was raised secular or what, but it seems a bit...well...fanciful? I'm not really sure. I do certainly believe that there are forces at play that we do not and probably never will understand. I just don't have a good label for it. And I'm ok with that. I just like to pick people's brains to see what they think! emoticon

Smell...that's interesting. I have a good sense of smell and frequently sense things that others can't. Hmmm....
9/19/2008, 3:20 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?



TexasMadness wrote:
I just like to pick people's brains to see what they think! emoticon



Texas, picking people's brains is how we all learn, and how we learn about the people around us. YOU just know how the ask the questions better than some do...LOL



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~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
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Re: What are your beliefs about deities?


- Bump -

If I may ask, how do you (anyone here) see the deities?

As different kinds/types of energy to tap and/or direct and the names are nothing more “labels” for each kind?

Do you see them as beings with an actual consciousness? If you believe that is so, have they always had consciousness or did/does mankind’s focusing on, and worship of them, create and maintain their consciousness?

Other better explanations?

I have no problems believing in a “superior” energy source (if I had to assign a sex it would be both male and female, Yin/Yang). I have no problem believing in a collective pool of energy composed of all that is and has been (our ancestors etc.).
I just personally have a hard time wrapping my head around the actively conscious deities concept (ultimately one of the main reasons I walked away from Christianity) and am hoping that some of you will share your own thoughts with me. I wish to learn. emoticon

The reason why I use the term “energy” so much is because I believe that is what all actions/thoughts ultimately are, what everything is ultimately made of.

There are “gifts” that have run through my family for many generations. One is that of the Empath and the other is naturally being able to manipulate the energy that we feel running all around us. I have both as did my maternal grandmother. My 4yr old son is an Empath as well.
My mother has none and views it all as foolishness, such that I was forbidden to even mention it. After she become a Christian she viewed it all as being from the devil.
My realizing that my son is like me, is what led me on the path I am now, searching for answers so that I may serve as a good guide for him. Paganism is the only path I've found that openly talks about these things, and the fact that it encourages my natural love/adoration of Mother Earth is just icing on the cake! emoticon

Sorry, I tend to ramble when I get deep into my thoughts emoticon
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