Author Topic: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups (Read 4412 times)

Darkhawk · « **on:** August 25, 2015, 01:19:20 pm »

So in another thread I sort of took the notion of writing out what the domain interests were of the Powers who are important to me, because it struck me as amusing. This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like, rather than either "gods with whom I have some sort of personal relationship" or "the gods of my religion/tradition/path as formally constituted".

So I'm going to do an initial post to set this up for anyone who wants to, to throw in with comments on "What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?" and post my individual stuff in a bit.

Darkhawk · « **Reply #1 on:** August 25, 2015, 01:54:09 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

I'm not going to do names, because reasons. And to give myself a sense of the boundaries of the work I'm going to do the Powers that I chose to put in my personal design of the Tarot rather than try to figure out 'how much interaction counts for interactiveness' or anything else. (It being the Majors of the Tarot, there are a lot of figures here, one, but also it's a fairly complete, ahhh... system? that way?)

Also being very brief because honestly I could go on and on about most of these, and a Tarot list is Large. Also, not all Powers described are (necessarily) gods, and I broke it out of Tarot order.

Well, that's a heap of kennings now isn't it? Also, clearly I work for the Department of Liminal Shit, Symbolism Filtered Through Various Dualities Subcommittee.

So, that being said:

The Creatrix, ground of being, from who all things emerge and unto whom all things return.

The Creator, silent and kind, master of the elements of making.

The divine androgyne, ruler of the world, child of creation.

The guardian of the gate and opener of the way, governor of possibility and potential.

The shapeshifter protector of the flow of that which enters spirit and that which returns from it, the fertility of the land, the keeper of wild wisdom.

The spine of creation: the World Tree, the gate and pathway between all the worlds.

The Two who are exactly alike and exactly opposite, the paradox and the ecstasy.

The glorious prideful freedom of the synthesis of dualities.

The one who will not bow, mother of the abandoned.

The sisters of light and shadow, keepers of magic and secrets.

The faerie queen of heaven, governor of the forces that glamour and attract and the forces that repel.

The king of sun and storm, whose mirrored shield is a passage to the way not chosen, strong like oak and stone.

The governor of precision and elegance, the finely balanced word, the master of the pen is a master of the sword.

A guardian warrior of the people, loyal and just, whose devotion is not blinkered, but rather includes "if right, to keep right, if wrong, to put right".

That which is regeneration, resurrection; the secret name of the sprouting seed.

The master of challenges, the shadow, the confusion of initiation, the tearer-open of space.

Jenett · « **Reply #2 on:** August 25, 2015, 06:45:59 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

So I'm going to do an initial post to set this up for anyone who wants to, to throw in with comments on "What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?" and post my individual stuff in a bit.

In my personal practice, I am all 'deities and ancestors of the less widely used approaches to knowledge and information'.

(My primary personal deity relationship, the name I use is not helpful to anyone, but she is all water and thirst of knowledge, and a particular kind of incluing about how things interconnect in cycles and seasons. And then that thing with Seshat I'm still trying to figure out, and the thing with Hypatia as ancestor of profession, and I occasionally say hi to people in other pantheons with some similar goals.)

In my trad practice, there's a lot of not-always-as-scary-as-they-sound psychopomp in various forms.

Aisling · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2015, 08:51:35 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179235

Also, clearly I work for the Department of Liminal Shit, Symbolism Filtered Through Various Dualities Subcommittee.

I thought that might be you in the next cubicle.

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

"What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?"

It's a motley collection of ne'er-do-wells, pickpockets, grave robbers, and sideshow performers... er, I mean, deities, spirits, guardians, forces, and various others. Not that my practice in any way resembles a carny sideshow. Nooo.

As did Darkhawk, I'll list the players but not give their actual names here. The list is irreverent at times and contains references to Pratchett... so, yes, it is an accurate reflection of my work style and workmates.

Herself - Divine Wise Woman, She who Makes All Things Whole, and the Boss of Me

The Well-Spring - the source of all, the energy that drives the universe, the power, the force

The Woodsman - Keeper of the Wild Places and Natural Cycles, closely tied to the Well-Spring

Big D - The Anthropomorphic Personification, Collector of Finely Honed Agricultural Implements, A Very Grave Figure

The Snake-Charmer - Shit-stirrer and Shape-shifter, He who Subverts, Driver of Change, Forcer of Hands, Shaker of Snow Globes

The Warrior Woman - Mother to the Slain, Keeper of Memories, She who Avenges, The Storm Gatherer

The Pyschopomp - Guide of the Dead, Weigher of Souls (several psychopomps in my personal pantheon, but this one gets his own designation as he's my primary go-to)

The Resurrection Man - A Guardian of Thresholds, Gates, Crossroads, and other Liminal spaces; Tender of Souls; Digger of Graves

The Lost Luggage Department- The Path Opener, He who Loses Unwanted Baggage

The Muse - The Creative One, The Bearded Lady, Genderfluid Shape-shifter

One who Sauntered Vaguely Downward- Personal ~~babysitter~~ guardian, He of the Ruffled Feathers and Rolling Eyes, Soothsayer of Impending Doom ("Nothing good can come of this")

The Twins - the Balancers, twin brothers who represent opposing forces, human spirits long dead but never silent

Grandmother - Not an archetype- my grandmother's spirit, Wielder of Rolling Pins, Keeper of the Kitchen, Overseer of Dumb Supper preparations

Various Other Spirits - Too many to list here. Includes ancestors, honored dead, friends, etc.

The Mirror - the revealer, that from which nothing can be hidden, the Truth Teller from which there is nowhere to hide

The Shadow - the challenger, the undo-er of beliefs, the one who shreds reality, the tour guide to deeper truths

The Dark Soul - the other half, that which is suppressed, unneeded, or unused, the forces within that are never called upon, the shadow self

veggiewolf · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2015, 08:57:54 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

So in another thread I sort of took the notion of writing out what the domain interests were of the Powers who are important to me, because it struck me as amusing. This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like, rather than either "gods with whom I have some sort of personal relationship" or "the gods of my religion/tradition/path as formally constituted".

So I'm going to do an initial post to set this up for anyone who wants to, to throw in with comments on "What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?" and post my individual stuff in a bit.

Marking this for response when I have spoons. Fantastic topic.

Sarah · « **Reply #5 on:** August 26, 2015, 12:43:28 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

So in another thread I sort of took the notion of writing out what the domain interests were of the Powers who are important to me, because it struck me as amusing. This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like, rather than either "gods with whom I have some sort of personal relationship" or "the gods of my religion/tradition/path as formally constituted".

So I'm going to do an initial post to set this up for anyone who wants to, to throw in with comments on "What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?" and post my individual stuff in a bit.

I have a whole bunch hanging around but ones I am currently, actively working with are:

The Heart of the Fire

The Bone Collector

The Trickster Boys (The Cosmos Physician, The Prince with a Thousand Enemies, The Rat Catcher)

And my animal companion/protector

Jack · « **Reply #6 on:** August 26, 2015, 02:06:53 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like

Well my list has to start with the Daughter of Earth, Our Lady of the Market, Fertilizer of the Fields, Mother of Birds and Maggots, Keeper of the Banked Hearth, etc, etc, if we're doing titles.

Then the Serpent, Who Is Subtil Except When Xie's Not, and the Firebird and the Dragon.

Rounding out my altar would be:

the Dark Lady, who needs no other titles
the Heir of Fire, Inspiration, Wildfire, Mother of the Artificer, Father of the End
the Son of Air, Fast-talker, Father of Urban Sprawl, Last Man Standing
the Bluebird and her brother, who mark the path and open the gates
the Daughter of Metal, the Forge's Heart, She Who Makes, Whose Right Hand Holds the Sword and Whose Left Guides the Plow
the Artificer, Master Smith, Bridge Architect, Stonecarver

Faemon · « **Reply #7 on:** August 26, 2015, 02:44:30 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like, rather than either "gods with whom I have some sort of personal relationship" or "the gods of my religion/tradition/path as formally constituted".

Great topic! But I'm not entirely clear on this point, how do you make the distinction between Work and personal relationship? The formally constituted gods, I can understand as a different category. But by Work do you mean practical/magical world-changing focus as opposed to philosophical or emotional issues?

Weatherwax · « **Reply #8 on:** August 26, 2015, 05:09:29 am »

Quote from: Jack;179260

Well my list has to start with the Daughter of Earth, Our Lady of the Market, Fertilizer of the Fields, Mother of Birds and Maggots, Keeper of the Banked Hearth, etc, etc, if we're doing titles.

Then the Serpent, Who Is Subtil Except When Xie's Not, and the Firebird and the Dragon.

Rounding out my altar would be:
the Dark Lady, who needs no other titles
the Heir of Fire, Inspiration, Wildfire, Mother of the Artificer, Father of the End
the Son of Air, Fast-talker, Father of Urban Sprawl, Last Man Standing
the Bluebird and her brother, who mark the path and open the gates
the Daughter of Metal, the Forge's Heart, She Who Makes, Whose Right Hand Holds the Sword and Whose Left Guides the Plow
the Artificer, Master Smith, Bridge Architect, Stonecarver

I guess the whole point is to share the titles and not the names but reading these descriptions, I'm curious who these deities would be too, if they're found in known mythologies. It might be personal and if so I'm sorry for asking, I don't mean to pry.

Sometimes I have a hard time linking historical mythologies with modern interpretations (not for all, for some) and I'm always working to close the gap and make the gods relevant in the here and now.

And I'm enjoying everyone's responses. It's a great thread.

Sophia C · « **Reply #9 on:** August 26, 2015, 09:03:24 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

So in another thread I sort of took the notion of writing out what the domain interests were of the Powers who are important to me, because it struck me as amusing. This is "personal pantheon" sort of stuff, or "those gods that are important to my Work", or the like, rather than either "gods with whom I have some sort of personal relationship" or "the gods of my religion/tradition/path as formally constituted".

I completely adore the idea of titles rather than names. It gets to the heart of things.

My crowd:

The Mountain, spirit of chaos and creation, of ancient volcano and modern hillside, Mother of the Land, the first and the eternal. "Now I wake from stone onto sand..."

The Ancestress, her sister, mother of the Tribe and guide.

Lord of the Sea, consort of the Mountain, shape-shifting master of magic and strange journeys, the trickster with a twinkle in his eye.

The River, mediator of the well of chaos below, fed by the Xartus.

The Three Sisters, spirits of spring, summer and harvest, daughters of Winter.

The Wild Children, spirits of strange land and stranger garden.

The Bee Woman, who has many names and faces. bzzzzzzz.

The Star Queen, who is sometimes the Snow Queen.

The Xartus, in whose flow we all move.

Darkhawk · « **Reply #10 on:** August 26, 2015, 11:00:46 am »

Quote from: Faemon;179263

Great topic! But I'm not entirely clear on this point, how do you make the distinction between Work and personal relationship? The formally constituted gods, I can understand as a different category. But by Work do you mean practical/magical world-changing focus as opposed to philosophical or emotional issues?

I mean I don't care if someone has a Personal Relationship With God/dess , that this isn't about people's personal mystical experiences or who hears the voice of the gods or not. It's about who one honours, what's relevant to one's actual practices, not private mysticism.

Darkhawk · « **Reply #11 on:** August 26, 2015, 11:09:07 am »

Quote from: Weatherwax;179267

I guess the whole point is to share the titles and not the names but reading these descriptions, I'm curious who these deities would be too, if they're found in known mythologies. It might be personal and if so I'm sorry for asking, I don't mean to pry.

One of the reasons I did kennings rather than names was I wanted to put the emphasis on realms of interest rather than what people would assume from seeing names? So I could show up the commonalities in things. I can say that most but not all of mine are known mythological figures, but not all from the same set of mythologies.

And it's not just personal quirk stuff going into that? Some of it is mythological stuff that gets missed. ("The soul of the seed" is better-known as a death-related god than a grain-related god, which pisses me off, f'ex. These are not actually separable in the actual origin.)

Weatherwax · « **Reply #12 on:** August 26, 2015, 11:23:06 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179274

One of the reasons I did kennings rather than names was I wanted to put the emphasis on realms of interest rather than what people would assume from seeing names? So I could show up the commonalities in things. I can say that most but not all of mine are known mythological figures, but not all from the same set of mythologies.

And it's not just personal quirk stuff going into that? Some of it is mythological stuff that gets missed. ("The soul of the seed" is better-known as a death-related god than a grain-related god, which pisses me off, f'ex. These are not actually separable in the actual origin.)

I completely agree with the idea and the way everyone shared the functions of their pantheon, don't get me wrong. Just that sometimes I have a hard time (myself) analyzing the functions from the myths themselves. I think this is something to do with me, by the way. I do have a hard time, how shall I say, personalizing the gods sometimes. I thought maybe I could work things from the other end.

English is not my native language and had a long day at hospital, tests, checks, so it's entirely possible that I made little sense. In that case, sorry!

Darkhawk · « **Reply #13 on:** August 26, 2015, 11:26:31 am »

Quote from: Weatherwax;179275

I completely agree with the idea and the way everyone shared the functions of their pantheon, don't get me wrong. Just that sometimes I have a hard time (myself) analyzing the functions from the myths themselves. I think this is something to do with me, by the way. I do have a hard time, how shall I say, personalizing the gods sometimes. I thought maybe I could work things from the other end.

That's a great topic for a thread, you know, if you wanted to start one!

Quote

English is not my native language and had a long day at hospital, tests, checks, so it's entirely possible that I made little sense. In that case, sorry!

I hope everything's okay.

HarpingHawke · « **Reply #14 on:** August 26, 2015, 01:17:21 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk;179233

So I'm going to do an initial post to set this up for anyone who wants to, to throw in with comments on "What sort of crowd do you run with, anyway?" and post my individual stuff in a bit.

The Stag; He of the forest and the Hunter in the Pines--the balance and the liminal reside within His vast expanse--Stalker through the Night and green ivy.

The Rider; the Big Man Reaper of the Roads--He who Rides and He of the shadows on the highway--The dark Ferryman and agent of Justice.

The Lady; She of quiet Solar strength, the still pool--still, she is the rushing, dangerous River and the freezing shock of ice-melt--nectarine juice dribbling down my chin.

The Endless Cycle; they who like to tease me endlessly*--whose purpose is unknown.

The Quiet Sentinel; she raises her wings and shivers her scales and the solid mists of the Pines disperse--a quiet stillness and a regal ferocity I have never encountered in another Being--claws dug into soil.

*yes, yes I know. Endless cycle of endless teasing. That's earned them the title of Fucking Circle Snek wtf is Going On Now

The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

News:

Recent Posts

Author Topic: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups (Read 4412 times)

Darkhawk

Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Darkhawk

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Jenett

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Aisling

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

veggiewolf

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Sarah

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Jack

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Faemon

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Weatherwax

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Sophia C

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Darkhawk

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Darkhawk

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Weatherwax

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Darkhawk

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

HarpingHawke

Re: Personal Pantheon/Workgroups

Related Topics

Who's Online

Please Donate!

Shop & Support TC

In Memoriam

Cauldron Staff