Author Topic: Divine Abundance (Read 1709 times)

patchwork_savage · « **on:** August 10, 2016, 11:40:08 pm »

I have not felt lead to a patron and matron for my path, but there is apparently a lot of gods and goddesses seem to becoming into my life here the past few months. Here are some of the ones that have come into my life are Hermes, Athena, Apollo, Demeter, Nyx Hekate, Cernunnos, and possibly Odin. My current problem is that I have this feeling like there is three goddesses trying to work with me but the thing is I get the feeling is the two of them are Nyx and Hekate, but have no clue who the third one could be all I have if from a ritual I did was sisters of night.

Lana288 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2016, 03:33:02 pm »

Quote from: patchwork_savage;194878

I have not felt lead to a patron and matron for my path, but there is apparently a lot of gods and goddesses seem to becoming into my life here the past few months. Here are some of the ones that have come into my life are Hermes, Athena, Apollo, Demeter, Nyx Hekate, Cernunnos, and possibly Odin. My current problem is that I have this feeling like there is three goddesses trying to work with me but the thing is I get the feeling is the two of them are Nyx and Hekate, but have no clue who the third one could be all I have if from a ritual I did was sisters of night.

Give it time, maybe? Deities tend to be extraordinarily patient. Usually, if you wait long enough, it'll become apparent who wants your attention.

Alternately, if you don't want to wait, you could also try talking to the unnamed third goddess, and see if she shows up.

RecycledBenedict · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2016, 04:30:32 pm »

Quote from: patchwork_savage;194878

I have not felt lead to a patron and matron for my path

A patron and a matron is not the only way to structure the group of deities one worship more frequently.

Some pagans in the past (Egyptian laity, for example) concentrated on one main personal deity, and among modern Hindus such concentration on an Istha Deva is rather frequent. That doesn't mean that you abstain from acknowledgeing all the other deities, but you concentrate on one.

Another pattern, often used together with a pattern of one or two main deities, is to give a deity its due when a particular festival occurs, but not concentrate daily and continuously on each festival-deity.

Nor are we obliged to answer the calling of each and every entity we may believe that we perceive.

patchwork_savage · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2016, 11:48:47 pm »

Quote from: RecycledBenedict;194962

A patron and a matron is not the only way to structure the group of deities one worship more frequently.

Some pagans in the past (Egyptian laity, for example) concentrated on one main personal deity, and among modern Hindus such concentration on an Istha Deva is rather frequent. That doesn't mean that you abstain from acknowledgeing all the other deities, but you concentrate on one.

Another pattern, often used together with a pattern of one or two main deities, is to give a deity its due when a particular festival occurs, but not concentrate daily and continuously on each festival-deity.

Nor are we obliged to answer the calling of each and every entity we may believe that we perceive.

I am so glad you said having a patron and matron is not the only structure because at times I feel like it is pressured onto people to choose a divine being to take on those roles. I agree that we are not obliged to answer every call and I feel like I want to work with Cernunnos along with Nyx.

SunflowerP · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2016, 12:24:16 am »

Quote from: patchwork_savage;194878

I have not felt lead to a patron and matron for my path....

Quote from: RecycledBenedict;194962

A patron and a matron is not the only way to structure the group of deities one worship more frequently.

Additionally, 'matron' is (in English anyway) a misnomer. I suspect it probably came into the neoPagan lexicon by way of the Women's Spirituality Movement/Goddess Movement in the '70s and '80s, in a misguided (both linguistically, and socially) attempt at reclamation - the idea being to honor and value the feminine form 'matron' on a par with the masculine form 'patron'.

The trouble with that is, 'matron' has never, in either English or Latin, referred to women in general; it refers to mothers (or to women no longer young but not yet old, who are 'mothers' by courtesy if not literally, because being unmarried but no longer young, or married but childless, had less social cachet)*.

Nor has 'patron' ever referred to all men; it describes a particular social role - one that, when applied to deities, is equally relevant to gods and goddesses; thus, 'The Greeks also thought deities guarded specific places: for instance, Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens.'. (Likewise, in Christian contexts, 'patron saint' refers to saints of whatever gender.)

patchwork_savage, I should make clear that I'm not stomping on you in particular; it's a common misconception, and you just happened to be the person who referred to it at the point at which I decided it was high time someone did a full explanation rather than just pointing out that it was erroneous.

(*Or an occupational designation, but that's not very relevant here.)

Sunflower