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Author Topic: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses  (Read 1976 times)

Poetic_Anarchy

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Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« on: September 10, 2016, 01:25:18 am »
Hello all! I'm completely new to this and I'm trying to reach out to various gods and goddesses. I'm interested in Diana and Arachne especially, but general advice for how to make contact would be very appreciated. I'm still searching for a religion that fits me, but I'm not extremely interested in magic. Magic also worries my girlfriend (she's kinda psychically sensitive), so I want to respect her feelings.
Thanks for any help!
« Last Edit: September 10, 2016, 01:34:23 am by Poetic_Anarchy »

Yei

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2016, 07:28:57 am »
Quote from: Poetic_Anarchy;196025
Hello all! I'm completely new to this and I'm trying to reach out to various gods and goddesses. I'm interested in Diana and Arachne especially, but general advice for how to make contact would be very appreciated. I'm still searching for a religion that fits me, but I'm not extremely interested in magic. Magic also worries my girlfriend (she's kinda psychically sensitive), so I want to respect her feelings.
Thanks for any help!

 
I think that what you need depends on your tradition. But it would be fairly safe to start with a representation of the god/goddess. Either a full statue, or some other symbol, through which the divinity may be present. You will also want to create an 'alter' or some sacred space, and a vessel for offerings. Most rituals also make use of a fire, nothing big, just a candle. Its exact significance depends on your particular tradition, but include it anyway.

And don't worry about magic. It is not a necessary part of worship, only for those following particular magic traditions.

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2016, 11:22:05 pm »
Quote from: Poetic_Anarchy;196025


 
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YungMeatRabbit

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2016, 04:35:37 pm »
Quote from: Poetic_Anarchy;196025
Hello all! I'm completely new to this and I'm trying to reach out to various gods and goddesses. I'm interested in Diana and Arachne especially, but general advice for how to make contact would be very appreciated. I'm still searching for a religion that fits me, but I'm not extremely interested in magic. Magic also worries my girlfriend (she's kinda psychically sensitive), so I want to respect her feelings.
Thanks for any help!

 
Warning: This response is based on my personal experiences and thoughts and so it may not be relevant and/or applicable to you.

It depends on what you mean by "contact".  I don't believe that you can just call up the gods somehow and talk to them.  I don't believe in psychic communication with deities.  However, they will contact you when they want to.   Same deal with ancestors and other spirits.  And when they do "contact" you, they don't really "talk" to you, they more use like feelings and sensations to talk to you.  For example, if you're being contacted by a love deity, you might feel a strong sensation of love.   When it comes to deity contact, different deities are more talkative than others, just like people.  I should also note that I have no experience or really very much knowledge of either of the deities you mentioned, so I can't say if they'll contact you or not.

If by "contact", you mean more like "prayer", then that's different.  Pagan prayer is different than the popular conception of prayer-it's about building a relationship between deity and devotee.  Essentially, you make offerings to a deity and then the deity will be more likely to aid/bless you because you've developed a relationship with them.  

This is just my 2 cents.  Hope it helps!:)

Jenett

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2016, 05:14:24 pm »
Quote from: YungMeatRabbit;196157

If by "contact", you mean more like "prayer", then that's different.  Pagan prayer is different than the popular conception of prayer-it's about building a relationship between deity and devotee.  Essentially, you make offerings to a deity and then the deity will be more likely to aid/bless you because you've developed a relationship with them.


It's probably more accurate to say that the forms of prayer vary a lot - what you describe is only one variety among Pagans (and not the one I use most!) and it's also a method that is used in some non-Pagan religions in various forms. (Some of which may or may not have Pagan roots, mind, and continued as cultural practices after places became Christian or whatever, but still, they're part of the dynamic.)

Basically: there are lots of kinds of prayer. Defining which ones one is talking about usually helps.
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YungMeatRabbit

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2016, 10:30:11 pm »
Quote from: Jenett;196162
It's probably more accurate to say that the forms of prayer vary a lot - what you describe is only one variety among Pagans (and not the one I use most!) and it's also a method that is used in some non-Pagan religions in various forms. (Some of which may or may not have Pagan roots, mind, and continued as cultural practices after places became Christian or whatever, but still, they're part of the dynamic.)

Basically: there are lots of kinds of prayer. Defining which ones one is talking about usually helps.

 
Good point.  Thanks for pointing that out.

GrayEyes

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2016, 08:51:14 pm »
Quote from: Poetic_Anarchy;196025
Hello all! I'm completely new to this and I'm trying to reach out to various gods and goddesses. I'm interested in Diana and Arachne especially, but general advice for how to make contact would be very appreciated. I'm still searching for a religion that fits me, but I'm not extremely interested in magic. Magic also worries my girlfriend (she's kinda psychically sensitive), so I want to respect her feelings.
Thanks for any help!

 
I'm not sure about your tradition, but it's hard to go wrong, imo, with making offerings and prayers. Perhaps set up a shrine to ritualize your prayers/offerings? Prayers aren't just petitionary, they can be in thanksgiving or even just a way to communicate.

Poetic_Anarchy

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2016, 02:31:41 am »
Quote from: GrayEyes;196230
I'm not sure about your tradition, but it's hard to go wrong, imo, with making offerings and prayers. Perhaps set up a shrine to ritualize your prayers/offerings? Prayers aren't just petitionary, they can be in thanksgiving or even just a way to communicate.

 
Thanks to everyone for the help! As to my tradition, I'm honestly just a general pagan at this point seeking a connection to a god or goddess that will guide me toward a tradition.

Talariq

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Re: Contacting the Gods and Goddesses
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2016, 05:52:01 am »
Quote from: Poetic_Anarchy;196247
Thanks to everyone for the help! As to my tradition, I'm honestly just a general pagan at this point seeking a connection to a god or goddess that will guide me toward a tradition.


(Disclaimer: I'm still working on finding my path. What I write below is simply where I chose to start when I began looking again.)

If this is the case, I'd say research is your first step. It sounds like you already have a good idea of the deities you want to work with, but if you're still not 100% sure, start with the myths. I read the myths and stories from a great number of cultures before anything really popped out and felt right.

When I had an idea of who I should be "talking to" I simply meditated on it every night for a few nights, allowing myself to be open to communication. I got lucky in that I was almost immediately inundated with signs that I was headed in the right direction. (Never direct contact, as many people have mentioned. Mostly animal signs during the normal course of my day, although I assume the method of communication would be different from deity to deity and even person to person.)

My second piece of advice would be to be open to rejection. In high school, I tried to connect with several pantheons/gods/godesses that I liked the idea of, but the responses I got were basically, "I'm sorry, but you're just not quite who we're looking for to fill this position."

You have to find deities that you feel a connection with, but also want to connect with you. A god of war most likely wouldn't be too interested in working with a pacifist, for example.

Lastly, the biggest thing I've found to be important is simply patience. If you keep yourself open to be called, it will happen at the right time. You can't force a connection with a deity any more than you can force a USB charger into a wall socket. You just have to wait until you find an outlet that matches you.
"Your focus determines your reality."

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