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Author Topic: Large Pantheons  (Read 6281 times)

HarpingHawke

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Large Pantheons
« on: February 06, 2014, 11:41:38 am »
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Hemingway

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2014, 01:48:57 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

 
First come, first serve!

I'm only sort of joking.

Some of them get honored at the same time, and the Con are pretty easy-going, it's not really a relationship that requires worship.
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Aiwelin

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2014, 04:21:57 pm »
Quote from: Jack;139025
First come, first serve!

I'm only sort of joking.

Some of them get honored at the same time, and the Con are pretty easy-going, it's not really a relationship that requires worship.

 
Sometimes I feel like I have way too many.

Right now, I regularly honor Brigid, Macha, Manannán, and Ogma from the Celtic pantheon.  I honor Woden, Thunor, Frige and Nerthus regularly; Yavanna and Varda, and an unnamed Goddess of the Platte River.  And those are just the year-round deities: seasonally I honor the Cailleach, Eostre, and Áine.

I feel like there are a few factors that go into this working for me.  The first is that I only have a close relationship with two deities - Nerthus and Manannán.  They are, to me, the most awe-inspiring, and Those I truly desire to get to know better.  They are who I reach out to when meditating, who I really want to reach a deep friendship with, whose work I feel a deep calling to.  I feel like using "best friends" as a metaphor, though for me deity relationships are inherently different from human friendships.

The other deities I honor, I don't desire as close a relationship with.  I give gifts to Them such as prayer or incense, and They will give blessings to me, and that's as deep as either of us desires the relationship to go.  I still learn as much about Them and Their lore as I can because 1) let's face it, for my pantheons it's not like there's that much extant lore to learn; and 2) I do respect and honor Them.  It's more like a relationship a little more than acquaintances, but not quite close enough to be a good friend - someone you exchange gifts with on occasion, and remember their strong likes and dislikes; but you wouldn't, say, agree to go on an extended vacation with only them.  

I'd like to say I have some kind of schedule, but mostly it comes down to when I remember to get around to that deity.  Brigid ends up getting a lot of gifts and prayers, because She's Goddess of the hearth and healing, and I'm a stay at home mom with three little kids - the hearth and sickness are kind of the center of my life right now.  For that same reason, Thunor as protector also gets lots of prayers.  Macha, who I very strongly identify with partly because of my non-feminine, tomboyish nature, sometimes gets overlooked because that side of myself doesn't have as much opportunity to come out nowadays.  I have tried several times to work out some kind of 20-day rotation based around my flamekeeping, but I just can't keep up with an every-day schedule, and I feel like anything less is too little.  So it's a struggle :/.  I do feel like the deities are pretty understanding - it's not like we have a super-close, call me everyday kind of relationship anyway.  It's a different story with my house spirits - if I miss a Thursday, they get cranky!
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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2014, 06:40:40 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

The Hellenic pantheon here. The major Olympians obviously get more attention than all the minor deities.
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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2014, 10:11:30 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?


Eleven, give or take--my entire pantheon. In my case, "working with" means writing about, and that's directly proportional to their role in the mythology.
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

Redfaery

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2014, 06:57:31 am »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

 
My pantheon is an amalgamation of Catholicism and Shinto, with a dash of Japanese Buddhism thrown in. There's also Tonantzin, the indigenous Mexican Mother Earth, whom I honor in the form of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Mainly I honor the Madonna (the Catholic Virgin Mary) and Tonantzin/the Virgin of Guadalupe. I'd like to get an icon of Jesus to use, but they all seem to be of the same blonde-haired blue-eyed portrayal, which quite frankly pisses me off. That's NOT the Jesus I'm talking about.

From Shinto, I honor Ame no Uzume, a really badass goddess. I also honor Benten and Kichijoten, who both have their roots in Indian Buddhism, ultimately, but became Japanese. I also am looking for the right image for Amaterasu, the Shinto Sun Goddess, but since I want it to be perfect, it's hard.

I don't think it's too many. I just wish I had a better focus on what I'm doing! I go to different gods for different things. The Madonna and Tonantzin are more nurturing, and I tend to appeal to them for comfort in stressful times. Ame no Uzume I pair with St. Michael the Archangel, whenever I feel the need for protection. Kichijoten is a really sexy goddess, but I mostly appeal to her for prosperity, because she's also responsible for ensuring the financial wellbeing of those who appeal to her.

I've also been praying a lot to Benten recently. She's popular with gamblers, but also artists, and I feel like she would be the best to look after my academic interests. She and Kichijoten are both responsible for health and beauty, so sometimes I appeal to them to aid my allergies....

It's a varied pantheon, but it suits my needs quite well.
KARMA: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Louisvillian

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2014, 12:24:49 am »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).

Outside of my periodical Wiccan practice, I am a Hellenistic polytheist. And through that I worship a large number of gods, nature spirits, and household spirits.

Quote
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

I worship the Twelve Olympians through the manner suggested by Hellenion, i.e. each month has a ritual dedicated to one of them.
I worship Pan, Dionysos, and Hekate as patron deities, both in Hellenic and in Wiccan contexts. But both contexts share some elements.
I worship household spirits, ancestor spirits, and nature spirits in a somewhat Hellenistic manner; some Roman elements, if only because the animistic elements in Greek religion are not as well-documented as Roman animism.

AmberHeart

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2014, 11:17:06 am »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?


Well fourteen is probably what you would consider as large. My daily morning ritual includes all of these within its framework. Specific deities tend to 'tap me on the shoulder' as it were when I need to be more aware of Her or Him that day. Together They govern and are interested in everything that as a human being I might do. By govern, I mean that I am more likely to get a response about such and such from certain deities than others. So as I live, They are always there as well even in the most mundane things. Hence I don't consider any time to be outside of prayer or ritual completely. Different from formal ritual of course. They are all included in the Sabbats rites resonating through the mythos that I follow throughout the year. With Esbats, I have followed a lunar calendar of thirteen lunations for many years, each one of which is dedicated to a specific member of my pantheon. The fourteenth of my gods is distinctly solar so He has His own times of the year dedicated to Him.

I do not strive for balance but rather flow as I, my Crafting, the seasons and life itself flow through time. Sometimes the focus is on one deity or several, sometimes all within the Circle.

Amber

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2014, 05:06:31 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

 
I think I work with a fairly sizable bunch of both gods (primarily Minoan and Greek) and angels/demons. My actual practice regarding offerings and rituals, though, is really lax. It is a goal for the year to develop something a little more structured, but at the moment I tend to do things as I feel called to do them.

There is one god, Zagreus, who gets the bulk of my attention. The rest vary in how frequently they pop up, but I would say the second most often is Dionysus. I do some kind of working for some entities a few times a month; others may be once a year, or less.

So basically, if I get nudged, I do something. But I would not call it a balance, since my spiritual life right now feels too chaotic.

Riversend

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2014, 10:51:09 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?


I've encountered a few gods and goddesses since becoming more aware and am in communication with these spirits. I focus mostly on the Celtic Pantheon such as Arawn, Rhiannon, Cernunnos and Brigit. I've also worked with Tyr and Odin, Uriel and Anael and like them as well unless a bad emanation should find me. Most deities will have bad days too and they can be difficult to get along with and sometimes they like to hide their guidance behind convoluted messages at which point I just ignore them or they disturb and frustrate me. Sometimes it helps to call on the other god to help with the problem too.  There has also been several other gods who have passed through as well. I went for a walk the other day and found myself listening to some entity voice his opinions and thought that he was one of my spirit guides for a minute. I'm really wondering how often these entities follow me home. One thing my guides all agree on, if you don't like the entity, tell it to go away.

Nyktelios

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2014, 07:57:44 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

 
I used to, but it got to be way too much for me. It was confusing and I felt like I didn't have much of a focus or foundation. I was following the twelve Olympian gods, plus minor Greek gods, and some Egyptian ones as well. I found that Isis encompassed all of the deities, so honouring her instead of splitting my focus with various deities helped. Eventually I drifted away from culturally-specific deities and now I approach Divinity from a more abstract perspective. Maybe extreme polytheism turned me off a bit, although it may work well for some, and there's nothing inherently wrong with it. My brain just wanted something a little more unified.

My advice would just be to find out where there is some overlap in the deities you follow, and what the underlying connection is when it comes to your gods. As long as you can make sense of your large pantheon in your mind, it shouldn't be a problem.

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2014, 09:24:00 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?
I was just thinking about how many persoanly Gods & Goddesses that I honor an worship. I honor the Celtic Gods Beli, Amaethon, Nodens, an Arawn! The Goddesses that I worship are Don and Cerridwen! It's always a fun time at my house when I have rituals.
"In Hell, everybody loves popcorn."

HarpingHawke

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2014, 12:48:29 am »
Quote from: Cryfder;156015
I was just thinking about how many persoanly Gods & Goddesses that I honor an worship. I honor the Celtic Gods Beli, Amaethon, Nodens, an Arawn! The Goddesses that I worship are Don and Cerridwen! It's always a fun time at my house when I have rituals.

 
Hah! Sounds like it.
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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2014, 07:55:20 pm »
Quote from: HarpingHawke;139018
So, I was wondering: do any of you worship/work with a large amount of gods? (I would consider large to be 5 or more, but whatever you think is a big amount is fine).
If so, how do you balance the ritual/worship/prayer time?

 
Prioritizing.

Last time I counted, I worship 25 individual deities, plus divine groups (e.g. ancestors) and six heroes, but not all receive offerings and prayers with the same regularity. I address some everyday, make formal offerings to a few one to three times per month, but most I worship just once or twice a year. And I'm talking about formal ceremonies and such. Informal tributes have no set date and can happen at any time , but those are short moments and do not take more than one or two minutes.

It's an issue of choosing which gods are more important and focus more on those.

Redfaery

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Re: Large Pantheons
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2014, 03:06:07 am »
Quote from: Redfaery;139711
I've also been praying a lot to Benten recently..

 
This was one of my first posts. My, how things have changed...:D: Benzaiten-sama rules the roost. I sure got her attention!

So my pantheon isn't so big anymore. Mostly because I found focus...Before, I was stumbling around and trying to figure out "what the heck am I doing???" But Benzaiten was like, "here honey, let me help you with that."

I'm considering relationships with a few other gods. Loki pops in and out. The Virgin of Guadalupe is still someone I talk to when I want to help a friend, and I'm always up for hangin' with locus genii (just struck up a friendship with the local KMart the other day, actually). But for me, my main focus is, and pretty much always will be, Benzaiten-sama.
KARMA: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

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