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Author Topic: God requesting I study a different pantheon?  (Read 2016 times)

Ashmire

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God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« on: May 27, 2017, 02:31:19 am »
I hope there is not a rule against quoting my own introduction post, but I often struggle with words and figured it was more important to get something down here or I never will. So the below is my basic situation:

Over the past two or three years, I had felt like my focus was narrowing in towards one primary pantheon, but now (unless, I'm, you know, just nuts), I am being told by one of my major deities, effectively "Yes, you're one of mine pretty much, but I actually don't want you to dedicate and in fact need you to take some time off and follow this other deity of a completely unrelated pantheon for awhile".  Which seems a bit weird even for UPG, but okay, this stuff can be a little  weird.

There are some deities whom this kind of interaction amongst them wouldn't surprise me too much...but we are talking about *Thor* asking me to follow *Aset* ( who in turn, based on some dream images and me basically poking at things to see what feelings come up, also thinks I should probably at some point work with Serqet and Wepwawet).   I get the idea it will still be okay for me to acknowledge my Norse gods( who are the only ones of my known ancestry to make me feel welcome at all) and I may eventually return more seriously to that path, but it isn't to be my primary focus for the time being, and I actually kind​ of feel that as a deep, sudden internal shift that my intellect isn't prepared for.  I'm not even sure I really have a question, exactly, I just feel kind of vaguely like Dorothy arriving in Oz and feel the need to check in with other pagans.

Sobekemiti

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2017, 05:41:38 am »
I hope there is not a rule against quoting my own introduction post, but I often struggle with words and figured it was more important to get something down here or I never will. So the below is my basic situation:

There are some deities whom this kind of interaction amongst them wouldn't surprise me too much...but we are talking about *Thor* asking me to follow *Aset* ( who in turn, based on some dream images and me basically poking at things to see what feelings come up, also thinks I should probably at some point work with Serqet and Wepwawet).   I get the idea it will still be okay for me to acknowledge my Norse gods( who are the only ones of my known ancestry to make me feel welcome at all) and I may eventually return more seriously to that path, but it isn't to be my primary focus for the time being, and I actually kind​ of feel that as a deep, sudden internal shift that my intellect isn't prepared for.  I'm not even sure I really have a question, exactly, I just feel kind of vaguely like Dorothy arriving in Oz and feel the need to check in with other pagans.

Yeah, I've had this happen before. Sobek sent me off to Hekate, because there were things only she could teach me. It happens. Aset also suggested I should work with Aphrodite, and I resisted that for a long time before I finally caved and discovered she is amazing. 

If Thor is sending you to Aset, I would just embrace it and see where it takes you. It may be that Aset has things to teach you that Thor can't, and that you have other work to do with the Egyptian gods before you are ready to dedicate to Thor. I can't say whether contacting the Norse gods while working with the Egyptians would be okay, you'd need to ask your gods about that.
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

Darkhawk

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2017, 12:27:13 pm »
I'm not even sure I really have a question, exactly, I just feel kind of vaguely like Dorothy arriving in Oz and feel the need to check in with other pagans.

Had an exchange with Set at one point that went something like:

"Kid, you're broken."
"I know."
"You're not going to find what you need among Kemetics."
"Okay, then what do you think I should do?"
"Study Feri."
"Well I can see why you like it."

And then I went and did my research.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

SunflowerP

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2017, 07:06:28 pm »
I hope there is not a rule against quoting my own introduction post, but I often struggle with words and figured it was more important to get something down here or I never will.

No, no rule against it! Particularly not in this case, because you did it just right (the trackback goes to your intro thread, just as it should).

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Ashmire

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2017, 02:40:43 am »

If Thor is sending you to Aset, I would just embrace it and see where it takes you. It may be that Aset has things to teach you that Thor can't, and that you have other work to do with the Egyptian gods before you are ready to dedicate to Thor.

I suppose I can see that.   From what I have been reading, she is associated with guile and eloquence in some contexts, and femininity---all things I struggle with to a sometimes damaging degree in our modern society that so heavily values (IMO usually over-values) these things.  You can't fix every problem with a hammer, no matter how emotionally satisfying it is to try, so maybe I am meant to learn other approaches before (metaphorically or otherwise) being allowed to go about smiting everyone with Mjollnir. 

I suppose I might be less resistant if not for having been an early 90s Goth girl, so that "worshipping Egyptian gods" is associated in my mind with "walking cliche".  They certainly are beautiful to look at, though! 

As for Serket and Wepwawet...the associations coming most notably to mind are embarrassingly punny and I hope not too irreverent-sounding, as I am currently dealing with a health crisis involving bowel stoppage due to spinal stenosis...Hence Protector of the intestines and Opener Of Ways?  :o

    OTOH, canids seem to be important spirit animals​ for me, and I also have something​ of an interest in arachnology, which includes scorpions as well as spiders. ( I've always thought their stingers were a particularly beautiful shape.) So maybe it's not just that.

Sobekemiti

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2017, 02:58:28 am »
I suppose I can see that.   From what I have been reading, she is associated with guile and eloquence in some contexts, and femininity---all things I struggle with to a sometimes damaging degree in our modern society that so heavily values (IMO usually over-values) these things.  You can't fix every problem with a hammer, no matter how emotionally satisfying it is to try, so maybe I am meant to learn other approaches before (metaphorically or otherwise) being allowed to go about smiting everyone with Mjollnir. 

I suppose I might be less resistant if not for having been an early 90s Goth girl, so that "worshipping Egyptian gods" is associated in my mind with "walking cliche".  They certainly are beautiful to look at, though! 

As for Serket and Wepwawet...the associations coming most notably to mind are embarrassingly punny and I hope not too irreverent-sounding, as I am currently dealing with a health crisis involving bowel stoppage due to spinal stenosis...Hence Protector of the intestines and Opener Of Ways?  :o

    OTOH, canids seem to be important spirit animals​ for me, and I also have something​ of an interest in arachnology, which includes scorpions as well as spiders. ( I've always thought their stingers were a particularly beautiful shape.) So maybe it's not just that.

If it helps, I resisted working with Aphrodite for a long time for similar issues with feminitity (and being nonbinary) even though Aset insisted, until I finally gave in. What changed my mind was going to devotions to Her as a goddess of Syria, to stop the war there, an aspect of Her I hadn't ever known about before. and it opened me up to Aphrodite, and She's wonderful. Sometimes, you just need to see the right face to understand why a god might be calling to you.

Aset is associated with kingship, the dead, shapeshifting, magic, cunning, sovereignty, and the fertility of the land. She is also a protector of children, and a healer. She may show any of these faces to you, or maybe another one, depending on what you need.

Aset can be quite ... She can have high standards, but She's not a bully, She just wants the best for you. She'll work with you, because She's the throne, and She helps you stand on your own two feet. Her methods are much softer, much more subtle than, yes, hitting things with a hammer, or using Set's more chaotic methods of change. But She is worth working with, and sometimes, you need to know how to change and bend things to your will, rather than just smash things out of your way.

I think those are totally appropriate reasons to call on Serqet and Wepwawet. You might also want to consider calling on Djehuty or Sekhmet (or even Aset) too if you need healing. And if there's something deeper there, well, I'm sure They'll let you know.
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

Jainarayan

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Re: God requesting I study a different pantheon?
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2017, 01:43:27 pm »
I hope there is not a rule against quoting my own introduction post, but I often struggle with words and figured it was more important to get something down here or I never will. So the below is my basic situation:

There are some deities whom this kind of interaction amongst them wouldn't surprise me too much...but we are talking about *Thor* asking me to follow *Aset* ( who in turn, based on some dream images and me basically poking at things to see what feelings come up, also thinks I should probably at some point work with Serqet and Wepwawet).   I get the idea it will still be okay for me to acknowledge my Norse gods( who are the only ones of my known ancestry to make me feel welcome at all) and I may eventually return more seriously to that path, but it isn't to be my primary focus for the time being, and I actually kind​ of feel that as a deep, sudden internal shift that my intellect isn't prepared for.  I'm not even sure I really have a question, exactly, I just feel kind of vaguely like Dorothy arriving in Oz and feel the need to check in with other pagans.

While Hinduism is technically not pagan, because many of us are polytheists (but I could write a book on that one  :P) I'll jump in.

I've experienced the same thing with Krishna, Thor and Hanuman. I need to add that almost none of the Hindu gods are jealous. How can God be jealous of Him/Herself (oops, there's that book on Hindu polytheism again! :D). Thor is not jealous either. He's too rowdy, loud, boisterous and busy to be jealous of anything or anyone. Hanuman is pretty chill and a bit mischievous too, though Krishna has the copyright on mischievous.

Anyway, my experience... I left Hinduism for about a year or two, becoming disillusioned by by the internet Hindu ponga-pundits. Basically they are those who anoint themselves the keepers of Hindu Dogma (psst... there is no Hindu dogma or central doctrine). I became Heathen/Ásatrú for that time, feeling called by Thor. I think it was a matter of him saying "OK, I'll take you in since you don't have a home".

Now, going back to Krishna, who is my ishta-devata (chosen, personal deity), he says in the Bhagavad Gita 7.21-22 "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone."  Another translation has it similarly "As soon as one desires to worship the demigods, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to some particular deity. Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone."

Sooooo... he let me go to Thor, then when I felt the calling back to Hinduism, Thor let me go. Though I still revere Thor and occasionally offer a cold one (actually I prefer them warm, I think he does too), as well as a candle and incense, or some other thing.

So yeah, I think the gods tend to pass us around, usually for our own benefit or learning.

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