How to know which deity to worship

[broomstick]

How do I know which God/Goddess I am supposed to worship? I feel like most on this forum have one or a few select deities that they seem to spend more time worshiping than others. How did you know?

[RandallS]

How do I know which God/Goddess I am supposed to worship? I feel like most on this forum have one or a few select deities that they seem to spend more time worshiping than others. How did you know?

For most people, it takes time and effort: reading about very pantheons and deities and seeing which ones seem to either be important in your life or call to you in some other way.

[Shine]

How do I know which God/Goddess I am supposed to worship? I feel like most on this forum have one or a few select deities that they seem to spend more time worshiping than others. How did you know?

 
I second Randall. Pick a pantheon or a couple of deities who interest you the most and read up on everything you can about them. If you find a deity you feel really drawn to, research the ancient and modern traditions that surround him or her to see what offerings, rites, prayers, etc. he or she likes.

I think you'll know when you've come to the door of the right deity. I don't know how to explain it, but you'll know.

[Nachtigall]

How do I know which God/Goddess I am supposed to worship? I feel like most on this forum have one or a few select deities that they seem to spend more time worshiping than others. How did you know?

 
Pretty much agree with what was said above. Pick a pantheon. Don't make any major commitments yet. Instead, learn what its main deities are, and why exactly they are important; learn how they were perceived and how they were worshiped. Then, if you wish, you may to choose one or several deities to focus on, either because of a personal calling, or because they are most strongly connected with things important to you.

[Darkhawk]

How do I know which God/Goddess I am supposed to worship? I feel like most on this forum have one or a few select deities that they seem to spend more time worshiping than others. How did you know?

 
There is no "supposed to".  There is only what works for you (and, if you wind up being the sort of person who has some level of two-way communication, the entities you're dealing with).

Ideas on where to start:

* What mythological stories are of particular interest to you?  Are there any entities that catch your attention in them?

* What deities are related to your ethnic heritage?  A lot of people find that this is a way of narrowing down things, though many don't wind up with heritage affiliations.

* What deities are patrons of your profession, particularly important hobbies, and other interests?

[Shine]

Don't make any major commitments yet.

 
(Bolding mine.)

This is an important point to keep in mind unless you are one hundred percent, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die certain about X (X being whatever committment). And then don't be surprised if you're wrong about X and you're directed to Y or Z.

I did this with Asatru. I was going to make a fairly substantial dedication to one of the gods for a short period of time. I'm glad I was lucky enough to be turned toward Bast.

I would be a terrible Asatruar. :whis:

[Ladywhitewolf]

There is no "supposed to".  There is only what works for you (and, if you wind up being the sort of person who has some level of two-way communication, the entities you're dealing with).

Whichever deity [or pantheon] you decide to worship or honor is all up to you.  It does take time.   I had to read many books and look online to find which ones I felt a connection to.

[Wooden Star]

There is no "supposed to".  There is only what works for you (and, if you wind up being the sort of person who has some level of two-way communication, the entities you're dealing with).

Ideas on where to start:

* What mythological stories are of particular interest to you?  Are there any entities that catch your attention in them?

* What deities are related to your ethnic heritage?  A lot of people find that this is a way of narrowing down things, though many don't wind up with heritage affiliations.

* What deities are patrons of your profession, particularly important hobbies, and other interests?

Not to take over the thread but I have a quick question.

How do I find out what deities are patrons of my hobbies, is that simply a google type thing? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

[Amethyst]

Not to take over the thread but I have a quick question.

How do I find out what deities are patrons of my hobbies, is that simply a google type thing? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

 
Not a dumb question! It's mostly a google thing, but the God Checker website has a search engine that works via attributes. The website isn't very detailed and they might not have what hobbies you do, but it's a good starting point.

[Wooden Star]

Not a dumb question! It's mostly a google thing, but the God Checker website has a search engine that works via attributes. The website isn't very detailed and they might not have what hobbies you do, but it's a good starting point.

Thanks! I'll check that out right now.