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Author Topic: Nameless gods  (Read 1555 times)

Snowdrop

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Nameless gods
« on: December 12, 2012, 02:10:54 pm »
How would/do you work with gods about whom very little is known?  

These could be gods whose names are known but little more.  (For instance Cernunnos.)  

Or gods who have some details known about them but not Their names.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the Mayan gods fall into this category?)  

Or, of course, gods about whom almost nothing is known.  (Like Minoan Snake Goddess or any of the so-called mother goddesses from the Neolithic.)  

What would or do you call the nameless deities?  How would you even start working with the more obscure ones?  If you were suddenly thwapped by, say, a nameless god from Bronze Age Ukraine (or wherever and whenever), how would you respond?  How would you go about worshiping a figure about whom you knew nothing?

SkySamuelle

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2012, 02:54:31 pm »
Quote from: Snowdrop;84418
How would/do you work with gods about whom very little is known?  

These could be gods whose names are known but little more.  (For instance Cernunnos.)  

Or gods who have some details known about them but not Their names.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the Mayan gods fall into this category?)  

Or, of course, gods about whom almost nothing is known.  (Like Minoan Snake Goddess or any of the so-called mother goddesses from the Neolithic.)  

What would or do you call the nameless deities?  How would you even start working with the more obscure ones?  If you were suddenly thwapped by, say, a nameless god from Bronze Age Ukraine (or wherever and whenever), how would you respond?  How would you go about worshiping a figure about whom you knew nothing?

 
I would let the deity doing the thwapping give me information, I would be open to what I get about them intuitively during journeying/meditation.

The approach in this case wouldn't be that different from what I would do while engaging with a known deity, except I should be orienting my search toward the direct source than toward scholarly works. The downside would be that I wouldn't be able to crosscheck any UPG but some times, not being able of relying on outside info, even only for awhile, that can be an asset too - you lack conditioning prejudices about that deity/spirit and you are forced to pay more attention from angles you would otherwise neglect.
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Maps

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2012, 02:56:20 pm »
Quote from: Snowdrop;84418
(Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the Mayan gods fall into this category?)

 
Lots of them actually fall into all 3 categories.

I honor two twin gods of the arts as occupational patrons, but I don't know much more about them other than their highland names, and their small part in the (again, highland) creation epic. And yet, they've been very good to me. There was a period of a few months where I spent a lot of time researching and meditating on a certain old underworld god whose name is completely unknown and whose lore only seems to have survived on pottery. That was interesting also.

It's possible, and for me it's actually quite doable since I don't look to form personal patronages or relationships like others seek to do. I think this sort of thing is definitely easier if you've got a more intermittent, barter-based arrangement. They have a function, you have a need, X is required in exchange for your Y. It certainly helps to know as many details as possible, but it's not necessary especially if other parts of the cultural praxis are known and duplicable.

Sarkana-night

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2012, 04:36:38 pm »
Quote from: Snowdrop;84418

Or, of course, gods about whom almost nothing is known.  (Like Minoan Snake Goddess or any of the so-called mother goddesses from the Neolithic.)  

 
I don't work with her as a diety, if you could even call her that. Many scholars doubt that she is a goddess, because there is a posibility that she could be some kind of queen instead. But goddess or queen, I like her misterious story. Especially after seeing lot pictures from Crete and Thera, where a friend of mine went in May.:D:

Fireof9

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2012, 07:21:31 pm »
Quote from: Snowdrop;84418
How would/do you work with gods about whom very little is known?  

These could be gods whose names are known but little more.  (For instance Cernunnos.)  

Or gods who have some details known about them but not Their names.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the Mayan gods fall into this category?)  

Or, of course, gods about whom almost nothing is known.  (Like Minoan Snake Goddess or any of the so-called mother goddesses from the Neolithic.)  

What would or do you call the nameless deities?  How would you even start working with the more obscure ones?  If you were suddenly thwapped by, say, a nameless god from Bronze Age Ukraine (or wherever and whenever), how would you respond?  How would you go about worshiping a figure about whom you knew nothing?

 
Well I have that with Flidais. So what happens is that you try to learn from the deity itself. Its a good exercise in dealing with how much your ego can stand. Because if you actually learn something from them about themselves you are better off keeping it to yourself because 90% of the time if you try to tell anyone what you have learned - your UPG - you are gonna get jumped on for it not being out of lore.  That in itself is fair enough, because there is a certain percentage of people that come up with some pretty wacky stuff. Still its kinda rough keeping it to yourself at times.
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Juniperberry

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2012, 07:51:38 pm »
Quote from: Fireof9;84456
Still its kinda rough keeping it to yourself at times.

 
Right. I mean, I don't mind sharing UPG, but I do have difficulties expressing the specifics.

OP, I'm agnostic when it comes to the great gods, but I do believe in ancestral gods/spirits. What I tend to do is look at how something similar has been viewed before, and use that as a jumping off point. In Germany they worshipped local mother deities, and gave them names that were often related to function or experience-- Fast-Healer and Beyond-the-Wood being two examples. They weren't concerned with it being a universal/all-mother type god since they only concerned themselves with their actual experience of it. This is how I've approached it as well. One female disir I call Fence-Jumper and I don't worry about what she might be to other people. I'll look at methods of worship, function, and interaction from other similar experiences and see what I'm comfortable with, and then just stay open to new experiences with her.
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EarthStar

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2012, 08:59:20 pm »
Quote from: Snowdrop;84418
How would/do you work with gods about whom very little is known?  

These could be gods whose names are known but little more.  (For instance Cernunnos.)  

Or gods who have some details known about them but not Their names.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the Mayan gods fall into this category?)  

Or, of course, gods about whom almost nothing is known.  (Like Minoan Snake Goddess or any of the so-called mother goddesses from the Neolithic.)  

What would or do you call the nameless deities?  How would you even start working with the more obscure ones?  If you were suddenly thwapped by, say, a nameless god from Bronze Age Ukraine (or wherever and whenever), how would you respond?  How would you go about worshiping a figure about whom you knew nothing?


I have had deities come to me during meditation whom have not actually told me who they are, and here the research comes in; look at what they were wearing, if any particular colour aura surrounded them, were they holding anything, what sort of feelings did their presence evoke in you, etc, any characteristics. Hopefully through research, you will know when you have hit upon the right deity, usually in one of those intuitive 'i just know!' moments. At least, that's how it has always been for me.

Otherwise i would also recommend meditation and journeying, and not only that but praying and talking to the deity, asking for clues or signs, or sometimes an answer outright; i had one deity who was clearly a bit peeved that i didn't realize who she was straight away and so pretty much yelled it at me.

I've always found identifying deities to be exciting and rewarding; i like challenges :)

Snowdrop

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Re: Nameless gods
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2012, 07:49:22 pm »
Quote from: Maps;84421

I honor two twin gods of the arts as occupational patrons, but I don't know much more about them other than their highland names, and their small part in the (again, highland) creation epic. And yet, they've been very good to me. There was a period of a few months where I spent a lot of time researching and meditating on a certain old underworld god whose name is completely unknown and whose lore only seems to have survived on pottery. That was interesting also.

 
Do you consider the highland traditions on Them valid?  Or is it a question that doesn't really interest you either way?  

And what form of address do you use when making offerings to these gods since you don't know Their names?  (Or is that not really an issue in Mayan practice?)

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