Patron Gods & Disability

[Fireof9]

Hi, I'm new here and I've been wondering something for a while now. While I'm not necessarily Pagan, I do have an interest in it and mythology in general. Doing some research I've found that one of my patrons might be Loki. The idea of patron Gods is interesting to me as I'm disabled (cerebral palsy) and was wondering hypothetically how Loki would take to being the patron of a disabled female.

I've been told it's actually a very good match (as Loki had to overcome a lot of challenges in mythology. )

Just a topic for discussion. What do you think? Thanks.

 

Seems to me Loki has been a very busy boy lately. Seems like every other post has something to do with him.

Welcome by the way Nerdie ( weird to call someone that and not get yelled at )
Here is my question to you. Would you want a relationship with a deity that has a problem with your CP? I have a personal bias about Loki so I will not even attempt to speak to him being a good fit for you. But if he did have a problem with it, my advice would be not to abandon the Gods because of it. There are many that would not have an issue.

[Mesquite]

Haha, that does sound an awful lot like Her. I also suspect that being at "the peak of your condition" (physical or otherwise) means something different to the gods than it does to us. At least, the impression I've gotten is it doesn't matter if I have a lot of lower back pain or I've lost a lot of mental spoons, what matters is what I do with the daylight I've been given. Have I done what I can to make the world better, or at least not screw it up more? Awesome. Means 10000x more than someone who's fitter and more mentally stable than me who just sits around flexing in front of mirrors. Or whatever it is fit people do. /grin

 
Echoing what Sage said...

Deities might not look at disabilities (and what's a "defect") the same way we do or our culture does.  What is considered a disability among humans changes based on time and place.  So I suspect many Gods would look at your physical state from their own perspective, which leaves an awful lot of room not to have a problem with it.

[Lokabrenna]

Echoing what Sage said...

Deities might not look at disabilities (and what's a "defect") the same way we do or our culture does.  What is considered a disability among humans changes based on time and place.  So I suspect many Gods would look at your physical state from their own perspective, which leaves an awful lot of room not to have a problem with it.

I'm a woman with CP myself, and my deities don't seem to care.
In fact, I've only heard of one instance where someone felt that a particular deity "didn't work with" people with disabilities, and they found it difficult to deal with her because of it. That is their experience, though, and I've never gotten any particularly bad vibes from the deity in question (Skadi).

[Akyana]

Hi, I'm new here and I've been wondering something for a while now. While I'm not necessarily Pagan, I do have an interest in it and mythology in general. Doing some research I've found that one of my patrons might be Loki. The idea of patron Gods is interesting to me as I'm disabled (cerebral palsy) and was wondering hypothetically how Loki would take to being the patron of a disabled female.

I've been told it's actually a very good match (as Loki had to overcome a lot of challenges in mythology. )

Just a topic for discussion. What do you think? Thanks.

 I have heard also Odin (as He Himself had just one eye after the sacrifice) is a patron for disabled people.

[Varian]

Just a topic for discussion. What do you think? Thanks.

 
Morrigan and Anpu don't care about my vision problems and They want to help me heal from my mental ones.  I'm worthy of honoring Them, and knowing that has already made a huge difference in how I see myself.

[Leanan Sidhe]

Hi, I'm new here and I've been wondering something for a while now. While I'm not necessarily Pagan, I do have an interest in it and mythology in general. Doing some research I've found that one of my patrons might be Loki. The idea of patron Gods is interesting to me as I'm disabled (cerebral palsy) and was wondering hypothetically how Loki would take to being the patron of a disabled female.

I've been told it's actually a very good match (as Loki had to overcome a lot of challenges in mythology. )

Just a topic for discussion. What do you think? Thanks.

 
Well, I don't work with Loki, but I do have a learning disability. My mental and emotional states can be kind of whimsical, and lately, I had physical health problems that are now getting managed. My Gods have never had a problem with me having any of them, or stopped working with me because of them. To the contrary, several of them have helped me cope with those issues and deal with them.

That's just my UPG, but still.

[missgraceless]

Hi, I'm new here and I've been wondering something for a while now. While I'm not necessarily Pagan, I do have an interest in it and mythology in general. Doing some research I've found that one of my patrons might be Loki. The idea of patron Gods is interesting to me as I'm disabled (cerebral palsy) and was wondering hypothetically how Loki would take to being the patron of a disabled female.

I've been told it's actually a very good match (as Loki had to overcome a lot of challenges in mythology. )

Just a topic for discussion. What do you think? Thanks.

My patron Quan Yin couldn't give a rat's ass (excuse my French) if you're disabled or not. She is, after all, the Goddess of Compassion. Or bodhisattva, depending on your views. I've got several mental issues, including depression and bipolar disorder. She's helped me through some of my lows, and other times left me alone to figure my own stuff out.

Unfortunately, She won't help you if you don't want to be helped. I've asked Her to help my mom with her depression and everything else, but She said no, because my mom doesn't want to get better.

[ALiteraryLady]

I'm a woman with CP myself, and my deities don't seem to care.
In fact, I've only heard of one instance where someone felt that a particular deity "didn't work with" people with disabilities, and they found it difficult to deal with her because of it. That is their experience, though, and I've never gotten any particularly bad vibes from the deity in question (Skadi).

 
I've heard that about Skadi as well, I don't get that feeling from her. I think it could have been in that specific instance the whole giantness-skiing-intense thing that people love to associate her with (and lore does support it to an extent) without seeing that she also with her winter associations and her mountainsides allows people to explore themselves in a comfortable setting. Her whole relationship with Njord didn't work because she was away from her comfort zone and wasn't allowed to be herself. I think with that in mind, I'd make a case that she could be a deity to comfort someone with disabilities because (while I'm not disabled, so take this with a grain of salt) she gives a feeling of being able to sort out yourself before you go out into the world and explore (or ski in her case). Just my thoughts on the matter.

[PhantomQueen]

It's hard for me to properly comment because on the one hand I don't want to talk for the gods, but on the other I haven't ever heard of a deity rejecting a follower because they had a physical "defect". Doesn't mean it's never happened, and my experiences are more with mental issues than physical ones, but I tend to be attracted to deities who want me to push through or work around my issues and be awesome in my own way.

 
This is how I feel too.  Morrigan has always 'encouraged' me to deal with my barrier and become stronger for it.  At times I feel as if she's dragging me by the hair to start me off and into the thick of it then lets go for me to finish!   I think that if you're willing to do the work to better yourself, some Deity will come forward to help guide you.

[Phouka]

Haha, that does sound an awful lot like Her. I also suspect that being at "the peak of your condition" (physical or otherwise) means something different to the gods than it does to us. At least, the impression I've gotten is it doesn't matter if I have a lot of lower back pain or I've lost a lot of mental spoons, what matters is what I do with the daylight I've been given. Have I done what I can to make the world better, or at least not screw it up more? Awesome. Means 10000x more than someone who's fitter and more mentally stable than me who just sits around flexing in front of mirrors. Or whatever it is fit people do. /grin

I'll agree to a point. Macha (my UPG of course) demanded that I quit smoking and become fitter (not necessarily peak) as a warrior should be able to breath and walk around the block a couple of times without resting. So for me there is some of the get off your bloody arse and MOVE involved. (LOL) But it also meant dealing with my past and putting the final kibosh of the psychological hangups I had with my parents away and reclaiming those portions of my soul that had been held back by said hangups.

So far for me, most of what Macha has demanded is improvement of self, sort of like a clean house so you are ready for the REAL work I have for you.