collapse

* Recent Posts

"Christ Is King" by Altair
[Today at 01:09:34 am]


Re: Cill Shift Schedule by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:04:57 pm]


Re: Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 11:21:37 pm]


Re: Spring Has Sprung! 2024 Edition by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 10:24:10 pm]


Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by Altair
[March 21, 2024, 02:52:34 pm]

Author Topic: Finding Deities to Honor  (Read 2755 times)

Aimo

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Finding Deities to Honor
« on: April 28, 2013, 08:42:50 am »
I was raised in a semi-religious Catholic family. However I never felt I belonged within Catholicism and I was always searching for something more. I began looking into Wicca in my mid teens, although Wicca itself did not resonate with me all that much, I liked the idea of a God and Goddess and I embraced Duotheism as my belief.

However, last year I began to get this sudden urge to expand my knowledge within the Pagan realm and I've spent the last two months or so trying to find the deities that resonate with me. Being Irish and growing up with Irish mythology, I decided to look there, however I was dissapointed to find that not a single one of the gods resonated with me at all. Having always loved Egyptian art since I was very young, I decided to possibly look within the Kemetic gods. However after hours of reading mythology and books about Egyptian religion, gods and culture none of the gods spoke to me in the way I'd hoped, they felt very distant from me. I got a very similar vibe from the Hellenic gods also. I've done some meditating on it but I'm not getting much and I've tried praying to individual gods for them to give me a sign if it's them, so far...absolutely nothing.

I know that there are plenty of other gods from different cultures out there but I'm not sure on what to do next. They were the only three cultures I have always had a soft spot for. I don't personally think an entire pantheon would call to me. I'm quite eclectic by nature, however if an entire pantheon did call me, I'd be more than happy.

Does anybody have any ideas of what I could do or try next to find my deities? This also may sound like a stupid question, but how will I "know" when I've found the right deities?

Nyktelios

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 562
  • Total likes: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2013, 06:03:52 pm »
Quote from: Aimo;106954
Does anybody have any ideas of what I could do or try next to find my deities? This also may sound like a stupid question, but how will I "know" when I've found the right deities?

 
My advice would be not to try so hard. Like making friends or finding a romantic partner, it just kind of happens under the right circumstances. Doing the research to expose yourself to different cultures and their pantheons is good, and I would keep doing that, but try not to focus to much on specifically finding the gods you want to honour.

I always felt the most comfortable with Greek deities, though I honour a few Egyptian gods now also. It wasn't really a conscious decision, they just fit in well with my religious worldview. I wanted to honour Celtic gods, as my ancestry is English/Scottish, and everyone seemed to be into Celtic gods when I was starting out, and even in university, the majority of people in the campus pagan society were of a Celtic persuasion. The Greek pantheon was already familiar to me, as it is to most people in the western world, I'm sure. Egyptian gods seemed very strange to me, even though I was always interested in ancient Egyptian civilization. It wasn't for many years that I felt comfortable enough honouring them. Sometimes it takes a deeper understanding and familiarity with a pantheon before being able to honour them, rather than doing a little research and moving on if there isn't an immediate connection (not saying anyone in particular is doing this, I'm just speaking generally). It takes getting to know a culture and its religion before being able to know which one resonates best, but go where your interests lead you.

Breeze

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 249
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2013, 06:41:48 pm »
Quote from: Carnelian;106987
My advice would be not to try so hard. Like making friends or finding a romantic partner, it just kind of happens under the right circumstances. Doing the research to expose yourself to different cultures and their pantheons is good, and I would keep doing that, but try not to focus to much on specifically finding the gods you want to honour.


This.  It is entirely possible to try too hard.  It's kinda like not seeing the forest for the trees.  In my experience these things take time and are very rarely instantaneous.

Something that I find works well for me, beyond learning and talking to deities is to get out and experience their specific spheres of influence.  You could go to the ocean to experience an ocean deity for example.  Feel the energy of the place, go swimming, watch the wildlife in the area, etc.  It's like having a new friend that's really into going to art shows.  It's likely that you're going to go to a couple of art shows with them in order to see what it's all about and have a closer connection with your friend.

Aimo

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2013, 03:02:32 am »
Quote from: Carnelian;106987
My advice would be not to try so hard. Like making friends or finding a romantic partner, it just kind of happens under the right circumstances. Doing the research to expose yourself to different cultures and their pantheons is good, and I would keep doing that, but try not to focus to much on specifically finding the gods you want to honour.

I always felt the most comfortable with Greek deities, though I honour a few Egyptian gods now also. It wasn't really a conscious decision, they just fit in well with my religious worldview. I wanted to honour Celtic gods, as my ancestry is English/Scottish, and everyone seemed to be into Celtic gods when I was starting out, and even in university, the majority of people in the campus pagan society were of a Celtic persuasion. The Greek pantheon was already familiar to me, as it is to most people in the western world, I'm sure. Egyptian gods seemed very strange to me, even though I was always interested in ancient Egyptian civilization. It wasn't for many years that I felt comfortable enough honouring them. Sometimes it takes a deeper understanding and familiarity with a pantheon before being able to honour them, rather than doing a little research and moving on if there isn't an immediate connection (not saying anyone in particular is doing this, I'm just speaking generally). It takes getting to know a culture and its religion before being able to know which one resonates best, but go where your interests lead you.


Yesterday, I decided to try something new. A friend had told me about using Tarot cards to help find my patron deity apparently a lot of gods and goddesses are associated with different Tarot cards so I decided to give it a try. I formed a question in my head about which deity the divine wanted me to honor, I shuffled, laid the cards out and I pulled, the Star Card, which reading the book, I learnt was associated with the Egyptian god, Thoth. I had researched Egyptian deities but Thoth himself never entered my head as a deity I felt close to. I didn't believe it and sort of thought "This is is a bit silly" and decided it wasn't right and forgot about it.

A few hours later I got this strange urge to shuffle the cards again, took a few deep breaths, got the same question in my head, shuffled and laid them out and picked a card and it was the Star Card again! I was amazed.

Do you think Thoth might be calling me? Do you think that a god would try and reach out to a person in that way or could it just be co-incidence? I'd love to hear what you think. :)

Slantse

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 18
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2013, 03:46:25 am »
Quote from: Aimo;107101
Yesterday, I decided to try something new. A friend had told me about using Tarot cards to help find my patron deity apparently a lot of gods and goddesses are associated with different Tarot cards so I decided to give it a try. I formed a question in my head about which deity the divine wanted me to honor, I shuffled, laid the cards out and I pulled, the Star Card, which reading the book, I learnt was associated with the Egyptian god, Thoth. I had researched Egyptian deities but Thoth himself never entered my head as a deity I felt close to. I didn't believe it and sort of thought "This is is a bit silly" and decided it wasn't right and forgot about it.

A few hours later I got this strange urge to shuffle the cards again, took a few deep breaths, got the same question in my head, shuffled and laid them out and picked a card and it was the Star Card again! I was amazed.

Do you think Thoth might be calling me? Do you think that a god would try and reach out to a person in that way or could it just be co-incidence? I'd love to hear what you think. :)

 
Try connecting with Thoth again. If you succeed in multiple attempts, then I would say yes. Have you looked at the Slavic Gods? Lookup Dazhbog. And Good luck with your quest :)

makaros

  • Apprentice
  • ***
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 37
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2013, 02:16:24 pm »
Quote from: Aimo;106954
However, last year I began to get this sudden urge to expand my knowledge within the Pagan realm and I've spent the last two months or so trying to find the deities that resonate with me. Being Irish and growing up with Irish mythology, I decided to look there, however I was dissapointed to find that not a single one of the gods resonated with me at all. Having always loved Egyptian art since I was very young, I decided to possibly look within the Kemetic gods. However after hours of reading mythology and books about Egyptian religion, gods and culture none of the gods spoke to me in the way I'd hoped, they felt very distant from me. I got a very similar vibe from the Hellenic gods also. I've done some meditating on it but I'm not getting much and I've tried praying to individual gods for them to give me a sign if it's them, so far...absolutely nothing.

I know that there are plenty of other gods from different cultures out there but I'm not sure on what to do next. They were the only three cultures I have always had a soft spot for. I don't personally think an entire pantheon would call to me. I'm quite eclectic by nature, however if an entire pantheon did call me, I'd be more than happy.

Does anybody have any ideas of what I could do or try next to find my deities? This also may sound like a stupid question, but how will I "know" when I've found the right deities?


Your journey sounds a lot like mine.  I've been searching off and on for about three years now and a couple of experiences have pushed me toward Norse paganism/Heathenry.  Life happens, though, and my spiritual development has been kind of slow and inconsistent.  For a while I'll have lots of breakthroughs and then settle somewhere.  The main thing is that you're patient, like it's been mentioned here.

I'm glad you feel as though you may have found a connection - you should certainly pursue it!  I've personally never used Tarot cards preferring visualization and meditation, but you should certainly pursue whatever leads you feel you have.  And remember, even if this experience doesn't produce something "real" (you'll know when it's real), it leads to somewhere else.  The absolute most important thing, in my opinion, is to let go of preconceptions and what you think should be happening.  Just let it flow.  Read myths/lore, research, learn, and let the less tangible aspects of this journey roll through you.  :)

veggiewolf

  • Adept Member
  • ********
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 3105
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2013, 09:35:11 am »
Quote from: Aimo;107101
Yesterday, I decided to try something new. A friend had told me about using Tarot cards to help find my patron deity ...

 
How are you defining patron deity?  Are you looking for a deity associated with things you do, like your job, or a hobby, or something?  Or, are you looking for a connected two-way relationship with a deity?

If it is the latter, I want to remind you that this is not a common thing to occur and you might be better off sticking to the former.

If it is the former, someone here can probably give you some ideas if you give us information about what you do/where your interests lie.  For example, do you write or paint?  Do you work in the sciences, or technology, or health care?
Fluid Morality - my spiritual blog
Eating Monsters - my mental health blog

"Religion does not define a deity- it defines the human approach and interpretation of deity." - Juni
"I hate magical thinking in my magic." - Darkhawk
"...a baseball club; a soccer unkindness; a hockey murder; a football team..." - Cecil, Welcome to Night Vale

Grey&Golden

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: May 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2013, 08:12:54 pm »
Quote from: Aimo;106954

Does anybody have any ideas of what I could do or try next to find my deities? This also may sound like a stupid question, but how will I "know" when I've found the right deities?

 
I agree with the others about not trying too hard. Connecting with the gods should be a natural process, and like any relationship, it needs to gradually build up. I confess I didn't have this issue myself since I fell in with the hellenic pantheon almost immediately, but actually getting close to specific gods took time, and eventually, I felt their presence when I was least expecting it. Interestingly, it wasn't the gods that I "wanted" to get close to, I had favourites in the pantheon that I focused on, but it ended up being ones I didn't expect that I ended up getting personal signs from and thus got my patron deity unexpectantly (I'm not too fond of the term "patron deity" to be honest, I'd refer to it as simply a god that I'm a devoted follower of.)

My suggestion is to keep reading of the different deities and pantheons, and let your searching rest a bit, and see if anything comes to you instead of you forcing your way onto them. Perhaps your experience with the Tarot cards are sending you in the right direction with Thoth, but don't hold onto that too tightly, keep your mind open still since you are still new and searching.

Aimo

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2013, 08:21:38 pm »
Quote from: veggiewolf;107208
How are you defining patron deity?  Are you looking for a deity associated with things you do, like your job, or a hobby, or something?  Or, are you looking for a connected two-way relationship with a deity?

If it is the latter, I want to remind you that this is not a common thing to occur and you might be better off sticking to the former.

If it is the former, someone here can probably give you some ideas if you give us information about what you do/where your interests lie.  For example, do you write or paint?  Do you work in the sciences, or technology, or health care?


I'm a Reiki pracitioner and Massage Therapist, so I was looking to maybe have deities that maybe correspond to that type of work.

ecotopian

  • Apprentice
  • ***
  • Join Date: Mar 2013
  • Posts: 21
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2013, 04:38:04 pm »
Quote from: Aimo;107728
I'm a Reiki pracitioner and Massage Therapist, so I was looking to maybe have deities that maybe correspond to that type of work.

 
Have you looked at the gods and goddesses of healing, like Apollo?  Or are you drawn to another pantheon?

Aimo

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2013, 11:58:57 pm »
Quote from: ecotopian;107977
Have you looked at the gods and goddesses of healing, like Apollo?  Or are you drawn to another pantheon?


I have looked at healing deities. I looked at Apollo but did not get much from him. Can you recommend any others I could look at?

Tamina

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Location: Eastern Connecticut
  • Posts: 181
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2013, 02:50:44 am »
Quote from: Aimo;108026
I have looked at healing deities. I looked at Apollo but did not get much from him. Can you recommend any others I could look at?

 
Here is a wiki list of healing Dieties from all pantheons. I know it's not the best resource, but it's a starting point. There are a lot of interesting Gods and Goddesses on this list!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_health_deities

Aimo

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 17
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2013, 06:42:02 am »
Quote from: Tamina;108039
Here is a wiki list of healing Dieties from all pantheons. I know it's not the best resource, but it's a starting point. There are a lot of interesting Gods and Goddesses on this list!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_health_deities


Thank you for the link. :)

Another question, do you think it is okay to honor a number of different deities from different pantheons but from the same sphere of influence at the same time? In my case, Healing/medicine, for example honoring Greek Apollo, Nordic Eir and Hindu Dhanvantari at the same time?

Tamina

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Location: Eastern Connecticut
  • Posts: 181
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Finding Deities to Honor
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2013, 09:14:47 am »
Quote from: Aimo;108159
Thank you for the link. :)

Another question, do you think it is okay to honor a number of different deities from different pantheons but from the same sphere of influence at the same time? In my case, Healing/medicine, for example honoring Greek Apollo, Nordic Eir and Hindu Dhanvantari at the same time?

 
I personally work with Hecate, who was known all over Europe but is considered part if the Greek Pantheon, Ares from there also, Brighid who is Celtic, and Odin from The Norse Pantheon. :)

I'm a hard polytheist so it's not a problem for me. Also, in my UPG they all get along and share some qualities. :)

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
22 Replies
6957 Views
Last post October 17, 2013, 12:03:17 pm
by zamotcr
8 Replies
2532 Views
Last post April 23, 2013, 01:41:08 am
by Zanze
16 Replies
4894 Views
Last post January 07, 2015, 04:29:34 pm
by Jainarayan
2 Replies
1177 Views
Last post September 22, 2017, 05:47:22 pm
by MadZealot
7 Replies
2694 Views
Last post February 06, 2020, 06:33:16 pm
by Yei

Beginner Area

Warning: You are currently in a Beginner Friendly area of the message board.

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 171
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 0

There aren't any users online.

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal