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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,013,213 |
Question of the Week: 39 - 4/30/2001 Who Are Your Gods? Who are your Gods/Old Ones/Ancestors? Did you choose Them or did They choose you? Do you believe/perceive Them as merely evolved Beings-or are They indeed the all-powerful Masters of the Universe? Do you believe/perceive that Gods/Goddesses/Ancestors/Old Ones are extensions of your higher self, separate and distinct Beings of personality or 'all Gods and Goddesses are One'? In your times of need, do you believe that They can overturn the Laws of Karma/The Fates/The Norns for you? Why do you suppose that some prayers/pleas/invocations are seemingly ignored while others may be answered? Do you feel that the Gods/Ancestors/Old Ones may sometimes 'use' you to accomplish some greater plan than you may be humanly aware of? How do you feel about that? What has been your most powerful, meaningful or life-altering encounter with Them? |
| Reponses: There are 55 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| Bless Be All, I See A Universe The Is A Wonderful And... | May 3rd. at 12:41:36 am EDT |
| Riki Crosado (Christchurch, New Zealand) | Age: 34 - Email |
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Bless be all, I see a universe the is a wonderful and amazing 'life'. We are children of this wonderful 'all'. I see at the top of this 'all' something that is so everything and so nothing, that I can not even think about giving it a name. It is the turning universe and the rolling waves of the sea. Below this I see a body of both male and female energy. I think the best symbol I have ever seen to represent this is the 'Yin-Yang'. Below this thier is a spilt. One line has the 'god' at its head, and the other has the 'Goddess'. below this I see the two ever meeting and changing thier names. The names that we know the gods by. This is so we can understand them. I myself have herne around my neck, but I spend a lot of time thinking about gaia.. |
| My Patron Goddess Is Hecate, And I Have No Dominant Male Figurehead... | May 3rd. at 1:38:54 am EDT |
| Hec8e (Brisbane, Queensland AU) | Age: 19 |
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My patron Goddess is Hecate, and I have no dominant male figurehead. She chose me and although I don't know how far her power stretches I know that I always feel safe because of her. At times she has 'taken over' my body and I feel like a totally differant person. I am strong and invincible and can feel power in me that I know the human body couldnt hold or control. I love and respect her and I think that she watches over me. |
| When I First Began Reading About The Craft, The First Goddess I... | May 3rd. at 12:56:17 pm EDT |
| Monique (Chicago, Illinois US) | Age: 16 |
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When I first began reading about the Craft, the first Goddess I felt closest to was the Strega Aradia, both because of my Italian ancestory and that I admired how skillfully she went about helping pesants discover the beauty of the Old Religion. Through her, I found Diana & Lucifer. Their stories spoke to my heart, and I've worshipped them as the Mother and Father ever since. Every morning when I see the Sun, I feel the healing rays of Lucifer shining down upon me, and whenever I so much as set eyes upon the gorgeous Moon, it is non other than Diana's face I see as I whisper a blessing. I call on this pair for my everyday needs, but when it comes to health emergencies with my loved ones, the Cat Goddess, Bast, has never failed me. Last year my 5-yr-old cat, who is the love of my life, got terribly sick- she wouldn't eat or show any affection. I lit candles & placed her fur & claw clippings at the foot of a statue of Bast. For days I prayed to her that my cat would be healed, and gradually she began to eat again. I feel that Bast lives inside the hearts of all animals, and that she never neglects us when we call upon her. As far as how the gods influence our fate, I believe they use us to accomplish whatever they feel our souls can handle. I actually believe that we do not have much part in destiny; that what happens is usually inevitable. But I do not think the gods are cruel in their choices, and if a burden is too big for us to carry, I believe they will intervene. |
| There Is A Hindu Aphorism That Goes Something Like This: There Are... | May 3rd. at 1:23:35 pm EDT |
| Hill Dwelling Pete (Boston, Massachusetts US) | Age: 34 - Email |
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There is a Hindu aphorism that goes something like this: there are 4 million gods, there is one god, there is no god. My interpretation of this saying: the 4 million gods are the many distinct deities from the different historical pantheons (Greek gods, Aesir, Loa, Celtic gods, etc.), while the one god is the divine energy of which all these gods are manifestations. Saying there is no god in this context means that nothing is really separate from the ultimate totality of the universe. God, the universe, humans, animals, inanimate matter, etc. are all really one thing. It's all a matter of perspective. Personally, I am most drawn to the Olympian gods, because these are the gods I was most exposed to when I was a kid, although I am also drawn to Herne, Holda and the Green Man. I honestly can't say if they have a separate reality from my own consciousness, are part of my mind, or are part of some Ultimate Oneness. It's all a matter of perspective, and my perspective changes all the time. |
| When I Started On This Journey, I Took Some Advice And Meditated... | May 3rd. at 3:25:01 pm EDT |
| Turtlefeather (somewhere, North Carolina US) | Age: 32 - Email |
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When I started on this journey, I took some advice and meditated on my personal god/goddess and symbol. I found myself on the top of the atmosphere looking out at the universe, the stars a brilliant dome all around. A wonderful jolly crone appeared and led me to meet my god/goddess. A young, androdgenous person dressed in white, stood before me in space with arms out to me in an offering. From Her/His hands a silver altar pentacle and a white scarf floated to me. I asked for a name and a beautiful voice said "Kor." Not having done any research on the subject of gods & goddesses, I thought I'd heard wrong. "How is it spelled?" I asked. "K-o-r, pronounced like the center of all things, core." Later I found out that Kore is also known as Persephone, the Spirit of Grain and daughter of Demeter. I was floored! It really worked! I was hooked. I beleive that we are all connected and that our higher selves are manifest in what our imagination can conjure. Gods/Goddesses are not seperate from us humans - we are them and they are us - therefore only we can make things change, with our conscious and subconcious beings. We are on this planet to learn, grow and become better for the trip. Blessed be and may it be for my highest good, and for the highest good of all life everywhere. |
| The Divine In My Life Just {is}! I Do Not Think Of... | May 3rd. at 5:18:01 pm EDT |
| Samantha (Lawrenceville, Georgia US) | Age: 29 - Email |
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The Divine in my life just {is}! I do not think of merely male or female; my God-dess is both. The names and forms of Gods and Goddesses that I call into my life are "personality traits" of my one Supreme God-dess. I feel that even as complex as human communication is, Humanity cannot describe God-dess within the limitations of our language. We therefore assign human appearance and qualities to different aspects of God-dess so that we may worship/ honor within our own limitations. My God-dess does show me a non-human form. There is a thin ribbon of possibility that balances between order and chaos. S/he runs through every particle in the universe. As the ribbon teeters, life and matter is created and destroyed. The energy which is the ribbon retains information of every creation. (Do you see how human language limits description?) As that ribbon teetered through the particles that became me, every creation before me became a part of me. My God-dess is always running through me; I have a symbiotic relationship with that ribbon. Everything I do, eat, breathe, create and destroy leaves its mark on that ribbon. When my body dies, the ribbon has teetered the other way (there is always a duality, isn't there?). The part of the ribbon that has been me will become something or someone else, complete with the information of every creation before it. This is my most life altering encounter (thoughts that occur more often when eating a cheeseburger than when meditating!). It's made me think more often and in deeper ways about where I've been, where I am, and where I going. |
| I Have Been Given To Understand That I Have A Sort Of... | May 3rd. at 5:20:04 pm EDT |
| Nelli (Carmel Valley, California US) | Age: 24 - Email |
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I have been given to understand that I have a sort of unorthodox view of deity, for a witch. This is because I practice some zen buddhism, and am also a scientist; so my spiritual understandings/theories/beliefs are are heaviliy influenced by scientific and zen ways of thinking. that being said... I define divinity as, well, everything. I believe that the universe is infinite (no beginning, no end, encompasses EVERYTHING that is, was and is yet to be), and that the fabric of this infinite existence - the energy, power, force, whatever - is divinity. And that fabric, of course, makes up everything in existence. I think that the concept of The Force as described in Star Wars is a helpfukl model for my idea of divinity. As both a scientist and a witch, the law of return is key for me. As is discussed on TWV homepage this week, the universe balances itself. I believe that anything that seems like fate is simply the universe restoring balance. I believe that prayer is directed energy, only different from a spell in that a Deity is used as a medium or intermediary through which that energy is channeled. Spells and prayers sometimes work and sometimes don't, because in the end, there's a lot more going on than just our need or desire - other forces from other individuals, from past present and future, all come into play. It is only when there are no significant overwhelming opposing forces that spells and prayers work - and I would submit that this is on a continuum, so that the probablility of a successful spell or prayer is inversely proportional to the amount of opposing force. And this is a huge conversation, so I think I'll stop - anyone who is curious about more detail is welcome to email me. I believe that Gods/Goddesses are thoughtforms that are created, sustained and strengthened by their followers. I am ambivalent about whether these thoughtforms might take on an identity separate from their creators. I also see Gods/Goddesses as archetypes that can help my focus my energy, or give me comfort or something to contemplate. My most powerful encounter with divinity was rather simple, in retrospect - I was at a local beach just after a huge winter storm. Most of the sand on the beach had been washed away, exposing these enormous sediment formations; and the waves were still very high and strong, and the sky was stormy. As I sat there, I suddenly realized both the vast size and the incredible age of our planet, which has seen waves crashing and storms raging for over 4 billion years, and will continue to witness these global events long after our species has passed from the earth. I was filled with an incredible sense of awe, reverence, and love for the universe, for all of existence, in all it's intricacy, vastness and chaos. I saw how small I am, and how small all human existence is, and yet I also saw that we are an inextricable part of this grand, ongoing, infinite symphony of existence. Each of us contain oceans, and storms, and planets, and galaxies, just as our earth and our galaxy contains us. I had discovered anew my sense of wonder. And boy, can I babble on and on about it! :) sorry I ran on so long... If anyone has any questions, polite comments, or any other polite communication, you are more than welcome to email me. Blessings, and happy Beltaine!! |
| I Feel That Every Form Of Divinity On This Earth Is Right... | May 4th. at 12:37:09 pm EDT |
| D.J. Bitter (Covington, Kentucky US) | Age: 17 |
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I feel that every form of Divinity on this earth is right, for the simple fact that the rituals and prayers and beliefs are the same. I am a (this is my own term) CathloPagBuddhist. I know I believe in Jesus because I love his light. I love the Goddess Cerridwen because she was my mother. I also understan the Buddha's way of life. So I believe in every deity; Goddess, Jesus, Buddha, Allah and SHiva |
| I Worship The Goddess Ashera And The God Yahavah. They Are The... | May 4th. at 1:36:07 pm EDT |
| Dovid (Amherst, Massachusetts US) | Age: 29 |
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I worship the Goddess Ashera and the God Yahavah. They are the ancient gods of the Hebrew people. I can safely say they called me. I "met" my God when I was young, He revealed himself in suttle ways and since the modern collective religion of the Hebrew people focuses basically entirely on Him I got to know Him pretty well. We have had a good relationship for many, many years. The Goddess however was a mystery to me. I knew only as Mother and Goddess until recently. I discovered Her name at a Beltain ritual and also saw a pendant. When I purchased the pendant our bond was almost instaneous. It is wonderful to have the connection with her and I am getting to fully know her. In the "traditional" observance, we focused on the female aspect of God on Friday nights, under the name Schinah. I now have the proper name to attach to that more abstract one. In the faith of the Hebrews, the masculine God surrounds the world, perhaps like the Father Sky; the feminine God(dess) dwells in the world, rather like Mother Earth or Mother Nature. I do consider both to be united as one in a way not fully comprehendable by humans and I do consider them to be "higher beings" who were never human. I don't quite perceive them as All Powerful Rulers but rather as guides and co-creators with us. Traditional Judaism does teach that God works with humans to create our lives and the universe but that God does have a kind of veto power and can step in when things really get out of hand. Sometimes what we consider out of hand they may not. Also, our belief structure does seem to indicate that God (or the God and Goddess) learn. Indeed, we have a tradition that this is the second creation because God broke the first one by accident! Concerning using me, I do beleive they do because I've asked them to. I don't think they would normally use someone without permission but that in extreme cases they do step in. I can't say that I've had a life altering encounter other than to say that as I grow to know them more it has a profound impact on my life and I am really happy to have met both the God AND the Goddess of the Jewish/Hebrew people. I hope more of my people and the world at large also get to know them. I should also say that I do believe the Gods and Goddesses to be one but they relate and exist in different ways concerning the names and our personal understandings behind them. I wouldn't say someone should consider that my understanding of the Divine Ones is exactly the same as thier understanding but I do think that as below so above, meaning I beleive all life is interconnected and it the deepest level we are all one. |
| My Gods... I Believe That There Are So Many Gods Out There... | May 4th. at 2:33:55 pm EDT |
| Nick Taylor (Robins AFB, Georgia US) | Age: 16 - Email |
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My Gods... I believe that there are so many Gods out there, as many as there are stars in the heavens. But I also believe that the Gods who have ultimate power over you are the one to whom you devote yourself to. My Gods are that way. When they speak to me, it is only because they know that I long for their Graces and Time. The main Gods I worship are the Divine Creator, which is a sexless being who, like many pagans know, is the mix, and origin of the Goddess, and the God. I don't view the Goddess and the God as Seperate polarities, but as different types of wavelengths that resonate to gether in harmony, but yet at different, but fitting, frequencies. It is safe to say that the Goddess, and God are only names for additional sexless (Or androgynous) entities who represent the same things in the world that the Goddess and the God do. To me, everything is a wave, and a consciousness, and the Divine Creator is the wave at which all things resonate. hat is why It is Harmony... Along with those of course are the Gods of Egypt, and Greece. They too, are waves, and consciences that resonate. |
| My Goddess Is Danu, A Celtic Goddess. She Is, And All Gods... | May 4th. at 5:10:43 pm EDT |
| Silb (Harleysville, Pennsylvania US) | Age: 15 |
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My Goddess is Danu, A Celtic Goddess. She is, and all Gods/Goddess's, I think, just there, but as to all gods and goddess's being one- that is probably closer than anything else I've come up with. Different aspect of society could be expressed by facets of one person, which is why we only have one or two gods or goddeses with the same expertise. and to if they change things for my benifit- no, they could but most of the time it better (and easier) to do things the mundane way. my religion is rather passive as far as magickal workings go because it is less time consuming to do them normally. I do believe there is something they want us to do, because why else would they give people gifts, or make peolple realize them if thier latent. Danu has given me a gift, the gift of sight empathy. I can sense what other people are feeling by the color of their bond to me, and because everyone is connected the bond is a colored band of light, to everything. The down-fall is that sometimes the bonds are so bright that my astral body misaligns its self, which is very distracting. It only takes a couple minutes to fix, but I can't meditate very well in school. |
| Who Are My Gods? My ÔgodsÕ Are Your ÔgodsÕ. My Goddess Is... | May 4th. at 6:44:23 pm EDT |
| David Aquarius (Renton, Washington US) | Age: 42 - Email |
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Who are my Gods? My ÔgodsÕ are your ÔgodsÕ. My Goddess is your Jesus, is your Buddha, is All. Does this make my version of the Divine Spirit any more or less important than yours? No, in fact, it makes the Divine that much more wonderful. I see my ÔgodÕ in the form of Gaia, the Earth Mother. That is my connection to the Divine, not yours, or your cousinÕs, or the troll that lives under the Fremont bridge. My version of Gaia is perfect; She is as real to me as my own breath. I know there are others who also follow Gaia, but none in exactly the same way as I do. She is many things to me, an expression of the life force that gave birth to all upon this world. Yet She is many things to other folks, things I will never experience regardless of how long I follow Her. The reality of our ÔgodsÕ relies on our own spirit. Each of us has the means and the opportunity to craft our own personal ÔgodÕ out of the mysteries we have experienced, the faith we have acquired and the spirit we were born with. Yet, I have been brought to task for this belief. How can we ÔcreateÕ the Creator? The Divine Spirit is all things to all people, to all life on this world. Do we see the Creator as our cat sees it, or our dog? How can we impose our vision of the Divine onto others when the Divine is so much more than anything we could imagine? The Divine Spirit approaches us in the way best for us to find this connection. The Way is different for each of us and thatÕs why it is so special. The Divine finds the perfect means to arrive at our soul, sets it before us and allows us to follow the path forward. The old adage that states Ôit isnÕt the destination that is important but the journeyÕ couldnÕt be truer. Only the Divine Spirit knows the outcome of our travels. We can only walk our path with respect and an open heart. How, some have asked, can our paths be so unique when humans have joined together in the fellowship of religion? Why are there thousands of people who follow the same faith? To answer this one must look at the nature of humanity. We are social animals, needy of companionship and interaction among our own kind. Just as we have congregated along territorial, economic and cultural lines; we have also gathered amongst religious lines. But this doesnÕt contradict the premise of spiritual distinctiveness. We gather together to profess our faith with others who are like-minded, but we are still unique. As our religions prosper, they change with the individual. We shape them to the needs of the group and ourselves. Members craft the faith according to the ideas that come from our diversity. As we walk our path, we encounter others who have some beliefs in common with us. They are companions upon our path as we are on theirs. We walk together for a bit, then part company when our paths diverge. The time together can be rich with new ideas, new thoughts, and fresh perspectives. We may walk our path by ourselves, but we never walk it alone. The Divine Spirit has all the answers and is waiting for us to ask the questions. We ask for help and guidance and expect an answer, short and sweet. We become disenchanted if the answer we receive doesnÕt fall under our expectations. Such frustration is natural but it must not be allowed to take root. We must use it to get beyond the easy, the Ôshort and sweetÕ. The spiritual path is no walk in the park, difficulties abound, and pratfalls lurk behind every corner. Yet the Divine Spirit places these obstacles in plain sight before us so they will only trip us when we walk with our eyes closed. So, there it is: one personÕs opinion about the nature of the Divine and the means to connect to it. I cannot judge my faith by the number of folks who agree with me or find fault with it. I can only judge my faith by how I see the path before me and how I use it to add to the betterment of humankind. Others cannot see the world through my eyes, nor I through theirs. But together we have a more complete picture of the World than if we used but one set. To my friends, both known and unknown, Pleasant Journeys! |
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