Honouring all the gods in your pantheon?

[Arion]

I'm trying to follow a traditional Hellenic way of worship, but I wonder if that means honouring all of the gods. There are certain deities I feel closest to, such as Aphrodite, Dionysos, Demeter, Hera and Hekate, and then there are the gods I do not feel close to at all, such as Hermes, Apollon, Athene, and Haphaistos. Some gods I'm sort of in the middle with, like Zeus, Artemis, Poseidon, Ares and Hestia. So I was wondering if I am still supposed to honour gods I'm not as close to. I expect so, today was a sacrifice day for Athene and I left her an offering, but I didn't have much to say or to pray to her about. I've been asking for Hermes help when it comes to my studies, but there really isn't a relationship there, and I have a hard time sensing his presence. I think he did play a trick on me today, though, and I was not impressed:p.

There are just Gods I feel closer to and relate to better, compared tot he ones I can't really relate to at all, and I was curious about what to do when it comes to honouring the ones I'm close to, versus the ones I'm not as close to.

[Theres]

i honor all the gods of my pantheon, but that doesn't mean i worship them all.

even in ancient times i don't think everyone worshipped ALL of the gods. in fact the term 'polytheist' means that you are open to the idea of gods other than your own, but not necessarily that you worship them all.

i think the usual scenario was somewhat concentric, in that you would worship the gods of your household and family first, and then those of your deme, and then those of the greater geographic area (ie; Greek mainland, or Anatolia, or wherever), etc, on outward. and naturally not all of these would receive the same attention.
if you travelled to another deme, you would be expected to honor their gods while you were there as well, but that didn't mean you were expected to 'convert'.

hope this helps a bit.

[Arion]

i honor all the gods of my pantheon, but that doesn't mean i worship them all.

even in ancient times i don't think everyone worshipped ALL of the gods. in fact the term 'polytheist' means that you are open to the idea of gods other than your own, but not necessarily that you worship them all.

i think the usual scenario was somewhat concentric, in that you would worship the gods of your household and family first, and then those of your deme, and then those of the greater geographic area (ie; Greek mainland, or Anatolia, or wherever), etc, on outward. and naturally not all of these would receive the same attention.
if you travelled to another deme, you would be expected to honor their gods while you were there as well, but that didn't mean you were expected to 'convert'.

hope this helps a bit.
That makes more sense, to "honour" all, but not necessarily "worship" all.

[seekerofknwoledge]

I have to agree with Theres on the point of honoring versus worship. I also follow a Hellenistic Recon path, and I find the same thing to be true. There are a number of Gods that I am extremely close to, such as Artemis or Zeus. However, there are others that I feel little or no connection to. I certainly still give them all the honor and respect they deserve, but we don't have the same relationship that exists with other deities. Relationships, even of the divine kind, are compromises really (in my opinion). Just as you wouldn't pursue a relationship in which there wasn't mutual attraction in the human world, so is happens with the Gods. I don't think that They find it offensive if you don't worship Them all, because They're a fundamental part of the relationship (if They don't also make themselves available, then there's no hurt feelings).

[Tim]

I'm pretty much in line with what everyone is saying here... as another Hellenic Recon and with my own research, what seems to have been typical was participating in the public festivals as a way to honor all the Gods... but that the individual would have specific Gods that were more "important" in their lives base on a number of factors. But all the Olympians (at least) need to be recognized in some way... and despite who may be seen as a "Patron(s)", Hestia needs to receive special acknowledgment.

[Nadezhda]

Another vote in honoring your whole pantheon, but worshipiing your patron Gods, the ones you feel a connection to.

I may have a daily altar set up for my patron Gods, but I have a candle and incense lit for the rest of the pantheon too :3

[Morr]

Out of my own pantheon (Irish) I worship 4 Deities. They are the closest to me. I have other Deities and Ancestors, not of my panthon of Gods, whom I honor and have symbols/pictures/etc of on my altar (in a different area than my Irish Gods).

For the rest of the Gods in my Irish pantheon, I simply mention them when I pray, I say their names or ""The Tuatha De Danann"", so they know I am thinking of them and including them. I never forget them. They have all taken me in as a daughter of the Tuath, not just my 4 Patrons.

Its okay to worship several Gods from your pantheon, and then honor (in one way or another -- whatever feels right to you) others from the same pantheon.

The feeling of closeness that you feel with some and the lack of that feelings with others is there for a reason, and they all know its there. So dont be worried at all.

[Dustypuppy]

Its all a question of how to split your time, which Is i presume, limited by other aspects of life. I personally don't believe that its possible to worship all the deities sincerely in a pantheon, there are far too many for it to work. its natureal to have a close affinity for a particular deity/s this is termed as an 'Ishta-Devata' in Hinduism, or ones 'Chosen' deity, the one or small group one develops a strong and deep relationship with, building on it and spending much time in this pursuit, the spiritual riches of which I have heard are most rewarding. Its still possible to honour other Gods, small and general offerings or prayers to 'All deities worthy of worship' should suffice in these ends!Bbxx

[Ælfred]

I think of the gods as a family. Some you are closer to or have more in common with than others. I don't know much about the Hellenic pantheon but I'll use my own (English) as an example. Woden I feel the closest to and sometimes Þunor, and Ing, because they represent things which I deal with or think about on a daily basis. Most of my rituals are done in their honor. Once in a while I feel a strong need to connect with Frige or Tiw however so I'll invoke them. In most of my blots I'll usually make an effort to say a few words to honor all the holy powers.

The exclusive worship of just one god out of the pantheon, excluding all other members of the family would certainly annoy them IMO. That would be like only paying attention to your uncle while ignoring your mother and father, siblings, grandparents, etc. That being said I do believe the gods understand that an individual will have a closer relationship with some gods over others, as long as honor is given to the rest now and then. Just my 2 cents.