God/Goddess how did you know who?

[Sea~Chelle]

I am just starting out and have a few questions. How did you chose your God/Goddess? Did they call to you? Did you research them and they appealed to you? I was just wondering how it works for different people. How do you pair them and know who is compatible? What do you look for?

Blessings

[Mnemosyne]

Some people discuss why they are drawn to a certain pantheon in this thread.http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9943

I think that it is different for each individual. Some people claim that they a god or goddess picked them. Other people read up on a certain pantheon and found it appealing. If you are looking for a particular pantheon to follow, I would advise to read up on the various mythologies. Perhaps you are interested in a certain culture. Look up the culture from which you might want to follow. But then again, some people use the gods and goddesses in more than one pantheon. Whatever suits your interest.

:)

[maya]

Thus far I only have a patron deity. I basically got a message from him through meditation (in simple terms, it was a bit more complicated than that). Before that I'd had really no interest in him or the pantheon he is in at all. I haven't had much contact with female deities though.

~ Maya

[Mnemosyne]

Have you tried to connect with a female diety, Maya? I think that if you actually focus on connecting with more than one diety, you could do so. But then again, I am sure that you are content with having a patron diety. I have a question for you guys, can you have too many dieties in your life. For instance, the dieties all have different attributes. If you your patron diety is a goddess of harvest, would you turn to a god of medicine when having questions about health?

[Isis]

Well I know for whatever reason I was completely pulled to Isis. She's like everything.....she encompasses strong sexuality, compassion, incredible magickal capabilities........and just the strenght and beauty of feminity. She can be kinda bitchy too if you're not careful, LOL.

In recent weeks I've been getting visits from Athena. At first, as typical for me, I tried to ignore them, but I just couldn't. I'd be talking to Isis, and like here comes Athena dancing through my head with something to say, LOL.

Then I realized that she and Isis were both telling me that she needed to be there. Being that she's the goddess of wisdom they both knew what I needed.

Unfortunately, of late, I haven't actually sat down and conversed with the two lovely ladies. I really and truly need that comfort this evening, shit, I always need it.

The hardest thing for me to transistion from my Xian upbringing is that I dont' actually have to sit in some formal setting and ask for favors. Learning that I dese4rve the best, and if I ask for it I'll get it. That's the scary part.....it makes you stop and think before you ask.

Isis

[Felidae]

How did you chose your God/Goddess? Did they call to you?

Of course I can't answer for anyone but myself, but it seemed more of an instance of "like calling unto like".

I feel exceptionally drawn to the Horned God of the Hunt (though I don't hunt, per se), and Nyx, (though Nyx is formally considered more a personification, rather than a goddess).

I think that the Diety that you feel most drawn to, or that calls to you more strongly than others, is the one most suited to your personality and/or situation at the time.

To me, all Goddesses are but aspects of the One Goddess, and all Gods are but aspects of the One God, and the God and Goddess themselves are but aspects of the One Power.

I realize that this is getting more into Theology, as it's awfully Kabbalistic (?), but that's the way I boil it down: the aspect that one chooses is the one most in harmony with one's personality. ;)

[Melysande]

I was doing research to do my own choosing (was going to pick Epona), but I'm not one to say no to Hera when she sends real live peacocks literally across my path as a hint. **smiles** (Peafowl aren't exactly all that common here in Massachusetts.)

And then, Seshat ("The Female Scribe", who is the one who owns my head) must have talked with Hera and asked if the Netjeru could "borrow" me. For how long....? No clue.

I tried my best to ignore what they seemed to be trying to tell me for six months. I'd been an eclectic Wiccan for just over three years, and I really didn't want anything to do with Egyptian religion. **shrugs** Finally, I gave in. They can be quite persistent. But, I've been very happy with this new Path and gotten some intriguing results from it. (Word of advice: Never ask an Egyptian deity for a flood, even if you're only half-serious, because They do tend to take ALL requests quite seriously.)

[Mnemosyne]

Can you elaborate more on what you mean about the Egyptian gods answering requests, Melysande? The statement sounds kind of interesting. After reading your post, it sounds like you have looked into the gods and goddesses from various pantheons. Fascinating! I would sure love to learn more about the gods and goddesses. You sound so blessed to have received so many signs from the gods.

[Melysande]

Sure. :-) But I'm pressed for time, so I'll post links to my journal where it's already been described.

Here's where I made the "request" (three paragraphs down):
http://tameran.deviantart.com/journal/?jid=107166

And my responses to the aftermath:
http://tameran.deviantart.com/journal/?jid=109661
http://tameran.deviantart.com/journal/?jid=109709

But I didn't win. **grins** So I haven't called into work "Dead" yet.

Not sure "blessing" is the right word for it, but it's been interesting anyway. :) I started learning about deities when I was in fourth grade and doing a play on Prometheus bringing fire to Mankind. Then for awhile, I even created my own pantheon (of unicorns). And then I had a mildly Christian phase (**shrugs** It didn't "take"). Then I was just agnostic. And then I got to college and started studying Wicca. "When in Rome (Salem)...." After that, I read that many Witches and Wiccans work with specific pantheons, patron deities, and matron deities, and that sometimes the Wiccan or Witch picked which one they wanted. And at other times, they got picked, themselves. I couldn't decide which one I liked better, the Hellenic pantheon or the Celtic one.

I was leaning more toward the Celtic, and was thinking about devoting myself to Epona, since I love horses, too. Wasn't how it worked out. :)

There's a longer story about how I've come to be studying Kemetic and Tameran ways, but it involves (yet another) newsletter article I didn't want to write, and incessant Egyptian clue-by-fours that after six months, I just couldn't ignore anymore. (It was driving me nuts.)

[Eeluna]

I think the best thing to do is research different pantheons until you find the one that interests you the most. Then focus on the Deities which you feel the most affinity for. Make a short term committment, say for one moon cycle, and honor and meditate upon that Goddess/God. Eventually you will find the Ones that resonate most closely with your deepest self. But be prepared for surprises. Things don't always work out as planned when you're dealing with the Gods

I know I've told this before, but here's how it happened for me. I was researching and considering Deities of a different pantheon. In fact I had made a year-long committment to the Norse Pantheon. I was about half way through that year when Aphrodite visited me in a dream. It was amazing, and at first, I would have sworn I wasn't sleeping at the time, then I realized I was in a different room. So I decided it had to have been a dream.

I went into denial--my subconcious was playing tricks on me--why would I be visited by a Goddess that I wasn't honoring or even reading about--it was just a dream--I couldn't have really been visited by a Goddess--but time passed (several months) and I couldn't forget the dream. The feelings were too strong, and the memory of it remained super clear and brilliant.

Finally I accepted that something, which had made such a great impact upon me, deserved my respect. I began researching Aphrodite and discovered that She is so much more than just the Greek Goddess of Love. As I read about Her and meditated upon Her I grew to love Her. I still honor other Gods and Goddesses. I have a close relationship with Thor and Sif. I honor Gaia as Mother Nature, and when I need healing, I turn to Eir, the Norse Goddess of Healing. All are special to me, but I've made the deepest connection with Aphrodite.

[maya]

Originally posted by Mnemosyne
Have you tried to connect with a female diety, Maya? I think that if you actually focus on connecting with more than one diety, you could do so.

After 20 years of xtianity I was very excited about the thought of a matron deity. I tried for a good while (more than six months I'd say) to make contact with some kind of female entity. The problem, i think, is that it's just NOT me. I have one friend that's a girl of all my friends. I generally prefer the company of men and I'm not overly feminine myself. I work on cars and computers and I've always been a tomboy. I do have feminine qualities, but I'm not prissy by any means. I don't revel in the sexuality of my body. I prefer to think on the intellectual instead. So after six months of trying to find a goddess I just said "fine, does ANYBODY want me?" and Odin answered. Although I never would have picked Odin on my own I feel that he is perfect for me. He is not just a powerful warrior, he's a teacher, lover and poet and so I find that we have many common interests. He's also not opposed to working with the feminine either as part of his history includes learning the magical ways of women as well. I doubt he'll be the last god in my life but I think he has things to teach me before I move on.

~ Maya

[phoenixsong]

Last night I did a mediation visualisation thing-y (I have such a way with words :p) to find my patron goddess, and Freya appeared to me. I'd never even considered Her before, I'm most interested in Greek/Roman/Egyptian pantheons. But there She was, and pointing out some of the weird things that have been happening lately, like the crow I saw acting like a hawk/falcon on a recent walk, and the white cat who'd been appearing round my house recently. (Cats and Falcons are two creatures of hers.) Also I've been working with runes a lot lately. So maybe She is my patron goddess.