"Losing" a deity

[Pink_sheep]

It's very late and being ill has made my brain over-work!

I was just curious to see if anyone here has found that they no longer have a connection with a deity they used to feel a connection with?

Is it like finding that initial connection where it suddenly just "clicks" and you know it's right or is it more a gradual thing? I get the feeling it's a very personal thing to experience, but I'm interested to know...

If you do ever feel like you've gone as far as you can with a deity, what's the most respectful way to go about it? Do you do anything to mark the parting of ways? And if you do, is it best to burn bridges with them or to leave the path open so that you might be connected again in the future? Should you even try to end things or just focus yourself elsewhere?

Has anyone broken a connection with a deity and then come back to them again? Does it strengthen the relationship or make things strange?

There seem to be lots of threads about "finding" your deities, but I worry about being dazzled into following some bright new God/ess and then the feeling fading. I've been lucky that the deities that have called to me have really grabbed on to me - they're the ones that came to me as I started out on my path and it would have been all too easy as a bright-eyed newbie to blindly follow the prettiest Goddess in "my first book of pagan stuff". Just curious now to see what everyone else thinks of this :)

[aluokaloo]

well I've met deities I thought would stick around, but it turned out they didn't as I was mistaken, and new. These days I don't make a commitment to a new diety without seeing if they've decided to join in the pantheon permamently. After all, there is no time limit to how long a deity will stay for whatever reasons they've come to a person.

[Fiamma]

Been there, done that once- Artemis was a heavy influence on my life before Apollo, and then one day...she was gone.

In that case, it was time. Her influence on me was very specific, and while it helped me get through some tough spots, it was overextended and caused me a lot of problems too- to a certain extent, i'm still dealing with them, but it's extremely incidental, few and far between anymore.

In that case, there was no parting of ways. Er, well there was, but...it was odd. Basically, I didn't realize when it happened, only that one day I looked around and realized that I hadn't felt her presence in a while....but there was Apollo.

sorry I can't be more helpful on what to do though.


It's very late and being ill has made my brain over-work!

I was just curious to see if anyone here has found that they no longer have a connection with a deity they used to feel a connection with?

Is it like finding that initial connection where it suddenly just "clicks" and you know it's right or is it more a gradual thing? I get the feeling it's a very personal thing to experience, but I'm interested to know...

If you do ever feel like you've gone as far as you can with a deity, what's the most respectful way to go about it? Do you do anything to mark the parting of ways? And if you do, is it best to burn bridges with them or to leave the path open so that you might be connected again in the future? Should you even try to end things or just focus yourself elsewhere?

Has anyone broken a connection with a deity and then come back to them again? Does it strengthen the relationship or make things strange?

There seem to be lots of threads about "finding" your deities, but I worry about being dazzled into following some bright new God/ess and then the feeling fading. I've been lucky that the deities that have called to me have really grabbed on to me - they're the ones that came to me as I started out on my path and it would have been all too easy as a bright-eyed newbie to blindly follow the prettiest Goddess in "my first book of pagan stuff". Just curious now to see what everyone else thinks of this :)

[Meadhbh]

I think it happens when they have something to teach about a certain area of our lives. Its like people in your every day life. Some relationships you have your whole life others just for a while. Once they've helped you deal with what ever drew them into your life in the first place they go on their way without you having to say anything.

[juliaki]

For me, it was like having a long-term relationship suddenly be broken off by the other person. The goddess who had been such a presence in my life for a decade came to me in a dream and said that I was no longer in her service, not because of anything that I had done, but because it was time for my life to move in a different direction. I don't think I've cried so much in my life... not during my divorce, not when members of my family had died. Within the next month, new opportunities opened up that had me moving hundreds of miles, starting a new job, dating a new person, starting study with a coven, and building a new relationship with a new goddess.

[Zephyrstorm]

I started off with Artemis - she was with me for a few years and then one day I looked up and she was gone. I spent time languishing, and made connections with a variety of Gods trying to find my place.
Then a few years ago, she came back. One day I just realized that I needed to set up a shrine to her again, and she was there. Most of the time she's pretty quiet, but there are others who have come up too. I don't know how long any of them will be here, but they're welcome while they wish to be.

[Toby Stimpson]

When I was younger and just starting out...I had some very strange ideas in my head. I was 'connected' with Morrigan, but never really looked into her. Gradually that disappeared as I was introduced to Hinduism. Kali became a very powerful force in my life and slowly so did Shiva. For me it wasn't so much a conscious thing, but instead a natural part of my evolution to move on.

[patch]

Hasn't happened to me.

But I know a few people who have been 'handed over' to other deities. If the time comes you just move on :)

[Fiamma]

I started off with Artemis - she was with me for a few years and then one day I looked up and she was gone. I spent time languishing, and made connections with a variety of Gods trying to find my place.
Then a few years ago, she came back. One day I just realized that I needed to set up a shrine to her again, and she was there. Most of the time she's pretty quiet, but there are others who have come up too. I don't know how long any of them will be here, but they're welcome while they wish to be.


Huh, I wonder how many other people have had that experience with Artemis of just looking around one day and realizing she wasn't there anymore....