I've got a question...

[burn_my_lovely]

When you people talk about goddesses and gods, and say "this god/dess was the first to come" does that mean, you try connecting to certain god/desses and that's the first god/dess to speak with you? Or.. do you meditate or something and they just start speaking with you? I would like to know, since I've never really thought about connecting/speaking with a god/dess until recently. Thanks all. Blessed be


---
[edited] Ack, had to change a typo..

[Melysande]

**smiles** Mine have never spoken to me with their own voices and They have never come to me in dreams, so I've not seen them. But They are there all the time.

For me, yes, Hera was the first to make Herself known to me, at the time when I was first researching who I wanted to devote myself to. Peacocks are her symbol, and she set two of them across my path to let me know that She was the one who had picked me. Rainbows are the pathways Her personal messenger Iris travels on to impart Hera's messages. Whenever I was in need of guidance, I'd always see a rainbow or a fragment of a rainbow, in the sky, and the next thing I saw or heard would be the thing that helped me correct whatever was troubling me.

Then, I was helped with an article I was writing about our Accounting Department. I'd been getting hints of Egypt for a few months by that point (and I was doing my best to ignore it), but then Seshat actually gave me a dream. When I woke up, I found the book I'd seen in my dream and flipped right to the sentence I needed to help me with that article.

After that, She thwapped me a few more times with painfully obvious reminders that She is the one who is "borrowing" me now. I was looking for images of my patron god (who is from a completely different pantheon) one day, and in the middle of the search, there She was. Seshat is so hard to find most of the time, and yet, there she was, right in the middle of my search for something else entirely.

And most recently, she granted my wish for an office flood so that I wouldn't have to do much work for awhile. **chuckles** I'm still amazed by that one.

Every now and then, Aset and Ma'at also come into my life to add Their two cents, too.

But like I said, I never hear the sounds of their voices or see Them in visions or dreams. I only experience Their sentiments in the form of written words, or songs on the radio, or else in Their actions, like granting my wishes and helping to point me in the right direction.

They know I'm pretty deaf and dumb when it comes to symbolism, so They're generally blatantly obvious when They want something from me.

[burn_my_lovely]

Wow, you seem to have quite the relationship going on, hehe. That's wonderful! I've been studying Egyptian Mythology for years, I haven't got a "sign" or anything yet... that I know of. I'm thinking about looking into Greek Mythology, since I'm getting more interested in my roots, Italian Witchcraft / Stregheria. (since I'm Italian, might as well check out Italian Witchcraft!) :) Thank you much for your comment, I'm going to start to get a better understanding of what goes on around me and if I can spot any signs when I need help or guidence. heh. Blessed be!

[burn_my_lovely]

Oh yeah, when I meant "speaking", I meant any type or communication, like your signs with the peacocks. heh.

[Mnemosyne]

I totally agree with Melysande. Pay attention to symbols- in your life experiences and/or dreams. The gods and goddesses have many symbols associated with them.

Also, if you are Italian, perhaps you might want to check out the Roman pantheon. Indeed, the Roman pantheon is heavily derived from the Greek pantheon, but you might feel a deeper connection to it on account of your heritage.

[burn_my_lovely]

Alright, thank you very much for that suggestion. I'll be sure to read up about the Roman Pantheon. :) Blessed be

[Wicce]

I also have some Italian roots and I love the Greek/Roman pantheons...have you ever read Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland? It contains information on the things that influenced Stregha...

[burn_my_lovely]

I haven't read it as of yet.. I just now found a site with that book on it.. I love e-books, you can preview the book before buying! heh I'm going to start reading it tonight. :)

[Wicce]

If for some reason that site ever goes down, you can also read the book atWicca.nu (http://www.wicca.nu) and at this link (http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/aradia/index.htm) :)

[burn_my_lovely]

Thank you very much :D

[Mnemosyne]

Wicce, I think that I am also going to check out that book. I remember you mentioning Leland's book when discussing Diana. Do you work with both the Roman and Greek pantheons? I find them to be very similar; however, I focus solely on the Greek pantheon. I guess I just feel a special connection with it.

[Wicce]

The Greek and Roman pantheons were very similar...the Romans took on the Greek gods and merely changed their names and a little mythology. I work solely with the Greek pantheon. I love Greek mythology, perhaps because it was the first I learnt of, I had this big book on Greek mythology when I was a kid, and by the time I was 9 I had memorized it, hehe :)

Aradia: Gospel of the Witches is not the *best* book, in my opinion, but it is good. It outlines the influences of Stregheria, dating back to the 14th century, and it was also a big influence for the early beginnings of Neo-Paganism at the start of the 20th century...so I've always felt it worthy of a read :)

Also, it's about Diana, or Artemis, and she has always been my favorite Goddess :)

[Myst]

The Gospel of the Witches isn't actually so much a informational book about Stregheria as a story (which isn't to say I don't think you should read it - you should, and isn't to say it doesn't have information on practices - it does, however if you want a good overview and synopsis of the beliefs I suggest other literature). You'll want to see http://www.fabrisia.com/ and especially http://www.stregheria.com/main.htm.

Keep in mind, however, that often Strega consider their beliefs to be ancestral and passed down from generation to generation - I know of at least one here at this board who believes that you can't be Strega if it hasn't been handed down to you from ancestors.

[burn_my_lovely]

Ooh, well, thanks for the suggestion with the book. I've got a eBook for it, so I'm just going to read it anyways, might as well. Knowledge is indeed power. heh. Anyways, I've got both of those links, they are very helpful and I want to thank you for posting them anyways. :) I didn't know that about the handed down part.. that's very interesting. I'm going to try to find someone who calls themself one. Ask them a few questions. heh. Thank you for all your help. :D Blessed be

[Wicce]

Yup, it's not a historical documentary, it's basis in fact is dubious and debateable, as is everything else we have...yet Stregheria is very strongly rooted in the mythology behind the book, and also, Aradia: Gospel of the Witches and Margaret Murray's book the Witch-Cult of Western Europe were the primary force behind Gerald Gardner, who was the mind behind Wicca, which is (I think?) the largest Neo-Pagan religion in the world today.

I think I recommend it to any beginner, just because it is an interesting read, if nothing else :)

[burn_my_lovely]

Oooooh, wow, heh. Thank you very much for that information. Always appreciated! :D :D :D