How does one find which Gods/Godesses they Follow? Worship?

[ArcherCC]

Since discovering my path [a very eclectic neo-pagan path] I have been having trouble going about figuring out which gods/Goddesses I am meant to follow/worship. (I don't mean meant by a predetermined path, but by the Gods/Goddesses themselves).

I have been told Tatanka watches over me and my sprit animal is the Bison/buffalo.

All my life I have been drawn to canines, wolfs to be specific. so do to this Fenrir, Sköll, and Hati seem right.

But also Cernunnos, the god of animals and the hunt pulls to me.

Cernunnos
Cernunnos is usually pictured with antlers and is sometimes seen with a club or sack of coins. Cernunnos is the God most used to represent male fertility, often called upon at Beltaine. He is also the God of animals, the forest and the hunt.

Fenrir
In Norse mythology, Fenrir or Fenrisulfr is a wolf, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Fenrir is bound by the gods, but is ultimately destined to grow too large for his bonds and swallow Odin whole during the course of Ragnarök. He will be slain by Odin's son, Viðarr, who will use a shoe made throughout time using the pieces of leather waste left over from repaired shoes to hold the lower jaw while he grasped the upper up, tearing the beast apart and avenging his father.

Sköll
In Norse mythology, Sköll is a wolf that chases the horses Árvakr and Alsviðr, that drag the chariot which contains the sun (Sol) through the sky every day, trying to eat her. Sköll has a brother, Hati, who chases Máni, the moon. Both are supposedly brothers/sons of Fenrir. At Ragnarök, both Sköll and Hati Hróðitnisson will succeed in their quests.

Hati
In Norse mythology, Hati Hróðvitnisson (First name meaning "He Who Hates, Enemy"[1]) is a wolf that according to Gylfaginning chases the Moon across the night sky, just as the wolf Sköll chases the Sun during the day, until the time of Ragnarök when they will swallow these heavenly bodies, after which Fenrir will break free from his bonds and kill Odin.


My problem is, I don't feel.....right, about crossing Path lines and picking and choose one from here one form there and playing mix and match deity. Am I doing something wrong that I can't decide or what?

Thank you for any help given.

[Tanya]

maybe more research is in order... surely there are wolf spirits in NA cultures.... maybe even Coyote

also... its doesn't all have to come fast... take some time to medtate and explore....

I agree I don't like picking and chosing.. it seems to lack respect....

how did I find mine? I just happened on the idea and it fit...

I don't literally believe in gods and goddesses.. you should know that..I believe the gods and goddesses are ideas that help us humans find out where we fit in the world and help us guide out actions....

[patch]

I didn't actively search. When I was ready to start developing a relationship with deity, I just...said. Then I waited patiently and poseidon answered.

For other deities I am close to, again I didn't actively search, I just started noticing a correlation of events and realised that they were in my life.

I don't mix pantheons either; it just so happened that the deity that got my attention was greek, a pantheon I really liked anyway. :)

Maybe for a little while you should continue to research, but not actively search for a deity to worship and see if they come to you?

[FaeriPryncess]

I also must answer that, where once upon a time, we weree born to Gods/Goddesses, now we must make choices, but I will say that we are also often chosen. I was chosen by the Greco-Roman pantheon and by Diana. I don't lack in the assistance of other pantheons and God-forms though, as even in ancient times people were *eclectic* too.
Not only research and meditate and wait and see (keeping your goal in mind) but Know Yourself. If you are the wolfish kind, wolves may be the answer. Cernunnos (or Hu or Herne), for that matter, is all animals, not just the sacred stag. He stems from the Indo-Aryan Pashupati, Lord of the Animals. As well, in sacred myth cycles, it isn't ever about just the one being, but all of it's related beings, too. Hence a predator is also about his prey, and vice versa.

[Twinkle]

I don't recall actually searching for the Gods. I won't lie...I came to Hellenic Reconstruction through upg...that then became verified for me personally....and I never looked back. I'm not sure if it works for everyone like that, though.

[Caitlin.ann]

My deities just came to me and stuck around. I've questioned if they were really the ones I was meant to follow, but they've always come back and proven that they were. Lol, I'd explain more but I have to rush to work. :)

[JadeNSC]

Lots of patience, research, and reading. And while it's important to look for signs, don't make a big deal out of every tiny occurence in your life. Say you trip over a tree root, it could be a message from the gods, but it could also just be that you weren't paying attention to where you were going. Your gods will speak to you and you'll know it when they do, and sometimes those epiphanies can hit hard (or maybe it's just that I have a hard head and my gods like to smack me with cosmic bricks). ;)

[tallwoman.9169]

For me, I didn't chose the deities I would worship. They chose me. It is my belief they will make themselves known to you if you let them. You might try meditating with the purpose of meeting your deity. And leaving and preconcieved notions out. Just let yourself be open.

[oneworld]

I tried all sorts of deities in the Norse pantheon, wasn't comfortable, and then moved to the Celtic pantheon and discovered the Green Man. He immediately "spoke to me" and I've been happy since.

[Corvus]

For me, they chose to reveal themselves one at a time when "the time was right". I've known some people who went looking, and others who were chosen without knowing, so I can't really say one or the other to be "the right way".

As for "crossing lines", Archer, I don't see anything wrong with it, but if it makes you uncomfortable then by all means don't do it. I think the most important thing is to allow yourself to relax and not feel anxious because you can't make an immediate choice. The journey of discovery, and even the trial and error, can be as important and as joyful as the final destination.

[tallwoman.9169]

I have heard that the deities of some pantheons don't like you to mix and match. As in the Norse, but the worst they will do is ignore you, usually.

[Whitewolf]

For me, I didn't chose the deities I would worship. They chose me. It is my belief they will make themselves known to you if you let them. You might try meditating with the purpose of meeting your deity. And leaving and preconcieved notions out. Just let yourself be open.I agree.:thumbsup: