What is the God to you?

[Amethyst Rose]

The goddess is seen in many things - the moon, the earth (indeed all of nature), and she represents many ideals, innocence, love, passion, wisdom...
But what about the God? Where do you see the God in the universe? What ideals does he represent to you? I've had a hard time answering these questions for myself, so I'm wondering what other people think....

[Tammy Sullivan]

For me the God represents motion, vitality, fire, wind, the sky, storms, the things in the world that "churn". Accordingly, that includes rock n roll (LOL) but that is how I see him pure raw energy, the ooommpphh in it all. The Goddess is the foundation for it all.

[Pan]

To me.. the God is Loki.

He is passion and life. He is vitality and freedom. He is the hand that leads me and the hand that shoves me onward. He tells me to take risks, pull on strings and leap over fences.

Loki is the God I've chosen. Though he is trickery.. he is compassion.., caring and loving. He is the raw energy of nature untamed. He is the strength I need to survive.. the structure-less path that beckons me onward into oblivion.

The God is Loki, to me.. He is me.

[Jax]

I see God as a solid, sturdy rock, compared to the Goddess who I see as fluid, ever changing and life-giving. (very simplistic I know!) :)

[Eeluna]

In one way, I see the Goddess as Matter, and the God as Energy. Matter is inert without Energy, and Energy is impotent without Matter. They NEED each other. In fact they are a part of each other. Science says that Matter and Energy are actually different forms of the same thing. That's the way I look at the God and Goddess. They are actually One thing--the very Lifeblood of the Universe, the Force or the spark that is behind or within all things.

They are all things to me, and it varies according to my mood. But I usually see the Goddess as Beauty and Nature. The God is Movement and Moment and Emotion. To me the Goddess is usually the more serene One, and the God the more emotional. I often connect the Goddess with the Earth, the Moon and Water, and the God with the Sun, the Forest and Wild Places.

For me, the God represents living in the moment, enjoying life to the fullest, revelling in being a physical being. I have also always thought of Him as the more compassionate and empathic of the Two.

[Caelin]

For some reason or other, I tend to think of the God as being more wild, and more alien than the Goddess. Partly this is because I see the God almost exclusively as the Lord of Misrule figure, with elements of the fay, and Herne as well. Thus the God, to me, is wild and foreign, and strange, though powerful, whereas I see the Goddess as more like a mother. Thats not to say I ignore the wildness in the Goddess - if I am to think of her as in and of nature, I cannot do so - but that it is a more homely wildness, more familiar. I tend to associate the God with the sea - which is powerful, unpredictable and dangerous, though in some measure familiar and reassuring, whereas I associate the Goddess more with hills and woods and streams - things which are dangerous, but not so unpredictable.

Does that make sense? I think I need to think this out a little more!

[Journeyman]

I see the God in my own life and I try to manifest him as Wise and Just King.
I see him as father and husband, as master of himself, as Lord of animals and of the animal nature in us.

[Mnemosyne]

Originally posted by Caelin
For some reason or other, I tend to think of the God as being more wild, and more alien than the Goddess.
Does that make sense? I think I need to think this out a little more!

I totally have the same beliefs as you, Caelin. To me the gods are more wild and harder to understand than the goddesses. For some reason, I just relate more to the goddesses. Your post made complete sense to me. :)

In some pantheons, I see the gods as omnipotent. For example, I see Zeus as having an immense powers even though he has flaws; his powers and decisions can override those of other gods and goddesses.

I suppose the question is kind of general. I see each god in their own way. For example, I see Dionysus as representing the irrationality and wildness in life; however, I see Apollo as his antithesis. Apollo sometimes represents rationality in my mind. So I guess that I really can't generalize and have an absolute idea when describing the gods.

[Gwion]

God is just my ancient future self realized in the present moment.

[Mnemosyne]

Wow, Gwion, I sure have read some interesting quotes from you this morning. By the way, that is a good thing, since you have made me think. :thumbsup:

Here's a question about your quote. How do you define "ancient future?" I don't seem to grasp the oxymoron. So are you saying that this ancient god who has been in the hearts of men and women for ages will continue to be there for us in the future, and this same god is touching your life presently- at this very moment?

Another question: Do you have the same thoughts about the goddesses? Do you see the goddess as the ancient future self-realized in the present moment?

BB, Thinkers:)

[Gwion]

Ancient Future is a poetic way of negating time in relation to God, who is outside of time, or at least not subject to linear time; ever has been and ever will be. Think of it as your far wiser future self leaning back in time to guide you toward the full realization of your own divinity.

[qidrogreevat]

To me, there is no division between the God and The Goddess. I see both as an energy, the lifeforce of the galaxy. They appear in the changes of the season, a child's smile, and also in the larger scheme of things, such as the ebb and flow of the galaxy.

My view on this subject, as I see it, has only been replicated, or nearly replicated, by a few people, whom I cannot remember.

And before you say that plenty of people believe that, my view are much, much more defined, and are so large that there is not enough space here to write them, and some of them are beyond words.

[Veli]

Originally posted by Loki Panwit
To me.. the God is Loki.

He is passion and life. He is vitality and freedom. He is the hand that leads me and the hand that shoves me onward. He tells me to take risks, pull on strings and leap over fences.

Loki is the God I've chosen. Though he is trickery.. he is compassion.., caring and loving. He is the raw energy of nature untamed. He is the strength I need to survive.. the structure-less path that beckons me onward into oblivion.

The God is Loki, to me.. He is me.

I've got to know where you have found this information on Loki, because it seems we cannot be thinking of the same God. The Loki I know used deceit to kill Baldr, the most beloved of the teutonic gods. He was imprisoned until Ragnarok (the christian's call this Armaggedon) when he will destroy the earth. I have followed this pantheon for nearly ten years, and have never, ever had him equated with love or caring.

[Ganga]

For me, God is Krishna. He is actually very playful and sweet, but can be stricter and more formal, too, especially when appearing as Vishnu/ Narayana. Goddess is Radha. She is softer and very merciful, but is known to occasionally give hard time to Krishna (when She is displeased with Him - this, philosophically speaking, is a part of their play/pastimes). She is ever-young maiden, just as Krishna is always a youth. I belong to a spiritual line that reveres and loves the Maiden/Youth aspect of Goddess/God above others, although we acknowledge and love Mother/Father aspects, too. The Crone/Sage aspects I have started studying/loving only after getting interested in Paganism as a whole.

In a nutshell, I would say that there is no question (for me) of approaching God without first approaching Goddess, or approaching Goddess without accepting also God. Not one without the other.

[Gwion]

"A little way within the gloom a roebuck raised his eyes
Brimful of starlight, and he said: The Stamper of the Skies,
He is a gentle roebuck; for how else could He conceive a thing so sad and soft, a gentle thing like me?
I passed a little further on and heard a peacock say: Who made the grass and made the worms and made my feathers gay,
He is a monstrous peacock, and He waveth all the night, his languid tail above us, lit with myriad spots of light."

[ametc]

to me the goddes represents life and the god represnts the aging of life....and even though we are aging...we should still go on...because it's life..it's the goddess

[Mnemosyne]

MM, ametc!:) Yeah, someone from good ole Cali is at MW.

I never thought about the god representing aging. To me the god and goddess are both divine, so I think of them as ageless. We, mortals, age though. Both the god and goddess guide as we advance through life and become wiser.

[Ganga]

I've been thinking about this question a lot, and marvelled how each of us has a unique relationship with God and Goddess. And that's how it should be; They also like variety.

In Spiral Dance, Starhawk says something about "blue god who plays a flute and dances". That's Krishna, most definitely. I don't always agree with Starhawk's philosophical points, but I like her books and was happy to see her describing my beloved, sweet friend.

In Christianity, God is often seen as father and nothing else. That's fine with me - it's the way they like to see Him. But I can't relate to "God the Father" at all. I like to call God in relation to Goddess, as in "Beloved of Radha (Goddess)", "Son of Mother Yashoda", "Husband of the Goddess of Fortune".

As for God being aging, well, could be. He says, "Time I am, the destroyer of all." Personally, I prefer seeing Him as a really handsome youth with black curls, dark skin and long, long eyelashes.

[Trinity Faith]

Well, since I worship only the Goddess and practice a form of Goddess Witchcraft which emphasizes solely on the Goddess Herself, I see the God as Her consort and sometimes Her child basically. I believe that there IS the God, but I do not honour him as I do the Goddess. If that makes any sense, lol.

[Mnemosyne]

Yeah, it makes sense to me. Although I believe in the gods, I mainly honor the goddess. I'm more into goddess spirituality. For some reason, I feel a deeper connection to the goddess than the gods.