Being pulled to different deities.

[Dumunzi]

I happen to be a very general God and Goddess fearing Wiccan. But I do feel a strong connection to Hecate.

What about everyone else here? Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons? Does that create any internal conflicts for you? Or is there just one that calls to you specifically? :)

[Tobias]

I happen to be a very God-fearing Christian, who also feels the pull from other gods and goddesses (including Hekate). I'm certain I follow the Christian God first and foremost, yet also am learning certain things here and there at the hands of other deities, usually Greek.


I've gone through all kinds of gymnastics trying to wrap my head around this. At first I had to question whether I was following Satan instead of the True God, but that didn't make sense. Then when I noticed most of the other gods were Greek deities, I tried to peg Him as Zeus. Why else would He tolerate these other gods jumping in and lending a hand? But He didn't go for that either.

I'm learning to just accept things for what they are. :) After all, it is we humans that invent most of the ideas of the gods clashing with each other or going to war just because we choose to fight our neighbors. Why can't we imagine that They are much smarter than we in this regard, and don't feel the need for petty jealousy or come to blows over the loyalty of their followers?

Just today I've been reading some rather interesting posts on the Yahoo Theistic Satanism list. I'm still surprised at how much of the content there is not offensive to me as a Christian, but actually agrees with me more than not. It occurred to me that only in religion, do we think that slight variations of doctrine or practice causes someone else to be our complete polar opposite! While most think of a Satanist as traveling 180 degrees in the opposite direction as a Christian, I see many similarities between our paths.

Perhaps some day soon the boundaries will fall, and we can just practice our spirituality without so many people shouting out all of the "rules" to us.

[Rick]

Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons?

No

[~Audra~]

being of Cherokee descent, i have a VERY strong connection to Coyote...i relate to him in a lot of ways, too...but, i'm called to the Triple Goddess as well, Gaia and the Green Man...Loki, Kali...Rhiannon...all from different places in mythology...all equally important to me...

you can look at it this way, i suppose...if you mix certain aspects of these deities, you get ME (part thereof, anyway)...a little bit of this, a dash of this...kind of like a recipe...they are of me...in me...not outside of me working against each other to reign supreme over my head, not power hungry for my devotion and fear...one works with deity because deity resides within...YOU are of deity...IMO

[Agaliha]

What about everyone else here? Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons? Does that create any internal conflicts for you? Or is there just one that calls to you specifically? :)

Well without getting lost in details and rehashing things I rather not, yes, I have in the past. Some did cause internal conflict, yup. In the end I realized the feelings I felt weren't helping and I snapped out of it, took a break and now things are better. Sorry to be vague :lol:

[Sionnach le Fey]

I follow deities from a couple of pantheons. I am Kemetic Orthodox, and was divined the daughter of Osiris, beloved of Amun-Ra, Shu and Horus the Elder. I, also, have a very close relationship with Aphrodite. She's like a mother to me and constantly present in my life. I like to honour the Tuatha De Dannan for my ancestors as well. So we've got Kemetic, Hellenic and Celtic Gods. This doesn't cause any conflicts for me, particularly because I believe all deities are different facets of the God and Goddess. As a Shemsu of KO, as long as Dad and my beloveds come first then there's never any problems.

[Tobias]

Just curious, is anyone here an expert on how the pantheons as we know them were created in the first place?

From what I know, it seems that each pantheon (or at least a significant number of them), would have been created once the followers of one god became allies with the followers of another god. For instance, when the worshipers of Athena were at war with the worshipers of Hekate, it would have been socially unacceptable to suggest that both goddesses were friendly to each other and working in union in somebody's life. But now that those human wars have all been fought, it is assumed that both Athena and Hekate might choose to work with the same person.

Our situation is no different today. Often we must first know of the gods before they present Themselves to us. When our knowledge is limited to one religion and only one pantheon (or monotheism, as is often the case), we imagine our god(s) to be the individual one(s) we know. Yet for those wishing to know the truth of the matter (despite the social costs), then and only then can we expect to discover the deeper truths.

[Agaliha]

From what I know, it seems that each pantheon (or at least a significant number of them), would have been created once the followers of one god became allies with the followers of another god. For instance, when the worshipers of Athena were at war with the worshipers of Hekate, it would have been socially unacceptable to suggest that both goddesses were friendly to each other and working in union in somebody's life. But now that those human wars have all been fought, it is assumed that both Athena and Hekate might choose to work with the same person.


That doesn't make sense exactly to me or fit what is know of the pantheon...
Are you basing this off a theory/idea or something you've read? Just curious.

[Anteros]

Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons?

Nope. At one point I felt the urge to worship certain non-Greek gods, but that urge went away once I realized which Greek deities they could be equated to.


Just curious, is anyone here an expert on how the pantheons as we know them were created in the first place?

From what I know, it seems that each pantheon (or at least a significant number of them), would have been created once the followers of one god became allies with the followers of another god. For instance, when the worshipers of Athena were at war with the worshipers of Hekate, it would have been socially unacceptable to suggest that both goddesses were friendly to each other and working in union in somebody's life. But now that those human wars have all been fought, it is assumed that both Athena and Hekate might choose to work with the same person.

I don't think there is any way to know for sure how the pantheons formed. Herodotus said that most of the gods worshiped by the Greeks came from Egypt, though a few of the gods' worship originated in Greece, like Hera and Apollon. Aphrodite's worship probably came from the Near East via seafarers. I don't think the gods were worshiped separately with their followers going to war. The same culture could worship many gods alongside each other without conflict, as long as it fits into their worldview. Hekate and Athene are obviously very different goddesses, and would have been recognized as such. Aphrodite and Hathor/Het-Hert, for example, are basically the same, so worshiping them both would be redundant.

[Tobias]

That doesn't make sense exactly to me or fit what is know of the pantheon...
Are you basing this off a theory/idea or something you've read? Just curious.


um....

Theories off of stuff I've read? :)

[Agaliha]

;) I was just curious is all.

[MuffinFang]

I haven't devoted myself to any deity, but then none have devoted themselves to me (or at least, as far as I can tell). I'll call upon a deity if I feel I need them - but very rarely. Mixing pantheons is only natural IMO, they're all intertwined and interconnected and attempting to separate them by the distinctions cultures long past made seems somewhat silly to me. Mix, pull, draw, and be inspired by anything that you feel even the slightest connection to and just be glad you feel any connection at all.

[Tobias]

At one point I felt the urge to worship certain non-Greek gods, but that urge went away once I realized which Greek deities they could be equated to.



You got me thinking... ;)


If all the world was Greek, then I would state that my patron God is Zeus. But it isn't. It's more Christian (at least from my perspective), so it's more accurate for me to say that He's the Christian God. I suppose in the Middle East I would call Him Allah, but I've never know Him as such as I'm not too familiar with Islam. He is the chief of Gods, or so He has revealed himself to me.

The difficulty is mixing polytheism into Christianity. :weirdsmil

Something I haven't considered though before, is how some of the "Greek" deities I've come to know were not initially set on me calling them by their Greek names. Athena and Hera (and possibly some others) gave me both their Greek and Roman names at first. *I* chose to stick with the Greek. Apollon though did give me his Greek name only, I specifically remember; and I don't recall Hermes ever saying "Mercury" is just as acceptable of a name to call him.

What I'm getting at is this: Does anyone think twice about mixing the Greek and Roman pantheons? I mean, what if it's really Venus who's talking to me, and I choose to call her Aphrodite just because I don't want to offend those who say the pantheons can't be mixed up? Or because I think the Greeks were "cooler" than the Romans?? :hahugh:

I think our best bet is always to accept the gods as they choose to reveal themselves to us. Trying to fit them into nice little religious molds is something they tolerate, but if you are looking for real life rewards to our actions, accepting Them at face value is always better than forcing them into the identities history has left us with.




I don't think there is any way to know for sure how the pantheons formed. Herodotus said that most of the gods worshiped by the Greeks came from Egypt, though a few of the gods' worship originated in Greece, like Hera and Apollon. Aphrodite's worship probably came from the Near East via seafarers. I don't think the gods were worshiped separately with their followers going to war. The same culture could worship many gods alongside each other without conflict, as long as it fits into their worldview. Hekate and Athene are obviously very different goddesses, and would have been recognized as such. Aphrodite and Hathor/Het-Hert, for example, are basically the same, so worshiping them both would be redundant.


So, how does a god "come from" another country? It seems that the people previously didn't worship that particular god, and then at some point they started thinking it was ok to do so. While war was the primary conduit for the exchange between cultures, it doesn't necessarily have to be in the equation. People didn't worship their neighbor's god, then they did.

The Greeks at some point decided enough was enough. Instead of adding more gods, they decided that they already had the perfect knowledge of all the gods that exist, and that other foreign nations simply had perverted ideas about the same gods that they already knew. While I agree with this in theory, I'm not too sure they applied this theory objectively. There are a limited number of gods and goddesses, and there are certain people who have better knowledge of some of Them than others, but I doubt that the Greeks had it all figured out 2500 years ago!

[Anteros]

What I'm getting at is this: Does anyone think twice about mixing the Greek and Roman pantheons? I mean, what if it's really Venus who's talking to me, and I choose to call her Aphrodite just because I don't want to offend those who say the pantheons can't be mixed up? Or because I think the Greeks were "cooler" than the Romans?? :hahugh:

Hmm, interesting question. From a Hellenic perspective, the 12 Olympians are universal, and the same major gods in different guises in every polytheistic religion (and a case can be made about equating them with Christian divine figures, such as Zeus=God, Dionysos=Jesus, Demeter/Hera/Aphrodite= Mary, but we won't go there). Roman civilization was an offshoot of Greek civilization, and Greek civilization was an offshoot of Mesopotamian civilization, so their religious ideas are all similar and inter-related. Myths and perceptions of the gods may not match up exactly, but they seem to express the same ideas, at the core. What names you call the gods by doesn't really matter that much, as long as you understand what you're doing.

If you want to call the gods by their Greek and Roman names both interchangeably, I don't really have a problem with that, personally. As long as you are honest about what you're doing, you can do whatever you want. Julius Caesar called the Celtic gods by the names of their Roman equivalents when he conquered Gaul, and Herodotus calls Ishtar by the name of Aphrodite in his Histories, I believe. A name is just a name. You just have to be clear to people that it's your own preference and not how all people who honour Greek gods worship.


I think our best bet is always to accept the gods as they choose to reveal themselves to us. Trying to fit them into nice little religious molds is something they tolerate, but if you are looking for real life rewards to our actions, accepting Them at face value is always better than forcing them into the identities history has left us with.

I agree with you to a certain extent, but the trouble of UPG comes with differentiating between what comes from your own imagination and what actually comes from the gods. From a recon perspective, it's better to go by what is historically validated rather than what comes from your own head. Not that one should be valued over the other, necessarily. Ideally, there would be a balance of both personal gnosis and historically validated practices and beliefs.


So, how does a god "come from" another country? It seems that the people previously didn't worship that particular god, and then at some point they started thinking it was ok to do so. While war was the primary conduit for the exchange between cultures, it doesn't necessarily have to be in the equation. People didn't worship their neighbor's god, then they did.

The Greeks at some point decided enough was enough. Instead of adding more gods, they decided that they already had the perfect knowledge of all the gods that exist, and that other foreign nations simply had perverted ideas about the same gods that they already knew. While I agree with this in theory, I'm not too sure they applied this theory objectively. There are a limited number of gods and goddesses, and there are certain people who have better knowledge of some of Them than others, but I doubt that the Greeks had it all figured out 2500 years ago!

Well, it was by no means a unified system back then, and there probably wasn't a lot of communication between the Greek city-states early on. Worship of Aphrodite probably came from sea traders from the Near East, to Paphos on Cyprus, and then Corinth on the mainland. Zeus, Dionysos, Hermes, and other gods appear in Linear B texts, so their worship had been practiced in Greece from the Mycenean Age, probable coming from Indo-European invasions or Egyptian and Near Eastern religion, or maybe a bit of all the above.

Anyway, over time as civilization developed, religion would have become more unified and the gods worshiped in the Greek poleis would have been exposed to the others. Eventually, they would have recognized the major gods with distinct spheres of influence, and the mythology surrounded them would have developed around that. It's all very complicated :p

[of black birds]

Short answer, yes.

[Whitewolf]

Yes, at one time I was being pulled by many different deities. At one time I was fascinated by Kali, Pele and Epona. I no longer am interested in them. I do honor the Egyptian deities, but at the same time I am fascinated by the Norse Pantheon, mainly Thor and Freya. I also feel a strong connection to the Celtic Goddess, Morrigan. If you had to label me you would call me a confused polytheist Pagan.

[Son of Goddess]

Something I haven't considered though before, is how some of the "Greek" deities I've come to know were not initially set on me calling them by their Greek names. Athena and Hera (and possibly some others) gave me both their Greek and Roman names at first. *I* chose to stick with the Greek. Apollon though did give me his Greek name only, I specifically remember; and I don't recall Hermes ever saying "Mercury" is just as acceptable of a name to call him.

What I'm getting at is this: Does anyone think twice about mixing the Greek and Roman pantheons? I mean, what if it's really Venus who's talking to me, and I choose to call her Aphrodite just because I don't want to offend those who say the pantheons can't be mixed up? Or because I think the Greeks were "cooler" than the Romans?? :hahugh:

Many people do not care which name they use because they genuinely think/believe that there is no difference, when in all actuality and factuality there is a big difference. Venus and Aphrodite are two totally different deities. Venus has nothing to do with love, sexual relations and so forth, She's a Goddess of vegetation, plant fertility, flowers, gardens, and so on.

If one is choosing to worship multiple entities from multiple pantheons, the best advise is to be mindful and do your research.


I think our best bet is always to accept the gods as they choose to reveal themselves to us. Trying to fit them into nice little religious molds is something they tolerate, but if you are looking for real life rewards to our actions, accepting Them at face value is always better than forcing them into the identities history has left us with.

I disagree with this thought that we must "force" the Gods into "molds" that history has left us with. There are reasons the Gods are given certain forms, identities, personalities, traits, symbols and so on; there is no forcing Them into molds They inspired mankind to make in the first place. In my opinion, going contrary just to be contrary is the forcing part. I'm all for personal gnosis, but its important to let people know that this is *your* personal gnosis about a given deity and therefore isn't necessarily something to be found across the board.

It all comes down to honesty and being true to yourself, everything has a particular name, label, title, etc... for very specific and very good reasons, its important to respect those things.



I agree with you to a certain extent, but the trouble of UPG comes with differentiating between what comes from your own imagination and what actually comes from the gods. From a recon perspective, it's better to go by what is historically validated rather than what comes from your own head. Not that one should be valued over the other, necessarily. Ideally, there would be a balance of both personal gnosis and historically validated practices and beliefs.

Exactly. Modern innovation is not "evil", "sinful" or looked down upon by the Recon religions whatsoever, it is embraced. However, it does not and cannot trump what history has given us, and this relates back to our understanding of the Gods and a certain respect placed upon one's ancestors and honoring them.

[Tobias]

Having been both a Christian and a mystic since my teenage years, I understand what you guys are saying about tempering personal revelation with tradition. It is very easy to get carried away with your own imagination! However, I also know first hand just how far actual contact with Diety can vary from what is popularly believed to be true.

At this point, my connection to the Hellenic deities has in no way compelled me to believe Hellenic theology. Christian theology has been a noose around my neck for the past few decades, why would I want to venture into another? Of course, there is nothing in Christianity that helps me cope with multiple deities... I have thought of shopping over in the Catholic side of things to see how Saints are dealt with; but none of my other deities have indicated that they wish to be known as their "saint" equivalents.

sigh


There is a bitter, civil war raging in Hellenism. I don't understand yet what it's about, but I dare not pick the wrong side!

[Son of Goddess]

At this point, my connection to the Hellenic deities has in no way compelled me to believe Hellenic theology. Christian theology has been a noose around my neck for the past few decades, why would I want to venture into another?

Why not? That just sounds like you are limiting yourself and your religious education because of Christian baggage.


Of course, there is nothing in Christianity that helps me cope with multiple deities... I have thought of shopping over in the Catholic side of things to see how Saints are dealt with; but none of my other deities have indicated that they wish to be known as their "saint" equivalents.

Catholicism is quite easy. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is worshipped, Mary and the Saints are venerated for their closeness to God and as being examples of piety. The Saints kind of work along the lines of the law of contagion, like attracts like. If you pay particular attention to a given Saint, you can become more like them, more Godly.

As to dealing with the monotheism/polytheism issue, the commandment says that there shall be no other deities before YHVH. In other words, that He is the primary deity and should receive the most importance in your worship. Also, He originally stems from a polytheistic religion anyhow.


There is a bitter, civil war raging in Hellenism. I don't understand yet what it's about, but I dare not pick the wrong side!

Yes there is and probably always will be, and it kind of echoes some of the more recent debates that have been occuring on this site.

[Heart of All]

I once felt pulled to the Greek gods (specifically Demeter). While I find the Greek gods to be beautiful and she was very sweet, Odin laid the smackdown and said that I was only to worship the Norse gods. So, uh, that solved that problem for me.

[David19]

I don't think there is any way to know for sure how the pantheons formed. Herodotus said that most of the gods worshiped by the Greeks came from Egypt, though a few of the gods' worship originated in Greece, like Hera and Apollon. Aphrodite's worship probably came from the Near East via seafarers. I don't think the gods were worshiped separately with their followers going to war. The same culture could worship many gods alongside each other without conflict, as long as it fits into their worldview. Hekate and Athene are obviously very different goddesses, and would have been recognized as such. Aphrodite and Hathor/Het-Hert, for example, are basically the same, so worshiping them both would be redundant.

Just a quick correction, Apollo actually came from the Middle East, I think I remember reading the Greeks got the idea for Apollo from the Arabs (who got him from the Sumerians - Utu, the Sumerian God of the Sun).

[Darkest Eve]

What about everyone else here? Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons? Does that create any internal conflicts for you? Or is there just one that calls to you specifically? :)

...well, sort of.

Neith (Neit), of the Egyptian pantheon; Kali Ma of the Hindu pantheon are the two major goddesses that appeal. Bastet and Nephthys to a lesser degree. ( I think I spell these differently than a lot of people, I am not sure...)

Anubis, Ra, Shiva... the main gods.

So, mainly two different areas, though I used to work more with the Greek pantheon than any other, aside from Kali, who is an ever-present diety.

No internal conflict, because each Goddess/God serves their own purpose and has their own goals... which so far, have not interfered with one another. These just happen to be the incarnation that found me. :)

The Egyptian pantheon has made its presence known more and more for me over time, so I have had some time to adapt to each new addition, and they have incorporated themselves quite comfortably where given the chance.

Exploration of the voudoun paths has opened the door to the Lwa and the saints, but they still haven't made their place known... though I've felt a pull to Papa Loko, more than any other in that path.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that for me at least, blending paths/pantheons has worked well... and I have a somewhat unusual combination of interests and those that have expressed an interest in me. :lol: It can work, if you allow it to... and if they allow it to... it's one of those things that I view as a two-way street and flexibility is a necessity.

[Meadhbh]

I haven't really. Like other people have said I thought about it once a long time ago but was told that was not going to happen. Which makes sense now. To be honest I don't think that mixing gods is not that good of an idea. But in the end its a personal choice really.

[St. Bunny ofthe Nail]

Are you pulled to deities from very distinctly different pantheons? Does that create any internal conflicts for you? Or is there just one that calls to you specifically?

I try to keep myself open to deistic intervention. When a god or goddess makes him/herself known to me, I tend to add them to what I've begun to describe as my "Personal Pantheon," that is to say the gods and goddesses I choose to worship. They have come from several different pantheons, and one of my goddesses I have never found specifically in any ancient set of beliefs, though I know She has communed with others besides me.

I have never had any sort of trouble with this belief system. I have never felt any internal bickering or discontent that suggests my gods are displeased with the way I live my spirituality.

As I grow and learn more about myself and my path, why should the gods and goddesses I worship not increase as well?