God of Light and Dark

[MistOfTheSea86]

Do any of you guys believe that a god or godess could reincarnate themselves into a human bidy. Because my good friend has a friend who one night, kinda drunk I may add told her that she was the goddess Gaia and ever since been bagering her on it saying things like, we all know what you could really do and such. What are your views?

[Mairwen]

A part of a God/dess may incarnate as a human ~ in order for that deity to teach a lesson. These people are called "aspects" of these deities.

[Myst]

I think that was due to a deep misunderstanding of deity concepts, especially if in relation to Paganism.

Since you're posting to a Pagan board I'll assume that you're thinking in Pagan terms. According to popular belief (and my belief, specifically), all Gods and Goddess are believed to be only faces of the true deity, the All, which is all-encompassing and everlasting - whether you consider it to be a strange entity of light stretched over the galazy or the life force that animates and unites us all.

Thus Gods and Goddesses are largely a persona we perceive as part of the All, as Athena is a woman of Wisdom who we might invoke to bring ourselves wisdom, or Gaia is a Goddess of Earth who is nature around us and the love and life force of everything in nature, so we might work with her to better plants, animals, etc.

Gods are not some entity to be all smushed up in one human body, but really the life force that is in all of us - we are all Gods and Goddesses - and thus, no, your friend is not Gaia incarnate, even if she does have lots of that Mother Nature good stuff in her she probably can't "float a pencil" or "change her eye colour".

[Betty Ann Bongo]

I agree with WillowRaven.

I do not think the gods incarnate as humans. I dont think they have cause to. Each individual person has the divine spark within them, and if God needed to use a person for his purposes, he certainly wouldnt need to incarnate as human to do so.

[EasternPriest]

There are only a very few instances in the sacred literature from many traditions that even suggest that "the gods" incarnate in human form (Other than in Greek mythology) It sounds to me like the god/goddess of ethanol is the more likely force at that party.

[MistOfTheSea86]

Lots of good information here. Yes I agree with you all. You all have very valid points. I shall tell her this to tell her friend. Were any of you guys getting the impression tha i was the friend? HA I am not. It is her friend up in Colorado. I would never think this. I agree that all the gods and goddess's are merely parts of a greater whole. but I feel that they all alos have their place.

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by EasternPriest
There are only a very few instances in the sacred literature from many traditions that even suggest that "the gods" incarnate in human form (Other than in Greek mythology)

My Tradition is Welsh, and we teach this practice/concept.


... *walks away wondering if anyone saw my post at all* :rolleyes:

[silvrsnstr]

I have heard of this, and tried it with Eros. It is more like asking a specific God or Goddess to come "live" with you for a while, or asking them to bestow gifts opon you. For example, one of my friends Aspected with Freya, and she transformed, litterally. When the period she asked Freya to stay was up, she was still like it, but to a smaller degree. Hope I helped.
Blessings,
Crimson StarRaven

[Myst]

interesting, Crimson.

Puts me in mind of invoking or evoking deities. Some frown on this practice but I've never really understood why. I've heard that some are afraid you'll become possessed but a) the gods have no cause to possess you and b) if you use reasonable protection methods you should have no cause to worry that any other entity will do the same.

Just my 2 bits.

[Spirahl]

"Aspects", interesting. Mairwen, is this the same idea of a particular Goddess or God doing work through a specific person? Using the body/person as a tool?
I'm not sure if I believe in the "One God" concept anymore, I used to, until having them start coming to me as entities that are very separate from each other, even pitting themselves against each other. I suppose that "One God" could have internal struggles just like the rest of us though, and this is how it has been expressed to me. I'm utterly confused about this at the moment, confused about a lot of things actually...
Still waiting for that lightbulb moment when it becomes clear...
Of course by then, I'll have different questions!!!:crazy: