How long and how many?

[Chaos Witch]

One thing when I do research in deities is that I wonder how many patrons/deities a pagan may go through.

Do you have a god/pair/group you will worship for all the time you spend in this lifetime or does it change with each phase of life (young, middle age, elderly)or when they don't call to you no more?

I am very interesting in hearing people's thoughts on this one. If you can state how long you have been worshipping as a whole (not nessesarily how long for each deity).

[SylverStar]

Well to me the pair is a Wiccan idea. Though it's probably found elsewhere. I myself have 4 deities that I work with. It use to be 2 and than I changed it to four. But it seems every day more and more dieties are coming into my life. When I started studing Wicca I didn't believe in any gods, just a sort of all encompsing energy (which I now call Brahman). I started working with the gods probably only about 2 years ago. So not very long. It's still something I'm getting use to. I think though that as you evolve as a person so can those you worship. Though Some people are suited to stay with maybe only one pair there whole lives. I mean Cristians belive in one God and I like to think that they have faith in God their whole lives.

[NivekDrgnMage]

LOL well to be truthful here I believe in the Aspects not so much as one Deity. But I do use my heritage as a guide Irish/German.

[Chaos Witch]

Thanks to those who have answered and honestly I didn't mean to make the forum state who answered what in the poll.

Any way to correct that? Have no names added to selctions?

[Mnemosyne]

I've had the same goddess in my life since I began my journey. I'm still in that maiden aspect of my life though. So who knows? Maybe my deities will change as I enter different stages of my life. I have noticed that different deities enter my life as the seasons change. However, they don't play as a major role in my life as Athena. :heartthro

[Mnemosyne]

Thanks to those who have answered and honestly I didn't mean to make the forum state who answered what in the poll.

Any way to correct that? Have no names added to selctions?

I don't have any names on who answered what. I just know based on people's posts. As you know, we love to share our opinions here.

:sunny:

[argento_occhi]

I started out Wiccan, and believed in multiple Gods. I chose the Egyptian pantheon with absolute certainty. There was no hesitations in chosing anything other than Egyptian. I started off with a loose colection of Gods i was drawn to, and it kinda got smaller as I worked out who was actually calling me, as to who i was drawn to. I now work with Aset (Isis), Djehuti (Thoth) and Sobek-Re, and Bast too, now. i 'chose' Aset, Djehuti and Bast from the start, but Sobek-Re was a surprise, though not completely surprising. it just took me a while to realise He was saying 'hello'. I have a thing for crocodiles. i think they're the most beautiful animals in the world, and my mum thinks i'm mad. *shrugs* go figure.

bright blessings,
argent

[aftershocked]

I've gone through a change.. although it was only one and I highly doubt it will change again. I've been walking a pagan path for about 5 years

The frist.. maybe 2 years of my Path I followed a loosely Celtic/Gaelic Wiccan path. I was devoted to Brigid, and that's all there was to it. I now know that She was the there to guide me from my old religion (Christianity) to my pagan path. And, I feel that after she fulfilled that purpose, she stepped out to make way for other deities that I need in my life right now.

For the past 3 years-ish (don't honestly remember) I've been following the Egyptian pantheon, and it feels like coming home. I can't imagine it changing.. but you never know.

I think that deities are spiritual guides, there to teach you a lesson and when you learn that lesson, They move on so you can learn from the next guide.

[Athena-Nadine]

I belong to the entire Greek pantheon (12+), and have since I was a small child. I'm 31 now, so unless there is some major upheaval in my life (more so than the ones I've already lived through), that's not going to change.

[{Tigress}]

This was a tough question for me to answer, but I finally went with only one. My Diety didn't change so much as grow. I went from believing in the Christian God to something I call the One, where all god/ess's are aspects of One God.

[Kadynas]

I picked the first option, but only because I have stayed in one pantheon the entire time I've been on this path. I have however worked in depth with 3 specific deities from that pantheon. :) It wasn't really that I changed my mind about which one to follow, rather that they seemed to choose me as their pupil at that particular time in my life. :)

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

My pantheon has changed over the years, as have I. When I first began down my path, I worked with the Greek/Titan pantheon and my first Gods were Selene and Helios. I worked with them for a few years, then I the Goddess Rhiannon made herself known to me. I dedicated myself to her but had no specific God that I worked with. This suited me well until about two years ago, when I began my studies at the Avalonian Institute for the Magickal Arts.

I learned about many new deity there, including Brighid, Aine, Airmid, Bel, Gwyn Ap Nuad, Manannon MacLir, as well as Niamh and Oisin. Many of these Gods were not any that I was intimately aquainted with, and in many cases I had never heard of them prior to that point.

Over the years I've been with Ar Afalon, a few have made places for themselves in my path. I am much closer to Brighid since I keep her flame in Cill Avalon. My interest in Airmid comes from her association with herbalism and healing. I have become more comfortable with the God, in his forms as Lugh and Cernunnos.

I think the Gods come to us during periods of our lives when, for whatever reason, we need them or they can help us. Rhiannon has become less of a driving force in my life, but the things that drew me to her initially are not as much of an issue to me anymore. I think that perhaps when I have children of my own She will mean more to me and regain her central place. But I do not know, and that's okay.

That's just my story.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[Chaos Witch]

Thank you all for answering. This has helped me very much understand what deities roles really are. I have been quite the agnostic but who knows, it may change.

If you have read one of my other post about Apollo, I have done quite a bit of indepth research on him and man... we doo have lots in commen :kooky:

[RubyRose]

I started out Wiccan. And I chose the Celtic Pantheon. Originally choosing, Arianrhod, Bloduewedd and Morrigan as my triplecate Goddess. Later more thorough research would make me modify this set to: Arianrhod, Bloduewedd and Cerridwen, and I now have (The) Morrigan as my patron Goddess.

I sometimes, call upon Cernunnos and Cerridwen, when I need both a God and a Goddess.

Blessings,
RubyRose

[LittlePerson]

Always just the Lord and the Lady. No pantheon. I look at them as more than just pagan too. They are the overarching all or the division of G-d.

[Erebus]

It's gone through quite a few changes. At the moment, I'm an agnostic apathist - I don't know and I don't care. :D

Actually, at the moment, I believe in three completely non-interventionist deities. Everything else is just our higher selves playacting because we don't really have confidence in our own ability to cause change without some big bad god/dess doing the hard part.

Which I suppose makes me an atheist, since the existence of the Big Three is mostly* irrelevant to our individual lives anyway, and I believe that everything which gets done, gets done through me.


*I say "mostly" because I suppose it'd be theoretically possible to attract the attention of something that mind-numbingly vast, but it would probably not be good news for you if you did. Sort of like how whenever a mosquito manages to attract my attention, it's always bad news for the mosquito.

[WiccanGoddess]

Since the beginning, my Gods/Goddess' have changed many a time. I think the path I have walked has had too many turns for there to only be one duo. I've gone from Hecate to Gia, to Bast, and back to Hecate. At the moment, Hecate and Pan.

[Romani Vixen]

I said that they've changed... but really, my understanding has changed. They've always been the same.

[chrestomancie]

, but Sobek-Re was a surprise, though not completely surprising. it just took me a while to realise He was saying 'hello'. I have a thing for crocodiles.
argent

I have recently had a thing for crocs too. And aligaotrs. My back car window is full of them. hmmmm.... I will have to read about him.
The first deity that drew me was Bast, then Gaia. I have just recently began noticing
Ixchel and the image hit me so hard that I did some artwork of her. I am also drawn to Helen of the ways or diana (whichever name you know her as). I have read in different places she is often depicted with a dog and she really appeals to me. I have yet to find a male deity to call upon. I mostly just call him lord or god.

heres some info on Ixchel
[Ixchel
by Micha F. Lindemans
Cite, rate, or print article Send comment Used sources


The Mayan earth and moon goddess and patroness of pregnant women. She invented the art of weaving. Ixchel is thought to be the consort of Itzamna and with him she is the mother of the Bacabs, but also Voltan was thought to be her husband. She is portrayed with a snake as a head-band and her skirt is embroidered with crossbones. Ixchel shows many similarities with the Aztec goddess Chalchihuitlicue.]

[farm girl]

.

[HorseCrow]

1 god/pair/group since the begining

[Morr]

i was always drawn to the Celtic Pantheon only, specifically the Irish one. Therefore, I always stuck around worshiping these Gods & Goddesses.

I have worked with Y-H-V-H & Mother Mary, however, I havent worshiped them per se.

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

One thing when I do research in deities is that I wonder how many patrons/deities a pagan may go through.

Do you have a god/pair/group you will worship for all the time you spend in this lifetime or does it change with each phase of life (young, middle age, elderly)or when they don't call to you no more?

I am very interesting in hearing people's thoughts on this one. If you can state how long you have been worshipping as a whole (not nessesarily how long for each deity).
Personally I started out w/ the god and the goddess. Then i found Bast, or she found me...or more like i realized she was there. I was hers alone for a time, then the same thing that happened w/ bast happened w/ me and Ullr...and that is where I'm presently at...with both of Them.

I think it's different for each person. Some gods may be with a person for life, maybe it just takes the person a while to find them, maybe they never really do, maybe they do right off the bat...i just think it depends.

[Cielamara]

I did not have an official patron/ess till this summer, when my obsession with The Morrigan and her own interest in me culminated in a self-dedication to her on the first Esbat in July. She chose me, I believe, and my connection with her goes so deeply I believe she will be with me throughout my life. I have not officially devoted myself to them, but I suspect that I will also find Bridget and the Dagda claiming me, as well. I needed the Morrigan first, to strengthen me, and help me learn control and self-acceptance.
I believe that spiritual guardians will change throughout one's lifetime. My first guardians--a Dog and an Eagle--have already left me. But deities? I personally think that mine will be staying with me. :)

[semi]

I don't worship anything. I work with certain spirits/deities and I'll do so as long as they want to work with me.

[misschief]

mine changed once. i had a god and goddess.. then i realized they were all in my head, and that i could do it on my own, so, for lack of more appropriate words.. i dropped them.

[misschief]

I don't worship anything. I work with certain spirits/deities and I'll do so as long as they want to work with me.exactly. i don't call on them, but sometimes there are forces other than my own helping me out.

[NebtAnhai]

...because it is always the lord and lady to me. The aspects I need correlate with the name of each Diety. Especially when I need specifics in my life.

[patch]

I'm still with the greeks ;)
It took me a while to 'find' my gods but when I did it resulted in a whole change of path.
The same deities are still prominent too.