When first starting out on a pagan path, one of the first things many seekers feel they need to do is select a patron god and/or goddess. This alone can feel synonymous to visiting the food court of a busy shopping center. A bunch of pushy vendors offering free samples to win you over.
So it may seem when researching the vast array of pantheons within various belief systems, pagan or otherwise. (I say this because depending on your definition of paganism, some gods may not fall under that category.)
The question remains...how does one go about choosing which god is right for me? The short version to this question, in my experience, is that we don't choose. But rather, the gods choose us. Firstly, we must determine our overall view of deity. I personally have a polytheistic view of deity, with the belief that each god or goddess is operating under his or her own personality. With the understanding that each god(dess) was birthed from a divine source, and are connected to each other in a way that is beyond our finite thinking. I personally do not believe that the gods are simply an archetype or characterization of a thought form.
If a pantheon speaks to us, do we limit ourselves to one or two gods? Do we try to learn everything about as many gods as we can? In my opinion, the answer to both of these questions is no. Those who know me, understand that I have a close relationship with Hestia. However, Hestia has led me to a relationship with a few select others within the greek pantheon. As well as introducing me to a goddess of an African religion.
I think it's more important to develop a close relationship with a select few gods and goddesses, rather than keeping a different god on the sidelines for every different situation that arises in our lives.
Understand that I'm only giving my opinion based on my personal experience.
For me, I've found that Lady Hestia is very powerful in her own rite, and has been faithful to bring comfort, guidance, and a helping hand when needed. She has even been gracious enough to direct me to another deity who would be more beneficial for a particular need.
Bottom line is this...try to avoid what I will call the "iPhone mentality" when it comes to working with deity. "Oh you're having car trouble? I've got a god for that." I would rather have a close relationship with a select few benefactors, rather than choosing my gods from a book based on the need, like picking out shoes from an online catalog.
On a final note, if you are going to work with a divine source, whether it be a one time thing, or regularly; be respectful, give reverence and make an appropriate offering to give thanks for any help you are given. But then again, that falls under paganism 101.
No comments:
Post a Comment