Wandering Pan's Forest

Hi, you might know me as Mischievous Heretic, or as the Heretic, or as Herry, depending on which platform you're on. I'm a lifelong spirit worker, and several years ago I became a godspouse for the Greek god Pan.

Please be 18+ to interact with me. Godspousing is an adult topic that frequently includes NSFW content. I strive not to discuss that with anyone underage.

Who do I worship?

Mostly the Greek gods, but I also have various relationships with deities from other pantheons. I have lots of experience with nature spirits and other kinds of spirits from doing spirit work, but I don't really worship any spirits.

What will you find here?

Mostly content about godspousing: education for new godspouses, encouragment for more experienced ones, and personal thoughts about my own relationships. Maybe a few things about spirit work.

You're welcome to send me anonymous questions about godspousing, spirit work, or related subjects. Life is busy so I don't always reply quickly, but I will eventually check.

Other bits and bobs:

This is a LGBTQIA+ friendly space. I am pansexual, and I don't tolerate gay bashing of any sort.

People of any gender or sexual orientation are welcome here. I'm genderfluid myself, but you can be anything. Just be civil about it.

This space is pagan friendly. I am very tolerant of other religious views, but have zero interest in converting to Christianity.

Folkism of any type is not welcome here. I can't change anyone's opinion, but I will not knowingly publish any folkist content on this blog.

I also have a godspousing podcast on Spotify. Again, life is busy so episodes are sporadic, but you might find some useful info there. Have a great day, night, or whatever!

===========================

Religious sex is what usually happens in my godspousing relationship. It's quite different from romantic sex.

That probably sounds odd so I'll explain.

This is just my experience. Others may have different experiences.

(FYI: I'm not anti-oath. I have several oaths with certain deities. However, I generally do not recommend oaths due to their very serious nature.)

Many people seem to think giving an oath lends gravitas to their spiritual practice.

It can, but I hope you're not swearing oaths just so other people will see you as a serious practitioner.

I hope you're thinking very hard about oaths first.

Ask yourself questions like:

Could I continue to worship, serve, or relate constructively (however that happens) with my chosen god or spirit equally well in the future, without an oath?

What exactly would an oath provide, that I do not already have access to in my spiritual practice?

How would my practice function in five or ten years, if I didn't swear an oath?

Look, I've been a spirit worker long enough to have seen some shit.

Did you know that an oath could be used as leverage by the involved god or spirit to force you into doing something you'd rather not do, years down the road?

Many oaths are never used that way, but it's possible.

Remember that.

An oath is not just pretty words, fueled by warm fuzzy emotions.

It's a commitment, potentially a lifelong obligation, depending on what language you used in its swearing.

Feelings go away later.

You may eventually stop caring about the god or spirit you swore an oath to. You might stop practicing entirely, or develop other interests.

Yet the oath will remain until you dissolve it, because it's not based on emotions. It's built of chosen responsibility.

Be sure you truly want that duty, even on the hard days.

You did include clauses for editing and dissolution, I hope?

Tips for writing oaths

Speak only for what you will do. Don't attempt to put words into the mouth of a god or spirit. You are responsible only for your own words and actions. Use clear language.

Deities and spirits are not required to swear an oath to you even if you give them one. So don't pressure a god or spirit for an oath, or assume you must have one from them in order for yours to be valid. An oath of service from you may mean a deity or spirit simply receives your service and offers occasional guidance as needed.

Take your time creating any oath, like weeks and months. You'll need to write a first draft, then revise it many times as you think about it and discuss the terms with your gods and spirits.

Does your pantheon have a deity or spirit of oath enforcement? Ask their opinion. In what ways do they foresee your oath affecting you positively or negatively, in the future? Are there any revisions they would suggest?

Make sure your gods and spirits agree to honor your oath before you swear it. If they don't like your oath, either don't swear an oath right now or work with them on creating an oath they will honor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. The following are clauses I've drafted as examples, which you can add to any oath you're drafting.

These sample clauses all begin with "I agree..." because presumably by the time you swear the oath, you and your gods and spirits have already discussed your preferred terms and privately agreed to them.

Each clause merely states that agreement publicly, so the deities or spirits witnessing your oath will understand what you're promising to do. They will then hold you all accountable to the terms of your oath. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sample Editing Clauses

Feel free to copy/paste the following examples for personal use, or change them to suit your needs.

Editing mutually:

I agree that any amendment to this oath will require serious deliberation and mutual agreement between myself and [chosen spiritual entity].

This clause doesn't let you make unilateral editing decisions, so your god or spirit still has veto power if they don't like your proposed edits. Keep that in mind.

Editing independently:

I agree this oath can be edited by myself or [chosen spiritual entity] at any time, without consulting each other. However to be fair, if I edit this oath, I will then communicate said edits to [entity] within [reasonable time period], so they are aware of changes to this oath.

I don't think it's wise to draft an oath where you don't have to report edits to a god or spirit.

Reciprocity is a huge part of many spiritual relationships.

If you get to do whatever you want without telling them, what's stopping your god or spirit from treating you the same?

To foster healthy reciprocity, I think it's wise to treat your spiritual entities like you want to be treated.

Sample Dissolution Clauses:

Feel free to copy/paste the following examples for personal use, or change them to suit your needs.

Dissolution after mutual agreement:

I agree this oath can be dissolved only by mutual choice, after thorough discussion involving myself, [chosen spiritual entity], and [whichever spiritual entity of oaths is overseeing yours, if anyone is].

Including a deity or spirit of oath enforcement is helpful because they can explain how dissolving your oath will affect you spiritually. It's possible your relationships with other deities and spirits may change if you're no longer oathbound to your god or spirit.

However, this clause requires a group decision. Without a mutual consensus, you won't be able to dissolve the oath even if it's what you want. Bear that in mind.

Dissolution by independent choice:

I agree this oath can be dissolved independently by either myself or [chosen spiritual entity]. If I choose dissolution, I will then notify [entity] of my decision within [reasonable time period].

This clause offers the most freedom, but could be tempting to use in a moment of anger and later regretted.

If you have a pattern of making fast decisions when angry and you don't want to destroy your spiritual relationships in a moment of pique, it may be better for you to include a clause requiring discussion. Or perhaps a clause like the following?

Dissolution with waiting period:

I agree this oath can be dissolved independently by either myself or [chosen spiritual entity] after a decision to dissolve has been made, and a waiting period of [chosen time period] has passed after that decision. If I choose dissolution, I agree to communicate my choice to [entity] within [reasonable time period], so they have time to respond during the waiting period if desired.

This option gives a good balance of freedom and allowing time to cool down and discuss, if needed.

Thirty days is a good median waiting period, but you could choose more or less time as desired.

Make sure the reasonable time period for notifying your spiritual entity of your choice to dissolve allows plenty of time before the end of the waiting period, so you have time to discuss or negotiate with them if desired.

Whew! That's a lot of info.

Hopefully it offers some things to consider when drafting an oath to a god or spirit.

Again, please approach oaths with caution. Not everyone needs that structure for their spiritual relationships.

Mucking about in theology too stinky for polite society, with a chthonic god.

Taking a step onto a solid looking idea, which gives way into a religious mystery or another unspeakable thing that swallows me whole.

We can't always find words to explain what we know, because we didn't learn it through words in the first place.

Spirits are not human.

They can be quite different from us, and from each other too. So this may not apply to every type of spirit.

Here's my experience with nature spirits as teachers:

They can drop spiritual concepts whole into a mind, without words to describe it. This is like offering a child a pretty rock. Will the kid put it in the metaphorical pocket of their brain? Once there, it can become a foundational part of how that child thinks. Do that early enough, and spiritual ideas become something the child has "always known," tangled deeply in their reflexive responses.

They teach through lived experiences, tutoring one step at a time. It does not always make sense until the end, when the result bursts like a sunset onto the mind. Oooohhh, now we get it! Yet explaining how we got from there to here is nigh on impossible. There aren't words for the learning process.

Spirits teach through symbols that represent spiritual things. Lightning, mountains, weaving, distillation, etc, etc. Good luck deciphering those right away! We can ask for explanation, but spirits may give richly layered answers that require much thought to understand. We go into a spiritual cave, to look at the complex beauty of metaphorical stalactites. No words for that.

This kind of spirit work isn't superior to other sorts. It's just different.

It's often less possible to explain, due to not knowing any words to describe what's happening.

Add the invisibility of spirit work since it can't be physically witnessed and, well... what can I say?