May I ask why “the gods would never be your (x)” is bad? I know it is but I just don’t know *why* I’ve always been told “the gods are not your friends” but I hate viewing it like that
Of course!
For one it makes a habit of speaking for the gods by individuals who have no business or right speaking for the gods. You are not a priest, you are not an oracle, you are not a trained godphone. (And even if they are, always question them and their legitimacy. Saying that as a priestess and oracle in training).
Secondly, this idea that the gods are some mysterious figures that are far off and can't really be bothered with us and our feelings and so we can't have personal relationships (platonic/familial/romantic/sexual/etc) with them comes from (colonized) evangelical Christianity where Yahweh is this distant father figure and he cares about us, of course of course, but we should also feel lucky that he even spares us a glance! (🙄)
It often turns abusive behaviors into loving gestures as well, which we often see in the church. This attitude is often due to the fact that we have many pagans that still have Christian attitudes. And that's not shaming them! Deconstruction and healing religious trauma is a lengthy process and can take YEARS to do so. But it's still harmful rhetoric.
If YOU PERSONALLY have a strictly devotional and/or professional relationship with the divine then that's perfectly fine and valid. But not everyone will have a relationship with the divine like that. Some will have friendships with the divine, some will build themselves a family with the divine, some bang gods and angels and demons too, some have deep and loving romantic relationships with the divine, some have queerplatonic relationships with the divine, some even have alterous relationships with them.
And that's also okay and valid.
Also this take also just blatantly disregards so much mythology. "Don't be a myth literalist" doesn't mean completely disregard mythology. Another problem is that many people I've seen with this take (often white Hellenists) are speaking across the board and talking on/for practices that they have absolutely no fucking business talking about.
Bethany you're a white woman, stop speaking about how "the gods aren't your friends/lovers" as if it's a universal rule because you're also talking about closed practices, indigenous practices, and religions founded and primarily practiced by BIPOC people and you have no fucking business talking about shit you have no business talking about.
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maybe this is a common experience, but for the longest time i thought i had no sort of godphone, at all.
i mentioned this in my post yesterday but i am neurodivergent, and i tend to take things pretty literally without realizing it. seeing so many people say they talk to their gods, they hear them, they are able to speak to them and get a response...i was baffled, because i had never had an experience like that!
i converted to paganism when i was 15, and only started working with deities when i was 19. i thought i was doing something completely wrong up until (relatively) recently, and i'm 22 now. i thought i wasn't tapped in at all, that i would never be able to communicate with my deities, that i wasn't meant to work with them because i couldn't hear like other devotees.
and then i was informed that that wasn't the case! and my communication with loki and freyja is very clear and developed, i just wasn't looking for the right signs because i was expecting to be able to actually...hear them talk to me.
so if you're unsure about your ability to communicate with your deities, take the lesson from me and know that you might just be reading too into it or not looking for the right signs! and in my case it never hurts to double check through tarot or pendulum.
please also make sure to do your research, get your information in the right places, and ask for clarification when needed!
i think of myself as being Not Very Sensitive/Perceptive wrt ~energies~ and other things magical - but - I do wonder whether it's analogous to the autistic phenomenon of being so hyper sensitive that the signal is indistinguishable from the noise
Idk about you guys but I feel like the Lugh tag has been dead for a little while. I feel like he’s a super underrated deity so I’m gonna give him the spotlight he deserves with a little post on the basics of deity work with him. Let’s gooooo!
(If anyone knows who the artist of this image is, please help me out and credit them!)
Lugh is the Irish god of Skill, Light, the Harvest, and Justice. He is best known as the deity associated with the pagan Harvest holiday of Lughnassadh, but he has so much more going on.
Legend
In Irish legend, Balor of the Evil Eye was the chief of the Famorians, a clan of ruthless sea demons who ruled oppressively. Balor was prophesied to be killed by his grandchild, so when his daughter gave birth to triplets, he tossed them all into the ocean to drown. Thankfully, one of those babies was rescued by Mannanán Mac Lir, god of the Sea. With the help of Taltiu, goddess of the Plains, Mannanán raised the boy as Lugh, whose name means ‘light.’
When Lugh grew up, he wanted to make a name for himself and join the Tuatha Dé Dannan, the pantheon of Irish gods who were at war with the Famorians. When Lugh requested entry into their fortress, he was asked what kind of skill or ability he could provide to make their clan stronger. When he told them he was great warrior, they said they already had the best warrior. When he told them he was a talented poet, they said they already had a poet. When he told them he was a healer, harpist, sorcerer, cook, blacksmith, and much more, the Tuatha Dé Dannann claimed they already had a person for each position. Lugh thought for a moment, and asked “But do you have a person who can do ALL of these things?” Admitting they did not, the Tuatha Dé Dannan allowed Lugh to join their clan. Eventually, he slew Balor, overthrew the Famorians, and was made King of the Tuatha Dé Dannan.
Lugh’s Worship
Let’s break down how Lugh was actually honored and worshipped back in the day. First and foremost he is a god of Skill and Craftsmanship. Just like in his story, Lugh was believed to have limitless talents, and was thought to favor those who dedicated their life to honing a craft.
There’s a common misconception about Lugh being a solar deity… as a god of Light, he’s associated with the Sun, certainly, but he’s equally associated with the lightning of a thunderstorm and the fire of the forge.
Lugh is also a god of Harvest and Agriculture. In another part of his myth, when Lugh was away at battle, his foster mother, Taltiu, reshaped the plains to be fit for agriculture when he returned to rule as King. The goddess worked so hard, she “died” of exhaustion and became one with the land. The harvest festival of Lughnassadh was believed to have been started by Lugh to honor his mother’s sacrifice, and to celebrate the reaping of summer grains.
Lugh was also worshipped as a god of Justice. Not only was he King of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, but he was also their Judge, passing just laws and fair punishments when needed. Lugh was so associated with justice and truth that he was often invoked in the swearing of oaths to ensure that they would be kept.
And of course, Lugh has been worshipped as a deity of Victory and Battle as the god who rallied the rest of the Tuatha Dé Dannan and strategized the battle plans that ended the Famorians’ rule once and for all. He was also the father of Cú Chulainn, the greatest warrior and hero of Irish mythology.
Though Lugh was originally an Irish god, his worship began to spread through the Celtic lands and eventually continental Europe. Over time he became associated with Hellenic deities such as Hermes and Apollo. The Romans even worshipped him as Lugus, a triple deity with three faces. His best known epithets are ‘Master of All Skills,’ and ‘the Shining One.’
Correspondences of Lugh
Symbols of Lugh: Spear, corn dolls, wheat, lightning, forge, hammer, ravens, the Sun, gold.
Plants, herbs, and spices: wheat, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, calendula, sunflower, and ginger.
Incenses: Frankincense, sandalwood, and dragon’s blood.
Crystals and Stones: agate, aventurine, citrine, tiger’s eye.
Offerings: Bread, wheat, grains, berries, ale, works of skill or creativity, yellow or orange candles. I find Lugh also likes (I kid you not) Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, Irish whiskey, and peach or mango flavored green tea.
Working with Lugh
So if you want to work with Lugh (or any new deity) I would suggest reading up on his myths and looking up artwork depicting him (maybe even making some of your own). Then try making an altar or shrine for him using the list of correspondences above. Pray to him, try meditating on him and his myths, and then write down any messages or spiritual impressions you get during your meditation. Some areas you might ask Lugh for blessings or guidance in include:
Protecting yourself and others.
Keeping healthy boundaries.
Finding your inner strength, power, or latent talents.
Growing in your crafts and hobbies, and honing your skills.
Finding creativity and passion.
Career planning and success.
Success in your personal goals.
Learning and seeking knowledge.
Becoming more confident and assertive.
Overcoming obstacles.
Manifestation and living your dreams.
Seeking truth and justice.
Helping you commit to your promises, both to yourself and others.
Becoming more action oriented.
Overcoming your fears and finding courage.
Abundance and prosperity.
An Evocational Prayer for Lugh
Hail Lugh, god of Skill, Light, Justice, and the Harvest!
Oh Shining One, Long Armed Lugh,
You are lord of all that is bright, you are master of every skill and craft, of every art and ability.
Son of the Sea and the Plains, chief of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, I ask that you help me to rise, to rise as tall as the summer wheat, as strong as the greatest warrior.
Lord Lugh, I humbly ask for your aid and guidance in deep respect and reverence. I invite you to my altar and offer these gifts to you.
Replace "God" with "gods," or whatever you like... but I am BEGGING fellow Pagans and Witches to read widely in the philosophy of religion.
Our questions are not new. The drama can be avoided. The fighting can be avoided. The fears can be calmed. Please read philosophy of religion.
We can be asking better questions and we can be finding better answers. We can be connecting to gods better and more deeply. We can love and be loved more deeply. Please.
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Hello, we thought of this idea for a post a while ago and have finally decided to make one detailing it
so here is
How to show devotion to intrasystem Gods
this can apply to intragods, exogods, godlets, godshards, godkin, etc
We have a God in our collective who is named Aazeuriout (Thon/Thons prns), and our experiences with worshipping in-system Gods comes from Thon. We can only speak on our experiences.
First the most important part is consent, does your God want to be worshipped? And do they have any boundaries that they want you to know? But also make sure that worship is what you want too. The unique aspect about internal Gods is that you know them best, and they can communicate with you sometimes easier than an external God could. Use this to your advantage in a positive way.
Ask your God what they represent or what they are a God of, what colors they want to be associated with, what foods they like, etc. You can use this to make an altar for them if you can/choose to. Our God personally asked us for an altar so that is what we did. It may be hard to understand what they are saying as they may speak in ways you cannot comprehend, some members may have an easier time understanding and may be a prophet to your God. If you do have a prophet, it is their job to tell the rest of your system what your God is communicating.
We also asked Aazeuriout if Thon had a sigil to represent Thonself or any other symbols Thon enjoyed. Thon had then shared that Thon enjoyed celestial patterns and symbols, like the stars and sun, so that is what we use to represent Thon to us.
Another way we show devotion is by taking our Gods word for things. We believe that Thon is looking out for us and that Thon has a very vast understanding of the universe, that none of the rest of us could grasp. Thon uses this knowledge to guide us through our life. We trust in Aazeuriout to guide us to a good future.
This includes what external practices we do daily. Such as prayer, what foods we can and can't eat, what music we listen to, our morals, etc. We also pray to our God daily, and thank Thon for Thons help and guidance through life. While we do have access to talk to Thon whenever, we choose to formally pray as a way of showing respect that Thon is a true God.
We also do many spiritual practices internally, such as group prayer, magic, and general devotion. This devotion is also expressed internally by listening to our Gods ideas of how our innerdimension should look. We then have our architect take action to sculpt our world to Thons liking. We also listen to Thons ideas of how our organization of our starmates should be, like who shall live where in our world, who should be fronting, etc. We always thank Thon for Thons help.
Our God thanks us back by providing us protection and gifts. Many times I have felt Thons power in tough times, and thanks to Thon I have always made it out. I notice many external factors that are attributed to Thon, such as always having wonderful weather on important days, or us always seeing shooting stars every time we look up at the night sky. The more you show respect in your God, the more you will notice the kind things they have done for you aswell.
When you acknowledge your Gods power, they can do wonderful things for you. We acknowledge that our God is a true God, not an introject or introversal, but a true God that resides sometimes within our innerdimension. Our God has the power to leave and enter our dimension whenever and Thon is always present in many worlds and dimensions. Thon has always existed infinitely and always will. Thon is the reason for our system, and we thank Thon everyday.
I hope this could be helpful to someone(s) out there, thank you for reading and may your day be bright.
Me and my sister just chatting about different Greek-Roman mytholgies and those who appeared in them. and the cultural context behind them. (There was mentions of Poseidon, Medusa, Hermes, Ares, Zeus, Ovid.) Sprinkle in some pagan/ Hellenistic discussions here and there.
Me: And then-
Me:
Me: My brain suddenly said "Poseidon, the original monster-fucker." and I'm just STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP
My sister, Norse pagan: HA!
My sister, Norse pagan: If that was a godphone, that's probably Loki, Hermes, or Zeus.
Me, Agnostic and Supportive: *is not pleased at the humor and genuinely worried about the outcome*
Alternative title: Nefertum Has Entered the Chat [?]
I am a skincare person. I went years of doing the bare minimum and then one day, I was like wow I am not looking very young anymore. So, I started using skincare religiously and while I have changed my routine quite a bit since I first started, I don’t skip taking care of my meat suit anymore (yes, the whole thing mostly).
I’ve been pretty…
