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Do animals have gods and goddesses?

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    #16
    Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

    You should be aware that cats only breed us to fetch their food,because only we can open that can.

    And think about it,what other living thing would you scoop their poop for..its Hypnotic magic....:=[:
    MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

    all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
    NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
    don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




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    my new page here,let me know what you think.


    nothing but the shadow of what was

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      #17
      Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

      Noah may not be a god, but he is a Saint
      www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


      Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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        #18
        Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

        My initial thought on the subject was simply are humans the only creatures on earth that have gods or goddesses associated with them. The thought of religion is far more complex since even understanding what the word religion means is a open to a wide variation of answers that from what I looked up reflect the persons own religion rather than a general meaning. At the religious tolerance website I did find this etymology of religion -( 'The English word "religion" is derived from the Middle English "religioun" which came from the Old French "religion." It may have been originally derived from the Latin word "religo" which means "good faith," "ritual," and other similar meanings. Or it may have come from the Latin "" which means "to tie fast." '). With a lack of a good definition of religion it would seem to be an obstacle to applying to other species when our own species cannot agree. My comments about Jane Goodall came from thoughts about observations she had seen from chimpanzees in the wild. She witnessed chimpanzees grieve and recognized certain sites as special where a mother for instance had died. The other was the display behavior which was reserved for demonstrating social order and always in front of other chimpanzees except for one or two locations where an isolated chimpanzee at a site of a waterfall would demonstrate a similar display but with an exaggerated pattern. She was merely wondering if, in the case of the sight of the lost mother, that spot become connected with the death and therefore on some primitive level represent a sacred spot. Again was there something about the energy and dynamics of the waterfall location that made that location special for a ritual to be preformed. She did not say religion but thought about how religion would begin. I am a fan of Jane Goodall for what she has done and learned about the wild chimpanzees and to not want to infer any misunderstanding that she thought they had religion.

        On the subject of gods and goddesses why would it be that only one creature on the planet has gods and goddesses in their own form. It is not based on brain size and it cannot be because we have a language since that could imply that we just make up gods and goddesses which do not exist. Animals are clearly close in tune with nature and the cycles of nature and possibly with the spiritual side if nature. In this case I remember reading a book by Dean Koontz ' a big little life' where he witness his dog in a room all alone interacting with something he could not see. The behavior patterns were clear as if the dog was reacting to a person or something as its gaze and movement followed around the room as it did with Dean itself. The action then stopped and the dog then noticed Dean and walked up to him. I have read of similar patterns in animals which are outside of the normal behavior. I liked Ted Andrews answer for this - that the were more connected to the spiritual world. If they do interact with the spiritual world (I have no proof I know) does it mean they are not equally special to the creative force that created humans. Do we become to egocentric to believe we are the chosen ones who have gods and goddesses for us?

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          #19
          Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

          I have a small altar to Freyja in the stable to protect the horses. I'd like to think she watches over them and makes sure they stay safe and happy. She isn't a patron of mine, to my knowledge I have none yet to speak of but I ask often for her blessings and help in keeping them safe. The horses seem to be appreciative of this and more calm since I have put the alter in. There are so many gods/goddesses associated with many animals so I assume that is their other form or purpose to watch over those creature when we are unable to do so.

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            #20
            Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

            Originally posted by Kiesha'ra View Post
            I have a small altar to Freyja in the stable to protect the horses. I'd like to think she watches over them and makes sure they stay safe and happy. She isn't a patron of mine, to my knowledge I have none yet to speak of but I ask often for her blessings and help in keeping them safe. The horses seem to be appreciative of this and more calm since I have put the alter in. There are so many gods/goddesses associated with many animals so I assume that is their other form or purpose to watch over those creature when we are unable to do so.
            So do the gods and goddesses have human forms? Are animal beneath man so that animal need a human god or goddess as a patron? This is why I asked the question. It seems egocentric to think that only humans have god/goddesses unless they really do not have human form, have human form when connecting with humans, or are only a part of a much larger great spirit/large number of spirits. Are we more important that the other life on the earth? Another aspect to this are we assuming that the Pre-Christian saw these gods and goddesses as human like vs. spirits of nature given human qualities. In Celtic pre-Christian beliefs we have gods with animal like features and goddesses that change to other animals blurring the division of man and the animals around him. In what we learned from the Sami people of Scandinavia there was less of a hierarchy between man and his cohabitants of the world they share. Christian influence clearly then influences this by making a clear separation which may have influenced what was written about the Celtic mythology.

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              #21
              Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

              I'm pretty sure there are a few cultures at least who have gods that are animals most of if not all of the time. The trickster/creator god Raven of the Pacific-Northwestern Native Americans comes to my mind. Now, I'm not expert in Native American culture, but whenever I've seen Raven depicted in art, he's always been depicted as a raven; I don't think I've ever seen him as a human.

              Have you ever read Wind in the Willows? The chapter, Piper at the Gates of Dawn; ever since I was a little girl, I'd like to believe the animals have someone like that, watching over them.

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                #22
                Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

                The Athabaskan version of the Animal "deities" are not human and only took human form once humans came about.

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                  #23
                  Re: Do animals have gods and goddesses?

                  Originally posted by eightofcups View Post
                  I'm pretty sure there are a few cultures at least who have gods that are animals most of if not all of the time. The trickster/creator god Raven of the Pacific-Northwestern Native Americans comes to my mind. Now, I'm not expert in Native American culture, but whenever I've seen Raven depicted in art, he's always been depicted as a raven; I don't think I've ever seen him as a human.

                  Have you ever read Wind in the Willows? The chapter, Piper at the Gates of Dawn; ever since I was a little girl, I'd like to believe the animals have someone like that, watching over them.
                  Animals are just as likely to have deities watching over them has humans. To think otherwise is to place humans as more important than other animals and considering the way we treat the world we live in we certainly do not seem wiser. I believe animals have the same spirits watching over them. "Mitakuye Oyasin" all my relations.

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