Question about the God and Goddess

[Gardenia]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

The one where he was talking about that book he was reading.

Every post has a number, upper right hand side. I'm going to guess you mean 4 though.

He was giving an alternate view of the threefold law. You seem to be taking it very literally, and applying it to every aspect of your life. He's suggesting that the law only applies to magic workings, and even then, it's not as a hard and fast rule. More specifically, when we look a the origins of the law, it may not even have been meant to be taken that far. That it was originally just a... a joke of sorts, in the Wiccan initiation rite. In other words, you are not being punished because of the threefold law, because you thought something negative and it's come back. That's not really how it works.
Now some people do take a very hard view, that it does apply to everything, but there are many other ways to view it. (Some pagans don't believe in it at all, for that matter.)

The second half is about Deity. You asked what Deity is supposed to do for us. The question is, why do you assume they must do anything for us? There is more to a relationship with the Gods than what they can do for you. Look at it this way, would you be friends with someone only because they will give you things, because they will do everything for you...? No. You're friends with them (hopefully) because you enjoy their company. Sure, sometimes friends give advice, and there is mutual gift giving... but friends aren't going to do every little thing for you. It's the same with Deities.

Does that make more sense?

[Ementine]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

Every post has a number, upper right hand side. I'm going to guess you mean 4 though.

He was giving an alternate view of the threefold law. You seem to be taking it very literally, and applying it to every aspect of your life. He's suggesting that the law only applies to magic workings, and even then, it's not as a hard and fast rule. More specifically, when we look a the origins of the law, it may not even have been meant to be taken that far. That it was originally just a... a joke of sorts, in the Wiccan initiation rite. In other words, you are not being punished because of the threefold law, because you thought something negative and it's come back. That's not really how it works.
Now some people do take a very hard view, that it does apply to everything, but there are many other ways to view it. (Some pagans don't believe in it at all, for that matter.)

The second half is about Deity. You asked what Deity is supposed to do for us. The question is, why do you assume they must do anything for us? There is more to a relationship with the Gods than what they can do for you. Look at it this way, would you be friends with someone only because they will give you things, because they will do everything for you...? No. You're friends with them (hopefully) because you enjoy their company. Sure, sometimes friends give advice, and there is mutual gift giving... but friends aren't going to do every little thing for you. It's the same with Deities.

Does that make more sense?

Ohh! Okay, yeah that made a lot more sense.

I understand that now. And yes, they aren't only supposed to do things for us but what do we do for them?

[Gardenia]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

Now this turned out to be a long post, and I admit it doesn't directly answer your question, but try to stick with me here...

And yes, they aren't only supposed to do things for us but what do we do for them?

Well now, that's the question, isn't it? Why are we here, what do Gods want from us, what is our relationship with them, etc...

Here's a bit of a story first. I've been a practicing pagan for over 10 years now. I've followed a few different paths, and worked hard to figure out what worked for me, what I believed in, and why I believe in it. It didn't always come easy. Having had a relationship with Deity in some form or another for almost that entire time, I of course had some beliefs and ideas regarding the nature of that relationship... why we're here, what Deity wants from us, etc. However, it wasn't until this year, after all those years of practice, that I really understood the underlying reason behind it all. The big picture, which made the details all make more sense. I was surprised I never realized it before - it was simple, but it was also very profound. And here's the mean part... I'm not going to say what it was I figured out on that day.

Now I'm not just trying to keep secrets just for the sake of being mean, or seeming mysterious. No, there's two good reasons. First, I don't think it would really make sense without all the other context from my practice. Second, and perhaps more importantly, I don't think it's the only answer. Deity is big, the universe is big, and someone else's understanding may be totally different, and they may come to it in a totally different way - yet, it's still valid.

Answers to these types of questions don't always come easy. Everyone here could answer this question, and they could all answer it quite differently. So what's true? It's something you have to experience for yourself. These experiences come over time. Decades of time. And they don't stop just because you've been practicing for 10 years, 20, 40, or 50. Sometimes you go in circles, backtrack, branch off to a totally new path, but there's always something more to learn, to do. That's spirituality. It's not just about having all the answers, but the journey it takes to get there. I know that sounds so cliche, but it's true. This isn't something that just happens all at once, so don't try to go about it that way. You have to walk the path one step at a time. If you wished you just woke up and knew it all (which, no one does, we only get pieces of the whole), and you got that wish, you'd be cheating yourself out of the most important parts.

So I know that doesn't really answer your question, although a few opinions on the matter were given earlier in the thread, because I think you should think about it yourself for a while, see what you come up with. Don't worry about the 'truth.' Think of as many different reasons as you can, for what we might do for deity (if anything!), why we do it/what deity gets from it, what we get from it, and so on. Experiment with your ideas. As you practice, these ideas may get refined down, rejected, or new ideas may come along (or you may just not care about the answers any more). That's sort of the heart of it - think, research, experiment, find what works for you, and what makes sense. Right?

[Ementine]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

Fair enough. I really like what you said, it makes a lot of sense and I think it will be fun to figure out my own answer.

Thank you so much!

[Gardenia]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

Good, glad that post made sense. I think those 'why' questions can be great conversations to have, so you may want to bring the topic up again some time in the future - however, right now it'd probably do you better to sort out your own thoughts before adding more in the mix.

[Zephyranth]

Re: Question about the God and Goddess

Ementine, I think that yes, the Lord and Lady teach us lessons in this life, but I don't believe they are the punishing type. I believe in Karma: what I put out is going to come back to me... Thoughts are energy too! But I don't think that that's the Lord and Lady punishing me for thinking badly, I think that's just what I'm doing to myself by thinking negatively. I recognize that I'm never going to be perfect, and I'll always think negative thoughts sometimes, but I don't think that the Lord and Lady are responsible for bringing that to me.
In my life, they are my true mother and father, the ones who guide me through my day-to-day life in times of need. I don't keep from doing bad because I think they'll punish me, or because I'm afraid of Karma, but because I know that they love me, want the best for me, and would be disappointed in me if I were any less than I possibly can be. Their disappointment is what keeps me striving to do my best.
Hope this helped some!