Deity and Personality

[Pomona]

I've got a lot of questions on the subject of deity, personality and worship and I would be really interested to hear people's answers to them. I hope these questions haven't been asked recently! Also, I hope it's ok that I started a whole thread for this. I know that there are those Ask A ______ threads, but I'm curious about everyone in general.

-Do you find that what you know of your deity's personality influences how you behave in your life?

Just to explain what I mean, I started to wonder about that question a little earlier today when I was staring out the window having one of those "flowing thought" moments where your mind drifts from one subject to another, when all of a sudden I found myself thinking about what it would be like to date a man who worshipped Loki. God knows why. But it really made me think, would this hypothetical man take on the personality traits of Loki and if he did, would it be because those traits were already inherent in his personality and worshipping Loki gave them validity and thus encouragement or would the very worship of Loki be enough to bring out those traits where none (or very little) had existed before? Obviously I'm not expecting anyone to answer this scenario specifically, it's just the thought that brought the question to my mind.

-If you have a deity in your life, do you find that you share elements of your personality with them? If you do share personality traits with them, do you feel that that attracted you to them, or them to you? If you don't share personality traits with them, why do you think you found yourself in a relationship with them?

I thought of this a few hours after I thought of the "Loki" question when I was surprised by the realization that most, if not all, of the deities that I've ever felt a connection with or sought out had no real personality traits in common with me. I'm a bookish, thought oriented person. Learning is pretty much the be all and end all of my life. I wouldn't be happy doing anything else. Yet, looking back on my history with gods and goddesses, I have never sought out those deities that are seriously involved with learning or knowledge. I find that exceptionally bizarre. I've also noticed that I tend to be more drawn to deities that are not in my same age group or phase of life. Not that there's anything wrong with that, there's obviously some reason for it, but it makes me wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with a deity who I could relate to on a more obvious level.

-If you share personality traits with your deity, does that make it more or less easy to deify and worship them, if that is indeed what you do? The same question if you don't share personality traits with them.

-Do you feel that you're drawn more in one way or another because of your religion (regardless of what religion that actually is)? I'd be curious to find out how a Pagan versus a Christian feels about relating to their god(s) in this way. On the one hand I know a lot of Pagans love that they can feel close to their chosen God or Goddess on a very personal, human level, but a lot of Pagans also seem to believe in a universal spirit or intelligence that created those Gods and Goddesses and is above and within them. On the other hand, a Christian may feel more comfortable praying to a omnipotent, omnipresent deity that is well above humanity and possibly even personality, and yet there is Jesus to consider and if you're Catholic a whole bevy of saints with human histories and emotions to connect with. Taking those two examples, in one the personal, human aspect takes a front seat and the universal takes the back and in the other just the opposite happens, where the universal is the more important and the personal is just a means to reach the universal. (I know not all Pagans and Christians believe exactly what I've written here, it's just an example.)

Thank you so much for reading so far and advanced thanks for any answers. I don't know how I ended up with so many questions. I started out with three.

[PsykhikosAnarchosNautikos]

Re: Deity and Personality

-Do you find that what you know of your deity's personality influences how you behave in your life?

Yes. Most of the deities and spirits I work with have to do with my astrology so they help define my personality. I feel like they are the strongest guides for me for that very reason. In this way they really become aspects of myself as well. The connection is deeper with these entities then with any other entities I have worked with. They don't have to be my actual zodiac sign spirit, but at least relate to the planet or characteristics of the sign. For example, Gabriel is the Guardian Angel of Cancer which is a Moon sign, so I also feel strong ties to Moon deities. S/he is known to be the messenger angel that told Mary she was going to bear Christ and s/he sounds his/her trumpet at the End of Days, so I also feel close to deities such as Djehuti (or Thoth- Egyptian God of Scribes, Magicians and Healers), Thanatos (Greek God of Death) and Anpu (or Anubis- Egyptian God of Death). Psychopomps have always been close to my heart. It's just part of my personality- I am on a constant journey of transformation and have a love for the darker things in life.

-If you have a deity in your life, do you find that you share elements of your personality with them? If you do share personality traits with them, do you feel that that attracted you to them, or them to you?

Once again, they are my guides just because I was born under their zones of influence. Of course, sometimes you can choose what deities and spirits to work with, but I found some of them just grab you and you have no choice, or at least a very strong magnetism toward them. This has happened to me three times with the same kind of pull, so I just learned to listen and learn about their respective cultural practices and then add them in a personal way to my own unique philosophical and magical path.

For example, being Cancer I am a Moon sign, so I have a strong attraction to Shiva who is a God of the Moon (which is rare) but he also represents Consciousness. Some consider him the All Pervading Consciousness, and this ties in directly with my intellectual and philosophical pursuits. Even my attraction to certain things in life and the opposite sex are similar to Shiva. Kali (dark or Crone aspect)/Parvati (light or Maiden and Mother aspect) is considered the Dynamic Creative Force of the universe. She is also known as Shakti (Kundalini energy). Without the union of Shakti and Shiva there is no existence as we know it. Shakti without Shiva is random and violent movement, Shiva without Shakti is stale nothingness. Basically, a partner that inspires me to act and love life with a passion is my ideal partner while still allowing me my quite time for self-reflection and philosophical interests. Being the All Pervading Consciousness, Shiva embodies all consciousness, meaning he cares not where you come from, who you are or what you do, you are all a part of him and he has no problems with your personal choices. I try to emulate this by being as understanding and compassionate as possible, even towards people and things I do not agree with. Shiva is also a God of Destruction and Death, so the whole idea of Shiva is a complete balance. Shakti as Kali is also a Goddess of Death and Destruction. All of that to say, I believe in the law of frequency, being that since my personality is represented by the Moon, I am naturally in a similar frequency to these deified ideals and personalities. Like friends and lovers, we are attracted to each other.

-If you share personality traits with your deity, does that make it more or less easy to deify and worship them, if that is indeed what you do?

Yes. It makes it very easy. Being able to identify with a deity on a personal level helps me tremendously in giving high reverence, especially since I do not like the act of kowtowing or worship to an outside source, so the personal identification helps me understand they are also a part of me, so when I am loving them I am also loving myself. This does not mean I do not just love and respect them because they serve me, because sometimes I am just grateful for their existence. I believe power has to come from within first and then be projected outward for any change to happen. It is your will that strengthens and binds the connection, even if they called you first.

-Do you feel that you're drawn more in one way or another because of your religion (regardless of what religion that actually is)?

I don't have a religion, so no.

[Malflick]

Re: Deity and Personality

-Do you find that what you know of your deity's personality influences how you behave in your life?

As a Christian, yes, definitely. I know this is the fairly stereotypical answer, but I try (even though I am not always successful) to be respectful, understanding, and helpful to those around me. I try

-If you have a deity in your life, do you find that you share elements of your personality with them? If you do share personality traits with them, do you feel that that attracted you to them, or them to you? If you don't share personality traits with them, why do you think you found yourself in a relationship with them?

Well gosh, I'd certainly like to think I share traits with Jesus and Yahweh XD... I think one aspect of Christendom that's often hard is the knowledge you're never going to be as good as your God, but you need to keep aspiring to be like them . And... I like that. I like that there is an ideal to work toward, one that is unattainable, but one WORTH trying to be.

-If you share personality traits with your deity, does that make it more or less easy to deify and worship them, if that is indeed what you do? The same question if you don't share personality traits with them.

It makes it easy to worship them, knowing that they both understand the depth of my humanity and failure, as well as the glory of succeeding in following it's footsteps. It, however, makes it easy for a lot of people to believe they are doing better than they are and get full of themselves, but for me it is a constant and humbling reminder of how little I have done and how much I need to.

-Do you feel that you're drawn more in one way or another because of your religion (regardless of what religion that actually is)?

I guess I sort of feel more drawn to the ore all encompassing God. I know some Christians who pray to Jesus, but I address God (Yahweh) specifically. It always seems... weird to pray to Jesus Specifically I guess.

I hope that made sense XD.

[Phoenix LeFae]

Re: Deity and Personality

-Do you find that what you know of your deity's personality influences how you behave in your life?

The Deities that I work with do influence how I behave. Because I have developed a relationship with them, sometimes they give me messages, warning, or suggestions. I don't know that this is due to their personality or because of our relationship.

-If you have a deity in your life, do you find that you share elements of your personality with them? If you do share personality traits with them, do you feel that that attracted you to them, or them to you? If you don't share personality traits with them, why do you think you found yourself in a relationship with them?

I think that working with Deities that you have nothing in common with is really a good thing. Sometimes you need someone who can push your edges. Sometimes you need to work with an energy that is different than yours. This helps you to grow as a person. Some of the Deities that I work with are nothing like, but I think that is why they are a part of my life, because I need that, it makes me better.

-If you share personality traits with your deity, does that make it more or less easy to deify and worship them, if that is indeed what you do? The same question if you don't share personality traits with them.

For me, I think it is easier to worship those energies that are different than me because their messages are so much clearer than the thoughts in my head. Sometimes I can be really skeptical and when I get a message that is totally out of left field or something that feels so foreign I feel more secure, and I trust more, that these messages came some a source other than myself.

-Do you feel that you're drawn more in one way or another because of your religion (regardless of what religion that actually is)?

I'm really not sure how to answer this one.