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    Spirits and gods

    I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. How can I tell if an entity is a god or just a spirit? If an entity claims to be a god, how do I know for sure?

    #2
    Re: Spirits and gods

    Well, Gods have a visible appearance and more power than spirits- that's how I understand it.
    Different religions have different Gods and spirits, so it can also depend on the religion you're asking about.
    "Fair means that everybody gets what they need. And the only way to get that is to make it happen yourself."



    Since I adore cats, I might write something strange or unusual in my comment.Cats are awesome!!! ^_^

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      #3
      Re: Spirits and gods

      Generally, for me personally, I can feel the difference. But, I always do the research on what I am told by spirits.

      If a god tells you it's Artemis, but hates hunting, it probably isn't Artemis. (I don't know much about Artemis, so just going from super general knowledge here.) Trust your gut, and do the research. That's my advice.
      Kemetic Blog - http://www.inspiringrainbow.wordpress.com

      Bring your grains of Salt.

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        #4
        Re: Spirits and gods

        It can be hard to tell, at times. They are of similar energies; perhaps, if you can perceive it acutely, the scale of their power. Gods would be, obviously, more potent. And generally more "mobile" or universal. Spirits, depending on their type, seem to be tied to a location or object.

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          #5
          Re: Spirits and gods

          When it comes to gods, I've found it pretty easy to know what they are....provided I pay attention and am not trying to confidence myself of a given thing. I find that there is a divine aura that can take one's breath away. It's hard to mistake for anything else as it effects you on every level imaginable and then some.

          If you meet something and your reaction is "Oh cool!" or "impressive!" it's probably not a god/dess. Meeting a god/dess (for the first time, after that They will probably--hopefully--tone it down since their "credentials" have been established)...it's like information over load and you KNOW what is meant without words involved. That probably doesn't make sense, but I can't think of how else to describe it.
          "The doer alone learneth." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

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            #6
            Re: Spirits and gods

            To me, a spirit feels more like a... presence in the room, like a ghost almost, or some "energy" that isn't overpowering but that you can sense. I liked Vigdisdotter's way of saying it, if its just "cool" or "mysterious" its probably only a spirit, but you should respect it anyway! Spirits can cause you a lot of trouble if disrespected, and you should just be courteous regardless (especially if you are in its space!).

            The few times that gods have appeared to me in certain ways, I always knew it was a god because I was both overwhelmed and just "strange" like I was filled with energy.

            To put it simply, a spirit is energy outside of you, and in a certain space, when a god or goddess appears, it is energy that is in all places, especially resonating within your own being.

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              #7
              Re: Spirits and gods

              It depends on your perspective.
              For me there is very little that separates living-dead-spirits-gods as entities.
              Power is not always detectable and even past ancestors can become powerful spirits.

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                #8
                Re: Spirits and gods

                Originally posted by Alice View Post
                I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. How can I tell if an entity is a god or just a spirit? If an entity claims to be a god, how do I know for sure?

                I'm going to have to disagree with with probably everyone that has posted so far.

                A spirit can be as powerful as any god / goddess when it is placed within its own domain of power. A Greater Spirit of earth will appear as powerful as any chthonic god / goddess and their power over things of the earth. It will possess the auric feel of something old, almost primordial in feel yet its presence will also dominate everything and anything to be found there. To an extent it can fulfill task or prayers that one would equate to god / goddess level of ability as long as it is under its control of influence. Thus an Earth spirit can affect fertility, fecundity of land, herds and people. Like a god / goddess over the same area it can be fickle, rewarding or punishing or even only giving a bit then demanding much more in return for all of it.

                Like a god / goddess it is all powerful where it resides, yet unlike a god / goddess it typically will not go beyond a limited area. Yet while it is in its area it is a god / goddess. Ironically the strongest Spirit I've ever felt were in the most desolate places or most remote, tough one might argue they are also found in the most dangerous places, consider an active volcano for an earth spirit. Figure the same can be said of all primordial spirits regardless of which domain they reside in.

                Lessor Spirits or elemental entities of lessor status I do agree with what has been said. Many times they have the same type aura about them but it is not dominating. Yes it may dominate an area such as a tree or grove of tree's but you do not feel as if your being crushed beneath their weight when you enter. A pool of water or a water falls for water type spirits, ironically some mountain pass for an air elemental. At times some merged joining where you get a wind elemental and water elemental moving together for instance.

                Where I perhaps differ is that I also recognize entities that were once human or never human but are not elemental's of any sort. These are the ones I find try to pass themselves off as gods / goddesses and deceive people. The more you believe in them the more power they gain over your beliefs and hence control over you. Yet they in my opinion tend to be more about talk and promises of things than actual delivery of things beyond simple pallor tricks type stuff. They feed upon greed and such and start out promising many things but then usually start to deliver less and less but demand more and more. That and in my experience they do not come right out and claim to be a god / goddess but leave it to you to convince yourself they are such. Ask a question and you get the "Who do you think I am?", "I am who ever you think I am!" or similar type answers were you trick yourself into believing who or what they are.

                But what I would ask is how do you define the term 'Spirit"? Is it an elemental? Is it a once human or humonid being? Is it something that once lived or something that has never lived? IS it one of the other peoples of the earth? Is it a Demon, Daemon, Daimon or other such semi-divine being?

                How you define that word "Spiriit" will answer an aspect of your question that only you can answer. Consider a Dryad is as much a spirit as is the ghost or spectre of a dead person that remains upon the physical plain of existence.
                I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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                  #9
                  Re: Spirits and gods

                  Originally posted by monsno_leedra View Post
                  -snip-
                  It is true that a spirit in its own "domain" is much stronger, probably on par with a god. A god may very well be a spirit who just has a incredibly huge domain... *shrug*

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                    #10
                    Re: Spirits and gods

                    There isn't a real difference in my opinion. All beings are gods in their own right since everything has that essential *thing* that gives us a capacity for spirituality. The gods are particularly powerful entities who don't have a danger of fading into nothingness but also often have something about them which makes us feel they are divine. Looking into many different traditions there isn't always a distinction between spirits and gods beyond one is venerated and the other is not (and even then not always). The Shinto faith is a good example of this with the Kami. Spirits and gods can both be selfish, extort others, lie, cheat and steal, but they can also do good deeds. The distinctions between various spirits, gods or anything in between from a human standpoint is entirely academic, at root they're all supernatural or otherwise other worldly.
                    Circe

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                      #11
                      Re: Spirits and gods

                      Thanks for the thoughts. ^^
                      I am around horses a lot. Whenever I am at a barn or with horses, I feel a warm female presence. I've come to associate her with the goddess Epona, because its the same kind of feeling I get when I worship her privately. And like Mr. Unus Mundus said, she resonates inside of me as well and there isn't a sense of "otherness".
                      When I'm in the woods around where I live, I feel a sort of masculine presence, but it goes away when I leave. So I'm inclined to think he's just my land spirit neighbor.
                      I can't say I'm very good at sensing things though.

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                        #12
                        Re: Spirits and gods

                        I'm....not sure that there is any such thing as "just a spirit", nor do I think that deities are in any particular category above or beyond that of a spirit. IMO, there are just as many "lesser" gods as their are "greater" spirits, and a god is just as unlikely to be worthy of my time or devotion as a spirit is. TBH, the only real difference I see between one and the other is how its been culturally defined.
                        Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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                          #13
                          Re: Spirits and gods

                          Originally posted by Alice View Post
                          I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. How can I tell if an entity is a god or just a spirit? If an entity claims to be a god, how do I know for sure?
                          In some cultures or beliefs, it is known that gods are of higher power and spirits just follow what gods says, I also fall in this belief because as much as I work with spirits and gods on daily basis, many of spirits are there to implement what gods have approved.
                          No sig for you.

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