Questions for Polytheists

[Cobra]

First and foremost, I would like to say that this thread is not intended to question anyone's beliefs. I am more interested in gaining knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, I respect your beliefs and personal experience.

Here is a little background about myself and why I'm asking these questions. Generally, when it comes to belief, I find myself needing a reason to believe in things as it logically follows. I am a fairly scientific person; if I wasn't, I wouldn't be pursuing a degree in the geological sciences. Unlike many other people who claim to be scientists, I believe there is valid objective evidence for some sort of afterlife or spirit world. I also believe that it is scientifically possible for such a thing to exist. (Nature of consciousness, frequencies, etc.) This leads me to pursue a spiritual path.

As I used to be a Deist, I philosophically believe that it is possible to discern the existence of God / Goddess from the observation of the universe. My reasons for this include the fact that a universe conducive to life has a ridiculously low probability of existing. In other words, in order for a universe to have life, there are very specific parameters it must follow and a few special things must happen during the beginning of that universe. I also cannot help but be attracted to the idea that the extreme complexity of things like DNA contribute to this observability as well even though it is a very common argument.

Now to get where I'm going with this introduction. I myself do not see a reason to believe in more than one higher power. I also consider this higher power to transcend human concepts like gender.

I would like to note this: I consider personal spiritual experience to be valid and powerful. I do not automatically jump to the arguments that someone is hallucinating or creating the events in their mind. I believe that a person's individual perception can affect these things, but I do not question the validity of a spiritual experience unless it is obviously fabricated for ill purposes. Some of you may be thinking that this contradicts my "fairly scientific" demeanor. Maybe it does. However, I would contest that my belief that objective evidence for certain spiritual matters exists would make it valid for me to believe in the power of personal spiritual experience and allows me to examine these without making questions of hallucination, etc.

After making you read all of that, I figure that it is time I ask you the actual questions.

1. What is the nature of your polytheistic belief? Do you believe in completely separate deities, or that all of them are facets of the same one, et cetera?

2. Did you have a personal spiritual experience that brought you to this belief? How powerful was it to you? I do not want anyone to share these stories if they do not want to.

3. Do you consider yourself scientific at all? What conclusions did your experience bring you to? Do you believe that the gods of different peoples are the same as each other in reality, or that they were all just written down? Again, I see the power of experience and I am not questioning anyone's faith. This question may be the most controversial.

4. Do you worship a specific god / goddess, or more than one? Sorry if my terminology is wrong! I want to know more about these practices and beliefs.

5. What do you think of people who are monotheistic? What do you believe are the implications of polytheism? What I mean is, do you believe that the god / goddess you worship is leading you on a spiritual path and others are on a similar path in their religion? (This question depends on the answer to #4.)

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this and again I apologize for any mistakes I have made. Please don't feel compelled to share unless you wish to.

-Cobra

[Vigdisdotter]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. What is the nature of your polytheistic belief? Do you believe in completely separate deities, or that all of them are facets of the same one, et cetera?

I'm a hard polytheist, so I see all gods as uniquely individual.

[QUOTE=Cobra;118268]2. Did you have a personal spiritual experience that brought you to this belief? How powerful was it to you? [/B]

Yup. I've met several different beings and had a couple of discussions about the nature of divinity with them. I really have no idea how to judge how powerful the experience was. It's just part of how things work for me.

3. Do you consider yourself scientific at all? What conclusions did your experience bring you to? Do you believe that the gods of different peoples are the same as each other in reality, or that they were all just written down?

To an extent, sure. I believe in taking copious notes and trying to find common denominators in what "works" vs. what doesn't. But I'm also okay with just "going with the flow" as it were. To me the rational mind is a very useful thing, but it's not the only thing.

4. Do you worship a specific god / goddess, or more than one?

I think the term you're looking for might be Henothestic. A Henotheist is someone who acknowledges all gods as existing, but only works with/worships a select few. And yes, I am. I worship from the Norse pantheon.

5. What do you think of people who are monotheistic?

I think everyone has a right to do their own thing. I personally find the idea of monotheism illogical, given how vast and varied our universe is. But that's me and has no baring on what anyone else believes.

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

Thanks for your informational reply and bringing my attention to the term I was looking for.

In regards to the vastness and variation of the universe, I think I believe in certain powerful spirits for different things (Moon, Earth etc.) or something along those lines. I know that I once felt an urge to pray to the full moon and as I was staring at it I felt this powerful energy wave of sorts come over me. The last time I prayed to the full moon, I didn't feel that, but I did get emotional, as usual. I hope that what I did was acceptable. I just felt drawn to it! It was a powerful feeling.

Again, I am pretty sure I believe in spirits for Earth, Moon, plants and definitely animals. I might even consider the Earth and Moon spirits deities of sorts. That kind of brings me to another reason why I consider myself monotheistic: what would the reason be for more than one deity? I would surmise that the one supreme power I believe in is infinite. I'm not that experienced in this field though. If anyone has any theories to help me or insight on what I might've experienced then I would appreciate that. These are just some ideas. However, I believe that your personal characteristics contribute to how you perceive an event, although that doesn't diminish its validity.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. What is the nature of your polytheistic belief? Do you believe in completely separate deities, or that all of them are facets of the same one, et cetera?

For me all the gods / goddesses are separate and individual. Yet I also recognize that the same goddess / god might have different aspects that are reflective to different areas. For instance consider Artemis, in one area she is the eternal pre-pubescent girl, in another the eternal huntress, in another the blood goddess, in yet another a fertility goddess and more of an adult figure. Yet it is the same goddess though the aspects of a given area differ upon what is focused upon.

2. Did you have a personal spiritual experience that brought you to this belief? How powerful was it to you? I do not want anyone to share these stories if they do not want to.

I first encountered Artemis in my youth. At the time I was walking along a mountain path and came face to face with a young deer. As I stood there looking at it I heard a woman's voice that said "I am Artemis and you are mine!" Years later when I was in the Navy and on a Med float we stopped in Corfu (Korfu) and I started to purchase a statue that was supposed to be Artemis. As I stood there looking and pondering it I again heard a woman's voice that said "That is that Roman Diana not me!" I often wondered about that when I later was in Rhodes and again came across the same statuary piece. Once again I pondered purchasing it when the same voice said "I told you that was that Roman Diana not me!"

Over the years I had similar encounters with Hecate / Hekate, Bastet, Pahket, Mafdet and the gods Sekor and one I simply call the Huntsman. As you can see they fall into two pantheon's, those being Greek and Egyptian and are the gods / goddess I work with and am bound to.

Only one other goddess has ever appeared to me and that was while I was stationed in Scotland. For about 6 months she was there in my dreams and a few walking visions. I assumed she was Freyja but it didn't last long.

3. Do you consider yourself scientific at all? What conclusions did your experience bring you to? Do you believe that the gods of different peoples are the same as each other in reality, or that they were all just written down? Again, I see the power of experience and I am not questioning anyone's faith. This question may be the most controversial.

My second degree I was working towards was geology so I'd say I consider myself scientific. My first degree was in History and Sociology which one might also suggests a scientific perspective.

I used to question things but then things always seemed to occur to confirm or disprove a perspective. Consider while on that float in the med I was visited by a number of aspects of Artemis and Hecate. To include being contacted by a number of persona's as we anchored in given areas of sailed through certain areas. That float carried us into the Black Sea which has a heavy connection to both Artemis and Hekate as well. I recall being off the coast of Africa under a full moon and watching it turn into the image of a woman and a cat headed woman. That coupled to dreams of both Pahket and Bastet during the same time we were there.

The biggest issue I had was were they actually the Egyptian goddesses I was seeing and dreaming of or where they the hellenized influences upon them so would make them aspects of Artemis vice their Egyptian selves. A question even to this day I ask myself as I try to understand why certain aspects call to me yet others of a more Egyptian aspect do not call or appeal. Yet I also acknowledge that the Hellenic influence equated both Bastet and Pahket with Artemis so to see it in that aspect makes logical sense to me as well.

4. Do you worship a specific god / goddess, or more than one? Sorry if my terminology is wrong! I want to know more about these practices and beliefs.

I am very much bound and blooded to specific gods and goddesses. As such the goddesses I am bound to are Artemis, Hecate, Bastet, Pahket with loose connection to Mafdet and Diana. Yet Diana to is heavily conflated with Artemis so makes it interesting when looking at the lore and mythology about Diana and how it equates to both Artemis and Hecate. God wise it is the Egyptian god Sekor who is most associated to the Middle Kingdom period and the city of Memphis. The one I call the Huntsman I have never been able to identify to a given pantheon though at times I have tried to find out if he was either Herne or Cernunos or even Hermes as I've encountered him often at a crossroads himself.

For me the critical aspect is that the goddesses were very much important in my youth. The gods step forward while I served in the military and were the most active. They remained pretty active until the final few years of my career when the goddesses started to step back in and be more proactive. Today it's the goddesses who are the most active though when I need the mindset of the military the gods step back in and let me know they are still very much present though not needed as they were in the past.

5. What do you think of people who are monotheistic? What do you believe are the implications of polytheism? What I mean is, do you believe that the god / goddess you worship is leading you on a spiritual path and others are on a similar path in their religion? (This question depends on the answer to #4.)

Truthfully it matters not to me. I used to speak with my late mother in law and before she passed she came to understand there where many cities of light and many pathways that would lead one to their chosen destination. One not better than another, only that each carried you to where you wanted to go if you were willing to make the commitment and dedication to get there. Yet if your not willing to commit yourself entirely to your pathway then you'll only see the tracks going into the distance but never get there yourself for you'll never have a head to the present and the future.

[Claude]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1
Good question! I don't know and most any answer would be speculative at best. I have had experiences with deities that would typically be seen as the same being by soft-polytheists. Since They were acting separately at separate times that would lead me to believe that all gods are individuals. At the same time I can't conceive a world where every god is a true god because that's just illogical. Therefore I admit to not knowing.

2
I honestly don't remember anymore. I know I left Christianity because I was fed up with certain individuals in the church including my parents. Then I woke up and bam I was worshiping Dionysus.

3
I consider myself scientific in the sense that I put more stock in research than religious stories. Like Sir Isaac Newton I believe that science and the natural cycles are really just the Divine hard at work. By furthering our relentless pursuit of knowledge we will inevitably find a source for all things. Rather or not that source should be hailed as divine is up to each person.

4
I consider myself henotheistic. I worship Dionysus each day and other gods as needed or percieved. If I have a dream about a deity or what have you I will almost always make an offering. These offerings aren't made because I feel compelled to do so. I make them because it is only polite and proper to give gifts to visiting friends.

5
Unless a faith is doing something blatantly disrespectful or dishonest I don't make these kinds of judgments. It's far too close to the my-god's-more-real-than-your-god debate. Specifically when it comes to the Judeo-Christian faiths I see them just as valid as mine. I know a lot of pagans who after leaving Christianity decided that Yahweh is fake. That's a stupid thing to say because if it were true no one would be Christian and no Christian would be capable of having a religious experience. Now if you are asking about what happens when we die. I don't know and I can't say that I care too terribly much. I think that reincarnation in a Mahayana Buddhist context has some validity but so does rotting. Out of all the theories and hopes I think that some kind of heaven is the most illogical. But like I said before I don't care too terribly much. I'm more concerned with living since that's something I control whereas dying just happens.

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I'm going to reply to two people in one post. I hope that's okay.

I first encountered Artemis in my youth. At the time I was walking along a mountain path and came face to face with a young deer. As I stood there looking at it I heard a woman's voice that said "I am Artemis and you are mine!" Years later when I was in the Navy and on a Med float we stopped in Corfu (Korfu) and I started to purchase a statue that was supposed to be Artemis. As I stood there looking and pondering it I again heard a woman's voice that said "That is that Roman Diana not me!" I often wondered about that when I later was in Rhodes and again came across the same statuary piece. Once again I pondered purchasing it when the same voice said "I told you that was that Roman Diana not me!"

Wow! Those are most certainly some very powerful experiences I would think. Here is an interesting question for you, though it's mostly speculation. Why do you think people are attracted to many different religions? Or no religion at all? I would probably answer that it is due to their destiny or what is right for them. Maybe some people have missed or disregarded signs that were significant?

Truthfully it matters not to me. I used to speak with my late mother in law and before she passed she came to understand there where many cities of light and many pathways that would lead one to their chosen destination. One not better than another, only that each carried you to where you wanted to go if you were willing to make the commitment and dedication to get there. Yet if your not willing to commit yourself entirely to your pathway then you'll only see the tracks going into the distance but never get there yourself for you'll never have a head to the present and the future.

This is generally my view. That is to say I believe that people will find whatever religion is right for them and that good paths always lead to a good result. This ties in to the last question I asked earlier in this post also. Have people with no path missed something, or are they destined to find a way? Or is it only their goodness that matters? I tend to think the most important thing of all is being a good person and that the spiritual path only enhances life and lets us know there is comfort afterward.

2
I honestly don't remember anymore. I know I left Christianity because I was fed up with certain individuals in the church including my parents. Then I woke up and bam I was worshiping Dionysus.

Hmm. Do you feel this connection and have you experienced anything spiritual during your life or worship?

Now if you are asking about what happens when we die. I don't know and I can't say that I care too terribly much. I think that reincarnation in a Mahayana Buddhist context has some validity but so does rotting. Out of all the theories and hopes I think that some kind of heaven is the most illogical. But like I said before I don't care too terribly much. I'm more concerned with living since that's something I control whereas dying just happens.

I personally believe in a spirit realm with differing levels of positivity and negativity, sort of on different "frequencies." Where you reside depends on your overall energy that was ascribed to you during life for being generally positive in living or otherwise. I also believe that it is possible to "increase" this even after you die. Since research into the spiritual side of things is one of my main religious motivations, I do a lot of thinking about this. I think the reason why we see many negative spirits is because their "frequency" is closer to that of the physical world's. I think I am going too far into the spirit world talk for now.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

.. Wow! Those are most certainly some very powerful experiences I would think. Here is an interesting question for you, though it's mostly speculation. Why do you think people are attracted to many different religions? Or no religion at all? I would probably answer that it is due to their destiny or what is right for them. Maybe some people have missed or disregarded signs that were significant?

Truthfully I think a lot of it has to do with the difference between Religion and the dogma that makes it up and Spirituality and how it makes you feel. Some look for structure to such an extent that they feel little to nothing. Others look for structure and try to equate it to feeling but they again force what they feel so they go searching here and there. Yet feeling can be just as damaging for they look for only one aspect and miss the total picture because of it. It's like so intent on finding good in everything they never see it truthfully or really feel it fully for its simply an illusion. Good, evil, right, wrong are so subjective to how one views and comprehends the notion that they create an illusion they try to live within vice living their lives to the fullest.

Consider the illusion of many nature lovers and the good they see. Yet they fail to see the destruction, death and decay that is a part of everything in nature. How peace and good really do not fit against the true nature of nature and just how hostile and deadly it really is.

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

-snip-

Okay, I see what you mean when it comes to nature, and I rather like your points about feeling. I understand that there is a lot of death in nature - death is, well, natural. I am one of those people who love nature and love experiencing it and I lean toward worship of the Earth, but I might do it in regards to what I perceive as the spirit of the Earth. I am still figuring this stuff out; it's one of the reasons I am here. I think learning is a never ending process. On to my point... When it comes to nature, there is a lot of death and decay but there is an equal amount of renewal and birth. In this way, I think the two balance each other out in a sort of circle of life, if you will. Forest burns down, new plants take root and new animals move into the different habitat. Leaves lose their chlorophyll and fall off only to be replaced by buds next Spring. (I know not all trees do this.) Tomato plant grows, its fruits are eaten, it dies, and its seeds that were spread from the fruits have a chance to take root.

Now, that being said, I think there is a definite difference between that and "good" things we can do in our lives as humans versus "bad" things we can do. Being a believer in the "good energy" way of thinking as I mentioned previously, I think there are definitive actions that are positive or negative. Some depend on the context, but overall I do believe that being a good person leads to positive energy which leads to being happier yourself and having that sort of aura that makes people smile when they see you, if you've ever experienced that. I also think that anyone can be a 'positive' person. I am rather referring to the main point of why I was attracted to exploring my spirituality in the first place: my beliefs about life after death, which I've talked about in this thread.

As I have mentioned, I am monotheistic and believe that the "supreme power" transcends our human concepts, as clearly both "good" and "evil" exist, but in a balance just like nature. What I don't believe is the soul transcending these concepts. I'm not sure if this makes sense to people, but again, that is why I am here: to discuss, learn, make friends, and maybe even teach others something, if I have the capability to do so.

[Vigdisdotter]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

what would the reason be for more than one deity?

What reason would there be for having ONLY one? Look around at any species. None is composed of only one member. Why should gods be any different?

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

What reason would there be for having ONLY one? Look around at any species. None is composed of only one member. Why should gods be any different?

I think what I actually meant to ask was more origin-related. Granted, this is all speculation. We have beliefs, but none of us have the most divine answers, and by that I do not mean relationship with a god / goddess. I mean that none of us have the ultimate truth at our fingertips. When I said 'reason' I meant it in a more universal, speculative way - what is the origin, or rhyme and reason if you prefer, for many gods and goddesses? Now, you could ask the same question about a single ultimate or higher power, and it is again something we cannot know at this time. What I believe is that the single power is infinite in each way. I also regard love as the "perfect" emotion. I won't go into the scientific implications of that infinity - that's something outside of our own universe. We do not know what eternity or infinity is like in life but I believe that we WILL know it when the time comes. I would regard soft polytheism (is that the right term?) as asking the same question as monotheism in this regard.

Personally, I have not had a spiritual experience related to a specific god or goddess. Actually, maybe I have but from my perspective I didn't know it. I'll talk about that more on the Pagan Tradition board in a minute. For the purposes of this thread, though, you can see what I believe and I invite you to speculate with me.

[Vigdisdotter]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I'm quite okay with the "origin" being a bunch of random cosmic events, rather then the doings of a supreme consciousness. As for the reason, why does there need to be one? And assuming there IS one, why would it be one that could be comprehended by humans?

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

Okay, I see what you mean when it comes to nature, and I rather like your points about feeling. I understand that there is a lot of death in nature - death is, well, natural. I am one of those people who love nature and love experiencing it and I lean toward worship of the Earth, but I might do it in regards to what I perceive as the spirit of the Earth. I am still figuring this stuff out; it's one of the reasons I am here. I think learning is a never ending process. On to my point... When it comes to nature, there is a lot of death and decay but there is an equal amount of renewal and birth. In this way, I think the two balance each other out in a sort of circle of life, if you will. Forest burns down, new plants take root and new animals move into the different habitat. Leaves lose their chlorophyll and fall off only to be replaced by buds next Spring. (I know not all trees do this.) Tomato plant grows, its fruits are eaten, it dies, and its seeds that were spread from the fruits have a chance to take root.

For me part of it revolves about the notion that nature kills without remorse or consideration of how one feels. Consider a human will go to nearly any length to ensure the survival of a child yet nature will wipe out nearly every creature in a given area ensuring only a limited amount survive. There is no feelings, no deciding which one is more needy of saving or ensuring their survival. Many times its the runt that dies yet other times it's the hardy that dies and the runt lives because of some fluke in the system.

Nature is very cyclic in birth and destruction. One will wipe out many things and does not try to change the system to survive but changes the conditions of survival to affect / effect who or what does survive. Even birth is not always equal, in fact most times its far from being equal in what is born versus what has died and the lands ability to support life as a whole.

Now, that being said, I think there is a definite difference between that and "good" things we can do in our lives as humans versus "bad" things we can do. Being a believer in the "good energy" way of thinking as I mentioned previously, I think there are definitive actions that are positive or negative. Some depend on the context, but overall I do believe that being a good person leads to positive energy which leads to being happier yourself and having that sort of aura that makes people smile when they see you, if you've ever experienced that. I also think that anyone can be a 'positive' person. I am rather referring to the main point of why I was attracted to exploring my spirituality in the first place: my beliefs about life after death, which I've talked about in this thread.

Yet bad or corrupt can be as healing and promising as any so called good action. War is one of the most creative and advancing of things that mankind does yet it is highly destructive and damaging in the process. Yet more medical and scientific jumps have come about as a result of it than any intent of good for humanity or mankind.

One might also present the perspective that the fool also makes people smile and appear happy when they are viewed by those about them. Yet the fact is most of that is derived from belittling or finding fault in the person who is being viewed. Granted at times the fool is used in the ancient content where they are used to make mockery of society and civilization and its absurd way of presenting itself or being seen by those both within and without of the image.

Even good and the best of intentions can be a creative force that results in extreme damage and destruction and serves little to no purpose in the advancement of humanity. Consider that Hitler survived the trench warfare of WWI for some reason then plunged Europe into an even darker and deadlier period due to his survival. Typhoid Mary spent a lot of time nursing people but her own carrier status caused more harm and deaths than she could ever imagine. Yet to the time and perspective they were the embodiment of good and presented the promise of a bright future.

Consider that I served in the military for 23 years with a true purpose of existing to kill the enemies of my country. We trained for such a situation and employment of our skill sets and abilities towards that function. We had to be not only ready to kill but also willing to kill and kill without regard at times as to who or whom was standing before us. Figure I joined in 1978 so Vietnam was still in the minds of many of my elders. So I was taught to view a child as another potential shoe box bomber. To view women as another means of delivering a strapped bomb upon their bodies considering that both examples were readily used against the military in Vietnam and to some extent Korea before that. I served with the knowledge that at one duty station I had a life expectancy of 1 minute if we went to war and another of a max of 10 minutes if we went to war. Yet we lived life to its fullest and believed we were in the good for what we did and would lay our lives down or stand against a lost battle to allow others to fight another day. Our humor was often dark and seldom full of light or promise in that regard and we viewed things from a foreign aspect to most of the civilian population. Heck most of us would have a Myers Briggs (Personality traits) reading of ESTJ (Extrovert - Sensing - Thinking - Judgemental) or something similar Myself I am an ISTJ (Introvert) while many of the civilian population seemed to be some form of IFNP (Introvert / Extrovert - Feeling - Intuitive - Perceptual).

As I have mentioned, I am monotheistic and believe that the "supreme power" transcends our human concepts, as clearly both "good" and "evil" exist, but in a balance just like nature. What I don't believe is the soul transcending these concepts. I'm not sure if this makes sense to people, but again, that is why I am here: to discuss, learn, make friends, and maybe even teach others something, if I have the capability to do so.

For me I see divinity as one thing yet I always hold onto the notion or belief that there is also a Great Unknowable as well. It is unknowable for many reasons, the least of which is the vastness of it is simply to large to be fully understood and embraced by humanity.

[alternatingSelves]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1) I believe that most gods exist. some gods may be referred to by a variety of names and have different practices and stories, depending on how they were interpreted by their worshippers. for example, the greek Nyx and the roman Nox.
2) for me it wasn't a spiritual experience, but something I thought about a lot. in the end, I couldn't understand how the same god who gave us the sunrise could allow the hollocaust to happen without intervention. how could They give us things like love, friendship, and laughter, and then turn around and create storms that kill thousands. for me this meant that the universe could only exist in a few ways. either there is no God(s), God is distant and does not effect daily life, or there are multiple Gods. out of these options I found myself warming the most to polytheism. atheism in particular brought on a nihilism in me that became a worrying.
3) I'd say I'm logical, as opposed to scientific, as I don't know much about science. I find it interesting, but I'm not very smart and don't understand most of it. but I like to think things through and find answers that make sense to me. I think most Gods are seperate people, with some overlap.
4) I mainly worship Athena I like the greek pantheon best, and have begun to build a relationship with her. although I am open to working with dieties from other pantheons for spells and other work.
5) *shrugs* I think everyone's entitled to their own beliefs. most people I know are monotheistic, so it's not really a big deal to me

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I'm quite okay with the "origin" being a bunch of random cosmic events, rather then the doings of a supreme consciousness. As for the reason, why does there need to be one? And assuming there IS one, why would it be one that could be comprehended by humans?

Well, as I mentioned before, I'm a rather scientific person, so I always am interested in looking into the reason for things. For me it is very tough to believe in something that is impossible for me to experience or perceive in at least a small way. Maybe there is a reason we cannot comprehend, but I am going to try to think and learn about what it could be as much as I can. That is my nature. I cannot really accept at this time that the reason is random or unknowable because then it holds no bearing to me. I believe that our consciousness continues after death and that there are specific evidences that may show that this is true. In other words, what has drawn me to think and speculate more about spiritual matters is this belief regarding an afterlife. It brings up so many questions that I cannot bear not to look for an answer, or at least part of an answer. When you wrap all of this up, I think eventually we're going to have to know something.

For me I see divinity as one thing yet I always hold onto the notion or belief that there is also a Great Unknowable as well. It is unknowable for many reasons, the least of which is the vastness of it is simply to large to be fully understood and embraced by humanity.

(I didn't quote all of what I am responding to here.)

First of all, I am sorry you had to go through that. I see what you mean about the nature of actions and their consequences. I think the idea about how morality and nature relate depends on whether you think nature has a divine drive to it. If it does, then we could definitely say that in the grand scheme of things, good and evil are not relevant. However, for someone who does not believe that nature is driven by any divinity, but drives itself through natural processes, then the connection might not be so finite. The basic conclusion would be that nature does not have a soul / conscious decision, but we do. Again, I do believe in the positive energy / aura of a soul as I said and how it relates to life after.

Now, in regards to good actions resulting in bad things and vice versa. I suppose this is a problem if you happen to believe in destiny. I'm sorry if I'm narrowing big problems down to little ones; to me, it just seems relevant. The fact that Hitler survived could be a point against certain morality. Something "bad" would have to happen for something else to happen and so on. Really, I think that there is a balance between good and evil, just as one contrasts happiness and sadness. Yes, this is another philosophical topic: would "good" exist without "evil" to compare it against? What's for certain is that we perceive both as happening. As far as your "energy" goes as I mentioned, I think it depends on your intentions for actions. I'm not quite sure I'm making sense here, so if I'm not, please help me out.

1) for me this meant that the universe could only exist in a few ways. either there is no God(s), God is distant and does not effect daily life, or there are multiple Gods. out of these options I found myself warming the most to polytheism. atheism in particular brought on a nihilism in me that became a worrying.

As for myself, I found it extremely difficult to look at the universe and then conclude there was no reason for it. I simply could not bring myself to such a conclusion. I used to be Deist until I discovered my Neopagan tendencies, so I still believe that the ultimate power is distant, transcends human concepts, and does not affect daily live. However, I think I might believe in spirits of nature such as plants, Earth, and Moon. I don't really know for sure yet... I am still exploring those ideas, which is one of the reasons I am here.

4) I mainly worship Athena I like the greek pantheon best, and have begun to build a relationship with her. although I am open to working with dieties from other pantheons for spells and other work.

That's wonderful! Have you had any personal spiritual experiences relating to this relationship, or spells etc.? As you can tell, this kind of thing is what really interests me. I hope I don't sound like I am asking the same question over and over. I just see power in personal experience.

[thalassa]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. What is the nature of your polytheistic belief? Do you believe in completely separate deities, or that all of them are facets of the same one, et cetera?

Functionally speaking, I worship as if I were a polytheist--I worship distinct and individual gods in a variety of ways that include making offerings, devotions, etc.

But in terms of actual belief (if you were to ask me what I think the nature of the gods were) I tend to be pantheistic--I think there is one, single, solitary underlying fabric to the universe, and everything is cut from it, and that the universe itself is the ultimate Divine, from which smaller expressions of divinity originate. Otherwise, I'm agnostic as to the nature and existence of individual and distinct deities...whether they are independently acting or parts of a whole or anthropomorphic symbols or not or if they are just imaginary friends...and the gods I worship don't care how I believe in them or not, so, I don't worry too much about it.

2. Did you have a personal spiritual experience that brought you to this belief? How powerful was it to you?

Yes, quite a few actually. I started out as a Wiccan duotheist, moved on to a hard polytheist, then "softened" to a soft polytheist, and meandered a bit to where I am now. Each of those transitions has its own experiences.

3. Do you consider yourself scientific at all? What conclusions did your experience bring you to? Do you believe that the gods of different peoples are the same as each other in reality, or that they were all just written down?

Erm...I have a degree in biology and work as an industrial hygienist, so yes...I consider myself pretty scientific. And I approach my beliefs as scientifically as possible (considering they are subjective and abstract), in terms of personal verifiability and well...plain old pragmatism.

4. Do you worship a specific god / goddess, or more than one?

First of all, I worship my bioregion as a deity. Secondly, I worship those deities that have made themselves known through my bioregion. They are not all from the same culture, and they are not all worshiped in the same ways (while I try to worship them in their cultural context, in some cases, that is not appropriate).

5. What do you think of people who are monotheistic? What do you believe are the implications of polytheism? What I mean is, do you believe that the god / goddess you worship is leading you on a spiritual path and others are on a similar path in their religion?

I think the practical implication of polytheist is pluralism. Period. I think that monotheism is mostly incompatible with pluralism, not necessarily because of monotheist itself, but because of human nature. I don't believe that the deities I worship (or that anyone worships) go out of their way to find followers, but rather that people find the gods (or not) in the way that they are best equipped to experience them.