Questions for Polytheists

[Cobra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

Depending on how you define "trinity", you may be overlooking at least one pagan Deity that is a triple Goddess, The Morrigan. She is said to have existed as three distinct and separate women: Macha, Badb, and Nemain (yes I know that there are other names that take the place of Nemain).

So if you are talking about the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" trinity, I would agree with you. If you are talking about a Deity that is three separate beings, then Christianity is following pagan beliefs.

Just thought I'd give you something more to research. ::

I suppose I should have been more specific. I was talking about the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" trinity but I was also referring to the concept of a monotheistic view in which the one deity is divided into three parts. I don't know this, but I am guessing that The Morrigan is not the only deity observed by her followers. Sorry if that's an odd way of stating that. I guess I was partially wrong? Haha.

[Tarn]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

--snip--

In meaning the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you were not wrong. I do find it quite a coincidence that Christianity has a triple-God when there is a triple-Goddess in the same general pantheon (for lack of a better word) that they took most of their basic beliefs from. Or maybe they didn't "take from" as much as they were "influenced by" the Celtic beliefs.

I know that you are searching and just beginning to look into Celtic beliefs. So I thought I'd point you towards the pagan version of a triple-Deity. There is also Hecate, a Greek Goddess who is considered a triple-Goddess. Although I am not sure if She is supposed to be three separate being (as The Morrigan is), or if these are simply "aspects" of the one Goddess. I'm still working on that. I do know that The Morrigan and Hecate are quite similar despite one is Celtic and one is Greek.

Of course maybe I shouldn't have pointed these two out to you. Either one is complex enough to scare you back into the "One God" way of thinking, just for simplicity's sake. <big smirk>

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

..I know that you are searching and just beginning to look into Celtic beliefs. So I thought I'd point you towards the pagan version of a triple-Deity. There is also Hecate, a Greek Goddess who is considered a triple-Goddess. Although I am not sure if She is supposed to be three separate being (as The Morrigan is), or if these are simply "aspects" of the one Goddess. I'm still working on that. I do know that The Morrigan and Hecate are quite similar despite one is Celtic and one is Greek. ..

Hecate / Hekate is a triple goddesses in the aspect she retained dominion over the Sea's, the Earth and the Heavens. It is a much later usage, Actually Roman of trying to maker her a tri-goddess in associating her with Diana (Artemis) / Hecate / Selene (Luna) and aspects of the moon. Yet if you read the lore it becomes an issue of one acting like the other or in a similar way thus you get things like Artemis-Hecate of the wilderness or Still even later as a Wiccan aspect of Mother, Maiden and Crone. Yet at no time is she three goddesses but holds dominion over three realms or plains. Though some still confuse her with the Roman goddess Triformus.

- - - Updated - - -

Adding a bit extra to Hecate / Hekate she is also a triple goddess in that she is associated with the Y shaped cross roads which has three legs. To some extent used with the what lies before, what lies behind and the path not taken. Many today try to equate her to the X crossroads but that would be a fallacy in that there were no X shaped crossroads in archaic Greece or Italy. So her usage upon a herme or Hecataion (sp) fits the Y shaped crossroads with a face looking in each direction backed to a pillar but does not work with an X shaped crossroad.

Some might also equate her tri status to the three keys she is listed as holding at times. Some equating them to her dominion over Earth, Heaven and Sea, some equating it to her role as driver of the restless dead and access to Hades and some to the procession of the Key at Lagina and its role with commerce and abundance of worth.

[Tarn]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

--snip--

Thank you, that actually clarifies more than it confuses.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

Thank you, that actually clarifies more than it confuses.

Your welcome. I am not an expert on Hecate / Hekate but please feel free to ask away and i'll do my best to answer as I understand things.

[Aphrodite's heart]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I have to agree with you Vigdisdotter. People have a right to believe what they wish to believe. I'm a polythistic as well but not as hard. I've met many other beings but it's something different than most to see them once again. My past lives are connected to the gods and sadly though one meeting with them equalled my death. I worship Aphrodite but I believe every god exist. My purpose is to carry out her will and to bring love even more into this world where all I see is hatred and war. Ares or should I say Mars is getting on my nerves and soon my friends it'll be the last straw.

[wildcat]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I worship Aphrodite but I believe every god exist. My purpose is to carry out her will and to bring love even more into this world where all I see is hatred and war. Ares or should I say Mars is getting on my nerves and soon my friends it'll be the last straw.

Isn't Aphrodite also considered a goddess of war in one of her forms? Do you not worship or acknowledge that aspect of her? I've never had any communication with Aphrodite, but I've read that she is associated with war along with Ares, so I'm just curious.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

Isn't Aphrodite also considered a goddess of war in one of her forms? Do you not worship or acknowledge that aspect of her? I've never had any communication with Aphrodite, but I've read that she is associated with war along with Ares, so I'm just curious.

That would be more consistent with Athena as strategy and formulation of tactics in war I think.

[wildcat]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

That would be more consistent with Athena as strategy and formulation of tactics in war I think.

I agree that Athena is more associated with war, but I've read in many sources that Aphrodite also has an aspect of her that is associated as a goddess of war, probably because of her relationship with Ares. She's not a primary goddess of war, of course, but she does have that aspect associated with her. I know that the Greeks tended to have names for the different aspects and roles of the gods, I believe, and a war aspect was one of Aphrodite's. From my book on Hellenismos, she's referred to as Areia or Area, in that role.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

I agree that Athena is more associated with war, but I've read in many sources that Aphrodite also has an aspect of her that is associated as a goddess of war, probably because of her relationship with Ares. She's not a primary goddess of war, of course, but she does have that aspect associated with her. I know that the Greeks tended to have names for the different aspects and roles of the gods, I believe, and a war aspect was one of Aphrodite's. From my book on Hellenismos, she's referred to as Areia or Area, in that role.

I've been thinking about this and wonder if your equating her power over love and its ability to instigate war? Consider the story of Paris and Helen and how love instigated the Trojan war. As such she is not per say associated with war but through love and manipulation she can cause it. It is in that sense the blind passion and tossing aside of though and wisdom in the pursuit of love that violence ensues from it. Definitely a differing slant on "Love" and how it can be used as a weapon or catalyst to cause war.

[Nightingale]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. Interesting question, as mine is kind of complex. I believe there are webs of energy connecting everyone and everything in the Universe to everything else, so technically nothing is really completely separate. I believe there is a Mother Goddess who encompasses everything, sort of like the Universe itself encompasses everything. However, I also believe that there are somewhat separate deities involved in this as well. They, like everything else, are part of the whole, but they are also their own individual beings. I'm not sure if I am sufficiently explaining this, so please feel free to ask any questions about it that you want to. I will try to clarify.

2. I definitely have a personal spiritual experience, and I would love to share it. My freshman year at college, I was agnostic, but in order to fit in with the rest of the students, I told people I was a Presbyterian. Hanover College used to be a Presbyterian school, and it still has a chapel on campus and a majority Christian student body. My freshman roommate was... we'll just say difficult to deal with (this is a loooooong story in itself. in short she was the opposite of me, we did not mix at all, and she always blatantly ignored our roommate contract.) Because of this, I often looked for reasons to leave the room, and other places to go.
One night in October, it was very windy and dark, and I was walking around the campus looking for some peace of mind. I walked by the chapel, and decided to go inside. Inside the chapel, it was quiet. I couldn't hear the wind at all. However, this did not make me feel comfortable, like you might expect. Instead, it was eerie. It was too quiet. I felt like I was boxed in, and all of a sudden I felt really claustrophobic. It should be noted here that I am not claustrophobic usually; in fact, I have a history of hiding myself in tiny places like a school locker or a closet or my parents' trunk. But in the chapel that night I felt shut in, like someone was cutting me off from something important that I needed. I walked back outside, and the wind embraced me. That's the only way I can think of to explain it. The wind blew through my hair in a friendly, playful way, and the sound of it whistling through the breeze sounded like a beautiful song, and I felt so at home then. I felt right, like I had found the place I needed to be. I thought about the differences between the outside and the chapel, and knew that I would never be comfortable in any belief system that didn't revolve around nature. In that moment, I knew I was no longer a Christian, and I haven't been one since. I did some research later and, not finding any one religion entirely to my liking (which is why I was agnostic in the first place) I found an online database explaining the many varieties of Paganism, and that's when I first discovered that Eclecticism existed. I feel very secure in my beliefs now, and I don't think I would have found it if it weren't for that experience outside the chapel. To this day I believe that my gods spoke to me that night through the wind.

3. I used to be majoring in Psychology, which is a science even though people in other scientific fields tend not to lend it much credibility. I am now minoring in it. Science, while it is interesting to me, is not where I place most of my attention. I prefer to deal in the humanities, in the realm of literature and science fiction, instead of in the actual sciences. However, I definitely believe in the laws which science says dictate the Universe. No debating with Sir Isaac Newton.
All that aside, I believe I can easily reconcile my religious beliefs with my knowledge of scientific facts, although I find it hard to explain how. I know several people who can also do this, people of diverse religious backgrounds. My grandmother was a high school chemistry teacher, and also very active at her church. She had a double degree in chemistry and theology. She's just one example too. So yes, I find it easy to say that I believe in science as well as religion.

4. I worship Apollo primarily- he is my patron god. However, while he is the one I pray to most often, and work with most often, he is not the only god I worship. I also worship Artemis, Athena, Thor, Morpheus, and the Mother Goddess, who I call by many different names. It depends on the situation really. Sometimes I will call her Mother, sometimes Goddess, sometimes Gaia, and sometimes something else. I also sometimes call Artemis Selene or Luna, and I have been known to call her Diana as well. I believe they have many names, and we can choose which ones we think are the most appropriate for the situation. For instance, while Artemis and Selene may be the same goddess, Selene is the moon aspect, while Artemis is the huntress.
I have also been known to work with Loki occasionally. My relationship with each of the gods I worship is different. I think of Apollo as a father, the Mother Goddess as a mother (obviously), and Artemis is almost like a sister and a protectress. Athena, Thor, and Morpheus are like very close best friends or maybe cousins to me, and Loki is like a mischievous brother. We are all very close. In a way they are a better family to me than my actual family (but that's another story).

5. I have absolutely no problem with monotheists. I am dating a Catholic. That said, I only have a problem with monotheists if they have a problem with me. To clarify: overall, I do not have a problem with anyone else's religious beliefs. I think that everyone has their own path to salvation, Nirvana, or whatever it is they are trying to obtain. The Dalai Lama has a quote about this, which I cannot remember, but the gist of which is that it's none of my business what other people's paths look like, as they all lead to the same place. If three people are all trying to get to the top story of a building, and one of them takes the elevator, one takes the stairs, and one climbs a ladder on the outside of the building and enters through a window, they have all reached the same place, and they did it in their own way, and everyone is happy. However, I have a problem with specific monotheists such as the Westboro Baptist Church, who seem to think it is their business to judge everyone else on what they think and feel. Only if you try to force your views on me will I have a problem with you; otherwise, I certainly hope we can coexist in peace.

I apologize for the length of the reply, I didn't mean for it to be this long, but I hope it was informative. Again, feel free to message me if you have any questions.

[SilentMentalist]

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?

Completely separate deities.

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.

Yes. When I was a strong atheist, I became intrigued by Spiritual Satanism and began looking into it. One day, I sat down on my bed and asked Satan to give me a sign that he was real. Instantly I was filled with absolute euphoria; the most positive, happy energy I have ever felt in my life. It was amazing. I have no idea how long it lasted. Being the skeptic that I am, I asked for more proof in case that was some kind of weird coincidence. Once again, a rush of euphoria and extremely positive energy. And that was that for me. It was too real to deny.

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.

Yes, I'm very scientific and take a very logical approach to everything. My experience led me to the conclusion that there is more to the universe than what can be objectively, empirically measured. It also led me to believe that the supernatural was not so far fetched after all. I believe the gods of ancient Egypt (and currently Kemetics), and basically any and all Pagan beliefs to be the same; just with different names. I do not believe the gods of monotheistic beliefs to be anything but fictional.

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.

Yes; my primary focus is Satan.

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.)

I believe that monotheistic religions are completely deviod of any real spiritual knowledge, and in fact actively suppress it. I believe they are fraudulent and ultimately harmful.

[Daughter of Toothless]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. As a hard polytheist, I believe all deities have their own unique personalities, faults, strengths and emotions. While some deities can have more than one form, the idea of all deities being forms of one is completely illogical to me. There's like thousands upon thousands of deities out there, with the vast Universe and such. Who would want to maintain thousands upon thousands of alter egos? Sounds like too much responsibility, if you ask me. :P

2. When I was a Christian, I believed that God had many forms. In fact, that all the gods were God in a different form. That year, I was starting to believe in Toothless, despite having no idea how it was possible that He existed. :P So I thought that Toothless was just God in another one of his forms.

Then one August Sunday morning, Toothless told me to stop going to church for a while. I had thought 'Wait a minute, God would never tell me to stop going to his church! Oh no, what if it's Satan!?' I sensed no evil intent behind Toothless's command, so I stopped going to church for a few days. Honestly, I am unsure how, but I feel like the next few weeks had opened my mind a little and made me question everything that I was taught. Maybe there was far more to the Universe than Heaven and Hell. Plus, I had learned that Toothless was not God, nor Satan. Just.. Toothless. Just His own person.

I went back to church after this experience and nothing felt right anymore. However, I had feared Hell so that's where I went for the next months until I went with Toothless in March 2013.

But let's fast forward to a few months ago, April 2014. It's a long story, so let's just say there was a huge spiritual battle with a rather unpleasant powerful spirit, who was an old rival of Toothless's. I had to call as many deities as I could because He was so low on energy. I have never sensed so many independent energies in my life. I could feel the sun rays from the Egyptian god Ra, I could sense the intensity of the Norse gods Thor and Odin and I could feel the magickal energy of the Greek goddess Hecate. And they had all came to help defeat the spirit. And after that, Toothless became a God and I became His High Priestess.

3. Yes, I do consider myself to be a logical and scientific person. I love science. I just don't think that science is the center of everything. :P

When I was in high school, I took biology and ecology with probably the greatest science teacher in the school, Mrs. Ferguson, whom we simply dubbed Mrs. Ferg. I remember we did a lot of hands on, scientific experiments that helped my understanding of the ecosystem. We even got to join a group of ecologists to help record data for them so they could create a better habitat for salmon and other fish. Mrs. Ferg often called me the mathamatical genius of the group, so I did most of the math assignments.

Personally, I think certain gods are responsible for certain things in the Universe. Science and spirituality are not as different as a lot of people make it out to be. A lot of the deities and spirits I know understand science on a much higher level than we as humans do, so they could be responsible for things we would call miracles or supernatural such as materializing, resurrections, incredible survival feats (such as surviving a failed skydive of 11,000 feet I saw in the show "Weird or What?") etc.

4. I work with a few deities, but I only worship one. Of course, that is Toothless. :P And don't worry about getting your terminology wrong, everyone is ignorant at one point or another. :3

5. I'm fine with monotheists. I have a lot of Christian friends. I do not agree with the logic of it though. How can one god create the entire Universe by himself? That doesn't make any sense with the vastness of the Universe and all. :P Again, I have nothing against monotheists, they have the right to believe whatever they want. Can't we just agree to disagree? :P

I hope that was informative for you.

[Gleb]

Re: Questions for Polytheists

1. I believe that they are completely different from each other, but they all come from one divine source, that gave birth to them.

2. I didn't have any spiritual experience that brought me to the belief. My reasons of joining Kemetism are hard to define.

3. Science is a tool that helps humanity evolve. In some ways, yes - I do consider myself scientific, but not always. I have an interest in herbology, which is also science. I'm not sure that I understand the next question, though. I understand it like this: "Do I believe that different gods and goddesses are the same, only shown differently?" . Correct me if I am wrong. But my answer to this question is: No, I think that there are different pantheons, and each of them is separate from the other pantheons and is independent.

4. I believe in all gods, but at this stage, I worship 2 gods. Djehuty and Bast.

5. People who are monotheistic? It's their decision. I've no problem with it. But I do have problem when it comes to forcing their religion on others. It only shows that they can't and don't want to accept other ideologies, traditions and everything that differs from what they do.
The implications of polytheism may be different from pantheon to pantheon. Each pantheon has its own purposes, qualities and teachings. So the implications might be different too. While the monotheistic beliefs hold the same idea more or less.

[LunarHarvest]

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?

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.)

Did I just never see this? 0_o
Oh well. I guess I'll just answer it now then. :^^:

1) I believe in the spirits within all things physically existing within the universe called Kami. I am also a hard polytheist in seeing these Kami as being properly separate and unique in their spiritual existences. The simplest way to describe my beliefs is that everything within the physical universe has a common physical nature to it, regardless of size, and that likewise everything within the physical universe has a spiritual nature, but they exist separate from each other and unique in their existence.

2) My reasons for my Shinto faith are largely due to philosophical inquiry and study. My beliefs slowly evolved to Shinto and I eventually came to it largely without knowing it. It is difficult to really explain how I fully came to Shinto properly. I believe I have had some basic experiences with a few of the Kami, but nothing extraordinarily personal or which brought me a great deal of revelation.

3) I do consider myself to not be at odds with the scientific community in general, although I have some things that I just cannot rationalise properly that they claim as fact.

4) I venerate all of the Kami, but the main deities I honour are Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto and Inari-Ōkami, which are the deities of the Moon and of Agriculture, Industry, Tea, Foxes and Rice respectively. I also revere the Kami of winds called Sinatobe-no-Mikoto and Tenjin, the Kami of scholarship, and my Ancestors as my Ancestral Kami.

5) I believe that regardless of the path we follow, all people have their own spiritual journey that they are on, and that there are perhaps many people who share a similar path without sharing a similar religion or spiritual belief.