How to choose which gods to follow

[yummypie]

How do you choose which gods to follow? They all seem interesting. I have an ashkenazi jewish heritage, so I have no idea what gods my pagan ancestors worshiped.

[Satu]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

How do you choose which gods to follow? They all seem interesting. I have an ashkenazi jewish heritage, so I have no idea what gods my pagan ancestors worshiped.

Research all sorts of deities from your favorite cultures. For example, if you're interested in ancient Egypt, you would research the ancient Egyptian gods. Once you see a name or two that speaks to you, set up a temporary shrine, light a candle and some incense, and tell the gods you're interested in that you would like to work with Them. You may or may not get an answer, or an entirely different deity may come to you.

If someone you weren't expecting shows up, don't be too quick to dismiss Him or Her. Sometimes the gods come to us as we need Them. That said, you still have a right to say no. The god(s) in question also have a right to pester you about it, and yet you can still say no.

Don't get discouraged if this process takes a long time, or you get a very negative answer along the lines of GO AWAY. That happens sometimes.

Feel free to branch out into multiple pantheons if that's what suits you, but make sure you research the culture behind each deity and honor Him or Her in a respectful way. I would recommend you start with just one pantheon if you're able. It'll make your search a little easier at the start.

It would also be helpful to know what you want to get out of worshiping or working with the gods. Do you want to develop a super-close relationship with one or more gods? Would you like your gods to be, say, kind of affectionate? Do you want to worship gods who are patrons of your profession or hobbies? Or do you want to honor the gods like the ancestors did? You don't need to know exactly what you want. Just have some idea of what you're looking for.

Anyway, I didn't exactly choose most of my gods; They chose me. Or at least the ones with whom I have the strongest relationships. You may find that true for you. Or you might find that you choose your gods. Either way is a normal configuration.

[anubisa]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

For me, Anubis spoke to me. He is my personal god. I have yet to worship other Egyptian gods or goddesses, but I respect them. You can wait for them to call to you, or you can look at the different gods and goddesses and see which ones call to you.

[Vigdisdotter]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I think the concept of "choosing" gods is setting people up for failure. Why? Because on some level you're mind has already concluded what is "acceptable" and will dismiss whatever doesn't fit.

By all means research any an all that strike your fancy, but keep an open mind.

I was SURE that I'd be working with the Celtic gods, because that's the vast majority of my family background. After six years of the the spiritual equivalent of crickets chirping, I finally asked the universe as a whole if anyone was interested in me. I met Freyja, she stuck a dirk in my "chest" during a meditation and proceeded to lecture me on missing the obvious. Turns out She'd been there all along and was too bloody self-absorbed to notice.

[anubisa]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I think the concept of "choosing" gods is setting people up for failure. Why? Because on some level you're mind has already concluded what is "acceptable" and will dismiss whatever doesn't fit.

By all means research any an all that strike your fancy, but keep an open mind.

I was SURE that I'd be working with the Celtic gods, because that's the vast majority of my family background. After six years of the the spiritual equivalent of crickets chirping, I finally asked the universe as a whole if anyone was interested in me. I met Freyja, she stuck a dirk in my "chest" during a meditation and proceeded to lecture me on missing the obvious. Turns out She'd been there all along and was too bloody self-absorbed to notice.

I agree with you. I was at first interested in Celtic and Norse Wicca, but later in my life Anubis found me. He had been there and I just hadn't noticed. They come to you when you least expect it.

[Yorin]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I don't necessarily think that wanting to choose who you work with is really setting someone up for failure. If you look at it through a wider branch, like say, at least choosing which pantheon to work with after doing research, it's not really a bad thing, because you're figuring out what you're going to be most comfortable working with to start out. Now, I'm not gunna be one of those people who's all "oh if you say you've never _____ then you're a liar" but I can reason with some certainty that most all of us at least here didn't wake up one day and go "this is my path" and have it never change once.

I will agree with you on the keeping an open mind, because as you pointed out, sometimes after a time other things might metaphorically walk up and slap you in the face and go "Hey, you wanna start paying attention over here" and it's a lot better to keep in mind that it might happen rather than be a stick in the mud. But sometimes taking the baby steps and narrowing down what someone's comfortable with at that point in time is what that person might need to at least get walking down the path that will be right for them at least in the long run

[monsno_leedra]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I think the first thing one has to do is decide what type of relationship they want to have with the divine. It seems that many newbies come into paganism with a left over of "Jesus loves me this I know" mentality and immediately seek to establish a similar type relationship with one of the gods / goddesses. So the foundation of their spiritual system is built upon the notion of a god / goddess loving them and them having this one on one relationship that is more of a human construct than what typically is found or suggested in archaic lore and spiritual / religious practices. Not to say such a relationship can not occur but it's not the typical format when you start to explore archaic practices.

A lot of people will tell you to research various pantheons and discover the gods / goddesses and semi-divine beings that make it up. Once researched then select a which ones appeal to you and make offerings and call out to them and see who responds. Myself I think the research aspect is a good idea but the down side is that most people are ging to be narrow and self limiting upon themselves as to who or what they feel compelled to research. Figure the odds are that the average person is going to go with The Olympians from Greece, The Roman pantheon, The Asgardian pantheon, The Kemetic or Egyptian Pantheon or the larger Celtic language group. Why? Simply put because those are the groupings most well known to the average person along with elements of its respective lore. Few will be called to search the Toltechs for instance.

The other thing is why would you open a phone book, study a few names then decide that person A is going to be your god / goddess or friend then assume they would return said perspective? Most people would not do that in real life and assume that the name chosen will actually respond to them in such a way. So I often wonder why so many are so willing to believe that the gods / goddesses would would.

Of course that also goes back to what type of relationship one expects to have with their god / goddess. Right practice often is supported beneath a practice based upon selecting a god / goddess to call upon. You make offerings to the divine figure, follow the rules and if the offering is sufficient then the god / goddesses may grant what you requested. IN such a scenario belief and a personal relationship is not the issue and many archaic practices are built upon that premise. It isn't really until around the Protestant reformation that you start to see people expecting to have a one on one relationship with the divine and the divine taking an interest in the person as an individual.

One big disadvantage to seeking a god / goddess in my opinion is that one may ignore the signs of being god bothered or a god / goddess showing interest in them. Say for instance you see Ravens everywhere and they show up in nearly everything. Yet in your (collective use) you miss the birds so you don't look to see which god / goddess uses them as a messenger or whom they historically tend to suggest. So you've pretty much ruled out Odin, The Morrigan right off the bat though Ravens are messengers for both. Then one might also rule something out because they are certain it represents something else.

Consider seeing a stag all the time. Some will immediately assume its some sort of Spirit Guide, Power animal or Totem because all the 101 books say you will have one of those. SO certain it is one of those they ignore the creature's relationship as an avatar or messenger of the gods / goddesses. If they do consider it as a messenger then it goes back to whose is it and who will you assume it to be representative of? I'd almost bet everything that most will say Stag equals Artemis / Diana simply again because of them being common sterotypical goddess in the neo-pagan psyche.

For me I often suggest a seeker ask and answer for themselves what they seek from a divine entity. Once you have an idea of what it is you expect them to do, what you expect them to act like and how they shall act towards you then it becomes easier to search. But the seeker has to be completely honest with themselves otherwise they never really find what they seek they only force fit things into slots to make it appear to fit.

The final thing I'd say is that just because someone or something speaks to you once or twice doesn't mean they want you either. In my experience if a god / goddess has truly chosen you to be their devotee or follower they speak to you many times in many ways. Via signs, via dreams, via appearances, via syncronicity the list just goes on and on. To take a single or double encounter as a sign that you've been chosen seems absurd if you compare it against how many people will say something to you walking down a city street and assuming they want to be your friend because they say something to you.

The sad part to my perspective is that a lot will assume they were chosen or called because that is what they want to believe, perhaps even need to believe, not because they actually were. In many ways the prevailing position of telling people what they want to hear and supporting their positions is not about actually supporting them but about not having to face your own doubts about ones own practice and beliefs.

[Medusa]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

Since deities are from religion, you might want to pick one that's true. I mean, this will be the most important thing in your entire eternity. We aren't talking about which shoes are in style.

[Satu]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I think the concept of "choosing" gods is setting people up for failure. Why? Because on some level you're mind has already concluded what is "acceptable" and will dismiss whatever doesn't fit.

By all means research any an all that strike your fancy, but keep an open mind.

I was SURE that I'd be working with the Celtic gods, because that's the vast majority of my family background. After six years of the the spiritual equivalent of crickets chirping, I finally asked the universe as a whole if anyone was interested in me. I met Freyja, she stuck a dirk in my "chest" during a meditation and proceeded to lecture me on missing the obvious. Turns out She'd been there all along and was too bloody self-absorbed to notice.

I disagree that it's necessarily setting up for failure, but yeah, sometimes the gods you think you're going to work with aren't the ones. Once upon a time, I was one hundred percent, "you can quote me on it", sure I was going to be a heathen, devoted specifically to Odin. And then it was made very, very, VERY clear that it wasn't going to happen. Bast pretty much came up to me like, "okay, now will you please pay attention to what's right in front of your face?"

This is why I always tell newbies not to automatically dismiss a god or goddess they weren't expecting. Sometimes you get who you need, not who you want. And that, in turn, can be wonderful.

[Rae'ya]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

How do you choose which gods to follow? They all seem interesting. I have an ashkenazi jewish heritage, so I have no idea what gods my pagan ancestors worshiped.

Exactly what Satu and Vigdisdotter said.

With the addition that just because you chose them, feel called to them and worship them doesn't mean that you'll get a personal relationship from them.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

My own experience has been that we don't choose our deities, they choose us. And they continue to do this even after we think we are settled upon our own particular path.

For example, this year (2013) The Wolfenhowle Press published a book called 'A Path Laid Bare' about the author's path and relationship with a little known Egyptian scorpion deity, Selket. This particular deity has made Herself extremely manifest in my life now (and I was only acting as editor ) with the result that we will now have a tiny scorpion on the last page of all Wolfenhowle books.

[thalassa]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

Worship that which speaks to your soul.

Period.

[Orecha]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

I agree that you just need to listen to your gut on such things.

As for what gods your ancestors worshiped... Well, that could be difficult. How much do you know about your ancestry? You said you were Ashkenazi, but unfortunately that's become a blanket term for Jews who follow Ashkenazi liturgy and the Rema's code on the Shulchan Arukh. Do you know where your ancestors spent the majority of their history? Do you know if they were converts (99% of Jews have at least 1 ancestor that was a convert, if not many, no matter what culture you descend from)? More than likely, depending on the time frame you're looking at, your ancestors worshiped many different gods in many different ways.

To give an example, my mother's mother's mother's father's family, the Geter/de Geter family, originally came from present day Syria and Lebanon (around the ancient town of Geter) and immigrated to southern Spain in around 1000 BCE, inhabiting the Phoenician settlements along the Iberian coast. By the Roman period, they were firmly established in the Celtic towns in the area of modern-day Narbonne, and there they stayed for nearly 2000 years. In the early 1500s, they were ousted from their home, and after traveling through the Germanic lands, they arrived in modern day Ukraine. They stayed there until coming to the US.

We don't know what was going on prior to settlement in southern Spain, but the story says they were members of the Tribe of Dan. This makes sense, since the town of Geter was within the tribe's ancient borders. Either way, they were Israelite and heavily exposed to Phoenician culture. When they moved to Spain and France, they were exposed to Celtic culture and religion and more than likely married Celtic women, as well as being exposed to Islam and Christianity. Along the road through the Germanic lands and Ukraine, they married some Ashkenazim and Galitzianers. So they began as Israelites (who themselves evolved out of Canaanite religion) and were exposed to Phoenician religion, Celtic religion, Islam, and Christianity, all while evolving into Sephardim. Then they were exposed to Ashkenazi and Galitzianer culture. Did their gods change? Maybe. Did the way they believed in and worshiped their gods change? Absolutely.

My personal path led me from being raised secular and essentially an atheist, to Wicca, to Hinduism, and then to Buddhism, to Judaism, to more extreme Judaism, to Jewish apostasy, and finally to Israelite revivalism. The fact that I landed on Israelite revivalism has nothing to do with my ancestry, other than happy coincidence. The reason I was led here is because it felt right in my gut.

Hope that helps!

[Alienist]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

This is something I have wondered as well. Do you choose your deities or do they choose you? Is it best to choose a deity that most relates to you? Such as Thoth, god of writing and magic. If one is most interested in those attributes, is it best to choose a deity that is most similar to you? Or do you choose a deity when you need something, like if you don't have strength, but you want to worship a deity that has strength, like Thor?

[Torey]

Re: How to choose which gods to follow

This is something I have wondered as well. Do you choose your deities or do they choose you? Is it best to choose a deity that most relates to you? Such as Thoth, god of writing and magic. If one is most interested in those attributes, is it best to choose a deity that is most similar to you? Or do you choose a deity when you need something, like if you don't have strength, but you want to worship a deity that has strength, like Thor?

I disagree with choosing a deity when you need something from Them - it reminds me of those "friends" who always pester you to borrow tools or coffee without ever otherwise coming around. For me, deities are not tools to be used - and so "deity shopping" does not gel with me. I believe that most people are chosen BY their deities - not the other way around. That being said, there are those who claim to work with many different deities with great success - and that may be so, as long as the deity is getting something out of the arrangement, as well.

I also do not believe that just because someone petitions a particular deity (to use your example) such as Thor to help them with finding their own "strength" that Thor is actually going to drop everything and run to their aid. I also adhere to the concept of the "Divine Answering Machine" - what a great many people experience and interact with is not necessarily the deity they petitioned, but is perhaps either a spirit emissary or projection of that deity. In other words, I don't believe that everyone who asks someone for something such as Hecate will have Her actually just be like, "oh, sure - right away!" and not expect anything in return but some incense and maybe a brief prayer. I'm sure that some deities are okay with that manner of "offering", but not all.