How did you arrive at the pantheon or the path you are currently on?

For me, I wanted to get back to my Irish roots after leaving the Christian group I was with. I needed to figure out who I was without the heavy government of "The Move." I had played around with the occult a bit as a child, and "The Move" was into a lot of what I now call "Christian Magick," though they did not call it that. The 9 gifts of the spirit are magickal, to be sure.

I took up the Celtic pantheon, though there is so much controversy over what is real and what is not real with the reconstructionists versus the fluffies, that I finally settled on a generic Goddess. I did adopt Cernunnos as the God because praying to him has brought so much prosperity to my household--miraculously so. I also think the antlers are cool, and I don't have to explain them to others like I would have to explain the horned God with other deities. I have a deer antler on my altar that I can mount on my staff--it fits perfectly, like it was made for it.

With the Goddess, I know Lilith is her oldest name, but I eventually began to read on Gaia and decided this was more in line with what Mother Earth is, so adopted her for awhile. Later, I was introduced to Hecate, and I see Hecate as an aspect of Gaia, but definitely Hecate is the "goddess" I pray to now, though I am not sure Hecate is classified as a "goddess" as far as the facts are concerned. The facts are irrelevant in the progression of our spiritual lives because there may be a new thing happening as the Age of Aquarius gets rolling and the Age of Pisces (the fish--interesting symbolism there) wanes in its sphere of influence.

Because of the influence of "The Move" and their premise that it is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" and the fact that they believe that they were the second coming of Christ (very gnostic), as I began to study gnosticism, I have ultimately arrived at the notion that we are the expression of Goddess and God and are no less. We are the source of power ultimately and thereby are able to work magick because of being the expression of Goddess and God. I don't believe in an external god/dess. In my rituals, you would not think that to be true, but ritual is just a means of preparing yourself to allow god/dess power to come forth within you and out from you.

I have since studied Kabbalah (just one more variant spelling) a la Marie Prophet, and it confirms the above. Goddess and God are destined to be brought back into one by the son, the expression of the union of Goddess and God (Christ within you). And whether that son is Angus Og Mac, Jesus, or by whatever name you call on, that is still the power within us to work Magick, come to the wisdom of the ages, and find our path back to Ein Sof.

It all fits. If you follow the common threads that are passed through all religions, they have a common story to tell. By whatever name you call it, it does not matter. It is the same path.

But for now, for good reasons, I have taken Hecate and Cernunnos as my Goddess and God because of the particular things they have stood for in my studies and also because they have actually answered my prayers in miraculous ways.

How does the god/dess hear all prayers and not end up like Bruce Almighty with all those Post-Its--because YOU are praying each one of them, and YOU are their expression. It is really simple.

But that just me and my path. We each have to find our own path and what nourishes us spiritually... and that is a good thing...

I was more or less born into my path. I have had my guide "She Who is Always With Me" my entire life since I could ever remember. She has trained me all my life to be what I am today.

Native Americans, as well as other indigenous cultures..believe in the Creator, the Universal One, Mother Earth and Father Sky. The Ancestors are also Honored.

There were ceremonies to the Sun God, Rain God...etc. The cycles of the moon were honored by ceremonies...and the new moon and full moons were recognized as they were representative of different things throughout the year, i.e...planting moon, harvest moon, flower moon,...etc.... . Astrology was seen to represent these also, as well as the passing of time.

There was/is no deity worship as we think of it today, as in the Greek/Roman/Egyptian..etc... pantheons. It was/is more Honoring and thanking of the above mentioned. The Directions are Honored, for without them, there would be no Life. East-Air, South-Fire, West-Water, North-Earth, and the Spirit was also Honored.

I did the "looking at your family's genealogy" to found my pantheon. Itried Celtic, Native American, then finally settled on the Norse Pantheon.

**Edited post, can't spell

Post edited by: otkatla, at: 2008/05/01 17:47

Nothing wrong with that.

Is your path Heathenry, Asatru, Vanatru, Odinism..or what part of the Norse pantheon do you follow?

I find that very interesting. I will find some articles I posted elsewhere and add them here as well as a really good site I found.