Experiencing the Presence of the Gods?

2 Comments | November 13, 2007 at 9:45 am by mahud
Filed under Paganism, Sprituality

Experiencing the Presence of the Gods?: Part One

Towards the end of the week I read some very encouraging and uplifting posts from other Pagan Bloggers whose relationship and awareness of the gods, added some fresh perspective.
October Blogging Highlights: Effortless Spirituality

A previous post, in which I highlighted my spiritual shortcomings and frustrations, R.E advised “ask a Deity you are comfortable with for help with believing. Ask out loud — explain your struggles and doubts. Then listen.”.

I don’t really know any Gods, but one of my biggest problems is communication with others. I think about a lot of stuff, but my thoughts all seem to float around in my mind, and tend to slip away when ever I attempt to verbalize them. One of the advantages of reading a lot of ancient lore and mythology, is that you become acquainted with the Gods and Goddesses of mythology and get to learn about their particular functions.

Two Gods came to mind: The first was Hermes, who (among many other things) functioned as a god of communication. The second was the Celtic Ogmios (often equated with the Irish deity Ogma), mentioned by Lucian (Heracles 1-7), Who described him from a painting, as an aged balding man with sun burn, holding a club and bow, and wearing a lion skin, identifying him as a ‘Celtic Heracles.’ He leads a large group of happy followers, whose ears are attached to the God’s tongue by gold and amber chains. Lucian was informed that the picture symbolized Ogmios’ power of eloquence. The Irish deity Ogma (Oghma), like Heracles, was also a skilled warrior, who according to the In Lebor Ogaim, invented the Ogam Tree Alphabet, so he could send a message to Lugh, whose wife was dangerously close to being “carried off to the otherworld” ^[1].

I prayed to both Hermes and Ogma, asking if they would be willing to help me with my communication skills. During the prayer session, I pondered that it was unlikely they would be there in the room with me, after all, unlike supreme or monotheistic deities, the Gods are not omnipresent. So what do I do? Keep praying to them, in the hope that they will eventually hear my prayers and pay me a visit?

Afterwards, I came across an illuminating blog entry at Cauldron Born, titled Approaching the Gods Anew. Part of the article talked about the tendency of confining the Gods to their mythological functions and pantheonistic relationships, rather than recognizing that ancient spirituality, with its accompanying mythology, is an ever-changing and organic process. While the historically enshrined spiritual beliefs of our ancestors are important (built upon the solid foundation of thousands of years of effective innovation and human experience) the practices and beliefs themselves were never static. Any specific depiction of a divinity within the spiritual realm as found in any given mythology, is merely a snapshot in time; a divine representation restrained by cultural convention and human limitation, yet, on the other hand, an elevated embodiment of the spiritual wisdom of its age ^[2].

As a Pagan newbie and self-confessed spiritual failure, this is the kind of wisdom I need to be connected with. My approach to the
gods that night, limiting them to man-made names and functions (god names themselves, perhaps, restrict our perception of the deities, assigning them with limiting qualities and abilities), was not rooted in wisdom. Rather, my own impatience and lack of understanding of the Gods and the realm in which they inhabit.

I also lack faith.

Morninghawk Apollo over at Hawk’s Cry, is currently publishing a series of posts on the Witches Square. I haven’t had the time to read the entire series yet, but this is what he has to say about the nature of faith:

Faith is a major tenet of all religions. In Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism we normally don’t hear that word used. I’ve heard some say that “Faith” is a Christian idea that does not apply to Paganism. Perfect trust, though is faith. When you have perfect trust in yourself, it is the same as having faith in yourself. Perfect trust in others is another way of saying you have faith in them. Having perfect trust in the Gods is to have faith in Them. When one truly has faith in the Universe, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
Hawk’s Cry: 4 Steps to Faith

Morninghawk goes on to say that the key to receiving divine assistance is through keeping an open heart and an open mind, and through practice (the post also includes a list of suggested exercises), although it might take some time, you can develop your faith, and the Gods will respond.

OK, I’m willing to give it a shot, although I still have my worries that It will end up in a world of self delusion, a concern recently echoed by Nettle, author of Druid’s Apprentice:

I am left much more fearful by the idea that maybe the gods are just delusions and that the materialists are right – that consciousness is simply a mechanical, chemical process, that there is no more depth and meaning to the world than what we give it, that physical laws are ultimately meaningless, and that when we die we simply sink into matter and become inert. This is truly frightening to me, and I have certainly entertained the concept that my gods are simply delusions that my brain has created to protect me from this kind of reality. It’s not impossible. But the only way I have to judge reality is through my experiences, and my experiences are that the gods are real on a level far beyond personal delusion. Anyway, I didn’t pick my delusion; my delusion picked me.
Druid’s Apprentice: Belief is your own business; shared practice is what makes a religion

I guess one way or another you cannot escape the possibility that it’s an illusion, but beyond the uncertainties, the experiences must count for something.

YouTube: Velvet Underground: I’ve been set free

Velvet Underground: I’ve been set free lyrics

I’ve been set free and I’ve been bound
To the memories of yesterday’s clouds
I’ve been set free and I’ve been bound
And now I’m set free
I’m set free
I’m set free to find a new illusion

I’ve been blinded but
Now I can see
What in the world has happened to me
The prince of stories who
walk right by me
And now I’m set free
I’m set free
I’m set free to find a new illusion

I’ve been set free and I’ve been bound
Let me tell you people
what I found
I saw my head laughing
rolling on the ground
And now I’m set free
I’m set free
I’m set free to find a new illusion

Bibliography and Notes

1. 1: Nyland, Edo, 2001, ‘Linguistic Archaeology: An Introduction‘, p.24 (Trafford Publishing) & Ehler, Christine & Schaefer, Ursula, 1998, ‘Verschriftung und Verschriftlichung‘, p.112-113 (Gunter Narr Verlag)
2. 2: It’s that kind of forward-thinking that attracted me to Paganism in the first place. Over time, perhaps, these kind of traditional limitations placed on the many pantheons of gods and goddesses can also be transcended (as in ancient times with a naturally elevating spiritual wisdom) to create a truly modern form of universal Paganism, rather than a forced type of religious syncretism. Whatever the case, It has given me something to think about.

Experiencing the Presence of the Gods?: Part Two

A couple of weeks ago, while I was spiritually depressed, one of the posts that helped lift me up was Inner Landscapes. I love the idea of combining meditation with visualization and travelling within a unique and potentially endless universe, while enabling communication with the deepest parts of myself that would otherwise remain inaccessible.

I believe these inner journeys can communicate the mysteries of spiritual reality through mythic images. And I’m guessing that the channel of communication exists at the core of my very existence. It is my life force. My light and my spirit. It hides in the depths of my subconscious world waiting for the door to be opened, enabling the light to shine through into my conscious world.

Perhaps the Gods have already opened that door within themselves, and want to pass the keys over to me, so I can open my own inner doorway?

I prayed to both Hermes and Ogma, asking if they would be willing to help me with my communication skills. During the prayer session, I pondered that it was unlikely they would be there in the room with me, after all, unlike supreme or monotheistic deities, the Gods are not omnipresent. So what do I do? Keep praying to them, in the hope that they will eventually hear my prayers and pay me a visit?
Experiencing the Presence of the Gods? (1)

Are individual Gods closer than I think?

The following is part of a recent meditation:

I was in a canyon. It was night. I walked to the edge of a precipice, and sat down cross-legged on a pentagram carved in the rock. A figure stood behind me. I turned around and it was a guy wearing a skull mask and dressed up like a pirate. He led me down into the canyon, and I asked him about the existence of the Gods. He pointed towards a pavilion tent. Inside the tent, was a circle of revolving clocks, symbolizing space and time. The Gods had the ability to manipulate these revolving clocks. They could slow them down, speed them up, make them stop altogether, and could also manipulate multiple clocks simultaneously. The clocks were like access points through time and space, and the Gods had the ability to travel anywhere at any time, and even multiple places at once.