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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in Gods

Posted by on in Paths Blogs

Every so often, I'll get asked about Gods and Goddesses. Who 'my' Goddess is, my patron, my chosen pantheon... you know the sort of thing.

I've pondered the deeper meanings of deity often, as I think you must if you are to travel a Pagan path at such a level. Does deity have existence outside of human belief? Are they just energy forms? Is it not presumptuous to just 'pick and choose'? (My answers, briefly, are 'Yes', 'Not exactly', and 'It depends who's doing the choosing'...)

But recently, the multifaceted nature of Goddess has been on my mind. From the sad passing of my oldest animal friend into the arms of Bast, to the focused dance of the Morrigan, via the peaceful mysteries of Kuan Yin, this week has seen many aspects of my Lady pass through my life.

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  • Anne Newkirk Niven
    Anne Newkirk Niven says #
    Cat - congratulations on having a HUGE number of likes and reads on Facebook for this post. Our FB feed shows that over 11,000 rea
  • Cynthia Savage
    Cynthia Savage says #
    Hmmmm......I don't think I've ever been asked about deities.
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Very nice knitting! As a Platonist, I have noticed that individual 'soft'/'hard' polytheist self-identification is one of the lar

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs
The Gods in Druidry

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  • Emily Mills
    Emily Mills says #
    This is something that I've been thinking about lately as I try to deepen my spirituality. I'm a member of OBOD, which has a lot o
  • Joanna van der Hoeven
    Joanna van der Hoeven says #
    I love the concept of The Mystery... x

In part one of this two part series, I wrote about personal patronage in the ancient and modern context. Today, I want to talk about professional patronage (i.e. Apollon as the patron of the arts, and thus prayed to by artists). Personally, I think the only thing that professional patronage shares with the practice of personal patronage is its name--and we will get to that in a second. 
 
The interesting thing is that none of the academic sources at my disposal make mention of this practice under the term 'patronage'. Patronage in the context of ancient Hellas seems to focus on the non-lineal bond between two people--a patron who took care of a client or slave in a material, financial, or emotional way. 'Patron' to mean the support, encouragement, or privilege that a deity bestows upon those practicing a profession or living in a city is a Christian term, which refers to patron saints. Patron saints are regarded as the tutelary spirits or heavenly advocates of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person. Taking this description would give you, for example, Athena as the patron of Athens--but outside of Christianity, the proper term is 'tutelage'; a tutelary deity.

A tutelary, or tutelar, deity is 'a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture or occupation'. Both tutelary and tutelar can be used as either a noun or an adjective. As such, Athena is the tutelary Goddess of Athens, or the tutelar of Athens--but because we are so used to 'patron(ess)', 'tutelar' does not have quite the same ring to it.

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  • Matt G
    Matt G says #
    This doesn't sound right to me. When I look at Catullus' "Carmina" in his first poem he addresses "patrona virgo" specifically in
  • Lizann Bassham
    Lizann Bassham says #
    Thank you that is a helpful distinction.
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    I think I will use the term 'tutelage' from now on, as the commonly-used modern Pagan term "Patronage" really does not seem to app
  • Elani Temperance
    Elani Temperance says #
    I would mot certainly encourage the use of 'tutelage' as opposed to 'patronage' when discussing ancient practices I should clear

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

Lacking ideas (please send me some!), I chose to write about Pan this week.  A divinity whom I know very little about.  Read on to find out what I've learned.

b2ap3_thumbnail_pan_1_md-from-Clip-Art-Etc.gif

Pan is the Greek god of pastoral life including shepherds, animals and music.  This rustic divinity is known to dwell in grottoes during the heat of the day and wander the mountains for his entertainment.  He guards flocks, whether wild or tame,

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  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Nice summary, thanks for sharing!
Songs for the Feri Gods: Dian Y Glas

For this next edition in my series of devotional playlists for the gods of the Feri tradition of Witchcraft, we take a look at Dian Y Glas (and boy does he liked to be looked at). Dian Y Glas, also called simply "Blue God", Is the youngest [mostly]male emanation of the Star Goddess in the pantheon of Feri deities. Dian Y Glas is often seen as young, lustful, and androgynous. He represents the love and passion held deep within the heart of the Star Goddess, where all things emerge. 

Blue God to me represents the power of the ecstatic Craft that celebrates all things free and wild. His energy is chaotic but seems to make sense on a deep and cellular level. He is filled with pride, confidence, and attraction, which are all things that awaken within us when we follow the tune of his call. My playlist for Dian Y Glas consists of songs that make me jump up and down and scream "I am ME and I am completely and utterly awesome in every sense of the word."

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

Bulls.  Big, strong, temperamental creatures that have had loomed large in man’s past.  Bull jumping, bull baiting, bull fights and running of the bulls are events where they were, and in some cases still are, featured.  They were used in the form of oxen to pull plows and carts.  Their virility kept up herds, generating wealth for their owners. In some areas, placing a bull head above a door gives protection and luck much like the horse shoe.  As sacrifices, few animals were more costly.  From them we get the terms ‘seeing red’ and ‘bull-headed’.  A lot of myths feature bulls, even modern myths like Paul Bunyan and his blue ox.  In some cultures, earthquakes are blamed on a rowdy celestial bull believed to have the world upon its horns.  A lot of masculine divinities, particularly those of the sun and the sky, are associated with bulls.

b2ap3_thumbnail_Minoan_Head_Bull_-_Heraklion_Archaeological_Museum.jpg

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  • Melia/Merit Brokaw
    Melia/Merit Brokaw says #
    I saw that but again I wonder if those are bulls or cows with horns. Sounds like an interesting temple!
  • Emily Mills
    Emily Mills says #
    Interesting post and great list thanks! I follow the research done at Catal Huyuk; their dig season just started back up, so I've
  • Stifyn Emrys
    Stifyn Emrys says #
    Great informational post. Odd coincidence: My wife and I were just talking about Paul Bunyan and Babe today.
  • Melia/Merit Brokaw
    Melia/Merit Brokaw says #
    Paul and Blue have been popping out at me a lot lately...I've been trying to figure out why. Thanks!
  • Samantha Lahlali
    Samantha Lahlali says #
    In Hellenic polytheism there is also Apollon who has perhaps a less recognized connection among oxen and cattle. Pausanias tells u

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

(Still on vacation this week!  Hopefully my travel mates are still on speaking terms with me!)

The god of the guessing game is Thor! 

b2ap3_thumbnail_Thor.jpg

Too easy?  It wouldn't have been for me as I know very little of the Norse pantheon.  I can, however, now tell my son the differences between Marvel’s Thor and Thor of the Norsemen.

 

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