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Exploring Deities

Exploring Deities

Last updated on: April 22, 2024 at 1:38 pm by Esa

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Exploring Deities 2024-04-22T13:38:43-05:00 Esa

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You are watching a video, or reading an article where someone is sharing their own profound experiences with a specific Deity. There is so much that resonates with you and something inside you is stirring. You have never heard of the Deity before and maybe no nothing about the culture/place They are from, but something in the lessons of this Deity touches you. Perhaps it is even just the name that brings a deep sense of familiarity….

It is at this point where everyone else will have an opinion on what you do next.

Here is the only thing you need to know though – Something caught your attention, something created a shift within you, and a curiosity started to emerge. Trust in that feeling, because it is your soul trying to direct you towards something. There is a reason why it happened and something there for you to discover.

Perhaps it is just a lesson or skill that Deity can help you develop. Maybe it is something deeper and longer term. It might even be just a stepping stone to look deeper somewhere to discover another Deity.

This is where I will probably become the witchy hot-take. My perspective, approach, and view of Deity work tends to lean towards the unconventional…

Freedom to Explore

You do not need anyone’s permission to explore, connect, and start working with a Deity.

Deities are not owned by religions or cultures – It is religions and cultures that connect to the Deities. Deities can reach out to anyone They want to, whether the person is connected to those things or not. Those kind of ideas are human limitations and boundaries, not Divine’s.

Different Pantheons have different flavors, names, and visuals for Deities that aligns with their own language, cultural context, and cultural views – yet the core patterns that those Deity are connected to and represent are more universal.

This does not mean all similar Deities are the same. Each has specific areas within Their domain (Their core Pattern), Their own way of teaching and guiding us, Their own personality, and all of those things I think play a factor in the ones we connect with and how we work with Them. It depends on what we need – both from a guide and from a lesson standpoint.

If you feel a curiosity or feel drawn towards a certain Deity, then go for it! Start trying to connect and explore that possibility. If it is not a Deity for you, if They don’t have anything for you, the worst thing that will happen is absolutely nothing at all.

From Seasons of the Witch – Mabon

Start Out

I still hear many people say, when first starting out to research the Deity – in the form or books, lore, and so forth. I am a person that loves research, and used to tell people to do this for the longest time. I still think it is good to eventually go down this route because it helps us see how others experienced, worked with, and the what they learned through the experience – but in the end it is someone else’s experience no matter what book or myth you read. You are not looking to replicate someone else’s experience, but to have your own unique one that is meant for you.

There are some similarities, some core aspects everyone seems to experience and share, but those are just core energies of that Deity. How we experience Them, how They appear to us, the lessons They have for us, the work we do with and for Them, how They teach us – can be so very different because it is about our own connection to Them. I think it is better to focus on that and have that personal experience be your truth for that Deity.

Start Talking

I find Tarot/ Oracle to be a great tool for developing communication and conversation. You can also use it as a way to put in “checks” for yourself, especially when it comes to messages in visions, mystical experiences (trance or spirit walking), and so forth. You have a mystical experience and then you can pull cards from your deck asking to verify the message or information – if both are aligned, you have a successful check. If they don’t, try to see where you might have misunderstood.

I think tarot is the best when you are just starting out. It tends to be a lot more detailed with different nuances to put together full stories and conversations.

To get a more detailed look at what I mean about conversation through tarot and some ways to do it, check out my previous article Tarot, Stitchomancy, And Divine – Exploring Possibilities .

There is also a very specific tarot deck I recommend for this kind of work, especially when just starting to establish a connection The Dreams of Gaia tarot. This article Tarot For The Soul And Conversations With Deities really details out why.

You can use whatever you like of course – these are just my suggestions and tools that have produced results for many people I have mentored who were just starting out.

Approach it like you would getting to know anyone – Ask Them about Themselves. What is important to Them? Where Their strengths for you are and what They are not there for. Who They are from aspects like personality/ approach. What lessons or skills do they want to help guide you through?

Seasons of the Witch Samhain Deck

Over Morning Tea

This doesn’t have to be tea or even in the morning, but take some time out of each day to just talk to the Deity you are working on connecting with. As you sip your drink, talk out loud to Them. Sometimes I talk about heavy things on my mind. Sometimes I share something I found amusing that day. There are days of serious discussion, others where I am pouring out my sorrows, and even others where it is just chatting about nothing important but just life.

This act is about training the mind to focus on that connection you are trying to make. Telling the brain that this is important and something you want to pay attention to. Through that, your brain starts processing all the sensory information coming from the Deity, instead of its default of ignoring it. This is where our psychic senses start to heighten – we start feeling the energy of the Deity, getting visions or downloads of information.

There are many techniques you can employ to help develop these skills and senses even deeper. The Mala technique is one I have found to be very successful in fast-tracking that development, but it isn’t the only one by any means either.

Stillness

It doesn’t need to be structured or traditional forms of meditation – but stillness and quiet is needed.

If you don’t always want a one sided conversation, you have to learn to carve out time to just listen. Without your own agenda or questions – but to allow the energy to just flow. To allow the Deity to just show or tell you whatever it is They want to.

Too often we think we know what we need or want. We think we know the resources and tools we need to get there. I also know we see this through a very limited perspective compared to Deities. Let go of the control and learn to flow. This was an important lessons and one that can take a lot of time to master, but it is so worth it.

Altars and Shrines

Again, so many opinions and humanistic “rules” people try to place upon this act – creating a Sacred Space for the connection you are trying to build with your Deity.

This is your personal space with your Deity. It is a place, that when you approach it, should shift your mind-space into Sacred space. It should be a reflection of both you and the Deity, the work you are currently doing or where you want to go. The symbolism should be from your own perspective.

I remember everyone saying Santa Muerte should always have alcohol on Her altar. That is true for some but definitely not for me. I have never liked alcohol, it tastes nasty to me, so having that on my altar was dumb – and She let me know it.

An altar, shrine, or magical space, is a place for you to shift between the mundane world to the spiritual. It is your Sacred Garden. Each piece needs to have meanings for you, be a symbol that reflects the energies you feel and want there. It should evolve and change as you evolve and change.

It is great to see what others are doing, get ideas and inspirations – but this is your space. Set it up in a way that fits you. The deeper your bond with a Deity grows, the more They may have input for things They want incorporated too. Things that reflect who They are for you, the role They are playing in your growth, and how you see Them.

Some Will Not Stay

After working with a few Deities we can get a little gun shy on how much we invest in that relationship. When one shows up, our mind automatically wonders “Are They just popping in, or do They plan to stay?” Then we try to tailor our approach to this thought, being more cautious.

Not all Deities, no matter how strong They come in, are meant to be there long term. If you invest a lot in the relationship and then They go, you feel that loss, you grieve it – then you want to protect yourself from feeling it again. You go slower, you may not invest your whole self, but play the wait and see game.

My suggestion is – Don’t do this!

Deities come and go as we need Them, as our growth and where we are needs Them. We need different lessons and approaches to reach our fullest potential – and thus many teachers may be needed at different stages. Some may come, go, come back, and go again many times in our journey. You will never know until that moment comes. If you are holding back, trying to protect against a possible loss, then you are also stopping yourself from fully experiencing everything They have to offer.

I have developed a personal understanding of Deities based upon my own experiences and what They have taught me. Each one is Their own pattern, Their own energy, but They are also a part of a much larger pattern, a core that They are connected to. There is an underlying core energy I felt in each of my Goddesses that is the same, because it is the core They are all a part of – the master pattern. Each Goddess has Her own personality, way of doing things, lessons for me, but all lead me to this core because They are the faces of the core for me. That core is the core of my path – my focus for my path and what directs all my work. I am a Death Worker and the core for me is the Mother of Death and Rebirth, the Mother of Souls. At the core She is the nameless and faceless, yet all of my Goddesses at once. She is the Divine Feminine for the soul, the beginning and the end, death and rebirth – She however is not the same as the core for someone who deals more in the living and fertility of living, that is a different core pattern with different Goddesses.

So for me, a particular face or personality of the Mother of Souls may come and go, but the core, She Herself always remains. My masculine Divine is the same and His core is tied to Her core – a duality – but that is for another time.

What If…?

What if no one has caught your attention but you really want to try working with a Deity?

I say – go look for one!

Think about the kind of domains/ lessons that interest you right now. Think about skills you want to learn or a type of magic that you want to dive deeper into. Look through some lists of Deities associated with them and see if any jump out at you.

You can also look at your lineage, where your people come from, and look at the various Deities from those various areas (you are not just from one people but a mix of many).

The one thing I probably would not suggest in trying to work with the core feminine/ masculine Divine. They are very vast in scope and more difficult to clearly connect until you have had some experience. For a deeper and more targeted connection – specific and detailed lessons – working with specific Deities is a better place to start with in my opinion. It’s like the difference between working with a specific tree or trying to work with the whole forest at once.

Deity work is open for all practitioners, no matter if you are just starting out or have been on your path a long time. Each one is different and can help guide you differently. If one is “too much” for you or you just are not feeling it, then it may not be the right one or right time for that particular Deity. Have the courage to explore. Give yourself the freedom to discover your own truths and the truths They give you. Flow, and see where it takes you.

The Mother of Souls, Goddess of Death and Rebirth by Esa

Relationships and Religion

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About Esa

Author, Oracle, Guide, and Teacher of the Death's Emissary/ Death Doula course. "You are building your own path, your own connections, and shaping your own destiny. We can inspire others through sharing - we can Guide through our own experiences - but each of us must walk our own path." *some links in these articles may be associated with amazon You can read more about the author here.

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