The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

I was just wondering if anyone here ever works with deities invented in works of fiction. For example, the pantheons of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, the gods and goddesses of The Legend of Zelda or The Elder Scrolls, or maybe just The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I don't myself, but I was curious about anyone else's opinions or experiences. Do you believe that people can have legitimate relationships or religious experiences with deities that are specifically meant to be viewed as fictional?

I was just wondering if anyone here ever works with deities invented in works of fiction. For example, the pantheons of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, the gods and goddesses of The Legend of Zelda or The Elder Scrolls, or maybe just The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I don't myself, but I was curious about anyone else's opinions or experiences. Do you believe that people can have legitimate relationships or religious experiences with deities that are specifically meant to be viewed as fictional?

 
This is secondhand from another forum I'm on, but a member told me this cool story:

In a nutshell, she was trying to conceive, and her and her partner tried everything for a year, I think it was. Like me, she's a big fan of Kushiel's Legacy and in those books, women need to light a candle so that the goddess Eisheth will "open their wombs" before they can become pregnant.

So she did this, and next thing she knows, she's pregnant.

So now Eisheth has an altar near the one she has for Dionysus.

As for myself, I jokingly pray to fictional deities (like praying to Kushiel, from the same pantheon discussed above, before reading Fifty Shades to preserve my sanity). I know Storm Constantine actually has a grimoire out based on her Wraeththu books, and I recommend taking a look at Taylor Ellwood's Pop Culture Magick if you're interested in this sort of thing.

Now, as for what Jack mentioned, experiencing deities as fictional characters. I do that all the time, like seeing Mani in Yue from Card Captor Sakura.

Could this be a case of the fictional deity being likely based on a non fictional deity?

Just stabbing out in the dark here.

The names of the deities--Naamah, Eisheth, Kushiel, Camael, Cassiel, Azza, Anael, and Shemhazai--are angels and demons from Jewish tradition (IIRC, Eisheth is associated with prostitution) but in the books in question, the deity invoked is associated with healing, music, and the whole pregnancy thing, and this person was specifically praying to her in that context, so I have no idea. They're definitely based upon a living tradition, but their associations are radically different.

...Do you believe that people can have legitimate relationships or religious experiences with deities that are specifically meant to be viewed as fictional?

 
Surprisingly, yes.  I'm just starting to feel my way along, but in the past few weeks I've had occasion to pray to Kalahira.

I was just wondering if anyone here ever works with deities invented in works of fiction. For example, the pantheons of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, the gods and goddesses of The Legend of Zelda or The Elder Scrolls, or maybe just The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I don't myself, but I was curious about anyone else's opinions or experiences. Do you believe that people can have legitimate relationships or religious experiences with deities that are specifically meant to be viewed as fictional?

 

What is reality, yet something someone believes to be true.

I always like to use Tulpa's as an example, if someone believes it to be true, then it's true for someone.

BATMAN!

No, seriously - I see no reason why connecting with fictional gods wouldn't work. I mean... chaos magic. You could argue if it's 'real' or not, but that starts getting into "my imaginary friend is better than yours" territory.

 
Putting it like would sort of imply that everyone sees deity as something you can create or describe into the 'imaginary friend pattern'. It's not so for everyone.

Now while I don't buy the 'i can create a god if i pour enough intent into it' trend, I do believe that gods and spirits are rather opportunistic. A previously unknown deity can certainly act as a muse and decide hiding into fiction in order to gather attention or just amusement. Or, a writer can tap into Something real through inspiration/imagination without even knowing it. Or again, as most of deity names seem to be 'titles' seeking interaction with a fictional deity defined by a certain name/characteristics can actually draw the response of Someone responding to a certain title/characteristics into the Otherworld. And then there's a number of gods and spirits that don't really care about which guise they have use to get stuff accomplished.

The universe is an incredibly complex place and I imagine we are privy to about the 10% of what actually exists.

So in short, I think it's possible to have a legitimate religious experience with a deity that appears in a work of fiction ... I just don't believe that, with inspiration having such a long history to be litterally induced by muses and nymphs and other deities and spirits disguising however they please, the fictionalization of deities necessarily means they were created by the fiction itself.:whis:

Putting it like would sort of imply that everyone sees deity as something you can create or describe into the 'imaginary friend pattern'. It's not so for everyone.

Now while I don't buy the 'i can create a god if i pour enough intent into it' trend, I do believe that gods and spirits are rather opportunistic. A previously unknown deity can certainly act as a muse and decide hiding into fiction in order to gather attention or just amusement. Or, a writer can tap into Something real through inspiration/imagination without even knowing it. Or again, as most of deity names seem to be 'titles' seeking interaction with a fictional deity defined by a certain name/characteristics can actually draw the response of Someone responding to a certain title/characteristics into the Otherworld. And then there's a number of gods and spirits that don't really care about which guise they have use to get stuff accomplished.

The universe is an incredibly complex place and I imagine we are privy to about the 10% of what actually exists.

So in short, I think it's possible to have a legitimate religious experience with a deity that appears in a work of fiction ... I just don't believe that, with inspiration having such a long history to be litterally induced by muses and nymphs and other deities and spirits disguising however they please, the fictionalization of deities necessarily means they were created by the fiction itself.:whis:

 
I wholeheartedly second this.

I guess it depends on what you (general you, not especifically Altair-you) consider a 'religious experience' tough - if you are talking about a somewhat mutual relationship where there's a mortal and an Holy Power with feelings, indipendent thought and personal agenda and everything that makes up an individual personality then I don't think you will get the same results from worshipping Zeus and Aslan/Batman/Tia Dalma. If you are instead aiming to align yourself with a certain brand of inspiration/energies/inner truth that thinking of that fictional deity makes you to feel closer to, then you are likely to reach the goal.

 
I actually know someone who's had very good results from working with Aslan and I've worked with him myself. He seems real enough to me.