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Author Topic: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?  (Read 1614 times)

Little Kingdoms

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Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« on: March 15, 2014, 03:55:53 pm »
I'm quite new to polytheism.  Even when I was still following Christianity I acknowledged the existence of other gods, though what form they took and other related questions I didn't delve in to.  But several months ago I had an experience that tipped me over to the other side.  This is about to get long, apologies!

I had picked up my left-off studies of Druidry and was wading through my OBOD lessons again.  I skimmed through the story of Taliesin and related lessons--although I could appreciate the symbolism and its relationship to modern Druidry, the story never really clicked with me.  I went through it all as quickly as I could.

There's a part in the lessons where they ask you to visualise a Druid.  I had in mind a woman (and a man, more on that later) whom I had a pretty clear image of.  But her purpose wasn't very clear to me, she was just an image really.  But one night I was doing a meditation and I saw this woman, and this time she invited me back to her cabin in the woods.  I won't go into all the details, but by the end of this I had a very strong impression that this nameless woman was none other than the goddess Ceridwen.

It's not the vision itself that was so surprising, given that I'd been studying the story of Taliesin recently, but the feeling that it left me with.  I felt welcomed, like someone had left the door open for me.  That feeling stayed with me for days, this bright positive glow.  Somehow I knew then that this goddess was real and someone I wanted to work with and learn from.  I have since reached out to her in ritual, and although I haven't had any experiences as strong as the first one I feel like I've had a response.  I've even set up a small shrine to Ceridwen in the form of a cauldron on the windowsill.

Finally getting around to my question: should I be attempting to reach out to other gods and goddesses, or do I just wait for another tap on the shoulder?  Apart from honouring Brigit at Imbolc I have only named Ceridwen so far.  I do make a point of honouring "all the goddesses and gods" during my rituals, but that's as far as it goes.  I am curious to find out who the male Druid in my visions was, if he was a god or not.    I'm quite happy working with just Ceridwen for now but I just don't really know how all this works.  Does anyone else work with one god or goddess exclusively?

I do apologise about the ramblyness, like I said, I'm a Noob!  :whis:

Darkhawk

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2014, 04:00:38 pm »
Quote from: Little Kingdoms;142558
Finally getting around to my question: should I be attempting to reach out to other gods and goddesses, or do I just wait for another tap on the shoulder?

 
Do or do not, there is no "should".

Seriously: do what seems to work with you, what you're most comfortable with, what seems to work with what you feel you need to be doing.  

Some notes, though: waiting around for attention from entities doesn't actually usually work terribly well for most people; reaching out to entities doesn't mean that they'll communicate back in ways that are readily comprehensible.  In the end you have to do the thing that works for you.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Little Kingdoms

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2014, 04:15:07 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;142559
Do or do not, there is no "should".

Seriously: do what seems to work with you, what you're most comfortable with, what seems to work with what you feel you need to be doing.  

Some notes, though: waiting around for attention from entities doesn't actually usually work terribly well for most people; reaching out to entities doesn't mean that they'll communicate back in ways that are readily comprehensible.  In the end you have to do the thing that works for you.


That makes sense.  I feel like Ceridwen is a mentor to me, though how long this will last I don't know.  I feel like she opened a door and showed me something I needed to see, but I don't expect a lot of shepherding.  More like a tutor who is there when you need them to be.  I'm just very new on the whole idea of worshipping multiple gods, and the relationships that go on there.

Leirion

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2014, 06:03:48 pm »
Quote from: Little Kingdoms;142558


Finally getting around to my question: should I be attempting to reach out to other gods and goddesses, or do I just wait for another tap on the shoulder?  Apart from honouring Brigit at Imbolc I have only named Ceridwen so far.  I do make a point of honouring "all the goddesses and gods" during my rituals, but that's as far as it goes.  I am curious to find out who the male Druid in my visions was, if he was a god or not.    I'm quite happy working with just Ceridwen for now but I just don't really know how all this works.  Does anyone else work with one god or goddess exclusively?

 
You did not strike me as rambly! It all seemed like relevant backstory, to me. And everyone has to start somewhere. I am glad you had that experience, it sounds really powerful!

I do not think there is a "should" here, really. Whether you focus on Ceridwen, or seek out other deities, it is usually a matter of personal preference (of yours and/or the gods).

I am one of those spirit-bothered people who rarely seek out deities for the first time. In fact, I used to be a nihilist and did not believe in anything beyond the physical, until I started getting poked and prodded at by angels (and demons, and later, gods). So I usually wait to be approached, since it inevitably tends to happen for me if what I am doing attracts the attention of someone.

But even though I work with probably around half a dozen to a dozen entities on a semi-regular basis, most of my working is still focused on a single god (Zagreus).

Whatever feels the most "right" in your heart, is what I would go with. And that could very easily change later on.

Little Kingdoms

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2014, 03:55:35 pm »
Quote from: Leirion;142571
You did not strike me as rambly! It all seemed like relevant backstory, to me. And everyone has to start somewhere. I am glad you had that experience, it sounds really powerful!

I do not think there is a "should" here, really. Whether you focus on Ceridwen, or seek out other deities, it is usually a matter of personal preference (of yours and/or the gods).

I am one of those spirit-bothered people who rarely seek out deities for the first time. In fact, I used to be a nihilist and did not believe in anything beyond the physical, until I started getting poked and prodded at by angels (and demons, and later, gods). So I usually wait to be approached, since it inevitably tends to happen for me if what I am doing attracts the attention of someone.

But even though I work with probably around half a dozen to a dozen entities on a semi-regular basis, most of my working is still focused on a single god (Zagreus).

Whatever feels the most "right" in your heart, is what I would go with. And that could very easily change later on.


Thanks!  It was powerful, in large part because I hadn't been expecting or looking for it.  When I was younger I considered myself to be quite psychic and aware of various entities, but I closed that door as I got older.  I just didn't acknowledge the experiences I once had.  I feel like there's this whole part of me that I shut off and I'm now just starting to re-explore!  Doing this in a religious context is something new though.  Maybe I can learn to go with my instincts again.

Lorraine

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2014, 08:31:16 am »
Quote from: Little Kingdoms;142560
That makes sense.  I feel like Ceridwen is a mentor to me, though how long this will last I don't know.  I feel like she opened a door and showed me something I needed to see, but I don't expect a lot of shepherding.  More like a tutor who is there when you need them to be.  I'm just very new on the whole idea of worshipping multiple gods, and the relationships that go on there.

 
It could well be that your instincts are right about her relationship to you,  but see how it goes.  I  had some dealings with Ceridwen while working on the Bardic grade and to some extent after but not so much.  I ended up with patron relationships with two deities, both male and from different pantheons,  but I have worked with others and still do. My Druid figure was female and I never knew her name but I didn't get the feeling she was a goddess.  The course is very much about opening up to your own sources of inspiration and it's interesting how much individual experiences vary.

Little Kingdoms

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Re: Work with one goddess, or reach out to more?
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2014, 04:30:28 pm »
Quote from: Lorraine;142694
It could well be that your instincts are right about her relationship to you,  but see how it goes.  I  had some dealings with Ceridwen while working on the Bardic grade and to some extent after but not so much.  I ended up with patron relationships with two deities, both male and from different pantheons,  but I have worked with others and still do. My Druid figure was female and I never knew her name but I didn't get the feeling she was a goddess.  The course is very much about opening up to your own sources of inspiration and it's interesting how much individual experiences vary.

 
Interesting that you were working with Ceridwen on the Bardic grade too, although I suppose she is a big part of it!  I don't know if she actually was a Druid in my earlier visions; I saw her wearing a black robe which isn't very Druid-like.  The male Druid had a more active role in the beginning.  I'm reading From The Cauldron Born by Kristoffer Hughes which has some interesting insights into Ceridwen and the story of Taliesin.

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