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Pagan Meme Part II
Oct. 16th, 2011 01:02 pm4. A favorite deity or archetype you use in your spiritual work.
My work with deities has fluctuated quite a bit over the years. It is my belief that there is no separate being that is more godly than another, that each of us is god-energy in physical form, and that the greater part of us is, in fact, god-energy still in non-physical form, too. And I say "god" without a gender implication--I think divinity is beyond the physical, and beyond duality. But, that being said, I think there will always be quite a lot about god-energy that we in our physical forms will never be able to really comprehend, and so we have to quantify and personify and compartmentalize a lot of the aspects of our own divinity and the workings of the universe so that we can have some grasp of It All. So, when I work with deities, it is from that standpoint. I do believe that the energy is real and really communicating and interacting with me, but it is my belief that when I work with, say, Artemis, I'm working with a collective of god-energy that is akin to my feelings about her and her wisdom.
Artemis was huge for me when I was in my Maiden and Maiden-warrior phase of life, but her energy hasn't been necessary for some time. Now that I'm basically into the Mother phase of my life (I think the maiden phase is always there, a little bit), I have actually had quite an affinity for Mary. This strikes me as odd because I have never been raised anything close to Christian or Catholic, in fact I identify more with my father's Jewish heritage than my mother's Episcopal, and I also spent a lot of time in my angrier, less-understanding youth kind of thinking anything associated with Jesus was stupid. But when I work with Mary I feel so fucking loved. Like, tears-to-my-eyes, nothing-can-hurt-me, look-at-how-amazing-the-world-is kind of love, and joy. And still I feel like I want to work more deeply with her, to understand her story. I'm hoping to reconnect with my deities this fall and winter, so hopefully I'll get the chance to communicate more with her in detail.
(As an aside, kind of, Jared and I watched the first part of a movie called "Zeitgeist" the other day, where they discuss, essentially, how Jesus's story is the same as hundreds of legends that came before him, based on stories we've told by the stars for thousands of years. This is something I've known for a long time, but it got me thinking though: who is the "virgin mother" really? Why is she a constant in these stories? Why is she called "virgin?" I must look into this further!)
Male female balance in my "worship" is important to me, too, and comes rather naturally. I've work a lot with Hermes and Ganesh in the past, and Ganesh is still someone I smile at every day (I keep his statue at my cubicle at work, he helps to dispel the negativity). But my main male figure is actually something more like a spirit guide, which, seeing as how I believe spirit is god-energy too, makes me think of him as a deity for this question's sake. I call him Malcom, because I realized a character in one of my books by the same name was modeled after him. I've been seeing him in dreams and in my head since I was a very little girl. I can communicate with him any time, easy as pie. He always knows the answers to my questions. He is the wisdom I have but often can't access when I need it most.
5. An animal you identify with spiritually.
Crows are big for me. I have three of them tattooed on my ribs. To me they are magical, otherworldly things. They represent the kind of grounded-yet-free state of being that I strive for, creatures that seem to shift between worlds and yet remain anchored. As a writer, I'm always striving for that balance--how to stay grounded and let myself float off into my imagination at the same time. Crows embody that capacity to me, and I don't really know why.
I also love pigeons. They're tenacious, brave, excellent communicators, and can always find their way home :)
6. A photo of a magical place outdoors.
The Sahara Desert in Morocco. I think the most alive day/night of my life was there. Everything was thrilling--sound, touch, taste, smell, and dear gods the sights... it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I love the desert.
( The Questions )
My work with deities has fluctuated quite a bit over the years. It is my belief that there is no separate being that is more godly than another, that each of us is god-energy in physical form, and that the greater part of us is, in fact, god-energy still in non-physical form, too. And I say "god" without a gender implication--I think divinity is beyond the physical, and beyond duality. But, that being said, I think there will always be quite a lot about god-energy that we in our physical forms will never be able to really comprehend, and so we have to quantify and personify and compartmentalize a lot of the aspects of our own divinity and the workings of the universe so that we can have some grasp of It All. So, when I work with deities, it is from that standpoint. I do believe that the energy is real and really communicating and interacting with me, but it is my belief that when I work with, say, Artemis, I'm working with a collective of god-energy that is akin to my feelings about her and her wisdom.
Artemis was huge for me when I was in my Maiden and Maiden-warrior phase of life, but her energy hasn't been necessary for some time. Now that I'm basically into the Mother phase of my life (I think the maiden phase is always there, a little bit), I have actually had quite an affinity for Mary. This strikes me as odd because I have never been raised anything close to Christian or Catholic, in fact I identify more with my father's Jewish heritage than my mother's Episcopal, and I also spent a lot of time in my angrier, less-understanding youth kind of thinking anything associated with Jesus was stupid. But when I work with Mary I feel so fucking loved. Like, tears-to-my-eyes, nothing-can-hurt-me, look-at-how-amazing-the-world-is kind of love, and joy. And still I feel like I want to work more deeply with her, to understand her story. I'm hoping to reconnect with my deities this fall and winter, so hopefully I'll get the chance to communicate more with her in detail.
(As an aside, kind of, Jared and I watched the first part of a movie called "Zeitgeist" the other day, where they discuss, essentially, how Jesus's story is the same as hundreds of legends that came before him, based on stories we've told by the stars for thousands of years. This is something I've known for a long time, but it got me thinking though: who is the "virgin mother" really? Why is she a constant in these stories? Why is she called "virgin?" I must look into this further!)
Male female balance in my "worship" is important to me, too, and comes rather naturally. I've work a lot with Hermes and Ganesh in the past, and Ganesh is still someone I smile at every day (I keep his statue at my cubicle at work, he helps to dispel the negativity). But my main male figure is actually something more like a spirit guide, which, seeing as how I believe spirit is god-energy too, makes me think of him as a deity for this question's sake. I call him Malcom, because I realized a character in one of my books by the same name was modeled after him. I've been seeing him in dreams and in my head since I was a very little girl. I can communicate with him any time, easy as pie. He always knows the answers to my questions. He is the wisdom I have but often can't access when I need it most.
5. An animal you identify with spiritually.
Crows are big for me. I have three of them tattooed on my ribs. To me they are magical, otherworldly things. They represent the kind of grounded-yet-free state of being that I strive for, creatures that seem to shift between worlds and yet remain anchored. As a writer, I'm always striving for that balance--how to stay grounded and let myself float off into my imagination at the same time. Crows embody that capacity to me, and I don't really know why.
I also love pigeons. They're tenacious, brave, excellent communicators, and can always find their way home :)
6. A photo of a magical place outdoors.
The Sahara Desert in Morocco. I think the most alive day/night of my life was there. Everything was thrilling--sound, touch, taste, smell, and dear gods the sights... it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I love the desert.
( The Questions )
