Do you have a pantheon of gods and goddesses from a certain culture that calls to you? Or do you even associate the names of gods and goddesses with your paganism?

The Norse gods seem to be calling strongly to me at this time, but I have a special relationship with the goddesses Brigid (Irish) and Hecate (Greek)? I personally don't believe this is static throughout our lifetime, though there may be patrons that we are connected with our entire lives.

What about you?

Trish,
I also have an affinity towards Norse/Germanic Gods and Goddesses. Their strength is incredibly appealing. But I feel most drawn towards the Chinese pantheon, especially Kuan Yin.

I guess I tend to go more with Greek Goddesses (Gaia & Athena, particularly). I don't follow a specific pantheon though. The only male Gods that I really associate is the Horned God and the Green Man.

ok I am going to open a can of worms or maybe Pandora's box....
what is the differents between Patrons and pantheon of gods and goddesses?

A patron (or matron if you prefer) is a deity you feel specifically called to. Say you are a healer, so one of the goddesses associated with healing seems to be "the one" that calls to you as a guide for your life path. Sometimes, a patron will stay with us for a length of time and sometimes move on as we grow and change.

A pantheon is basically all the deities associated with a certain culture such as the Greek gods, Irish, Norse, Chinese, etc.

So, you may be attracted to a certain cultural pantheon of gods and have your patron be from that pantheon or from a completely different one.

I hope that made sense.:)

p.s. Here is a link to my article on patron gods if you are interested:
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So kind of like St Michael the Patron Staint of Soldars? is the Jesus? sorry not Catholic either.... but I can only work with what I got and it aint much!! lmao

Yes free, the Catholic patron saints are a great example. If Jesus is what calls to your spirit, then that is what is right for you. The Guardian Angel might even be the Christian equivalent to a Pagan patron. However, I'm not an expert on that subject. I think that many Christians believe that each person has their own Guardian Angel.

Many people don't bother with patrons or pantheons at all but still consider themselves Pagans. It's really up to the individual. Some people call it spirit, the Christ consciousness, God, Goddess, the All, etc.

Trish, actually many of the angels did start out as gods and goddesses. Gabriel was a Babylonian goddess, Raphael was in a pantheon on the Mediteranian (where his father was the god El),and Michael is Chaldean in origin too!

Angelic energy is very powerful. In fact, everytime they appear in the bible, the first words out of their mouths are "do not be afraid." I can totally see where they started out as desert gods and goddesses.

But changing what we call them does not change what they are The angels have been tamed down over the years, just as the faery have LOL. It's much nicer to believe that they are cute little cherubs rather than great beings surrounded by fire, thunder and lightening.

Deanna,

It's fascinating how we have "watered" down these powerful beings isn't it? I didn't know the origins you mentioned. Thank you for sharing.

I'm interested in ceremonial magick which works with angelic energy. Some Pagans blast it as being "too Christian" because it works with angels. I've always believed the angels to be much older than Judeo-Christian theology, so I never saw the contradiction in Pagans working with that energy.

mmm... that is interesting! the bible does say something about the Sons of God came down and made wivies of the Daughters of man. ok so that if poorly phrased but... you get the jest. lol

I am not surprise at all because there is a overlapping and connectiveness to all religions, myth and folklore.

HA HA Trish, I thought that was the point of Paganism... to put together what worked well for us LOL!

Have you read any books on ceremonial magick that you've really enjoyed? I don't think I have --- I think I bought a couple, and then never got around to reading them LOL. That's my M.O.

Hi Freespirit - I have read that in the bible. There is some pretty interesting stuff in there

Hi Deanna,

I completely understand what you mean about books.:) I tend to do the same thing, but I'm getting more disciplined as I get older (gods that sounds boring doesn't it.:0?)

Lon Milo Duquette makes Aleister Crowley's work accessible. He seems like a very personable guy from his writing. There are also Chic and Tabatha Cicero's books in the Golden Dawn tradition which I may work with later this year after my move. Right now I'm still working on my dedicant program for a druid group, and I don't want to take on too much more. I love the learning though.

OMG, One of my friends was always talking about Lon Milo - I guess he used to give classes as his metaphysical store, and my friend really admired his style in teaching. I didn't realized what he wrote about though. I saw he had a book called the Chicken Caballa (or something like that HA HA) and thought "wow, this guy has a sense of humor"

"Trish, actually many of the angels did start out as gods and goddesses. Gabriel was a Babylonian goddess, Raphael was in a pantheon on the Mediteranian (where his father was the god El),and Michael is Chaldean in origin too!"

Bella Deanna,
So Raphael was originally a canaanite god? That is most interesting.

I follow an eclectic path, and in so doing, feel called to deities of different pantheons. Norse, Celtic, Greco-Roman, Sumero-Akkadian, and Slavic. My matron is Tiamat, but lately have been feeling pulled towards Baba Jaga.

I don't know if on the ceremonial magic subject, the problem is me or the authors whose books I've read. I tried reading Modern Magick by Donald Kraig, and have a hard time working through it. Same thing with Franz Bardon. I found The Black Arts much more palatable - Richard Cavendish approaches ceremonial magic from more of an historical angle. I am still reading Levi's Transcendental Magicwhich i suspect with where I'm at in the book is more philosophical.

That's me

I tap into the energy of the All and look for the magic in the mundane (growing food, housework). But I choose to not work with any deities or acknowledge individual spiritual elements - making me agnostic by choice. It's just where I am at the moment.

The Richard Cavendish book sounds fascinating. I love learning about how magick has evolved and the history of personalities involved in it.

I admit I had a hard time getting through Kraig's work too. It isn't difficult, but I tend to waffle and not commit to the work.

A matron that has been with me for years is Hekate. Like Tiamat, she can be dark. Have you ever found yourself thinking "Why has she picked me?" I know that isn't gracious of me, but I don't personally believe that the gods will always make our lives easier and sometimes we need to be challenged.

Its funny. Earlier I was thinking about how we get here, when I posted a reply to the thread on magical names. And the thought essentially was that whatever I am seeking to discover, she makes me work for it. They will push us beyond what we think are our limitations, but its never anything that we can't handle.