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{"id":1756,"date":"2014-01-09T07:30:51","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T15:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/awitchsashram\/?p=1756"},"modified":"2014-01-09T07:21:41","modified_gmt":"2014-01-09T15:21:41","slug":"theology-and-the-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/awitchsashram\/2014\/01\/09\/theology-and-the-gods\/","title":{"rendered":"Theology, the Gods, and Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A lot of people are currently discussing their understanding of the gods. Traci<\/a> issues a challenging reminder not to let anthropomorphism cloud our understanding. Morpheus<\/a> Ravenna<\/a>, John Beckett<\/a>, Sara<\/a> Amis<\/a>, and others, all give us their thoughtful perspectives. I hesitate to wade into the discussion, even though this is the very sort of discussion I\u2019m trained to dissect<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s part of why discussing the gods is so challenging for me: I have too many theories, too many fancy words, and too much monotheism crammed into my brain. It\u2019s only been a few years since I finally and completely stopped trying to keep a toe in the Christian tradition, since I stopped trying to make Christian mystic theology make sense of my experience. It\u2019s only been a few years since I\u2019ve adopted the mindset of polytheism. I feel like I\u2019m back to theology 101. Even though I understand the concepts and the words used in these sorts of theological discussions, my experience is so limited at this point as to make intelligent, mature speculation on the gods infantile at best.<\/p>\n

Because that\u2019s what these discussions are: speculation. We are all making guesses as to who or what the gods are. Most of us, if we are wise, will listen and learn from those who are \u2018further down the path\u2019 than we are. We will use discernment and sincere reflection to examine our own experiences of the spirits and the gods. We will use reason and observation, along with spiritual insight, in both of those previous endeavors. But we\u2019re all still speculating.<\/p>\n

Stepping away from a monotheistic frame of reference was mind-bending for me. I felt like I finally saw my experiences and understandings of all things spiritual in a new light, a bright, shiny, flood light. No longer did I have to mush everything into a box marked One God. Because I\u2019ve experienced other presences. Sometimes they have felt more like possible emanations of a greater Whole; sometimes they have been completely, absolutely distinct. Sometimes they have been very human like \u2013 was that their True Form or just the way they chose to express themselves to me, so that I might understand? Sometimes they have been Unformed. I still don\u2019t know what this means or how these experiences link together in a coherent system. Right now, that\u2019s not the point for me.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Right now, I\u2019m allowing myself to experience, to follow where I am led \u2013 by the gods, by my teachers, by my own Godsoul. Down the road I\u2019ll likely attempt something Theological, but for me, I\u2019m trying to be less caught up in the details.<\/p>\n

That said, I think the discussions that are occurring are important: for our own personal development and for our evolution as a wider Pagan community. We don\u2019t all have to agree \u2013 heck, the Christian tradition has been disagreeing for 2,000 years! They\u2019ve written entire books on the shades of meaning of a single idea. In fact, churches have been tipped into schism over a single word<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m learning a lot from what my fellow travelers are debating. Reading about how they experience the gods and carefully observing the words they\u2019ve chosen to use in their discussions is helpful to me. Do our experiences of the \u2018same\u2019 god have to be identical? I don\u2019t think so, though there should be some continuity.\u00a0 Discussion does not diminish my experiences, nor my practices. If we can\u2019t be challenged and stimulated by one another than all we\u2019re doing is blabbing into an echo chamber.<\/p>\n

Traci\u2019s essay on anthropomorphism is perhaps one of two of the above cited essays that sticks with me the most. I absolutely believe, with no shame, that I am the center of my universe. It cannot be otherwise. I am the center and the circumference of my expereince. I experience things as I do and attempt to make sense of the world; this body is the vehicle I have been given to be present in this world at this time. But can I extend beyond my circle? Can I try to see Raven\u2019s eyes? Hear with Cedar\u2019s \u2018ears\u2019? Can I embrace the push and pull of Shakti and Shiva? If the gods can bend to communicate with us, can we not try to bend to communicate with Others? I think we can, and must.<\/p>\n

Morpheus\u2019s essay on ritual is another powerful one for me. I generally agree with everything she discusses here<\/a>, and her specificity has made me want to review my personal devotions and pujas in light of what she says. Can I more intentionally unite my beliefs with my practices? Can meet these gods as Entities with their own integrity, rather than approaching them in a one-size-fits-all approach?<\/p>\n

And so, this is where I\u2019m at with all this theological god talk. I love it. But I\u2019m not ready to wade in. Not yet.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"