Communicating With Deity: All the Small Things

As you can see, communication with Deity need not be big, earth-shattering UPG.  More often it is experienced as a series of small, sometimes interconnected events that let us know that Deity is listening or has something to say.  But what if you aren’t experiencing anything?  What if you’ve tried and tried and still nothing gets back to you?  Unfortunately, I’m no expert on Divine communication, but I can share a few tips that have helped me.

1. Don’t Give Up Hope! – This is the most important thing to remember.  Most spiritualist practitioners I’ve met have gone through one or more periods of heart-aching disconnect from the Divine.  Tipping my hat to Douglas Adams, I tend to call such spiritual dry spells “The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul”.
2. Are Your Prayers and Offerings Appropriate? – Perhaps you’re praying to a specific Deity in a way that doesn’t jive with Them.  While Freyja would be honored if you performed tantric sex in Her name, it probably wouldn’t be the best way to get Brighid’s attention.  Do a bit of research on your Deities if you haven’t done so already, and see what kinds of offerings and worship styles they might prefer.  For instance, Brighid or the Morrígan would probably love a carefully crafted and well-structured poem in Their honor, Freyja would appreciate acts of grace and beauty or of carnal pleasure, Áine would dig interpretive or ecstatic dance, Agni would probably appreciate a candlemaking exercise, etc.
3. Are Your Meditations Appropriate? – And not just for the Deities you’re trying to connect to.  If you have AD/HD like myself, its likely that you’re going to have a difficult time if you’re using a “clear your mind”-style of meditation.  In the words of Jeff, a practicing Neo-Shaman:
   

   I think that everybody has the capacity to channel the Divine, but what often gets in the way is that we’re not a clear channel — and that can be worked on.

   The Gods can’t talk to minds that can’t receive, so why not look into alternative ways to meditate.  Trance (chanting litanies until you’re in a trance state), walking meditation, dynamic meditation, and mindfulness are four great alternatives to what we in the West consider to be “traditional” meditation.

4. Are You Trying to Connect to the Right Deities? – This may be a hard pill to swallow, but I’ve found that there are people who cannot connect with certain Deities no matter how hard they try.  The upside is that there are likely other Deities that they can connect with, and who in all likelihood would be more compatible.  For instance, while Brighid has an easy time hearing me, She has a very hard time communicating back through my subconscious; it takes concentrated work on my part to build a relationship and maintain a connection with Her.  Meanwhile, the first time I’d even heard of Áine I saw a vision of Her face.  Freyja initiated contact with me, and I generally have a very easy time connecting back to Her.  If you cannot connect to a certain Deity, then perhaps you should be asking yourself if they’re right for you.
5. Are You Looking and Listening? – Are you keeping your eyes open for signs?  As we discussed above, there are a number of “small” ways that the Gods can get your attention and try to communicate with you.  As an exercise, try keeping a notebook on you.  Mention when and where it occurred, and what you were doing at the time.  If anything pops out at you, make a note.  Don’t try to worry about whether it makes any sense or whether you’re reading into it too much!  If that red car that just passed you stuck out like a sore thumb, make a note of it.

And there you have it, the joys and frustrations of connecting with Deity.  It is a wonderful experience to have, but there will be challenges along the way.  Expect to go through long periods where you feel disconnected and adrift, and other periods where you feel as close to your Gods are you are to your own family.  I’ve found that the trick is to not get discouraged, and to keep on trying… because no matter how bleak it may seem, the Gods are listening.

FOOTNOTES

1. Ava later determined that it was Brighid reaching out in Her warrior aspect, commonly known as Brigantia.