{"id":793,"date":"2017-09-07T09:45:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T17:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=793"},"modified":"2017-09-11T23:08:51","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T07:08:51","slug":"huffing-the-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/09\/huffing-the-gods.html","title":{"rendered":"Huffing the Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u201cSo, they were essentially huffing the gods?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

I nearly fall off our bed laughing. \u00a0I had been describing a ritual I attended to my partner, trying to explain why it didn\u2019t quite work for me. \u00a0Most of the time other people\u2019s rituals have the same effect. \u00a0Maybe I\u2019m an incredibly picky Witch. (Ok, no maybe about that, I am very<\/strong> particular on certain things.) <\/em><\/p>\n

Nor am I hating on other people\u2019s rituals, because it\u2019s quite clear to me that they\u2019re getting something from it. (They must be right? Because otherwise why would they keep doing it? Actually, best not to ask that\u2026)<\/em> There\u2019s definitely not just one way to do a thing, especially when the gods are concerned.<\/p>\n

I can appreciate the effort and intent, but far too often, for me it\u2019s like being on the other side of a lackluster sexual experience. \u00a0Someone got off, but it wasn\u2019t me. <\/strong>That\u2019s always frustrating and awkward.<\/p>\n

But let me back up a bit, because you\u2019re probably wondering WTF \u201chuffing the gods\u201d means. It\u2019s derived from a saying that evolved during the last tour.<\/a> \u00a0I was really missing our cats back at home, particularly after 1.5 weeks of no contact with any cats on our trip. I posted online that I desperately needed to huff some kittens. \u00a0People who have cats probably know exactly what I mean, but for those of you lacking felines in your life: cats have this amazing, warm smell to them, especially around their head. If you\u2019re close to your cats like I am (my cat Sam lays on my chest every night, his face in mine), it\u2019s a very comforting aroma that goes along with the wonder of a purring mass of warm fur. \u00a0(There\u2019s also some great spoof pages on kitten huffing..<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"Tempest
Tempest & Sam, huffing with consent<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The thing is, if the cat doesn\u2019t have a relationship with you, it\u2019s not going to be terribly interested in being huffed by you. Many kind people all over this country offered me their cats to huff, and many a cat was not having it. (Minus a couple of actual kittens who didn\u2019t know better, though they still were squirmy about it.)<\/em> The intent was good, but nobody involved was happy about it.<\/p>\n

So huffing the gods in a ritual context is essentially trying to get a high over contact with deities. \u00a0Usually without having an intimate familiarity with them, and possibly little purpose besides attending to your own needs. But as Mat Auryn talks about\u00a0in his recent blog post<\/a>, if you don\u2019t have an active working relationship with the gods, the experience can be quite a mixed bag for everyone involved (that includes gods as well as humans).<\/p>\n

For me, working with deities and spirits is an every day experience. \u00a0One might even apply the term \u201ccasual\u201d to it. \u00a0As I have mentioned before, I don\u2019t \u201cworship\u201d gods or consider myself devotional in that context<\/a>. We work together for our mutual benefit. \u00a0To call upon them doesn\u2019t take any more effort for me than calling or texting someone on the phone. \u00a0(Actually less effort than calling, because I\u2019m not a big fan of talking on the phone.)<\/em> So in other rituals, the moment they start to welcome X deity, that deity is right there beside me. BOOM! Then as the ritual continues to call upon X deity, that entity is looking at me going: \u201c\u2026.So what\u2019s up? I\u2019m already here. \u00a0What are we doing?\u201d And all I do is shrug and go, \u201cI think this is for you?\u201d Deity answers, \u201cIt\u2019s more for them. But that\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

I should note that I also have a pretty wide interpretation of ritual. \u00a0There are numerous kinds of rituals \u2013 many are extremely simple, daily activities, and others are extravagant rites with much pomp and circumstance. \u00a0I very rarely do the latter, and when I do, it\u2019s designed to be a multi-layered experience \u2013 for the gods, for the participants, for whatever purpose it was designed for. It\u2019s not ritual for ritual\u2019s sake or because the lunar or solar calendar says so. \u00a0There should be\u00a0a clear defined goal, beyond making what you might view as a scheduled obligatory phone call into a\u00a0video conference call.<\/p>\n

An essential part of being a Witch (IMHO) is understanding that we intermingle with the divine on a daily basis. \u00a0It can be hard to break out of other religious mindsets that make deity separate from us, and only accessible on special days, in certain locations, through a chosen few. \u00a0It\u2019s also hard to become intimate with deity when you hold them and divine concepts at an arm\u2019s length. \u00a0Think about it in terms of dating \u2013 it\u2019s pretty high pressure to go on a first date at a super fancy restaurant all dressed up \u2013 that\u2019s something that\u2019s often more appreciated down the line when there\u2019s a special occasion. \u00a0Think more of a tea or coffee date, or going on a ride together. But you know, with witchcraft.<\/p>\n

Practice consensual huffing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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