question from the new gal :)

[whiporwill-o]

ok, so a question i've had running around in my brain is:

is it likely, or even possible, for a god that is not of your pantheon to be interested in you?

example: a hindu god reaching out to a hellenistic worshipper  

[patch99329]

I would say it is possible, yes.
I know several people whom this has happened to!
You simply have to evaluate the situation critically.  

[whiporwill-o]

patch99329

I would say it is possible, yes.
I know several people whom this has happened to!
You simply have to evaluate the situation critically.

interesting, thanks heart  

[CuAnnan]

Yes. Many of the open pantheon Gods will use who ever is nearby, willing and not exclusively covenant bound.
I have done favours for the God of Christianity (I am not getting into the can of worms of "which God is it, the God of the Hebrews or the God of Zoroastrians", I have worked on His behalf with people bound to His covenant and the Norse pantheon too.  

[whiporwill-o]

CuAnnan

Yes. Many of the open pantheon Gods will use who ever is nearby, willing and not exclusively covenant bound.
I have done favours for the God of Christianity (I am not getting into the can of worms of "which God is it, the God of the Hebrews or the God of Zoroastrians", I have worked on His behalf with people bound to His covenant and the Norse pantheon too.

ok, well i think i feel better now, but it brings to me yet another question:

how does a god/dess reach out to you. is it obvious, like their image keeps popping up everywhere you look, or will it be more subtle, like um... something subtle (cant think of an example sweatdrop ). ALSO how can you be sure it is the god/dess you think it is and not someone or something else? (i know next to nothing about patrons, so forgive the multitude of quesions)  

[CuAnnan]

whiporwill-o

how does a god/dess reach out to you. is it obvious, like their image keeps popping up everywhere you look, or will it be more subtle, like um... something subtle (cant think of an example sweatdrop ). ALSO how can you be sure it is the god/dess you think it is and not someone or something else? (i know next to nothing about patrons, so forgive the multitude of quesions)

Depends entirely.  

[aoijea23487]

whiporwill-o

how does a god/dess reach out to you. is it obvious, like their image keeps popping up everywhere you look, or will it be more subtle

i agree with Cu. deities have such a wide range of personalities that it's entirely likely that they all communicate with humans differently.

in my experience, i had a vision of Shiva during meditation that imparted verifiable gnosis. since then, Shiva has cropped up everywhere; bumper stickers, music, other people having dreams about me singing the Mahamritunjaya mantra [something i've never head of until he said he'd dreamt me singing it], even a statue in the background of one episode of Buffy. you get the picture.

personally i have never felt a pull toward Shiva nor do i yet desire a relationship with him. however, Shiva's roles as the god of destruction and rebirth pointed me in the direction of a lot of other deities that i have liked, including Mars, Minerva, and what i understand of the god of the Wica [which i am a seeker of].  

[whiporwill-o]

Illiezeulette

whiporwill-o

how does a god/dess reach out to you. is it obvious, like their image keeps popping up everywhere you look, or will it be more subtle

i agree with Cu. deities have such a wide range of personalities that it's entirely likely that they all communicate with humans differently.

in my experience, i had a vision of Shiva during meditation that imparted verifiable gnosis. since then, Shiva has cropped up everywhere; bumper stickers, music, other people having dreams about me singing the Mahamritunjaya mantra [something i've never head of until he said he'd dreamt me singing it], even a statue in the background of one episode of Buffy. you get the picture.

personally i have never felt a pull toward Shiva nor do i yet desire a relationship with him. however, Shiva's roles as the god of destruction and rebirth pointed me in the direction of a lot of other deities that i have liked, including Mars, Minerva, and what i understand of the god of the Wica [which i am a seeker of].

okay, then i think im being chased down by Ganesh[a]. i see his image everywhere, even on a pair of pants that we got at work that i absolutely love (i didnt know he was on them until i tried them on). i didnt even know who Ganesh[a] was until he started showing up everywhere i went and then i did a little research.  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

okay, then i think im being chased down by Ganesh[a].

Why? Why are you important enough that a deity has tapped you on the shoulder?

Quote:

i didnt even know who Ganesh[a] was until he started showing up everywhere i went and then i did a little research.

Did he start showing up, or was he there and your lack of interest acted as a reality filter?  

[whiporwill-o]

TeaDidikai

Why? Why are you important enough that a deity has tapped you on the shoulder?

Did he start showing up, or was he there and your lack of interest acted as a reality filter?

i have no earthly idea, i havent been seeking anyone or anything or living my life any differently than before. why is anyone 'important' enough for a god or goddess to want them? [your phrasing sounds very condesending though, but maybe that's just because i'm not very familiar with you yet]

he just started showing up more and more frequently. i'm typically very aware of my surroundings, even to things that i dont have a interest in, so i dont see a strong possibility that he was just overlooked.  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

why is anyone 'important' enough for a god or goddess to want them?

Lineage
Established Oaths
Skills that the deity wishes to employ
Humans can make for interesting chew toys
...
The list goes on based on which gods and traditions we are speaking of.

Heck- there are some gods that take interest in young women just to rape them.

Quote:

[your phrasing sounds very condesending though, but maybe that's just because i'm not very familiar with you yet]

Yep. You're being over sensitive.

As for my phrasing, it comes across that way because it is designed to be in direct opposition to your assumption of interest in the first place.

Quote:

so i dont see a strong possibility that he was just overlooked.

If you were overlooking it, you wouldn't see any possibility either.  

[whiporwill-o]

TeaDidikai

The list goes on...

since Ganesh is a bestower of success, is it possible that he may be bestowing rather than seeking? i have begun making and selling jewelry at work and have been quite successful, also the bosses say they have 'big plans' for me. though i still dont know why he would bestow upon someone who is not of his religion or lineage... maybe its just a very odd coincidence, but if everything could be chocked up to coincidence then how would we discover anything?

Quote:

Yep. You're being over sensitive.

sorry, very, very long day at work sweatdrop  

[Gho the Girl]

whiporwill-o

TeaDidikai

The list goes on...

since Ganesh is a bestower of success, is it possible that he may be bestowing rather than seeking? i have begun making and selling jewelry at work and have been quite successful, also the bosses say they have 'big plans' for me. though i still dont know why he would bestow upon someone who is not of his religion or lineage... maybe its just a very odd coincidence, but if everything could be chocked up to coincidence then how would we discover anything?

You're still assuming he's contacting you. In order to learn, you must clear away some of your assumptions. It's very possible he may not be contacting you. It may all just be thoughtform/play in your head, and there are other possibilities.

The question is, why would Ganesh be contacting you? Is jewelry making really important enough for a deity who probably has no relation to you culturally, geneologically, etc.? Why is Ganesh specifically contacting or reaching out to you instead any of the other thousand possibilities including whim and fancy on your part?  

[whiporwill-o]

Gho the Girl

It may all just be thoughtform/play in your head, and there are other possibilities.

i don't understand what you mean by 'thoughtform/play', could you please explain 3nodding (i only loosely grasp the concept of thoughtforms in general)

Quote:

The question is, why would Ganesh be contacting you? Why is Ganesh specifically contacting or reaching out to you?

i haven't the foggiest notion, thats why i was asking if it was possible or even likely.

hate to go all 'emo' on you, but i really don't see much to persue in myself, so maybe he (or anyone else) might see or know something i don't. sorry i can't answer these questions for you or myself, but this subject is all new to me, none of the books i have read have ever even covered this (and if they had then it'd probably all been fluffitized - "all the gods and goddesses LOVE/WANT YOU!!! just do this spell!!" - for the record, no i dont read srw)  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

i don't understand what you mean by 'thoughtform/play', could you please explain 3nodding (i only loosely grasp the concept of thoughtforms in general)

The down and dirty translation is that you could be talking to yourself and generating psycho-drama.

Further translation: You're using base psychology to connect intuitive and cognitive halves of your brain.

So... you're talking to yourself in two different languages and employing culture as a translator.

Quote:

hate to go all 'emo' on you, but i really don't see much to persue in myself, so maybe he (or anyone else) might see or know something i don't.

That in and of itself could be a reason for generating a thought form, especially one that is non-threatening.