Communication with deities

[Czidnoma]

When seeking two-sided communication with a deity, such as asking them permission or a question, how do you determine what their response is or if they have responded at all?

My relationship with the divine has always been with an omniscient God who is mostly unfathomable to mortals. I don't know how to have a personal relationship with a more earthly god. How do you hold up your impressions relating to them to the burden of proof? How do you verify specific responses?  

[Bastemhet]

I don't know what you mean by more earthly god, but in my tradition gods communicate with their followers with dreams, feelings impressed upon the follower, etc. I think there is a fuller list in my pathways thread. Sometimes you just know.

It's up to you to decide what's sufficient evidence. At one point you'll have to let go of any need to have things made obvious to you in ways you are accustomed to. These are gods, after all.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Czidnoma, could you explain what you mean by "burden of proof"?  

[Czidnoma]

Brass Bell Doll

Czidnoma, could you explain what you mean by "burden of proof"?

Internal. Meeting a standard for differentiating between one's own impressions and those which come from a god.

Bastemhet, maybe it was a poor choice of words. I was grasping at a way to describe pantheons such as the Olympians, the kami, etc. It seemed to me that the difference between them and the omniscient God who I see as the personification of the Universe itself is that the pantheons have a more personal presence on Earth.  

[AvalonAuggie]

Czidnoma

Brass Bell Doll

Czidnoma, could you explain what you mean by "burden of proof"?

Internal. Meeting a standard for differentiating between one's own impressions and those which come from a god.

Bastemhet, maybe it was a poor choice of words. I was grasping at a way to describe pantheons such as the Olympians, the kami, etc. It seemed to me that the difference between them and the omniscient God who I see as the personification of the Universe itself is that the pantheons have a more personal presence on Earth.

So the issue is one of viewing deity as something abstract and permeating the universe versus a view of deity that's more concrete?  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Czidnoma

Internal. Meeting a standard for differentiating between one's own impressions and those which come from a god.

Thank you. That helps a great deal.

How familiar are you with popular forms of energy work, such as aura sensing and "chi balls"?  

[Czidnoma]

AvalonAuggie

So the issue is one of viewing deity as something abstract and permeating the universe versus a view of deity that's more concrete?

Perfectly stated, thank you. Yes, that's exactly it.

Brass Bell Doll

How familiar are you with popular forms of energy work, such as aura sensing and "chi balls"?

Absolutely unfamiliar. I have no concept of that kind of energy, such as what it feels like. Someone told me once that the skin tension after rubbing your hands together quickly is energy that's built up in the hands because of friction. I've always called bullshit on it because the rubbing sensitizes nerve endings. There's no actual pressure, it just feels like there is. But maybe the increased electrical responses of the nerves is the actual energy?  

[Bastemhet]

Czidnoma

AvalonAuggie

So the issue is one of viewing deity as something abstract and permeating the universe versus a view of deity that's more concrete?

Perfectly stated, thank you. Yes, that's exactly it.

It may help to tell us which deities you are thinking of working with, then, as there are different conceptions of how specific pantheons choose to manifest themselves in this plane of existence, or if they even do so at all.

Quote:

Someone told me once that the skin tension after rubbing your hands together quickly is energy that's built up in the hands because of friction. I've always called bullshit on it because the rubbing sensitizes nerve endings. There's no actual pressure, it just feels like there is. But maybe the increased electrical responses of the nerves is the actual energy?

You can feel this pressure between the hands without rubbing them through concentration. I'm not personally too great at energy manipulation, though. What I will say is we can observe only the physical aspect of phenomena but this will not give a complete picture of what's actually occurring.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Czidnoma, one of the major ways I verify my experiences is through examining the energy involved. It is difficult to describe to someone who doesn't understand the experiences themselves.  

[Czidnoma]

Bastemhet

It may help to tell us which deities you are thinking of working with, then, as there are different conceptions of how specific pantheons choose to manifest themselves in this plane of existence, or if they even do so at all.

The Olympians. Would the specific personage also make a difference?  

[Bastemhet]

Czidnoma

Bastemhet

It may help to tell us which deities you are thinking of working with, then, as there are different conceptions of how specific pantheons choose to manifest themselves in this plane of existence, or if they even do so at all.

The Olympians. Would the specific personage also make a difference?

It is possible. I know it would in my pantheon. But since I am not well versed in that religion, I'll leave it to the Hellenists and those who are familiar with that religion to help you further.  

[maenad nuri]

Czidnoma

Bastemhet

It may help to tell us which deities you are thinking of working with, then, as there are different conceptions of how specific pantheons choose to manifest themselves in this plane of existence, or if they even do so at all.

The Olympians. Would the specific personage also make a difference?

Yes, and I am sorry that it took me so long to get back to this topic. My memory is a sieve.

One of the things with Hellenic gods is that some are closer to us mere mortals than others. Dionysos has always stuck as communicating more directly with us than say ..his father, who works more through divination and Apollo.

Look towards the myths for your clues. Hera has always been indirect for me, but Aphrodite kinda radiates directly. Hestia is just always there and yet indirect. Hermes bounces between, which is just so like him.

These are my own personal observations of course, your mileage may vary.  

[Czidnoma]

o.o Oh. Thinking back, I wonder why it wasn't obvious. Thank you for pointing it out! sweatdrop  

[Arden Deschain]

I don't know if this is what you mean about energy manipulation, but when doing tai chi, some moves have you move your hands across each other, and you can feel your chi there, where otherwise it might be harder. sitting here, now, if i just relax, and place my hands one palm up, one palm down with a little space between, i can feel something there, and you can too!

About gods talking to you...

I don't remember the dream, but upon waking up I was overcome with the need to write about Hades, and tell his story. Some of the things I've been thinking for putting in it are different from the traditional telling of the myths, so I go back and research them, and found that most of them have been suggested as what might have happened, but it's not generally accepted. notably the "rape" of Persephone. But then there's all this about Menthe... I can't decide for certain if he's putting this here, or if it's just a thought form (which I'm inclined to think, why would a god talk to me?). I've been reading... He doesn't have symbols, he doesn't interact with mortals often... so how can you know?  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Arden Deschain

I don't remember the dream, but upon waking up I was overcome with the need to write about Hades, and tell his story. Some of the things I've been thinking for putting in it are different from the traditional telling of the myths, so I go back and research them, and found that most of them have been suggested as what might have happened, but it's not generally accepted. notably the "rape" of Persephone.

Would you be willing to describe this more fully?