the term "eclectic"

[DruidWitch82]

Also, I'm curious about something, as a bit of a newbie Pagan and still having far to go before I can be considered 'expert' by any means.... aren't *most* Pagan deities tied to their lands of origin? If being connected to that land somehow is a requirement for worshipping them, then I daresay a great deal many pagans are worshipping their deities falsely. What pantheons *aren't* land-specific(i.e. can be worshipped by 'anyone')?


Along those lines, what about pagans who, for various reasons, have moved around alot, enough to not really feel connected to *any* geographical area? And what about those who are orphaned or adopted, and therefore know next to nothing about their ancestry? For example, me. I'm adopted in a stepparent adoption. My family is very dysfunctional. I know the very basics of my ancestry - that my great-great-grandma was a local psychic, that my grandma's maiden name is irish, and my original last name is german. Because of my family history and circumstances, finding out my full ancestral lineage so that I could appropriately worship deities connected to my family's 'homeland' would be next to impossible.  

[Deoridhe]

insanedramatic

Also, I'm curious about something, as a bit of a newbie Pagan and still having far to go before I can be considered 'expert' by any means.... aren't *most* Pagan deities tied to their lands of origin? If being connected to that land somehow is a requirement for worshipping them, then I daresay a great deal many pagans are worshipping their deities falsely. What pantheons *aren't* land-specific(i.e. can be worshipped by 'anyone')?

The Norse gods never specified who could worship them in any of the remaining lore, and adoption was fairly common from what I've seen in anthropology. A lot of the worldview is fairly universal as well; while the landvaettir are tied to specific areas, I've encountered landvaettir here, despite my not being in Denmark, and even some in Arizona and Washington. Skadhi is tied to cold and mountains, not any particular one; the same with Njord and the sea, Odin and knowledge, Eir and health, Saga and stories, and so on and so forth.

I have to admit, the other gods I've tried to contacted I've felt walled from, either the heavy stone wall of YHWH, the plexiglass of the Tuatha de Dannan, or the fire wall of Vishnu. The only non-Norse-feeling (cold feeling, largely) being I've gotten a response from was the prickly pear cactus in Arizona. It could be that my experience of acceptance from Odin et al. was due to some part of my nature or their choice, is what I'm saying, so take it for what it's worth.

As another data point, my Celtic Recon friend walked a similar path to myself; both of us touched on the Celtic and Norse/Germanic cultures. I took to the runes like a fish to water and never looked back; she couldn't make heads or tails of them until years later, after immersing herself in Ogham, when she encountered them again but this time more as a "visiting scholar" than someone seeking that worldview. I would describe her experience as vey similar to my "wall" experience in meaning if not content.  

[Pelta]

insanedramatic

Also, I'm curious about something, as a bit of a newbie Pagan and still having far to go before I can be considered 'expert' by any means.... aren't *most* Pagan deities tied to their lands of origin? If being connected to that land somehow is a requirement for worshipping them, then I daresay a great deal many pagans are worshipping their deities falsely. What pantheons *aren't* land-specific(i.e. can be worshipped by 'anyone')?

Deo pretty much covered that, but I'd also like to add that as far as I know the Egyptian Khemet gods aren't land/race specific.

Quote:

Along those lines, what about pagans who, for various reasons, have moved around alot, enough to not really feel connected to *any* geographical area?

Bah. That's like me. I have no tie to any geographical regions. That doesn't lock you off from having a healthy religion and spirituality. There are many open faiths to research. Or just see what works for yourself without relying on exterior dogma. I found my genetic background had very little influence on my path. It's rather unimportant to what I want to do.

HDC: Apologies about the mixup. YHVH faiths aren't exactly my strong point. sweatdrop  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

Pelta

HDC: Apologies about the mixup. YHVH faiths aren't exactly my strong point. sweatdrop

Feh. The core of your argument was correct - you can't just elect to be a Jew. Barring the mixup, your statement brings something into focus: deities not only set rules for who can worship them, but also who is allowed to worship them in a particular way. My deities have their own rules on who is allowed to call on them and in what capacity; for example, a deity I know as "Fali" allows me to bind servitors in her name and call upon her in prayer, but the other Watchful do not afford me all those same privileges.  

[TeaDidikai]

insanedramatic

Along those lines, what about pagans who, for various reasons, have moved around alot, enough to not really feel connected to *any* geographical area?

~clears throat~ Sometimes it isn't about the land, but about the bloodline.  

[DruidWitch82]

TeaDidikai

insanedramatic

Along those lines, what about pagans who, for various reasons, have moved around alot, enough to not really feel connected to *any* geographical area?

~clears throat~ Sometimes it isn't about the land, but about the bloodline.

Hence the reason I also asked: "And what about those who are orphaned or adopted, and therefore know next to nothing about their ancestry? For example, me. I'm adopted in a stepparent adoption. My family is very dysfunctional. I know the very basics of my ancestry - that my great-great-grandma was a local psychic, that my grandma's maiden name is irish, and my original last name is german. Because of my family history and circumstances, finding out my full ancestral lineage so that I could appropriately worship deities connected to my family's 'homeland' would be next to impossible. "

smile  

[TeaDidikai]

insanedramatic

Hence the reason I also asked: "And what about those who are orphaned or adopted, and therefore know next to nothing about their ancestry? For example, me. I'm adopted in a stepparent adoption. My family is very dysfunctional. I know the very basics of my ancestry - that my great-great-grandma was a local psychic, that my grandma's maiden name is irish, and my original last name is german. Because of my family history and circumstances, finding out my full ancestral lineage so that I could appropriately worship deities connected to my family's 'homeland' would be next to impossible. "

smile

I was snarking at Maggie and Reagun in jest.

Allow me to explain:
There is more to a bloodline than mere geneology in my practice. It doesn't matter what your heritage is, it matters what culture you belong to. What gives me right to call on my gods has as much to do with who my parents are as it does with who my friends are.