Ultimate Source and the Concept of Deity

Having a look at the prompts for this week's Pagan Blog Project got me thinking about Ultimate Source and what it means to me. (I will say at this point, there is no intention to offend anyone or their beliefs through this post, so if you are easily offended I suggest you stop reading NOW!!) It also just so happens that I have been doing a lot of thinking about deity/ies and the idea of an ultimate creative source, how they relate and what they mean. The main reason is that I have really only connected with Kali and even then it appears to be short-lived (or perhaps I am doing my usual second guessing thing and questioning her continued presence through self-doubt, which is more than likely) but as yet the other deities appear elusive.

It got me thinking that if there is an ultimate source then why do we need to pray or connect to one single manifestation, if this is what they are - manifestations - then why don't we pray or connect straight with the ultimate source and acknowledge it as an asexual, conscious being in charge of all? For me, this source exists as creative potential in its purest form, so it can be whatever you want it to be and harness it however you want to harness it. (respectfully of course!) You could speak directly to this source and ask it for what you would like, leaving the how open and go from there. I have manifested many things in my life simply by asking (mostly as a fleeting thought) and letting go, perhaps this is why I have not connected in any long term way with a deity as simply asking the universe seems to work just as well (if not better) than performing ritual and/or spell casting. Or perhaps I am not trying hard enough? Perhaps I am not studying enough or meditating enough or experiencing enough? Perhaps I should second guessing and start experiencing expectation free? Who knows?? 

Don't get me wrong, I do believe the Gods exist in one form or another, mostly through the Collective Conscious, and I would never argue against their existence to anyone. For me at this time, deity exists as the creative potential and actualisation visible in the world around me - there are no mistakes in nature so there must be some force guiding nature. Could I just honour this and leave the archetypes alone?? 

(Comments welcome)

F is for (Janet and Stewart) Farrar!

This instantly piqued my interest when I read it on the prompts for The Pagan Blog Project! I thought I'd just swing by and see what the prompts were, as I again felt like writing something - the spiders in my house always remind me to 'write creatively without limitation' so here I go!!

I was first directed to these authors when my questions about Deity were deeper than 'who does what and in which era or country/continent?' Unfortunately, I purchased my editions of The Witches' God and The Witches Goddess via kindle, which does not mean I enjoyed it any less, it just means that it was more difficult to take notes etc!!

Anyway, my questions about deity had become of a more serious nature, as I have said. I wanted to know where they came from, if and how they were real. I had purchased both the God and Goddess book, but for some reason I chose the God one first, even though it was written second and referred to the Goddess one in the introduction - for a split second I thought I had made the wrong choice. I decided to read ahead, as I had chosen to do it this way for a reason... well, let's just say all of my questions were answered shortly after!! I realised that, yes they are real, they too come from the creation source and my current understanding (although I am well aware it may change any day now) is that they are manifestations of the creation energy out of it's own desire to see itself objectively through the eyes of another. Carl Jung mentions the collective consciousness in his works, and I feel it applies here. To me, the Gods and Goddesses are just ONE manifestation of the creation source. It does not mean that we created the Gods, I would never be so bold, all it means is that there are a variety of ways to get to deity, and none are any less valid than any other (excepting those that use force, coercion, murder or general lies in order to reach deity - but this is just my opinion!). And this was all before I had finished the introduction!

These books also provided a logical (and I am a ruling number 4, I need some level of logic and rationality in my studies!) explanation of the development of both the God and Goddess through time, which helped me to deepen my understanding of the various aspects of deity in it's male/female aspect. I also loved the list of the Gods and Goddesses throughout the world and I have come back to it time and time again to introduce myself to certain deities! I would have liked a deeper description of them, however, the scope of the books just did not allow for this - it would after all have to be larger than an encyclopedia in order to meet this need of mine! It is a good introduction though, to both the concept of the God and Goddess and provides some examples of deities to turn to or to research deeper for your own spiritual nourishment!

Definitely a book for the beginner and expert alike!!!