I'm beginning to realize that I just don't like mythologies. Maybe it stems from having been indoctrinated to believe the Christian mythologies as inerrant and infallible. Maybe it has to do with all the Christian rewriting of them to make them more Christian-friendly. Yeah...I'm sure the latter is my biggest problem. I've been reading the Celtic myths in order to see if this time around will be any better. Nope. I like them even less. As myths. As stories, they're fine, but I just don't see them as important or even relevant to the Celtic/Welsh/Irish gods. Because they're not even fucking in hardly any of the stories. (eta: as deities...they are in them as stories about people) At least the ones I've read so far. And the ones I've read paint the deities as bad. Not to mention all the King Arthur stories that have serious Christian overtones.
Everything seems to be from an anti-god/dess perspective, to be honest. And they all seem to end up with everyone happily Christian. Or whatever. (It pisses me off that the Christians decided to eliminate or rewrite other people's histories and cultures. I guess they figured if they didn't, people would go back to worshiping the old ways. And they were right, but they took that decision away from people in order to control them. And that really pisses me off.)
So instead of this making me feel frustrated and wanting to chuck it all, I'm feeling pretty liberated. This opens up the deities to me in a way the myths never did. I've avoided UPG because of all the derogatory stuff I've read about it. And because within Christianity it's rampant, although not called that. In fact a great deal of what is taught in Christianity isn't even from the Bible. Most of it is from Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. No shit.
So anyway, I'm opening myself up to the gods, to the elements, to Nature in a way I wasn't able to before. I haven't had many results yet but I didn't expect any. Spending time at the altar without calling upon anyone specific has also resulted in a connection. I'm just not sure with whom yet. I do feel a draw toward Cernnunos and Cerridwen, which is a bit of a surprise. But I'm not complaining. I'm open to whoever wants to connect with me.
No matter what pantheon or tribe or culture.
Lughnasadh is coming up and I'm not sure if I will celebrate it or not. All depends on what's going on with me at that time.
In the meantime, I read and I light candles and I work on my knitting. I hope to add other crafts soon but I'm spending my free energy on cleaning because the house hasn't been clean since I first got sick back in February. And it's slow going but I am improving health-wise.
And so I must get back to it. I might even finish up one room today...even though I started it yesterday.
Everything seems to be from an anti-god/dess perspective, to be honest. And they all seem to end up with everyone happily Christian. Or whatever. (It pisses me off that the Christians decided to eliminate or rewrite other people's histories and cultures. I guess they figured if they didn't, people would go back to worshiping the old ways. And they were right, but they took that decision away from people in order to control them. And that really pisses me off.)
So instead of this making me feel frustrated and wanting to chuck it all, I'm feeling pretty liberated. This opens up the deities to me in a way the myths never did. I've avoided UPG because of all the derogatory stuff I've read about it. And because within Christianity it's rampant, although not called that. In fact a great deal of what is taught in Christianity isn't even from the Bible. Most of it is from Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. No shit.
So anyway, I'm opening myself up to the gods, to the elements, to Nature in a way I wasn't able to before. I haven't had many results yet but I didn't expect any. Spending time at the altar without calling upon anyone specific has also resulted in a connection. I'm just not sure with whom yet. I do feel a draw toward Cernnunos and Cerridwen, which is a bit of a surprise. But I'm not complaining. I'm open to whoever wants to connect with me.
No matter what pantheon or tribe or culture.
Lughnasadh is coming up and I'm not sure if I will celebrate it or not. All depends on what's going on with me at that time.
In the meantime, I read and I light candles and I work on my knitting. I hope to add other crafts soon but I'm spending my free energy on cleaning because the house hasn't been clean since I first got sick back in February. And it's slow going but I am improving health-wise.
And so I must get back to it. I might even finish up one room today...even though I started it yesterday.
Hoorah! Yes! Most writings have been tainted by men...specifically Christians. I am not bossy (ahahahaha! yeah right) but that is why I don't follow just Greeks or just Celts etc. and am just what I am. I have had connections with Gods and Goddesses from all over the place. I have different beliefs than you in that I believe all Gods adn Goddesses are one and the faces they show us are different. Anywho, this is an amazing post of self-discovery.
ReplyDeleteAs for Lughnasadh, celebrating is as simple as lighting a candle and giving thanks. As long as the thanks and words are heartfelt, you don't need any "tools" but your words.
Hugs!!!!
Hey Curls! Yep...I'm finally there but still pretty hard polytheist. However I believe the boundaries between pantheons are man-made as well because we know from archaeology that many tribes imported deities when they intermarried and such so I'm not bothered by mixing pantheons anymore. And I've finally reached a stage where I can ignore those who call eclectic pagans names. Fuck 'em, I say.
ReplyDeleteLighting a candle sounds good to me. I find the simple gesture very moving and most nights it's all I do. No prayers, no invoking deities, no rituals...aside from lighting the candle and incense. The aroma grounds me and puts me in a spiritual place. You're right. It's enough.