What About Deity?
In this revival of paganism and a return to the belief in a pantheon of deity I view the concept of multiple deity differently than my ancient sisters. In their world the Gods/Goddesses were first named to explain the occurrences in nature as well to tell the stories of emotion, human growth and development and did in many cultures worship them as if they were forms that were totally separate and outside themselves.
As we have come to use science to explain the many events that were once assigned to the Gods we are less likely to view Gods as sitting on thrones dealing out reward and punishment. I view deity as energy, very real, very powerful energy. All things contain and emit energy. We can't always see it or even understand how it all works, but we know its there. We can feel it, sense it and feel the effect of it. It is divided up many ways, but the most basic way is masculine and feminine, hence Goddess/God. The fact that I don't view them as sitting on thrones controlling the world is not to say I do not see them, feel them, honor and pray to them. It is not to say that they are not 'real'; it is only to say that it is their energy and the influence that energy has on the world that I connect to.
In my mind they have form and I call them Goddess and God because it makes sense to me, it binds them to me in a form that my human mind can relate to. Whatever form they take to an individual is the right way for that person, but in the end I am always aware of the fact that they are not true separate entities unto themselves. They are rather part of all things and all things part of them, more like universal forces than actual 'beings'.
Betsy Foster
© December 2001
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