How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

[Thorbjorn]

[anubisa]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I'm an Egyptian Wiccan. When I address my personal deities, I call them Lord Anubis and Lady Bast to be respectful. That's my personal way.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I'm an Egyptian Wiccan. When I address my personal deities, I call them Lord Anubis and Lady Bast to be respectful. That's my personal way.

Thanks.

[Jembru]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I'm from a wiccan background and still dualistic in my view of deity, so will use 'Lady' and 'Lord' on their own. When I do refer to deity by name and I'm conducting my ritual in English, I'll say 'Lady Brigantia' and 'Lord Bregans', but only during rituals or prayers. At other times I leave out the honourific title because I don't bow down to my gods, but greet them as friends or parents (it's a bit different if I'm speaking to them in Japanese, but I'll leave that out for the sake of this conversation).

Something I always had trouble with though (and still do), was the use of 'the goddess' and 'god'. Some wiccans don't approve of using the definite article with one and not the other. I am so used to seeing 'the goddess' in the literature though, that it feels more comfortable, yet 'the god' can feel awkward too. Of course, I dance to my own beat now so I can call them what the heck I want.. but I'm curious to learn what other dualists feel on the issue.

Great idea for a thread by the way. I look forward to reading everyone's replies, as it's something I've pondered over myself.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

At other times I leave out the honourific title because I don't bow down to my gods, but greet them as friends or parents

That's one of the reasons, if not the reason. In I can't see myself saying "Uncle Thor", or "Cousin Heimdallr". Nor can I see myself not saying "Sri/Lord Krishna", or "Sri Shiva".

[monsno_leedra]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

If I use a title at all it will be an archaic title that reflects some aspect of them. Sort of like Artemis is also called Pontia Theron (Mistress of Animals) so if I desire that aspect that's what I'll call her. It will either precede the name of follow the name such as Artemis Agrotera. I will not use Lord or Lady as to me it's a useless title that holds no bearing to them nor their traditional honoring and worship.

In most instance when I just want to speak I will simply call them by name. Though where I looked may also depend upon what aspect. Consider Hekate in her chthonic role one faces the ground, in her celestial role one face the heaven's or one faces water in her domain over water.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I will not use Lord or Lady as to me it's a useless title that holds no bearing to them nor their traditional honoring and worship.

In most instance when I just want to speak I will simply call them by name.

That's what I've been thinking too. If I recite or read a prayer someone else wrote I follow that form, but otherwise I just talk to them. When talking to them I don't even use adjectives like "O Great and Mighty

thorr_facepalm.jpg

Come to think of it, in the Sanskrit mantras and prayers there is no honorific used.

D'oh! I be so stupid.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

If I am truthful with myself I truly see the honoring titles more to do with Christian influence and trying to create a familial type relationship. Lord, Lady, Heavenly Father all fall into that usage to me. It implies both a familial connection but also a stratification of the social structure. In many ways seeing as if modern paganism / occultism took Priest, Pastor, God, etc and replaced it with Lord, Lady, etc while keeping many of the trappings of authority, position, social stratification, responsibility, etc but gave it a new name to deceive themselves.

The only place I really do not see it as borrowed is when one is Native American and the familial relationship is built deeply into the whole culture, ie Grandfather Mountain, Mother Earth, Father Sky, etc. Yet that ties into how the whole community was set up within the culture and society.

[anubisa]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

Thanks.

You're welcome Thorbjorn. I've just always seen it as honoring and respecting the deities. Regardless, if you see your deities as a father and mother, which I do, I just can't call them by their name because I feel like it is disrespecting them. Of course, that's just me. Others will feel different.

[Norse_Angel]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

That's one of the reasons, if not the reason. In I can't see myself saying "Uncle Thor", or "Cousin Heimdallr". Nor can I see myself not saying "Sri/Lord Krishna", or "Sri Shiva".

Hail kin,
I for one agree with your first post. I refer to Odin as Father, and Frigga as Mother, but sometimes it does go beyond that. For out of respect in my Gods, I may call the Goddess by Lady. Lady Freya for example, for it is out of respect for her symbolism of beauty that I do so. We as Heathens do hold high respect for women. We were one of the first cultures to assimilate the right to vote, and preside over land, and powerships. Some of the first to let them enter battle (which the United States is still slightly reluctant to do so.) So for me, when addressing any Goddess, I will always address out of upmost respect. That is the man I am. But for the Gods, Thor, Frey, Baldr, Tyr, etc, I do not call them lord. Don't let that sound disrespectful. When I call to them, the tone in my voice is one of extreme respect. I do think tone of voice is another consideration in this thread. But, as it goes, I will never call to them in a mocking voice.

[thalassa]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

The lists of the the daughters of Nereus and of Okeanos are prayer lists that come from an older religious tradition. Every one of these names has a meaning. The following example is taken from Hesiod's Theogony:

Proto, Eukrante, Amphitrite, and Sao,
Eudora, Thetis, Galene, and Glauke,
Kymothoe, Speio, Thoe, and lovel Halia
Pasithea, Erato, and Eunike of the rosy arms...

In an entirely literal translation:

First One, Mingling Gently, Water-Girt, and Savior,
Of the Good Gifts, Nurturing, Calm, and Grayish-Blue,
Of the Runshing Waves, Of the Numberless Caves, Swift and lovely Sea
Seen By All, Lovely, and Fair Victory of the rosy arms

(and it continues on...)

The Sea's foundations are your realm,
the abode of blue-black darkness,
you exult in the beauty
of your fifty daughters
as they dance and the waves.
O Nereus, god of great renown,
O foundation of the sea, O end of the earth

...they are strings of nount or epithets addressed to a divinity.


(from The Orphic Hymns: Translation, Introduction, and Notes by Apostolos N. Athanassakis and Benjamin M. Wolkow

...some other examples...

(from the Orphic Hymn to Persephone)

*blessed daughter or great Zeus
*Much honored spouse of Hades
*discreet and life-giving
*commander of the gates of Hades
*lovely-tressed
*queen of the netherworld
*revered and almightly


(from the Orphic Hymn to Athene)

*noble and blessed
*renowned and cave-haunting
*blessed mother of the arts
*inventive queen
*prudent and virtuous


And so on... This is pretty standard in terms of descriptive epithets for prayers to petition deities in Greek and Roman paganism. Honorifics don't have to be a title per say...

[Willow]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

In general: Grandfather, Grandmother for the two who reached out to me first. The others (and even those two) I rarely refer to by name. I suppose I'm more of a message-sender via mental images kind of person, and so far it seems to work better than words ever have.

[Sean R. R.]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I call all of my Gods and Demons by their demonized name. Even though I believe Satan comes from Enki, or Ashtaroth from Inanna, I still call them Satan and Ashtaroth.

However I call Beelzebub with "Lord" just before it. It's because I have a deep admiration for him, and also because it helps me train my suspension of disbelief: you see, in "Beelzebub", "Beel" means Lord, so technically I'm calling him Lord Lord Zebub. Keeping myself concentrated (knowning that I burst in laughter with even the most lame jokes) is a good excercise.

But in a general way I call my Gods by simply their name. It's good to note that most of us Theistic Satanists believe we have the soul of a God, or at least we are divine in nature, and that puts us in almost the same height as our Gods. Therefore we give them the respect we would give to another human we deeply respect I guess.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

I use my own name when I talk to them.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: How do you address and refer to your Gods and Goddesses?

So for me, when addressing any Goddess, I will always address out of upmost respect. That is the man I am. But for the Gods, Thor, Frey, Baldr, Tyr, etc, I do not call them lord. Don't let that sound disrespectful. When I call to them, the tone in my voice is one of extreme respect. I do think tone of voice is another consideration in this thread. But, as it goes, I will never call to them in a mocking voice.

You know, I like that. It is a good compromise. Not too familiar, it's respectful, but not stuffy or formal.