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The Gods don't care about us individually?

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    #16
    Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

    IMHO - the gods come out of the head of a person.

    This appears to be true whether you believe in "gods" as objective or subjective phenomenon (when you see a god, who else sees it in the same place at the same time? When you hear a god, who else hears the same thing in the same place at the same time? If the answer to these two questions is anything other than "everybody who is in that place at that time," then the experience of a god comes to you through your head).

    Therefore, since a god seems to be capable of manifesting primarily through one's head, the gods must care about the individual, if for no other reason than that they can't easily get from "there" to "here" without accessing at least one person's head.
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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      #17
      Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

      Originally posted by Munin-Hugin View Post
      I totally agree with this 100%. I don't think the Gods are any more distant, unreachable, or possess a lack of care for us any more so than another human, animal, etc. From my experiences with the Northern Tradition, I've found that you get what you give. If all you ever do is pray for help when things start to go sour or you need a little guidance, don't be surprised that the only time the Gods reach out to you is when they want something from you. But if you take the time to welcome them into your lives, talk to them, and treat them with respect rather than as a magic "fix it" machine, you'll find that they are much more present and involved in your life. It goes that way with friends too. Don't sit around and say "What the heck, Jimmy hasn't called me in four months! Screw him!" You can pick up the phone and call too, you know.
      I rarely ask for anything except to tell me or show me something I may not have thought of. People pray to Lakshmi for good fortune, especially money. I think that's tacky. I'm in some financial straits right now, but I've only been asking Freyr (and not even that often) to just give me some ideas what to do. I give a little here and there even when I really can't spare it, but I've gotten help back when I needed it. A gift for a gift.

      Now when I was Christian, we were taught that God, Jesus, and the Angels watched over each and every one of us all the time, and were there no matter what. I remember as a kid being freaked out by that thinking "Um ... Even when I'm in the shower, or on the toilet? EWWWW"
      Same here. It took me a long time to get over that.
      śivāya vishnu rūpaya śivaḥ rūpaya vishnave
      śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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        #18
        Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

        Originally posted by Thorbjorn View Post
        It's true that Hinduism is very personal god-oriented. Conversely, there's very little ancestor veneration and nothing like veneration of land spirits. I don't even think Hinduism acknowledges land spirits.
        That's an interesting point. Obviously they can't venerate their ancestors: there's no point in talking to your grandfather if he's currently reincarnated as a ten-year-old girl who doesn't know she was your grandfather! But I think you're right about land spirits, and I hadn't noticed that before. It's probably the result of being told for two thousand years that the physical world is worthless illusion. I can see why some people think Hinduism isn't really Paganism.

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          #19
          Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

          With no god phone or any real contact with Holle other than gut feelings, I feel a strong relationship with her. I think about her constantly. When I am cleaning, making ancestor and wight offerings, when interacting with my son/husband. She is a constant presence. Does she care? Hard to say since I can't just ask and get a yeah sure but I am pretty confident she does. I used to have horrible anxiety, depression and because of that procrastination. Since finding her between mediation and feeling I must do certain things I may have put off as my offering to her I feel like I am rewarded with calm and a better home.

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            #20
            Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

            Originally posted by DavidMcCann View Post
            That's an interesting point. Obviously they can't venerate their ancestors: there's no point in talking to your grandfather if he's currently reincarnated as a ten-year-old girl who doesn't know she was your grandfather!
            D'oh! You're right...I forgot about that.
            śivāya vishnu rūpaya śivaḥ rūpaya vishnave
            śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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              #21
              Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

              I've kind of experienced it every which way. The entity who will help you with an issue just because you need help. An entity who I have yet to identify, who was distraught I wouldn't follow Her. And of course, the entity who you spill your problems to, and instead of helping, they just kind of blink and say "Who are you again?". Depending on who you are, and what god or goddess you have a relationship with, there could be any level of interaction.

              When I was pregnant, Christians would tell me to "pray about it" and all my various aches and pains would be solved because God wills it. I kept myself entertained for a whole trimester imagining praying to Odin about back pain, and trying to think of a scenario in which he would be sympathetic. That's actually when it hit me for the first time since I left Christianity that I realized I was going to be left to my own devices from now on.

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                #22
                Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

                I can see how that conversation with Odin would go:

                My back really hurts. Is there something you can do about it?

                Your back hurts? Try plucking our an eye, hanging yourself from a tree for over a week, and stabbing yourself in the side with a spear. Go get a heating pad and leave me alone.

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                  #23
                  Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

                  From what I understand, family is the most important thing in Asatru. I think they DO care about everyone individually, because the humans ARE their family in some way. If they created us, then their power lies within us - that's my main thought.
                  "Fair means that everybody gets what they need. And the only way to get that is to make it happen yourself."



                  Since I adore cats, I might write something strange or unusual in my comment.Cats are awesome!!! ^_^

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                    #24
                    Re: The Gods don't care about us individually?

                    Originally posted by Gleb View Post
                    From what I understand, family is the most important thing in Asatru. I think they DO care about everyone individually, because the humans ARE their family in some way. If they created us, then their power lies within us - that's my main thought.
                    I like that.
                    śivāya vishnu rūpaya śivaḥ rūpaya vishnave
                    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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