Can you do a deity prayer without worshipping them?

So, I have seen so many devotionals; especially the daily devotionals, but never dared to actually do one, as I don’t follow or worship any deity per se.

However, there are days where I would really like to do a chant or a prayer, but I’m afraid to do so simply because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone by just invoking them once then not communicating on a regular basis etc. I am sure I am not completely understanding the whole concept of deities very well. Do I have to be devoted/ worship the deity if I just want to invoke them on a specific day?

Say for example, I would like to ask Goddess Bast for protection. Can I do that prayer on a Saturday, without having to completely devote myself to her?

I hope what I’m asking makes sense :rofl: If you have any tips or advice, I would greatly appreciate it :slight_smile:

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Okay :clap:t3: @Peridot please keep in mind that from my perspective, I am a hard polytheist that does not work with or worship deities that I don’t have a relationship with. From my perspective, They are all sentient beings in Their own right and for me to ask Them for something without having an established relationship would be rude and disrespectful.

In order to answer this question for yourself, you first need to decide where your beliefs lie in regard to deities. There are a lot of options!

:star: Pantheism – a doctrine which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God

  • basically the Universe is the Divine and everything in the Universe is of the Divine, including people

:star: Polytheism – the belief in and/or worship of many deities;

  • this can fall into two categories, hard and soft (each is their own being vs. each goddess is an aspect of Goddess and each god is an aspect of one God)

:star: Henotheism – adherence to one particular god out of several, especially by a family, tribe, or other group

  • the belief in many Gods but the reverence of only one (or a few, depending on the person)

:star: Panentheism – the belief or doctrine that God is greater than the universe and includes and interpenetrates it

  • this is a new one for me and I don’t quite know how to explain it :laughing:

:star: Monotheism – the belief in and/or worship of only one deity

  • Christianity, for example

:star: Duotheism – the belief in and/or worship of only two deities

  • Most Wiccan traditions, for example

So, with all of that, finding out where you live on the spectrum of theisms is going to be helpful. For example, if you view deities as archetypes then it would be perfectly okay to pray to Bast for protection, for example. If you view deities as I do, then you’d probably want to make offerings and introductions before asking for something.

If you’re feeling like you just want to do a chant or a prayer, you can always substitute the deities (if you’re not comfortable with those deities) with your higher self, the universe, the Earth, etc. You can definitely tweak them to what you need!

I hope that helps and answers your questions lol


I’ve got some thoughts on this from personal perspective but I’m at the doctor right now. If I don’t get back to this in the next few hours, please don’t hesitate to tag me lol

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I’m a soft Polytheist, and therefore think that since I worship the Lady and pray to her every day, I can ask things of Bast. But as @MeganB says, it depends on what you believe.

Then again I had a dream once that was very impactful, where the Goddess pretty much told me she wants to help me but if I didn’t tell her what I needed, how was she to know? So it could be that I have a relationship with Her where she allows me to ask. You’d have to sit down and ask yourself or your Gods what they think, I would say. Everyone is different.

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Oh wow @MeganB thank you so much for taking the time to explain all that! I have to admit, all of these terms, except monotheism and polytheism, and their meanings are new to me.

According to what you wrote, I think I classify myself in the first category. For me the Universe is the divine. What I believe is that It’s that bigger power that exists and that is part of all beings. I believe we are an extension of that power in a sense. And I believe it has different names to different people (God, Universe. Aether, Akasha, etc).

Having said that, there are still soooo many things that still confuse me with this. But at this point in my life, this is what I believe.

On the other hand, I keep an open mind about things, hence my interest in deities.

I am not sure I understand what you mean here by archetypes. If by that you mean that each one of these deities symbolizes something, then yes, this is what I believe. I believe in the Universe, like I mentioned I identify the Universe as the divine. However, when it comes to all the deities, I view them as symbolisms and they each symbolize something different. If I were to pray to one of them, I would be invoking their energy and asking for their blessing as I would an angel for example I guess.

To be very honest, before joining Spells8, I only communicated with the Universe, spirit guides, and sometimes, I gave thanks to Lord Ganesha. But I had no clue there was an option to pray to other deities. Finding out about all these deities has kind of opened a whole new world for me. It taught me that there are other beings out there that I could communicate with, chant to, pray to, request things etc. I must say, even writing this, I am still confused and still overwhelmed with all the information about deities as I learn more about them.

But what I am very sure of is that I definitely want to learn more about them and eventually even build a relationship with one or more of them. I would like to include them in my practice.

It’s not that I am not comfortable with them. Not at all! I just don’t want to be disrespectful in any way to any deity. I also see them/their energy as sentient beings and would never want to be rude. The only thing I am not comfortable with (at least for now, this may change, I don’t know) is the concept of devotion to a deity, if that makes any sense. That is why I didn’t want to do the Wicca self-initiation. Because that would devote me to the Goddess and Horned God, right? Speaking of, I haven’t tried communicating with either of them, but I don’t mind praying to them in any way.

I respect the elements too and last week I did a circle casting and called the quarters for the first time ever, and it felt great!

So basically, this is how I feel about deities and the Universe etc. I am sorry for the super long reply and thank you so much for explaining so many things to me.

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Wow, Megan, that is a really nice conceptualization of it. Thanks for that! I see myself as a soft polytheist, at this point. Very interesting “spread” of paganism.

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Thanks @Amethyst that makes total sense! I guess I am still learning so much about my beliefs too. But I am keeping an open mind about everything. And I love learning everything about deities :slight_smile:

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I’m like you, @Peridot. I lean more on Pantheism in that I identify God with the universe being a manifestation of thought.

But, Poytheism also fits into my belief system as I see every deity as a divine being and creation of that universal god, one of its thoughts in its creation.

Creation myths of Egypt fit into this somewhat already, with the universe starting out as just chaos filling the universe, like a vast primordial ocean. The gods had not yet manifested themselves (or been thought of by the source) at this stage.

Within this ocean were powerful primeval deities. They were composes of four pairs of personified deities. Each pair represented the male and female.

These were: Nun and Naunet, who were the personification of the primeval seas and the world in the space before creation; Kuk and Kauket were the personification of the infinite darkness that reigned in the primeval space before the birth of the sun; Hu and Hauhet personified the infinite; and Amun and Amaunet personified that which is hidden.

Each deity had a human body. Gods had frog heads, Goddesses had snake heads. This divine Ogdoad of Gods and Goddesses began to organise, equilibrate and to bring order out of chaos.

An intense concentration of energy manifested at the centre of the primeval ocean, which was the result of the activation emerging from the Ogdoad.

The primitive matter was shook and caused the first hill to emerge. A lake formed on the island that had been created.

Then, an ibis appeared, gliding above this blazing island of light. It alighted at the top of the hill and laid an egg. This was the first manifestation of the union between the celestial divine principles and the primeval Ogdoadic principles, which had made the manifested world emerge.

The egg cracked, and Ra, the Sun God, appeared in a blaze of light. He rose up into the sky to irradiate the world with his beneficent rays. The black of this first rising sun illuminated the whole of the cosmos.

Next, the members of the Ogdaod manifested themselves in their visible shape and these eight deities approached the lake. They worked a magical rite together, making a lotus gush up out from the water. The flower opened up in a dazzling light and gave birth to a feminine being. This Goddess rose up to the heavens and united with Ra. From their union, Thoth was born. He was the first divine offspring and founder of the Hermetic tradition.

The Ogdoad out the Earth in order, and the Earth knew a Golden Age.

So, to me, all these deities being manifestations of the universe(thought) are divine beings which were here since the creation of everything and were responsible for certain things. Some of these beings manifested into visible beings and may have assisted the first humans and so forth - but none of them are higher to me than the source of it all. All have knowledge, and all have much to teach us as humans and I am sure many are willing to communicate with you should you establish yourself as a channel.

I would never ask a deity for anything. My only intention with these beings is to communicate back and forth. To learn from them, to allow them to talk to me and to ask them questions about our life here on Earth and where we are heading or where we have been - and to thank them for everything we have in our lives. I only wish to show them my respect.

Tem

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You’re welcome! Just throwing my two cents’ worth in!

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I believe that Isis was called the god of 10,000 names. Saying that, It isn’t so much the name of the Deity, but your sincere prayer and intent to thank them for, whatever or ask them for a boon. Besides, God is God and Goddess is Goddess, regardless of the name you use for them.
Take heart, it doesn’t have to be heart wrenching or difficult.
Every morning I go out for coffee and I search out the moon and stars, then I shout out my thanks to the universe for all that I am and every blessing I’ve ever received. “I love my life!”
We have been so indoctrinated to the petty jealousy of the Gods, but that’s mythology, fiction and or television. My Goddess is kind and generous and I serve her with Joy. She also has no particular name. But that’s me.
You should meditate on it, and what ever feels right is a choice you can make. I can’t make it for you, but send you peace on your journey.

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@Temujin_Calidius wow that’s an amazing explanation and I definitely relate to what you wrote. I believe the Universe is the highest being, and the deities were creations of the main Source (also another word for Universe). I don’t know much about Egyptian deities, but I do know some, and I am definitely drawn to Egyptian mythology among others. Thanks for shedding some more light and clarifying more things for me :slight_smile:

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@Garnet that makes a lot of sense to me, thank you. Like I said, I am new to the concept of deities, and want to learn more and, hopefully one day communicate with them. I give thanks to the Universe every morning too and it fills me with joy :slight_smile: Thank you :heart:

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@MeganB I’m not sure what I’d be classified as then. Looking at your definitions, I feel I’m a Panentheism, Monotheism, Duotheism hybrid. Perhaps you can best pick what best resembles my belief?

Briefly put as looking at the above options, I believe in one creator who has created all things. Neither male or female yet I say “Lord and Lady” in my writings to differentiate what I grew up with (a male god with a beard :slight_smile: ) and to give me something tangible to picture. The universe is a created non-divine thing which holds all of the creator’s creations, including all intelligent and non-intelligent life forms throughout the vast expanse of space. The creator also created the 5 elements which we are meant to draw energies from.

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Sweet Girl, you’ve already opened your mind to the experience of knowledge. With all things, knowledge is possible. Learn, and live what you learned.
Blessed Be
Garnet

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Happy to help @Peridot :hearts: There are a lot of “theisms” out there, but I find that if you get hung up on definitions and whatnot, you can usually toss the labels out the window if you’re just using it for yourself. It is helpful to have a label when speaking with others just so everyone is on the same page, but for your own practice, it isn’t that important, in my opinion.

That’s pretty much what I mean when I say “archetype”. Rather than working with a deity as a sentient being on their own, existing outside of another source, you would work with them as a sentient being that’s part of something larger or in the sense that it’s a part of your Higher Self.

From my perspective, if you’ve already been praying to the Universe, as you said, and you view deities as extensions of that source, the Universe, then it wouldn’t be rude or disrespectful in your practice to ask Bast for protection, for example. In this case, Bast is a specific aspect of The Universe, so you’d still be asking The Universe for protection but just from a different form, if that makes sense :laughing:


Thanks, @anon87969570 :blush: I myself am a hard polytheist!


Hi @Mark01 :wave: Sorry it took so long to respond lol I’ve caught a cold! Based on your description, it looks like you’d be more of a Pantheist or Panentheist, depending on your view of the Divine. If I understand Panentheism correctly, it takes Pantheism a step further in stating that the Divine is above all else. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about it lol it’s just your practice and beliefs!

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Because when you pass to the after life - you will know :stuck_out_tongue:

Tem

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That makes total sense, @MeganB and I couldn’t have put it in better words. That’s exactly how I feel about the Universe and the deities. Thank you for clarifying everything and making it sound less complicated hahaha :slight_smile:

Hope you get better soon :heart:

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Oh good, I’m glad it makes sense :laughing: It seemed like a jumbled mess of words when I wrote it out! And thank you :pray:t3: I’m slowly getting over this cold.

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@Peridot I thought of you when reading this today:

Tem

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Another one from the page before which Will assist in making sense also.

Tem

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Thanks @Temujin_Calidius for sharing these pages. They make one question almost everything about traditional religions and beliefs. Could you share the name of this book if you don’t mind me asking? I would love to read more about this. Thank you :slight_smile:

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