PAGANS ONLY: How do you define a being as a "god" or "goddess" in your religion?

Question

I would especially like to hear from Wiccans, Buddhists, Druids, and other "Pagan" religions on this question. What separates a "god" figure from, say, a fairy, demon, angel, or other spiritual force?

I'm not looking for "Well, he's my best friend" yada yada yada. Tell me how to recognize a god in your religion, the way you would tell me how to recognize a blue jay on your lawn.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Gods, Goddesses, Fairies, etc. are not physical creatures, as I'm sure you're aware, therefore, they must be observed with senses beyond the physical. This makes it difficult to describe for you exactly what their characteristics are because I can't say "Well, it looks like this, and it sounds like that." because they don't look like anything, really.

Spirit beings must be felt in a way that's difficult to described. Like you can sense a storm brewing, you know? But not like a storm, just kind of like that sense. You can communicate with them, of course, and they can show themselves to you, but you can never see them in their true form (The story of Dionysus's mother who was fried to a crisp after Zeus complied with her demand to see His true for comes to mind.)

As you can sense energy, you can sense varying strengths of energy. Gods have an energy that is at the same time powerful, ancient and wise. You can feel it, like you can get that impression from a person by their bearing, speach and appearance. The Fae are also ancient and wise, of course, but they don't have the sense of Bigness that Gods do. They tend to stick to localities, you can feel that they belong to Here, or that they are alien, wherease Gods belong everywhere and are never alien. Faeries and demons and angels (or whatever, don't believe in 'em all, but whatever) are also somewhat limited in how and when they can appear to you and their modes of communication, wherease Gods aren't. They are also much less serious about things than Gods. A Fae will tell you one thing today and something different tomorrow in complete innocence and are as likely to shortcircuit your house for fun as they are to place some treasure in your path, also for fun. Gods tend to form opinions and stick with them and have a much clearer idea of what is helpful and what is not. They are also more likely to offer teaching, guidence toward your hearts' desire, rather than simply demanding presents in return for favors as some spirits will. One particular nymph springs to mind...

Gods are simply spirit beings who have attained wisdom and power and have been granted God status by material beings. They are the wise old men and women of the spirit world. All those other spirit beings are, well, they're spirit beings too. Could they be gods? Sure, why not! It's more about what they do than what they are. Any spirit being can affect the material. It's just energy after all.

Answer 2

A god or goddess is a very real and vital force. It's difficult to point and say " Hey, there's a god!" like you'd point to a blue jay.
I don't know of any religion that can point and say "that's my god!" because we don't know what a god looks like, it's only by their deeds and works that they are known.

Gods/Goddesses are something we can connect with, by just looking out the window. The Goddess is present in all phases of our lives, from birth to death, and back again. The God and Goddess created the universe and all it contains. They can be love and light or darkness and destruction. Together they manifest all possibilities.
Other spiritual forces could not have done all that. They can do many things, but not that.

Answer 3

I don't think I've ever heard a Pagan say "he's my best friend" when it comes to Gods/Goddess'. And there's a difference in me telling you how I recognize a Deity and me telling you what a blue jay looks like. Personally, I believe all the different "myths" and writings about Gods and Goddess' are merely different cultures writing what they see of the Spirit. It is how it interacts with the world, which is purely natural... not some strange circumstance that people apply "Miracle" to, simply because they do not understand the nature of the event.

I know this doesn't give you the answer you're looking for... but like I said, I can't describe for you the Spirit like I would describe a blue jay. I can give great detail to what a blue jay looks like. I can only say what I see are the results of the Spirit interacting with the world.

Answer 4

I personally feel it has to do with the presence of the being. Gods and Goddesses tend to have a stronger presence, but that isn't to say that they are far more important than smaller spirit beings.

Most Pagans who have any sort of 'dealings', for lack of a better word, have experiences with them, not possession, but a feeling that they are there, and it can be different for everyone.

BB

Answer 5

Sorry, but like in any religion, one doesn't "see" a deity like one can see a bluejay. You just know a deity when you "see" one. Regarding comparing a god or goddess to a fairy, demon, angel, etc. basically a deity could "look" like a fairy, demon, angel, etc. but a fairy, demon, angel, etc. cannot "look" like a deity.
The reason for the quotes is you won't necesarily recognize a deity with your eyes like you do a bluejay.

Answer 6

In Kindergarten, my son's instructor referred to as me in to work out her, because of the fact of an incident that befell over a paper he did at school. It had a photograph of a panorama scene with human beings, animals, vegetation and bugs alongside with rocks, picnic tables, autos and so on. The classes given to the class became into for each individual to circle issues that are alive and placed an X on issues that are actually not alive. My son turned around the completed photograph and then refused to "superb" it whilst the instructor suggested his "mistake". long tale short: it is the day the instructor found out our kin is Pagan. :)

Answer 7

I am not a pagan so you probably don't want to hear from me. But I am also curious. Is it perhaps based on looks? As in "look at that blonde, she looks like a roman goddess", or "the lifeguard is a 'god'".