Pagans, do you feel a personal relationship with the gods or nature?

Question

I spent a few hours today reading some wonderful stories from Norse mythology--the grisly tale of the mead that bestows poetic inspiration, the nightmares of Balder, Ragnarok, among others--and it made me wonder whether pagans who gravitate toward the Norse mythos feel a personal relationship with the gods in the way that Christians describe having a personal relationship with their Abrahamic God.

Similar question for other kinds of pagans. Do you feel a personal relationship with the Lord and Lady, the Celtic gods and goddesses, or with Nature itself?

No responses after an hour. I guess I asked the question badly. Shame; I was really curious about this one.

Outstanding answers. Thank you all for giving me a glimpse into your faith-lives so I can understand you a little better. As a Unitarian Universalist, I like to learn.

Answer 1

I can't speak for all Pagans, but I am Neo-Hellenic and I maintain a very close personal relationship with Eos, Hermes and Aphrodite. I pray to them, meditate on them, talk to them and give offerings to them and they visit me in my dreams, comfort me when I need it, scold me (gently) when I need it and give me gentle nudges when I need guidance. I honor other Gods, of course, but I am closest on a personal level to those three.

Many Pagans, myself included, feel a personal connection to Nature in the sense that we are part of it and it is part of us. We cannot be separated from it, we are intimately bound. It's a little difficult, however, to have a personal relationship with Nature because Nature is (by it's um... nature) impersonal. It doesn't care whether you like it or not, whether you recycle, or whether you throw your cigarette butts on the ground- as an individual. When Nature throws us a tornado, it's not going to carefully maneuver around the Pagans who love it and aim for the giant polluting factory. The destruction of Nature is blind. It also doesn't generally talk to you. Individual parts of Nature communicate, but Nature as a whole just doesn't care about you as an individual. That's how it should be and we respect it for that.

Answer 2

I'm sorry, I wasn't around when you asked this, so, I'll answer now!

I do feel a connection with all of the Gods, personally, in terms of belief they are there. The two whom I identify with most and respond to my calls for help are from two different pantheons, unfortunately...

They are my Patron and Matron God and Goddess. Loki, from the Norse, and Danu, from the Celts.

I can't say I feel the same way about them as the Christians do about God. I feel that they won't smite me any time soon as long as I don't piss them off. I don't go out of my way to not piss them off, like Christians, but, yeah.

This isn't to say I don't feel a connection with Nature as well. Nature is all around us, and we are a part of it, after all.

Hope I answered your question in a satisfactory way.


- 16 yo Pagan

Answer 3

My relationship with my Gods is more along the lines of another focusing tool in my toolbox.
I do not worship them as such, certainly not in the Xtian sense.
I use them as I would use and athame, as a focus. I offer thanks when I am finished doing whatever it was that I needed them for and may offer some gift in exchange for their assistance.
This includes Gods from a few Mythos, but included in their number is Odin and the Norns.
I don't feel that I have a greatly personal relationship with them, it's more along the lines of the respect a child might feel for a nice uncle or aunt.
Obviously I don't speak for all Pagans, we each have our own path to tread.

Answer 4

Yes, I definitely have personal relationships with my deities. They are interwoven through everything that I do. I pray often throughout my day. My religion isn't a part of my life, it IS my life. It's my way of seeing things. I give daily offerings to Taranis, Lugus, and Epona. I feel that they watch over me and are with me through thick and thin.

I have no idea how this would compare to a Christian's relationship with their deity since I've never practiced that religion. I suppose that it would be at least somewhat similar in every religion where one worships/honors deities.

Answer 5

Mine's not as strong as some other folks' relationships are, to hear tell, but I do feel a personal connection. Everyone interacts with them in different ways, I suppose, much the way as we interact with regular people in different ways.

I'm not sure I understand folks who don't - I mean, if you're going to follow a religion, it seems to me that you'd want to have some sort of connection to the deity of choice.