BoS Prompts 7: Enlightenment & Deity..

Link to previous prompts: http://ppwwmm.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/cauldroneers-bos-prompts.html

Prompt 7. Sunday 07th January 2018 - The 7th prompt will be...  Enlightenment & Deity!

I hope you all had a wonderful Seasonal time..  And all the best for the New Year.

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Enlightenment & Deity

This week is VERY open to you; your religion / belief /spirituality, practice etc and such forth.  Not everyone believes in the same deities aka God(s) and/or Goddess(s) even people who are following the same belief system or path may not believe, worship or follow the same deity(s).  Which makes this week for me a difficult for me to write and for you super easy..!

• So let's start with do you have a god? goddess? none gender identified deity / spirit / being / entity / angel / etc..?
• Do you follow a religion or set belief system that dictates of a specific God or Goddess (or multiple)?
• Do you follow an open path adopting what feels right to you?
• Do you simply believe the God to be the sun, the Goddess the moon and everything else to be the Divine?
• Have you adapted your beliefs to adopt other cultures / religions / faiths etc..s deity?

Maybe I should back up a little..  

What is "Deity"?

Deity is the collective term for God, Gods, Goddess, Goddesses, Divine Being, Celestial Being, Supreme Being and the list goes on.  So whatever you believe spiritually, religiously etc the 'top dog', 'main boss', 'the top of the food chain'.. that is Deity.  That said for some, especially in the Pagan community, Deity is the Divine and the Divine is energy and energy is everything.. so to speak.

So what is enlightenment?

Enlightenment can mean a great many things.  For some cultures such as most Western Cultures enlightenment is 'to understand' or "intellect and knowledge".  In Buddhist culture is can mean "awakening" in other religions, faiths, spiritualities  and cultures it can mean "finding your religion/faith/spirituality belief / path"

So how do/did I find my religion / faith / spirituality?

For a lot of people they are born into a family who has a practicing or at least an adoptive religion.  For example my family are not religious..  Yet I and my brother were christened and welcomed into the Christian church as babies.  

The infant school we attended (nearest to our house) was next door to the church my brother was Christened at and had the same name and practicing viewpoints.  In fact daily the vicar would give assembly speeches and hand out apples and juice or milk.  

Upon moving towns I attended a junior school that was semi-religious in that about twice a week our teachers would do moral assemblies based upon bible stories and we would sing bible hymns.  

Upon attending secondary school we pretty much lost religion entirely aside from Religious Education class (or as I like to call it ART Practice / Band Lyric Writing or generally Mess About Class).  I remember a few assemblies where a Vicar would come give talks, the last experience of which the Vicar jumped off the stage shouting "SEX, DRUGS, ROCK AND ROLL" and was never seen or heard from again!!  I then went to a different secondary school which was not religious what so ever and before finishing my schooling I went back to my other secondary school which proceeded to be not really religious..  

Finally college and both colleges I attended were not religious nor was the Open University.

That said somewhere during the first 2 years of secondary school I was researching spiritual activity (ghosts, poltergeists, spirits etc) which lead onto various things such as 'the Salem Witch Trials'.. and.. wait...  wait a minute..  I CAN ACTUALLY BE A WITCH?  FOR REAL? !!  - And thus my crazy journey started!  It started with research as scepticism and fantasyful ideas..  Which moved onto an education and fassicantion..  Especially of the different ways people practice the same thing, different beliefs, viewpoints, history, concept..  I soon learned about Wicca (because as most people do they assume to be a witch you must be Wiccan or something!) and I quickly learnt that not all Pagans are Wiccans, But all Wiccans are Pagans and not all Pagans are Witches..  But the two coincide quite well and to be honest everything I read, did and practiced just felt so natural.. to me..  

Over the years I still cling to 'God is the Sun', 'Goddess is the Moon' and 'Deity / Divine is everything'. - This works well for me.  I touch in previous blog posts upon this.  Likewise I also mentioned in my last blog "The Moon" and "Sabbats and Wheel of The Year" how the Goddess is one being and the God another and different names portray the different aspects.  For example The Morrigan, Hell, Hecate, Mother, Maiden and Crone are all separate aspects of the same one Goddess - To me.  Not everyone sees it this way some believe them to be separate and different deities.   Each to their own.  For me I don't have a Pantheon or set of God(s) and/or (Goddess(s).  This works for me.  For others they may need a whole Pantheon to aid their practice and journeys.

Side note.

What is a Pantheon?

Collectively all the God(s) / Goddess(s) of a religion, faith, spirituality etc.

For me my journey has worked out well thus far although I'm more and more creeping away from Wicca, this is now something I call Eclectic Wicca which is more or less very Wicca based but I take parts from all religions, faiths, spirituality, practices etc that I feel are right for me and apply them to my practice / life.  I, more recently, stumbled upon a book called "Goth Magick" which is pretty much a jumping off point from Wicca but the whole time I was reading the book I was like "Oh My Goddess This Is ME!!" - No not the dark black magic stereotypical satanic BS most people jump to the conclusion of.   

Book Recommendation:  Goth Magick: An Enchanted Grimoire - by Brenda Knight

Aside from this my only other experience with religion would be again Christianity.  During my life I was in the school quire singing at both my local church and also at Lincoln Cathedral here in England.  I also attended a few weddings, a few christenings, a few funerals, one communion, a number a christmas carol / midnight mass on christmas eve and the odd other times with friends for various reasons.  Alongside a new life church youth group and handful of times as I helped out as a youth worker at one point. 

Enough about me (me)..  What am I (you) supposed to do?

Activity..

I'm going to assume you have some kind of religion, faith, spirituality, practice or something..  If not then you might want to research some of your interests and beliefs and see where you feel you belong.  It's a long journey not something that will happen overnight.  You might believe in one or more, which is totally fine..  Christopagan (Christian / Pagan) is a thing - I'm unsure how but I have friends who practice both.  So lets start off by finding a footing to a path.

Following this deity?  What, if anything, do you believe in?  - In a notepad write down your thoughts and feelings.  Research.

Research different Deities..  Step out of your 'what you know' and learn about other cultures, other religions both old and new.  Learn about how the Greek, Roman, Norse and such's Pantheons relate or are similar takes.  Learn about the incesous ties, romance, relationships, love.  Learn about their aspects and what they're the God(s) / Goddess(s) of and why and what that can bring to your practice. 

Book Activity..

In your BoS why not create a page / pages for each of the God(s) and/or Goddess(s) you follow, maybe write the main ones.  This might be a good spot or time to do a Deity Dedication / Prayer / Calling etc..  Or Offering this can be a poem, pressed leaf or flower, photograph, drawing.  It could be a drawing you did of that Deity.  

The point of this section is to believe in something, or nothing.  But know what you believe in, or don't.  And pay tribute and honor that part of yourself as well as what that means to you.  Look at your path and your journey, maybe write about that.  If not in your BoS then feel free to blog about it, comment below (on this blog or facebook post) or IM me if you want it to be private..

As said this week is very subjective and open to YOU and what YOU believe and YOUR practice.  

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Imogen x

Next weeks prompts No.8 - Zodiac