Types Of Witches Part 2

The Isms of Religion

There are many, many “isms” regarding religious beliefs and practices. The two most well known would be polytheism and monotheism.

Polytheism: the belief in and worship of more than one/multiple gods or deities. Ancient Egyptian/Kemetic and Greek religions were polytheistic. Some modern day examples are certain forms of Hinduism and various neopagan revival movements.

Monotheism: relatively new compared to polytheism, this is the belief and worship in a single god or deity. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the best examples of monotheistic religions, but even in some cases (mainly Christianity), this concept can get tricky. This will be discussed shortly.

So what other isms exist besides these two? Well let’s take a look.

Atheism: Many atheists further emphasize that atheism itself is not “a religion,” but quite the opposite, being instead the simple lack or absence of any “religion” whatsoever. On the other hand, some religions such as Buddhism and Jainism can be characterized as “atheistic” in nature, insofar as they do not recognize the existence of god(s).[x] But even then, this will vary on geography; for example, there are gods in Tibetan Buddhism, albeit they are seen as a level below a Buddha. In addition, atheism historically did not always mean the absence of belief in a god/gods. It could also mean an individual did not believe in the “mainstream” practices at the time; an example would be early Christians in the Roman Empire. The Romans generally liked to incorporate the deities of conquered lands to their practices, and would allow conquered peoples to continue practicing their own religions. However, since the Christians denied all other gods including the Roman ones, they were declared atheists and faced rebuttal from their neighbors (this is much more detailed and complicated scenario, but for another post).

Agnosticism: This term comes from the Greek gnosis (meaning “knowledge”), but modified with that same sort of negating “a-“ prefix that turns theism (the belief in God or gods) into atheism (the lack of belief in God or gods). So, agnosticism (literally “a-gnosticism,” denoting a lack or absence of gnosis or knowledge) simply refers to being “without knowledge,” one way or the other, regarding God (or gods). Strictly speaking, agnosticism technically refers to the view that definite knowledge about God is impossible or unavailable; colloquially, however, agnosticism is often used more loosely by many people to refer to their persistent personal uncertainty, one way or the other, about the existence of God. Many agnostics so identify themselves simply as a shorthand means of indicating their own noncommittal indecision — a kind of “the jury is still out” position, somewhere midway between theism and atheism, neither fully believing nor fully disbelieving but suspending judgment and remaining open to either possibility. [x]

Animism: Polytheism frequently occurs in indigenous religions blended almost seamlessly with animism (from the Latin anima, meaning “life,” “life force,” “soul,” “spirit”), a view which holds that the world is filled not only with gods per se but also with a vast multitude of spirits of all sorts. Life or “spirit” is ubiquitous, according to animism, with even seemingly “inanimate” objects — rocks, mountains, rivers, wind — often regarded as “alive” insofar as they are each believed to be “ensouled,” each such natural feature possessing a separate and distinct spirit of its own. Add to this mix of gods and nature spirits the lingering (and often meddling, or otherwise influential) spirits of deceased ancestors, and the spiritual universe of polytheistic and animistic cultures begins to look like a pretty crowded place! [x]

Deism: This term comes from the Latin deus, which (like the Greek theos) simply means “god.” (Such terms as “deity,” “divinity,” and “divine” are also etymologically related to deus.) Accordingly, deism literally translates as “god-ism” (just as theism does, too). One might therefore be forgiven for assuming that deism and theism are synonymous — two alternative terms for the exact same thing. However, such an assumption would be incorrect. In practice, Deism as a distinctive term has come to refer quite specifically to a particular religious perspective (one quite distinct from the monotheism of traditional Christianity) that came to prominence during the 17th and 18th centuries, in the wake of the European Enlightenment. Deism holds that God initially created the universe, but subsequently left it to its own devices, allowing it to run unencumbered by further divine adjustment, guidance, or meddling. Deists therefore do not believe that God ever interferes with natural law, or intervenes in human history; hence Deism affirms no miracles, no prophecies, and no divine revelations. [x]

Henotheism: Another relatively new term for an ancient p.o.v., henotheism refers to the worship of one god while simultaneously acknowledging other gods. In other words, henotheists need not deny the existence of multiple gods, all of whom may be legitimately worthy of worship, but they choose to devote themselves only to one specific god (out of all the available gods). Vaishnava Hindus, for example, may primarily worship Vishnu or any of His incarnations, but still acknowledge other gods such as Shiva.

Omnism: Omnism is the recognition and respect of all religions; those who hold this belief are called omnists (or Omnists). In recent years, the term has been emerging anew, due to the interest of modern day self-described omnists who have rediscovered and begun to redefine the term. It can be thought of as syncretism taken to its logical extreme. However, it can also be seen as a way to accept the existence of various religions without believing in all that they profess to teach. Many omnists say that all religions contain truths, but that no one religion offers all that is truth. [x]

Pantheism: this term refers to the belief that God is in everything and everything is in God. The pantheist view maintains that there is no personal God as such, and that “God” and creation are one and the same. Whereas traditional monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam typically maintain that God alone is divine, pantheism asserts that everything is divine, because everything is God. Like everything else, pantheism comes in various forms; some versions of pantheism amount to little more than reducing God to a synonym for nature or the cosmos, which is considered sacred in and of itself. [x]

Panentheism: Whereas straight pantheism insists that God and the universe are identical, panentheism allows that God “contains” the universe within him/her/itself, while also extending beyond the universe (so that God is not limited to, or exclusively contained within, the cosmos).

Trinitarianism: This term mainly applies to the Christian churches who maintain that God is a Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). As mentioned in the beginning of this post, such a view has caused confusion and controversy for believers and non-believers alike over the past millenia. It is understandably confusing to claim that a religion is monotheistic while also saying that God is Three distinct Persons. However, Trinitarian theology is a topic for another post. However, triune natures of deities are not limited to just Christianity. Check this post out for more information.

Unitarianism: On the other hand, this term is often used by Christian churches who affirm that God is not of a tri-fold nature. It can also refer to other religious views that hold strict monotheistic views of God, such as Islam, which claims that God can neither beget nor be begotten (i.e., Jesus being the son of God).

solitude and creativity

Deity Disconnect Got You Down?

Disclaimer: This is a more personal post and involves a bit of UPG.

I didn't start witchcraft by doing deity work, in fact, I just started actively working with deities in the last two years! Before that, the only experience I've had with a god was the Christian God, but even then I only interacted with him* in the way that I was taught to: You pray to him but he probably won't respond. I was even told when I asked why God doesn't answer me, "That's just not how God works"...

This is no slight towards Christian witches, as I know they interact with the Christian God differently than non-witchy Christians and I would never claim to know their relationships with him.

However, due to this upbringing, I didn't know how to interact with deities. I had to unlearn what I had been taught about interacting with a god.

One of the things I had to unlearn is that, unlike how I was taught growing up, many deities aren't always going to be there to talk to you, they're a lot more human-like than we think. They aren't like how the Christian God is said to be: always there, always watching. w

I got scared when the interactions with my deities started to wane/ I wasn't feeling them or hearing from them as often and I started to worry that they'd abandoned me. That's not true! As with any relationship, there are times when you can't always be with someone, it's totally normal to go days, weeks, and even months without hearing from your deities. That doesn't mean that you've been left behind!!

So if you're feeling disconnected from your deities here are some things to keep in mind:

Just because they aren't always around doesn't mean they aren't always there for you.

Call them when you need them if you don't feel like they're around at the moment. Gods are used to being called to by humans, it won't offend them.

They may not show up right away sometimes. They are feeling, thinking beings, they have their own will and generally act accordingly to said will.

Deities are allowed to step back. If they feel the need to take a break from your relationship, or simply not interact with you as much, then that's just fine!

It's not always a reflection of you, your character, or your craft. Sometimes they just want to take a break and that's perfectly fine!

Sometimes, the problem is that we are too busy and we put our relationships with our deities on the back burner. In this case, most of the time, in my experience, they understand and if they need to reach out to you they will find a way.

If you feel like you've been disconnected from your deities and would like to take some actions to reconnect, here are some ideas:

Read up on their mythology. Even if you've read it all before, give yourself a bit of a refresher!

Do some divination. I use tarot but you can use whichever form works best for you. Use tsk the deity what you can do to reconnect with them.

Talk to them. Even if you feel like they aren't around, just talk to them. Tell them how you feel, how your day went, and tell them you want to reconnect. You can also write to them.

Give them an offering. Since this post is focused on reconnecting with deities, you probably already know which offerings your patrons prefer. So give them an offering and let them know you're thinking of them!

Do something that makes you feel more connected to that deity. This could be going on a walk, making a certain food item, creating art, playing a movie, and so on. Just do something that makes you feel closer to them.

All in all, everyone's experiences with Deities and Deity work is going to be unique to the person, as with any relationship in life. Do what works best for you, this is just a post to help remind people that deity work isn't always having your life fully devoted to a deity. Most of us aren't able to put that much of our time or energy into deity work. If you can and want to, that's perfectly okay, too!

*I was raised using he/him pronouns for the Christian God as that was how he manifested in my life and upbringing. However, I am aware that there are folks who choose to use other pronouns for the Christian God and I'm not disregarding nor disrespecting that. Use whatever pronouns for your chosen deities as you want, Christian God or otherwise. <3

Star Beings: Pleiadians

Find out which starseed you are. 👽

This is really a raw thought and I’ll meditate on it later but.

Why are we perceiving myths about Poseidon’s roughness and aggressiveness as a person hurting a person instead of reading this off as the unpredictability and uncontrollable, destructive nature of the sea?

Affirmations for instant manifestation

I manifest instantly and limitlessly.

The 3D instantly conforms to my desired reality.

I manifest at the blink of an eye.

I always receive my manifestations quicker than expected.

My manifestations come so quickly, I never have to wait.

My mind is so powerful. I get whatever I want when I want it.

I literally manifest so easily and quickly.

Every desire manifests instantly for me.

I shift realities whenever I want.

Everything I want comes to me instantly.

beamingdesign

Hi! I'm having a spiritual problem as of late. I'm not sure why but my connection to Apollo feels off. Idk if it's just me. I've thought that maybe he's told me it's ok a few times, but I still feel like I can't connect with him like I used to. It's making me sad because I really enjoy having him in my life and I'm afraid that it might be because I'm doing something wrong or I'm upsetting him somehow. Do you have any advice on this or have you experienced something similar? I've also been going to my outside altar and giving him incense and stuff. I'm just not sure what the problem could be.

honestly i haven’t had any experiences like this but sometimes deities need space, just like us humans do.

i’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong, sometimes deities just need some time to themselves.

i’d say give it some time and if things don’t go back to normal for you, that might be a sign that apollo feels it’s time for you to part ways. don’t take it personal, deities don’t always stick around us for a long time, sometimes they’re just here to teach us a lesson then move on!