A guide to pagan gods: Finding your true gods

by Luthaneal

Do you want to be as wise as Isis? As brave as Achilles? As joyful as Aphrodite? "Which Gods are right for me?" can be a more complex question than you think when becoming a pagan, covering not only the Gods available but how you relate to them. Which in turn becomes an examination of yourself...

Views of Divinity
The first step in finding the God or Gods that are right for you is putting some thought into how you generally perceive the divine. Look deep inside yourself and ask “what does Deity really mean to me?”

This may seem like a simple question at first, but once you engage in some self-exploration, you may find that the answer is a lot deeper than you had first imagined.

Here in the West, we are very often presented with a pre-established idea of “God” and what that is. Predominantly this is in a Judeo-Christian sense, but things are considerably different in Paganism. Pagans have a vast array of perception of the divine, some you may be aware of and some you may not.

But even if we examine the already known ideas of the Christian God, it can give us pause for thought, despite the familiar territory. It is a being of spiritual presence, human presence and Godly presence. One being taking a role in three worlds. Even considering the meaning of this can leave us grasping for understand, but this triune God idea is not too uncommon. We see it present in religions like Hinduism, Irish Celtic and perhaps more familiarly to you in the form of the Wiccan Goddess, who is presented as Maiden, Mother and Crone.

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One thing that really bugs me about a lot of the fluffy 101 books out there is the propensity for them to rattle off lists of deities like they're flavors of potato chips, in a "what so and so can do" fashion. Like, "X deity is 'good for' Y purpose", and the like. I think it's insulting and disrespectful to the divine. Too many Pagans (especially Wiccans) seem to treat the gods as fairy godmothers/genies in a bottle/ATM machines.

I would add to the reading thing to get the hell out of the New Age section. Too much bad information in most of the books on deities. Get to the mythology and history sections and read up on deities that interest you.