Deity, Metaphor, and Masks

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Ember Grant, author of Magical Candle Crafting.

As a Neo-Pagan, I’m often asked about gods and goddess. Do I worship a pantheon? If so, which one? This is a tricky question. Basically, I feel that the universe and our natural world represent the divine power, and this is what I honor. But in order to bring deity to a personal level, I really do need to ask myself what I believe about the gods and goddess of my ancestors, or the ones currently worshiped today.

Well, I know what I don’t think about deity. I don’t think there’s one singular ominous being of a particular gender, belonging to one specific religion, floating above us, always watching and judging. And I certainly don’t think “he” has a long robe and flowing white beard and sits on a cloud behind pearly gates.

The religions of the past are fascinating to study; cultures like the Egyptians and Greeks (and many, many others) had sophisticated systems of polytheism. People often say those deities no longer exist, but, if that’s true, it’s only because large groups of people stopped believing in them. Our beliefs make something real.

There are so many religious traditions in the world that it’s futile to label them as right and wrong. It’s more than futile, it’s impossible. Yet our world continues to face wars born out of religious disputes. I often wonder why everyone can’t agree to disagree. Perhaps it’s because some people insist that their way is the only way and everyone else is wrong. They believe it is their duty to convince the rest of the world to join them and they devote their lives to it. Some people are unable to see beyond the metaphor, to the real meaning of the divine, rather than merely a cultural interpretation of it.

This is where metaphor comes in. People have many individual differences, but many cultures share the same stories, filtered through the minds of people for centuries. Most of the stories are being retold—they existed thousands of years before. We experience the same life events and emotions, despite the time period we live in. We learn from these stories, these universal truths of humanity—the metaphors change to reflect the times.

I believe divinity is a presence, something unexplained that is the very essence, the very life force itself. You can put any kind of mask on it, make it look like a man, woman, or animal, but it’s still the same idea. It’s like a giant crystal or cube—different people on different sides will see a different facet. But it’s still the same thing.

Ultimately, belief in deity is purely personal. People speak to their gods and goddesses, call on them for guidance. We can view them as part of ourselves, or distant beings we can beseech for help. These divine beings can be individual personalities or aspects of one being. As individuals, we’re all on the journey of life, and this is our choice. We’re all different, but in many ways the same. Just like our gods.