ive read about the god and goddess, but i wasnt quite sure if they were metaphors, symbols or actual deities that people really think exist. are the one and the same? do they represent earth as a whole funtioning being that goes through a cycle, god being the male aspect of nature (pollen, seeds, rain, anything that produces growth or at least initiates it) and goddess being the womb of the earth (soil, lakes, the ocean, trees anything that produces life as far as continuing the process of initiation)
just wondering....
god and goddess? Literal?
Please note: I'm simplifying drastically here. I'm sure others can clarify... this is the "quick and dirty" version.
Well, I think it depends on who you are whether the god and goddess or gods are metaphors or not. The real question is, are you an atheist or a monist, or a monotheist, a dualist, or a polytheist? See, Eretik (and me) are polytheists, meaning we think that there are many many gods.
People who are functional atheists say that the gods are psychological metaphors for our own personal power.
People who say that there is the God and the Goddess and everyone else is a shadow of them, is a bitheist and/or a dualist.(the polar aspect of the wiccan gods is duality, the fact that there are only two is bitheism)
There are also various flavors of polytheism, but I'm too lazy to go on about that. Just think... many gods. Some people think they all exist, which would make them pantheists... then there are people who only think their own many gods exist, and I forget what that's called. Then the are the people who believe that all the gods exist but only theirs are powerful and so on, the early hebrews were these, if I remember correctly.
La Fiamma? Eretik? Help?
There's a whole very long topic associated with this, too... but again, lazy.
If no one else finds it, I'll come back later and find it.
Which is the best? Well... think about what the Universe would look like with every given picture, figure out which you are most comfortable with, and go for it.
Well, I think it depends on who you are whether the god and goddess or gods are metaphors or not. The real question is, are you an atheist or a monist, or a monotheist, a dualist, or a polytheist? See, Eretik (and me) are polytheists, meaning we think that there are many many gods.
People who are functional atheists say that the gods are psychological metaphors for our own personal power.
People who say that there is the God and the Goddess and everyone else is a shadow of them, is a bitheist and/or a dualist.(the polar aspect of the wiccan gods is duality, the fact that there are only two is bitheism)
There are also various flavors of polytheism, but I'm too lazy to go on about that. Just think... many gods. Some people think they all exist, which would make them pantheists... then there are people who only think their own many gods exist, and I forget what that's called. Then the are the people who believe that all the gods exist but only theirs are powerful and so on, the early hebrews were these, if I remember correctly.
La Fiamma? Eretik? Help?
There's a whole very long topic associated with this, too... but again, lazy.
If no one else finds it, I'll come back later and find it.
Which is the best? Well... think about what the Universe would look like with every given picture, figure out which you are most comfortable with, and go for it.
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Ethereal_Crow
so theres really no wrong way of going about it? i beleive that the god and godess are one. one without the other cannot exist. they need each other to be what they are and what they represent. it makes sense to me to beleive that the god and godess represent earth itself and the life giving qualities of earth and the universe. god and godess are one god to me. life requires two sources. im not much for myths so i beleive that one unknowable god exists and the god and godess represent that god and the life giving qualities it expresses. i dunno it gets confusing to me. but im really drawn away from the christian god and philosophy of creation. i have questions. like why does god have to be a male? dosnt make sense to me. i dunno i guess im just feeling guilty. ive recently been drawn away from christianity and most of its teachings. i was raised christian and taking on a new philosophy of life is hard with no support except distanced wiccan friends to guide me. i guess id appreciate some kind of reassurace.
my aim is UNITEDXINXREGRET if anyone wants to talk. it would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
my aim is UNITEDXINXREGRET if anyone wants to talk. it would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
Well...regarding pantheism, that's the idea that the universe as a whole- everyhting is god.jcrowfoot wrote:There are also various flavors of polytheism, but I'm too lazy to go on about that. Just think... many gods. Some people think they all exist, which would make them pantheists... then there are people who only think their own many gods exist, and I forget what that's called. Then the are the people who believe that all the gods exist but only theirs are powerful and so on, the early hebrews were these, if I remember correctly.
La Fiamma? Eretik? Help?
Then there's panentheism, which is the idea that the divine is within everything in the universe. (I'm a panentheistic polytheist)
some people break down polytheism into hard polytheism- the belief that all gods are separate and distinct and soft polytheism- all gods are aspects of one god- this is actually monism, but you hear the term "soft polytheism" a lot more often.
Um...was that the sort of help you're looking for?
La Fiamma: Yes. Thanks. 
I forget the hard edges of these terms sometimes.
Etherial Crow: Well, I don't think so. I know people in all these categories, and it seems to work for them. I can't speak for what happens after one dies, except in a very limited sense. (I see dead people, and I've gone to various places dead people go, and it seems more a matter of personal choice than divine judgment)
The thing is, the Universe is so freaking complicated that we are all basically like blind people describing elephants... so work with the model that works for you. As long as you revere what you perceive as holy, in a manner pleasing to it, you should be fine. Everyone has their own path... this is why people believe different things. They have to. People are so different so the paths to the many ways to reach Enlightenment or See God or whatever are infinite.
I forget the hard edges of these terms sometimes.Etherial Crow: Well, I don't think so. I know people in all these categories, and it seems to work for them. I can't speak for what happens after one dies, except in a very limited sense. (I see dead people, and I've gone to various places dead people go, and it seems more a matter of personal choice than divine judgment)
The thing is, the Universe is so freaking complicated that we are all basically like blind people describing elephants... so work with the model that works for you. As long as you revere what you perceive as holy, in a manner pleasing to it, you should be fine. Everyone has their own path... this is why people believe different things. They have to. People are so different so the paths to the many ways to reach Enlightenment or See God or whatever are infinite.