Connecting to a Deity

A member here messaged me asking me how I connected to my patron deity. I simply told them,"I prayed and got a response."

However, this will always not be the case with everyone. Different people have different experiences. Finding your patron deity can be either difficult, or simple as that. It all depends on you and the path you take.

You may be born with a certain path, or you may be born to go completely eclectic. You may be called to a certain path or you may be free to roam from pantheon to pantheon. At times, you may not even have a patron at all or not worship deities of any kind. All of this is normal and completely okay. Don't be frustrated if you can't find your patron right away. As said before, these things can take time.

There are many ways on connecting to a deity of your choice.

First and foremost: Always be polite!

Don't call or invocate a deity without reason. Deities can be very busy entities and may not have time for people who would want to test them. Do not summon them. Summoning is considered very rude.

Secondly, it's always helpful to research about the deity before you make any kind of contact! Research their geographical orgins. Research their culture that they're involved in. Research the role they play in their mythology. This way, you could develop a connection right there and not even realize it. Invocating a deity you know nothing about is like inviting a complete stranger into your home. You will never know what will happen. That is, unless you do some research prior. This way, you can get a feel for the deity you are invoking. And you know more about them and what they may do. However, don't expect anything to be 100%

Third, offerings are always a good token to connect with a deity. As stated in the last paragraph, research the deity you're interested in and thier typical offerings of food, tokens, acts of will, their attributes, or anything else. There are multiple ways you can give them an offering such as setting it on an altar you've made, or eating the offering itself. These are the two most common ways. If you need to get rid of an offering, the traditional way is burning it or burying it.

Lastly, if you feel called to a certian deity or a certian pantheon, don't ignore it.

Follow that feeling and see where it may lead you.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or concerns, my mailbox is open 24/7.

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Very well said, Regin.

I would argue against the idea of patron or matron deities (as more of a personal deity) as a universal concept. For instance, Hellenic Polytheism (more on the recon side of the spectrum) tends to not have patron deities in the sense of a "parent deity" or personal protector (Excluding the Agathodaimon). Patrons are of occupations, cities, activities; patrons are not over a person. The Greek Gods tend to personally watch over those (on the level of a spiritual parent) who are more than mortals, such as heroes and demi-gods. So, the concept of a patron, the parent deity version, is not in all forms of polytheism.

So, like you said, don't worry too much about finding your "patron" or "parent deity." If a deity interests you, build a relationship with the deity. Don't worry about not being "called" or selected. Forget about worshipping or honoring this God because they are the patron of your occupation. Forget about not worshiping or honoring this God because they don't have rule over your profession. Build a relationship with the deity you choose.

One last input, I encourage, provided it's possible, research of the religion of that culture and looking into that deity's particular cultus. Or the current worship of the deity. It would help understand background concepts within the myths and the ways myths are analyzed. All of this, which Regin as already encouraged, is apart of looking into the cultural origins of that deity.

Lot's of information thank's a lot.

Like was said in the second suggestion: Research, research, research !

I find myself repeatedly saying this all the time when someone expresses they may have an interest in a particular wight or deity and I think it's a very important aspect to start off with. If you know nothing about the deity, their role within their specific pantheon, the culture they came from and how they were/are viewed and honored- you are approaching someone you know nothing about! It would be hard to give them an appropriate offering and to even get in touch with them if you don't know the simple things, such as their associated symbols or traditional/common forms of offering.

I think before going so far as to contacting a deity, you should take the time and effort to learn all you can about them and approach them with a specific purpose or intent in mind.