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Pagans: how do you worship?

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Hello pagans.

I'm at a loss. I have no clue how to worship the gods I have chosen.

I don't want to copy anyone, but I am curious how you guys go about it.
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Hello pagans.

I'm at a loss. I have no clue how to worship the gods I have chosen.

I don't want to copy anyone, but I am curious how you guys go about it.

I might write a bit more later, I'm just waking up.

But my recommendation is to do what feels right to you. If that's prayer, meditation or some form of personal divination it's up to what you are most comfortable with. The Gods respond to those who talk to them. The method doesn't matter.

It's like the differentiation between email, written post, or a phone call. The message is still received regardless.
 

Guitar's Cry

Disciple of Pan
I use a mix of various traditions, various artistic mediums, and my own creativity.

For instance, I install a "Summer and Winter King" very loosely based on the Holly and Oak King, that I give offerings and prayers to until I sacrifice them during either Samhain or Beltane:
Holly King and Oak King - Wikipedia

During full moons, I give offerings to various deities and influences as well as recite poetry to the moon. I follow a ritual roughly inspired by Wiccan ritual: casting a circle, calling the quarters, etc.

I practice things like shapeshifting, divination, sigilry, spellcasting, all with a mix of traditional (Tarot) and personal (music and painting to invoke emotional and spiritual change).

Much of this is meant to be symbolic and is used with an understanding towards the psychological impact it has on me.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
Usually there are associated rituals which you can find in books. You can set up an altar and make offerings, read prayers, practice divination etc.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
As you start building some foundations for your tradition, answers to questions like this will flow out of the foundations you've created. Learning about what worship looks like amongst the world's religions can be a good way to jump start the flow of inspiration. When I did this, I came up a list of some common themes I saw of what it means to pay devotion to the gods.

Worship can take the form of ritual. This is probably what most people first think of with the word "worship." You create ceremonies, of varying degrees of formality, designed to give thanks to and honor the gods. It could be simple devotional readings or reciting odes, to elaborate theatrical plays with costume and full casts.

Worship can take the form of embodying virtues. As you study the gods, they have particular auspices or domains. Embracing those domains in your life is a way of showing devotion. For example, if you honor a deity whose domains include craftsmanship, becoming more industrious as a virtue shows devotion.

Worship can take the form of service. Sometimes you might be called to service or a task for the gods. A devotee of a forest deity might call you to work with your local conservation organizations to help wild woodland spaces. A devotee of a hospitality deity might work in with the local food bank to serve the underserved.

Worship can take the form of learning. Just getting to know your gods is often a first step to other types of devotion. This could be reading the tales of our ancestors, directly communing with the gods yourself, studying modern lore from pop culture to the sciences... anything, really can be a source of inspiration.

These are the ones I'm remembering off the top of my head right now. There might be some others if I popped up to look at what I wrote in my Book of Shadows. I do a mixture of all of these things. When I talk about religion being a way of life, I mean it - this list probably helps demonstrate why. It's so much less about what I "believe in" than who I am and what I do. I honor Lady Luna each full moon with ritual. I sit outside to commune with nature spirits at least once a week in meditation. Every day, I observe the gods around me and embrace the joy of life and living. I read about the local spirits and gods by studying local flora, fauna, ecology, geology, what have you. But my tradition will probably look different from yours, as mine is heavily nature-centered and land-centered.

 

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
Disclaimer: Not really Pagan

You could always devote a small shrine to them. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Maybe a side-table with their picture. You can use that space to contemplate their nature, pray to them, or pour libations. It's more about setting aside a sacred space for you to feel closer to them in.

After doing that for awhile, you may gain inspiration from your deeper connection to them about more ways to cultivate your relationship.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Before I answer, what makes them worthy of worship?
I think it's more like I want to align my interests with them. I feel like Fortuna has been smiling on me for a while, so I owe them. The other two (set (desert) and Apollo (sun)) I feel like I have a unique opportunity to align my interests with them. I live in the literal sunniest desert in the world.

So perhaps it's not about if they are worthy. It's a logical choice.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I think it's more like I want to align my interests with them. I feel like Fortuna has been smiling on me for a while, so I owe them. The other two (set (desert) and Apollo (sun)) I feel like I have a unique opportunity to align my interests with them. I live in the literal sunniest desert in the world.

So perhaps it's not about if they are worthy. It's a logical choice.

If your goal is to align interests with another person, do you worship them in order to do so? Or might it be more productive to get to know them, form a relationship with them, and begin working with them?

Perhaps rather than start with worship, you might do well to first get to know them, form a relationship with them, and work with them while affording them the reverence you find them to deserve.
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
What is the purpose of worship, anyway? What is it supposed to accomplish, and by what mechanism does it accomplish this?
 
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an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
What is the purpose of worship, anyway. What is it supposed to accomplish, and by what mechanism does it accomplish this?
I don't think I can give you a necessarily satisfactory answer.
For me, it's about accessing a higher power to achieve my ambitions. If I have a god backing me up, what can I not accomplish?
 

Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
“Worship”.

What an incredible subject! Though… I suspect that word might mean one thing for me, and something else entirely for others here…

Perturbator- “Diabolus Ex Machina”


Aštoreth. My “patron” goddess. I worship Aštoreth through training. Combat. Competition. Running, lifting, and any manner of exercise… are all means of worship. The harder I push myself, and the stronger my body gets… the more our connection grows, the more I develop in her image and attributes, and the more I honor my goddess. The greatest moments are when you feel like you can’t go on, and are ready to give up… but you feel your goddess inspiring you to keep going, to continue, to push on and excel and reach new heights. That sense of victory and achievement, when you have triumphed over yourself, your weaker self, and conquered your limits, while reaching ever higher….

Do you see now? Will you even allow yourself to understand? Can you even relate?

Lilith. How to even put into words the raw energy, the hunger… the rage. I… worship her through sex. The crazier the better. It’s like… I can feel her fire within me, just beneath the surface, ignited and raging, living through me and hungry for more. More pleasure. More pain. Consumed by desire, enveloped by passion. And it’s not just sex… but wild celebration. Debauchery. Intoxication. But also… thrill seeking! Adventure! Excitement! Imagine standing at the peak of a mountain as a massive storm approaches, and raising your arms to welcome it as everything comes alive around you. That is what the Lilith of my religion hungers for… the psychotic euphoria of fear, and danger, and pleasure, and excitement! A vortex of chaos spiraling around creating a tunnel through time and space… intertwined with visions of a beautiful, dreamlike paradise… all of it leading to who knows where…

This is a glimpse into but two of my seven gods. Imagine the other five!

I… also worship my gods by opening gateways for them to enter the hearts and minds of humanity. Portraits, scenes of battle, you name it. I want whoever is next to experience them as I have. It’s like… a mission. A purpose. It is something that I must do or a part of me feels like it is dying, and screaming out for action. A divine purpose. Some do this with music. I can do this with words, but I prefer traditional art… oil paint or charcoal ideally. Though, I can make use of anything. Nothing can stop me.

Beyond this, sure, there are the usual spiritual/ religious acts of worship that most are familiar with… but what is most fulfilling to me is to worship with my lifestyle.
 
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VoidCat

Pronouns: he/him/they/them
I'll give a more detailed answer later. I'm riding in the car currently and using mobile data. Not the one driving tho
First read up on your deities. It's important you know about them. You can devote this as a service or an offering to them. Some people like to set up altars but you dont have to. If you do find out what it is you know about the deities. You can set up one for all or your deities or set up on altar for each deity. If you do this you can meditate pray to the deity by the altar. You can leave offerings. Offerings dont have to be physical and left on an altar either. You can devote acts to a deity. When I dont want to eat for instance I devote eating to Bastet as she's a goddess of health. I will say that particular act as an offering wasnt my idea it was @Guitar's Cry he gave me that idea when I told him sometimes i have issues wanting to eat. However even before that suggestion ive done acts to honor a deity. I devoted for example gifting a friend something as an offering to the gods of the harvest during Mabon once. I went to a fall festivial in their honor as well. You could also give music and poetry to deities. Rituals...they are personal I dont feel comfortable telling you how to do them. Just know you dont need anything to do them but what you got in your home. One ritual I do for the full moon is I give water to a planet and offer a slight chant to the gods of the moon. That's it. Nothing fancy. I started doing this when i had to hide my religious beliefs from family. It still holds meaning. You dont need to do like some folk and get all fancy buying everything what you have is what you need. But if you wish to get items for worship and go all out and such go for it. Just know you aint got to be rich to be a pagan. And not all pagans honor the full moon im more connected to the sun myself. Every path is different. Find what is right to you and your path.
 
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Hello Xavier, there was a time a while back in my life that I would go to a Christian church in the morning and a Wicca Sabbath or Esbat the same evening.

One thing I noticed about Christian Worship is that they seem to believe that God is so beyond humanity He shouldn't be treated like a friend, but an unreachable king with upmost respect.

In Wicca worship, the Goddess and God are more closer to our level. We see them as a wiser older sister or brother we can look up to but not necessarily worship. We have a closer relationship with the Deities and invite them to our circle cast for company, friendship and protection against harm. I think the emphasis is more on the lines of admiring and respect more than outright worship. I can't speak for all Pagans, but the majority of Wiccan covens I personally attended seem to think along these lines during our Sabbaths and Esbats celebrations.
 

Callisto

Hellenismos, BTW
Hello pagans.

I'm at a loss. I have no clue how to worship the gods I have chosen.

To me, a common misstep many newcomers make is to start off by reinventing the wheel. Blogs and social media talk about "do what feels right" but ultimately that results in a lot of unnecessary trial and error, which too often leads to frustration and even giving up because the person doesn't feel connected.

I think it's best to start with learning the traditions associated with the gods you're drawn to. Ancient religions are pathways that were honed over centuries to become effective means of interacting with the gods. Learn what was done, why it was done, and how it was done. This gives you a reliable way to proceed. Even if, over time, your practice becomes more improvised it has a solid foundation.

I don't want to copy anyone, but I am curious how you guys go about it.

No surprise I am a traditional polytheist, I practice Hellenic reconstructionism and am an initiated Trad Wiccan (separate practices).
 
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