It is presumptive to assert that one should have a full understanding of the Divine. So, it is in my best interest not to claim that I should know everything and anything regarding the Divine. However, I will make it known in this blog. Knowing the Gods is possible. Therefore, getting to know Them through various practices and various frameworks is most beneficial in making that be true.
Two seemingly opposing things can be true at once which is a truth I continue to hold throughout this book. That being said, you can both know the Gods intimately and still not know Them at the same time. There never will be a time where someone can assert they know everything about the Divine. There are people who try and that is who I am writing to.
That makes my job writing this blog incredibly difficult. I have to both confess to know nothing while also making a clear argument that they can know the Gods should you take certain steps. It is a mistake many people make when attempting to word these sorts of truths as it is not considered materially convenient for two diametrically opposed ideas to be true at the same time. The Western world does not function that way. And I certainly am not Divine enough to inform people about what is wholeheartedly true as I am human and not foolproof.
So when I say it is possible to know the Gods, what I mean is that it is possible to allot value to Them and bring Them into your home where They can then be a very real fixture in it. You can speak frankly to Them and They will and do speak back. They will make Themselves known and They will go out of Their way to make sure you do acknowledge Them should They have the desire to make it that real and clear to you.
The Gods are impeccable with timing and efficiency – They know that working with humans puts Them on a more consistent schedule than They should ever have to be otherwise. They choose to have this schedule when They work with humans. They have a role to keep, regardless, and thus, do not spend any time where it would be wasted. They do not typically leave the humans They want to keep around, but They do not spend time being unnoticed and unwanted when They know Their time is being wasted.
But, it is not a hard and fast rule to live by. Certain circumstances must require a different Deity to step in while in others, especially when the Deity is oathed to certain people, They typically do not tend to just walk away. This makes oaths much more rare for a Deity to uphold one on Their end should They expect it to not work out – Their end of the bargain becomes much more weighted should They agree to uphold one.
Learning to understand the motives of the Divine is just as important as knowing Them. Although They are individually different in Their approach, all of Them function out of the same truth: to know yourself is to know Them and to know Them is to know yourself.
As humans we tend to believe that it is impossible to fully embrace the level of intelligence. The Divine functions out of this level of intelligence and capacity because They feel larger than we could ever imagine – and They are. However, just as it is possible to know who you, yourself, are, it is possible to know how the Divine are involved in your life. If you are disconnected from yourself, you are also disconnected from the Divine.
That means the process of knowing the Divine is just as much about self realization and continual self development as much as it is learning about Their myths and where They come from. It is important to set your eyes upon your own personal way of looking upon the world, your own set of values and what kinds of relationships you have with people while also maintaining that your ability to understand the Divine is contingent on that. Until you have reached the fullest level of understanding (read: fullest, which is most but not perfection – you are far from perfect even once you reach a very high level of understanding the Divine), you will view the Gods as mysterious, remarkable, but also unknowable. Even while believing you are aware of who the Gods are, there is a tendency for Them to hide Themselves behind varying levels of faces before you are truly aware of who They are.
That is the wonderful part of beginning – you don’t know what you don’t know. You should take advantage of that not knowing and allow things to unfold the way that they do naturally. Experiencing external pressure to conform to a community set of values and understanding can make it more difficult to form your own personal understanding of the Gods.
Before reaching a state of self knowledge wherein the Divine most likely can function, you will likely be seeing the more mysterious side of the Divine – the unknowable, unreachable, and unfathomable existence that They are. Even after working with the Divine for several years, They do not always end up being something that we can fathom knowing fully, but it is worth knowing Them in the way that we as humans can. We can know how They work and how They function – They are not a complete mystery and They will let you in on things They are wanting to do should They trust you with them. However, it is important to note that not everybody will get to this point and not everyone should get to this point. It all depends on what you want to achieve in doing this work.
Not everyone is cut out for knowing the Gods intimately, nor should they. People should be careful as it can ruin them. Not every intimate relationship has the perspective of full self awareness, either. It is a sliding scale – not a fact. Everyone’s relationship can and will look different with different achievements and different places to come from. All of them, however, are based on how well you as an individual can become more self realized.
This is a very small, consolidated answer to a question I think a lot of people have when working with the Divine. Most people base their principles based on the way that our understanding of the world works – which tends to mostly be material and transactional.
There seems to be a misunderstanding that goes something like “if you give an offering, the Gods will pay attention to you,” or “if you do something good, you are a moral person and so the Gods should want to know you.” In heathen circles, being in “right” relationship tends to mean that there is an obligation that one ought to give offerings and show devotion. But, it is not so simple as people make it out to be and is a lot less straightforward. The Deities will likely acknowledge you but that is it. A real relationship takes work from both ends of the scale, not just the devotee deciding one day to give an offering and pray.
Knowing the Gods – really knowing Them – is often the work of people who are frowned upon and doing things that are not classified as “correct.” It takes a lot of courage to approach Divinity but it is well worth the prize of having known the Divine.
Devoured by Flame 