Talking to the gods

[Kal Eldritch]

On the subject of Gnosis, I've had it described to me as being some sort of thoughtless state...You know, no internal dialogue, not thinking but not trying not to think...you know. Actually, it sounds a lot like meditation to me, but then again I might just be misinformed.

As for speaking with the gods, I have the belief that gods are just major astral archetypes, so to talk to them, I'd mearly take a trip to the good ol' sea of frothy, misty white stuff and raise their visage into life. From there, we just...talk. In the days when I was able to do these things (out of practice for a year and a half...being severed from the astral really sucks when you've had a taste of it) I had a nice little philisophical discussion with Thoth.  

[saint dreya]

hmm, i talk to the gods as much as i can. they don't really talk back though, xp .

seriously though, i don't really operate on heard words. i react and act with feeling. so, that's how they reach me. after asking brighid if she might be a patron of mine, at some point, during a meditation during ritual, she pulled on my heart (area). i'd have to go into how the meditation was done for it to make much sense, but it was no question that it was her. i haven't heard from the morrighan yet, but i don't really have too much of a doubt.

i think the gods know their followers. i think they know the ones they choose and those that choose them. so, i think they would know the best way to connect with you and give you a clear calling. unless they were loki and the like, in which case i would imagine they'd continue sending such wonderful messages and laugh. but still, i think they'd still leave their indistinguishable mark on the whole matter.

with gnosis...as i've heard it described, it's a personal truth. literally, personal. as in, what's true for one isn't true for another. what you might experience as this all encompassing truth, well, another won't feel the same.  

[Pelta]

Personally not believing in any individual, conscious gods, the idea of talking to them doesn't make much sense to me. But Gnosis actually makes perfect sense. It seems to me to mean when things just "click." And you just know. Actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the english word 'know' come from the same etymology? So in theory you could have Gnosis about being able to use a toaster. But it makes sense when applied to spiritual things too, where you just 'know' the gods are talking to you and not just the voices in your head. So the next question is how does one achieve Gnosis? I've had it happen to me in a few cases where it seemed almost spontaneous. But is it really spontaneous, or does it come from study and thinking about stuff more?
(Side note: *ugh* I woke up too early today. My brain isn't in gear yet. I might go back to bed)  

[TeaDidikai]

missmagpie

Personally not believing in any individual, conscious gods, the idea of talking to them doesn't make much sense to me. But Gnosis actually makes perfect sense. It seems to me to mean when things just "click." And you just know. Actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the english word 'know' come from the same etymology? So in theory you could have Gnosis about being able to use a toaster. But it makes sense when applied to spiritual things too, where you just 'know' the gods are talking to you and not just the voices in your head. So the next question is how does one achieve Gnosis? I've had it happen to me in a few cases where it seemed almost spontaneous. But is it really spontaneous, or does it come from study and thinking about stuff more?
(Side note: *ugh* I woke up too early today. My brain isn't in gear yet. I might go back to bed)

Your correct in the guess at the Greek root of the word know/knowledge etc.


As for how one attains gnosis, I think it can either be random: ~ZAP- Gnosis!~ or hard work and training until your gut catches up with what your head says on the matter.  

[Gardenia]

Just chilling with the gods has never seemed right for me, and hence I've never had what some people claim - a close relationship with one or multiple deities.

I meditate daily, and give frequent enough dedication to the gods, but I've always been too formal to really pal around with them. It isn't that I don't feel connected, but I don't feel like we're OMG BEST FRIENDS FOREVAR.

I guess the good side to my formal realtionship with them is that they're relationship with me is never casual, either. When they send me a sign, it's never disappointing.  

[TeaDidikai]

Gardenia

Just chilling with the gods has never seemed right for me, and hence I've never had what some people claim - a close relationship with one or multiple deities.

I meditate daily, and give frequent enough dedication to the gods, but I've always been too formal to really pal around with them. It isn't that I don't feel connected, but I don't feel like we're OMG BEST FRIENDS FOREVAR.

I guess the good side to my formal realtionship with them is that they're relationship with me is never casual, either. When they send me a sign, it's never disappointing.

I wonder how much of this is merely the difference between RHP and LHP.  

[AvalonAuggie]

Moments of gnosis with me happen rarely, and when they do I am hit with the realization that what I'm doing or looking at is -WOW- significant. Similar to the feeling (mentioned in the music thread) of hearing a song and feeling that it's speaking directly to you. Only perhaps less of a personal correspondence, more like something is being pointed out to you by an external force. wooo, vague!

As for communicating with deities and assorted spiritual beings, I tend to have to actively seek out what I feel is one-on-one communication with my patron, and every time I do I am reminded how counter-productive that is. Guides are more likely to appear of their own initiative and tell me that I'm being an idiot or whatever. If the communication is in verbal or written form it's generally in a speech pattern that I'd never use, completely alien thought processes. Which is generally how I can tell it's not coming from me.
Also if something smacks me around or eats me in journey, there's a good chance it's not my own mental construction.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

TeaDidikai

I wonder how much of this is merely the difference between RHP and LHP.

RHP and LHP?

EDIT: Never mind, I figured it out. Right hand path and left hand path?  

[TeaDidikai]

TheDisreputableDog

TeaDidikai

I wonder how much of this is merely the difference between RHP and LHP.

RHP and LHP?

EDIT: Never mind, I figured it out. Right hand path and left hand path?

Bingo.