Welcome to Gaia! ::

I am rather stuck at the moment.

You see, I feel that a reconstructionist faith is the right path for me. The trouble is, I am very ready to devote myself to three. Yes, three. Kemetic Reconstructionism, Greek Reconstructionism, and Aztec Reconstructionism. I have done much research on these three and their gods, cultures, ethics, religion structure ...and all three appeal to me equally. It would be heartbreaking to have to choose only one. However, I refuse to squash these three beautiful belief systems into an Eclectic path. I do not look down upon Eclecticism at all, it's just not for me. As I said, to practice these religions as they once were long ago seems right to me. I just ...can't choose one over the other. They are all valid in my eyes, and all three pantheons deserve devotion. So, what to do? I have considered practicing them all separatly. Set up perhaps so that for one month I devote myself to the practice of Hellenism. Then the next month, Aztec Recon., and then the next, Kemetism. The month separation is so that I can stay away from eclectic mish-mashing that might occur if I did a daily or weekly switch.

However ...
Would that be a just thing to do?
I'm afraid I don't know. Doing such a thing would make me spiritually fulfilled I think ...but I don't want to anger the gods with the switches. I would explain my case to them and tell them that for the two months they recieve no worship, I would make up for it ten-fold in their dedicated months. Some people worship only one god from an entire pantheon. And that is just. Some worship different gods also depending on the month, but from the same pantheon, and this is just. So is what I would like to do ...the right thing?

Opinions would be a big help =)
Whether you tell me to "bugger off", or to choose one pantheon, or go with what I feel, or even give me a new suggestion ...I'd be extremely grateful.

I've got a couple of ideas you may find helpful.

First of all, do you have a patron deity? If you do, it would be immensely helpful to you. Spend a while... a couple weeks or so... connecting to your deity by meditation, prayer, offerings, etc. You'll soon find yourself to be able to carry on conversations with your god as though they were in the room talking to you. If you don't have a patron deity, try connecting to a god that you already feel a close affinity to, and that you feel is friendly toward you as well. Even if that deity isn't your patron, the advice they can offer you is quite invaluable.

A couple suggestions:
Ma'at - The Egyptian goddess of truth, balance and initiation. As an initiation goddess, she can help set you toward the right path.
Themis - The Greek Goddess of justice, truth. Also an initiation goddess like Ma'at.

Also, I can't say much about Aztec faith, but were you aware that after the founding of Alexandria, a Greek city in Egypt, a kind of blend of cultures emerged there? Alexandria is the place of origin of figures like the Greek Isis and Hermes Trismegistus, who was said to be a physical incarnation of both Hermes and Thoth at the same time. Perhaps that would be worth looking onto for you.

To be quite honest, I don't see how the whole switching thing would keep you from being eclectic except in the sense that you haven't actually blended them together so that they are quite unlike their regular forms. Also, it's been awhile since I've looked at any of the beliefs of the religions you're considering, so I am unfamiliar with how similar they are. But in general, if the ethical systems are vastly different from one another then I'd say that it'd be a bad idea to go back and forth between them at a rotation as it may create spiritual confusion within yourself. However if they are similar enough in most or all respects, then I wouldn't see too much of a problem with the whole switching aspect. Another thing, I've heard that some pantheons don't like to be substituted out or blended with other ones. As in they either just don't fit right or the gods themselves don't like the period of non-worship. I think kathenotheists can get away with this style of worship because they mange to work within the same pantheon.

My take on the whole idea of gods in general is that they are an ideal that was made up by man as an attempt to try and gain a better understanding of the infinite and death. So, if your view of the gods is similar, I think you can probably get around any negative karmic effects, if you will, that cycling through pantheons may have.

Another thing I just thought of, reconstructionist faiths are generally those faiths that are as close as possible to the faith of a certain geological time and location. In that sense, it may be better to stick to one of the faiths if only out of respect for the culture that the faith is coming from.

So, with that said, my advice is to do whatever it is you believe to be right. It may be to your benefit to take a couple weeks or so in which you meditate and do some true soul searching before you find your answer.

This was quite helpful, thank you =)
Perhaps I should just try out all three and see how it goes.



I do indeed. I am very close to HetHert, and I am spending time each day to meditate on my issue and ask HetHert to help me. Also, I have heard of the religion practiced at Alexandria, and I shall research it to see if I might be drawn to it.



Well, that is what I hope for. As I said, I must spend time asking the gods from each pantheon if such a form of worship will be alright with them.



When I say Eclecticism, I am referring to when religions are so blended together you can't tell what they were originally. I am aware that the path I'm attracted to would label me an eclectic of sorts ...but I would rather have the label of reconstructionist smacked to my forehead in bigger letters. If that made any sense xD
And yes, I have thought of the whole ..."probably-better-to-stick-to-one-faith-out-of-respect-for-it", and I do agree. The trouble is, I respect all three equally. If the gods wish it, then I will draw lots to choose one out of the three.




It does indeed, and I applaud you for finding your own path smile . I'm afraid though, that it wouldn't click with me however. I am a hard polytheist. I believe that all gods are separate beings, and I am content in my belief. Thank you for your advice.

Hm... Like I said before, I think you should try each one out, research each one, and if one of them CLICKs for you, than do it. But, because you respect each one, makes it difficult. But, respect is different than accept or love. Do you accept the ideas out of each religion and find that it makes sense to you?