How did you find your patron(s)?

[The Bookwyrm]

We've seen threads where people have discussed what god(s) and/or goddess(es) they work with. What I'm currently interested in is how everyone found their way to these deities.

For the sake of simplicity, we'll define the term patron as the deity (or deities) with whom you conduct the majority of your work. Obviously, if you don't work with any, the above question doesn't really apply, but feel free to voice your opinions any way! It's all about learning and sharing. wink  

[Winter Black]

They came to me. Dionysus was always in my dreams... Eris came to me when I had a pregnancy scare... And Eros showed up when my relationship with Dionysus was... Beginning to fade a little.  

[PoeticVengeance]

After I finished formulating Etherism it occurred to me that I always knew my Aspects. They had always been a part of me and connected to me, even while I was a Christian and didn't recognize them.

Especially The Lunar Aspect. I always felt stronger and more connected during the night when the moon rose. Its phases affected my moods.  

[Feryal Riska]

I haven't found mine yet. I'm kind of stuck in a rut with my religion, mostly because Asatru doesn't feel right anymore (kinda like how most kids break from their born into religion... most, not all), and I don't know what does.
I do look forward to the day that I hear/see/smell/taste/whatever a calling, though.  

[Ezinu]

ummm well i just kinda looked over my life past and present and realized who had influenced me and who was presently. I dont think anyone really chooses theirs its more them being chosen by the patron. But this group helped me to learn the real name of my patron. asnd i thank you all for that! BIG GROUP HUG  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

PoeticVengeance

After I finished formulating Etherism it occurred to me that I always knew my Aspects. They had always been a part of me and connected to me, even while I was a Christian and didn't recognize them.

Especially The Lunar Aspect. I always felt stronger and more connected during the night when the moon rose. Its phases affected my moods.

*punches Fires*

Woman biggrin  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Thoth I came in contact with after I did a little research on a random deity. In the pagan club, we were all supposed to look up a male and female deity. I found a whole LOT of info on Thoth, and the more I read, the more awesome He seemed.

Currently, I don't have a female patron. I used to follow the Morrigan, but we have since parted ways.  

[PoeticVengeance]

Nihilistic Seraph

PoeticVengeance

After I finished formulating Etherism it occurred to me that I always knew my Aspects. They had always been a part of me and connected to me, even while I was a Christian and didn't recognize them.

Especially The Lunar Aspect. I always felt stronger and more connected during the night when the moon rose. Its phases affected my moods.

*punches Fires*

Woman biggrin

Heh, I wish...


...


whoa THAT explains a LOT...

O_O  

[Starlock]

In many ways I don't view the deities I honor as deities, per say, but that word fits okay for them. They're more along the lines of Nature Spirits which are wholely immanent in the world. There are transcendent aspects, but those are so far beyond the reality in which I live I mostly just acknowledge them and focus on those Animistic, tangeable aspects that I can understand. whee

One spirit which has been with me since I was quite young is the Storm Spirit. That was so long ago I really can't say how I found it. I think it might be more accurate to say IT found ME. Gaia has also been with me since I was quite young. When you spend much time in the forest as a kid, Gaia tends to find you as well. Wind is often Gaia's voice, but she speaks in many ways. The Storm Spirit is an aspect of her... anything upon this blue-green marble is part of Gaia. It is with her and her various aspects that I have the strongest link with.

I also do have a link with the two forces which have the greatest influence on Gaia: Sun and Moon. Again it would be more accurate to say they found me rather than I found them. whee  

[Seira Relur]

I find things through my drawings. I go in with a blank sheet and just start moving the pencil. When that happens, I don't know what I'm drawing until I'm nearly finished... and the thoughts and feelings I have the entire time make the ending. That's why Gaia is my patron. I wish I could show you the finished piece that brought that, but it's too big to be scanned. heart
So I guess I could say she found me, because I didn't know who I was looking for... I didn't even start the drawing with finding the patron as my objective. It just happened.  

[WebenBanu]

mouseyanna

BIG GROUP HUG

Aww... *hugs back*

You know, this question always stumps me- I have a hard time figuring out where I ever got my introduction to Bast from, and why I pursued it at first. I was certainly not fond of ancient Egypt at the time; in fact, I was somewhat averse to it. But I was always keenly tied into the mystery, majesty, and beauty of the natural world; fascinated by cats and seeing these divine elements of Nature manifested through them most deeply and profoundly; and two weeks before I left my Christian studies, a single newborn kitten was abandoned in the parking lot behind my church, and I adopted her. She's still with me, has served as a guide and companion at many turns along the way; she was also the first cat I've ever had in my own household, despite my fascination with them, because my father is allergic and had never allowed them in the house before she came along.

After my disillusionment with the church and initial spiritual flounderings subsided, it just seemed obvious that Bast would be my Goddess and I really have no idea where that hunch came from. I had a much more difficult time finding a God (I'd taken up Wicca, so that was why I felt I needed a God/Goddess pair) and at first my pantheon was a blend of Egyptian and Greek deities. I had a lot of fun with Pan in those early days, and I'm still rather fond of Him. Looking back, my approach to Bast at the time was very Greek/New Agey as well- She gradually led me into a more culturally refined study of Herself, and in the process introduced me to Djhwty via a vision of an ibis. Like Seraph, the more I learned about Him the more I liked Him- He's keyed into many of my manias, and I think that's why Bast brought us together. wink She and He were my main God/Goddess pair for some time.

Anpw actually showed up as a random gift from my then boyfriend (he bought me a statue, which I placed on my altar), and I think that He is one of those deity relationships which began to develop simply because I sought Him out and got to know Him- I don't think He would have had much notice for me otherwise, at least not until I died. I actually latched onto Him at first because I found something both amusing and punfully appropriate in my having a cat goddess and a dog god- but our early days could have been something out of a skit from the "Odd Couple," given that He's largely a funerary deity and I had a phobia of cemetaries and anything related to the dead. Heh. Skhmt came discretely through in and around my interests in martial arts and veterinary medicine for a while (the subtlety, btw, seems unusual for Her, and is more likely the result of my own cluelessness than any ethereal qualities on Her part), and received some token mention during my Wicca days, but did not officially enter my shrine until She called me to Her service during a very special trance possessionary appearance in a temple (group) ritual performed at a Wp Rnpt (Opening of the Year) ceremony by my old teachers. Amn showed up in a divination as one of my primary divine benefactors by one of those same teachers, and there have been a few other gods Who have dropped in from time to time, but those are the main ones.  

[midara the happy banshee]

WebenBanu

After my disillusionment with the church and initial spiritual flounderings subsided, it just seemed obvious that Bast would be my Goddess and I really have no idea where that hunch came from.

I totally know the feeling. I came to paganism when I was young and stupid. I entered in a cloud of self-importance and fluffiness. Finally, though, that fog began to lift, and it simply seemed obvious that Gaia was my patron. It really seems like one day I had no spiritual guidance at all, and the next I was fully Hellenic and completely dedicated to Gaia. There was really no choice involved. Of course I see now that She has always been with me, but I certainly didn't see it at the time.

After that, other deities entered my life, as would be expected because I dedicated myself to the entire pantheon. I don't work with everyone, but I do acknowledge them as part of my spirituality to some extent. I've had relationships with some deities, such as Pan, Dionysos, and Hades that were wonderful at the time but had outlived there purpose and drifted away. But most relationships started out well, and have grown into something different and much better. Hera and I started out with a rather rocky relationship, but since then we've gotten much closer and developed a much greater understnding of each other, due in large part to my entering a long-term relationship. Aphrodite and I have always been close, though recently our relationship has been more affectionate as I've opened up to Her and asked less of Her. Artemis and I have always had a very formal, respectful relationship, and it's continued in that manner. In the last few years I've developed a relationship with Athena that has been intensely rewarding. When I first became Hellenic she would have nothing to do with me, but as I've grown, and epecially as I've devoted myself to academia, we've increasingly become close. Two relationships I have that I have sought out on my own are with Zeus and Apollo. Particularly interesting is my relationship with Apollo. For the longest time I resisted Him, and in fact didn't like Him much at all. Lately, though, I've done a lot of growing, and I am coming to recognize the value of order and moderation. Because of this, I sought him out and welcome his influence into my life.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Wow, it's so great to hear everyone's stories! It's also nice to see so many that are so common.

I'm finding myself in a bit of a strange situation right now, and the middle of a spiritual threesome. Over the summer I began my quest to find the god and goddess that were best suited to me, feeling more than a little estranged from Apollo and Bast whom I had chosen in the beginning. Before I got a chance for an ernest start CuChullain made his presence very known, and has stuck around since. Rhiannon I found through a series of meditations and signs, and it was actually very rewarding to put all the pieces together. I was delighted with my new patrons, feeling that my obsession with Celtic lit and culture was finally justified.

But then something strange happened. I had gotten potential bad news about a friend, my best friend; he couldn't afford to go back to school due to complications with his student loan. I was devistated. We had started together, and we had planned to finish together, and I had come to need him so much over the past four years. I was nearly hysterical, and invoked blindly to try and find someone to help him. Bride came to me that night as I was meditating to try and calm down, and I was floored! She was just so.... blunt, but understanding. The ultimate tomboy of the Celtic pantheon. wink Over the next week, she kept reminding me of what she had told me, mainly to relax and that things would work themselves out for the best with a deer (which I saw only for that week, and never before or since). She was right, and she's since joined Rhiannon and CuChullain. It's a little strange having the three, but they wouldn't be there if there weren't a reason for it.  

[midara the happy banshee]

Gypsy Blue

It's a little strange having the three, but they wouldn't be there if there weren't a reason for it.

I find it really strange that so many pagans limit themsleves to ditheism. I understand the Wiccan influence, as well as the beautiful simplicity in have a pair of Gods, but I certainly wouldn't limit myself to that. After all, historically Gods were worshipped in many different groupings, often including the entire pantheon.  

[The Bookwyrm]

That's really how I'm looking at it right now. If I end up with a larger group of gods that I work with, then I will work with each in turn as I, or they, need.

But it was deffinately the Wiccan influence that left me feeling a bit odd about the whole thing. CuChullain was thrilled! xd