KNOWING ELUSIVE GODS THROUGH FOLLOWING BREAD CRUMBS

 

 

Knowing a God who has little lore to rely on requires an active imagination and skill at problem solving. Because modern culture heavily relies on the written word, people often feel frustrated at the lack of information about certain Gods such as the Celtic Ones. Fortunately, there are ways to find out about any of these and other elusive Gods.

 

First, people could investigate how ancient Polytheists dealt with this problem. For example, there is a lot written about Roman Gods by especially by the Romans, themselves. However, even for the Romans, there are Gods that they were confused about. Never fear, the very practical Romans had solutions for this. They either reinvented the old Gods or came up with plausible attributes.

 

The ancient God Vediovis was one of them. L. Furius Purpureo had called upom Vediovis to defeat the Gauls in 200 B.C.E. In a prayer, Macrobius invoked Him to destroy Carthage, Rome’s enemy. However, by the 1st Century B.C.E., various Romans could not agree over Vediovis and his powers. They all agreed that He and Jupiter were related but not on how. (The name of “Vediovis” indicated a counterpoint to Jupiter.) Ovid in “Fasti” wrote how confused he was. Ovid proposed that this God was a young Jupiter with thunderbolts. Meanwhile Aulius Gellius wrote that Vediovis was the reverse of Jupiter. This God held a bundle of arrows that He inflicted harm with.

 

The Romans did associate Vediovis with di Manes (the Dead), while Jupiter was associated with di Penates (Keepers of the Pantry). That meant Vediovis was a part of the Underworld and connected with earthquakes and volcanoes. Added to that was that He was depicted with a goat, which is also connected to the Underworld.

 

From my readings, I concluded that the Romans aligned Vediovis with Jupiter. After much pondering, I decided that Vediovis was paired with Jupiter as an equal. For me, They were positive and negative in warfare. While Jupiter was for the defense of Rome, Vediovis was the God of Rome’s wars.

 

Second, the oral culture of the ancient Polytheists is often reflected in folklore and folkways. A person can follow bread crumbs laid out by folkways to see what a particular God was like. Studying medieval culture often unearths the echoes of the Pagan past. For example, Claude Lecouteux, noted scholar, explores the basis for the beliefs in the spirits of the home among other topics. Following his trail of thought can be rewarding. (Note 1.) For example, in “The Return of the Dead,” he reviews how Pagans viewed their Dead, and why that changed with Christianity.

 

Third, try to learn the symbolic vocabulary of the culture that reveres a particular God. This will offer clues as to the God’s attributes. Gods of Mesopotamia are usually displayed with the Rod and Ring, symbols of royalty. The Babylonians related to their Gods as if they were the subjects of the Gods.

 

Fourth, ancient societies left behind artefacts that can be pondered and studied. Often important insights related to that culture can be obtained. What are the values of the culture indicated by these artefacts? (Remember not to impose modern values on ancient cultures.) People can still use Roman roads and waterworks today. Since they were expert engineers, the practical Romans expected something similar from their Gods. Few Roman Gods are either “mystical” or “mysterious.” In contrast, the Egyptians left elaborate tombs. A study of their Gods reveals many who are connected with death or the afterlife.

 

Notes:

Note 1. Claude Lecouteux has written many books that examines the hidden Polytheistic basis for many beliefs. Some of them are:

“Demons and Spirits of the Land”

“The Hidden History of Elves and Dwarfs”

“The Pagan Book of the Dead”

“The Return of the Dead”

“Tradition of Household Spirits”

KNOWING ELUSIVE GODS THROUGH GNOSIS

 

 

To construct the Starry Bear proto-tradition, Sannion listed several ways to uncover elusive knowledge. The objective is to connect with the Gods Themselves. According to Sannion, the Gods are still revealing Themselves, especially to those who seek Them out. Consider the various visions of the Virgin Mary from Fatima to Lourdes. Meanwhile Mary of the Cell, the Mother of Austria, became known through the experiences of monks and others.

 

How does Unverified Personal Gnosis (UPG) occur? Dreams, visions, ritual encounters, and inspired writing and painting are ways that Gods often reveal Themselves. For me, free writing is how the Gods prompt me. I write what comes to mind while practicing cursive letters. Writing a page of Bs for me can release my ability to listen inwards.

 

We can start by being in our sanctuary space or altar. Sitting quietly in the presence of the Gods brings about divine silence. Allow for the spark of the Divine to enter the space. This is the heart of prayer, where visions of the Holy Powers are possible. There we practice incubation and gestation of the vision that we have received.

 

A God that I have a cultus for is Summanus, one of the oldest of Roman Gods. Romans honored Him at the summer solstice with summanalia (baked bread resembling sun wheels). Since Summanus was regarded as the Night Thunderer, He was thought of as Jupiter’s “Dark Twin.” Pliny wrote “They attribute daytime thunderbolts to Jupiter and ones at night to Summanus.” Varro claimed that Summanus was originally adopted from the Sabines. However, by early Imperial period, the Romans forgot who He actually was. In “Fasti,” Ovid marked the solstice as dedicated to “Summanus, whoever he is.”

 

I see Summanus as the Jupiter of the Night. Dreams are a portal to the Otherworlds, where I feel Summanus’ presence. Tradition has it that the time of the full moon is when the worlds are close. During that time, I felt a subtleness that told me Summanus rules the skies from May to October, while Jupiter reigns from November to April. That is my UPG.

 

Another tool for knowing elusive Gods is divination. This is the traditional manner to converse with the Gods. (Note 1.) Engaging in divination puts a person into a sacred space. Divination shifts the boundaries between the known and unknown. In divination, the answers always stand outside of ordinary time, since Gods are not linear. Since the meaning is immanent, it can be found in trees or stones and other things. UPG comes from pondering the answers.

 

People should share their UPG. By comparing and contrasting theirs with others, a group gnosis can emerge. This is how a fuller picture of the particular God develops.

 

Notes:

Note 1. Never ask the same question twice. It drains the moment of meaning and therefore is useless.