Post by yellowdog on Aug 29, 2016 5:47:19 GMT -6
Hello,
in the last years I was coming to a more polytheistic worldview after having been more or less strictly monotheistic before. But then I had experimented much spiritually and first became a universalist and then also a polytheist.
So last year while I was searching for the gods I had this odd evening. I had been praying to Zeus und suddenly a strange thick and beautiful athmosphere filled my room. A face appeared in a vision of my mind that was indescribably beautiful. The face began to talk and said that he would be Zeus coming to help me. (I had reason for that because I was suffering from heavy depressions then, and needed refreshment for my spiritual life especially). The face smiled and then said, I have touched your old cup there, it would be a cup of happiness now for me. I felt elation and gladness coming to me and I saw Zeus laugh and look very charismatic. I got curious and asked about Zeus' wife and brothers and sisters, and Zeus began to send me thoughts that they were at once divine persons like himself but also would represent the interests of the divine, ie love and Aphrodite, artisanry and Hephaistos, seafaring and Poseidon and so on. It was a deep evening.
The next days Zeus came back and brought Heracles with him. They impressed on me that Jesus had been a demigod too and very spiritual and trustworthy if you were able to understand him. And as I was feeling weak, Heracles said I could draw on him if I wanted to have peaceful strength in my life. And that he would not be such a warrior but instead more of a sympathetic helper of people and that I should read the hellenic books again with a spiritual and metaphorical interpretation. That he had had a life much like Christ's somewhere in Bulgaria (I don't know how I got there at that point, Bulgaria just popped into me) and that he had started out as a goodhearted but foolish village brawler until he found back his Father Zeus and got many missions from him that made him travel much.
This all became a very fascinating experience for me and I'm often returning to Zeus although I still venerate my friend Jesus too.
But lately I feel a bit braked, I browsed the web for images of Zeus and don't quite like any of them that I found. Especially image #1 when you google Zeus does not seem beautiful at all and feels like it was made to subdue and fearfully impress worshipers in temples. I am not against decent idols but after all I also dislike bad images of Jesus. I've seen other images of a god which look inspiring and charismatic. When I remember my vision of Zeus, he looked so beautiful and so shining that I don't think anyone can make an image of it and do Zeus justice. But in the same time idols seem important for greek worship and I thought of buying myself something for creating a little worship corner in my home. I am not sure what to take because many images feel not quite right for me and now I am thinking of buying a scribed plate or something similar. Maybe I feel a bit too jewish about these things but still, it's just my soul speaking up and my artistic taste.
Also, I do not know much about Hellenism in practice and have read only the Illiad and the Odysee as a kid, and had been very fascinated. Did the hellenic religion also have lawbooks like the Jews had? Do they have holy books that you must keep reading and integrate in life like in christianity? I am more of an intuitive explorer than a scholarly trained person. Please advise me. (And I might add, I remain a universalist who recognizes all Gods and do not want to bind myself to one deity. So I am not per see a dodekatheist myself although these Gods and much of the theology that I found and the people that talked to me about it were very pleasing and inspiring for me.)
in the last years I was coming to a more polytheistic worldview after having been more or less strictly monotheistic before. But then I had experimented much spiritually and first became a universalist and then also a polytheist.
So last year while I was searching for the gods I had this odd evening. I had been praying to Zeus und suddenly a strange thick and beautiful athmosphere filled my room. A face appeared in a vision of my mind that was indescribably beautiful. The face began to talk and said that he would be Zeus coming to help me. (I had reason for that because I was suffering from heavy depressions then, and needed refreshment for my spiritual life especially). The face smiled and then said, I have touched your old cup there, it would be a cup of happiness now for me. I felt elation and gladness coming to me and I saw Zeus laugh and look very charismatic. I got curious and asked about Zeus' wife and brothers and sisters, and Zeus began to send me thoughts that they were at once divine persons like himself but also would represent the interests of the divine, ie love and Aphrodite, artisanry and Hephaistos, seafaring and Poseidon and so on. It was a deep evening.
The next days Zeus came back and brought Heracles with him. They impressed on me that Jesus had been a demigod too and very spiritual and trustworthy if you were able to understand him. And as I was feeling weak, Heracles said I could draw on him if I wanted to have peaceful strength in my life. And that he would not be such a warrior but instead more of a sympathetic helper of people and that I should read the hellenic books again with a spiritual and metaphorical interpretation. That he had had a life much like Christ's somewhere in Bulgaria (I don't know how I got there at that point, Bulgaria just popped into me) and that he had started out as a goodhearted but foolish village brawler until he found back his Father Zeus and got many missions from him that made him travel much.
This all became a very fascinating experience for me and I'm often returning to Zeus although I still venerate my friend Jesus too.
But lately I feel a bit braked, I browsed the web for images of Zeus and don't quite like any of them that I found. Especially image #1 when you google Zeus does not seem beautiful at all and feels like it was made to subdue and fearfully impress worshipers in temples. I am not against decent idols but after all I also dislike bad images of Jesus. I've seen other images of a god which look inspiring and charismatic. When I remember my vision of Zeus, he looked so beautiful and so shining that I don't think anyone can make an image of it and do Zeus justice. But in the same time idols seem important for greek worship and I thought of buying myself something for creating a little worship corner in my home. I am not sure what to take because many images feel not quite right for me and now I am thinking of buying a scribed plate or something similar. Maybe I feel a bit too jewish about these things but still, it's just my soul speaking up and my artistic taste.
Also, I do not know much about Hellenism in practice and have read only the Illiad and the Odysee as a kid, and had been very fascinated. Did the hellenic religion also have lawbooks like the Jews had? Do they have holy books that you must keep reading and integrate in life like in christianity? I am more of an intuitive explorer than a scholarly trained person. Please advise me. (And I might add, I remain a universalist who recognizes all Gods and do not want to bind myself to one deity. So I am not per see a dodekatheist myself although these Gods and much of the theology that I found and the people that talked to me about it were very pleasing and inspiring for me.)
