No connection?

[Moondrops]

I don't really know how to put this to make it easier to understand but I'm having trouble connecting with any deities. I've been researching, reading about a lot of different gods and goddesses, waiting to see if I feel something, that I'm drawn to any of them, but nothing has happened.
I've been atheist for my entire life, until recently when I was introduced to wicca and started really learning. It's such a wonderful community and I really want to be part of it, but it's hard to open up and stop overanalyzing. I appreciate nature very much, I love being outside, and I understand what spirituality is about, I just don't know how I can embrace it. Are everybody capable of it? I'm also uncertain about the god and goddess. The thing is, It's hard for me to relate to any deity in the way most people do.
I can definitely see them as part of nature, energy and how they exist in everything around us, I just don't feel like I can see them as specific deities, because no matter which god or goddess I read about, I always feel like there's no connection. There's nothing drawing me in. Is it possible to see your deities as something more abstract?
Thanks xo

[Violet]

Yes. A spirituality book I'm reading advocates consciously recognizing the metaphor and meaning behind deities and practices in order to have authentic spiritual faith. This path may not be for everyone, because our minds all work in different ways. But for me, this has definitely been the case.

One thing I don't believe in is resisting the urge to question the meaning of a deity or practice. I see these questions as the beginning of a dialogue; it takes greater spiritual trust to question a practice than not.

Another thing to appreciate is the way your mind will embrace different concepts. If you've been atheist you may not approach the spiritual path in the same way as someone who's been raised Wiccan. I was raised in a Christian household, and much that is Wiccan still doesn't feel "real" for me. It may never. But this is what I yearn for, despite my thoughts about "realness."

[Xiao Rong]

Hi Moondrops, you're definitely not alone in this! You might be interested in a post I wrote a while ago, Paganism: When There Are No Gods, since I also grew up an atheist and have also never had a lot of luck connecting with any gods or goddesses (although I do feel a divine presence in the entirety of the world - I'm a panentheist). I am of the opinion that spirituality is all about embracing and appreciating divinity, which can manifest in a million different forms (such as sensing the spirits in trees, or the wonder in the beauty of the cosmos), not just in named, historical deities. I identify as Pagan because I want to live a Pagan way of life that honors the divinity within nature and ourselves.

[Moondrops]

Thank you both for your replies! Very informative, and I'm going to have to check that post out.

[Echo_of_shadows]

You don't have to approach Them in a specific aspect or call Them by a certain name. They can be be conceptualized in simple terms as the Lord and the Lady. That's how I usually address Them. There are times when I call upon the goddess as Athena, but this is just the aspect She has told me to work with. There isn't a specific aspect of the god that I call upon, as He has told me it is not time for me to work with Him this way.
There are many ways to interact with the divine. Keep searching and your heart will find the way.

[SnowCat]

I didn't feel a connection to a specific deity until the night Bast literally introduced herself to me. Then one day I was dressing for a funeral, I was wearing a leopard print fabric and my favorite cat jewelry. Something in me said "I am Sekhmet." Fast forward a couple of months, and I'm reading about Loki here on the forum. It clicked. I realized that Loki has been a part of my entire life. Add in my Celtic ancestry with its idioms, and I find myself settling on a rather eclectic pantheon. It works for me. Each piece of it has a particular place in my life. My feline aspect belongs to Bast and Sekhmet. If I go Berkshires, that belongs to Loki. The tattoos and the Second Sight belong to my Celtic ancestors. And I was raised in a Catholic/Mormon household.

Frosty

[Lillady]

I have been studying and practicing for almost 20 years now and until last year never felt drawn to or connected with any Deity. I now connect with Isis, the Mother Goddess, I believe she came to me last year when I was in a legal struggle about my children with my ex. She is still with me today and helped see me through that hard time. It is defintely not unheard of to not feel drawn to any specific Deity or any at all. Nothing wrong with it either, just simply thank the universe for its blessings and all it has to offer you.

[EmberMau]

There are so many ways I want to respond to this question/statement. I can identify with your not finding a connection but at the same time, it may not be that you haven't found a connection to a god/goddess. In fact, the relationship you say you feel with nature, wanting to be outside, your understanding of spirituality and being drawn to witchcraft are just the beginning of finding a connection. It's overwhelming when you are first introduced to any type of culture or belief especially when you are so eager to learn. There are many ways to believe, some don't seek an understanding of Deities! There are some ways I can suggest that may help you but all in all, you will be the one to decide what you feel is right by you.
Learn more about yourself and what you love. You enjoy being outside and around nature, then Gaia might be a goddess you can identify with or The Horned God, a God of nature?
Meditate. Find a nice tree or a quiet place that you can go and clear your thoughts. If you have established or ask a spirit guide for help with questions once and awhile then they may also be a source.
Life is complex and yet can be so simple. I feel I have found answers in my dreams. Since I was twelve, I had repetitive dreams of being in an Egyptian temple and also seeing a comforting Eye of Horus in the sky. It's taken me over 15 years to finally realize that all the symbols and actions in the dreams that I had were accurate to Egyptian mythology, which I knew nothing about as a child. Now, that I am older I understand more about Horus and other Egyptian Deities, I feel there is a connection.
If you would like some interesting books that helped me to learn more about witchcraft, I can post them here if you like?
Bottom line, the Universe has a way of pointing you in the appropriate directions when you need it and we are all connected to it, even if we don't feel it. You will find out in time!

I hope this was of some help.