Mix and Match?

[elmo4fun]

can you mix and match from different pantheons? like what if i identify with Apollo and Morrigan? or Brigid and Thor?

[YanaKhan]

Yes, you can. I wouldn't work with them at the same time, though. I think you will find this thread interesting: http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 26913.html

[Siona]

Yes, there are many pagans who do this for one reason or another. It was also something that occurred historically, as well - ancient pagans would sometimes adopt a neighboring deity into their own pantheon. For example, the goddess Qetesh was originally a Cannanite deity who was adopted into the Egyptian pantheon, where she was worshiped in a triad with Resheph, who was also originally a Cannanite deity as well, and Min, who was from the Egyptian pantheon.

There are some drawbacks to this sort of practice, like perhaps having to study double the information to understand the cultural context of each deity, but how well this sort of thing works for you depends on you and your particular path.

[Echo_of_shadows]

This thread started by Heartsong talks about mixing pantheons, and has a link to a good article about the same. Even if you aren't on a Wiccan path, it's good information for anyone wishing to revere goods from multiple pantheons.
When I work with the goddess in a specific aspect, I work with Athena. I believe that She choose to speak to me from that pantheon because it's the pantheon most familiar to me. I mostly know the Greek, Roman and Egyptian pantheons. When the god spoke to me through a specific aspect, he called to me from the Norse pantheon. I believe that it's because I have a German heritage.
I have yet to attempt to worship Them two together in these specific aspects. Most of the time I call Them Lord and Lady, not associating Them with specific names or pantheons. They don't seem to mine; at least I've yet to hear Them protest.
My advice is to study Their myths and ask Them. It's inadvisable to worship two deities with opposing views, such as a deity of war and a deity that's known to be pacifistic. Asking Them is going straight to the source to find out what They think of you working with another pantheon and how They feel about another deity specifically.

[elmo4fun]

great info... thank you so much. my heritage is Celtic and Norse. my mother immigrated from Denmark as a teen. my Fathers family came from a Welsh/Irish decent. immigrating sometime shortly after the mayflower. in reading about the Deities, i didn't look at what pantheon they were from until after i listen to who spoke the loudest. Brigid speaks to me as i am a Firefighter/Paramedic (healer) and im the lead singer in a band (artist). Thor being a god of life force speaks to my, i guess you would call it empathic (remember im a newbie) nature in that i pick up "vibes" from people. cant always read or understand them but that's part of the learning. as i said... im still learning... still feeling them all out to see who speaks to me.

[Echo_of_shadows]

Don't pressure yourself to see who is calling you. I practiced for a few years before the goddess asked me to call Her by a specific name. Then another two years passed before the god asked me to call Him by a specific name. They have Their own time lines.

[elmo4fun]

fair enough... thanks

[elmo4fun]

i guess that leads to another question. as i read the links to other posts and articles, which are very helpful by the way, i see people rattling off some times a dozen Gods and Goddesses that they work with or felt connected to. i get the concept of the all and that these are all representations to make it easier for us to "visualize" the all. but i also see people referring to one god an Goddess as "theirs". is it more like you connect with a primary and then also utilize some secondary as the speak to you based on what your trying to accomplish? or am i just missing a piece of the puzzle that i haven't read yet?

[YanaKhan]

It's more like what feels right. There are pagans who do worship many Gods/Goddesses and do feel like all of them are "primary". There are the ones you describe that have a "primary" deity but work with many others in their daily work. There are some like myself who don't really worship any deity, but work with many - I do ask for help in lots of the rituals I do, but I rarely make offerings and only to certain deities that are quite hmm ... demanding. Establishing a connection is sometimes a long process and takes patience. Some pagans never feel connection to any God/Goddess. It's not a "must".

[Heartsong]

Some people do feel more connected to certain deities than others, yes, and will work primarily with the deity that they feel the closest too. If they are working on a spell that might benefit from calling on a second deity, then it's likely that, yes, they'll call on both. Other times, they may still only call on their patron deity, or not at all, if they feel another deity may be of more help to them in a given circumstance. Those of us that do generally just work with one deity, though, would still probably give an offering to that deity in any case, as a sign of respect and devotion.

And what YanaKhan says is true, not everyone is going to feel a connection to any particular deity, and that's alright.

[Siona]

i get the concept of the all and that these are all representations to make it easier for us to "visualize" the all.

Not everyone believes that deities are all one. Some people believe that the deities are separate, individual beings. They're both generally considered forms of polytheism, the idea that all are one is sometimes called soft polytheism, and the idea that all are separate is often called hard polytheism. It's sometimes better to think of it as a spectrum rather than just one or the other... some people lean way to the soft polytheism side, some way to the hard polytheism side, and there are some who believe something more to the middle.

As for how many deities someone has a connection to, like the others said, it really depends on the person. Some people might have one deity they're very close to, or a few they're close with, and that's it. Others may be close to a couple, and not quite as close to several others. Some might not actually be close to any, but they might have loose ties to many. It really depends on the person, and how they view the gods in general. In general though, maintaining a close relationship with a deity takes a fair bit of time and effort, a few deities takes more time, etc. It's almost like our relationships with other people, we may have our very close friends and family who we spend a lot of time with, and then we may have acquaintances and distant family who we only see once in a while.

[elmo4fun]

thank you everyone. i knew this was the right place. i am continuing to read and learn both on and off line. i love the freedom to do what feels right. but it does make it hard to try and understand..lol. i have explained it like this before. its like trying to have a conversation in a crowded room. its sometime hard to follow what is being said with all the other talking going on in the room. or like being handed a map with no Key or Legend and being told to take a trip and not knowing where your going or how to get there...lol. im trying to sort it all out.