Gods Diverse and Innumerable

I believe that there is a single source through which all Divine power and physical creation has and continues to flow. I call that power Truth. I also believe there are beings, like ourselves, countless in number, who are at various stages of evolution toward that source. I believe there is a dynamic of ascended master to apprentice between us and those beings we revere as Gods, Guides and/or Angels and that they seek to interact with us in this life as teachers, companions and advocates.

These are the beings through which the various powers of Truth flow into our lives. For me, the power of righteous and empowering anger against those who have hurt the helpless flows through Mother Hera. For someone else, this same power may flow into their lives through Mother Kali, Brigid, or Christ. Although I believe their power all comes from the same source, I am beginning to realize that this does not mean all representations of that power necessarily come through a single being called by many names. Imagine if you will phone operators answering calls and concerns about abuse of the helpless where each call is routed directly to the being who best connects with the caller and most fluently speaks their language. I think the Romans, and I would guess all ancient Pagans had this idea, were absolutely right in their belief that their Gods were not the only Gods that everybody else just put different names on. They believed each nation, each people, each family and even each individual had their own unique Gods that served and protected them. They believed the heavens, the earth and the underworld were all populated with Gods just as diverse and innumerable as the worlds are populated with people.

This is a huge point in the development of my personal cosmology. I always felt it was somehow doing my Divine Family a disservice to even recognize the names of other deities without adding "also known as...". I realize now that mindset was a vestige of my Judeo-Christian upbringing. Somehow I need to get it through my consciousness that my Gods are not jealous and do not teach that salvationfor all comes only through them. (In fact, my Gods hardly ever use the word "salvation" at all.) My Divine Family, mostly of the Greek pantheon, are perfectly happy sharing space with the Gods of others. Just as a temple was erected in Gaul with Mercury grinningly sharing the sacred seat with Rosmerta, so the temple of my comprehension may be devoted to the Deities who know and love me best while being warm and welcoming to any and all other deities who happen to pass by.

Blessed by the Mystery,

-M. Ashley