How do you deal with the cultural problem?

[agorman]

Whether you're a Satanist, a Kali devotee or a Setian, there's always that fact of having to worship (or relate to) some deity that is of a very different culture. In every path I was in, I found myself always with the same problem. I feel at home with the Celtic things, but I have to concentrate, study and follow a god or goddess that belongs to a totally different culture than the one I like. How do you deal with it? BTW, Celtic gods never wanted to stay with me for long; maybe it's a matter of not having enough Celtic blood... who knows.

 

[Mindmaster]

Whether you're a Satanist, a Kali devotee or a Setian, there's always that fact of having to worship (or relate to) some deity that is of a very different culture. In every path I was in, I found myself always with the same problem. I feel at home with the Celtic things, but I have to concentrate, study and follow a god or goddess that belongs to a totally different culture than the one I like. How do you deal with it? BTW, Celtic gods never wanted to stay with me for long; maybe it's a matter of not having enough Celtic blood... who knows.

Sometimes you pick your god(ddess)(e)(s), sometimes they pick you.

I've never had an exclusive relationship with any deities and while I have a favorite he's not the only one OR the only culture whose deities I've interacted with. Celtic and Greek characters have come to me in the past, and we have friendly relations as well. I don't call myself a Celtic or Greek pagan because I do not seek to relate to those pantheons at all - I just have a few whom have made me a favorite. Why or whatever is often beyond me, but I enjoy learning from them either way.

I will go on about Celtic blood though, as it does have a lot to do with how likely you are to be directly engaged by them. (statement applies to Norse gods/goddesses as well) My experience has been that the Celtic religions were ancestral rather than dogmatic so it is likely that the "gods" really are just names of ancient ancestors of those people. They are far less concerned with people outside of their lineage as a whole, but that doesn't mean they have an aversion to others. I just think it would make reaching them more difficult, because they don't want the interaction as badly as you do. The Greek ones are completely non-picky about these things coming from a culture that was always mixed up with several sub-cultures. They're just about the vibe, and if you gel with them often they just naturally approach you whenever you happen to think about them a bit.

 

[agorman]

Something odd happens to me with the Norse gods. Maybe because of a German great-grandfather, Odin gives me signs he wants to be with me. But the times I've tried to stay with Norse gods, the more time I stay with them and the more I miss Celtic things. Besides, once in trance I saw Freya and Tyr telling me I should either not worship any gods and go to some Buddhism or go back to Celtic polytheism. So they don't seem to agree with each other on what to do with me, LOL!

I guess Going back to Celtic gods is out of the question. I also wouldn't go back to Abrahamic religions. But Buddhism is so RHP! I thought of relating with Shiva and Kali somehow, but as I said before, I end up studying and worrying about a culture I'm not even attracted to. How do you guys deal e.g. with the fact that Satan belongs to Hebrew culture?

 

[Mindmaster]

I guess Going back to Celtic gods is out of the question. I also wouldn't go back to Abrahamic religions. But Buddhism is so RHP! I thought of relating with Shiva and Kali somehow, but as I said before, I end up studying and worrying about a culture I'm not even attracted to. How do you guys deal e.g. with the fact that Satan belongs to Hebrew culture?

I don't, Abrahamic religions have what they think they know of Satan and I have a relationship with him. I find their method of dispensing knowledge, or rather fearing direct knowledge majorly annoying. They are not allowed to engage in the practices required to even know if their god exists, so why should it trouble me what they think?

The culture is irrelevant in the end, because ultimately your pantheon is your own. In fact, I'd say that is the most defining trait of a LHP theist of any sort.

 

[SabahTheLoner]

Whether you're a Satanist, a Kali devotee or a Setian, there's always that fact of having to worship (or relate to) some deity that is of a very different culture. In every path I was in, I found myself always with the same problem. I feel at home with the Celtic things, but I have to concentrate, study and follow a god or goddess that belongs to a totally different culture than the one I like. How do you deal with it? BTW, Celtic gods never wanted to stay with me for long; maybe it's a matter of not having enough Celtic blood... who knows.

Heritage has little to do with spirituality. Honestly if I went by my heritage, I'd be a Heathen or Druid or someone who believes in the Jewish version of God. I like Norse and Celtic spirituality, and I have studied occult versions of Kabbalah, but I have a serious interest in the Egyptian gods. Do I feel I have to give up my connection to Sekhmet to work with Odin or Morrigan? No; I prefer all three deities equally. What Sekhmet offers to me is different from others. Her offers will not be the same as Odin's. I don't have to abandon the wisdom of Odin to seek the wisdom of Lucifer; on the contrary, it may help me. But I would also prefer working with Sekhmet over Hathor. Partially because of personality, partially because of connection.
But if I feel a connection to Odin and Morrigan, because of my blood, why not a higher God? Life has taught me that God as others know him doesn't exist for me. I feel as if the world is too fragmented, uncaring and random. I'm open to the possibility of a creator, but not of a caretaker. At that point a name will be irrelevant.
Long answer short: it's more a manifestation of personality than a nod to go elsewhere. The people who fit in a single tradition do so because it fits their personality. Most people find inspiration from two traditions at least.

 

[VioletVortex]

When I was a closed-minded separatist, this was a major issue for me. What is more important than dealing with culture differences is recognizing that deities are symbols that transcend culture. There are numerous gods from various cultures that are roughly equivalent to, or even interchangeable with each other. I'm not even going to try to count the number of beings we associate with Satan or Lucifer. They all mean the same thing.

The way I see it, the above-mentioned names have become trans-cultural titles for these deities.

 

[Kapalika]

Whether you're a Satanist, a Kali devotee or a Setian, there's always that fact of having to worship (or relate to) some deity that is of a very different culture. In every path I was in, I found myself always with the same problem. I feel at home with the Celtic things, but I have to concentrate, study and follow a god or goddess that belongs to a totally different culture than the one I like. How do you deal with it? BTW, Celtic gods never wanted to stay with me for long; maybe it's a matter of not having enough Celtic blood... who knows.

I dealt with it by taking the time to study and soak in everything. First for a few months just trying to grasp Trika, then I did some of my own exploration inside of myself as I wasn't ready fully yet (despite knowing it's what was probably right for me).

Then I spent a couple of years exploring more orthodox stuff, so getting a context from other schools. Then I started to return to Trika. I started to find that over time I picked up more. I was always bad with studying and reading so this process was slow for me. I've been a Hindu for about I wanna say 5 years? Been a Satanist for 7. What I'm doing works for me but I didn't become comfortable with it fully until maybe last year as my understanding of Trika took some leaps and deepened and it put to ease some of my anxieties about my blend.

My point is, maybe for you, its' a comfort thing. You want to be authentic, and understand it. Make sure you are on the right path.

But I got to where I am now by just always being willing to soak in new information on Hinduism; there wasn't some magical moment or insight that caused that. There is still a lot I don't know but I can have a conversation with most sects I'd encounter now. Sure, I had leaps of insight into the religion itself, but we experience that with any "aha!" moment of learning.

So really the answer is plain simple. Study, learn. Stick with it. There is no special answer that will make it easier. If it isn't your path, you will find out MUCH quicker this way too as along the way you will be able to figure that out.

And if you keep finding yourself drawn to something you disagree with, it could be because you know it's true, but are not emotionally able to accept it. I've felt this with Trika, abandoning some aspects of Satanism but funny enough as I matured down Trika those aspects of Satanism re-emerged with a more full understanding. The old understanding had to be abandoned so I could grow, and only then could I realize I was right before, just not in the ways I thought. I didn't re-embrace everything, but it was through this process I accepted what I was drawn to while not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. So don't be afraid to be in a state of uncertainty as you are learning. Not all pieces will fall together automatically or even for a good while. Be honest about this, least you fall into double think or contradict yourself. Holding two possibilities is different than holding two certainties.

Anyways enough of my rambling, I hope I said something of use here

 

[EtuMalku]

When I was a closed-minded separatist, this was a major issue for me. What is more important than dealing with culture differences is recognizing that deities are symbols that transcend culture. There are numerous gods from various cultures that are roughly equivalent to, or even interchangeable with each other. I'm not even going to try to count the number of beings we associate with Satan or Lucifer. They all mean the same thing.

The way I see it, the above-mentioned names have become trans-cultural titles for these deities.

The better you understand these archetypes, the clearer you see their differences.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

How do you guys deal e.g. with the fact that Satan belongs to Hebrew culture?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
When you worship Satan, you are calling on a being who fits a certain description. The name happens to be one of Jewish origins, but your intent is not focused on the being(s) depicted in Genesis or Job. Gods know when they are being called on: it goes with the job!

 

[Orias]

It's an interesting question considering I had the view that the God most people worship was a god of war.

But in their own belligerance, they would deny it .

 

[ScottySatan]

No. Your problem is unnecessary. Every culture has a devil. The Devil is universal.

 

[agorman]

No. Your problem is unnecessary. Every culture has a devil. The Devil is universal.

And in what way do you worship/relate to the Universal Satan?

 

[ScottySatan]

And in what way do you worship/relate to the Universal Satan?

Sure! Satan liberates me. He gives me the drive to learn. He gives me wisdom about what does and does not matter in life.

 

[agorman]

Sure! Satan liberates me. He gives me the drive to learn. He gives me wisdom about what does and does not matter in life.

Hmmm I asked you, in what way do you worship Satan. Not IF you worship him. e.g. If you call him by the Hebrew name "Satan" or other, etc.

 

[ScottySatan]

Hmmm I asked you, in what way do you worship Satan. Not IF you worship him. e.g. If you call him by the Hebrew name "Satan" or other, etc.

In that case, I didn't understand your question. I said how I relate to Satan. How can I answer better?