I found the goddess I want to serve

[gnostic]

I googled but I'm still not sure the difference between polytheism and henotheism. May you elaborate a bit more please?

Henotheism is the same as polytheism.

You would or do believe in many deities in the pantheon, but you have chosen to follow and worship only one god among many deities.

For instance, you may believe in all twelve Olympian gods and goddesses, but you would devote your life serving and worshiping Hestia (Roman Vestia) or Zeus (Jupiter) or someone else.

That’s henotheism: believing in many, but worshiping only one.

If you were a polytheist, you would believe in many and you would be worshiping many (or all of them).

 

[Valjean]

Ok, I see. What if you heard "god" or bodhisattva or avatar?

I'd think different things. The dharmic religions are usually less fundamentalist than the Abrahamic faiths, and often believe in a hierarchy of truths.

 

[Ella S.]

Real devotion would be to love her bad luck as well as her good luck, but I doubt anyone wants to do that.

Epictetus would like to know your location

 

[Quagmire]

I live in a "Christian" country. When I hear God, I think religion. When I think religion, I think doctrine and truth claims.

Somebody who's been a member of a religious forum for coming up on 19 years should have outgrown this by now.

(Sorry, but like you I am also a devoted follower of the goddess Sanctamonia. )

 

[Brickjectivity]

Epictetus would like to know your location

Thanks. I should take a look at his handbook.

 

[Quintessence]

May be a bit off topic, but is there like a "God of the gods"?

Like @JustGeorge said, it depends on one's worldview. In my experience, this is not the case, but I am also not inclined to hierarchical thinking, so I would not tend to interpret my experiences of the gods with top-down organizational schemes.

That said, if I recall correctly Greek and Roman traditions often regarded the Moirae (fates) as serious showstoppers. That is, they even govern the fates of other gods.

 

[an anarchist]

I believe I can serve Fortuna by being a fortune teller for my community. I have dabbled with fortune telling before, now I'm getting really serious about it.

 

[Sirona]

Hindus have a similar concept about Goddess Lakshmi. It's said that you can invite her to come to your home, but the minute you try to "force" her to stay permanently in your place, she will disappear.

 

[Sirona]

I believe I can serve Fortuna by being a fortune teller for my community. I have dabbled with fortune telling before, now I'm getting really serious about it.

Fortune telling was serious business with the Ancient Greeks, it was the domain of Apollon (Latin: Apollo).

 

[Sirona]

@Xavier Graham May be a bit off topic, but is there like a "God of the gods"?

Technically Zeus (Latin: Jupiter) but he probably shares a lot of similarities with JHWH so I would understand if he wasn't your god of choice.

 

[an anarchist]

Fortune telling was serious business with the Ancient Greeks, it was the domain of Apollon (Latin: Apollo).

!!!! I was intent on serving the god of the sun already!!! I will serve Apollo as well. Looks like I will have two shrines

 

[Alien826]

I googled but I'm still not sure the difference between polytheism and henotheism. May you elaborate a bit more please?

Polytheism is the worship of parrots. Henotheism is the worship of chickens.

 

[Alien826]

 

[loverofhumanity]

You do?

I sure hope that is not too frequent a situation.

Happy Birthday Luis. May you have many more and have good health, happiness and prosperity!

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Like @JustGeorge said, it depends on one's worldview. In my experience, this is not the case, but I am also not inclined to hierarchical thinking, so I would not tend to interpret my experiences of the gods with top-down organizational schemes.

That said, if I recall correctly Greek and Roman traditions often regarded the Moirae (fates) as serious showstoppers. That is, they even govern the fates of other gods.

They were key figures in Norse mythology too.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

@Xavier Graham May be a bit off topic, but is there like a "God of the gods"?

Technically Zeus (Latin: Jupiter) but he probably shares a lot of similarities with JHWH so I would understand if he wasn't your god of choice.

I wouldn't think he shares much with JHWH at all, but was interested how you saw this?

 

[syo]

Fortuna the goddess

View attachment 70227

Fortuna - Wikipedia

Fortuna the goddess is the goddess of fortune. Too many times in my life has sheer luck saved me, or at the very least gotten me by.

Example, I have 20 cents to my name. Unlucky, right? Nah, I was able to make ends needs. Last month, I was shopping and I ended up with a penny in my bank account. If I worked for one minute less at my job I wouldn't have been able to afford what I needed.

Luck has saved my literal life before. I am lucky I am not dead or worse.

Growing up, I always attributed my uncanny luck to Jesus Christ blessing me more than others.

A higher power is helping me, and I believe it is Fortuna! I will make a shrine in her honor and burn incense in her presence! I am excited I have found my goddess to serve, I have been a dog without a master, but no more.

Now you're talking!

 

[Sirona]

I wouldn't think he shares much with JHWH at all, but was interested how you saw this?

Maybe I am influenced by my background as an ex-Christian, which you may not have, and maybe it's more of a father archetype than a real similarity, but the original JHWH was a tribal god caring for a specific people. Both are often depicted as "bearded old men", they both live in the sky. Both had the bull ("golden calf") as their symbol and both fathered children with human partners, JHWH just once (in case you accept belief in Jesus), Zeus did several times. Of course many Greek deities sired children with both human and divine partners, but I think fathering children with a human partner is both Zeus' and "God's" most prominent feature.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Maybe I am influenced by my background as an ex-Christian, which you may not have, and maybe it's more of a father archetype than a real similarity, but the original JHWH was a tribal god caring for a specific people. Both are often depicted as "bearded old men", they both live in the sky. Both had the bull ("golden calf") as their symbol and both fathered children with human partners, JHWH just once (in case you accept belief in Jesus), Zeus did several times. Of course many Greek deities sired children with both human and divine partners, but I think fathering children with a human partner is both Zeus' and "God's" most prominent feature.

Interesting take.
I'm ex-Christian as well (CofE) although it seems strange even typing that given how long it's been. I was quite young when I left the church.

I can see some loose 'paternal' associations, in terms of God being seen as a paternal figure by at least some Christian groups, with the stylised representations that follow.
My thinking was about the immense differences, though, in areas like Creation. Zeus wasn't a creator God, nor omnipotent, omnipresent, etc.
This also impacts on how they fathered children. Zeus literally fathered children through some pretty offbeat sexual practices, including deception, incest, and what would be called rape in modern terms, all while donning various guises, including as a swan and a shower of gold. JHWH on the other hand created a child within a woman without a sexual act, and whilst the question of consent is somewhat interesting (if definitionally dealt with my Christian theology) the child was also not separate from God, assuming trinitarian beliefs.

 

[Sirona]

!!!! I was intent on serving the god of the sun already!!! I will serve Apollo as well. Looks like I will have two shrines

Please share how you worship Apollo ?