Deities

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Deities

Postby Anonymous on Mon Nov 18, 2002 2:16 am

Salvete!

This college has been a bit quiet lately. To foster discussion, let me pose a question I hope will not be deemed too routine or trivial. :)

What gods do you follow? If you do not follow, but merely study, the religio, then what is your religion? If you do follow the religio, then whom do you consider your patron deities and why? And if you follow the religio, do you also follow any foreign cults or deities?

Valete!

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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Mon Nov 18, 2002 12:16 pm

Salve Iuli Urse

I think I may have answered this one before. My practice is that of a religio rustica more than that of the Religio Romana, although they are similar. My practices centers around my Lares, the Di inferi and the geni loci of places I visit. Our Lar familiaris would be better known as Ceres. At different times in my life certain gods would have been more important to me. Mars, to be sure, when I was younger and a soldier, and Neptune at one time. Now mostly Jupiter, Silvanus, and Ceres, and the daughters of Ceres. Our names for them are:

Jupiter = Diouvei
Ceres = Ma'auissa Ferentia
Bona Dea = Angizia
Flora
Venus = Erentiina

Di te semper ament.
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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:36 pm

Salve Juli Urse

The answer is very simple. My practices surround mostly in what the Romans call the Dii Inferii or the Underworld gods: Haides and Hekate (also in their Roman names since for me the the Roman and Greek Gods are alike even though Piscine might not agree with me. That is how i see it.) The third patron deity that is close to me, was one i always thought to be Persephone or Proserpina but it is actually Mars. Even though i'm mostly drawn to the Hellenic pantheon, the Roman Gods do find their way into it so i can't deny them. I feel more confertable with Mars than with Ares, not that isn't Mars but Mars speaks out to me in a way Ares never could. Some find it strange but i feel comfertable with it. I guess i have a warrior spirit inside me that cries out to Mars instead to Ares. You could say that my religious practice centers around the Greek and Roman pantheon of Gods.
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Dieties

Postby Anonymous on Tue Nov 19, 2002 3:55 am

Salve Romule Iuli,

I myself am a follower of my own version of the Religio Romana. I adopt most of the same gods and goddesses as my own, however some of the myths I do not adopt.

My patron gods and goddesses are:

Minerva - For her infinite wisdom, and unparalleled knowledge of healing ways and means. As well as her presidency over all great things mental and intellectual.

Vulcanus - For his ability to handle smithing, something for which I could never thank him enough. As well, his endless working with such, and continued inventions of metal and such.

Iuppiter - He being king of the gods, and god of the Sky, how could I not but worship him. Myself aspiring to be an aviator, I should worship him. Without him, how might I stay in the sky safely?

Neptunus - To elaborate on the Aviator, specifically a naval aviator. As well, I enjoy sailing and the seas, and so I worship Neptunus for the obvious reasons in that.

I keep myself particularly to these gods, and more specifically to the first. However, I attempt to worship all the gods justly, and lead the virtuous life they dictate for me.

Optime Vale,

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Postby Aulus Dionysius Mencius on Fri Nov 22, 2002 12:23 am

Salve

I am a follower of several deities. When it comes to Roman gods, There are two... I was born under the protection of Venus, and I like to follow the paths of Bacchus from time to time.

But my guardian deity is Guanyin, the Buddha of Compassion. She's the light amongst my way, not to mention that she's the only female Buddha :wink:
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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Fri Nov 22, 2002 5:36 am

Aulus Dionysius Mencius wrote:Salve



But my guardian deity is Guanyin, the Buddha of Compassion. She's the light amongst my way, not to mention that she's the only female Buddha :wink:


Over the years quite a few images of foreign deities have accumulated around my house, found in my travels or given by friends. There are three Buddhas in my house, a couple of Isis and one of Anubis, an Aztex Chac Mul, an ithiphallic Tiki, and a Nigerian fethish god, Lakshmi, some others whose names I don't know. And mingled about are my wife's images of the Virgin Mary, those she has either painted or carved in wood, and others given her as gifts. A few other images of Christian saints she keeps. Quite a gathering among my Roman deities when I come to think of it.

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Postby Aulus Dionysius Mencius on Fri Nov 22, 2002 5:05 pm

Salve mi Piscine

I was referring to my chinese field of interest, that is why I implied that Guanyin is the only female Buddha. I am aware that there are other female deities, amice, but I do not consider them as Buddhas.

Vale bene
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Postby Anonymous on Fri Nov 22, 2002 6:57 pm

Another question .... do you believe there is a finite number of deties who are merely known by different names in different cultures, or do you believe every culture perceives it's own unique divinities?
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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Sat Nov 23, 2002 11:20 am

Salve Menci

Good to see you around

Aulus Dionysius Mencius wrote:
I was referring to my chinese field of interest, that is why I implied that Guanyin is the only female Buddha. I am aware that there are other female deities, amice, but I do not consider them as Buddhas.



I on the other hand was not implying anything. Your post only reminded me of other thngs. Only one female Buddha? That does not sound delightful to me. Better to be a Muslim in Paradise :lol:

I would suppose that Guanyin is not a goddess in the usual sense, as a Buddha is an enlightened person. I have met quite a few enlightened women, maybe not by Buddhist standards though. Buddhas would correspond to what would be heroes in the Greco-Roman tradition. Spiritual heroes. As with Severus placing images of Jesus and Apollonius in his lararium, or of the Epicurians who kept images of their school's founder in their lararium. There are bronze images of many philosophers that have been found, not all of whom we would recognize today. For me Plotinus holds a special place, and I might think of him in a sense of being a Buddha. Where as Buddhists, I don't recall them recognizing any deities really, not in our sense of understanding.

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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Sat Nov 23, 2002 11:28 am

Salve Urse

Romulus Iulius Ursus wrote:Another question .... do you believe there is a finite number of deties who are merely known by different names in different cultures, or do you believe every culture perceives it's own unique divinities?


Hmm, that reminds me of an old sci-fi story that took place in Tibet. Once all the names of the gods were tabulated, the end of the world occurred.

Well, yes, I do think there is only a finite number of deities, as we live in a finite universe. And, no, I do not accept the notion that all deities are transcultural, having different names in other cultures. I do not believe, for example, that Isis is an Egyptian name for Ceres/Demeter. While other deities I would see as being more transcultural, more transcendent than Di inferi.

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Postby Titus Iulius Nero on Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:30 am

I know this thread is pretty old, but i feel compelled to post regardless.

I am relatively new to the Religio Romana but have followed basic Roman Paganism for a long time now.

My Patrons are the Magna Mater, better known as Cybele and Attis. I am not one for polytheism in my own practice, you could say i am a henotheist, worshipper of my patrons but respect other divinities.

Cybele to me is like a mother bear who will stop at nothing to protect Her cubs. She is regal and all-powerful, yet kind and motherly.
Attis is the embodiment of male beauty and is living enlightenment.

As to the question posed by Romulus Iulius Ursus, i believe that there is one supreme and ultimate divinity that is expressed as all others. That "All in One" theory. I definitely believe that deities from differing pantheons/cultures can be culturally crossed such as Demeter and Ceres. But I cannot say that Venus = Kuan Yin, for example. I can see that both generate from a central source of divinity but they both are not one in the same.
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Postby Q Valerius on Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:22 pm

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