Direct Experiences With God &goddess


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Hi Rev. Rattlesnake,

I am not a "Wiccan" Witch, but I have had visions of different gods and goddesses. One of the most vivid was of the goddess Cerridwen, dressed in green silk with her hair in golden mesh. I also had a vision of Brighid one autumn night where she was a giant and was juggling human heads (this is certainly not a typical attribute of hers). As far as physical manifestations, I have felt the precense of the gods as almost a tangible energy. My skin tingled and my hair stood up. Sometimes it was so intense that I felt as if I were vibrating. The candles flickered and breezes passed by. Once, during a Nos Galan Gaeaf (Samhain) ritual, I invoked the god Lleu (Lugh) and I heard (audibly, not just in my mind) harping as clear as day. But I have not yet encountered the gods in a physical form that I could touch.

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Salem, those were amazing experiences. Thanks so much for sharing. You have such a personal connection with your Gods! It's also great to see that your interaction with Cernunnos is facilitating the healing process for you and your relationships with men. Very cool!

By way of follow up, would people say it is a common occurrence in Paganism to have these kinds of experiences?

Also, early on in my own journey, I would sometimes share how I heard God's voice or saw a vision and I found that, with some Christians at least, they would become very angry or dismissive when I said that and would even, on one occasion, say it was the devil speaking. I quickly learned to stop sharing. Is this a theme in the Pagan community? I have, out of curiosity, visited a few pagan forums and noticed a fair bit of argument on a great number of things. sort of a "no, no, no, you're doing it all wrong" type thing (which certainly isn't exclusive to pagans, I don't even go to Christian forums since it's a little like being thrown into the inquisition). But I can't recall this sort of thing being brought up.

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Salem, those were amazing experiences. Thanks so much for sharing. You have such a personal connection with your Gods! It's also great to see that your interaction with Cernunnos is facilitating the healing process for you and your relationships with men. Very cool!

By way of follow up, would people say it is a common occurrence in Paganism to have these kinds of experiences?

Also, early on in my own journey, I would sometimes share how I heard God's voice or saw a vision and I found that, with some Christians at least, they would become very angry or dismissive when I said that and would even, on one occasion, say it was the devil speaking. I quickly learned to stop sharing. Is this a theme in the Pagan community? I have, out of curiosity, visited a few pagan forums and noticed a fair bit of argument on a great number of things. sort of a "no, no, no, you're doing it all wrong" type thing (which certainly isn't exclusive to pagans, I don't even go to Christian forums since it's a little like being thrown into the inquisition). But I can't recall this sort of thing being brought up.

It really depends on the individual. Some are further along on their spiritual journey than others. Age is not a factor either. I've seen 50 yr olds more spiritually lost than a teen. What I've experienced is what CAN happen if you put effort and dedication into self discovery and spritiual practice. A lot of it was analysing my true feelings. Like with Cernunnos. The reason why I hadn't been close to a god all those years is because of my experience with men. I would not LET him come through. Only when I began to put those feelings aside did he come to me. It's a journey of self discovery and development. There are many bumps along the path. Each one hurting a little bit to cross. But when you get to the other side you are so much healthier and stronger from the experience.

Are my experiences "common"? Well I don't really know. Certainly a lot of people I know have some kind of experience encountering deity. Each one is a little different, which is to be expected. We see the deity as we envision them to be. Most see their deity in meditation. Visions are, in my exerpience, very rare, and often life altering.

Pagan forums are not really a good indication of the Pagan population. I stear clear of them most of the time as well. The ones often saying, "you're doing it wrong" are posers or your snot nosed teen that read a book and think she (or he) is a high priest(ess). I prefer going to local metaphysical stores and local festivals for Pagan community. Even if everyone doesn't agree there, we are certainly more respectful of each other! Maybe you should seek out a shope near you to see for yourself. :) Most are welcoming of every path, as long as you enter without judgement and with respect.

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Wow, very interesting Gwydion! Did they impart any messages or assist you in a time of need? And thanks for expanding the pool. I meant to write Wiccans and Pagans but my typing on my phone is always a little touch and go.

Hi Rev :) ,

Cerridwen came to me when I had been very ill with pneumonia and was seriously wondering if I might die. I saw her and she was presenting me with a jeweled cup. I seemed to know that she was presenting me a cup of immortality, and she was reassuring me that there was another life after this one in place where everyone was young and there was no sickness or death.

Brighid seemed to be revealing another aspect of herself as the prototype of the Banshee (as well as indicating a relationship between herself and the Morrigu, an Irish goddess of war.) I had been having difficulty forming a connection to her up until then.

Lleu's "fairy" harping I took to be a signal that the gates between here and the Otherworld had been flung wide open that night, and it certainly set the tone for my ritual in honor of Nos Galan Gaeaf (Samhain/Halloween).

I have had other mystcal experiences, but these three are probably the best examples.

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Awesome G! Thanks for sharing this. I've always been fascinated with Wicca and paganism. One thing though that gets lost sometimes is the reality of the divine, the personality of divine. So often in books that I've read, the gods come off more as math formulas that when plugged in for a particular task, then a certain result can be expected. That can come off as a little dry and is a problem in many faiths, especially in some more "prosperity gospel" forms of Christianity. While certainly this kind of thing has its place, it's refreshing to see that at their hearts these faiths are about communing with deity. God(ess) is not an app, but a person who wants to know and be known. It's like the saying goes, when you bow to the universe sometimes the universe bows back. Many thanks for opening up.

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To all my Wiccan friends, I'm interested in hearing if any of you have ever experienced any direct or physical visions or manifestations of the God and/ or Goddess. How did they appear what was it like?

...an' all the people sang...."♪♫all the young dudes...♫♫" ......

<<<Yes. Well, actually no. Sort of. Define "experienced". Yes, absolutely! That's screwball nutz!>>>

Pick an answer, any answer and I could point ya towards a post that explained in detail what the person had "witnessed".

From "visions and dreams" in the Bible to "manifestations and calls" from many personal Book of Shadows, people have had experiences beyond the everyday 3D world we currently inhabit. Are they all "real"? Well, we'd have to explore thousands of years of human psychology to fully answer that.

When I was studying "seiðr" (Nordic majik) I read with great interest many "experiences" and "tales", I even had a few myself while working on my personal formulas and calls during my Workings. I was really battling my Yrmin-Drighten at the time over his assessment of my being the "One" to continue in his footsteps. Several of his "henchmen" were supposed "Masters of Majik" and their stories of 'majik works' were rather fantastic tales.

Were these personal experiences "real"? Yes, of course, they were to me.

One such event as an all encompassing, black "cloud-like" manifestation coming up the stairs to my office and then filling the room. In the middle of this "cloud" were like mini lightning bolts, sparkles and then the neon red "eyes" appeared. These eyes then charged at me in an aggressive manner and all I could think was there is no way to stop this 'thing' from getting me.

And then, I called on Tiw, Thor and Odhinn to honor my galdor (prayers/rune casting) of the past, as that was where my heart lay, and poof! The menacing black cloud was gone.

After this experience, and settling down a bit, I asked my live-in gal-friend if she had witnessed or heard anything. "Naw, not really, but the house did get so cold for a few minutes I thought I'd have to light the (wood) stove."

While she didn't "see" anything, the mere fact the entire house got so cold was an indicator something "real" was happening (or an odd weather event just happened to coincide with my visual event). Whether the black cloud really filled my office or was simply an induced "vision", I don't know, but it was as real to me as sitting here now typing.

The labels of "hallucination", "manifested vision" or "dream-state" could all explain what really happened. Of course the other explanation could cover it as well...."it really did happen!"

I keep myself open to any and all possibilities, as I believe we all should. Just because something seems to be 100% Tom Foolery to us, does not mean it can't be 110% absolute reality to someone else...and/or of course vice versa....but that's just my take on the subject. I mean I've never been "abducted by aliens" either, but that doesn't mean the 100's of other claims to that effect are all pulling our leg! :unsure:

Blessings of Peace,

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I've never had a direct mystical experience with the deities I worship, but I do glean feelings and insights about them through various acts of worship and through studies into the culture that surrounded their ancient worship. I regard those personal feelings with scrutiny, and if they don't run completely counter to established historical views of the deity, I may adjust a particular detail of my practice to go with the feeling. At no point do I consider these feelings anything more than UPG though, which isn't a bad thing, but it is a personal thing.

I do know a few in the pagan community who will make universal statements based on their UPG, and may even make critical judgments about ancient cultures based on that modern UPG. For example, I once knew a pagan in an old group I was associated with who claimed to have a direct relationship with Artemis (goddess of the hunt, among many other domains), and stated that Artemis thought hunting was wrong, and the ancient Greeks were wrong to kill animals and associate her with hunting.

While I personally no longer identify as a pagan, I think it would be difficult to confirm if direct mystical experience of deities is common among pagans, or even sought after. Not all pagans believe that mysticism or divine revelation is a higher form of spiritual evolution that anyone can experience.

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No one can ever be truly certain if their experiences were truly divine or simply insanity.

I have had experiences with the Divine, or The Source, as I call it, and it has manifested using my preferred God (Lugh) and Goddess (the Morrigan). Were my experiences delusion or true flashes of insight? Who knows. But I do know that they were RIGHT.

I believe anyone can be contacted by the Source, and it will manifest in a way that makes sense to you personally. Some have visions. Some see the Gods/Goddesses they favor. Some simply, as LeopardBoy mentioned, glean feelings and insights by reading up on old legends about different cultures.

It's all relative.

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I would like to note that mystical experiences are definitely subject to personal interpretations, and I agree with LeopardBoy regarding examining these revelations in light of what we already know about these cultures and their deities. An Artemis who denounces hunting (or a Gwydion who despises the magical arts) would certainly raise legitimate questions. I also acknowldege that my personal interpretations are not the only possible interpretations. In my previous example of the goddesss Cerridwen, maybe she wasn't showing me a cup of imortality, but was indicating I was about to win a free lifetime supply of Kool-aid from Walmart :drinks_wine: . I have had a few mystical experiences which I value, but they are not the norm. I don't think it elevates one Pagan over another because one has had them and another hasn't. Also, when someone sets themselves to speak for the gods, I often question how much of what they say comes from the gods and how much of what they say reflects their own opinions ;).

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I believe that God is the God of all, but I understand that God is understood in different ways. Sometimes in meditation I feel a Silent Presence. I like to think that it is the Supreme. In those moments I feel great peace. There are no words, no revelations, no sense of being superior to anyone. A Presence and Peace.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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