Jeff, thank you for this thoughtful and thorough (as always, lol) response.
1) I try to follow this whenever I have any kind of "unusual" experience. It's been a good guide thus far!
2) My own thinking process constantly tells me, "Well.. Thunor, Thor, Donar, Taranis, Perun, Perkunas, ect. MUST be the same entity." I think the "different Astral vehicles for each" explanation is quite interesting and might get at the operative reality we're working with. I think the idea that each pantheon has its own egregore is a similar explanation and might well explain how the same deity/entity can manifest in many different outer forms.
3) Hah, this would be outright blasphemy in some polytheist circles ;) I know of one particular blogger who has a textual screaming fit any time someone in that space suggests that people's experiences of the Gods might simply be archetypes or other psychological phenomena manifesting.
4) Yeah this can get beyond confusing if we think about it too much. Another issue is that as civilizations mature they tend to come up with ever-more complex theologies and layers of abstractions which get layered on top of the old primitive religion of their ancestors. Neoplatonism vs. the old Homeric mytho-religion is the most obvious example here.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2022-08-12 02:19 pm (UTC)1) I try to follow this whenever I have any kind of "unusual" experience. It's been a good guide thus far!
2) My own thinking process constantly tells me, "Well.. Thunor, Thor, Donar, Taranis, Perun, Perkunas, ect. MUST be the same entity." I think the "different Astral vehicles for each" explanation is quite interesting and might get at the operative reality we're working with. I think the idea that each pantheon has its own egregore is a similar explanation and might well explain how the same deity/entity can manifest in many different outer forms.
3) Hah, this would be outright blasphemy in some polytheist circles ;) I know of one particular blogger who has a textual screaming fit any time someone in that space suggests that people's experiences of the Gods might simply be archetypes or other psychological phenomena manifesting.
4) Yeah this can get beyond confusing if we think about it too much. Another issue is that as civilizations mature they tend to come up with ever-more complex theologies and layers of abstractions which get layered on top of the old primitive religion of their ancestors. Neoplatonism vs. the old Homeric mytho-religion is the most obvious example here.
Totally agree on that last part.