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What Do the Gods Look Like?

By Lady Saoirse

Bright Blessings,

Having come from a Catholic background, maybe by idea of divinity is different than some pagan’s idea is. I’m not sure. It’s certainly different than what most Catholics think of the divine as being. I don’t think of the gods and goddesses as these divine punishers in the sky who look down upon us and rain down blessings or curses depending on whether they’re happy with us or not. I’m not sure how you feel about it, but I see the gods every single day. At least I believe I do.

When I feel a storm approaching, I feel the presence of Thor. I remember what the storm and the thunder and lightning were so bad once,  I asked Thor to hold off the storm until I got home. Believe it or not the rain cleared up just long enough for me to get home, and as soon as I got home it started pouring again. Recently I could see storm clouds and I sensed the presence of the Aztec God Tlaloc. Interestingly, he is a god of caves. I just so happen to live about 3 miles away from a cave where I used to give tours. It was the first time that I felt his presence, and I don’t think that it was a coincidence.

I see the goddess every time I cast a Circle. Sometimes it’s  different goddesses, though. Once I saw the lion face of the goddess Sekhmet when I was casting Circle in which one of her devotees was participating. Another time I had just sat on the floor to meditate with soul kin, and when we finished our meditation, I sat for a moment before I stood up (I’m old you know). I looked at the candle holders and I could see skeletal legs of the goddess of death. Specifically I saw skeletal spider like legs and interpreted that as the goddess telling me to weave the web of my own fate.

I felt the powerful presence of the goddess Aphrodite when a 5-year-old boy who believed in her got down on his knees and prayed to her for a baby brother. I saw her in his faith. I have even seen Mary the mother of Christ at the Catholic Church believe it or not. Icons of her are so intensely focused on during prayers to her, she is literally there within the statute.

I see the tender-hearted love of the gods when I see people being kind to each other. I hear the joy of the gods in the birdsong and the laughter of children. I see the love of the gods in the devotion that my cat has to our dog, even though the dog is annoyed by the cat’s attention sometimes. I even see the compassion of the goddess when people pour their heart out to me in tarot readings because they’re seeking comfort.

I don’t think of the gods and goddesses as these drop dead gorgeous statuesque icons that artists portray them as. I see them in the miracle of creation every day. When the sun breaks from behind the clouds on an especially cold and bitter winter’s day, I see Norse goddess Sunna. I see the mother goddess every time I look at the earth. The breath of the goddess and the gods is the air that we breathe. I see the ferocity and the vengeance of the gods in the passion that our equal rights warriors exhibit at the polls when they vote.

Being a pagan, I see the gods and goddesses more often in the deeds of people and in the earth itself than I ever saw in people or in the earth when I was being raised Catholic. Don’t get me wrong. I have met a lot of really good-hearted Christians and Mother Teresa is still a hero of mine to this day. It’s just that to Christians the world is dead the realm of the devil, back to pagans, the world is alive, there is a spirit in everything, and everything is a miracle.

I see the gods and the goddesses in the acts of their children. When a daughter of the Morgan tells it like it is, I literally see the Morrigan speaking through her. When a son of Odin teaches a class to students, I see Odin sharing magic and wisdom. When I am in Circle with other pagans, I see the love and care from their gods and goddesses brought into the Circle.

I don’t ask for profound miracles or testaments from the gods to prove to me that they are real because I see them every single day. I see them in the people who I love, and I hear them in the silence of my heart where they speak most loudly. If you’re having trouble believing in gods and goddesses, maybe it’s because they’re right in front of you and you’re not paying attention.

May the old gods and the goddess reveal themselves to you every day in the breath of the wind, in the warmth of the sun, and in the nourishment of the rain. May they be ever present in your life and in your heart. So Mote It Be.

Blessed Be.


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Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own magical path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she is a member of the spiritual family at the Magical Druid in Ohio, and she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for SpiritualBlossom and Mysticsense and she writes for PaganPages.Org emag.