Do You Really Think a God Like Kali Would Care?
I was reading how this beer with Kali’s image on the can has offended Rajan Zed, an American and president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. Basically, he considers putting a pretty cool image of Kali on a beer can to trivialize the goddess. Okay, maybe that’s so. But honestly, assuming Kali was paying attention to our silly little lives at all, I’d think she’d probably be amused, if anything. Let me explain.
The Gods are Way Above Us, or a Colony of Ants
If you believe in the gods, chances are you believe that they are very powerful entities. Why else wouldn’t they be, if they were gods? Someone on Reddit likened our relationship to the gods as ants to humans. They proceeded with a fairly amusing anecdote about ants drawing a containment circle around a person and demanding that the human give them sugar, or kill another ant, or whatever. Now, if that were to happen to you, would you be angry, annoyed, amused, or simply ignore them? If you found the whole idea of ants containing a human with crystals ludicrous, think what the gods might think if we humans were to try that. Yep. That’s the message you need to keep in your head for the time being.
With this idea in mind, let’s take the whole ant/human thing one step further. Now let’s say the ant colony now has a sugar water drink and they put your photo on it. Or maybe an ant artist’s rendition of you. Of course, you’d look like an ant, but damn, they swear it is your likeness. Are you offended? They swear it’s the best sugar water available. Or maybe you might think it’s pretty damn funny that ants have created you in their image, and named a drink after you.
Now Let’s Look at the Gods
While I don’t believe that our relationship with our gods is quite as extreme as ants to humans, you can see the point. With the exception of Yahweh, most gods go about doing their godly things with as much consideration to us as we do with ants. If the gods take any notice in what we’re doing, it’s because we’re doing something to get their attention. But trivial stuff? They probably don’t even bother.
That’s why I found Christianity to be stupid. What kind of god gives a shit about whether you attended church on Sundays? Or if you had sex before marriage? Or if you swore using his name?
Humanizing a God
Too often, I think pagans–and even us Heathens–tend to bring the gods down to our level. It’s a natural tendency, given that we really don’t know the god’s true form. Chances are that our gods’ forms are so beyond being human, we couldn’t conceive of, much less relate to, them.
I’m reminded of the Greek story about Zeus and Semele, the mother of Dionysus. Zeus loved Semele so much that he promised her anything swearing by the River Styx. Hera, Zeus’s wife, who is insanely jealous, told Semele to ask to see Zeus in all his glory as a god. This, of course, would kill her. But he made an oath he couldn’t back out of, and so she died. But Zeus rescued his son, Dionysus, whom Semele was pregnant with, and sewn him into his thigh to finish gestating.
Are We Ants to Our Gods?
You may be wondering if I think we really are like ants to our gods. Probably not, but we are certainly less evolved than they are. Perhaps they look at us more like favorite species, or–and I’m hesitant to use the word–pets.
Our gods basically keep out of our lives unless they choose to interact with us. In recent times, it has been my experience that they have been calling to us again. Possibly because Christianity is waning, and they see an opportunity to communicate to us their desires and intentions. Although I have only a cursory knowledge of the Hindu pantheon, I’d argue that Kali probably isn’t too worried about her image on a beer can. Just like our gods aren’t overly wrapped up about Marvel and Thor.
My TL;DR point is that the gods have much more important things to do than getting wrapped up over their mug on a beer can.
Except maybe Yahweh. He’s an asshat.
—
Did you know you can become my patron for as little as $5 a month? This entitles you to content not posted anywhere else. Without patrons, I’d be having a very hard time keeping this blog going. Become a patron today! Become a Patron!
We know more about Skadi than Ullr, so I’ll talk about her first. Skadi is a Frost Giant (or Jotun) turned goddess and is the daughter of Þjazi. Skadi has a single story (although she and Loki argue in Lokasenna) on how she sought justice for the death of her father, Þjazi. Þjazi was the Jotun who tricked Loki into stealing Idunn and her Golden Apples from the gods.
Now we come to Ullr, and by the gods, there isn’t a lot written up about him. Which is a shame, because Ullr was an important god in the Northern countries. Ullr is the god of wintertime sports and hunting. He is also the god of oaths; our ancestors swore on Ullr’s oath ring. Ullr was called on in duels, presumably to oversee the contest or to grant favor. He was also the head of Asgard when Odin was in exile for ten years.
Before I go further with this, I want to caveat this by saying these are my experiences with these gods, and like anything, Your Mileage May Vary. I’ve had plenty of dealings with Skadi, but not Ullr. Back when I competed in a certain winter sport, Skadi and I held an uneasy truce. I was a lot more wary of her then, and while I know she is a very dangerous goddess, over the years I’ve come to understand her. She doesn’t suffer fools in her territory, so every time I am out in the backcountry, I am aware she could take me out.
You’ve been in a religion for some time. Or perhaps you’ve not been in a religion at all. Maybe it is Christianity; maybe it is another pagan religion. Perhaps you’ve been agnostic or even atheist. Or maybe you’re a Heathen like I am. Regardless, now you’re looking at a calling and…it’s not a god or goddess you follow. What do you do?
If you’re a Christian or someone who have been in the Abrahamic religions, this is often a complete shock. Same goes for atheists, who are more likely to think they’ve gone crazy hearing from a god or goddess. Depending on your religious upbringing, you may think the deity is some form of demon coming to tempt you away from the “One True God.” If you fall for the Yahweh argument, you’ll never get anywhere with this. Instead, you’ll turn down a potential positive and more personal relationship with the gods than you ever had with the god of the monotheistic cults.
You’ve gotten a call from a deity. Before you get all starry-eyed, think about what you’re committing yourself to. Is this god or goddess asking you to do something against your morals or against the law? Are they looking at having you harm someone or yourself? If the answer is yes, then say no and walk away. Take the high road here. Don’t be like Abraham who was asked to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering because apparently Yahweh gets his rocks off watching humans squirm, even though he is supposedly omniscient and omnipotent. What was the purpose of THAT mindfuck? Tell me that. Don’t say to prove loyalty, because an omniscient and omnipotent god would already know the outcome.
the Hel out of them and get a good feeling for who they are. Talk to priests or priestesses of that religion and get their take on your contact. Be aware that you may not have been contacted by a god, but by an ancestor, a wight, or some other denizen looking to make contact. When you do finally establish contact, find out what they want. If what they want isn’t against your moral code or the law, then you have to decide if you want them in your life. (If it is against your moral code or the law, run like Hel.) Above all, keep your head when this all occurs. You may have to step gracefully out of the relationship. Lastly, even if the god or goddess isn’t from your pantheon, you should still accept the contact if it is a favorable one. After all, the deity thought enough about you to visit.
