Thoughts on “Meet the Gods”

I read a post by roguepriest (found here:  http://roguepriest.net/2011/08/15/what-do-you-mean-meet-the-gods/) that I thought was very interesting to read because it made me think (and I like reading anything that gives me a period of thinking afterwards). The conclusion I came to is that the gods reveal themselves by signs, but how and when and by what means they are giving those signs may demand extraordinary circumstances and are rare in our lifetimes. This is not to say that we can’t have powerful relationships with our gods and feel their impact upon our lives….gods know that I have had my own share of great experiences, not least of which is the feel of the fire when I open myself to prayer and ritual for Apollon, and to some extent for Zeus. However I am talking about significant signs, tangible signs of such presence that they are transformative for the person(s) experiencing them. Because sometimes these signs only come after putting a great deal of work and personal sacrifice.

In this light I can see how a great journey, one which is demanding on the self, would be a good way to “meet the gods” as you remove yourself from your comfort zone and put yourself out in the wilderness full of possibilities and exert personal effort to transform your life. A great journey that involves a full investment of the self (which also has potential dangers when you are traveling by foot) is opening the door for something potentially great. I had planned on doing something similar some years ago when I had played with the idea of walking from Washington state to the east coast, but it never happened. At another time I had planned to walk through Europe and North Africa to visit holy places…and this hasn’t happened..yet. I will have my adventures when it is time for me to have them. As it is I have had some wonderful mini-adventures that have taken me to new places and changed my life in small ways. And these have had their small blessings from the gods.