Pantheism 101

One Heart, Many Gods: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Devotional Polytheism by Lucy Valunos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This tiny booklet is designed for the new devotionalist to polytheism or the worship of many gods. The author fortunate to say is not dogmatic about her approach but rather she gives suggestions that are up to you as to whether to follow or not. The author has benefited from having learned from such other spiritual tradition such as Catholicism, Hoodoo, Wicca and Norse paganism.
Now this maybe a small book but I learned a good many practical things from it. Things that I would like to remember. One of the most important things is setting up a time both during the morning and during the evening. The morning is not as complex as the evening prayers. The morning prayers are usually briefer and done with a divination of sorts. The evening prayers are much longer and usually have meditation involved. The when and where you have your devotion is not set in stone. The gods are understanding and you can work devotional times around your schedule. Let us not, as the author reminds that we can devote many different times to our gods if that is where we are at. Devotions can be done at any time and simple hard work can be a devotion enough for a deity.
Offering are a big part of polytheism. There is much talk on what to offer deities. The bottom line is that it is the thought that counts not how expensive is the gift you give to the deities. Besides, food, drink, incense and candle there are other ways we can give to the gods. Sometimes we can help out by giving charity or helping a certain group that is important to the deity. Offering can be charity or acts of kindness.
Candle are a big offering item to the author. White candle tend to be all purpose. When devoting a candle to a deity you will want to be careful or at least mindful as to which color you get. There is also a recommended process of cleansing a candle and charging it and I find it very comprehensible. The author advises the reader to use 7 day candles with the wick in the center. First you clean the glass down with water or a cleaner of sorts. Then over incense you cleanse the candle of any negative energy. Next you use a marker or paint an you write the deities name on the candle. Then you dress the candle with oils and herbs scared to the gods. Barring that, if you cannot get the candle out of the glass you can carve the deities name on the top and bore a certain amount of holes into the candle top side to be filled with herbs and oils. Finally you can charge the candle with visualization or say a prayer of intent as to why you are giving it.
The author goes on to distinguish between altar and shrines. The altar is your working space either for devotion or magic. The altar is the deities’ home. Regardless of what you are working with always remember to keep it clean and tidy. Keeping it clean is a gift unto the gods themselves. I wish I had rea this book earlier as it makes forming your spiritual practice a whole lot easier. Very valuable.




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