Please note, a lot of this was discussion, so there are a lot of conflicting ideas based on the answers that everyone provided!
Invoking the Spirit
First to define what the Spirit is
Encompassment of the deity, in whichever form you chose
Deity
Monotheistic
Pantheistic - literally means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of 'God'
Panentheistic - Pantheism has features in common with panentheism, such as the idea that the universe is part of God. Technically, the two are separate. Whereas pantheism finds God to be synonymous with nature, panentheism finds God to be greater than nature alone. Some find this distinction unhelpful, while others see it as a significant point of division. Many of the major faiths described as pantheistic could also be described as panentheistic, whereas naturalistic pantheism cannot (not seeing God as more than nature alone). For example, elements of both panentheism and pantheism are found in Hinduism. Certain interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Shri Rudram support this view.
Polytheistic - Hard
Polytheistic - Soft
is belief in, or worship of multiple gods or deities. The word comes from the Greek words poly+theoi, literally "many gods." Ancient religion was polytheistic, holding to a pantheon of traditional deities. The belief in many gods does not necessarily preclude the belief in an all-powerful all-knowing supreme being, as the ruler and parent (often king and fathers) of gods and mankind.
In polytheistic belief, gods are perceived as complex personages of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, needs, desires and histories. These gods are not always portrayed in mythology as being omnipotent or omniscient; rather, they are often portrayed as similar to humans (anthropomorphic) in their personality traits, but with additional individual powers, abilities, knowledge or perceptions.
Hard polytheists believe that gods are distinct and separate beings. Hard polytheists may believe in a unifying principle such as the One of the Platonists.
Soft polytheists regard their multiplicity of Gods as being manifestations of either common entities, or representing different aspects or facets of a single personal God, the latter also sometimes known as "inclusive monotheists", as are many modern neopagan groups.
The Greek gods provide an example. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods were independent deities who weren't aspects of a great deity and did stand on their own. Soft polytheism means that the person practicing a polytheistic religion believes that their gods are aspects of another God or Goddess. In the case of the Ancient Egyptians this comes in the form of triads or triple gods or goddesses. They believed that certain gods were aspects of a great God. Amon was an aspect of Ra and was usually known as Amon-Ra. The triple Gods Ptah-Sokar-Osiris to give an example shows that even though their Gods may have distinct personalities and traits, they are considered to be aspects of an another deity.
Dualistic
Dualism teaches that there are two independent eternal principles or realities, e.g.: such as God and creation or sometimes one good God , and another evil God, as in Zoroastrianism. The monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach dualism. Dualism is a monotheistic philosophy that teaches that a personal God is separate from his creation, there are therefore two ultimate realities.
Elementalistic
Following the four elements not as deities per say, but as forces of nature that may or may not have been created by a deity. Most similar to both pantheism and panentheism
Shamanistic
Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism that claim the ability to diagnose and cure human suffering and, in some societies, the ability to cause suffering. This is believed to be accomplished by traversing the axis mundi and forming a special relationship with, or gaining control over, spirits. Shamans have been credited with the ability to control the weather, divination, the interpretation of dreams, astral projection, and traveling to upper and lower worlds. Shamanistic traditions have existed throughout the world since prehistoric times.
Different Pantheons
Greek Roman Egyptian Druidic
Celtic Babylonian Germanic Norse
Hindu Buddhist Aztec Mayan
Native American Yoruba African Persian
And about 10 or 100 more that I am sure I have missed.
Any belief systems that I ignored? What do you feel most drawn to belief system wise? Pantheon wise? Deity wise?
Does one separate your spiritual life from your daily life
The cause and effect comes into play
How do you connect with the deity? Through guided meditation, driving, ritual work?
*Spirit guides
*Meditations
*Ritual work
*Rock concerts
*Great pieces of creation - architecture, jewelry, food, art work - need to be awed
*Could never find what you are looking for until you aren’t looking for it
*Driving
Thoughts on the deity…
*Infinite - continuous
*Deities to represent a higher power
*Spiral form of universe with all deities represented
*Entities/gods can affect spirit without the constraints of external influence
*Spell work with multiple gods was difficult - multiple gods showed themselves for us to experience
*Dark vs. light aspects
*Separate with purpose
*See deity as a part of the whole, or as a total part of the while
*No separate entity as part of the god, and all levels of consciousness
*God observes creation though higher levels of intelligence
*Reality is soft and can be affected more than we know - magic can work with the reality that can be done by each single person - one makes their own reality
*Cause and effect - no large direct influence without large group working on the same project - have to go against everyone else thinking opposite things as well
*Great mystics and seers were able to touch the great stream for a bit of time as alive and were greatly changed and tried to share it with others as well - gained enlightenment
*Come back into different parts - as different parts
*More hard polytheistic - separate deities, with one overhead god - who created the rest
*No creation of gods in your image, all deities are the same, no point in trying to find one to replace the other - god is not a being, more of a force
*Matter and energy are interchangeable - matter will turn into energy as we go through the forms
*The forms don’t matter, the thoughts and the energy we put forth make all the difference
*Ultimate truth doesn’t change depending on the person, mankind doesn’t need to try to limit the deity
*Religion is inherently manmade
*Experience the divinity as opposed to work with it or try to explain it away
*Deities exist as separate entities or as a matter of creation
*Validation of the spiritual existence when more than one person experiences it
{mos_fb_discuss:11}
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