I mentioned in my first entry that you'd be hard pressed to find two pagans that believe the same thing but that there are common threads to many of the different traditions. Though not all pagans recognize a distinct deity, these are some of the beliefs of those that do.
Most pagans recognize a duality in the divine, honouring both the masculine and the feminine. Often there is an emphasis on the feminine, but many see them as equal and balancing. These of course are the gods and goddesses.
Some of the oldest known depictions of a goddess are the Mother goddess figures seen as a very voluptuous woman with no clear face and often only suggested arms and legs. The large belly and breasts are the primary features, suggesting fertility and bounty. The most famous of these figures is the one that has been dubbed the “Venus of Willendorf”. These figures date mostly from the upper paleolithic era, 10000-50000 years ago. This type of goddess figure was popularized in the “Earth's Children” series by Jean M. Auel. She is a creation goddess, the Mother of all things. Some pagans identify this primordial goddess by name, such as Coatlicue of Aztec legend, Gaea from Greek mythology or Tiamat from Mesopotamia. Others just refer to her as Goddess, the Mother, or the Lady.
Though the Goddess is often seen as the creator, she is not alone. Many pagans also honour the masculine divine in the form of a companion God who is both consort and son to the Goddess. The Goddess is a constant, while the God is often a changing figure, representing the change in seasons and associated with crops and the harvest. Like the Goddess, the God is given many names, Cernunnos to the Celts, Osiris in Egypt or the Green Man, a forest god thought to originate in ancient Britain.
Often this God and Goddess pair is seen as a supreme divinity, where one could be dominant, or both could be seen as equal partners.
There are also the pantheons of different cultures around the world. There are usually a great many gods and goddesses in each pantheon, and each of them are responsible for different attributes. For example, Aphrodite of the Greek pantheon is the goddess of love and fertility. The Morrigan in Celtic mythology is associated with war and death on the battlefield. The Hindu Ganesha is the god of good fortune. There are thousands more....
So a pagan may honour the God and Goddess pair or venerate a god/dess of a pantheon or the entire pantheon. But don't think that you have to pick one or the other, or stick with just the Greek pantheon, or Egyptian....there really are no limits. Some pagans, like myself, have a very eclectic view.
In my personal beliefs (which are always evolving as I learn), I honour the Lord and Lady as a Father protector and Mother creator, equal in status though with different attributes and areas of responsibility. While I consider the Lord and Lady as supreme, I also find myself drawn to many of the “lesser” gods of the Greek, Norse, Celtic and Egyptian pantheons. “Lesser” is not meant in any derogatory sense, it's just the only way I can think of to describe their place in the hierarchy. A good analogy would be the CEO and Board of Directors of a corporation (Lady and Lord), then the VPs of the different departments ("lesser" gods). I have called on some of these gods/goddesses in ritual and magickal works. My beliefs also include aspects of shamanism and animism.
Most pagans recognize a duality in the divine, honouring both the masculine and the feminine. Often there is an emphasis on the feminine, but many see them as equal and balancing. These of course are the gods and goddesses.
Some of the oldest known depictions of a goddess are the Mother goddess figures seen as a very voluptuous woman with no clear face and often only suggested arms and legs. The large belly and breasts are the primary features, suggesting fertility and bounty. The most famous of these figures is the one that has been dubbed the “Venus of Willendorf”. These figures date mostly from the upper paleolithic era, 10000-50000 years ago. This type of goddess figure was popularized in the “Earth's Children” series by Jean M. Auel. She is a creation goddess, the Mother of all things. Some pagans identify this primordial goddess by name, such as Coatlicue of Aztec legend, Gaea from Greek mythology or Tiamat from Mesopotamia. Others just refer to her as Goddess, the Mother, or the Lady.
Though the Goddess is often seen as the creator, she is not alone. Many pagans also honour the masculine divine in the form of a companion God who is both consort and son to the Goddess. The Goddess is a constant, while the God is often a changing figure, representing the change in seasons and associated with crops and the harvest. Like the Goddess, the God is given many names, Cernunnos to the Celts, Osiris in Egypt or the Green Man, a forest god thought to originate in ancient Britain.
Often this God and Goddess pair is seen as a supreme divinity, where one could be dominant, or both could be seen as equal partners.
There are also the pantheons of different cultures around the world. There are usually a great many gods and goddesses in each pantheon, and each of them are responsible for different attributes. For example, Aphrodite of the Greek pantheon is the goddess of love and fertility. The Morrigan in Celtic mythology is associated with war and death on the battlefield. The Hindu Ganesha is the god of good fortune. There are thousands more....
So a pagan may honour the God and Goddess pair or venerate a god/dess of a pantheon or the entire pantheon. But don't think that you have to pick one or the other, or stick with just the Greek pantheon, or Egyptian....there really are no limits. Some pagans, like myself, have a very eclectic view.
In my personal beliefs (which are always evolving as I learn), I honour the Lord and Lady as a Father protector and Mother creator, equal in status though with different attributes and areas of responsibility. While I consider the Lord and Lady as supreme, I also find myself drawn to many of the “lesser” gods of the Greek, Norse, Celtic and Egyptian pantheons. “Lesser” is not meant in any derogatory sense, it's just the only way I can think of to describe their place in the hierarchy. A good analogy would be the CEO and Board of Directors of a corporation (Lady and Lord), then the VPs of the different departments ("lesser" gods). I have called on some of these gods/goddesses in ritual and magickal works. My beliefs also include aspects of shamanism and animism.