Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanglavin
Thats how I perceive them.. They are more like very old and close friends to me, if that makes any sense. I talk to them, and they talk to me. But it is my firm belief that you can't really offend a god, because we are so minuscule to them that it wouldn't really make a difference.
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I see "offending a god" entirely in metaphorical and psychological terms, where a person fails to give some archetypal force its proper due in some positive way (pushing it into the un- or subconscious and away from the ego) and, as a result, ends up being overwhelmed by the negative aspects of it.
For instance, a person could "offend" Aphrodite by convincing him/herself that only weak, needy people make fools of themselves over something as "inconsequential" as a romantic attachment.
Love? Bah, humbug. Hallmark card nonsense, the ego says to itself. And Aphrodite says,
O rly? Well, we'll just see about that. I will not be ignored by a mere mortal.
And so she sends Eros with his bow to put an arrow right smack into the heart of the offending disbeliever.
Oh, hey, remember how you used to claim you were 'above' this kind of thing? Surprise! You're in love!
And suddenly the ego that never wanted to swim in that particular ocean, and which looked down on those who did, finds itself struggling just to keep from drowning in it.
From my own life, I can tell you that I "pay homage" to the gods of war by studying martial arts (and prolly by playing combat sims as well). The end result is that I'm a far more laid-back person than I used to be, far less likely to be suddenly overwhelmed by feelings of anger or aggressive, violent urges. I've found a way to honor those basic primal forces that integrates them into my life in a positive way, and so there's far less likelihood of that particular pot coming to an unexpected boil on a back burner I've convinced myself was never turned on.
