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When one hears the word idol (in connection with religion), associations include the Hebrew commandment concerning graven images, Christian writers condemning idol worship, iconoclasts destroyed images of their own faith, and so forth.
Given that cultural background, where does that leave us, as modern neopagans? We all have an abundance of images, statues, etc sitting around our homes, some on altars. What do we do with them? How do we regard them?
On the Shabaka stone, dedicated by the Kushite pharaoh Neferkare (711-697BC), Ptah is said to have:
… made their (the God’s) bodies according to their wishes.
Thus the Gods entered into their bodies,
Of every wood, every stone, every clay,…
Thus, in ancient Egypt, idols were not idle. Images of the Gods, particularly statues, various symbols and objects, structures, and temples were held to be dwelling places of aspects of the Gods’ Spirits. As such, an image was regarded as a body of manifestation for a God/dess, an avatar of sorts. This was particularly true if the image had been consecrated and the God/dess invited to inhabit it. The indwelling Deity was adored, not the image per se.
When asked how best I could draw closer to the Goddess, Michael, my teacher, advised me to stand in front of an image of Her and invoke for five minutes per day. After experimentation, this invocation took the form of an offering rite, and later in a reconstruction of Egyptian temple ceremonies. The result was the same as in ancient times, the growing sense of divine Presence within the image and the joy of intimate communion with that Presence.
It makes sense. Energy follows thought. Venerating an image of the Divine opens one’s subtle senses to the Divine and focuses the mind. Perhaps descendant from ancient belief, the western esoteric tradition teaches that if a thought form is sufficiently well formed, one of the Powers may take interest and ensoul it.
The end result is the same, a sense of Presence, the Gods palpably drawn closer.
The Society of Elder Faiths will be performing the Consecration Ceremony at this year’s Lammas Faire. If you would like to begin or augment a devotional practice, this is a unique opportunity to forge a link with the divine. We invite you to bring an image of your chosen God/dess and join us August 7th at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
Click here for more details!
