>>Well I think this hits the fundamental division between the recons and the
>>hermetic Pagans I know. The recons believe in an existent literal
>>polytheism grounded in history and heritage where as the hermetic (and
>>fluffies) tend to see them as archetypes of psycological truths.<<
I also think that one can practice Reconstructionist Pagan religion(s) and
not necessarily bother too much about issues of 'belief'. Also the Hermetic
practitioners I know tend to be big on the belief side... I'm not sure if
they believe the deities are completely concrete, or literally (gaseous or
whatever actual form) tangible, but they certainly seem to believe in an
external reality of these "beings". I know they see the Goetic demons in the
DuQuette "they are aspects of your self" way, but with deities the
Hermeticists I know do believe in the deities, well... I guess more
personalised deities tend more toward the "archetype of a humanly
recognisable behaviour" say, Hermes (eloquence, speed, communication, quck
wittedness) or Aphrodite (love, sex, beauty) etc, but then less "human"
deities, those of larger things, like the earth, sun, night sky, (or very
small things, atoms), as real... maybe their "deity" status" is
questionable, but their reality as "things" I gather is believed in.
From
Caroline Tully.
http://www.myspace.com/carolinetully
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