My Polytheism

I wasn’t going to write about this.

I wasn’t going to write about this, because so many have said it, and said it well: that polytheism is not a monolith; that there is no “culture of polytheism”; that those who put themselves up on some holier-than-thou plinth are likely to have it crumble beneath them.

I wasn’t going to write about this, but…

But.

But, if I remain silent, I subvert my own beliefs and practices.  But, if I subvert my own beliefs and practices, I am allowing others to hold sway.  But, if I allow others to hold sway, I may as well strip the mantle from myself and go back to stepping exactly where someone else steps, and…

And.

And, fitting myself into someone else’s skin is not my polytheism. And, applying concepts that do not fit and adhering to arbitrary bullshit determined by those who do not believe what I do is not my polytheism. And, letting others speak for me rather than speaking myself is not my polytheism.

So.

• My polytheism is Action – I must do.  I must make active choices.
• My polytheism is ma’at, but not always Ma’at – I am concept-centric rather than Deity-centric, but both are present.  I keep them close to me in different ways, and they fit together like pieces of an enormous jigsaw puzzle.
• My polytheism is Malleable – I will not stagnate.  I will not do something unless it works, regardless of how often it is mentioned in “the lore”, or how many others do it.
• My polytheism is Mystery – I will not always understand what is presented to me, but I will continue to try until it is complete.
• My polytheism is Personal – I do not expect anyone to believe what I believe, or practice what I practice, and I respect what others do until it incorporates applying a Universal Standard.  I believe there is no Universal Standard.
• My polytheism is Tangling and Untangling – I will connect and disconnect, anchor and sever, expand and contract.  I will in-know and out-know.  I will set boundaries.
• My polytheism is Vocal – I must speak up because no one else can speak for me.  I must speak until I am heard, and then again until someone listens.
• My polytheism is Work – Encompassing all of the above, limited and unlimited by my own choices.

It may not be complete or understandable, but it is mine.