ok well yeah i guess i'm still on that goat trip. when you're called, you're called, and don't take a message & get back to Him later. today i purchased a statue of Pan for my altar. sometimes it feels like i'm the only one in woodstock who isn't hindu or buddhist - there's buddhas and krishnas and shivas and ganeshas and even the odd jesus or two all over town. i've been feeling lost lately and felt i needed a tangible representation of my own image of god. what, to others here who use them, is the function of a devotional statue? is it central to an altar, or merely an "extra"? are there others who have felt strongly called to create or otherwise obtain a statue of a deity? what is the difference between a devotional statue and an idol? idolatry is a sin to some of our christian (and a few other faiths) brothers and sisters, but is it a concept that has any bearings on paganism/wicca/witchcraft at all? how do you "use" a devotional image in ritual, meditation, and/or magic? how have devotional images entered or left your life and practice, and what was the significance at the time? (i've been practicing witchcraft for over 14 years, so i'm not expecting anyone here to give me newbie advice or tell me what's "right" regarding devotional images, icons and statues, as i have developed my own beliefs over the years. however, it's been so very long since i purchased a devotional image, it struck me as an interesting topic for discussion, and i am very interested in hearin people's opinions.)
I have a devotional statue of another horned God, Cernunnos, and I have a Gaia statue on order. Of course having a devotional statue is not idolatry, because you are not actually worshipping the statue itself but rather you have it to honour the deity it represents. For me, I use the statue as a focus for ritual and meditation etc. I have it on my altar to honour Cernnunos and to remind myself of my devotion to the Gods.
Yeah, devotional statues would be more a point of focus or reminder. You never expect the statue to take the role of the deity. Idols are worshipped for what they can do for the person, like the Jews and the Golden Calf in the Bible. Good discussion question though.
i know, according to ken, who's really big on vedic studies, and his boss, who is devoted to ganesha, that to many hindus, there is the belief that the diety resides in the statue, but that's not quite the same thing as idol worship, either. the god resides in the statue, it isn't the statue itself.
That makes sense, that is a very animistic thought, i believe that it can be somewhat accurate to say that. Like the statue is a vessal for contact of the deity.
has anyone created their own devotional statues/images? i'm an artist. i used to work in pastel & charcoal, and one of my best early works was my own contemporary image of artemis, as i understood her at the time. i also make sacred dolls, usually of fabric or wood, to represent certain spirits, or aspects of deity. not sure if i have any images to post though. post yours, if you've made one and are comfortable sharing the image. or, if you have a purchased/found statue and wish to share it for discussion, go ahead and post that, too.
I have an awful lot of Buddhas, and I'm not even Buddhist. I seem to keep getting them as gifts. I even found one in the bottom of an old pot plant once, and one sitting on top of my trash! I have a few other god and goddess figures that have come to me in similar ways. The are dotted thoughout the house. No specifically bought or made ones, just my ecclectic collection of found gods. Totally non-traditional and maybe even disturbing to some, but it sure works for me.
I recently made my wife a nice clay Earth Mother figure, and i have made several ones from anter, as gifts. I have a painted rock for my outdoor alter. I have a bag that i carry daily, had two goddess figures, one turqouise one bone, and a phallic god of antler. I have a newer one for my altar, it is what i always wanted and finally found I will put some pics on of the ones i have made later.
I like having buddha statues all over my house, they remind me to be peaceful, and more aware of thoughts and actions. I still haven't found any statues to represent the goddess and god. does anyone know any websites to find stuff like that?
here are two of the most popular sources for wiccan and pagan devotional statues. there's another company that does resin-cast statues that simulate stone or wood, but i can't find it at the moment. http://www.mythicimages.com/ beautiful contemporary images by oberon zell-ravenheart, formerly of the church of all worlds. check out their millenium gaia! oooooooh! http://sacredsource.com/ formerly JBL devotionals. cast-clay statues of traditional hindu deities, buddhist images, and replicas and contemporary images of celtic, norse, egyptian and gnostic statues, made in india by a community of workers devoted to kali,as well as contemporary statues by abby willowroot.
I have some statues of some wooden carvings that I have no clue what they are. THey look kinda like tikis. This guy that worked with my sister had been in Vietnam and got them while he was stationed in Hawaii and then he gave them to me. One is the chow dog from China, like the mythical one that is all dressed up. I have a glass tiki my dad got back in the late 60s that he tried to make into a lamp... I have some Native American statues, and a peace pipe hanging on my wall. I also have a small Buddha statue, and a large picture of Krishna (i think) on this old record my dad gave me, its got pictures of an old commune in it. I dont worship any of those, but I like their presense on my alter and in my room.
I'm getting Millennial Gaia soon! I love her to death, but I will be paying her off in installments as I don't exactly have $200 lying around!
Off topic somewhat, but if you are in Woodstock, (like Wizarddrew77 and myself) a good store for Pagan imagery and statues is Modern Mythology, by the Village Green B&B in the building next to the Dutch Reformed Church. Granted, you have to go to the far back room of the store to find the stuff, but Daphne has Pentacles and other Celtic/Pagan imagery and altar items. Is that where you go? If not, where do you go for your stuff? But yes, this is mostly a Tibetan Buddhist town. They're even expanding the already grandiose Monastery on Overlook Mountain...
Yeah, the whole point is just a reminder of the deity that the statue represents. I've been slowly accumulating some Buddha statues of my own, one I found in other people's garbage. it was sitting on top of a pile of trash bags. (who throws out a perfectly good Buddha statue?) Its about forty pounds and gold painted. it lives in my band locker at school and its always nice to have that calming image every day. The other I got at epcot and it lives in my bedroom.
i actually found my statue at modern mythology. i'm no longer in woodstock however. i don't have to tell you how much fun it is to find an affordable place to live there. maybe i'll be back in the spring.
i don't have anything like that myself, because i don't have an altar. but i have painted them for other people. i don't have any pictures at this time, however. i thought i had taken one...hmmm but i couldn't find it in my photo library. anyway--i painted a goddess for one woman who wanted a combination of kwan yin and gaia. i've also painted other women/goddesses and trees etc that people told me they put on their altar. and even though i don't have an altar myself i feel honored by that.
it's easy to feel like the minority, I know exactly what you're feeling. for me, it's a focal point for my altar and for rituals, that's 90% of my statue's use. yea, I've made my own statues from wax or clay, and although not as neat as I wish them to be, serve a great purpose.
