How do you communicate with your Gods/Goddesses?

[Ophelia]

I'm interested to know how do you communicate with your Gods/Goddesses? How did you choose that method? From a book, online forum, did it just always make sense to you, was it determined by the Deity?

I've seen everything from dream visions and ayahuasca and astral travel, to pyromancy and other forms of scrying/divination, to Oujia boards and runes...

As a fairly closeted witchy-thing, I'm interested to hear input from others

[SnowCat]

I talk to them. Sometimes in my head, and sometimes out loud. Just conversation, like I would have with anyone.

Snow

[JaceGem]

If I'm not performing a ritual where I need to formally call them down to assist or praying, I just sit at my altar, clear my head, light my incense and have a casual talk with them. I've had a few pleasant conversations with Apollo this way, nothing fancy or grand, just light friendly conversation and maybe a laugh or two. Like anyone else.

[Shireside]

I don't have one method. Sometimes it's semi-formal prayer at His altar, sometimes it's casual chatter at the steering wheel. I choose to speak in tongues when the matter at hand is especially complicated, difficult, or moving. For the 'listening' half of communication...that comes to me largely through signs from nature through the day. More recently however, due to a new job, my nature time has been fiercely abbreviated and dream recall has been made too unreliable, so I turn to automatic writing (with or without marijuana as an ally) and astral.

[SpiritTalker]

Contemplative prayer and comfy chats, "little voice".By making candle & water offerings, feeding wildlife & sharing any surplus as able in thanks. Acknowledging those little recognition signs and events throughout the day.

[Tutmosis]

I talk to them. Sometimes in my head, and sometimes out loud. Just conversation, like I would have with anyone.

Snow

Same. Although I'm learning a Mau language that consists of different vocalizations that consists of "meows" with emotional intent that the Egyptian lion goddesses have shown me

[Ophelia]

I talk to them. Sometimes in my head, and sometimes out loud. Just conversation, like I would have with anyone.

Snow

Same. Although I'm learning a Mau language that consists of different vocalizations that consists of "meows" with emotional intent that the Egyptian lion goddesses have shown me

So how do you know what they respond with? A conversation is 2 way communication. How do your Gods/Goddesses respond to you?

[Tutmosis]

I talk to them. Sometimes in my head, and sometimes out loud. Just conversation, like I would have with anyone.

Snow

Same. Although I'm learning a Mau language that consists of different vocalizations that consists of "meows" with emotional intent that the Egyptian lion goddesses have shown me

So how do you know what they respond with? A conversation is 2 way communication. How do your Gods/Goddesses respond to you?

They talk to me and I talk back. I'm not sure what you're asking of me. I can actually hear them either mentally or I can hear them as if they were physically next to me.

[Tutmosis]

Oh and I forgot to add they also send me emotional impressions. Tbh I think that's better than hearing them speak words (at times). And also, I've never once held a long conversation with them. Not like I can with another person. I usually would hear them say a few words, and when I respond they send me emotional impressions or speak to me in that Mau way.

[planewalker]

Just focus. I stay that way most of the time. I tend to hold a few cantrips and sometimes something major "At call" so a lot of it is a "Knowing". I'm not sure how you'd explain it. It's understanding of needs and wants. There are times when I'll get a literal "voice" in my head that tells me something I need to know. Once, when I was on leave winter '77-'78, I was up, out of bed, throwing my field jacket on and heading for the door as my "voice" was telling me that the F...y's house was on fire. Two houses down the block, jimmieing their front door and then, fully awake, my "voice" just let me carry on getting people out with the help of the guy who pulled the alarm at the corner. {I'm old enough this is pre 911, call box on every second block} He wondered how somebody in their PJ's and an Army field jacket could be going through the door as he was heading back up the street and the sirens were just starting at the firehouse. He never found out. I had my "voice" guiding and pushing me. Even at the time, the first couple minutes the key was on in the ignition but I wasn't awake enough to drive. It's still happening. The last time I had something that dramatic was the beginning of Jan. '16. Mundane communication goes on when it's needed. I'm an information junky. There are things that sometimes need to be done or ideas to be spread. I think I'm getting the best side of the deal. I hope that makes sense. Like so much of the Arts, it doesn't translate well from the experiencing to language.

[planewalker]

Being an information junky - how about helping us get to know you better with an introduction?

[StarryWater]

Developing imagination as much as possible (not only visualization, but imagination). Pushing my own limits of it by doing it repeatedly. I imagine the deity in every possible way I find interesting, and I let it be imagined spontaneously throughout the day. In a strange way, it imagines me too.

How do you know if it responds? You need to believe in it, for no particular reason. Just believe. Belief is a way to open to the actual experience. Next is to learn the nuances of its energies and differentiate them from your own. It comes with practice. Someone said: if you are unsure, then assume it is true it did communicate with you. You will mistake the communication from time to time, but soon you will know clearly. Give it time. Give it months, years.

Apply every method you find interesting. If you are not interested in the method itself, it will not work well.

[Ophelia]

These are some amazing responses. I think it's so amazing that everyone can have different channels of communication - and that's how it should be with your deities: personal. Built on perfect love and perfect trust.

[Ophelia]

Being an information junky - how about helping us get to know you better with an introduction?

Similar to you, information is where it's at. That's why I started this thread. There is no wrong answer. I wanted to learn from others, to better understand things that I can't learn just from myself. That's what forums are for, right? Exchange of knowledge between like-minded people?

I'll have the find the introduction thread in here. I was so excited to get down to business and start asking and learning from you guys that I skipped the "Hello my name is..."

[Siona]

My primary method is old school prayer, with plenty of pauses of silence to allow deity to 'talk' back. Which, it's usually never like having an actual conversation for me, I do not hear deity speaking back literally, but it keeps me open to them. Ritual, music, meditation, and sometimes dream work are all ways I might commune with a deity, as well. Rarely divination, but sometimes.