A Unverified Personal Experience, or UPE is an experience in which has not been verified, or confirmed by any other source besides the person who experienced it.
Unverified Shared Personal Experience, Shared Personal Experience , USPE, or SPE:
A Unverified Shared Personal Experience, Shared Personal Experience , USPE, or SPE for short is an experience that is experienced by multiple people. This can be experienced at the same time as, or separately of each other.
Confirmed Experience, or CE:
A confirmed experience, or CE for short is when something you have experienced can be proven as true.
Unverified Personal Gnosis, Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis, or UPG:
A Unverified Personal Gnosis, Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis, or UPG for short is a personal belief, or individual’s spiritual insight that an individual understands as true, and does not exist in any form in the accepted lore, or any other form of spiritual understanding.These may also be called in some circles MUS meaning Made Up Shit, especially if the UPG is seen as ridiculous, but as you can imagine this is quite a rude way to refer to a UPG.
Unverified Shared Personal Gnosis, Shared Personal Gnosis, USPG, or SPG:
An Unverified Shared Personal Gnosis, Shared Personal Gnosis, USPG, or SPG for short is a belief, or spiritual insight of a group, or community of people that is created co-dependent of, or separately of the group’s members individual UPGs. These UPGs will take form independently of one another, but will all come to the same conclusion, and will eventually meet up to form the USPG.
Confirmed Gnosis, or CG:
A Confirmed Gnosis, or CG for short is something that is seen to be true, and that appears in lore, metaphysics, parapsychology, folklore, mythology, religion, science, or some other paradigm. To be confirmed it must already be a part of the lore, or must be a VPG.
Verified Personal Gnosis, or VPG:
A Verified Personal Gnosis, or VPG for short is a knowledge, belief, or insight that has been verified to be seen as truth, and now is a greater part of spiritual, metaphysical, or occult understanding.
Lore:
Lore is knowledge that is known as true, and is confirmed by a tradition, culture, religion, and/or other form of paradigm. This knowledge has been verified, and is believed to be true by many people.
A lot of us cross the line from humble to self-conscious, and it can be hard to see our own worth and understand why a deity, with all their awesomeness, would single us out. Obviously I can’t speak on behalf of any deity and I can’t diagnose every case, but I have some running theories about what makes a deity reach out.
Note: The structure of this involves a lot of my personal experiences and beliefs about the divine, so take it as you will. You’re allowed to view it differently than me! Hopefully either way it can help you in some way.
SOME POTENTIAL REASONS:
You’re offering something unique. Everybody worships in a different way, everybody brings something unique to the table. Perhaps they see what you’re doing (or have the potential to do later on) and want a piece of it.
It’s part of something bigger. I’m of the belief that deities still actively orchestrate certain events, and will set pins in place to create change later on. Perhaps for whatever their wider plan is, having you in the fold is good strategic move.
They like what you’re doing already. You’re already living your life in a way that reflects their interests and values, or you’re getting there. You’re already acting as a good example of what they want their followers to be like. So why not make it a thing?
They think they can help. There’s something you need to learn or understand, and deities are pretty known for giving guidance. Your learning style may line up with their teaching style, and there is something uniquely rewarding and satisfying about helping someone with something you know you’re good at.
They just feel like it. I can’t explain the origin behind every relationship I have, sometimes it just happens. Sometimes the reason I talk to someone new is just “They looked cool and I wanted to.” It could very well just be that you piqued their interest!
“But I’m not cool enough for any of that to be me,” You say. Wrong-o! You’re super unique and cool, and absolutely a person of worth! Maybe you’re not measuring your coolness by the same standards the gods/other people are, but everybody has something awesome to offer to the universe. To share an inspirational quote-thing, “Ants are amazing; they lift 5,000 times their own body weight, but that’s just their normal. They can’t see how incredible that is because their perspective doesn’t allow it. It’s the same with you: we can’t see ourselves from the outside to gauge how amazing we truly are.”
“I want to worship X but they haven’t reached out to me…” Reach out to them, then! It’s a two way street. Just cause a deity doesn’t make the first move doesn’t mean you can’t still start a relationship with that deity.
Anyway, that’s my ramble! I’d love to hear some stories of how your gods got your attention!
I notice a lot of new polytheists and aspiring devotees asking what to do to find their deities/feel closer to them/talk to them/etc, so I thought I’d share somewhat in detail what has helped for me when I chose to put my faith in them – aside from prayer and divination
🌱🔸 make plans/rules for yourself and follow them. habit forming is a stepping stone to worship. for me, if I don’t do anything else faith-driven, I at least ring my chime. It doesn’t have to be so obvious, try to work it into your normal routine
🌱🔸just about anything can be an offering! buried offerings are my biggest but writing, brushing your teeth, self control, treat yo’ self, baths, your blog, video games with character select any video games, photos, playlists – you name it. if it makes you think of them, it honors them
🌱🔸on the other hand – if you feel they are stubbornly distant, study them more, try new offerings, look elsewhere. do you have pop culture icons that remind you of someone without inherently representing them? has something at the store been catching your eye? dig deep, follow your gut!
🌱🔸if they do at all, they will not likely present predictably. they have shown themselves to me through physical objects, in birds, in the sunlight between the blinds, in baths, the melodies of my heart, and I suspect endless other variations. but never once did i expect it
🌱🔸 rainfall can be an excellent tool for communication. speak/pray to your deity and listen to the shift in the weather for responsive gestures
🌱🔸 new moons are good for being noticed! light candles to illuminate yourself, talk to them full moons are good for noticing them! turn out/dim the lights and let yourself be overwhelmed
🌱 🔸can’t bury/burn food? don’t like throwing away offerings? your deity might prefer that you eat it for them! if you have strange cravings or see something new, indulge! even if you don’t like it, you tried it for them and tbh that’s just as special
🌱🔸if you’re having trouble branching out, ask your current deity what they think of other gods you are interested in. pay attention when you reread their summaries, was there someone who stuck out this time? don’t forget, the lore is not a set in stone representation of their behavior/interactions with others but it’s important to still be mindful
🌱🔸 if you are trying to use divination, ask your tools what they think of your deities/reach out to a third party diviner some readings might be more willing (and more helpful!) than others.
🌱🔸 if you can’t lucid dream/astral travel (like me) give daydreaming a try! concentrate on what it would look like if you had a meeting spot with your deity. picture what you would wear (if anything), how large or small they are, setting details, lighting, etc. then lose yourself in that world during mediation, chores, walks, right before bed, whenever you can zone out
🌱🔸 if you still can’t, fake it til you make it. improvise with nature sounds, sit in the dark (if you’re okay with that), watch optical illusion gifs, anything that can get your mind creating. take notes on your theories and keep track of what you’ve tried.
🌱🔸 limited supplies? pick from what you’ve got save old jewelry for charms, grab your spare crystals, trinkets you’ve held onto for years, and you can use divination – or my personal favorite “just guess” what they might like. interacting with their item could help form those bonds
most importantly- keep them in your thoughts! you don’t have to do any of these things at all to connect with or find your deity. in fact, I have tried all of these countless times and still not reached some in particular. you might find your own method along the way and that’s all the more special.
remember that whomever they are, they love you already and they know you’re trying
may the bridges I burn light the way 