-> What is godspousing?
I want to start this saying I'm not godspoused to any of my deities, though I have seen the term "godspouse" flying around and some people being hostile to those who are godspoused, as if the mere notion of it was wrong or nocive somehow. And why would that be, I thought to myself? And as I read about, I got a little intrigued.
After all, what is godspouse?
First, let's look at the definition:
Godspouse - noun: (paganism, especially Germanic paganism) A mortal person who marries a deity, according to the OneLook.
As one can presume, there's different forms of relationship between a person and their Deity. For some, it's platonic, as a friend, mentor, and family member. For others, it's merely profissional, courteous, and respectful. And those are very valid!
Every relationship is different, and all of them are alright.
But Godspouse seems to get all sorts of reactions out of people. Some think it's rubbish, that it doesn't exist and people are just misinterpreting signs, most definitely it must be that, right? Or suddenly, you're working with a trickster spirit instead of the real deity.
There are a lot of forms of godspousing, and most of them are just a bond of devotion to a particular deity. This, of course, can come in the form of romantic love. I could compare it, even though it doesn't do justice enough imo, akin to being a nun, but that's not quite what it is.
It's a much deeper relantionship than just devotion. You are devoted, yes, undoubtedly, but you are also in a personal relationship with your deity, be it a God/Goddess, an angel or a demon.
Your godspouse is your main deity, the one who is always nearby, the one you're closer to than others you work with it. I saw around that you could have one or more godspouses, though by my researches that wasn't all that common - or, people don't talk about it a lot, due fear of being ostracized and made fun of, or just for preserving their own privacy, because it is a personal experience and they don't really have to divulge it unless they explicitly want to.
While some say if you're committed enough to them, you could ask your deity to take the next step with them, to be theirs. Others say if this relationship is supposed to happen, the deity would let you know and ask you to be theirs.
It seems this hatred and aversion boils down to how your theological worldview shapes your idea of such concepts. To some, marriage is a sacred union of souls; something tangible only for humans as Gods and Goddesses, demons and angels, and everything in between have no corporal bodies, and viewing them in any other form is quite blasphemous or problematic, given our clear lack of apprehension of what the truly Divine is.
It's pretty common for godspouses to be in a physical relationships or be married to someone else, despite having a relantionship with their Deity and usually, the Gods are alright with this, but some Gods may desire you not to take on other relationships.
-> Was this practiced in the past?
Godspousing wasn't practiced in antiquity, and if they were, it wasn't documented in any book or grimoire, or it got lost somewhere / erased in history. But really, it existed many different forms of long-term religious roles such as the Vestal Virgins, the Oracle of Delphi, or the galli priests of Cybele existed. Even if these relationships were not spousing, it existed.
Looking at geographically nearby comparisons, Egyptian religion did have the God's Wife of Amun during the 18th and 20th-26th dynasties, who was usually a wife, sister or daughter of the reigning Pharaoh whose job it was to tend the sacred cult image of Amun in Thebes which also included sexual rites - sex was as important to making sure a god had a healthy, normal life among humanity as bringing him meals and annually carrying him down the river to join Mut and visit Khonsu was. But that was a bureaucratic, usually royal appointment.
In Hinduism, the concept of a "godspouse" isn't a direct one. Instead, the focus is on the relationship between the divine and the individual, often through the lens of a chosen deity (Ishta-Devata).
Bhakti, a Sanskrit term meaning "devotion" or "love", is a central concept in Hinduism and other Indian religious traditions. It refers to the spiritual path that seeks union with the divine through love and devotion to a personal deity or the Absolute. Bhakti can manifest itself in many forms, including worship, devotional chanting (bhajan), dance, meditation, and devotional service.
Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion. The chosen deity can be seen as a partner or guide on the path to spiritual enlightenment.
Now, even if there's no evidence of this, or even if people think that "godspouse" is just a trendy, new thing, it's complex, to have a relationship with the divine, that is, be it platonic, familial or romantic. For some, being just comfortable with your deity without doing some big, fantastic ritual is quite unsettling.
Point is: someone will always be bothered with others' practices.
-> Clarification
Now, having said all of that, can we talk?
It’s does not look good for you when you are actively taking your time to bash and criticize people just for things that you guys think are fake, forced, unreal, or a spiritual psychosis (which is a very serious matter and should stop being throw around as if it doesn't meant anything) just because someone's practice is different than yours.
There's no right or wrong because every practitioner practices differently, worships differently, and has a different relationship with their deity.
If you can hate actively like that, you should be bettering and focusing on yourself.
For the godspouses, go and love your gods, I find so cute y'all posts on here! Your gods love you and so do I, you guys are valid asf ♡♡
