Why make UPG so complicated?
I think it's easy for us polytheists to fall into a black-and-white trap regarding UPGs/experiences of the divine. Either every bird and candle flicker is a sign from the Gods, or we dismiss all experiences as total coincidence and fail to see the gods in our daily lives.
Have we considered...writing it down?
I keep a notes app log of all my subjective encounters with the Gods. If I experience something surprising, out of place, or oddly convenient, I write it down. I don't analyze -- just record the facts and how I felt in the moment.
Logging my experiences allowed me to notice patterns. I now know that when I see/hear a god's name several times, within a short time frame (typically 2 days - 1 week), in unexpected, unrelated places -- maybe I should listen up. I also experience "camera zoom" in many of these cases, where I'm staring into space and a sign slides neatly into view, or I'm "panning" and my eyes choose to focus on a detail which upon further examination ends up being deity-related.
At the same time, hindsight allows me to understand that the crows outside and the local business named after Apollo....are just local birds and companies. While journalling can highlight potential divine interactions, it can also highlight cases where we fell for confirmation bias and keep us humble.
Treating subjective experience with a more objective lens allows us to build trust in ourselves and our practice by keeping us grounded in reality, while also honoring spiritual experiences. If you haven't already, I highly recommend writing things down!
