We start out with the gods by knowing nothing,
and that is the beginning of our education.
Many of us start out with books,
good ones if we’re lucky,
bad ones when we’re not.
Sometimes we pick up good information
on the gods and goddesses,
but sometimes we come away
with our heads filled with lies and rumors and bias.
To this, again if we’re lucky,
we add personal experience
in all its many forms:
Sometimes they talk to us.
Sometimes we hear them,
and sometimes we do not.
When we hear them,
sometimes we actually listen,
and sometimes we do not.
When we hear, and listen,
sometimes we speak back to them
…and sometimes we do not.
Talking with the gods is generally considered prayer,
but prayer can take many forms:
music and song, dance, feasting and offerings,
joy and laughter and tears,
and sometimes, reverent silence.
However long we revere and venerate them,
we learn more,
and more,
and more.
And the more we learn,
the more we realize
that there is always more to learn,
that there will always be more to learn,
that the task never ends–
and that is the beginning of our knowledge.
All Their Voices 