Planning a Local Cosmology
The ancient Druids are supposed to have echoed the Celtic triad of Gods, Ancestors and Spirits. And so, in constructing a local cosmology, one should consider these three categories as well.
"God" is a loaded term of course. In their Germanic linguistic/cultural origins as "Gott", they were really a diverse category, consisting of natural forces amalgamated with personality (thunder-Thor), ancestral spirits (Wodan/Odin), etc. etc. It is difficult to differentiate sometimes between Gods and Ancestors, or Gods and Spirits. Perhaps such differentiations are idiosyncratic and even futile. When migrating from one's homelands, Gods may be remembered and honored from ancient homelands, but the old stories also caution that Gods of the new lands should also be respected and accounted for, because you are now in their "turf." Worship whom you will, but do not forget the deities of the land you now live in.
Ancestors are those people who were your progenitors. You carry their blood, their DNA. But the most ancient ancestors seem to, through apotheosis and mythologization, become "Gods" in many cultures (they had human origins, mated, gave birth to one's lineage, etc.) You always need to remember and respect your own blood ancestors, no matter what land you move to. You carry them with you in your blood, your DNA, and sometimes in symbolic form such as soil. It is best to also respect the ancestors of the peoples of the new lands too, as they have ancient covenants with the land, and there is no point in angering the dead of the new lands. So in constructing a personal cosmology, make a place for your own blood ancestors and collect knowledge about your predecessors, the original inhabitants of the land you now live in. Learn about the tribes of your area, their names, their ways, how they saw the dead and their ancestors, and go from there.
Finally, the catch-all category of "spirits" (like Gods or Ancestors are not "spirits"?). By these generally are meant the various nature spirits of the land, the devas, the faeries, alfar, landvattir, sylphs, undines, gnomes, genii loci, etc. Each land has its own kind, and the ancestors/aboriginals of that land had certain relationships and knowledge of those land spirits.
So my next task for constructing a cosmology of the Helena Valley is to learn more about these categories of Gods, Ancestors, and Spirits according to the beliefs of the aboriginal inhabitants of this valley. This would include primarily Salish/Flathead, Kootenai/Kutenai, Blackfeet/Piegan, Shoshoni/Shoshone; secondarily I should also look at Nez Perce, Crow, and Chippewa-Cree, who later passed through the area on hunting trips. In ancient archaeological times, this area was also inhabited by Kiowa (according to their oral traditions) and Athapaskans (who are identified with the Avonlea culture and who later traveled to the southwest and became Apache and Navajo). Fluffy "Native American spirituality" books from the bookstore and stories of other tribes such as the Lakota who did not live in this area will not help in this task. You need to know the tribes and traditions of your local area!
Off to the library!....
"God" is a loaded term of course. In their Germanic linguistic/cultural origins as "Gott", they were really a diverse category, consisting of natural forces amalgamated with personality (thunder-Thor), ancestral spirits (Wodan/Odin), etc. etc. It is difficult to differentiate sometimes between Gods and Ancestors, or Gods and Spirits. Perhaps such differentiations are idiosyncratic and even futile. When migrating from one's homelands, Gods may be remembered and honored from ancient homelands, but the old stories also caution that Gods of the new lands should also be respected and accounted for, because you are now in their "turf." Worship whom you will, but do not forget the deities of the land you now live in.
Ancestors are those people who were your progenitors. You carry their blood, their DNA. But the most ancient ancestors seem to, through apotheosis and mythologization, become "Gods" in many cultures (they had human origins, mated, gave birth to one's lineage, etc.) You always need to remember and respect your own blood ancestors, no matter what land you move to. You carry them with you in your blood, your DNA, and sometimes in symbolic form such as soil. It is best to also respect the ancestors of the peoples of the new lands too, as they have ancient covenants with the land, and there is no point in angering the dead of the new lands. So in constructing a personal cosmology, make a place for your own blood ancestors and collect knowledge about your predecessors, the original inhabitants of the land you now live in. Learn about the tribes of your area, their names, their ways, how they saw the dead and their ancestors, and go from there.
Finally, the catch-all category of "spirits" (like Gods or Ancestors are not "spirits"?). By these generally are meant the various nature spirits of the land, the devas, the faeries, alfar, landvattir, sylphs, undines, gnomes, genii loci, etc. Each land has its own kind, and the ancestors/aboriginals of that land had certain relationships and knowledge of those land spirits.
So my next task for constructing a cosmology of the Helena Valley is to learn more about these categories of Gods, Ancestors, and Spirits according to the beliefs of the aboriginal inhabitants of this valley. This would include primarily Salish/Flathead, Kootenai/Kutenai, Blackfeet/Piegan, Shoshoni/Shoshone; secondarily I should also look at Nez Perce, Crow, and Chippewa-Cree, who later passed through the area on hunting trips. In ancient archaeological times, this area was also inhabited by Kiowa (according to their oral traditions) and Athapaskans (who are identified with the Avonlea culture and who later traveled to the southwest and became Apache and Navajo). Fluffy "Native American spirituality" books from the bookstore and stories of other tribes such as the Lakota who did not live in this area will not help in this task. You need to know the tribes and traditions of your local area!
Off to the library!....