The Dreamers Exchange

Chapter 4: And Then Came Gods

There are several approaches and several paths to magic. That was what Jake was doing. He wasn't content being the Jew even culturally- that his adopted mother and father raised him to be. Maika was also on this boat, and despite being a practicing norse pagan, was very much culturally Jewish. But Jake? Jake abandoned it, and refused the label- the culture- the holidays. God pushed him away, the angels confirmed it. It was something he knew, and no amount of church meetings or talks with his catholic friend Jeromy was really going to change that in him. Some Jews did magic but now we're getting ahead of ourselves.

There are many "paths" one might approach magic from. The "left handed path" was the one Jake chose. A term originating in Hindu circle's later appropriated by White occultists like himself, it seemed to him to mean becoming divine, serving no master, and being one above all. That's what Jake was on, that's where Jake was going, thats where he wanted to be. The right handed path was more Maika's speed. It was the path of becoming one with divinity rather then separate from it. Becoming one to your gods, rather then above them or equal to them. These two were such a separate pair, it's very weird in retrospect that they ever became friends.

On Jake's journey he had seen a lot. Met alot of people, many gods. If they're not relevant to the story we won't speak of them. But it happened. It certainly happened. He even met fae, and I'm sure we'll recount that eventually. After a certain point Jake found that he just was able to pick up whether or not somebody was human. Whether or not they were a god in disguise easily seeing through it. But in general while he focused on demons he tried at least he attempted to make room for deities. He married Loki, the norse god of trickery, and while god spousing is it's own topic, something of magic in the witchcraft community, he made friends with Woden who kept him at arms length. Athena occasionally guided him and tested him, Apollo and him interacted, and Eros and him had a very let's just say "interesting" relationship.

Once Maika and Jake were in the car. It was a lyft, because at the time neither could drive. Jake was going off about how he angered Apollo. Jake was on the spectrum and whenever he mildly upset somebody if they took distance from him he had a tendency to believe at least at the time that they hated him. So he was saying that Apollo hated him which wasn't true but Jake believed it to be. Maika's mouth hung open in a bit of shock and he put his hand to his face and furrowed his brow and said in his high pitch voice.

"You've pissed off more gods than Percy Jackson!"

"I know that's the problem!" Jake laughed.

"Just stop pissing off gods!" Maika countered

"But it's me!" Jake retorted.

"Yeahhhh" Maika whined.

"I see your point," he continued.

Once Jake brought this up to Zues. Zeus countered. "Stop saying "you've pissed off more gods then Percy Jackson" it's fun a little anecdote. But if you've actually read that book series, you'll find that he's angered quite a few of us, and we favor you. We like you. So stop saying it."

Truth be told Jake was in the god's good graces. After a few times he had even received a few gifts, some with strings attached from a few gods, and Zues had even commented that he liked Jake's very public journal that he had dreams of publishing one day. Jake wanted people to know where he had been. One day he knew he would tell them, or maybe get others to tell the story for him, he was friends with a writers club and he knew a few writers who could easily pass his story off as fiction if the need arise. All he knew was that one day he was going to tell, even if people didn't believe him as he did. Be it as fiction, an epic, or as an anonymous account.

Jake soon discovered when working on himself that he had "aspects". An aspect is a connection a secret half almost. Another part of you. When it comes to divinity on the other hand, an aspect is like an invisible connection. Jake shared a few aspects with a few gods. He didn't know why. But sometimes they approached him. Sometimes he was lucky enough to get a name.