House Gods and Angels

I have been thinking about how our human Gods are made. It seems to begin with a thought or concept that stick in the mind, creating a momentum of its own through constant reinforcement.
I’m thinking about how the power of thought appear in crowd situations. If you watch a demonstration, for instance, it is interesting to see how a group can create an atmosphere so intense that some are compelled to acts of violence and random destruction they would never normally dream of . I’m thinking about the recent student fee demonstration in London, for example,  when a young guy dropped a fire extinguisher onto a crowd many feet below. The collective mind takes over in those situations. It is almost as though people become bigger, stronger and bolder when bolstered by the group dynamic. But  then the demonstration is over and the mood deflates.
The same must be true when Gods are created. Except in this case we have a continuity in the group when led in worship by a priest/ess or guru. A God/ess is created to explain the primal force of creation, for instance – or thunder, rain or spring. The worship of these deities is upheld through ceremonies and rituals over centuries, and the power of these collected thoughts create a momentum of its own. Over the years the myths change; Inannas young husband, Dimuzu, destined to die and then rise again for the good of the land, gives way to a new myth about the virgin born King. And so on. But behind it all lies a need to personify and communicate with our creator, I think.
So, I have been busy creating some ceramic House Gods on my own ! I was inspired by the Roman Gods Lares and Penates. In Rome, each family had their own set of  personal Gods to safe guard against house fire, ill health, redundancy and bad luck.
My House God sculptures are altogether more frivolous. They are made of smoke fired and glazed ceramics and they’re between 7-10” tall.
And here is the moment some of them are born out of a smoke firing bin
 

You can find more on my website www.annakeiller.com