I would say it doesn't fully manifest until after you die, like artists whose work is never appreciated while they were alive, no matter how hard they tried. People who make an impression in history are remembered, revered, and sometimes apotheosis does happen. I have like 5,678 billion ideas on the topic, lol, but for now I will stick with: you need people to notice you, to want to look to you for guidance and to find you a worthy recipient of their prayers. I'm not going to pray to a toaster to help me find inner peace or to give me psychic dreams, but I may pray to Gandhi to help me peacefully resist my oppressors.
I think to go on with the intention of becoming a god of others is just cocky; we are all divine and we are all gods of our existences. To seek to spread that influence over others is, in my opinion, too blunt and rather... I dunno how to put it... I would just be extremely put off by someone acting out of the idea that they will become a god figure eventually.
The mention of apotheosis implied need for followers. This topic just screams "cult" to me, lol. You either need a darn good idea, or some skill in brainwashing to get a substantial amount of people to agree to follow you.
I can see how you hear that Kikuyo ;) I agree that brain washing others can make you feel like a god, but that does not make you one. However, I think that even someone we raise to godliness is not a god unless they truly see themselves as one. I think that a god in human form such as Gandhi, Buddha, Christ, etc. would not actively seek to be a god but except the idea that they are. :)
I think humans can achieve an ultimate peace of mind and perhaps even a mastery of an ability or two with an entire lifetime of dedication, but more then that I don't believe in. I have seen people from teenage(lol) to middle aged claim to have reached that spot, but they lacked a few traits I think would be practically required. Patience, ability, wisdom, and intelligence just to name a few. This leads me to believe that most people who claim to have reached such a state are simply in need of something to brag about. Most likely these individuals are lacking something in their life, such as perhaps a real life.
Very good point Rag, and I might add that people who wish to obtain such a position are usually power hungry children who do not actually realize the responsibility that is entailed.
Any position of true power requires dedication, loyalty to a cause or belief, leadership abilities, patience wisdom and intelligence like you said, a rather sizable knowledge base, the power to retain that title and not get it stolen from you by something else and also a level head. I personally find those who claim it and yet are lacking in several of those areas to be amusing, especially when challenged to an astral war, that is one of the best way to prove them wrong, demoralize them and break their spirit, then leave them in the dust to rot.
I mean words are one thing, and replying "You're wrong" is one thing, but those are just words, truth comes by action, whether astral or physical it is action nonetheless, if they can not provide the action, then they must be false.
That's true but keep in mind, gods differ between religions and myths.
In Greak Mythology there are many useless, nearly powerless gods out there.
In Egyptian Mythology, most all of them have a wrath not needing to be challenged.
Christianity Monotheism the one god is the most powerful intity in all of existance.
And so on...
It all depends on belief of what one may become or how powerful they become when attempting complete divination.
It could mean they simply want immortality or to rule the world.
"God" or "Godly" are too general and broad of terms to really depict how far they may get.
On the other hand we have opinions, allowing belief or complete open mindedness. In which case, in my opinion, I would agree with Kikuyo. Oddly enough I believe she has it right, that it's possible but not in complete, humanly mortal form. Any kinf of godly indention on one's soul wouldn't come into view or rather it would lay dormant until they are free of the basic human's bounds.
And the way to become free of any host or form/body is through the astral, if one is content with their power being mainly astral they may succeed, the difficulty comes when trying to merge astral and physical together, the body is used as a conduit for power when trying to make astral things come physical, but no human body can contain a massive source of power, it would basically explode from the pressure. Other forms are required to achieve such a state, thus rendering it rather difficult to achieve in the physical.
