When I first made the transition from Christianity to Paganism I absolutely was afraid of invoking the gods. The main reason why was that I didn't want to piss off my old god enough that he would actually smite me in some way. Long story short and three years later, I still don't know where I stand with deities in general, but I don't fear invoking them.
When my mother was in the hospital for Covid, I did a blot' and had a vision of me standing over my mother pulling the black tar like substance out of her lungs. I had invoked the goddess Eir, who is the god of healing, Thor for protection and strength, and Frigga for family. Two days later my mother was released from the hospital but was on a ventilator. A coincidence that I invoked and she got better? I don't know.
One thing I absolutely will not do is try to contact any of the dead. I might do a ghost hunt, but just to capture what's residually there and not actually try to make contact. No need to disturb them anymore than we already do or have one get attached and try to come home with me.
That leads me to one of the other reasons why I feared invoking other gods when I switched. The afterlife. When I first got into it I was terrified that I would go to hell because I was practicing witchcraft or summoning demons instead of gods. Following this path has really helped me understand that there really is no reason to fear death. The Force is all around us and we will return to it when we pass. Whether or not we retain any consciousness or memory of our previous life remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to that adventure much much farther into the future.
