Analyizing and Understanding Walt Whitman's "Chanting the Square Deific"

Walt Whitman's poem "Chanting the Square Deific" is an intricate poem that elaborates on four different types of gods. Each stanza in his poem is describing a different god. Each god has a connection of some sort, whether closely related or not. Instead of relating to the Trinity, Whitman is referring to the Square Deific. Each corner of the square is a different god. The god in the first corner is the Judgmental God. "Unpersuadable, relentless, executing righteous judgements..."This is how Whitman describes Him. He portrays God as a god of mean and relentless, and with no mercy. He can be named Jehovah, Old Brahm, Father Time, and Saturnius. These are different types of gods from different religions.
In the second corner, or second stanza, Whitman describes a god that is gentle and forgiving God. "For I am affection, I am the cheer-bringing God, with hope and all-enclosing charity..."This is a God that most people like to think about, but do not. This God is comforting and caring. He is very contrast to the first God in stanza one. "All the world have I given up for my dear brothers’ and sisters’ sake, for the soul’s sake..."Now he is talking about a God that sacrifices himself for His brothers' and sisters'. When picturing this God, it is a peaceful God that some or most people can relate to. In his poem, Whitman compares this God to Lord Christ, Hermes, and Hercules. He compares Lord Christ and Hercules, by the fact that they were both born by a god and by a human being (Zeus and a human, and Mary and the Holy Spirit). Hermes was a messenger god, while Lord Christ was a messenger of the Holy Bible.
In the third corner, or third stanza, he describes Satan. "Comrade of criminals, brother of slaves, Crafty, despised, a drudge, ignorant..." Now this is a completely different god than we have seen in the other stanzas. This is not a god that anybody would like to come across. Here he projects evil.
In the fourth corner, or fourth stanza, is the Holy Spirit. Whitman describes the Holy Spirit as, "Beyond the light, lighter than light, Beyond the flames of hell, joyous, leaping easily above hell, Beyond Paradise, perfumed solely with mine own perfume..." This is a peaceful picture. Whitman combines the Holy Spirit into God, Saviour, and Satan. He also labels the Holy Spirit as "...the general soul..."
Overall, Whitman elaborates on the four different gods of the Square Deific. Each god has his own traits and characteristics.