Gods and Goddesses
One of the most challenging aspects of our practice is navigating worship.
Is there someone out there?
What is a pantheon?
Can I accidentally offend my deities?
Let’s talk about it.
Cat, who are you to say anything about this?
You’re right. I’m a raging atheist.
I’m not personally convinced that there are any gods.
But I’ve still done my fair share of research.
AND I’ve been known to incorporate gods and goddesses in my practice to symbolize and honor certain elements and personalities.
And that’s okay!
That’s part of the freedom of being a witch.
And in this post I’ll cover many of the aspects about worship–whether you believe or not. <3
It’s time to talk about duality.
There are some core fundamental patterns that we as humans look for in the universe.
We’re a social species.
We look for these patterns because it has served us well in our development.
We recognize faces, associate names with faces, acknowledge cause and effect, conceptualize justice, and find a balance.
So what does this have to do with deities or a higher power?
Because we’re always looking for patterns.
Sometimes we find them.
Death and resurrection, feminine and masculine, good and evil.
These are some of the most prominent concepts in our legendary stories.
The resurrection cycle of Ba’al, Mary and Jesus as feminine and masculine, Harry Potter versus Voldemort symbolizing good and evil.
Some of our best stories incorporate these themes.
So what’s the point?
What are humans if not a collection of stories?
It’s how we can relate to one another.
It unites us as communities.
So community groups that lend credence to specific deities use their worship as a way to come together.
How do I know if a god exists?
I ask that same question!
All the f&#%$ing time.
It’s important to evaluate our biases.
I don’t know if a god or gods exist.
But I DO know that different people groups have believed and worshiped countless deities over a great span of time and distance.
Odin, Thor, Balder, and Freyja are real to my Asatru friends.
Lucifer is real to my Satanist friends.
The Hebrew god exists according to my Jewish friends.
My friends are real, and I’m convinced of that.
So when it comes to finding my place in the world, I have to navigate these gods.
However, I do care about the treatment of those members of those groups.
If a god system doesn’t support each member equally, I can count that one out.
So is there someone out there?
There are a lot of people out there.
Your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends.
That’s what I know, and that’s where I base my beliefs.
How would I choose?
Call me irreverent, but I don’t choose.
I’m not convinced any of them exists.
But I’ll definitely say “Hail Odin” as easily as “Hail Satan” to the people who give that meaning.
Your heritage may look different, your direction may differ.
But your path is based on your knowledge and resources.
And I’m glad you’re here. 🙂
What’s the point?
I hope by now that I’ve been very heavy-handed with the concept of community.
Can confirm that atheist communities are just as tightly knit as the next.
But culture as it ebbs and flows today is vast and diverse.
This is the process of sharing a rock hurdling through space.
So should I even decide what I believe?
Uh, ABSOLUTELY.
You have every right to set boundaries and figure out your truth.
You can only make that decision for you.
It can be deeply personal, it can be purely a ritualistic relationship, it can be a vague idea.
My personal growth came from accepting my beliefs and lack thereof!
So if you don’t know what to believe, let’s do a simple overview!
Pantheons
When you think of the Greek gods, you generally think of Zeus, Hades, Hermes, Aphrodite.
When you think of the Roman gods, you generally think of Jupiter, Minerva, Mars, Venus.
When you think of the Egyptian gods, you generally think of Ra, Osiris, Horus, Nut.
They’re groups of gods that are interconnected together.
Sometimes they get along.
Sometimes they’re at war.
Sometimes (and don’t ask me) they even kill each other.
These pantheons are worshiped together.
Perhaps not all at the same time, but if you have a Roman patron deity, or main deity, chances are you at least observe some of the others in that group.
It’s more than okay to favor one god or goddess over the others.
Hell, the gods do that too.
But it’s easiest for me to think of pantheons as a theme that complements my practice.
And to worship the individual gods the way they have historically enjoyed being observed.
Individual gods/goddesses
What if you just want to worship Persephone and no one else?
Even if they’re a part of an existing pantheon?
Dude, go for it.
Make her an altar and dedicate some time to get to know her.
Hades might have something to say about you taking up her attention, but that’s up to you!
It’s important to really figure out what you believe and what path speaks to you.
Can I offend my deity?
The short answer is yes, sometimes.
The long answer is that might not be a problem anyway.
Some deities don’t get along and wouldn’t want to be on the same altar as their adversary.
Some deities wouldn’t appreciate a food offering at all.
But let me give it to ya straight:
Life is short, and if my calculations are correct, it’s the only one we get.
Like I said, I’m terribly irreverent.
No matter how much research I do, it’s not going to be 100% accurate.
Especially when dealing with antiquity.
The real question should be can you offend a people group by worshiping their deity.
Cultural appropriation
Simply, there’s a limit to which you can choose any deity to observe.
And this isn’t for the deity’s sake.
Cultural appropriation is when someone adopts an element of culture that belongs to someone else.
I’ll give you an example: Say I use a dream catcher I bought from the grocery in my home for aesthetic.
There’s a minority people group who use dream catchers as part of their culture.
Some things are out of bounds to incorporate if you haven’t been given permission or are not a member of that minority group.
In the same way, choosing a deity belonging to one of those groups may offend a culture that is trying to preserve their identity.
That doesn’t mean you can’t join an existing system.
It just means you shouldn’t change and adopt certain things that already exist into your own design.
Eclectic witches
Maybe you identify as one of these!
They’re not inherently bad, but they run the risk of tripping over cultural appropriation.
Eclectic witches create their own practice from odds and ends of multiple sources to create a cohesive whole.
They could be Buddhists who incorporate Middle Eastern traditions.
They could be theists who believe all paths lead to god, so why not experiment with Ancient Egyptian faiths?
They could be of Jewish descent but want to revive a worship of Marduk.
Who does it hurt?
That’s a very important question!
It’s important to do the necessary research into your particular interests just in case.
And if there is a dead practice that you’re maybe looking into, there’s no real risk of cultural appropriation.
Why?
Because that culture no longer exists to be harmed by this.
I like to appeal to the Wiccan Rede as a mental practice.
…an harm ye none, do as ye will.”
The Wiccan Rede
Be careful to respect and be sensitive to whom it might hurt.
On the other side of that coin, you do you, boo.
It’s a good way to visualize respect for other cultures and for eclectic witches.
How do I know if my god can hear me?
You already know that I’m not convinced ANY gods exist.
You also know that I choose to observe some deities anyway.
“Wtf is going on?” you might ask.
Something that’s very comprehensive to my practice is to call upon personalities.
And the main way I do that is to appeal to fictional characters from my favorite media.
They’re all fictional to me anyway, as you might imagine.
And I don’t act as if those characters can hear me.
What I’m doing is focusing my intention with visual tools.
It’s still me doing the practice.
Using fictional characters fills a role for me, personally.
I’m able to better visualize what I’m trying to do.
In the end, does it even matter?
While I love Linkin Park, I also have to ask the same question.
And so do you!
Get out there.
Do your homework.
And find your path–whether you pave your own way or follow in someone’s footsteps.
What do you think?
Was this helpful food for thought?
Did I miss something?
Let me know!
Who do you worship and why?
Comment your practice or message me personally from my contact page.
I’m always here, and I love to talk about this stuff.
As usual, be sure to subscribe so you get notified of all new witchy content!
Blessed be,
Cat
