Modern witches don’t have to worship a deity. You can just call upon Mother Nature as your chosen patron. However, many do resonate with a particular deity or deities and choose a patron deity to call upon in spellcasting and rituals. Gods and goddesses associated with paganism, witchcraft, and Wicca come from all over the world and cover numerous cultures and traditions, but all are archetypal and similar in their connection to the natural world.
Gaia is considered the eternal and primordial Mother Earth goddess who existed long before Earth was made manifest. She is a symbol of fertility and creative energy; strong, earthy, and generative; and represents the Cycle of Life, death, and rebirth. Gaia is a name often associated with Planet Earth and its environment and has been adopted by the environmental movement to signify a return to protecting and honoring the natural world around us. Gaia is Mother Earth in deified form. Other Earth goddesses are Demeter, Isis, Kore, Shakti, Parvati, and Cybele.
Goddesses of the Moon include Luna, Artemis, Selene, Hecate, Rhiannon, and Diana, the huntress of Dianic Wicca. Moon goddesses are particularly loved by witches because of the prominence of the Moon and its phases in magical practice and the connections between the Moon and menses.
Love and fertility goddesses include Freya, Frigg, Eos, Astarte, Venus/Aphrodite, Ishtar, Juno, Inanna, and Vesta. Goddesses of war, chaos, and power include Tara, Bast, Tiamat, Pele, Morrigan, Minerva, Kali, Ishtar, Inanna, and Astarte. Goddesses of the hearth and domestic life include Hestia, Hera, Hathor, Frigg, Brighid, Diana, Lakshmi, and Vesta. Goddesses embodying wisdom include Tara, Sophia, Saraswati, Shakti, Rosmurta, Nut, Minerva, Cerridwen, Danu, Athena, and Fortuna. Underworld and death goddesses are Hel, Kali, Isis, Persephone, Sedna, and Tiamat.
Goddesses exist that represent every aspect of life and death, so it’s up to the individual witch, or the collective coven, to choose a patron deity, or even more than one deity, to honor. You can worship every goddess in existence for different reasons and at different times, as each represents a different aspect of the cycle and our connection to it. For example, for a difficult challenge you are facing, you might choose to spellcast to a goddess of war or strategy or a wisdom goddess rather than one that more represents home and fertility (unless your challenge involves home life and fertility issues). If you want to become pregnant, then honor a fertility goddess over one of food or death. Learn the various aspects of the deities, and you can tailor your spells and rituals to their respective qualities and characteristics.
Many goddesses exist: Mother Goddess, Earth Goddess, Virgin Goddess, Moon Goddess, Crone, Sun Goddess, Marriage Goddess, and everything in between. If you are attracted to a certain heritage or cultural background, such as Norse or ancient Egyptian, you might choose to work with goddesses by region and culture. Some people love the goddesses of mythology, such as Athena, Venus, Demeter, and Persephone, but you might feel more drawn to one of the more obscure goddesses, even if she is symbolic of a different tradition than the one you are familiar with. Witches and Wiccans can find connection with Hindu deities, Hawaiian deities, Egyptian deities, and others, even if they were born and raised in Newark, New Jersey.
The Roman goddess Diana is associated with the Moon, the countryside, and she is the goddess of hunting. This painting by Guillaume Seignac portrays her with the traditional bow and arrow.
The Roman goddess Diana is the Wiccan goddess of choice. She rules the Moon, wild animals, the woodlands, and hunting. She is usually portrayed holding an archer’s bow and arrow with a hunting dog or deer by her side. Diana was also a fertility goddess and goddess of light and healing. She replaced Luna as the goddess of the Moon in ancient Rome and later became associated with Hecate (below) as goddess of the Underworld. She is also the goddess of sacred groves and forests. Today’s feminist witches and Wiccans honor Diana exclusively.
Diana is also associated with Artemis, the Greek goddess in Hellenic lore, daughter of Zeus and Leto. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, and she represented the woods, hunting, forests, hills, virginity, and fertility, and was, like Diana, portrayed with a hunter’s bow and arrow alongside a deer or dogs.
Athene/Athena is a Greek goddess often associated with witches, although she was really the patron goddess of wisdom, courage, justice, skill, warfare, strategy, civilization, philosophy, horses, and vehicles. The Russian goddess Baba Yaga represents the old crone aspect, riding through the air on her mortar and pestle. The Egyptian goddess Bast, who has the head of a cat, is the protectress of the Pharaoh, a kind and gentle mother figure who becomes lion-headed and warlike if crossed or threatened.
One of the most popular is Hecate (or Hekate), the ancient Greek goddess of crossroads, dreams, intuition, the Cycle of Life, and the Moon, who is usually accompanied by a three-headed white dog that guards her. She is the goddess to invoke for transitional periods like menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, a new job, or a divorce or death in the family. She is a Titan and daughter of Zeus and was once a powerful nature goddess of the night. She is also the goddess of ghosts and later was associated with the Underworld.
Another Greek goddess of transformation and metamorphosis, and one well skilled with herbs, potions, and working with animals, is Circe. She was a nymph in Greek mythology, and her father, Helios, exiled her to an island called Aeaea. She can be invoked for spells and rituals involving justice against abusers and for getting through a major transformation. She was an expert at necromancy and had a strong magical talent. She is the goddess of magic and the spirit of magic, and she can turn humans into animals when angered.
The Germanic goddess Abonde is considered the main archetype of fairy tale witches and goddesses. She is considered the inspiration for wicked stepmothers, fairy godmothers, and Snow White herself. Abonde is a goddess of winter and one of the main Wiccan goddesses in Europe. She is said to adapt her looks to the situation and can be a beautiful maiden in white who represents fertility and abundance or a wrinkled, old crone with glowing, red eyes who represents illness and death.
Artist Christopher Williams’ portrayal of the Welsh goddess Cerridwen shows her in a thoughtful pose, which is fitting for a goddess of poetry and inspiration.
The Welsh goddess Cerridwen was called the mistress of the cauldron and a goddess of inspiration and poetry. She was a mother and crone figure in Celtic life and worked with a cauldron that could raise the dead. Cerridwen is linked to the legends of King Arthur but also to Bran the Warrior because she gave him the gift of a cauldron, which some consider the Holy Grail itself, the sacred chalice that represents the receptiveness of the feminine.
Charles Leland’s Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches drew attention to the Italian witch/goddess Aradia, who represented the Moon, the poor, and the oppressed and was said to be kind and beautiful as well as wise. She lived in Volterra, northern Italy, and taught in the latter fourteenth century of an Age of Reason that would one day come into place. The sect of witchcraft that arose from the teachings of Aradia is Italian Stregheria, which has its roots in Dianic Wiccan teachings.
In initiatory covens or covens with a hierarchal structure, the role of the high priestess is meant to physically embody the chosen goddess or female deity and channel her energies and powers for the rest of the group. She becomes a human representation of the characteristics of the goddess and serves as a vessel or tool through which the goddess works her magic. She becomes the goddess in human flesh for the time she is given to act in such a role.
Obviously, the high priest serves the same role with the male deity or god in mixed covens. Often, the high priestess simply represents female goddess energy in general (rather than a specific deity) and the high priest male god energy, and the union of the two is sometimes marked in a ritual act of sex between them. This can be the real deal or just a symbolic ritual depending on the coven’s rules. In covens where both gods and goddesses are acknowledged, it’s all about balance of the male and female, the yin and the yang, and the dualities of dark and light, night and day, good and evil. It is also a way for male witches to accept their feminine sides and female witches to accept their masculine sides and for them to learn to work with that opposing energy in spells and rituals.
In Wicca, the divine goddess is represented by the Moon deity, Diana, and the Horned God, Pan. The divine goddess may also be called the Triple Goddess, representing Maiden, Mother, and Crone, each representing the energy of the major stages of a woman’s life and the main phases of the Moon—the waxing Maiden, the full Mother, and the waning and new Moon of the Crone. The Horned God represents Earth and grounded, practical magic and energy.
They are called Lady and Lord respectively. Mercury/Hermes is the lower deity in Wicca, representing the divine forces of magic. The three are often grouped together in imagery. Thus, the high priestess and high priest might be referred to as Lady and Lord in a coven setting. Usually, the deities are given gender equality in power and represent duality and harmony, but some modern Dianic Wiccan covens give more power to the feminine divine and may not even include the masculine aspect at all. In older and more traditional witchcraft covens, the male deity takes precedence as the Sun God representation.
A statue of the Horned God and Mother Goddess created by artist Bel Bucca and owned by the late Doreen Valiente.
A high priest/priestess might be the same person for the life of that coven or be chosen for just a certain period of time to allow others in the coven a chance to step up their power and become a human force for the goddess or god to work through. The truth is, though, that any witch can channel the energies of the deities at any time. It’s an honor to have the title of high priest/priestess in a coven, as it is an incredible responsibility to take on, but we are all high priests/priestesses in our own practice. One of the reasons people are drawn to witchcraft and nature traditions is because they don’t demand an intermediary or middle man the way religions do. Catholics must go through a priest and others in the holy hierarchy to access the divine, and Christians must use the Holy Spirit to reach the Father. In witchcraft, it is possible to connect with the divine just standing outside under a full Moon. In this respect, covens that put too much emphasis on the powers of the hierarchy usually are more hereditary and formal and may not be your particular cup of herbal tea. Watch out, too, for ego issues with those who take on any kind of leadership role, whether permanent or temporary. The idea is to channel the deities, not to act like a power-tripping deity and demand that others bow to their desires and needs.
Other than Pan, the Horned God of Wicca, male deities include Sun and Sky Gods like Zeus, Sunna, Ra, Aten, Dagda, Apollo, Govinda, Odin, Horus, Mithras, and Krishna. Father Gods, such as Odin and Zeus, act as both the mighty male parent and supernatural overlord. Most gods are Sun Gods, but Moon Gods, like Horus, also exist as well as fertility and hearth gods, such as Lugh, Herne, Pan, Osiris, Cernunnos, and Eros.
Dionysus represents ritual ecstasy, agriculture, music, wine, and communicating with the dead. Ganesh is the god of beginnings and a patron of the arts, music, and wisdom. Coyote is a First Nations trickster god, and Loki is a Norse trickster and shape-shifting god. Dagda is a bawdy, funny, Irish Father God. Thoth is the god of magick and wisdom. Tammuz is the god of all things green. Rama is the representation of man deified. Anubis is a god of the dead, along with Osiris, an Underworld god.
Gods of every type and sort exist, each with some masculine aspect to be honored, celebrated, and emulated. As with goddesses, it comes down to what god is needed at the time or which deity you resonate with, if any. You can just honor masculine/male energy in a broader sense in your rituals and only turn to a particular god when you feel it necessary for the success of a spell or incantation. All of the deities, male and female, have skills, gifts, and lessons to offer if we call upon them.
A few favorite gods are Ares, the Greek god of war, courage, and male virility. Ares was one of the Olympian gods and the son of Zeus and Hera. Apollo is an ancient Greek god of light, prophecy, wisdom, medicine, poetry, dance, reason, and herds and flocks.
The Germanic Leonard was a demon inspector general of black magic and sorcery and was referred to as le Grand Negre or “the black man” because of his face being blacker than the night sky. He was also the grand master of witches at their sabbats. Legend claims that he had a goat’s body; three horns; a goat’s beard; and inflamed, red eyes. He is often portrayed with a face on his buttocks, and he can shape-shift into a bloodhound dog, a blackbird, and a tree trunk with a face.
The Celtic Cernunnos is the male aspect of nature, like Pan. He is called Lord of the Wild Things and is associated with animals, forests, material wealth, good fortune, and virility. He appears as a stag with large antlers and was worshipped throughout the Celtic regions of Britain into Ireland, where many cults existed in his honor. The Romans, when they wanted to destroy all remnants of paganism, associated him with their god Mercury and, later, a trickster god, Herne. However, that did not stick with the pagans, and the Church then attempted to make Cernunnos, like Pan, into the Devil and something evil.
The half-goat Greek god Pan is a spirit of nature, music, sex, and fertility. He is also a god of the spring and is associated with theatrical criticism.
Wiccan traditions believe that Cernunnos is born again every winter solstice, married to the Moon Goddess Beltane, and dies on the summer solstice in an eternal Cycle of Life, death, and rebirth. Today, he is a favorite god of male Wiccans and witches and represents the Wheel of the Year and the Cycle of Life in nature.
Most male gods come from the myths of ancient Rome, Greece, and the Nordic countries as well as the far more ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian gods and deities that are still revered today.
One can choose from a whole pantheon of deities in Wicca and witchcraft. They cover various heritages, regions, and cultures the world over, but you don’t have to come from Egypt to work with Egyptian deities or from Wales to work with a Celtic god or goddess. It’s really all about what resonates with you. Have you always felt drawn to a particular culture or time period in history? Do you feel a more positive vibration when reading about Celtic goddesses than you do ancient Greek or Roman? It’s about finding what works for you, the witch, and feeling your way into the deities that most embody the traits and characteristics you desire to emulate or embrace.
If it’s all too complicated, don’t be afraid to just use Father God or Mother Goddess and call it a day! You are really calling upon the male/masculine and the female/feminine divine energies, so name them as you please.
A list of some of the more prominent gods and goddesses in the world can be found in Appendix A at the back of this book. This appendix does not contain every god and goddess in existence, so if you just don’t feel a connection to any of these, look into the deities of China, Japan, the Pacific Islands, and other indigenous peoples. Ultimately, you can choose to honor the entire pantheon, just one deity, or none at all and still proudly call yourself a witch. The key is to work with the male/female dual energies, which can be represented in any way that suits you.
Don’t ever forget that the god and goddess energies are in you. Many witches will tell you that invoking a particular deity is about going within and asking that part of your own being, your own personality, to come forth and be of aid. Meditate on this and see what comes up. The subconscious mind often knows better what suits us than our crazy, distracted monkey brains.
When working with deities, you may find that you need to work with the opposite gender to balance or heal the side of you that gender is aligned with. For example, if you are a woman and you have a hard time expressing more masculine energies and traits, such as assertiveness and a commanding presence in the workplace, you can work with a male deity to help balance your yin and yang. If you are a male and you feel like you’ve been suppressing the more feminine side of your personality and need to sharpen your intuition and creative skills, you can ask a goddess for help. We are all just seeking balance and harmony, so don’t be embarrassed to work on that other side of you that seeks a voice and expression.
Just as some people claim to have a patron saint they pray to and put little statuettes of on their car dashboards, witches may take on a patron deity to work with. Choosing a patron deity means that this will be your go-to god or goddess for most of your craft work. Think of this deity as a teacher and mentor and a direct link to the divine energies.
Finding the perfect patron deity comes down to knowing exactly what path you are on with your craft and what you still need to learn. Sure, you can still work with other deities, but your patron is ideally your major focus because she or he has a deeper connection with you. This is where using your heart and intuition come into play, as choosing a patron is not something you analyze and think about with the left brain. It has to be felt, even intuited, and often, you will sense being drawn toward a particular deity more than others. Go with it and research the deity to make sure it’s a good fit, knowing you can change at any time. It’s not like signing a marriage license.
Don’t be surprised if you end up choosing a deity that is far different from your own background or heritage. An Italian witch might prefer to work with Rhiannon or Cerridwen, Celtic deities, simply because they speak more to her and magnetize her to them. A male might prefer working with a goddess to help him bring out his more feminine side, and a female might prefer working with balancing her male energy and welcome a patron god into her practice.
Again, this isn’t marriage, and you can always choose a new patron when the time is right, just as you would choose a new mentor in business. Working with a patron deity can involve anything from creating a ritual to honoring them, asking them for assistance with spells and intention work, dancing and singing in celebration of them, and writing their names upon candles and altar tools. You will also be asking them to impart certain gifts and strengths onto you through prayer, meditation, spellcasting, and rituals.
Think about starting your day with a prayer or invocation (an evocation is a command or a demand for a god or goddess to appear—it’s better to invoke and ask nicely) asking your patron deity to make the connection. Do this at night before you go to bed to end your day on a powerful and connected vibration. You may want to meditate or just chat out loud with your patron. It doesn’t have to be formal or structured and should feel comfortable to you. Ask your patron deity to protect you and your loved ones as you sleep and to help guide you through your day. Your patron should ultimately feel like your closest confidante and a trusted mentor you can turn to at any time.
When a challenge arises, talk to your patron deity as you would a close friend and ask for insight and wisdom rather than begging them to solve your problems for you. A patron deity is not a slave or a genie out of a bottle. They are not here to save your butt or make things easier so you can slide through life. They are here to help you, educate you, enlighten you, encourage you, work with you to bring about your manifested intentions, and, yes, even protect you, but they demand your respect and reverence in return along with some action on your part.
