Honoring many Gods

I consider myself to be a Polytheistic Witch. I honor many Gods, well many Goddesses and a few Gods. I’ve always been a believer in Female Deity. When I was small I would argue about it not being fair that the Christian god was a man, I felt left out. I knew that there were Gods that were female, but never could understand why they were forgotten. Later in my early 20s when I found the Occult and began studying the Esoteric, I was drawn to the Goddess path, though that never really fit either, I wanted to work with specific Goddesses, not one.

When I refer to “The Goddess” I don’t mean one singular deity, rather I refer to a collection of Deity that are female. While I don’t consider myself a Goddess worshiper in the traditional sense, I do worship many Goddesses.  I believe that I formed this collection of individual Goddesses into a whole, because as a child this singular point was missing in my life and I considered the lack of female deity a singular thing and thus it translated over into my vocabulary as one thing missing, Goddesses. So in my writings if you see me refer to “The Goddess” I mean, many or all Goddesses. While I make a point to be very clear, in my past writings as well as conversations with others I find myself using this phrase, and want to be very clear about what my beliefs are. It is taking a while, but I am reprograming my language to reflect my beliefs.

In addition, I don’t really follow the belief that deity is just archetypes, though I do teach archetypes as part of the self and even as individual goddesses who perhaps fit into a particular archetype and what we can learn from them in the manner. It is my belief that while they can fit into archetypes, they are all individual Deity with their own personality. While I do believe that there are some deity such as Aphrodite and Venus who are indeed the same deity with different cultural names, I don’t believe that Aphrodite is the same as Oshun, just because they might be similar, they are clearly different goddesses. Same with Sulis and Minerva. While the Romans may have renamed Sulis, Sulis Minerva, Minerva is clearly a Roman Matron Goddess, and Sulis is clearly a deity of place, and can be considered both Genius Loci (spirit of place) and Deity all in one. While the melding of two cultures may have combine these goddesses I stand firm that they remain different and separate deities.

I firmly believe that archetypes can be worked with, especially when helping to identify a new deity/spirit, and when we look at them in reference to our own soul and how one might be able to see parallels and learn lessons, but I FIRMLY believe that our Gods are so much more powerful and do exist outside the constructs of an archetypal framework. Our Deity, much like spirits are individuals, they have autonomy, and act in accordance with their own will.

So how does one worship many Gods? Well, with much practice, many shrines, a working altar, and much devotion. While I do tend to work with more female deity, due to being completely deprived of their existence as a child, I also honor the Masculine. I work with Deities such as Apollo and Belenos who represent the sun, the masculine, and in the case of Apollo, Oracular work.  Belenos is honored in my Tradition’s working as well as my workings with the energies of Avalon and Glastonbury. Gwyn ap Nudd is worked with as a contrast to the solar deity, he is a Psychopomp and lives in the fae realms of the earth with the entrance at the Glastonbury tor, so he is honored with my tradition in the darker half of the year, with spirit work, and all manners of issues concerning the Fae.

Yes, as you can see I am honoring many Gods, over several cultures. I happen to be a mix of European cultures, and have Roman, Welsh, Irish, British and Scot in my blood. I am ½ British and was raised as a Brit in America. I am drawn to the UK, the culture, customs and ancient history of my people. However, I am not limited to just the British Isles, I am connected to all of Europe through ancestry and find that I am dawn to their magical and esoteric practices. So this brings me to ancestral and sprit work. While I do honor many Gods, I also honor many ancestral and local spirits. Part of the training that I went through to learn how to be a witch and pass initiation was working with Ancestors of Place, Blood and Spirit. When I first began to learn about working with the ancestors I didn’t appreciate it nearly as much as I do now. It wasn’t until I began to teach my students, that they showed me the vast diversity of working with the ancestors. Many were not so interested or willing to learn about them, but many were very eager and wanted to find ways to work with them in their own practice. Through this we began to work with specific people of the past, groups or hives of ancestors such as “Ancestor Priestesses” or “The Bone Ancestors” which are groups of ancestors that have contacted us during the time we honor them. As a Priestess, and not having hundreds of generations to look back on, working with the spirits of women who have come before and taken a priestess or priestess like mantle has been really incredible, and very rewarding. However this might have to be a different blog post as what I have to say is long and vast and I want to cover some more about the Goddesses I work with!

Working with Goddesses was what really filled my heart when
I first found the pagan path. It was everything that was missing, and today
working with them continues to be one of the most filling practices that I
practice within the esoteric umbrella. It all began when I was 15, Aphrodite
was heavily present in my life. I was confused, raised in a Baptist home, and
so my obsession with her turned into my passion, I honored her in my writings,
and school projects and even dressed up as her for Halloween. She was ever
present, like a silent friend following me around, steering me right and left
and igniting my sex drive like a match to a stack of dry newspapers. She then
became vocal and I began to listen. Later in my early 20’s as a very young
mother, angry at my own, Gaia came to my life, she also followed me around
silently, then she whispered, followed by more a little bit louder, then so
loud I had no choice but to listen, hear and follow. She was the one that
really solidified my path, all the Occult and Esoteric practices along with my
Polytheistic worship.

Later in my mid 20’s I began to study with an Initiatory
Witchcraft Tradition. The Tradition of Eternal Harvest Witchcraft. Eternal
Harvest has been around for 25+ years. Practicing mostly on the east coast and in
the south. Though we are spread out now across the entire US. Collectively we
honor many deity including Herne, abundance goddesses and more. It was during
my time with them I began to work with the Welsh Mysteries and learned of
Avalon. I began to work with Sulis and Morgan La Fae in my personal work and
continue to work with them in the Triskele Rose Tradition today. There are
faery women such as the Gwragedd Annwn, and Melusine that I work with as well,
and lastly if you have been reading my other blogs Persephone…

Now this might seem like quite a few Deities to worship and
honor, and yes it is. So how can I pull it all off? Well here is how… Aphrodite
and Persephone have their own shrines in my magic room (or during temporary
living times, in my room) they are honored daily, in my workings, and through
devotions. Gaia presides over the entire house and her shrine is on the mantle,
it is tended and honored each week. I keep a Triskele Rose working Altar up
always for my magical workings, and while it isn’t a shrine I do work with and
honor my and the Traditions Gods and ancestors at this sacred space. They are
honored during each circle, and ritual we host for Triskele and Rambling Rose
circles. During the Dark half of the year, we honor and work with Morgan la Fae
and Gwyn ap Nudd, in their faery, and nocturnal aspects. During the light half
of the year we work with Sulis and Belenos, both having solar aspects. In my
work with water, I honor well maiden, witches, and priestess that have come
before, but occasionally I will work with water spirits of all manner and other
Gods or Goddesses such as Brigid or Manannan mac Lir. Though I personally work with many deities, it isn’t for everyone. Sometimes a deity or spirit presents themselves to you during a time of need, but don’t be foolish, the Gods are not here to be your best friend and skip down the side walk holding your hand. No they, like humans, can be benevolent or harmful. Which is why historical research is key to working with ancient deity. It gives us clues, and keys into how, why, and when to work with them and most importantly how not to offend them. Some deity may come when you call or honor them, and others may not. Some may be present in your life for a reason, others for certain seasons and others are there for the long haul, or a life time. Deity often goes silent only to come back louder than ever, and sometimes never at all… If you have heard the call, or poke from deity, answer it, answer it by building a shrine, honoring them and researching them, create rituals devoted to them. Don’t ignore the call, answer it and listen…