DEITIES

This is a page I've been avoiding. I don't really know why. Maybe it's because explaining our Gods and Goddesses, is the hardest part for most Pagans. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard "so you're telling me there's two??" Now I don't understand how this is hard to comprehend... instead of one, there's two. But it's a lot easier for me, who believes in two deities, to understand, than for someone who only believes in one.

I'm going to start by explaining how I believe deities fit into our world. Essentially, everyone believes in the same thing. A force, that guides us, leads us and is of higher power than us. It is how we interpret that force (which we call the All), that differs.

Most Wiccans/Pagans (or Witches) see that force dividing into two, equal parts. Polar opposites in a sence... one being masculine and one being feminine. This is where the God and Goddess come in. I think the God and Goddess make it easier to interpret the All. People can relate to something that looks like them a lot better than trying to relate to an all encompassing life force.

The Goddess represents all that is feminie. Nuturing, love, kindness and fertility are just some of her many qualities. Many Pagans view the Goddess in a triple form... known as the Triple Goddess. The three forms are the Maiden, Mother and Crone. During the Maiden phase the Goddess is young and pure. It is in this phase where she meets the God. Once they are mated and she becomes pregnant, she moves into the Mother form, where many of her nuturing qualities are dominant. The Crone represents the Goddess in her older, yet wiser phase. The Goddess is seen as the Moon, which is why we celebrate her during our Esbats (full and new moon cycles).

The God represents the Sun and all that is masculine. He is strength, lust, power and passion. We celebrate him on the Sabbats, our solar holidays. These holidays can be found on the Wheel of the Year page. Our God is seen by many religions as being the Devil. I must remind all of those who read these pages (or any other Wiccan material), that Witches do not believe in any entity known as the Devil or Satan. He does not exist in our realm. Although we accept that there must be bad in this world to balance out the good, we do not worship evil or believe in pure evil in any form.

Once you understand the concept of the God and Goddess you can than begin to study specific pantheons. Some Witches prefer to work with the God and Goddess solely, while others will work with specific groups of Gods and Goddess. Some examples of pantheons are Greek, Roman, Egyptian (my personal favourite), Mayan etc. Each of the Gods and Goddesses under a pantheon has specific qualities. For example, Nut is the Goddess of the sky in Egyptian beliefs. If you ever had a ritual or spell that had something to do with the sky, you may call upon her for help.

The best part about Witchcraft (or Wicca) is that you get to pick your own pantheons. Again, you may choose to work solely with the God and Goddess or you can get more specific. The choice is yours alone. Just remember to research your Gods fully before using them, and also remember to experiment.