20 Questions - Deity Addition

Ok, so we won’t exactly be asking twenty questions, but it is still a dope title, right?

Witches tend to be very adamant about finding a deity, but it is not necessary to practice the craft, unless you’ve chosen a path like Wicca to follow. In fact, you should master the basics regardless of your path, which we teach for free here on Facebook on a semester basis, before you begin working with a deity. We say this for one main reason: learning to harness your personal energy before even working with elemental energy will save you a lot of discomfort in the long run. If you choose to work with a deity right off the bat, you’ll likely run into a wall in your spell work at some point, because more advanced witchcraft spells require you to pull from different sources at once. By not learning to manipulate your own energy properly, your advanced spells will likely be ineffective. So, take our advice on this, k?

Myths about Deity Work

#1 - I have to worship a deity with which I choose to work.

FALSE! Deities get their power from devotional acts, not worship. Devotional acts are those actions that a practitioner of magic does with the specific intention of honoring that deity’s domain and caretaking. Whereas worship is when a person (practitioner or not) prays to a deity to influence their lives with the deity’s goals.

Since we work with Artemis, we will use her as an example throughout this post. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, young girls, the moon (and arguably the sun as is her brother Apollo), the wilderness, virginity, and protector of animals - among other things on her extensive resume.

Devotional acts, again, are proactive actions that a practitioner takes with SPECIFIC INTENTION of honoring a deity. In our devotion to Artemis, we take care of stray dogs and dedicate them to her and thank her for her protection over them. Additionally, we engage in the wilderness and thank her for maintaining such a beautiful place that she allows us to traverse. Hiking is considered a devotional act to Artemis.

#2 - It is proper etiquette to reach out to a deity of your own volition.

Yes and No. Most deities do not take kindly to being summoned by someone with which they do not have a relationship. However, there are a few deities like Hecate who welcome it. Part of working with a deity is doing your research to see how a deity will react to your petition. But, for the most part, a deity will reach out to you if they are interested in working with you. Want to work with a specific deity? Get his or her attention by performing devotional acts and that deity will more than likely reach out to you.

Artemis reached out to us while we were in Colorado in the wilderness on vacation. We hadn’t specifically been performing devotional acts toward her, but nevertheless she was interested in our goings on. Prior to our interaction with Artemis, we had been spending basically every weekend in her domain, the wilderness, collecting wildflowers, hiking, cleaning up litter, and kayaking. One thing was clear, when we put our feelers out into the Universe for a working relationship with a deity several weeks prior, Artemis answered the call. Patience is key.

#3 - You can only have one deity.

False. Many witches, especially Wiccans, have multiple deities and are polytheistic. Each deity has a specific specialty so to speak, an area where they are at their most powerful. When they are in their element. As stated above, Artemis has several charges for which she cares. Keep in mind, some deities, like Artemis, do not like to share devotees or altar space. So, in searching for a new deity with a deity like Artemis, you will essentially break the connection with her, respectfully of course. Deity work is like any relationship. Treat others as you would want to be treated.

#4 - You must have an altar for effective deity work.

Depends on the deity. Artemis, for example, requires a dedicated space. However, Gaia simply asks that you treat the earth as her altar. This can be discerned through extensive research on the old religious practices of each deity.

Steps on Getting a Deity’s Attention

1. Perform a ritual to let the Universe know what exactly for which you are looking.

All we did to submit our deity application, was light a white candle and meditate on the practices we wanted to share with a deity. The Universe is the ultimate matchmaker and will hook you up with a deity that is perfect for you! Don’t be pushy just because you think you know what deity you want to work with, because if the feeling isn’t mutual, you’ll be in for a world of hurt and disappointment.

2. Wait

BE PATIENT

3. Wait

Seriously.

4. Notice the Signs

THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES!!!

How Do You KNOW If a Deity is Reaching Out To You?

PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING after you have petitioned the Universe. Notice some crows following you for a few days? Waking up at the same time several days in a row? Seeing more of something than you normally see? Weird, unexplained smells?

Make notes of things out of the ordinary either in your head or in a notebook/BOS. Follow the clues. This part takes a little bit of practice. P.S. We are glad to help you identify them, just send us a message with all the details you can think of!

We will walk you through our dealings with Artemis as an example. Storytime!

When we arrived in Breckinridge, Colorado (super cool place - 10/10 recommend) we went to dinner and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. However, after we went to sleep we woke up at exactly 3:16am. We went back to sleep, and as part of our morning ritual, lit a pink candle and stirred our weight loss sigil into our morning green apple tea. While we were sipping our tea in the candle light, the candle made a crackling sound for roughly a minute. We know from previous research this means an entity is trying to get your attention. Noted. Then, on our way to the car to drive to the Arkansas River to go rafting, a fox walked right up to us and stared into our eyes from 2 feet away for 1 minute and as if it had been possessed realized it was around people and scurried off. We just thought it was super cool, but noted the occurrence in the back of our mind.

On the way to and from the river we saw a stag, a lone bison, and a mountain goat. Granted we were in the wilderness, but these animals were a rock’s throw away from us. Noted. We went to dinner, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. However, we woke up at 3:16am again and went back to sleep. Interesting. Noted.

The next day, we got up at sunrise to do a root chakra strengthening spell, so we could feel extra grounded. The candle wax melted into a perfect crescent.

While we were shopping around town, we came across a crystal shop (giddy with excitement we were) and purchased a few crystals. The owner gave us a free crystal, a piece of tumbled Ruby Fuchsite, and stated that he sensed a benevolent presence around us and felt called to gift us with this particular crystal. Cool. Noted.

That night we woke up again at 3:16am. Weird, right? So, naturally, we googled the angel number 316, which actually means a deity has attached his or her self to us. So, naturally, we started putting the pieces together.

We googled the animals' sacredness to deities and their relationship to moon deities. This narrowed it down to two. Artemis and Khonsu. However, the animals we saw were clearly associated with Artemis and not Khonsu. So, we consulted a pendulum. We asked it if Artemis was with us, and it replied yes three times in a row.

So, there you all have it! Nothing is a coincidence!

How to Commit to a Deity

Each and every deity has different dedication rituals. This takes lots of research to uncover as the information is not readily available. You can read history books on the deity to uncover consistencies in their rituals that will make for an excellent dedication ritual.

One thing to mention. You do not have to work with a deity who reaches out to you. A relationship is a two way street, and if you’re not vibing on the first date, just tell them, respectfully, “thanks, but no thanks.” Clarify your intention for the Universe. Once we realized Artemis was petitioning us to work with her, we set out a three-card tarot spread that asked 1) What is Artemis Offering, 2) What can we offer her in return, and 3) What will our relationship be like. We received these results:

1. Artemis will help us live into ourselves and make us independent

2. Artemis wishes us to continue our devotional acts with intention to dedicate them to her

3. Artemis intends to nurture us as she does young girls to bring them up to be fierce and independent

So, of course, we jumped on that opportunity and on July 6 (the 6th and 16th of each month are sacred to Artemis) we promised to dedicate our devotional acts to her in exchange for her maternal support.

PLEASE ALWAYS BE RESPECTFUL TO DEITIES EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WORK WITH THEM

Thanks for reading! Give this post a like (on the blog site and Facebook) and comment with what you want to see next or your own experiences. We would absolutely love to hear from you!