Working with Divinity.

Often one does not really know why, at least initially, they are drawn to a particular deity. This is really normal. Or as in my case as a new witch, I was working with another Deity (Brigid) and she apparently brought along friends. What threw me the most was it crossed pantheon lines. Being very new I really had know idea that Deity did this and honestly thought they stayed within their own pantheons. Fortunately I had the support of my Elders who encouraged me to study and connect with the other Deities as a means to grow, out of which I began my relationship with Hecate.

Out of this quest to learn about other Deity, I had a hard time finding information that didn’t go along with popular thought and current concepts. Often the information that was available was contrary to what I experienced while spending time with them, as is often the case. I encourage every one to dig for information through various sources ( scholarly sites, archeology sites and books and spend time in meditation about the information that they uncover) Below are some things that worked for me while I was going through this. First however is some general information about Deity in general.

Deity in no way will every ask you to harm yourself or others. This piss’s me off when I hear this excuse for bad behavior and I question the mental stability of the individual and that of anyone else who goes along with it.

There are many aspects of each God and Goddess and it is important to get to know each. Not every aspect is pleasant but as it is part of the whole, it is important that one understands each, as all aspects of divinity have a purpose.

There is a fear that if you learn about and work with a Deity, they will take over and never leave. (This usually is from individuals that have no clue as to Divinity in general, anyone who actually spends time with Deity knows differently)

Deity does not stay where they are not wanted. Often a Deity will come into your life due to a situation that you are going through. Sometimes only because that Deity’s aspects are better suited for that particular situation. Often once you are through that situation the Visiting Deity steps back or leaves entirely.

I have NEVER had one deity be jealous of another and those who say that "I can’t work with another Deity, so and so does not like it" are really missing out ( or just really lazy) on expanding their lives by limiting them selves to just one deity and not learning about others when they appear in their lives.

Free will is never taken away with any Deity and I always question everything. Deity does not want blind sheep with no backbone and how can you learn if you don’t fully understand what you are being taught, so ask questions, as many as it takes to fully understand. The whole point of this is to expand your self and grow.

This can be difficult if you are receiving a lot of symbolism, if so ask for clarification from the Deity or write it in a journal and ask for assistance from someone whom you trust, that will help you discover what those symbols mean to you personally. Please don’t go by a book, as symbols mean different things to different people. Try spending time in meditation with each symbol to uncover what it means for you and what you are going through at this time.

Every Deity has a creator and destroyer side, this aspect in some Deity’s are more obvious then others. Each side is part of the whole and often we tend to only focus on the "nice" side and avoid all that makes us uncomfortable. This is really natural as we tend to only want to see the "nice side" of our selves too. Deity often shows us parts of our selves that we don’t like to look at. The hurt or "ugly parts" is often brought to the forefront as a means for us to remove, overcome and heal these parts of our deep self. This is not easy and often people blame this on the deity, when in actuality it is due to us not wanting to face this within our selves.

When working with any Deity one needs to expect that this will happen and you will have to face all kinds of things that are buried within you. For most you will be able to handle this by acknowledging them and releasing them, but for some, it may be necessary to seek guidance. A qualified licenced therapist is absolutely necessary if you have a traumatic repressed memory surface that you are having difficulty with. Any truly adequate Priest or Priestess will insist that you seek one out,  to receive the help that you need in order to address this in a healthy manner. If they don’t they are power tripping and you need to run.

On a lighter note, all initiations are based on the destroyer aspect. The "old self" is stripped away, torn down and dissolve and destroyed, in order to be rebuilt, re- birthed , reconstructed into the new "self" on the new path. This rarely can be done if one does not face the aspect of ones deep self first.

Here is a few things that may be helpful when working with Deity, especially "new" ones that come in to your life.

1. Spend time in meditation with the Deity. Make a list of questions and ask the Deity. Such as where can I find out more information about you? Why have you come into my life?

2. Seek out all information that you can find on the Deity. Try not to be swayed by the opinions of others. This is hard especially for those who are new to the Craft. But this is a skill that you need to develop anyway so you might as well start in the beginning. Look at as many sources as possible. And ask your self; Does this "fit" with the feeling I got when spending time with this Deity? If not then explore this deeper.

3. Take the time to reflect on what you learn, follow through with research. Work on the aspects of your self that need to be addressed and if you are unclear simply ask the Deity for clarification.

4. Don’t be afraid to step back if it becomes overwhelming, but be aware if this is due to issues you need to work on they will come up again. It is okay to work on one at a time, there is no rush.