Deities of Green Witchcraft
Deities of Green Witchcraft
If you are new to the craft or green witchcraft in general, you may be wondering who the green witch prays to. Well, much like everything with this flexible path, that is much up to the individual. With that said, I will give you the lowdown on the most common deities I see represented among the green witch.
Secular Witch
For the secular witch, deities are not a part of their craft. A secular witch may incorporate the Triple Goddess as a symbol for the cycles of nature, represent nature as their higher power, or exclude any spiritual context altogether. Secular witches are bonded to the psychological and metaphysical aspects of the craft, rather than the spiritual or religious elements.
Pagan Witch
For the pagan witch, their deities are one that piqued their interest and called to them in some form. This is where research is essential. To recognize the messages, we must be able to identify the alphabet of the deities- symbolism. For example, the crow flying over battlegrounds was a symbol of The Morrígan, the Irish Triple-Goddess of War, Wildlife, and Magick. In a more relatable case, a crow flying near when in times calling for exceptional strength and bravery (not literal war necessarily) could be a calling from the Morrígan to a witch drawn to Celtic folklore or with an affiliated ancestry.
The pantheon is filled with deities and figures from all over the world. A witch may be guided to their goddesses or gods intuitively and by brushing up on their history. I stay close to my ancestry because I feel tied to my roots and my own race’s traumas, pitfalls, and victories. Don't let this keep you from taking an interest and learning from cultures that are outside your demographic.
How do I choose a Deity when I don't know my ancestry?
Not everyone has the privilege to know where their ancestors are from. Don't worry, because people have been migrating, exploring, and colonizing since time began. As humans, we never stop evolving from our origins. Politics, environmental changes, war, technology, pollution, diet--all these change our genetics long term; don't get caught up in that. What is untouched are our past lives, spirit guides, conscious self, and ancestors guiding us along our journey. If you are unsure of your lineage, start with a general idea and trust your intuition with the rest!
Gaia is the ancestral mother of all life and one of the Greek primordial deities.
Earth Mother Goddesses
Green Witchcraft incorporates much Earth magic, so deities representing the Mother Nature archetype are common deities of the green witch. Examples include Isis (previously Hathor) to the Egyptians, Gaia to the Greeks, or Terra to the Romans. Danu is the Gaelic Mother Goddess.
The Triple Goddess
The Triple Goddess, which is almost standard across different branches of witchcraft, is the all-encompassing maiden, mother, crone triple-archetype. She can symbolize one, three, or all deities--as she lives in the cycles of nature and in us as we cycle through youth to the teacher to the elder. Many Goddesses fall into one archetype of the Triple Goddess. She can symbolize the energy which gave life to all; an archetype in history or folklore; our gift to birth life. The Triple Goddess, the moon, and women- we all mirror each other. We are just another branch of the same thing; in this way, we are connected.
Varying cultures have a Triple Goddess archetype, and she is a good starting point for new witches. Let her embrace you with her love and healing light, as the sun greets us each morning, and the moon comforts us at night.
Related Articles
The History of Green Witchcraft
Magic: The Bridge Between Religion and Science
Five Inconspicuous Ways to Include Witchcraft Into Everyday Life