Some Wiccans choose to work with deities in their practice.
Others do not.
Many newcomers to the craft shy away from this,
As the idea of it conjures up memories of supplications for help that seemingly appeared to go unanswered in their previous path.
Believe me,
I've been there.
But the idea of working with deities in a Wiccan or pagan sense is something quite different from what you might already be thinking.
I'll begin by saying that working with deities is a very individual practice.
There are as many ways of doing so as there are practitioners.
Having said that,
There isn't a truly wrong way to go about this.
So for this talk,
I will be sharing with you how I do it.
Working with deities isn't the same as praying for an outcome in a traditional sense,
Which you might be familiar with.
Instead,
It's more like this.
Instead of praying to get an A on an upcoming exam,
You call in a tutor to assist you.
You aren't handing over your share of the effort and relying on someone else to carry it through on your behalf.
The concept is really that simple.
Getting to that point,
However,
Is what most people aren't aware of,
So it's often skipped.
Let's use another example.
Let's say you're about to move into a new home and you need some help.
Aside from a professional company that will charge you,
Who are you going to call?
Friends or family,
More than likely.
Although I'm sure it's been tried by some,
Approaching complete strangers for help with this matter would be a very poor choice,
And I think everyone can come up with more than 20 reasons as to why that's the case.
Taking money out of it,
Calling friends or family members is a logical choice because you know them and they know you.
A relationship is already in place.
Relationship is the operative word here.
The people you call are people you know and you know them well.
You wouldn't email someone you've been out of touch with for eight years and invite them to pitch in either.
So a regular relationship is the key element,
As few among us enjoy only hearing from someone during times of need.
Why would you treat a deity any differently?
This brings me to trust,
Another key component.
When pulling from the relationship pool,
You have every reason to believe that these people won't steal from you.
To that end,
The more physically challenged members of that group trust that you will assign them to your towels and sheets instead of your grand piano.
So we're back to familiarity.
When it comes to working with deities,
Your request for assistance shouldn't be the first conversation you start.
A dialogue should already be in place well ahead of this.
Also,
You need to have an awareness of what that particular deity is known for.
For example,
Odin is a Norse god of poetry,
So it wouldn't be any stretch to invoke him while you're working on a writing project.
So back to the moving analogy.
You've selected your team and they've all agreed to help you.
Unless you're severely limited physically,
And is known in advance by everyone,
You wouldn't dare sit in the corner of the room and watch everyone else load and unload.
You asked for help,
So you need to be right in there with them.
Asking Odin to guide you in your writing project is very different from expecting him to write your thesis for you.
You must be co-creative in whatever you're doing.
Also,
I mentioned the difference between asking people you know versus hiring a professional moving company.
In the case of the latter,
They're going to expect payment when everything is done.
Your family or friends probably won't be demanding a check from you,
But any token of your appreciation is more than appropriate.
Be it lunch,
Gift cards,
Or throwing a dinner party for everyone after you've settled in.
Deity works the same way.
An offering to your deity is a polite and common practice.
So what should that be?
Again,
This goes back to the relationship aspect.
If you've been walking with your deity instead of running to them,
You will know what is appropriate and what will be appreciated.
For example,
When I work with land spirits,
I always leave either honey,
Nuts,
Or berries for them in my libation bowl.
Once your move is complete and you're all settled into your new place,
That's not when you cease regular conversations with those who helped you move.
These people were your friends long before they lent their strong backs to your mission,
So it would be ten kinds of wrong to discard that relationship once the move is over.
It's the same with deity.
In both cases,
Continue maintaining the relationship.
If you don't with either one,
You're likely to find yourself in search of a new group the next time you move.
If you're still uncomfortable about the idea of working with a particular deity,
I completely understand.
I was there once too.
Maybe this will help.
In my personal practice,
I will often instead refer to deity as spirit.
Let's revisit my example of Odin.
When I work with him,
I'm actually working with what he stands for or represents.
The energy he brings.
His spirit,
If you will.
This is much like a singer wishing to be able to channel an artist they admire before going on stage.
In doing so,
You are actually calling upon that person's spirit rather than expecting,
Say,
Tony Bennett to walk up to the microphone alongside you.
Again,
This is just one way of relating and one idea from my practice.
Blessed be.
