If you’re on a pagan or witchy path, chances are you’ve come across deity work. Depending on the tradition you follow (if you have one at all!) you might be curious if adding deities to your craft is the right decision. After all, not everyone chooses to add this element to their magical practices. This is a very personal decision, and let’s be clear, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing to work with deities or not.
If you want to learn a little more about what deity work is, and how to ask a deity to work with you, then you’ve come to the right place. In this magical article, we’re going to cover it all, including:
Working with deities can be an enriching experience to add to your craft. While many people choose to work with elements or energy, it’s nice to know that you also can open yourself up to working with specific deities as well. You may choose to work with deities if you’re looking for personalized guidance in your life, because it’s always comforting to know you have a god or goddess you can always turn to.
In most pagan and witchy traditions, the relationship between the deity and you is not one of literal worship (like many traditional organized religions), but instead working with the deity. This means there is back and forth communication that is central to this relationship, which is very personalized to your practice. One person’s relationship with a specific deity may be very different than another person’s, it’s all about what feels right to you.
In order to get an idea of what deities would be a good fit for your specific magical path, it helps to consider a few things.
**It should be noted that when looking to work with deities, you should probably avoid closed cultures, such as those from Native American, Native African, and other tribal cultures, unless you are asked to join by members of those communities.
It’s important that you learn about deities before just asking one to work with you. If you’re asking for them to be in a relationship with you, it only makes sense you learn a little something about them first!
One of the best ways to ask a deity to work with you is through a silent or spoken request. After all, if you are the one reaching out to the god or goddess, it’s polite to ask. Speak or pray to your deity and watch for signs, as this is how they will communicate with you.
You can do this simply, or you can choose to make an offering with your request as well. This can be as elaborate or simple as you want. Typical offerings to deities include:
Remember, you are establishing a relationship with a deity, so go with your intuition and what feels right to you. It will never steer you wrong.
You can continue to make offerings and speak to your deity and be on the lookout for confirmation that they agree to work with you.
Deities will communicate with you in a variety of ways, you just have to make sure you’re paying attention!
One of the best ways to ensure you’re open to receiving information from a deity is to pay attention to omens or signs. These come in our physical world, and are what some people may refer to as coincidences. Keep seeing a certain name, culture, or animal appear in your life? For instance, do horses seem to keep coming up in conversation, when you turn on the TV, or when you’re on your commute to work? Perhaps your request to work with Epona, the Celtic goddess whose symbol is the horse, is being answered.
When this happens, you’ll need to decide whether or not this is a deity reaching out to you. Discernment is key when learning to understand communication from deities. Start to notice patterns and listen to your gut when it says to hold on and pay close attention.
If you’re unsure, you can always ask your deity to confirm these signs are from them through communication or prayer.
Dreams are also a good place to look for signs from your deities. Our dreamtime is also a good place for gods and goddesses to visit with you. Ask your deities to send you dreams, and see what develops. Make sure to keep a dream journal, as it is very easy to forget our dreams once we wake up.
When you want to really open up communication with your deity, you can also turn to divination. Whether you use the tarot, scrying, runes, I ching, or cartomancy, divination is a great way to open up a conversation and get to know your deity better.
Remember, if you choose to work with a deity, it is a relationship—and all relationships need good communication. When you speak to your deity or leave them offerings/gifts you are showing your gratitude and reinforcing your connection. When you take the time to appreciate them as a friend, they will return the favor by answering your requests and continuing to communicate with you.
