Magick & Deity

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jason Mankey, author of several books, including The Witch’s Book of Shadows, The Witch’s Athame, Transformative Witchcraft, Witch’s Wheel of the Year, Horned God of the Witches, and the new Witch’s Book of Spellcraft

I discovered Witchcraft in the early 1990s, back when Witchcraft was considered by many to be both a magickal practice and a religion. Over the last twenty years the word “religion” has come to be frowned upon by many Witches, and the focus for many practitioners has been away from figures such as the Horned God and Great Goddess and simply towards magickal workings. None of this is a problem for me, but I deeply love the more spiritual aspects of Witchcraft and have found deities to be willing and powerful partners in my magickal practice.

Deities are not just lists of correspondences; they are living beings with minds of their own, so before calling upon a deity during a magickal working I suggest establishing a relationship with that deity first. Establishing a relationship often takes a little work on our end as human beings but can be easy accomplished by simply talking to deity and leaving offerings. The term “offerings” sometimes suggests elaborate gifts, but a bit of our dinner or a sip of whatever we are drinking left outside by a favorite tree is usually more than sufficient when it comes to an offering.

Invoking deity while working spellcraft is like practicing magick with a friend. When you have an established relationship with a goddess or god you can feel their energy around you; when calling to Dionysus, for instance, I can feel both his wild nature and his power to transform the ordinary into something miraculous around me. All of that energy can then be incorporated into my spellwork, giving my magick a little extra oomph! Deities might not talk like human or take physical form when we work with them, but they have a presence we can feel.

Why call a deity when working magick? Because deity has power and energy far beyond what we mortals possess. Most deities have been worshiped and honored for thousands of years—that’s a lot of time and expertise! In many pantheons, deities are also said to preside over certain aspects of society. If you are doing a love spell, doesn’t it make sense to invoke a goddess of love? (It’s hard to imagine anyone knowing love better than Aphrodite!)

Witchcraft books often make calling deities look like hard work, but flowery words are not always necessary. In my experience, deities like to be flattered (who doesn’t?) but asking a goddess to lend her energy to your spell doesn’t require a 200-word invocation written in iambic pentameter. A simple and honest invitation addressed directly to the deity you are calling to is all that’s needed to bring a goddess to your doorstep (assuming they want to assist you, which is why developing those relationships is so important—deity is not a vending machine!). Just make sure whatever words you are saying come directly from the heart; deities can almost always tell when we are lying.

Just like you would with a friend, be sure to thank the deity you asked to assist you with your spellwork. In addition to your spoken thanks, you can also leave them an offering as a gift. Not every Witch works with deity (nor should they ever feel obligated to), but working with deity will make your magick stronger, and often more meaningful. Happy spellcrafting!

Our thanks to Jason for his guest post! For more from Jason Mankey, read his article “The Magick of Rotting Leftovers (And Other Treasures in My Kitchen).”