5 Goddesses for Modern Witches
Witchcraft and feminism walk hand in hand these days, and with the growing interest in both subjects, we’ve seen a resurgence in curiosity for the female deities of old. Women are rejecting the patriarchal male-centric religions and along with them, their gods. This is all very understandable and generally positive, but it’s only natural to still feel the need for a guiding entity to support us in our practice, and to turn to for help. It’s practically written into our dna by this point.
So, when we’ve waved goodbye to the gods who no longer serve us, if they ever did, who is there to fill the space?
Well, there a myriad of options, and it can seem overwhelming at first. Every culture and magical practice has a plethora of female deities, and each has her own characteristics and areas of specialty. There is also a lot of crossover and similarities between them, which can be comforting, and helps reduce the overwhelm. More on that at a later date.
To start with, here are 5 well known Goddesses who are fairly easy to research and find plenty of books, courses and articles on. I’ll include some further reading suggestions at the end to get you started.
Brigid
Also known as Brigantia, meaning ‘High One’, Brigid is a Celtic goddess specialising in poetry, art and crafts, and the magical art of prophecy and divination, so she’s a good one to turn to if you’re a writer or an artist, and useful to invoke when carrying out tarot work. Great for wives and mothers too, as she traditionally protects women, children and the home, so call on her when creating protection amulets or are in need of a little extra security. Healing is another of Brigids talents, so shes really a great all-rounder to start off with. Being a fire, or sun, goddess, invoke her by placing herbs, crystals, flowers associated with the sun on your altar, such as citrine, rosemary, sunflower or sunflower seeds, and including them in your spell work.
Demeter
Ancient Greek goddess of the harvest and fertility, great for gardeners, nature witches, herb growers. She protects plants, and ensures the fertility of the earth. The original nature goddess, in fact the first nature goddess to be included in the Greek pantheon, like nature itself she can both nurture and destroy, so approach with respect and caution. She’s also a goddess of the underworld, so could be helpful with shadow work and spirit work. Honour her on your altar with a corn dolly, a chalice of wine, a poppy flower or poppy seeds, or even an offering of a slice of bread.
Diana
Roman goddess of the moon, so powerful and well-loved that an entire ancient cult was built around her, if you work with the phases of the moon then she may just be your ideal companion. Also responsible for fertility and childbirth, invoke Diana when working spells for conception and safe birth. As goddess of the hunt and wild animals, she may also be your gal if you wish to protect the animals in your care. A dish of water, fruits, an egg, or a sprig of lavender would be appropriate offerings.
Freyja
As well as being an extremely popular girls name these days, Freyja is the Norse goddess of love and war (all’s fair in love and war and all that). Pigs are sacred to her, as her preferred mode of transport was an uncomfortable sounding boar with golden bristles. Hope she had sturdy underpants! She can help with matters of the heart, conflict issues, or be by your side during times of grief and bereavement. Decorate your altar with a jar of honey, primroses, an apple, or a pig figurine. Use mugwort in your tea or herbal spell pouches to commune with her.
Hecate
Of course I couldn’t leave out the goddess of witchcraft herself! Very popular with witches, for obvious reasons, this Greek goddess rules over magic and spells. Also the goddess of ghosts and necromancy, she can be a great help to those of us who work with spirits. Her name translates as ‘worker from afar’, entirely appropriate for a worker of magic! Get to know this powerful lady if you want to seriously powerboost your spell craft. Place frankincense, red wine, garlic, or black tourmaline on your altar.
And there we have it, a whistle-stop tour of some of my favourite and most helpful goddesses, please let me know in the comments which of these ladies you’d like more in depth info on, and l’ll write a post for you.
Further Reading Suggestions
Tending Brigids Flame by Lunaea Weatherstone
Hekate-Keys To The Crossroads by Sorita D’Este
The Mysteries of Demeter:Rebirth of the Pagan Way by Jennifer Reif
Diana:Roman Goddess of The Hunt by Amie Jane Leavitt
Freyja, Lady, Vanadis: an Introduction to The Goddess by Patricia M Lafayllve
Great Goddesses-Lessons From Myths and Monsters by Nikita Gill
