The Real Witches’ Handbook: The Definitive Handbook of Advanced Magical Techniques. Kate West

the older Gods of northern Europe.

      THOR, ODIN, FREYA, FRIG AND LOKI

      These Scandinavian Gods and Goddesses and many others share a vast mythology which is often referred to as the Northern Tradition. Whilst this tradition has much in common with Witchcraft, it is often considered to be a different path.

      ENKI, INANNA, ERISKEGAL AND DUMUZI

      The Sumerian Goddess Inanna is another, like Persephone, who descends to the Underworld, in this case ruled over by her sister Eriskegal. Again mourning falls upon the world until she is rescued by her father Enki. Her husband, Dumuzi, who has betrayed her, is sent to take her place. The story of Inanna is just one of many which tell us of the Descent of the Goddess, a tale which is very important in understanding the Craft and which features strongly in certain forms of initiation.

      

      This, as I have said, is just a small selection of Goddesses and Gods, and there are many, many more. It is well worth spending some time reading up on them and their legends, for these tales give us the knowledge to select those we feel we can best work with. For example it is only when you know the role of Nepthys in the healing of Osiris that you understand why she is considered helpful in difficult cases. Also, our interpretation of Gods is often coloured by their appearance in modern productions. Anubis, for example, often appears in horror stories as a God of Death. But the ancient Egyptians believed that as the guardian of the gates of life and death, his role was as much to prevent people passing through too early as to speed them on their way when the time was right. For this reason his statue was often placed by the bed of a child as a protector.

      Most Witches have their ‘favourite’ deity or deities. These will be the ones with whom they most closely identify and may even be the ones to whom they dedicate themselves and their Witchcraft. These Gods and/or Goddesses may come from one pantheon or from a mixture, but it is usual to stay within any one pantheon during the course of any one working and not mix, say, a Greek Goddess with a Celtic God, as these deities will not necessarily be in sympathy with each other and the energies they produce may cancel each other out. In any case it is not necessary to ‘mix and match’ in this way as, with a little effort, you can usually discover the name of the appropriate ‘partner’ within the same pantheon.

      As almost all the information about the divine has been handed down since before the days of written history, or in some cases written in a form we cannot fully understand, such as hieroglyphs, there is often more than one way to spell any individual’s name, although one spelling may have become more accepted than others. Additionally, some quite different Gods or Goddesses may have very similar names. These are both reasons why familiarity with their roles and stories is important, so that you know exactly whom you are talking to.

      Many Goddesses and Gods have a non-human form, usually in addition to their human one. This may be animal, as in the case of Arachne, Greek Goddess of weavers, who takes the form of a spider. Those of you who are afraid of spiders may find it interesting to know that meditating on the story of Arachne and making an offering to her (I usually suggest making a small spider by tying four lengths of thread together eight times at their centres and placing it in a tree) is often a large step towards overcoming arachnaphobia. Alternatively, the form of the God or Goddess might be that of a mythological creature, such as the Hydra, or may be part-human, part-‘beast’, as in the case of the Goat-Footed God Pan.

      Many Witches like to have an image of the Goddess and the God on their Altar when working Magic and even just around the house generally. This can be a statue, a picture or drawing, or some other symbol. One of the easiest ways to do this is to purchase a postcard from a museum or copy an illustration from a book. If you wish to imbue your image with your own personal power it is a good idea to put at least some of the creative effort in yourself, perhaps making a statue or making the frame for a picture. Where the deity has an alternate form, like Arachne’s spider, the image may be of that form. It is not necessary to have an image of each and every Goddess or God you wish to work with, but it can be very helpful to have something around which aids your focus.

      Witches do not always refer to the Goddess and the God by any name at all. Some prefer only to talk about the Goddess and the God, or even to refer to them as the Lady and the Lord. In this case the images they may keep around them may be fairly simple – a round stone with a hole through it to represent the Goddess, a phallically shaped stone to represent the God, for example. Of course, two things which represent the Goddess and the God and which are present at most rituals are the Chalice and the Athame (the Witches’ knife).

      There are many reasons for wishing to have symbols of your deities around you. Perhaps the most important is so that you have a memory key. It is easier, especially at first, if you have a tangible object to focus on, rather than working purely on the mental/psychic plane. It works in much the same way as a mnemonic does, so that when you look at the image it becomes easier to remember all the attributes that you have associated with it.

      However, obtaining an image of the Goddess and/or the God is only a small step in learning to worship and work with them. As I said earlier, you will need a good understanding of their personalities, roles and stories, and for this you will need first to read up on them and secondly to make personal contact. To those who have been brought up within one of the ‘orthodox’ patriarchal religions this may at first sound quite impossible – after all, that is what priests are there for in those religions. However, in the Craft we are each our own Priest or Priestess and need no intermediary to intercede with our Gods for us. We are able to make direct contact and gain personal experience of the divine.