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Happy Thor's Day!

As we approach the end of today (Where I am at anyway) I wanted to make a post regarding one of my favorite deities from my religious side of my practice.

Thor is a deity associated with thunder, lightning, storms, strength, protection, and fertility.

What are his symbols?

His most iconic symbol is Mjolnir of course. The hammer wielded by the thunder god is often worn by worshippers and witches alike. Some other symbols include the chariot and lightning.

His crystals -

For Thor, people often use red and blue stones to represent him. Such as red jasper, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise. Other crystals used with him are Amethyst, Tiger's Eye, and Sodalite.

His Herbs -

Admittedly this was what I struggled finding the most but here is what I could gather: Yarrow, Holly, Hazel, Oak Wood, and Basil. If anyone knows of any more or if I got this part wrong, please correct me as I do not work with this deity!

Animals Associated with him -

Goats, Ram, and sometimes Oxen (The oxen was found the least out of all my sources, this is due to Thor using an Ox head as bait in his mythology)

Ways to honor him -

Collecting rain/storm water and using it in your practice (this is specific to witchcraft ofc, you do not have to practice to worship thor)

Going to the gym/exercise, As a god of strength this should be self explanatory lol.

Standing up for those that cannot do it themselves. He is the god of protection just as much as thunder and lightning, Thor protects the weak and he would expect you to do the same.

Wearing his symbols and recognizing him during storms

Some information regarding the God of Thunder -

He is known as Midgard and Humanities protector, due to this he is often sought out by witches seeking protection.

He is often called on to bless crops with rain

He once 'cross dressed' to fool a giant

In the tale of Ragnarök, Thor successfully kills Jormungandr, the world serpent. He then is said to succumb to the venom in his body after only nine steps taken.

Thursday is often seen as Thor's Day!

Okay! This by no means was all inclusive but hopefully I've introduced a couple people to the great god of thunder and our noble protector and reminded a couple norse pagans to honor him today!

Constructive critisism is always appreciated!

So scrolling through witchblr and I've seen a couple of these posts that I disagree with so I figured I would add my two cents!

Disclaimer - I am by no means all knowing regarding this topic

Now for the fun part, what is deity work? Isn't it just worship?

Deity work is the act of forming a bond/connection with a deity through witchcraft to receive something in return. This could be guidance, help with shadow work, assistance with spellwork, etc. This is NOT the same as regular worship.

How do I know if I am being chosen?

This isn't harry potter or charmed, I would say most witches don't get picked like they are some chosen one. At least not super often anyway. Do not be discouraged by this, if you are looking for a sign just being interested in the deity could be considered a sign. It IS okay to simply reach out to a deity without receiving signs first, worse thing they say is no.

How do I start?

Probably beating a dead horse so I apologize in advance, but RESEARCH!!! Once you are interested in a deity, start reading their myths, join 'devotee' communities, talk to those that already work with them. A good idea would be to speak to those that simply worship them, it is nice to hear their perspective on the deity.

Is it beginner friendly?

No. Plain and simple, Deity work is very complicated and there is so much to learn and be aware of. Witchcraft at its core, can be very dangerous at times. There are many spirits that would take advantage of a new/young person to the craft. I would say the earliest you could start would be 'intermediate' which can look different to different people but about a year or so into your practice.

Work VS Worship, whats the difference?

Working with a deity is specific to witchcraft, it is an exchange of sorts. They help you, you help them. Worshipping a deity has nothing to do with your practice but it may be apart of your path. For example, I am a Norse Pagan/Heathen and I work with Loki but worship Odin. There is no exchange with me and Odin. I simply serve him, Loki on the other hand assists me with Divination, Guidance, and occasionally shadow work. (no matter how much I complain about it) I then give him regular offerings.

But all the influencers have such a casual relationship with-

No.

Most of it are just skits, or engagement bait. You have to understand most of them are influencers first, teachers second. I'm not saying that some witches don't have extremely close, personal connections with their deities that they can just screw off with but this is rare. It isn't me and probably won't be you and that is okay!

I have worked with Loki since I was 15 years old and I still wouldn't feel respectful speaking to him like that. It's important to understand how many of those tiktok's or blogs are massively exaggerated. I want to reiterate that some are the exception, I'm sure some deities do have a couple favorites or tend to be pretty casual, I.E Loki no longer wishes for me to address him with a title, I can just call him Loki but that was after years of working together.

Conclusion

This is all very surface level but it is a good introduction, I am by no means calling all these 'witchtokers' liars but alot of it is very overexaggerated and I would hate for anyone new to this to feel like their gods don't love them like they do their 'favorites'

...preparando il numero 1

(Excuse the bad lighting/editing)

My first alter!

I didn't think I'd ever have one because I don't follow deities or practice spells or anything of the sorts. However, I practice meditation, healing and connecting with my higher self.

I'm excited to be part of the cool altar club hehe

My latest Pagan design. Find this and more at my website. Available for download or treat yourself to a print.

But you have so much internal power waiting to be awakened. Find what makes you tick and you’ll learn that everything will be okay. Just keep pushing yourself and keep your head high.