The Holy Pythia

“I’m going to use my religion to be an asshole to people which is oh so revolutionary and then I’m going to whine when people get mad about it”

Op is acting like any of the gods and goddesses give one flying fuck about “”“"biology”“”“ like???

Aphrodite made a statue into a woman for Pygmalion. Hera transformed Iphis’s body to match his gender identity, and also turned Tiresias into a woman. Artemis turned Sipriotes into a woman.

There are many, many instances of gender fluidity in myth. Just consider the term androgyny, which we see time and time again.

And moreover, like…the Olympians aren’t bound by any ”“”“biology”“”“. If they were, Zeus couldn’t have impregnated women as a swan or a bull or golden shower or disguised as Artemis, etc. Aphrodite would gave told Pygmalion "sorry dude, gotta find a real woman instead of this statue” instead of bringing Galatea to life. Dionysus is even the god of intersex and transgender people!

I can’t stand when people use religion to justify their hatred and bigotry. I expect more of my fellow pagans than to fall into the same pitfalls so many other religions fall to.

Materials:

salt

Throw salt at your intended target and say, “Stay the fuck away from me.”

I get dozens of asks on how to find the right deity, or how to find “your” deity. I’ll just cover the basics here (mainly so my lazy ass can link to it later instead of typing this over and over). Quick note: Some of this may be UPG or my personal opinions. I welcome you to share your own, but don’t be rude about it.  

Quick Vocab:

Worship vs. Working With. I use these interchangeably. I consider both of them to be talking about the relationship and connection you kindle with a deity. “Working with” does not mean “utilizing in spells as ingredients”. 

Patron ____. Wicca has different views as to what a patron or matron is compared to most of the witchcraft world. One view is: when you pick a patron deity it means a bond that will last a lifetime. Another view is that patron deities are not ones that you personally identify with, but rather are ones that relate to your lifestyle/profession/occupation. 

Devotee. Being a devotee is a way to work more closely with one, or a few, deities without committing to it for a lifetime. It simply means that you focus more of your worship and time on them, but you can still worship other deities too.

Pantheon. A group of deities, usually based on the culture they come from. The names can sometimes vary (Greek = Hellenic, Egyptian = Kemetic, etc.)

Some misconceptions and false expectations:

“My deity”. A deity is not yours. You can work with them, worship them, what have you. But they are not yours to claim. Here’s some different way to phrase it: “I am a devotee of ___” or “____ is the deity I work most closely with”. 

Everybody needs a deity. You don’t need to work with deities to be a witch. Witchcraft does not equal religion. Religion *can* be tied into witchcraft if you want though! Don’t force yourself to work with deities just because you see other people doing it!

Deities will talk to you. Sometimes, but not usually, or not in the way you expect. You aren’t likely to hear a voice in response, or to confirm that they want to work with you. You’re more likely to get: A sign of some sort, a certain feeling (warm and tingly or emotional, for example) or possibly your inner voice seems a bit different and you think it may be influenced.

You’ll know when your deities like offerings, or hear your prayers. Again, sometimes, but not usually. Not getting a response doesn’t mean you’re getting the cold shoulder. Prayers, offerings and other things don’t always garner a response, or an immediate response.

You have to pick one pantheon. Not at all, however you do have to be respectful of the pantheons each deity comes from. You can’t pick and choose which aspects of the deity you want. I personally stick to one pantheon because it’s simple and fits for me.

Deities from closed cultures are “calling to you”. Listen, I highly doubt that a deity from a culture that is closed, usually due to outsiders (read: white people) being oppressive and awful to them, would want to work with you. Check yourself and make sure it’s not just the aesthetic value or mysteriousness that’s drawing you to them. ALSO! You may be drawn to characteristics that they have, and there is most likely a similar deity in an open culture. Here’s a link to the google question “what cultures are closed?”

On finding a deity to work with:

I often get asked “how to I figure out which deity is a good fit for me?” The easy answer: I have no clue. Only you know what works best for you, and what’s a good fit. However, here’s some good methods:

Research the pantheons. The Greek, Egyptian and Norse are the ones that often have the most information (and are all open practices). See if one in particular calls to you. Then spend time reading about each deity.

Look at what traits you are called to. Self love? Fierceness? Feelings of home? You can literally just google “gods/deities of ____”. You can even add a specific pantheon to the end if you’ve narrowed it down.

Reaching out to that deity:

The “proper” way to do this varies per pantheon, so do your research! Google and books are your friend. And there’s usually a lot of resources for beginners on tumblr as well. The typical ways include:

An offering. Usually there’s some sort of information on traditional offerings, which you can never go wrong with. Sometimes certain offerings are offensive/not given to certain types of deities.

A prayer. It’s totally okay to look up “____ (deity’s name) prayer” for a format if you’re daunted by writing your own. It can also just be more of an explanation on why you want to worship them.

Ask for a sign. I don’t do this and hesitate to even recommend it because it can be SO hard to figure out what’s actually a sign. I’d suggest knowing the basics of the deities sacred animals, plants and colors so you have an idea of what to look for.

Just start worshiping. You don’t have to have a formal relationship with every deity to worship them. I do recommend forming a relationship with them before becoming their devotee.

~Remember a while ago when I posted about emotional ties/cords and how to cut them? Well the page I got them from didn’t post any more info on cords other than that, but I happened to come across this spell that can help in cutting those cords. Here’s what I found:

~When one has been involved (either emotionally, physically or spiritually) with another person, it can create an ‘etheric link’ that resembles a red cord binding between you. When the friendship or relationship ends, it is often difficult to move on, as you are still linked to this person. The Cutting of the Cord Spell is ideal in dissolving the bonds between two people, allowing them to move on.

Materials:

2 Red Candles.

Red Cord.

A photograph of you and the other person (or a picture to represent you both, or just your full names on a piece of paper).

Pair of scissors.

Needle.

Instructions:

Cast a circle if you wish. Carve the candles with the needle. One candle will have your name (candle 1), and the other candle will have the other person’s name (candle 2).

Anoint the candles with anointing oil, seeing the person named on the candle as you anoint it (any kind of oil you wish; banish, healing, peace, happiness, etc).

Take the first candle in your hand and hold it over your altar, visualizing it being charged with energy to do your bidding, then present the candle to the altar saying (or something similar): “As the Goddess gave form and substance to our spirits, I give form and substance to this candle, As She named us Her children, I name this Candle as (insert name). As this Candle is wax and wick, So it is also flesh and blood, So Mote it be!”

Repeat with second candle.

Sit in meditation and think of the joy this person brought you, picture your favorite memory.

Visualize the link between your hearts as a thick red cord joining you from heart chakra to heart chakra.

Tie an end of the cord to each candle, joining you together, as you are joined in spirit.

Place the picture over the center of the cord saying (or something similar): “As the Goddess links us in Spirit, I link these forms together, As above, so below, As within, so without!”

Again sit in meditation, and think of the reasons you want to cut all ties to this person, think about the events that have lead up to this decision. Face any doubts that you may have and see those doubts for what they are; fear. Know in your heart that the Goddess (universe/patron deity/etc)  wants only the best for you and she wants you to want the best for yourself. 

When you are ready, visualize yourself telling the other that it is over and that you are moving on, then see yourself turn and walk away - not looking back!

Cut through the Cord that binds you to each other (as well as through the picture symbolizing your togetherness) and say (or something similar): “By my free will, with harm to none, I sever the cord that binds me to (insert name), As we once chose to share the road we walked, Now we choose to walk a different path, Although we still journey to the same destination, No longer do our steps move in time, you are no longer my friend (or lover), I release (insert name) from all ties to me As I am released from thee, As I will it, so mote it be!”

Take half of the cord, and half of the picture (the part representing the other person) in a heatproof bowl, put some kind of fuel on it (charcoal disks work. Light the disk, put it in the container, then put the cord and paper on it. Or you can just use a lighter and burn them with that and let the ashes drip safely into the container). As you light it, say (or something similar): “As this smoke rises and drifts away, So do all my bonds to you… So mote it be!“  (B.D: I’d probably break the other person’s candle in half while I’m burning the paper and cord. But you can do whatever you want with it).

Place the candle representing you on your altar to burn when you find yourself wishing ‘what if..?’ (or just let it burn out completely).

Bury everything except for your candle (If you let your candle burn out completely, you can bury it somewhere else or just throw it away).

Bay

Bay leaves are a mysterious ingredient for soups and stews (you can’t eat them, it’s like swallowing razor blades!). But before you toss a leaf or two into your cooking pot (or cauldron, for all you kitchen witches out there), think about its other uses!

Put bay leaves in each corner of the house to protect its inhabitants, or carry it with you to protect you against black magic. Keep a Bay leaf under your pillow to encourage prophetic dreams, or write wishes on a leaf and burn it to make them come true.

modern witch aesthetic