Okay so I'm a beginner witch and have been practicing for only a little while now, but I had a situation come up recently that I need some advice on. I haven't thought much about having any specific deity to pray to, or if it would matter in the context of spell work. I recently did a spell wishing protection and courage for someone close to me since they're going through a hard time right now, and I told them about it (they know I'm a witch in practice), but they voiced concerns about WHO I'm praying to. In my practice, I communicate with "the Universe" since I haven't established any god or goddess to pray to. They said something along the lines of "Well, if you don't have a specific deity in mind to pray to when doing spells, who knows who, or WHAT, might be listening that you might not want to listen.." Essentially saying they think if I don't have a specific deity in mind to communicate with, then they think my wishes will be heard by "someone bad" or a demon even, and so it will invite something bad into my life or could even mess up the spell. Is any of that true? Am I supposed to have a deity (or deities) to pray to, or is just communicating with the Universe okay? I'm sorry this was a long post but I've been wondering about the context of deities in witchcraft and wondered what you guys thought. Anything helps. Thank you!
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you don't need to work with any deities if you don't want to. If you feel the need to ask specifically favor of one, just do your research before reaching out. There are plenty of witches I know that don't work with any deities.
Okay, I just wasn't sure if having a deity was mandatory or not. I just want to make sure I don't do anything wrong. For witches that don't use deities, how do they do their spell work? Do they just use their intuition?
@Jade jadeywadey I'm still kind of new, but have had some very positive results with my workings without involving deity in any way. I've always been a "science guy" and my approach is simplistically described as "it's all just energy" so I don't get any more specific in my spellwork than "the Universe," or "the energies around me," or "that which created all," or similar terminology. I believe that if your visualization & intent exclude anything negative, then your workings won't go in that direction. Based on what I've seen, read, and experienced, there really is no requirement to pick and choose a deity , or if one decides to do so to pick just one. I think it can be very comforting to have an anthropomorphic face for the energies we're dealing with, but for reasons I honestly can't fully explain I find that more difficult to deal with than just the energies themselves. If you feel comfortable dealing with the energies in spellwork, then I'd say just keep going the way you are... and if you reach a point where an aide, guide, educator, or guardian is necessary you'll likely find him/her/it/them making his/her/its/their presence known at the proper time (if such time ever comes).
As far as part of your spiritual connections going dormant, my suggestion is to spend some quality time just quietly sitting in a woodsy area listening to the trees, or laying back & watching the clouds move through the invisible ocean above your head, or just paying closer attention to the structures & patterns of nature around you (insects' wings, tree leaves, the arrangement of petals on flowers, etc.). We pile so much "stuff" into our heads as we go through life that it kind of buries all those connections that most young children seem to be able to access nearly effortlessly. The connections may go dormant, but they never truly go away and if you give them a good excuse to dig themselves out of all the dust laying on top of them in your mind, the broken circuits will heal themselves. It may take a while, but it will happen.
BTW, for those readers who *do* work with deity -- more power to you! I truly hope that what I said in my 1st paragraph doesn't come across as demeaning in any way. The way I see things, if advanced life on this planet (assuming one can call Homo sapiens "advanced") can be traced back through evolution to inanimate chemical compounds, then the universe is absolutely old enough & large enough for more advanced forms of life and/or mind with characteristics we would consider "godlike" to evolve. I just haven't knowingly met any (yet). <8-} YMMV, you do you!
Wow thank you so much! This was very thorough and helpful for me. :) It also gave me some reassurance that I'm not doing the wrong thing. I definitely agree that I need to spend more time meditating in nature specifically since that will help ground me and keep me focused in my practice.
@Brian NobleHeartedLion Very good advice and an interesting approach to magic. A lot of quantum mechanics basically confirms magic. My beliefs also involve a lot of science. They don't always oppose each other as many people believe.
@Corvin As I recently discussed with a totally science-based (and totally atheistic) relative, I feel that once you leave behind the gross violations of the laws of physics in fiction, "magic" is just a matter of definition. For example, we can measure gravity, calculate its effects, even use it to shuffle spacecraft around the solar system... but why is there a problem calling a totally invisible force that prevents me from being flung off the surface of planet rotating at about 1000mph while wobbling on its axis and orbiting the nearest star at about 64000mph "magic" just because we've named it & can calculate its effects? (I got lots more examples, believe me! LOL)
It's my understanding that the main thing that separates Wicca from the rest of witchcraft is the belief in a god pantheon. Wicca is a religion based in witchcraft that involves worshiping gods (of your choosing). Witches can be any religion, or none. It's all about what feels right and makes the most sense to you. I'm personally an atheist, but I do believe in energies tying everything together in the universe. I believe the ancient Greeks called it Aether.
@Khimarra I feel the same way about Wicca. That's why I don't call myself a Wiccan. My beliefs just don't fit the Wicca standard.