Deity work is not for everyone. A lot of people chafe at words like ‘worship’ and ‘devotion’, and for good reason. There’s a lot of baggage that comes along with those words for those who were brought up in religious households.

But the truth is that deity work can add a richness and a depth to your practice that you may not expect. It can be the cornerstone of your daily practice, and adding a deity to spellwork and seasonal ritual can add that extra ‘oomph’ to your workings. It can also give you a sense of purpose that you may not have had otherwise, as you can dedicate parts of your life to your deity.

So how do you find the deity that you’re supposed to work with? There are several ways.

• You can research deities, and find one that you’d really like to work with. Then, you can petition them in meditation and prayer, and see if you get an answer. That answer can be a feeling, a sign, or a dream that tells you that you’re on the right path.
• You can interpret signs that you’ve been seeing in the world, and do research to see what deities those signs could be related to. Animal omens are really good for this.
• You can be directly called by a vision, a dream, a meditation, etc.
• You can even use a goddess or deity oracle to divine who you should work with for a period of time, like a lunation or a solar year.

I’ve worked with several deities over the course of my practice, and I’ve experienced all of these situations. No one is better than the other, it’s all about the energy that you put into it after you’ve found or chosen the deity that you would like to work with.

How can you work with your deity?

• Perform a ritual of introduction where you present yourself to the deity in question and offer your devotion. You will get a sense of whether your offer is accepted or not. After you’ve done that, and the deity has agreed, the fun part begins!
• Perform a ritual of dedication. This is where you say what you will do to honor your deity, and ask for what you would like in return.
• Devotion. How do you honor your deity? Do you perform daily devotionals? Do you burn incense and a candle every new or full moon? Do you write poems or stories for your deity? Do you dedicate a certain activity to your deity? Think about the ways that you can show them some love and devotion.
• Changing and adapting your devotion. Are you finding that daily prayer doesn’t work for you, and you need to change how you connect with your deity? Talk to them. Let them know that things are changing for you, and you’d like to connect in a different way. This can also be ritualized.
• (optional) Perform a ritual of disconnection from the deity if you ever feel that your working relationship has ended. This happens sometimes, and you may just find that your energy doesn’t resonate with that deity anymore. Respectfully dissolve the relationship, thanking them for everything that they’ve brought to your life. Don’t do this lightly, as once you’ve disconnected from a deity, it can sometimes be difficult to reconnect later if you feel that you need their energy in your life again.

So, a little about my practice… I used to pray to both of my deities every night, but then I realized that that was feeling empty to me. I just started saying the same words over and over by rote, but not really feeling them in my heart. So now, I burn incense and a candle and read a poem I wrote for Hekate (on the new moon) and Elen of the Ways (on the full moon). It just feels much more meaningful for me. And I dedicate most of my magickal workings to Hekate, and my workouts to Elen. So your dedication may change. The universe appreciates movement and change, and that’s just part of life!

So I’m curious, how has your work with deity evolved? Do you have a daily practice or do you do something else? Please let me know in the comments.

Blessed be! <3