I had the privilege of being interviewed by author Tony Mierzwicki on his Patheos blog. Tony is the author of “Graeco-Egyptian Magick” and “Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today.” These are excellent books to have in your library. “Graeco-Egyptian Magick” in particular changed my life. The actual Work of aligning oneself to planetary energies and, thusly, the Gods, is rewarding in many ways. Get them for yourself, do the Work, and see the change. Thanks Tony for inviting me to your blog. Below is the link. Peace and Health!
I lecture for a Unity ministry known as the People of Diversity. They have an interfaith format and welcome speakers from different religious backgrounds. We are all given a specific topic to speak on. Because I am a Neopagan, a witch, and a Hellenic Polytheist, I approach the given topic from that point of view. This lecture is on the topic of Community. Enjoy!
My Talk on Community
Thank you so much for your continued support! My book is now available internationally. Peace and Health!
I lecture for a Unity ministry known as the People of Diversity. They have an interfaith format and welcome speakers from different religious backgrounds. We are all given a specific topic to speak on. Because I am a Neopagan, a witch, and a Hellenic Polytheist, I approach the given topic from that point of view. This lecture is on the topic of Abundance. Enjoy!
My Presentation on Abundance
Thank you so much for your continued support! My book is available to order internationally now. Order from the publisher Llewellyn Worldwide, from Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
I lecture at a local Unity church which has an interfaith format and welcomes speakers from different religious backgrounds. We are all given a specific topic to speak from. Because I am a Neopagan, a witch, and a Hellenic Polytheist, I approach the given topic from that point of view. This lecture is on the topic of Commitment. Enjoy!
I lecture at a local Unity church which has an interfaith format and welcomes speakers from different religious backgrounds. We are all given a specific topic to speak from. Because I am a Neopagan, a witch, and a Hellenic Polytheist, I approach the given topic from that point of view. This lecture is on the topic of Forgiveness. Enjoy!
My book is now available for pre-order! Thank you for your continued support.
I lecture at a local Unity church which has an interfaith format and welcomes speakers from different religious backgrounds. We are all given a specific topic to speak from. Because I am a Neopagan, a witch, and a Hellenic Polytheist, I approach the given topic from that point of view. This lecture is on the topic of Darkness. My father passed away early in April, and this lecture’s topic really took on a personal interpretation. Enjoy!
My book is now available for pre-order! Thank you for your continued support.
I often get asked about patron deities a lot. Who has chosen me? How do I start? How can I find out my God and Goddess? What do I do once I know? Allow me to delve into this topic a bit more.
Wicca
In the 1950s a religion cropped up which became known as Wicca, although it was simply known as Witchcraft at the time. It was spearheaded by a man by the name of Gerald Gardner. In his writings (and those of later authors), Wicca as a whole had two patron deities: the Horned God and the Goddess. The Horned God is the embodiment of the Sacred Masculine, an archetype consisting of an amalgamation of Pan, Cernunnos, Gwyn ap Nudd, Donn, among others. The Horned God is a God of the Underworld, the sacred hunt, Nature, Sex, and the Wild, the Sun, and sacrifice.
The Goddess is the other half of the Craft’s deities. She is the embodiment of the Sacred Feminine. She is the Lady who is the Triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She is connected to the green earth, the stars, the Moon, fertility, and the sea.
Both the Horned God and the Goddess are viewed as a pair which invoke the power of polarity; that is, as opposites, the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine come together for the purposes of creation, Magic, death, rebirth, and fertility. Wicca is viewed as being duotheistic: only two deities who embody all of the Gods and Goddesses. Some Wiccans take the occultist Dion Fortune’s words literally:
All of the Gods are one God, and all of the Goddesses, and there is but one Initiator.
This imagery has lasted in Traditional Craft for a very long time. It works for some Wiccans. However, I am a polytheist; I believe in the existence of all individual Gods and Goddesses, each with their own story and personality. They exist outside of ourselves, and so therefore I am not a duotheist.
When Traditional Initiatory Wicca spread here in the States from England in the 1960s, many Wiccans began to create their own covens because the demand for initiations and the eagerness of wanting to join a coven outnumbered how many covens actually existed. Many began to find whatever they could and started to “self-initiate” to the Gods. They started their own covens and sacred Traditions. They copied what they could from existing writings written by Wiccan initiates, and started their spiritual path.
However, this Wicca was do-it-yourself, and as a result the oral lore which was passed down in Traditional Initiatory Wicca was missing. DIY Wiccans took hold of the Horned God and the Goddess and insisted (in a way) that their witches individually had a patron God and a patron Goddess.
Side note: Some today use the word “matron” for the Goddess, but this is incorrect. Use patron, which is equally valid for both deities.
The Rise of Polytheism
Many polytheists then and now feel uncomfortable in Wicca, with its seemingly duotheistic philosophies. They yearn to experience connections with more than one deity. This is where I am at.
Early on in my studies I read the books which informed me of the need to pick a God and Goddess. I tried to think of some, and I couldn’t. When I started learning Druidry, the idea of a patron God and Goddess were foreign; other paths I followed didn’t have this duotheistic concept, such as Sicilian-Continental Craft and StrixCraft.
When I became initiated into Alexandrian Wicca (a “denomination” of Wicca, for lack of a better term), I already had Hekate and Dionysos whom I followed. Hekate was my original Goddess, and it just so happened that she led me to Dionysos, with whom I devoted myself to. So the presentation of being encouraged to have a God and Goddess was not necessary for me. That being said, others were exhorted to do so as a fundamental part of their training. But how would they find out? Some just picked a couple at random who they felt made sense. Others just didn’t have them.
Polytheism in Wicca
I am involved in Hellenic Polytheism as well as Wicca. I have also had the privilege to meet other Wiccan polytheists who didn’t follow the dying-and-rising God mythos. The Sabbats – celebration holidays for Wiccans – are dedicated to multiple deities who represented the cycles of Nature during that time. This contrasts with your average Wiccan Sabbat (whether DIY or Trad Craft), where usually Sabbats are routinely dedicated to a specific God or Goddess, or else follow a story of the God and Goddess throughout the year.
For polytheism, rituals have a different meaning. Sabbats can be for any number of deities and daimons. This isn’t limited to Hellenic Polytheism in Wicca mind you. There are Celtic Polytheists, Norse Polytheists, and Germanic Polytheists in Traditional Initiatory Craft who are changing the face of Wicca from being duotheistic to polytheistic. Duotheism may continue to exist on some level since the Horned God and the Goddess may be viewed as the default patron deities of the Craft itself. Individuals, however, may have their own which aren’t limited to two.
Patron Deities
So how do you find out your patron deities? The answer is that you don’t have to know that. Some witches and other spirit workers stick to working with their ancestors and their daimons, not worrying about deities except MAYBE to worship. I say maybe because I know some people who do not acknowledge deities period.
But if you are so inclined, I’d suggest perhaps looking at what you do and who can become a patron that matches your vocation. For example, artists may turn to Athena; doctors and health professionals to Asklepios or Apollo; metal workers to Hephaistos; sailors to Poseidon or Manannan Mac Lyr; and so forth. When in doubt, I also recommend seeking out a competent diviner who will be able to guide you.
However, do not be surprised if more than one deity or daimon calls you to their attention. While now DIY Wicca is more duotheistic in teaching than Traditional Initiatory Craft, one does not need to approach Wicca as merely a gateway to a God and Goddess. If you are drawn to two patrons, there isn’t anything wrong with that, so don’t feel like you need multiple ones as well. I just want you to know that you never need to limit yourself to be called by one or two deities or daimons. Keep in mind that this is an individual journey, and where you walk may ultimately find you journeying with more than two companions.
Devotions
Once you find out who your patrons are, I suggest beginning to worship them. One can do this by simply talking to them. Pray. If you have the space, build a small altar. You can use a flat surface or a cabinet. Light a candle; write your own poetry or hymns; light some incense; print out imagery if you can’t afford a statue; pray. As you research more, I’m sure your imagination will take over and you’ll be able to add stuff as you wish. These are devotional examples which will draw you closer to your deities.
Conclusion
Discovering your patrons is an individual journey. Some people have only one deity. Others have two or more. That’s fine. But don’t feel pressured that you need to have exactly two to reflect the Masculine and the Feminine. For many, this polarity is outdated as more intersex and transgender folks join our Craft and ways. They, too, are on a path and follow it wherever it may lead. Sacred Androgyny is also paramount. Some traditions of the Craft are reflecting these changes in their philosophies and thealogies as it continues to meet the needs of more people. Some continue the polarity schema, but again it isn’t the end all be all. Just be open to your intuition and research as your walk continues. May the blessings of the Gods be with you.
The Azure Flame is an important component of StrixCraft as I teach it. In my forthcoming book, “StrixCraft: Modern Greek Magic for the Modern Witch,” I introduce the Azure Flame to the reader, and it is a vital link between the individual and their Magic. In a previous post I briefly mention the Azure Flame and the link to daimons. Here I will expound on it just a bit more.
Nyx
In StrixCraft, Nyx is First Mother. She is power incarnate. Nyx is the First Oracle. There is a poem we can use to honor Hir*; it was inspired while meditating on Hir one evening. She is dark and beautiful; sequined and crowned with a over a billion blue stars. She is the Source and Dweller of the Original Fire, the seed of the Cosmos. It all begins and ends with Hir.
That being said, the Flame she possesses (and is) is wild, erratic, dangerous, and overpowering. It is the composition of a million billion suns, and from Hir the Cosmic Flames, in its purest form, is the germination of darkness.
The Cosmic Hearth
Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth Fire, took the wild flames of Nature and domesticated the spirits with her presence and power. She is the overseer of the very fire she is also said to dwell in. Hestia’s name means “hearth,” which is the central flame in an oikos (household); it is a kind of fire pit lined by stone or brick where the central activity of the home is done. In many dwellings it is the mantle fireplace.
However, as below, so above:
According to the Pythagorean Mysteries, Hestia was the Goddess of the Central Fire. It is Fire that is the center of the Cosmos, not Earth. Here Hestia reigns, surrounded by 10 celestial bodies – the dark Earth, Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and the Five Classical Planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), along with the sphere of the fixed stars.
Prometheus
In the mythos I teach, humanity was without the power of Fire for a very long time. Fire was a phenomenon belonging to the Gods only. Nyx foresaw the tool of Fire and how beings would use it, both for creation and destruction.
Passing this oracle to the Titans and then the Gods, Zeus felt it was too early to entrust humanity with this power. We were too selfish, greedy, paranoid, and violent. Zeus felt that the Fire would be granted to us when we were ready, if ever.
Prometheus, however, the Titan of Forethought (for that is his name), was convinced otherwise. He, too, saw humanity’s potential with Fire. But rather than keep it hidden, Prometheus – a trickster who sought to outwit Zeus in this game – decided to steal the Fire, feeling that humanity also deserved this power.
Prometheus sought out the Graiai, the first Strix, to discover how he might steal the sacred flame. So it was that under cloak Prometheus journeyed to the Fields of Fennel, took a fennel’s stalk, and then journeyed to the Cosmic Heavens. Here he took blue flame from Hestia’s hearth, and brought it down to Earth. A woman Strix took the flames; she harnessed the star flames, and she was taught by Prometheus how to harness the cooler fires in the Mysteries.
The Azure Flame was born.
The Good Serpent
In StrixCraft, the Azure Flame can manifest as a serpent. As a result, serpents are sacred in our tradition. This was the first presence of the Agathos Daimon (“Good Spirit”), the dominant life force of humanity and their link to the Starry Body. The Azure Flame is alive in its own right, but it is also tethered by the Starry Body to humanity.
The Agathos Daimon – in Strix Craft – is a quickening energy which keeps alive Awareness, Conscience, Behavior, and Forethought. It is also the key to Magic. In fact, in the old Mysteries, how to make fire was our first Magic as a people.
The Azure Flame
It is seated above the crown of the head, incorporating the “crown chakra” and “third eye.” The Azure Flame is the highest energy center, and locks with the Divine. By worshiping the Azure Flame, meditating on it, and working with it in our growth, we awaken new sensations, thoughts, Magics, and experiences. We may use it to create filters, raise energy, open psychic awareness, gain a better hold on our psychic skills, do trance work, perform healings, and seal our Initiations from life to life. The Azure Flame is a powerful tool, and it has much to offer witches who desire to connect with our Strix current.
*Hir is used by some Strix as a way of communicating the gender neutrality of Nyx, being both male, female, and neither.
In StrixCraft, particularly Ophic Strix, we have the concept of the Triple Soul. The Triple Soul is a concept unique to our Craft and etheric anatomy. These are different parts of what we call in English the soul, although more specific words exist in many systems. We will explore here the etheric anatomy as we view it.
The Beginning
In StrixCraft as I teach it, the First Cause for the Cosmos and all that exists (and will exist) comes from the Star Goddess Nyx. Nyx means “Night,” and she is the enigmatic force and flow of all. She is the universe made manifest: the consciousness of evolution and the existence of all beings. She is also called First Mother. She is crowned with a billion blue and white stars, and her glory is wondrous to behold. She is also the First Oracle.
From her, all of the Primordials, Gods, and Spirits came into being. As did other beings who dwell on other planets, and humanity. By erotic Magic was the Cosmos born, and so it is by eroticism that the Cosmos is maintained, and Magic exists everywhere. Due to the fact that Magic exists, when humanity was birthed on the evolutionary scale, that Magic not only formed the body, but it also formed the psyche (“soul”).
Psyche
The psyche is the seat of the existence for a person. This is the sum of the entirety of our being, the basic framework of evolution and consciousness. The symbol of the psyche is a butterfly, as this creature “dies and lives again” when transforming from a caterpillar to a butterfly. While alive, the psyche holds everything together: the human body and the three parts. It is also where Magic resides, the source of our abilities and skills. Some people have a natural talent of Will to shape their Reality; the fabric of Fate. It is by the Triple Soul that the psyche is able to act.
The Lunar Body
The first part I would like to discuss is the Lunar Body. This is the “lowest” part of the psyche; that is, the closest to our physical bodies. What impacts the physical body will also impact the Lunar Body. The Lunar Body is the seat of the etheric double (the alter ego or ghost), desire, and the basic passions of the body. The Lunar Body is connected with the cycles of the Moon: as the Moon waxes, the Lunar Body is strengthened to externally impact and shape its Will. As the Moon wanes, the Lunar Body begins to introspect. At the dark of the moon, the Lunar Body is cloaked in darkness, being still. It is connected to the genitals. The Lunar Body is the one concerned with experiencing the out-of-body experience. To add, the Lunar Body is the one which also is linked to the ancestors; food and drink left for the ancestors feeds the Lunar Body. It is therefore linked to Memory. If the Lunar Body is not fed, it disappears.
The same goes for the Tides of Magic.
Tides of Magic
At the Tempis Eversionis (the time of the Winter Solstice through the Spring Equinox), the Lunar Body is incubated. While Magic can still be performed during this time, most of the energies in the Winter should be directed towards meditation, etheric travel, healing, and self-development. At this time, too, the dark spirits of the Fae are active. But it is because of the incubation period that the StrixCraft as I teach it does not perform dedications or initiations until after the Spring Equinox.
At the Tempus Sementis (the time from the Spring Equinox until the Summer Solstice), there is a sexual awakening in the psyche, and the Lunar Body begins to exercise Will and theurgical workings. Theurgy means “God Work,” or working Magic for self-development, spiritual contact with the Upper World Gods and spirits, and is the time of the light Fae. Initiations and dedications are performed during this time.
At the Tempus Messis (the time of the Summer Solstice to the Autumn Equinox), the Lunar Body as a whole begins to connect with thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy means “Wonder Working,” and is concerned with Magics to perform summonings, evocations of spirits and deities, and healings.
At the Tempus Consilii (the time of the Autumn Equinox to the Winter Solstice), we enter the Underworld and work with the ancestors heavily. They shouldn’t be ignored throughout the year, but this is the time when they are most active.
The Solar Body
The Solar Body is centered in the heart. The heart is perhaps the most important of the bodies. Here is the seat of emotions, our conscious minds, Will, character, judgement, and behavior. It connects the physical body to the psyche (wherein all of the triple parts dwell). The Solar Body is also concerned with astral travel and, when leaving the body, can shapeshift into an animal familiar. In an out-of-body experience, this is the part which leaves this plane and heads “towards the light” to join the beloved dead. Because of the Sun’s ability to make shadows, here dwells the Shadow Self as well. At death, the Solar Body carries the essence of the individual and may reincarnate.
The Starry Body
The Starry Body is located in the crown of the head and third eye. The Starry Body is our highest genius, or the repository of our Higher Self. Here is the “True Name,” or the identity we carry from life to life. It is connected with the Solar Body, keeping the eternal repositories of our memories, initiations, the Group Soul (those individuals who have been with us for a long time, from life to life, and we remain strongly connected with), and the source of Magic. Oracular possessions, connection to divinity, and Reason are also here. It carries the power of the subconscious and the Collective. The Starry Body is also the imprint of the astrological powers defined at birth. It is my personal belief, however, that the imprint can be changed on oneself through the Work.
Conclusion
These are the Tripartite Soul anatomy that exists in StrixCraft as I teach it. It is powerful and effective. Many may not agree with my placements, and that’s fine. The Bodies blend here and there, and may separate as well to return to their pure states. However, for the sake of imagination and classification for linear thinking most of us possess, I divide them neatly. But that isn’t always the case; think again of the tides of both the Moon and the Four Tides of Magic. There is always more to our anatomies, such as the Triple Flame which I will go into in another blog. We are complex beings. But for us, it all comes down to the Star Goddess Nyx, in whom we live, move, and have our being. She is the Goddess Eternal, and at the end of all things, we will return to her and give her our memories and experiences so she may know herself once more.
The Cave of Oracle 