Witchcraft Past and Present

by Sophie Poels

Witchcraft is not a concept only practiced by green-skinned, pointy-hat-wearing old hags– it’s practiced by individuals from all walks of life, people you probably would not even expect. Of course it has yet to reach the mass popularity of Abrahamic religions, but forms of witchcraft, wicca and paganism are still popular and gaining traction in the west, especially within Gen-Z and millennial populations (Bennett, 2019). One facet of witchcraft and a method of practice is deity work, which at first glance seems like a farfetched concept, but has had an immense impact on many practitioners’ lives. Deity work is essentially when either an individual invokes an ancient deity, or a deity reaches out to a person in order to guide that person in their spiritual practice and path. Definitions of deity work are subjective because everyone has their own experience, but that covers the general idea. 

A deity can be summoned in a number of ways – material offerings, ritual, or verbal invocation in accordance with aspects of said deity. A deity can also insert themselves into a practitioner’s life through dreams and omens, and it is up to the individual to try and interpret those messages in order to figure out who has been trying to come into contact with them. 

The more popular deities I have seen people working with are Aphrodite, Persephone, Poseidon, and Hephastus from Greco-Roman mythology, as well as Loki from Norse mythology. Greco-Roman, Norse, Celtic and Babylonian deities are considered to be a part of “open practice”, meaning anyone, no matter their background, is able to work with them. However there is a hard boundary when it comes to “closed practices”, such as indigenous spiritual systems, African hoodoo/voodoo, and Rastafarianism (RubyOfRoses). These religions require initiation or a familial/blood bond to a culture to be able to practice them. Unfortunately, there is constant appropriation of these cultures by some witches, such as the use of white sage in cleansing rituals (which is sacred to Native Americans, and currently endangered due to exploitation of resources for appropriation of use). It is a general rule that if you are not a part of the closed culture, you stay out of its practice. There’s not much of an “or-else”… it’s just a part of the unwritten rules. 

There are several ways to worship a deity, and it differs from person to person based on how they decide to praise the god or goddess they work with. These methods are very similar to how one calls upon a deity, such as invocations and offering. Every deity has a vast array of phrases that can be used to summon them (if you find yourself to be interested, there are plenty online). An excellent example is an excerpt from an invocation for the goddess Aphrodite by Apollonius the Sophist, author of a Homeric dictionary. 

Oh Muse! With visions hast filled my soul,
With visions overpowering, for Thou
Hast shown me Golden Aphrodite; now
The blaze emboldens me; like coal
To brighter burning fanned by Breath Divine,
The Cyprian enflameth me with words,
Seductive sounds, which swiftly would entwine
My soul, as lime-twigs trap unwary birds.”

Apollonius from Wisdom of Hypatia

This invocation was clearly structured in a way to grasp the attention of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. She is described as the most beautiful goddess in all of Olympus, but she is also vain(GreekGods.org). This invocation appeals to Aphrodite  by praising her beauty in order to win over her affection and invite her to guide the person reciting this invocation. After such an invocation, it would be anticipated that said person receives omens or signs in their life relating to Aphrodite, confirming the mutual connection. This process applies to all deities that can be summoned through invocation, and each phrase is tailored to fit specific aspects of the deity. Many practitioners will also create altars to have a space for worship. Altars are a cleansed space designated for all sorts of spiritual work, and aren’t limited to any religion or practice. A witch’s altar can be used for offerings to a deity, such as small trinkets, art, or spell jars. A witch will provide offerings connected with aspects of the deity; for example, if someone is working with Aphrodite, some offerings that can be provided are beauty products like makeup, mirrors, flowers, or sea shells and sea salt (because she was born from the ocean). 

Deity work has been of great importance to my own spirituality. In the beginning of my practice I worked with the Green Man, guardian of the forests, who comes from many European cultures. I unfortunately fell out of my spirituality for a bit and wasn’t in connection with him for a while, until HUM 124, where we learned about the gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia. The goddess Ishtar stood out to me due to her rule over both love and war, two different spheres of humanity. Her passion and intensity intrigued me, for I couldn’t recall learning about such a head-strong goddess. I did some research to make sure Mesopotamian deities were of open practice: thankfully they were. I used a pendulum (a chain with a quartz point at the end) to come into contact with Ishtar, asking yes or no questions to figure out whether I could work with her or not. The pendulum is my favorite tool of communication with deities as it gives a clear yes or no answer to any sort of question, and through it I found that Ishtar was willing to work with me. After establishing a connection, I found it easy to just talk out loud to her, hoping she would hear me. As silly as it sounds, I like to tell her about my day, and the things that have brought me joy and frustration throughout the day. It’s nice to have someone out there that is willing to listen and give you guidance in your life when it gets messy. I sometimes use my tarot deck with her, to get her insight as to how my future may play out. I cleanse my deck with incense and ask her to be present and show me a good sign for my future, and so far she has given me helpful clues as to how my future will unfold and what to avoid in order to be happy in the days ahead. I have a small bowl designated for offerings; if there’s a full moon, I’ll make some moon water to offer as a libation, or if I see a well-kept-together flower on the ground (because we don’t pick flowers), I’ll bring it back to my altar, cleanse it, and place it in the bowl. I also have a few stones out on the altar: some are just my favorite, and some pay homage to Ishtar, like lapis lazuli, which was a treasured stone in Mesopotamia. I get signs here and there that show me Ishtar is content with our connection, like the occasional friendly bumblebee that rests on my leg while I’m outside or brilliant blooms from my flowers. Of course some may argue that it’s just chance that these things happen to me, but I like to think it’s Ishtar showing me that she cares for me… and that is a really affirming feeling. Having Ishtar in my life for the past few months has been amazing, and her energy has truly had a powerful impact on how I deal with my emotions, relationships, femininity and sexuality. 

Works Cited

Hymn and Invocation of Aphrodite, wisdomofhypatia.com/OM/BA/HApr.html.

“Aphrodite.” Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure – Greek Gods, www.greek-gods.org/olympian-gods/aphrodite.php.

Bennett, Jessica. “When Did Everybody Become a Witch?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/books/peak-witch.html.

Roses, Ruby. “Open v. Closed Practices.” Ruby of Roses, 1 Feb. 2021, www.rubyofroses.com/post/open-v-closed-practices.