From Isis to Thor, Kali to Brighid, the names and faces of deities worshipped for millennia continue to captivate pagans and witches in the present day. While practices vary greatly, many contemporary magical paths find resonance with ancient archetypes that retain deep spiritual symbolism and psychic energy through the ages.
Goddesses linked with magic, the moon, nature, and the underworld hold particular appeal for many modern practitioners. Popular figures honored include Hecate, Freyja, Artemis, and Isis. Bast, Sekhmet, and other feline Egyptian deities are invoked for independence, protection, and feminine power. Goddesses governing love and beauty, such as Aphrodite, Venus, and Oshun, attract devotion for their compassion and sensuality.
Gods representing wilderness, the hunt, death, and journeys to the underworld also persist in contemporary pagan pantheons. Prominent examples are the horned god Cernunnos, underworld lord Hades, psychopomp Anubis, and the ecstatic Pan. Trickster gods like Loki and coyote spirits offer shadow integration and rebellion.
Adapting Hindu, African diasporic, and Norse entities indicates the far reach of renewed polytheism. However, new indigenous gods like Coyote, spider-woman deities, and plant spirits signify distinctly modern branches as well. The core unifying trait is resonance with an archetype, not rigid dogma.
By invoking ancient gods and goddesses aligned to personal growth and magical goals, modern witches continue a conversation first whispered around primal fires, adapting universal motifs to the needs of the era. Their craft is at once archaic and revolutionary through the alchemy of mythic imagination blended with visceral self-empowerment.
A quick list of popular deities in Wicca, witchcraft. and pagan traditions
Here are some of the most popular and widely revered deities within modern witchcraft, Wicca, and pagan traditions:
Greek/Roman: Artemis, Hecate, Diana, Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades
Celtic: Brighid, Cerridwen, Danu, Cernunnos, Arawn, Rhiannon
Norse: Freyja, Odin, Thor, Loki, Frigg, Hel, Skadi
Egyptian: Isis, Bast, Osiris, Anubis, Thoth, Nephthys, Set
Hindu: Shiva, Kali, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Krishna, Saraswati
African diasporic: Yemaya, Oshun, Obatala, Eshu, Oya, Shango
Sumerian: Inanna, Dumuzi, Enki, Asherah, Sin, Nanna, Enlil
Modern pagan: Gaia, Green Man, Triple Goddess, Horned God, Sun God, Moon Goddess
The most commonly revered typically rule over domains such as magic, nature, love, prosperity, wisdom, death, and renewal that aid magical practices. Regional preferences shape preferences, but the unifying trait is shared respect for ancient gods/goddesses that continue to speak to the human experience. Adaptability and inclusiveness allow witches and pagans to craft distinctly personal yet historically rooted spiritual relationships with their chosen deities.
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