Ways of the witch (a guide to witchcraft)

Deity work

Chapter by: Hypnos

So this is the thing everyone aalllwaaayyss wants to know about. So I'll give you the rundown! Although note that pretty much every witch recommends you don't do deity work until you're comfortable and experienced with your craft. You'll know when you're ready, but don't just dive in head first ok?

We have a rather unique experience with deity work as a system, and a system with two deity introject for that matter. I've found that we've had no negative interactions, they're fully aware that we're (me n zag) are just introjects and we couldn't control who we popped into the system as. They know we're our own person, we just happen to share a name and  concept. I'm not trying to be the irl Hypnos and the irl Hypnos knows I'm just a guy in a brain living my life.

Anyway, let's explain everything about deity work shall we?

Deity work is any work done with or for a deity. Any deity, as long as you're not doing anything that a closed practice that is. Cultural appropriation is bad ok? Pantheons that are open to anyone include Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, I believe Japanese. There's definitely more I'm just not knowledgeable on (I think Hawaiian is open? Correct me if I'm wrong) but closed ones are things like Hoodoo and Voodoo, pantheons ties to closed practices and cultures.

You don't have to wait for someone to reach out to you, you can reach out to them if you want. Just be respectful if they say no. And you can turn down someone that comes to you as well. You're not obligated to work with anyone, it's up to you. That being said deities aren't obligated to work with you either, so don't be pushy if they say no. It might not be the right time to work with them or you're just not a good match.

There is a different between working with, and being a devotee too. The difference in definition can vary from person to person, but however you describe it we can call acknowledge there's two main relationships you can have with a deity.

Working with, which is like a contract. You give the offerings, you do the prayers and worship, they guide you in your practice in return. It's a two way working relationship. You give, they give in return. This is what you see in witch spaces most often, it involves regular communication and offerings, regular spell work and shadow work etc. you gotta keep up with everything. This is why it's not recommended to beginners, it can be overwhelming when you're under prepared and under educated.

Deities won't harm you by any means, but they will be harsh on you at times. If you need to be kicked in the right direction they'll do it, out of love and a desire to help you grow, but it can be a hard pill to swallow at times. If you're not ready for criticism, shadow work, having to take responsibility for your mess ups etc. then you're not ready for this like if deity work.

The other common kind is a more relaxed worship style approach. You're not in a contract by any means, you don't work directly with them, but you do honour them. You might have an altar for them or leave the occasional offering, but it's more an act of devotion than a give and gain in return. This is how people would have worshiped back in the era, yes some definitely did have more closer contractual relationships but the common one was like this.

There were so many gods to keep up with, people would just go to the one they needed in that time and go "hey I need a favour, I'll give you this and in return can you help me?". Maybe it was a simple prayer, or a little offering but it wasn't a strict working relationship.

This is kind of what we do, while we do focus a lot on sleep and dream witchcraft which naturally guides us toward (the actual) Hypnos, we're not in a working relationship with him. We use his likeness and energy to aid our sleep work. We occasionally ask for a good nights rest or a clear dream, give him something like a prayer or make some devotional art on return for his help.