Lesson 7: The Goddess and God
All Wiccans share a believe in divinity as being plural, both male and female, God and Goddess. The way in which divinity is expressed through different beliefs and philosophies – Wiccans may be henotheistic (all Gods and Goddesses are part of a greater whole); polytheistic (there are many Gods and Goddesses) or pantheistic (Divinity is present in and inherent in all life on Earth, animal, mineral and plant). Or indeed any other number of or combination of -eists!
All Wiccans believe in a female Deity, The Goddess, who is worshipped/celebrated alongside Her male companion, often seen as the Horned God. In Wicca, the Goddess is usually represented by the Moon and the God by the Sun, there are however many different pantheons from which Deities might be drawn from, many Wiccans prefer to work with the Celtic Deities, in particular the Welsh and Irish Gods and Goddesses.
The Goddess is often invoked as Aradia, Hekate, Ceridwen, Diana, Arianrhod
The God is often invoked as Cernunnos, The Horned God, Herne, Pan, Gwyn Ap Nudd, Llugh
Wiccans celebrate the union of the Goddess & the God in a ceremony known as “The Great Rite” which celebrates the union of male & female and is usually only performed by initiates of second or third degree. The ceremony of Cakes and Wine which is performed at almost all Wiccan rituals is another way in which the union of the Goddess and God is celebrated and expressed. Polarity, be it male / female, light/dark or any other interaction between opposites is a theme central to many of our practises and rituals.
Wicca is a life-affirming and positive spiritual path. Wiccans often personify the changes in nature as different aspects of the Goddess and God. So for example, we celebrate the rebirth of the Child of Promise, the Solar God, at the Winter Equinox (Yule) and we celebrate the return of the beautiful Goddess of Life at the Spring Equinox.
Exercise 7:
a) Spend some time thinking about your own beliefs again. Write some additional notes on your views on the Goddess and God. (*See Lesson 4 Exercises)
b) Do some additional reading on the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse and Celtic pantheons. Is there one of these which appeal to you more than the others?
