a question about how there are so many different deities

Have you ever seen the Gundestrup cauldron? It’s where the very popular image of Cernunnos comes from, where he is pictured alongside a goddess associated with the moon. You can look at multiple cave paintings and the like where you’ll see a horned god and a moon goddess. The ancient people had to hunt for their food, often hunting a horned animal, so they would sacrifice that meat to their god who would reasonable have horns as well. The moon obviously is tied to feminine energy with its monthly cycles, and so they worshipped the moon to help bring healthy children into the world.

And because witchcraft is it’s own religion, there is no such thing as a “Christian Witch,” it just doesn’t work like that. It’s like calling someone a “Jewish Muslim.” It’s not a thing. They’re not witches, they are mystics or magicians, and they may practice magic, but it’s not witchcraft. Most, if not all, religions have some form of mysticism and magic, but magic is not witchcraft. Witchcraft is the cult of the goddess.

And with the idea of the multiple gods (all goddesses are one goddess, all gods are one god), I’m not trying to say that they don’t exist or don’t have value, but initiates of the Craft see all those deities as aspects of the god and goddess. There is one source of divinity that can’t be described, so it is broken down into archetypes that can be understood.

Hope that helps!

/r/witchcraft Thread