All religions are structured upon the reverence of Deity, and Wicca is no exception. Wiccans acknowledge a supreme divine power, unknowable, ultimate, from which the universe sprang. In accordance to the principles of nature, the personification of the Deity appears in the Goddess and the God. I say in accordance to nature because of the simple fact without a male and female of each species, entire populations would cease to exist. As a more universal comparison, the concept of Yin and Yang applies; everything exists in a balance of male and female, day and night, right and wrong etc. - this applies to the Wiccan view of Deity.

In Wiccan thought, the Deities did not exist before our ancestors acknowledged them, but their energies behind them did; they created us. In an attempt to understand this divine creative force, our ancestors recognized these forces as the Goddess and the God. This is also why various ancient societies had a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, and everything from the sea to the sky as well as luck and fate were attributed to these Gods in an attempt to logically and “scientifically” classify them.

Though most Wiccans focus on the Goddess, the Goddess and the God are equal; neither higher or more deserving of respect. This focus on the feminine aspect is a result of centuries of controlling patriarchal religions without the acknowledgment of the feminine aspect of Deity. Religions based on either entirely masculine or feminine energies are unbalanced, the ideal is a perfect balanced between the two. The Goddess and the God are equal, complementary.

The God and Goddess are associated with fertility, but every part of one’s life can be linked to them in some way. This does not mean in any way that when a problem occurs that one should just leave it in the hands of the God and the Goddess. Wiccans call upon them for help and guidance, but not to solve problems our for us. Personal responsibly is a large part of the Wiccan belief, and it is completely self-centered to assume that the Divine will solve all your problems for you. In my own life I frequently hear people asking why God (referring to the Christian God) does this or that to them - you will never hear a Wiccan say this because in their minds things happen because they happen. In place of complaining that the Gods have forsaken them, they ask for guidance and actively do something to change what they do no like about their life.

The Goddess is the universal mother, as the Wicca know her, she is the Maiden, the Mother/Matron, and the Crone. She is everything at once. These representations simply show the different stages of her life; the youth who is learning about the world, the mother with responsibilities to the family, and the crone who has the knowledge of many years of life. Her life is her gift, and her gift is life, but she lends it with the promise of death. Not the darkness and oblivion of death, but a rest from the toils of the physical world. The Wicca revere her as the giver of fertility, love, and abundance, though they acknowledge her darker side as well.

The Goddess truly has no name; so has been called the Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Gods that made the Gods, as well as being known to her followers as Diana, Isis, Cerridwren, and Hera. Depending on what the individual followers usually has some affect and what they choose to call the Goddess, but she simply exists with no need for a name. She holds dominion over the Earth, sea and Moon. A few creature sacred to Her include the rabbit, the bear, the owl, the cat, dog, bat, goose, cow, dolphin, lion, horse, wren, scorpion, spider, and bee - just to name a few. All are sacred to the Goddess.

The God is the son and consort of the Goddess, but in all things they are equal, one; he is not the stern, all powerful deity of Judeo-Christian beliefs, he shares power with the Goddess. He is seen as the God of the Sun, and without the sun humanity can not exist, so He has been revered as the source of life. In earlier times, he was known as the God of the Wild Hunt or the Horned God, depicted wearing horns to show his connection with the wild animals how are his charge. The God also celebrates and rules sex. Wiccans do not avoid sex or speak of it in whispers, it is part of the natural cycle of life, and since is shifts our awareness away from the everyday world it is thought to be sacred. *

Like the Goddess, the God does not have a name. Commonly referred to as the Sun God, the Horned God, and the God of the Wild Hunt, he is also been called Apollo, Pan, Thorth, and Hermes. As with the Goddess, the name an individual chooses to call the God is personal, reflecting the path they wish to follow. The domains of the God includes the forests that are still untouched by human hands, the deserts, and the mountains. The stars, since they are just really small suns, are also under the rule of the God. Creatures sacred to the God include the bull, dog, snake, fish, stag, dragon, wolf, bear, eagle, falcon, shark, lizard, and many others.

* I make no mention of this in later pages. I belong to several “PG” rated web rings and I do not want to over step any bounds. There are several holidays, fertility festivals that are celebrated openly, Beltane being one of them, and if you, the reader, wish to know more about them I encourage you to research further. Sorry for any inconvenience made. *