Category: winter

As the snow begin to fall and the air becomes bitter and harshly cold, the festivals like, Yule, the new year, and Lupercalia it beckons us into it’s embrace of introspection, silence, and prepping for new beginnings to blossom in the Spring. During these festivals its common for many witches and pagans to work with and celebrate deities that connect to and represent the energies central to the introspective and transitional celebrations. I do! This season for me is a very feminine one. I hardly ever have gods and the divine masculine calling out to me now. This a season when I want to go into the womb of mother Earth. When the dark goddess and her healing, justice, empowerment, harsh clarity on reality, magic, and darkness beckons me to sit in her embrace. To listen to the past, root myself in introspection, and hear the healing whispers from my womb in the stillness and silence of winter. During this month a few deities take center stage because they have festivals or sacred days during this month to help you connect with them in a very intimate way. This season and it’s celebrations are full of magic, fertility, purification, introspection and there are many gods and goddesses who embody its transitional, silent, and restful energy. Winter season specifically the months of December, January, and February is a really important time in pagan culture and there are plenty of chilly gods and goddesses to work with or worship, depending on your practice, festivals, and celebrations. Let’s take a walk through the Winter landscape blanketed with snow and frozen waterways. To take the time to pause, reflect, and truly connect to the cyclical rhythm of nature while we meet SOME of those deities together in this post today.

Skaði (Skadi / Skathi) – Norse goddess

Skaði is a Norse goddess, often called the “Winter Queen,” associated with the mountains, hunting, skiing, and the wild, primarily known as a giantess (jötunn) who married the sea god Njörðr. Daughter of a fallen giant, Skadi walks the windswept mountains, a huntress sculpted from ice and legend. Her eyes, sharp as glaciers, scan the frozen realm. Bow in hand, she glides through the snow on swift skis, a predator born of the wilderness. Tales paint her as fierce, her spirit forged in the fires of vengeance and tempered by the unforgiving cold. She is mistress of the mountains, where the sun dances on glacial edges and the howl of the wolf echoes through empty valleys. But beneath the hardened exterior lies a yearning for connection. A goddess caught between two worlds – Asgard, home of the gods, and the wild embrace of the giants. Skadi’s place in Norse mythology is multifaceted and we see this as she is featured in stories with Odin, Loki, and Njordr among others. She’s even associated with snowshoes, and in later stories is said to have married Odin and bore him many children. She is the embodiment of both the untamed wild and a yearning for understanding. She is a warrior queen, a skilled hunter, and a goddess who walks the line between two worlds. Her story reminds us of the power of resilience in the face of loss, the importance of honoring our true nature, and the ever-present tension and duality between harmony and conflict.

Odin-Norse god

Odin is a Norse god who rules over wisdom, war, magic, and sovereignty. Odin is known by many many names. Wodan, Wotan, All Father, One-Eyed Seeker are but just a few. He is the ruler of the Aesir and steward of Asgard. In Germanic lore, it is said during Yule, which takes place during winter, he leads the Wild Hunt while being seated upon Sleipnirs back. This hunt is a spiritual parade of sorts that flies through the sky on Winter nights. Sometimes the Wild Hunt collects lost souls and sometimes a person joins the Wild Hunt in their sleep. In Nordic countries, the people gave sacrifices to Odin in the Winter months to ensure safety from them and prosperity. Including the children leaving hay in their boots by the hearth for Sleipnir to snack on as he flew by. Does this sound familiar to you at all? A white bearded old man, riding across the sky with a stead bringing blessings to those as he goes by? Many believe Odin is the actual inspiration for modern day Santa Claus? Check out my blog all about Santa HERE and decide for yourself.

Kuraokami

Kuraokami is a legendary Japanese dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow. The name Kuraokami translates to “Ravine Rain Serpent. Kuraokami is said to have been created from the blood of Kagutsuchi, the fire deity. In some versions of the myths surrounding Kuraokami, Watatsumi, and Mizuhanome, Izanami created them to tame Kagutsuchi’s fire if he ever got out of control.

Hestia– Greek goddess

The next deity I want to talk about I personally feel is overlooked far too often especially during the cold winter months. This season is the time of year that solidifies us in the bitter cold and harshness of nature. Which means we need warmth and heat for us to survive and thrive. Which is why I always feel pulled to her during this time. Especially living in Minnesota I need her to bless my hearth with continuous heat during the long winter months. Not only that, but she can make your home extra cozy during this month while you spend more quality time alone. Hestia is the sole attendant to the celestial hearth of the gods. As the goddess of the hearth, she personified the fire burning in the hearths of every home in Greece. On a very tangible level, Hestia rules the domain of fire. This means that she is directly responsible, at least according to the Greeks, for the fire, the stove, and the heat in your home. Honoring her during the winter season, when the harsh chill solidifies itself in our bones is a great idea right now. She will bless your hearth as she stokes and fuels the flames all winter long. Don’t forget all month long to present her and your hearth with the first offering sacrificed to keep those flames burning strong.

Boreas-Greek God
Boreas is the Greek God of the North wind, winter and ice. He’s also known as The Devouring One. He is the spirit of Winter and can be both violent and benevolent. Depending on the person and situation. The Greeks believed he came from the North, being the North Wind, and because of this was considered Thracian in origin. He is often depicted as a powerful, bearded man with wings, with two faces – one in front and one in back. He is the son of the Titan Astraeus and Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and brother to Zephyrus (the West Wind) and Notus (the South Wind). He is said to be the one who brings cold winter weather and is known for his violent temper, most famously abducting the Athenian princess Oreithyia to become his wife.

Brigid

The next deity I am going to talk about is because she takes central stage during Imbolc the festival that marks the midwinter point. A Goddess in Irish tradition, Brigid is one of the most well-known because, she is the Goddess of fertility and spring. To many she is also known as the Great Mother Goddess of Ireland, and to Christians as a Saint Brigid. With this energy, Brigid brings the remembrance of our Oneness and of the Eternal Essence of the Divine Feminine. She is the daughter of the Celtic God Dagda, a Fae leader of the Tuatha dè Danann.She’s often depicted with fiery hair and a sunbeam cloak. She was born at sunrise with rays of sunlight radiating around her head. She is associated with many things; Poetry, Healing, Midwinter/Imbolc, Flames/fire, Fertility, and Motherhood.

Brigid is considered a Triple Goddess, yet many references distinguish Brigit differently than the traditional Triple Goddess aspects of Maiden, Mother and Crone. Rather Brigid is frequently referenced having three sister selves with three distinct roles, Lady of Healing Waters, Goddess of the Sacred Flame and Goddess of the Fertile Earth.

Callieach

Cailleach stands as a prominent figure in Celtic mythology, embodying the essence of wisdom, transformation, and the cycles of nature. Her presence is deeply rooted in the folklore and traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.. Since, the ancient Celts celebrated two seasons only, her reign bringing cold all over the land began on Samhain and ended with Ostara/spring when she handed it back to Brigid. On Imbolc which is the first of February, Cailleach, the Goddess of Winter, heads out into the world to gather firewood to keep her warm for the rest of winter. If the weather is bright and sunny, Cailleach is out gathering the wood and will be able to gather enough to make winter last a good bit longer. However, if the weather is bad and cold, Cailleach is still asleep and will soon run out of firewood, and spring will come sooner.

Cailleach is often depicted as a powerful, crone-like figure who embodies the harshness and stillness of winter. When she appears to me she also has a blue aurora about her, and her mythical staff in hand. This staff is said to have mystical powers for when she slams it on the ground winter will freeze all the land. She represents the embodiment of winter, sovereignty, and the primal forces of the natural world. As the guardian of the cold, she is said to control the storms, the winds, and the snow that blanket the earth during the winter months. She is a symbol of death and decay but also of transformation and the wisdom that comes with age and experience. While Brigid heralds the coming of spring and new life, Cailleach represents the slowing down and rest that winter brings, urging us to pause and reflect. On Imbolc, Cailleach’s presence is especially poignant as it marks the shift from the deep, inward-focused energies of winter toward the budding life of spring. Cailleach holds the power to either prolong winter or usher in the first signs of spring, depending on whether she decides to create a fierce storm or allow the warmth to return.

If you really want to learn more about her and read my personal experiences with her this winter come join the alchemist paid tier of the Patreon community or higher and get access to my anthology all about her.

Baba Yaga

The next goddess we have gives me a very similar energy and feel when I work with her as the goddess we just talked about above; Calileach. To modern witches and Slavic pagans, Baba Yaga is a witch goddess who lives deep in a birch forest moving from place to place among the trees in her hut she calls home on top of giant chicken legs. From time to time when she needs to gather more supplies you might catch a glimpse of her flying by up in the sky from her magical mortar and pestle. She’s a wild and untamed old woman, often seen as a hag or crone, but can transform herself into a beautiful woman to manipulate or trick someone if she desires. Baba Yaga is a goddess of wisdom, healing, transformation, death, rebirth, renewal and autumn/winter. When healing is needed, whether it’s from colds/flu or emotional healing, Baba Yaga can offer healing often in the form of herbal teas brewed by herself. Calling on her during this Winter season can lead you through the forest now frozen and blanketed in snow, to her skull fenced lined home. To peer into the darkness of her cauldron and gain the most ancient wisdom from the darkness of the cosmos that she guards. To learn more about her you can read my previous post here.

Morena

In Bohemia and Moravia, the goddess of winter, death and dreams is Morana, who covers the fields in a funeral shroud of ice and snow. She reigns from the winter solstice to the spring equinox. Then Vesna, the goddess of spring and rebirth, takes over. Morena is a Slavic goddess of winter, death, and rebirth. She is also known by many other names, including Marzanna, Mara, Morana, and Marena. She is feared as the bringer of its chill in most areas. This is only amplified by her connection to the Zmora/Mora/Kikimora – a demon of nightmares. She is sometimes pictured in a form similar to those demons.

The most popular myth involving her is that of her marriage with Jaryło/Yarilo/Gerovit – her twin brother and a spring, war, and agriculture god. It was said that she was a daughter of Perun, god of thunder, and Mokosz/Mokosh, the Great Mother. In this story, she was once a nature goddess. When she was young, Jaryło was stolen by the god Weles and taken to the underworld of Nawia/Nav. When he returned, the twins did not know they were related, so they fell in love and were married. This marriage between Morena’s nature and Jaryło’s agriculture brought balance in nature and also peace (temporarily) between Perun and Weles. But then Jaryło committed adultery. So, she killed him for his betrayal, turning her bitter and making her the winter deity we know today. This split is the reason for the seasons, as Morena kills Jaryło in autumn, and he along with a spring goddess (usually either Dziewanna or Żywia/Vesna) kills her in the spring. The cycle continues annually, and neither can exist for long while the other survives.

This story shows a bit of tragedy that is often lacking in many mythological stories. While Maorena is feared, she has a human element of desiring revenge and having her heart broken. An important note is that most gods in Slavic mythology had a fear and a worship element to them. Morena is feared for the death and disease she brings, but she is also a crucial part of the world’s cycle.

La befana

The next deity or as some call her a folklore legend we are going to talk about it la befana. She is a grandmotherly woman who resembles a kindly witch that is connected to Christmas. She brings gifts to good little children, depositing them in stockings hung above the hearth. Some even claim she sweeps the floor before she leaves as a symbol to sweep away the previous year’s problems. Even though she has roots all the way back to ancient Roman festivals, she is most well known for her role in Christian stories and legends. I personally believe this is because the church needed a much more acceptable and tamer version of the Germanic winter witch Berchta.

In Italian folklore and legend La befana delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi. Another Christian legend takes a slightly darker tone as La Befana was an ordinary woman with a child whom she greatly loved. However, her child died, and her resulting grief maddened her. Upon hearing news of Jesus being born, she set out to see him, delusional that he was her son. She eventually met Jesus and presented him with gifts to make him happy. The infant Jesus was delighted, and he gave La Befana a gift in return; she would be the mother of every child in Italy.

Nanook

This next deity comes to us from Inuit Mythology. In Inuit religious beliefs, Nanook (the Polar Bear) is the master of bears. He is the one who decides if a hunter is worthy of their kill and whether or not they will be successful. Revered for his strength and wisdom, Nanook symbolizes the profound connection between the Inuit and their natural environment. As a spiritual leader, Nanook not only embodies the qualities necessary for survival in this harsh terrain but also represents the delicate balance between humans and nature in Inuit belief. In Inuit mythology, Nanook is not just an individual deity but an integral part of the pantheon’s familial structure. Revered as a father figure, Nanook is said to have many cubs, each inheriting his strength and resilience. His companion, Sedna, goddess of the sea and marine life, complements Nanook’s domain over land and ice by ruling the ocean depths. Together, they embody the harmonious balance of the Arctic environment, where land and sea intertwine in a crucial interplay of survival and sustenance.

Nanook, a powerful deity in Inuit mythology, exerts profound influence over the Arctic environment through various domains. Known as the master of bears, Nanook controls the movements and availability of bears, crucial for successful hunts where hunters perform rituals and offerings to appease him. Beyond land, Nanook extends his sway over the Arctic seas, believed to calm or stir waters that affect the hunt for seals and walruses. Legends attribute Nanook with control over Arctic weather, where blizzards and storms are seen as expressions of his will or a test for hunters. In the realm of the afterlife, Nanook plays a role in Inuit beliefs, with the souls of hunted bears returning to him, potentially to be reborn or serve as spirit guides.

Pertcha

The next deity I am going to talk about many only consider her to be a folklore legend similar to La befena. While Krampus gets most of the attention during this time of the year as the terrifying side of the holiday season Pertcha is just as terrifying. If not more so in my eyes. In the Alps of Upper Germany, Austria, and Slovenia, you will find stories of Perchta, a goddess connected to Winter and snow. Sources say she has two different appearances: a beautiful woman as white as snow or as elderly and haggard woman. As the crone she is often depicted with a beaked nose made of iron, dressed in rags, perhaps carrying a cane, and generally resembles a decrepit old crone. But this old crone packs a mighty wallop…. and carries a long knife hidden under her skirt. She is said to roam the countryside during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany to enter the houses of those she encountered. If your house is neat and tidy and all your spinning for the winter season was done by the twelfth night she would leave you a silver coin. If it wasn’t well…there are many stories of what she would do to you some involving that knife under her skirt even. Some stories say she may slit your belly open, rip out your innards, and stuff you with straw, rocks, and bits of glass. She also disembowels lazy children. Other legends equate Frau Perchta with the legend of the Wild Hunt, and say that she flies through the night sky attended by an army of lost souls, including the demonic-looking Perchten, her army of servants who are visually nearly indistinguishable from Krampus.

Tengliu

Tengliu,is a Goddess of Snow in Chinese mythology. In Chinese mythology, Tengliu is the goddess of winter. She is said to live in the Kunlun Mountains, where she controls the weather. Tengliu first appeared in the Tang dynasty and later became a popular cultural figure in the Ming dynasty through the development in the Song dynasty. Other then her appearance in many songs throughout the Song dynasty not much else is really known about her.

Yuki-onna

Yuki-onna is a Japanese deity or really a spirit associated with winter and snowstorms. I say this because, she isn’t referenced too as a Kami but, instead usually as a yokai. She is also known as the snow woman. In some legends, Yuki-onna is a manifestation of winter, representing its harshness. Some legends say the Yuki-onna, being associated with winter and snowstorms, is the spirit of someone who perished in the snow. She is at the same time beautiful and serene, yet ruthless in killing unsuspecting mortals. In some stories, Yuki-onna is vengeful and freezes travelers with her icy breath. In other stories, she is kind and helps people in the mountains. She personifies the duality and contrast of Winter. Showing us the harness, bitterness, and coldness of the season. Along with highlighting the peacefulness, beauty, ands stillness of the season.

Aphrodite

The last deity I am going to talk about I think far too many forget is connected to winter. I feel this happens because, too many forget Valentine’s day in February is right in the middle of Winter. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and desire. She is also associated with sexuality, fertility, and pleasure. While best known as the goddess of love, she was also the ancient Greek goddess of fertility, physical pleasure (particularly sexual), eternal youth, grace, and beauty. Additionally, she played roles in commerce, war, and politics. Plus let’s not forget her crucial role, as one of the causes of the Trojan War. Her origins though, are shrouded in mystery. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, she emerged from the sea foam in the waters of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, born from the severed genitals of Uranus. She supposedly arose from the foam when the Titan Cronus slew his father Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea. However, according to Homer, in Iliad, Aphrodite may instead be the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Call on her this Winter season to work with the energy of love and deepening your connection to others. Don’t forget to reflect on your relationships as well and find love with those you can. Especially if you are forced into a situation just as she was. Remember, Aphrodite is about so much more than love, beauty and lust though. You can always call on her for those reasons but, Aphrodite is about the passion of creation. Which is why she can be called on for creative expression, and living your passion. She is a great goddess to use for self love, emotional balance and healing as well.

How to connect to and work with these deities

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from. However you incorporate deities in your practice is up to you. But here are some ideas to get you started on ways to work with any or all of these deities of the Winter. Remember; it’s important to approach them with respect, reverence, gratitude and by building a relationship with them. Every time you work with a deity it is an even energetic exchange; which means what you put into your intention when working with them and building your relationship to them is what you get back. Don’t forget to check out my shop and for an eBook to help you explore how you view deities more and you can also purchase my deep deity devotionals workshop course HERE!

• Research, study and read about who they are, where they come from, and their myths and legends
• Refresh your altar and add any of them to it. Or create a new one. Use any of the correspondences connected to them that speak to you
• Cast spells to help with personal transition or transformation allowing the deities of the transitional season to guide you through the process
• Call on them to assist you with different types of divination like, tarot, pendulum readings, runes, fire scrying or cryomancy
• Use their correspondences and energies in protection spells especially for ones for your home
• Create a spell jar for them and add them to your altars or place them somewhere in your home
• Shadow work focusing on inner work, the cold, resilience, strength, and resting.  If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here;  you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.
• Invite them to your circle and castings when performing rituals tied to the cycles of nature
• Include them in your celebrations for any festivals like Yule, the new year, Lupercalia, and Valentine’s day
• Use snow and ice magic
• Go on a mindful walk in nature to connect to the energies of the land the winter deities rule
• Invoke their name when creating simmer pots to cleanse and purify your home from unwanted energies
• Herbal magic-brew teas especially, or add herbs to your hot drinks
• Carve their sigils into candles for fire magic for release work and to keep your home warm and your hearth lit during the cold dark winter months
• Purification and cleansing rituals and spells using snow and ice
• carving their sigils into the ice for binding and banishing spells
• Make some rose water and use in your spells and leave as offerings for deities
• Use oil with their correspondences and blessed with their prayers in self love rituals
• Bake treats and add their sigils to them for love, family, and relationships
• Give them offerings they enjoy for manifestation and building a relationship
• Add their sigils and correspondences like herbs to spell bags, talismans, and charms
• Leave them offerings of milk to connect to fertility, abundance, and prosperity during winter
• carve their sigils into your fire wood before you burn it in your hearth to welcome them into your home and bring you blessings
• invoke them during your commitment ceremonies
• Draw their sigils on your mirror before doing mirror magic and/or mirror work
• Use their prayers during sex magic rituals and spells
• Ask them to join you on astral travels, meditations, and inner healing work sessions
• Wear their colors during the day and use color magic to connect to them
• Journal about signs you in your life during your days that are connected to them
• Use their images as inspiration in glamor and beauty spells
• Divination like fire gazing, snow scrying, melt snow and use the water in scrying, or Cryomancy
• create Brigid’s crosses for Imbolc
• Add their sigils, names, correspondences, and images to your holiday and festival celebrations
• leave a plate and place for them at your festival dinners so they can join you
• meditate as the snow falls and listen for their words of wisdom and them call to you
• call to them in prayers to ignite and guide your creativity in creativity spells
• Volunteer and serve at places in your community that align with deities you wish to work with this season
• Use their sigils on your spells to help aid in your rest during winter
• go on a shamanic journey with their animal companions to connect with them
• invoke them, use their prayers, use their correspondences, or sigils to bless your magical tools
• daily prayers, affirmations, poems, or songs to honor and venerate them
• Live your life in accordance with their own personal philosophies and energies
• Make them part of your new year goals and resolutions
• If possible take a trip or spend your vacation at places sacred to them like their temples or countries of origin
• add their images, symbols, and sigils to your gift wrappings or Valentine’s cards
• wear jewelry with their image, symbol, name, or sigil on it
• draw or tattoo their sigils onto your body
• Perform a dedication rite or ritual to dedicate yourself to them during their season and most potent time of the year

A fundamental pillar of Paganism is working with the deities that one believes in. While all practicing Pagans have varying beliefs about the gods and goddesses, most agree that honoring their deities is a great way to connect with them and further their spiritual goals. But, again remember not every pagan works with deities. Also remember there are literally thousands of different deities out there in the multiverse and which ones you choose to honor will often depend significantly upon what pantheon your spiritual path follows. This eBook will walk you thru the different ways to view deities, what a deity can be, and the basics to start building a deep meaningful relationship with one.

In this new special 6 month shadow work program I will help you realign your inner world, discover all the versions of you in the shadows, and show you how to integrate your shadows into your own authentic identity. When you purchase and register for this 6 month course you will get pre-recorded lessons, eBooks, journal prompt workbooks, weekly guided sessions, ( with one week off for integration) one womb healing session, and access to a discord chat for all those who are taking the course with you. We begin the last Monday of February for orientation week and then session for courses start the first Monday of March! There will be limited spots so hurry and register today.

About Me : I have been a solitary grey magic practitioner for 15 + years. First and foremost, I consider myself a mystic and seeker of all knowledge. I am dedicated to the restoration, and re-enchantment of Magic in society, across this realm, and in each and every soul I come across in life! I am here to create a container that promotes healing, duality, and raw authenticity. I do this by guiding you on your personal journey to understanding your unique magic and sacred contracts. I facilitate this for you through embracing your shadow, duality and learning to live in energetic balance while not wearing a mask. When you work and learn from me you do so from your “darkness” as much as your “light” and in a way to truly harness and accept it not to just go thru it on the way to your light. But, I teach you how to truly embrace it, work with it, and use it alongside your light as a partner. I hold up a mirror for you to be able to see your authentic reflection looking back. Then have the courage to take the next step and do the uncomfortable but vital inner work to completely remove your mask. By facing all of your past wounds, traumas, and hurts. Allowing you to see both the dark and light within your story and take each chapter and alchemize it into something that is so powerful. your unique internal flame will shine so bright you will always be able to go within and find it on a dark cold night. You will learn how to truly live in duality and energetic balance to allow growth, and alignment with your sacred contracts and purposes. to finally move on and truly let the things that hold you back in this life from healing and manifesting go. To see everything I offer; like personalized shadow work sessions, womb healing, eBooks for you to work through on your own, Tarot sessions for guidance and more! Go to my shop!

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