As the leaves begin to fall and the air turns crisp, the festivals like Samhain, Halloween, and the day of the dead beckons us into the realm of shadows, transformation, and magic. 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 reflective and transitional celebrations. This season and it’s celebrations are full of magic, and there are many gods and goddesses who embody its transitional energy. Spooky season during Autumn, specifically the months of October and November, is a really important time in pagan culture and there are plenty of spooky gods and goddesses to work with or worship, depending on your practice, festivals, and celebrations. Let’s take a walk through the veil that is thinned now, allowing us access to our ancestors, the dead, and the otherworld. To take the time to pause, reflect, and truly connect to those who have come before us while we meet SOME of those deities together in this post today.
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone is the goddess of agriculture, the spring, the Underworld, duality, and the wife of Hades. Prior to her marriage with Hades she was known as Kore, which means “daughter” or “maiden”. I find this to be crucial to her story and representation of rebirth, because, before she grabbed power in her marriage to Hades, the gods hadn’t even given her a name or her own place of power. Which makes no sense to me because she was born from two of the most powerful deities. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. For her to have such little power, be sheltered, and not have her own place of power within the pantheon was in injustice she would rectify through the power of rebirth and duality by becoming Hades wife. Persephone’s journey into the Underworld each autumn mirrors the cycle of life, death, and rebirth that Samhain embodies. As the wife of Hades, Persephone governs the realm of the dead by his side with grace, compassion, and might. Persephone’s presence in the Underworld brings a sense of balance between life and death. While Mabon aka the fall equinox marks Persephone’s descent into the underworld Samhain marks her rightfully ascending to her throne as the queen of the underworld. Working with her this spooky season you can call her as guide into the underworld and communicating with the your ancestors on the other side. Along with using her example to ascend to your own throne and grab your rightful true place of power.
To learn all about this alluring, intriguing, and transitional goddess, and see her story in a whole new light. Plus meet her in a guided meditation you can watch my class all about her here!
Hades
Since we’ve named him already alongside his beloved wife we can’t forget about the Greek god of the underworld himself; Hades (pluto). Hades is the god and king of the Greek Underworld, which gives him power and control over the souls who reside there. Hades, name translates to “unseen” or “sightless”, which really connects him the energy of transition, rebirth, and the liminal space . Connecting to him during this time of year to allow us to walk in and out of the liminal space that is created during this spooky season by the thinning veil. Hades’ father Cronus attempted to swallow him whole to destroy him forever but, in the end he failed. Allowing Hades to truly feel comfortable in the belly of the darkness that is the underworld beyond the veil. Calling on him during this spooky season will give you a calm, reassuring, and compassionate hand guiding you to your loved ones who reside now in his lands.
To learn more about him and meet him you can watch my class on him with Divination Academy here.
Hekate
To some she is Hecate, others Hekate. For many, she comes without a name revealing herself during times of great personal pain and loss. To others she the triple goddess. There is much to learn about Hecate from the written records, but for a witch to truly know Hecate, we need to experience her.
Hecate is a complex goddess with a long history. Hecate is an ancient Greek Goddess often associated with the Underworld, witchcraft, necromancy, crossroads, the spiritual realm, and the moon and so much more. She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, a guide along the path, and the universal Keeper of the Keys. The Guide who leads us back to our soul. And she is a face of The Great Mother, creatrix and destroyer of all. She is a liminal spirit – she guards the thresholds between the human and spirit world. She is the bringer of power and healing. She spins the wheel of time, weaving her magic and mystery throughout. The fiery spark that lives in all the universe. Working with her during this spooky season allows her to hold the torch for you as you walk to the crossroads with your ancestors by your side to choose your path for the next year ahead.
To learn more about her and meet her at the crossroads you can watch my class on her with Divination Academy here.
Osiris
Osiris is one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon, he was the first son born to the god of earth geb and sky Nut. He was the Original ruler of the underworld until his wife Isis took over after his death at the hands of his own brother Set. Osiris was not only the ruler of the dead but also the power that granted all life from the underworld, from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile River. He’s the god of fertility, resurrection, and the afterlife. Osiris is super important in the Egyptian underworld, called the Duat. He’s not only a god of the afterlife but, he is the one whom judges all the souls. When someone dies, their soul goes on a journey through the Duat, facing all sorts of challenges. Until The big moment at the end when the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony takes place. They weigh the person’s heart against the feather of Ma’at, who stands for truth and justice. Osiris is there, watching and presiding over the entire thing. Being the one whom listens to the scales and judges each soul with fairness for all. Working with him this spooky season can give you a chance to look at the weight of your own heart through reflection and do the inner work to still try and tip that eternal scale in your favor.
Lady Hel
The ruler of Helheim. Hel Goddess of the Dead, daughter of Loki, is much more than a mysterious name and looming, shadowy presence. She is a deity of immense complexity, but one that is worth learning from. Hel, also called Hella and Hela, is the daughter of the trickster god Loki and the witch-giantess Angrboda in Norse mythology. Along with her brothers, the wolf Fenrir and the snake Jörmungandr, she was raised by her mother in a place called Járnviðr, the Iron Wood. She rules over the land of the dead, under one of the 3 roots of Yggdrasil, called Helheim. Yes, she is terrifying to behold, as the legends go, yet she brings transformation and paves the way for creation after destruction. When she manifests, she appears as a half-dead half-alive woman, showing the paradox between life and death. The polarity, that is needed for the Universe to continue on. Hel’s spiritual powers include death (physical and metaphorical), the afterlife, protection, transformation, omens, wisdom, mystery and ancestral connection. Work with her this spooky season to learn more about ancestors, shadow work, and to explore your fears about death and the afterlife.
To learn more about her and meet her you can watch my class on her with Divination Academy here.
The Morrigan
The Morrigan is the Celtic Goddess known as many things and she takes center stage during spooky season specifically . The Phantom Queen on the battlefield. The crow that soars above the wreckage and ruin. The seeress, the warrior, the protector. Her presence is a reminder of the thinning veil between the worlds and the mysteries that lie beyond. The Celtic Goddess of War is mysterious and dangerous, and chooses who she aids carefully. the Morrigan is intimately linked to the concepts of fate and prophecy. In Celtic mythology, she is believed to possess the ability to shape and determine the destinies of individuals and even entire kingdoms. Her prophetic powers grant her the ability to foresee battles and events, influencing the outcomes and playing a crucial role in the unfolding of history. The Morrigan’s role as a weaver of fate emphasizes the delicate balance between free will and the forces that guide our lives both in this one and the next. During Samhain, She is said to guide the souls of the departed and can offer protection to those who seek her aid in navigating the realms beyond. Work with her during this spooky season to protect you as work with your ancestors and energies beyond the veil. If your lucky she may even allow you a glimpse into your upcoming year.
To learn more about her and meet her you can watch my class on her with Divination Academy here.
Lilith
For 4,000 years Lilith has wandered the earth. Lilith is a “Dark” Goddess, she is one of incredible power, charisma, and persuasion. She is a mistress of the divine feminine and a true seductress. She is a Queen of Darkness and understands the powerful energies that sleep in the night and can bend them to her will. She hears the dark whispers of the forgotten night. The sleeping Dark mother who calls to the creatures of the nights and nurtures them in blankets of moonlight. She is Lilith, the Dark Mother and she is incredible to work with!
She is a healer and a lover and one who can provide comfort and support to those in need. Her night energies provide rest and comfort and she can inspire those who work with her with dreams. She empowers those she works with. She can awaken our power and help us to claim who we are and our space and become the people we desire to be. She reminds us of our truth and the powerful individuals that we are. Lilith is not bad or evil. Lilith is the voice inside of you telling you to act when you feel you’ve been treated unfairly by the patriarchy. She is the voice that says it’s not only ok but good to enjoy sex and your sensuality. She is the voice calling for the divine feminine in each one of us to stand up and fight for our power. Working with her this spooky season while the veil is thin can help you to get in touch with your inner wild woman, your divine feminine and let her raging power out!
To learn more about her you can read my previous post all about her here.
cernunnos
cernunnos the Celtic god of the harvest is the heart of Samhain celebrations. Often depicted with antlers or horns upon his head, he is a symbol of the untamed wildness of the natural world. As the god of life, death, and rebirth, cernunnos perfectly embodies the cyclical nature of existence that Samhain celebrates. During Samhain ,cernunnos’ energy is palpable. He represents the harvest’s end and the descent into winter’s slumber, a reflection of the fading light and the approaching darkness. His influence extends to the realm of the spirits, as he guides departed souls through the veil between life and death. Work with him this spooky season to connect your heart back to the wild parts of who you are. while giving thanks for the harvest that will keep you alive during the long cold and dark winter months ahead.
Oya
Mighty Oya, a Yoruban Orisha or Goddess, of mighty transformation and change controls the rain, winds, and storms. She’s mothering, powerful, and has a strong desire to help women through their struggles to transform. Oya represents the crone phase of the Triple Goddess and is closely associated with death and rebirth, another symbol of transformation. Allow Oya to blow her winds of change around your life to bring about something greater this spooky season.
Dionysus
Dionysus is a Greek god most well known for his wine-loving ways, but there’s SO much more to him than what’s on the surface. He is the Greek god of wine, intoxication, sacred polarity, ecstatic trance, dance and theatrical performance, sacred hallucinogens, and masked processions and festivals. He is a very unique god in the Greek pantheon because, he isn’t thought to be one of the original Olympians. But, to have originated from Thrace as a titan and later was added to the pantheon. He not only wasn’t part of the original 13 deities of the Greek pantheon but, he is said to be twice-born. Before he became Dionysus he was born to Zeus and Persephone as their son Zagreus. His story is one of death, sacrifice, transformation, and rebirth which is why he is such a great deity to work with during this spooky season. Use him and his love of wine to help you connect to the deepest shadows of yourself to allow rebirth and connect to the spirits in the underworld.
If you would like to learn more about his first life as Zagreus, what his story means and how he can show up in your life join the Modgepodgemystic Mysteries my patreon community today where I share my journey with him.
Baba Yaga
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 spooky season can lead you through the veil to her skull fenced lined home. To peer into her cauldron and gain the most ancient ancestral wisdom she guards.
To learn more about her you can read my previous post here.
Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte, also known as the Bony Lady, “Holy Death,” “The White Lady,” and “La Hueseda” is a special saint with a deep connection to the essence of death. Santisima Muerte emerges from the depths of history, tracing her origins to the sacred traditions of the ancient Aztecs. Her compelling narrative intertwines with the tapestry of life and death, offering solace and guidance to those who seek her enigmatic presence. Today she is a female folk saint and deity in Mexican folk Catholicism and paganism. She is a personification of death, but is also associated with healing, protection, and safe passage to the afterlife. Santa Muerte is not just about death; she also holds sway over the spirit world and mystical dimensions. This allows people to connect with the spirits of the deceased and other mystical beings. Because death has the power to transform our consciousness, she’s considered a powerful spirit for magic, helping people develop wisdom, strength, and awareness.
During this spooky season she is the patron saint who is at the heart of The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos. Which is a national holiday when the souls of the dead are thought to return to enjoy the pleasures of life as well as the closeness of family and friends. Rather than a somber occasion, the Day of the Dead is intended to be a bright and joyous one. People gather to celebrate the spirits of their deceased loved ones and the lives that they lived. This celebration is not only believed to strengthen the bonds of the family but is also an opportunity to ask the dead for their assistance and protection. Work with Santa Muerte this spooky season to remind you of the love and joy you shared with your passed loves instead of making it a sad and somber affair.
To learn more about her you can check out this class all about her at Divination Academy.
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 fall. 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 coming soon my deep devotionals prerecorded workshop series will be available for purchase.
- 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 listed for each deity above that resonates with 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, or throwing bones while the veil is thin (Don’t forget to check out my free virtual tarot event)
- Cast spells or host rituals including them to connect to, communicate with, or venerate passed loved and ancestors long since gone
- Call on hekate/hecate at the crossroads to make a key decision in your life with the veil thinned
- Practice liminal magic working with the veil and have your magic be amplified by the assistance of the deities who travel and/or live there the most
- Leave offerings for them at graveyards, or cemeteries thanking them for protecting and guiding the souls who are resting there
- Use their correspondences and energies in protection spells especially for ones for your home
- Save them a plate and a seat at your dumb supper with your ancestors
- add their sigil when you make a pentagram wreath and hang on your door, your hearth, or your altar
- Prepare winter stores of food with kitchen magic and add their sigils to your recipes and jars to protect your food storage jars
- Create a spell jar for them and add them to your altars or place them somewhere in your home
- Shadow work focusing on death, rebirth, transition, and your relationship to your ancestral lines. 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.
- Call on them to be your guide as you walk through the veil to the other side
- Envision them and their energy as you meditate and contemplate your relationship with life, death, and the afterlife
- Invite them to your circle and castings when performing graveyard magic
- Include them in your celebrations for any festivals like Samhain, all souls day , and dias de los Muertos
- Ask them for assistance as guides into past life regression work, and healing generational wounds
- Ask them to assist you with working through a grieving process and understanding death and dying
- Add their sigil to your candles to be used during your candle ceremony to honor your ancestors this spooky season
Conclusion
However you choose to work with the deities of this spooky season, whether it be when celebrating Samhain, all souls day, or Dias de los Muertos be open and prepared for the darkness, rebirth, and transformation this season has. They will do this for you by being a guiding hand as you walk side by side with the ancients and your passed loved ones through the thinning veil. Leading you to a liminal space of healing, remembrance, and death. Allowing you to shed your current skin as a new cycle begins with their divine guidance and, support, until this new journey ends.
Come join me for community, knowledge, and to restore the enchantment of magic in yourself and life today!
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