Asking for Help from Goddesses & Gods Without Developing a Relationship First - Tisk Tisk

So today I had the pleasure of reading a very thought-provoking article that has resonated quite deeply with me. I know that a lot of younger people in the craft as well as people who may be new to it might not understand the level of respect that's necessary, and because of that people tend to make mistakes or underestimate how much work is required before summoning deities for help. There have been countless times I have been scrolling in the Witchy groups on Facebook that I belong to and have seen posts such as "Which Goddess do I need to summon to find my true love?" or "Which God do I need to call upon for my business to thrive?" I have to say, I never truly encountered the questions or ever gave feedback to them because I know we are all new to our paths at one point or another, but a blogger by the name of Amor et Mortem (which I will post the link below) really got me interested in giving my two cents about this particular subject as well as some insight. I've always been pretty introverted when it comes to my beliefs, but this particular subject is something that really needs to be shined upon more, especially with such limited knowledge and resources when it comes to the Wiccan and/or Witchy paths. From my personal perspective, when I started dabbling into Wicca and really gave thought to getting more in depth; I was extremely overwhelmed by all of the knowledge/books/websites/groups/blogs/videos etc. that were out there. There are a lot of opinions too, which tend to collide with others. Certain forms of belief tend to not resonate with others or could be completely opposite, so when I started I figured the best possible way to generate my own set of ethics was to read, read, read as much as possible about absolutely everything having to do with Wicca. I read book after book, and on many occasions I have seen one Witch have a completely different view on something that another Witch ended up having. Its hard when you're trying to learn about an actual belief system when there's no real set type of official forms of belief. I know we have the Rede and don't get me wrong, I believe whole-heartedly in it, and all that it has to offer, but when we look at other forms of religious paths we can see that there is one particular central aspect of each of those religions, say for instance, the Christian Bible. This is partially due because Wicca is a newer path, and I think a lot of people tend to get misconstrued that it is the oldest religion in the history of time. Paganism itself is the oldest religion. I think that because we lack a general type of system, we tend to be more free with our path and in a way, that's what I absolutely love about Wicca. Its ability to adapt and for you to be free with who you are, what you believe, what you do, as long as the Rede is abided by (at least in my opinion). We can be eclectic solitaries or be the high priestess of a very traditional Gardnerian coven. The thing that hinders Wicca is the fact that there isn't enough knowledge on particular forms of spiritual connection/deity connection. There's a lot of beginners books on herbal correspondences and essential oils, how to create your own spells, and the moon cycles, planets, what they can do for us, how they can aid us, when is the best time to cast, etc. The thing that I think should be one of the most important lessons when it comes to Wicca is how to really, truly, build a long-lasting heartfelt relationship with deity. When most Wiccans first start out they tend to start building a relationship with Goddess as a whole. No particular Goddess from any pantheon, simply Goddess. Same thing with God, however over time you might feel particularly called to a certain type of God or Goddess. You might feel there are signposts, for instance, the two Ravens from Zeus. You might start seeing two ravens around on a repetitive basis and feel there's something deeper there. You might have a dream where a certain Goddess comes to you in your sleep, such as Hecate. Maybe during a meditation you might be approached by Athena. There are many ways that a particular God or Goddess will try and reach out to you, and the deeper your spirituality goes the more likely you are to develop a relationship with deity. I know that it can be tempting when suffering a type of crisis where you need help and you feel the push to call upon a certain deity that you've quickly researched to try and fix whatever is troubling you, but that is really not the way to approach that situation at all. Most likely, you won't be heard, or even sadly, ignored. You haven't formed a relationship, so there's no possible reason, no matter what spell is cast, no matter what you do in that particular moment for that deity to aid your troubles. I know it can sound harsh, but because of this, I wanted to talk about why its not helpful, and I also want to give some ways that you can start forming a long-lasting and meaningful relationship with deity.

First of all, I want to stress that forming a relationship with anyone is a process, especially when it comes to deity. It is going to take time, work, love, and most importantly, consistency. If you just call upon Goddess to help you and never bother to give her offerings at your altar, pray to her, and give thanks to her when things go right to acknowledge it is because of her those wonderful things happen, you will get exactly what you are putting out. If all you do is take, you're not going to be heard or helped when you are in a grave situation, and that is a very scary and lonely place to be. You need to cultivate a relationship and to do that there are actually quite a few ways. You can connect with deity through the use of divination such as tarot to hear messages from her, you can leave offerings on your altar such as a pretty flower you come across (and harvest respectfully of course), you can light a candle and incense every day on your altar. There are countless ways to let deity know you are always appreciative and respectful of all that she accumulates for you. Offering your thanks every full moon is a wonderful way as well, and make sure you do what feels right to you. You don't have to spend every single extra moment you have kneeling before your altar, but just taking a few minutes a day or whenever possible is meaningful enough. At first it will be different, but before you know it it will become a part of your being. Every day I light a candle on my main altar for Goddess as a reminder of all that I have become while walking this path. No matter what may be going on at this time, no matter how horrible the situation may be, you will get through it, and it may be hard, it may take time, but don't simply give up on your path because you weren't heard from a deity you decided to recently try to connect with. It could take some time, but anything that is worth it does. Just know that you are not alone, and Goddess is always listening. She won't let you take on too much or whatever you cannot fully handle. <3 I hope this was insightful and helpful to anyone new on the path, and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to comment below. Blessed be beautiful souls!

Article by Amor et Mortem: https://amoretmortem.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/our-gods-are-not-vending-machines/

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