There is a unifying force in the universe, which has been called by many names. God, Jehovah, and Allah are some of the most common at present. It is impossible, or very nearly so, to comprehend or relate to this divine Unity; it is everywhere and everything. However, the divine can be broken down into different aspects of the whole. We hope to get to know each one, and so become closer to understanding divinity. Each aspect is separate, yet the whole, as in the Christian concept of the Trinity.

Each of us has to find the aspects of the divine which best aid our understanding. The Judeo-Christian views of God serve some people well; other people work better within the ancient Greek, Celtic, Norse, Hindu, or Tameran (ancient Egyptian) pantheons, among many others. Some prefer to use more abstract conceptualizations of deity, such as the Mother and Father, while some prefer specific gods and goddesses. Many people refer to different gods and goddesses, depending on their purpose at the time; for example, when I am brewing up a tea for a headache or doing other healing work, I call on the Celtic goddess Brigid for guidance.

Views of the nature of deity vary widely among Wiccans and other Neopagans. One of the most common approaches, which I've described here, is pantheism--divinity is present everywhere, in everything, and everything is divine. A complementary view is that the deities are metaphors for ways that we can be in the world, and all the things that happen in nature. Another approach is polytheism--the deities are actual beings. Monotheism and atheism are less common viewpoints.

Gender and Deity

In Wicca, as in many other religions, the two main aspects of deity are God and Goddess. These can be seen as the Father and Mother of us all. Nature and society suggest this division; it's difficult to imagine something utterly genderless while we live in a world in which gender is so important. Divinity shows qualities associated with both genders, and this simple duality makes it possible to relate more effectively to deity, giving us a more rounded view than a neuter or purely "masculine" or "feminine" concept probably could.

Together, Goddess and God are all-encompassing; they incorporate all parts of life, including death and possible rebirth. (Not all Wiccans believe in rebirth or reincarnation, but many do.) It is tempting to see the dark/death aspects of deity as negative, but they are only a part of life, and we eventually have to accept them.

People's concepts of both deities are so complex that I feel all but incapable of explaining my own. Everyone has to form their own relationships with and understandings of deity. Here are some descriptions of the God and Goddess I have gleaned from various sources: several different versions of the Charge of the Goddess ( 1, 2, 3, 4), and of the Charge of the God ( 1, 2, 3, 4 ).

Within the Craft, solitary practitioners and groups give different levels of recognition to the God and Goddess aspects. Some give the two equal weight, some give preference to the Goddess in worship and devotions--sometimes to the exclusion of the God, and a few give preference to the God. I can easily understand many women's choice to honor the Goddess more, both because She seems more relevant and because the Judeo-Christian traditions in most of our backgrounds deny or downplay the "feminine" qualities of divinity. I also understand how the God could seem to offer more to some men. Personally, I prefer the balance of an equal duality, as does my coven. All these approaches are valid, though. 

© Copyright 1997, Eilís Moonbrook