These gods and goddesses bring psychic self-defence, protection, righteous anger against injustice,
also change, regeneration and survival.
These deities are very powerful and should only be invoked in their most positive aspects for the
purpose of defending the weak and never for revenge or personal anger. Experienced witches call on
them only rarely and with the purest intent under the law of threefold return. The exception is Bellona,
who is a benevolent and effective focus for female power and courage.
Bellona
Bellona is the Roman goddess of war, the female counterpart of Mars whose chariot she drove into
battle. She is especially good for women’s assertiveness and self-confidence rituals. She carries a
sword and wears a helmet.
Kali
Kali, the dark side of the Hindu Mother Goddess, came into being when Shiva, the husband of the
Mother Goddess Shakti, taunted her for her dark skin. In fury she carried out rituals until her skin
became golden inside. Shakti then shed her black outer skin like a snake and it formed the avenging
destroying persona of Kali. Kali is depicted with her four arms holding weapons and the heads of her
victims, her tongue lolling out, and covered in blood, signifying her power over life and death. She is
often pictured dancing on Shiva whose body she trampled on, destroyed and then danced on once
more to restore him to life.
Kali is invoked to remove fear and, it is said, to bring bliss to her devotees, and so she brings
protection and regeneration after sorrow.
Persephone
Persephone is the Greek maiden goddess of transformation, daughter of Demeter and goddess of
spring and flowers. She was abducted by Hades, God of the Underworld, and became Queen of the
Underworld for the winter months, returning to the Earth as the light-bringer in spring and so
representing the cycle of death and rebirth. She is especially powerful in rituals by or for young
women, especially those who have suffered loss or abuse, and also for mother-daughter relationships.
She is sometimes regarded as a symbol of grain.
Proserpina, daughter of Ceres, is the Roman form of Persephone.
Sekhmet
Sekhmet is the Ancient Egyptian solar and lion goddess created from the eye of Ra. She is sometimes
pictured as a woman with a lion’s head and so is a good to evoke for courage, righteous anger,
protection of the vulnerable, psychic protection and the correction of injustice. As an avenging
goddess, she should be used only as a focus for positive rituals, for, like fire, her innate power can
blaze out of control.
Shiva
Shiva, or Siva, is the Hindu god of both creation and destruction, good and evil, fertility and
abstinence. With Vishnu and Brahma, he forms the trinity of the modern Hindu gods. He is the Lord
of the Dance who, it is said, will one day bring about the destruction of the world.
His symbol is the phallus, representing creative power, and many Hindus regard his benevolent,
creative aspect as predominant. Shiva has three eyes, represented by the Sun, the Moon and Fire. His
third eye allows him to see inwards and also to destroy whatever it looks on. He was not one of the
original Vedic deities but became one of the supreme gods, according to legend, at the time when the
universe consisted only of water.
Vishnu and Brahma were arguing about who was the greatest god when a great pillar of flame
appeared between them. Shiva appeared from within the flaming pillar, which was symbol of his
masculine power, and the other gods bowed before him.
Invoke Shiva for animus power, potency, survival and male rituals.
Shakti
Shakti, or Matahdevi, is the female energy or power of Shiva. Her name is also used for the wife of
any Hindu god. She is the Mother Goddess and, like Shiva, creator and destroyer in her different
aspects.
Shakti provides the energy that activates Shiva’s male divine power, and her life-giving force animates
other gods in difficult tasks. Although there are several other Hindu female goddesses, they all form
aspects of Shakti and often their identities merge. One of Shakti’s forms is as Parvati, the gentle
mother. Shakti is potent for all rituals of women’s power, especially when they must take the
initiative, and she is easier to work with than Kali.
Triple Goddesses
The Triple Goddesses are for lunar magic and moving from one stage to another in the life cycle.
Brighid
Brighid, the Celtic Triple Goddess, is patroness of smiths, poets and healers and has the longest
enduring cult in Ireland, which merged into that of the Christian St Bridget of Kildare. Her name
means ‘high one’ and she is sometimes seen as three sisters, daughters of the god Dagda, the Divine
Father, or as the triple-aspected maiden, mother and crone. She is invoked in fertility and healing
magick and also for creativity, especially involving the written word.