Beginner's Advice for Patron Deities

Recently the topic of Patron Deities has come up several times. People are seeking advice and information about how to approach their Patron Deities, how to build a relationship with them and how to interpret the signs they may be receiving from them.

     I do have to say here that I do not necessarily believe that all people have to have a Patron Deity in order to be inducted into the Path. Some people only work with Guardian Angles & Spirits, some people only work with their Spirit Guides and their Ancestors. In my personal belief system, a Patron Deity is not a hard requirement. You can still work with Gods and Goddesses, or Saints or Nature Spirits, etc without having one "special" relationship with a particular Deity. Your relationship with Spirit will not suffer is you have sincere intentions and you are putting the work in. 

     If you do have a Patron Deity you will receive some kind of calling that lets you know. If you don't receive a calling for a Patron Deity you might receive another kind of spiritual calling. There are many ways to be a spiritual person, and I often reject hard & fast rules. In my path, there is no place for exclusion of true seekers. Everyone is different and the most important thing is to follow your own path.  

     As a guest blogger, I wrote a more extensive article on the topic of Patron Deities which includes my personal experiences. You can find that here. For our purposes here I have written a list of advice on the topic. 

     Much of this information pertains to interpreting and noticing signs. This is a big one for anyone leading a magickal or spiritual lifestyle! Learn to ask for, look for, see & interpret signs. This practice will take you a LONG way! I cannot stress enough the benefits of being observant of the world around you & of the ways that Spirit communicates with you. Find ways to be in tune, be watchful, notice patterns, recognize how things make you feel, learn how your intuition works. There are many ways that Spirit will give you information. With some practice, you can figure out what works best for you.  

So let's break this down into steps you can take to find and work with your Patron Deity: 

1. Look for signs which may identify your Patron (Surprise!). 

Such as numbers which appear often in your life, animals, dates, patterns in the clouds, symbols in your dreams... the list could go on and on. 

In order to do this effectively, you will want to work on developing your intuition and / or your way of observing. Meditation is always good! ... and there are a million different ways to meditate, so you can find a way that works for you. Personally I stress chakra & energy work. It has been highly beneficial to me & many others that I know. There are very simple techniques out there that can help you cleanse & balance your chakras & also activate and use them. Simply training yourself to sit quietly in nature and observe the surroundings is another simple, yet highly effective exercise. Once you become practiced at this you will become more observant in your daily life in general. 

2. Read & Research.

Star anywhere, just start somewhere! When you find an author you like to look at the references they have used and the books or authors they have mentioned or been inspired by, then read those books. Check out articles, blogger and practitioners and their recommended books, browse the public library. YES, the public library! It is a sorely neglected resource these days. 

Historical information about paganism & ancient Deities is always a good topic to research. Information such as traditional holidays will give you insight into significant dates that pop up in your life. Maybe you begin to notice that good things always happen to you on the 1st of the month and then you begin to notice The Virgin of Guadalupe popping up in your path.. and suddenly you have the beginning of something!

Correspondences of any sort are an important thing to study and take notice of. You will see that there are different correspondences in different traditions, but don't let that bother you, just take the information that seems to speak to you & leave the rest. There are correspondences for everything, planets & elements associated with herbs, days of the week associated with saints, colors associates with deities, fruits associated with Orishas, flowers associated with Goddesses. The more of this you learn, the easier it will be for you to see signs and decipher patterns in your everyday life.

3. Consult with a knowledgeable person if you need to.

There are cases when you may feel that a Deity or Spirit has approached you & you are hesitant to go forward. Perhaps you feel that you don't yet know enough about that particular entity, perhaps you aren't sure if they are who they say they are. If you feel unready, hesitant, fearful, or too ignorant... seek help from someone experienced. Even if it is just support and encouragement that you end up needing, it's worth it to seek help. No one can do everything alone. We are social animals and we are here to help each other. A reputable Spiritual worker or Metaphysical practitioner will be glad to help. 

4. More correspondences: 

Once you feel you have identified your Patron Deity, research their specific correspondences. Get as detailed with this as you like. Check into their associated herbs, trees, colors, numbers, days of the week, ancient holidays, etc. This will help you learn to work with them & develop a relationship. You can plant the flowers they like, offer them the foods associated with them, honor them during the proper moon phase or planetary hour, take a pilgrimage to an ancient shrine of theirs, etc. There are many, many ways that this information will serve you. 

5. More Meditation: (this time to find your Patron)

Guided meditation can be a helpful tool in searching for your Patron Deity. You can use a meditation designed for accessing your intuition, or one specifically designed for finding a Spirit Guide. Just be prepared that this kind of method often works shockingly well! It's also possible that an entity may appear to you and you have no idea who they are. This is when you start your research all over again, pray for signs and consult a professional if needed. 

6. Pay attention to your dreams.

It is very likely that if you have a calling towards a Patron Deity they will appear in your dreams. They may be in the animal guise or in the form of a natural force, such as a river or tree. If you have dreams which are intense in nature there are most definitely signs to be taken from that dream. If you have trouble remembering your dreams it may be beneficial to keep a dream journal. If you would like to consciously work on getting signs or information through your dreams there are many different methods to dreamwork available. I find that is often as easy as asking your subconscious mind to give you the information you are seeking, or as simple as making a prayer. 

7. Use traditional offerings, rituals, and prayers.

Once you feel you have identified for the Deity or Saint. Old practices have stuck around for a reason because they work! This is where your historical research will come in handy.

8. Make your prayers from your heart. 

Ask the Deity for their blessings in working with them. If you feel a negative response, respect that and move on. Ask them to establish a relationship and pay attention to how they answer you. Ask them to send you signs about how to establish the relationship & how to work with them. Ask what you can do to deepen the relationship & keep the communication flowing. 

(Tip: it is important to ask that the signs or guidance they send will be in a form that you can understand on the human plane and also in a form that you personally understand).

I hope this helps! 

~Blessings~