DEITY WORK 201: Research Before Reaching Out
Hello beautiful souls ✨
You felt the pull. You think a deity might be calling. You're ready to reach out.
Stop.
Before you light that candle, before you say that prayer, before you set up that altar—you need to do your homework.
Deity work without research is like performing surgery without medical training. You might get lucky. You're more likely to cause harm—to yourself, to others, and to the cultures these deities come from.
This post is about doing the work before the Work. Let's talk about research, respect, and how to avoid cultural appropriation.
WHY RESEARCH MATTERS
Deities are not blank canvases for your projection.
They come with histories, cultures, mythologies, and existing relationships with living communities. When you work with a deity, you're entering a story that's been unfolding for centuries or millennia.
If you don't know that story, you'll:
Misunderstand the deity's nature and demands
Offer inappropriate things (or things that offend)
Call on them in ways that don't work (or worse, backfire)
Perpetuate colonial erasure of living cultures
Disrespect people who've maintained these traditions through oppression
Research isn't just academic exercise. It's basic respect.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE DEITY CORRECTLY
This sounds obvious, but it's where many people fail.
Get the name right
Many deity names have multiple spellings or variations. Know which one you're using and why.
Example: Brighid, Brigid, Bride, Bríg—same goddess, different languages/regions. Know which tradition you're approaching from.
Understand the context
Is this deity from:
Ancient religion (no longer actively practiced)?
Living, open tradition (anyone can learn and practice)?
Closed practice (requires initiation or belonging to specific culture)?
This distinction is crucial. More on closed practices below.
Know their domain
What are they the deity of?
Don't just list attributes—understand the relationships between them.
Example: Hecate isn't just "goddess of witchcraft." She's a liminal deity—crossroads, thresholds, transitions, the space between worlds. Her magic comes from her position at boundaries. If you don't understand that, you're missing her essence.
Distinguish between deities with similar domains
Aphrodite and Freyja are both love goddesses, but they're very different in how they express that domain. Conflating them shows you haven't done the work.
STEP 2: STUDY THE MYTHOLOGY
Read the primary sources. Not just someone's blog post. Not just a "definitive guide" book written by one author.
Where to find primary sources:
Greek/Roman: Homeric Hymns, Hesiod's Theogony, Ovid's Metamorphoses, plays by Euripides/Sophocles
Norse: Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, sagas
Egyptian: Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the Dead (get scholarly translations)
Celtic: Lebor Gabála Érenn, Táin Bó Cúailnge, Mabinogion (acknowledge that "Celtic" isn't monolithic—Irish ≠ Welsh ≠ Scottish)
Hindu: Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Bhagavad Gita (and recognize this is a living tradition—see closed practices section)
What to look for in myths:
How does the deity behave? (Merciful? Wrathful? Playful? Demanding?)
What do they value? (Justice, beauty, cunning, strength, wisdom?)
Who are their allies and enemies?
What offerings appear in the myths?
What taboos or boundaries do they have?
How do mortals successfully (or unsuccessfully) interact with them?
The myths aren't just stories. They're instruction manuals.
Read multiple versions
Myths change over time, region, and retelling. Get a fuller picture by reading variations.
Example: Persephone as stolen victim vs. Persephone as willing Queen of the Underworld—both versions exist, both reveal different aspects of her nature.
STEP 3: UNDERSTAND THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Deities don't exist in a vacuum. They emerged from specific cultures at specific times for specific reasons.
Know the culture they come from:
What was daily life like for people who worshipped this deity?
What role did this deity play in their society?
How has colonization, war, or cultural erasure affected this tradition?
Are there living descendants of this culture? What do they say about their gods?
Example: Working with Aztec deities without understanding the genocide of Indigenous peoples and ongoing colonization is disrespectful at best, harmful at worst.
Understand historical worship practices:
How were they honored historically?
What were traditional offerings?
Were there priests/priestesses? What did they do?
Were there festivals or holy days?
What rituals were performed?
You don't have to recreate ancient practices exactly, but you should know them before you adapt.
STEP 4: THE CLOSED PRACTICES QUESTION
This is where people get defensive. Let's be clear and direct.
WHAT ARE CLOSED PRACTICES?
Spiritual traditions that are:
Tied to specific ethnic or cultural groups
Protected through initiation or lineage
Not freely accessible to outsiders
Often traditions that survived colonization/genocide
Why are they closed? Because opening them to everyone would complete the cultural erasure that colonizers started. These practices are tied to identity, survival, and sacred knowledge that was nearly destroyed.
EXAMPLES OF CLOSED PRACTICES:
Vodou/Voodoo (Haitian, Louisiana, West African traditions)—requires initiation
Hoodoo/Rootwork (African American folk magic)—tied to Black American experience and ancestry
Brujería (varies by region)—some aspects are cultural-specific, some are more open; research your specific context
Indigenous American spiritualities (varies by tribe)—smudging with white sage, working with specific spirits—these are not "witchcraft," they're Indigenous spiritual practices
Santería/Lukumí (Afro-Cuban)—requires initiation
Hindu practices (varied traditions)—this is a living religion with 1+ billion practitioners. You can't just "work with Kali" without understanding the tradition. Some teachers offer paths for non-Indians; most require study and respect.
Seidr/Nordic shamanism (historically specific to Norse cultures)—debated whether this is closed, but approaching it requires deep respect and often connection to Nordic ancestry or initiation
Kemetic practices (Egyptian)—ancient tradition, but living revival communities exist. Some are open, some require initiation. Ask before assuming.
HOW TO KNOW IF SOMETHING IS CLOSED:
Google: "[practice name] closed practice" and read what practitioners from that culture say
Look for living communities practicing this tradition—what do they say?
Ask yourself: Am I from this culture? Have I been initiated? Did someone from this tradition invite me?
If the answer is no to all three, proceed with extreme caution or choose a different path.
"BUT I FEEL CALLED!"
Feeling called doesn't override cultural boundaries.
If you feel drawn to a deity from a closed practice, you have options:
Research whether there are paths for outsiders (some traditions do offer this)
Find teachers from that culture who can guide you appropriately
Honor the pull without practicing (you can respect and admire without claiming)
Work with deities from open or your own ancestral traditions that share similar domains
Feeling called is not the same as having permission.
STEP 5: LEARN THE MODERN CONTEXT
If the tradition is still alive, understand its current state.
Questions to ask:
Are people still actively worshipping this deity?
If yes, how do they do it?
Has the tradition been interrupted or adapted due to colonization, diaspora, or persecution?
Are there modern priesthoods, temples, or organizations?
What do contemporary practitioners say about outsiders working with their deities?
Example: Hellenic polytheism (Greek gods) has active modern practitioners. Read their blogs, join their forums, learn from people actually practicing today—not just from ancient texts.
STEP 6: ANCESTRAL RESEARCH (OPTIONAL BUT POWERFUL)
Some people feel most aligned working with deities from their own ancestry.
Benefits:
Cultural connection and reclaiming
No appropriation concerns
Genetic/epigenetic resonance (if you believe in that)
Honoring your own lineage
How to research your ancestry:
DNA tests (with privacy considerations)
Family oral histories
Immigration/census records
Regional history of where your ancestors lived
BUT: Don't use ancestry as an excuse for appropriation. Being 2% Indigenous doesn't give you access to closed Indigenous practices. Being part Irish doesn't automatically make you a Celtic priestess.
Ancestry is a starting point for exploration, not a free pass.
STEP 7: CHECK YOUR MOTIVATIONS
Before reaching out, ask yourself:
Why this deity?
Because they're popular on TikTok? (Red flag)
Because you genuinely resonate with their domain and myths? (Good sign)
Because they seem "powerful" or "dark" and that appeals to your ego? (Red flag)
Because you're going through something in their domain (grief, love, transformation) and need guidance? (Good sign)
What do you want from them?
A quick fix to your problems? (Won't work)
Long-term guidance and relationship? (Realistic)
To seem more interesting/powerful? (They'll see through this)
To grow and embody their values? (This is the work)
Are you ready for what they might ask of you?
Can you commit to regular practice?
Are you prepared to change based on their guidance?
Will you honor their boundaries and taboos?
Be honest. The gods can wait for you to be ready.
RED FLAGS IN YOUR RESEARCH
You find conflicting information and just pick what you like best.
Do more research until you understand why there's conflict. Don't cherry-pick.
The only sources are Pinterest, TikTok, or Tumblr.
Go deeper. Find academic sources, primary texts, living practitioners.
Every source is written by white Westerners with no cultural connection.
Seek out voices from the culture the deity comes from.
You're told "there are no rules" or "the gods will work with anyone who calls."
This is modern, colonial thinking. Many traditions do have rules, and not all deities work with everyone.
You feel resistance to doing this research.
If learning about a deity feels like a chore, you're not ready for the relationship. Real call comes with genuine curiosity.
RESOURCE STARTING POINTS
For Greek/Roman deities:
Theoi.com (comprehensive mythology database)
Hellenic polytheist blogs and communities
Translations by scholars (not New Age adaptations)
For Norse deities:
Jackson Crawford's translations and YouTube channel
The Longship (modern Heathen organization)
Academic books on historical practice
For Celtic deities:
CELT corpus (University College Cork)
Modern Celtic Reconstructionist communities
Distinguish between Irish, Welsh, Scottish traditions
For Egyptian deities:
Kemetic Orthodoxy (modern reconstruction)
Academic Egyptology texts
Be wary of New Age reinterpretations
For any tradition:
Academic databases (JSTOR, Google Scholar)
University press books
Living practitioners from that culture
THE BOTTOM LINE
Research isn't gatekeeping. It's respect.
You wouldn't walk into someone's home and start rearranging their furniture without asking. You wouldn't claim someone else's family traditions as your own.
Deity work is entering someone's home—the home of a culture, a history, a living tradition. Do your homework before you knock on the door.
If you're not willing to do the research, you're not ready for deity work.
YOUR TURN
What deity are you researching right now?
What sources have been most helpful?
Have you discovered something in your research that changed how you understand a deity?
Share your process. Let's learn from each other's due diligence.
Blessed be 🔍
Respect begins with research. The gods deserve more than your assumptions.
