There wasn't any topics in this sections so I figured why not? As most of us know, or should know, there are many different pantheons. They are full of diversely unique and wonderful Gods and Goddesses. I have worked with many different deities from different pantheons, but have only been called by two, and they have become my patrons, whether we are working together at a certain point or not we will always have a special connection. I have worked with gods and goddesses from the greek and the norse so far in my practice. I expect to broaden these relationships throughout my life. I firmly believe that each and every goddess and god exists and that they are not just facets of one supreme being. I feel that usually you choose a goddess or god to work with based on what they "represent" if you will, and I also believe that sometimes, they choose you. I have experienced both. Am I wondering about other's experiences in this matter. So do you change who you work with after you have learned what you were meant to learn from them? Do they stay with you or do they move on as well? Do you have a patron(s)? Do you choose your deity or do they choose you? I could probably think of a much longer list, but for the sake of this post I'll keep it brief. If you have questions for me or would like to add me on your friends list feel free to do so.

Blessed Be

-Whitewolfcry

My Patron Goddess is the Morrigan, Goddess of War. She called me, although I didn't know it at the time. When I finally realized that Christianity was not what I believed in, and turned to Paganism/Wicca, I realized that the Morrigan had been following me and calling to me for at least 20 years. (I must be a slow learner, LOL) I've been in the military, both on Active Duty and Reserves, for 28 years, including 3 combat tours.

My patron God is Cernunnos, God of the Wild. I think we called each other. I love being in the wilderness, and watching wild things. I feel more at home in the wild woods, by my self, than I do anywhere else.

For some reason both God and Goddess are associated with death (Morrigan - death on the battlefield, Cernunnos - God of the Underworld) and I have an (Some say unhealthy) interest in skulls, skeletons and death in general.

Aphrodite, HOLLA! When I think of her or invoke her I feel like I'm invoking another part of myself, or my best friend. She's my favourite aspect of deities, because she's never associated with water, even though many of her characteristics come from water (not to mention she was born of the sea). When I'm doubting myself, or I'm low on confidence she's there to help.

Ganesha is my God. I'm completely infatuated with him. Anytime I have ever needed guidance or something I've thought was out of reach, there he is waiting patiently with the right words of wisdom.

everytime im on a pagan social site i find myself bringing this up....

PATRON = MALE (paternity test!!!)

MATRON = FEMALE (maternity clothes!!!)

The definition does not mention male or female. That is why the Catholic Church has female and male Patron Saints. And also why I have a Patron Goddess and a Patron God.

Patron: a person chosen, named and honored as a special guardian, protector or supporter.

Matron: a married woman usually marked by dignified maturity or social distinction b : a woman who supervises women or children (as in a school or police station) c : the chief officer in a woman's organization

im talking semantics not definitions. go take a latin class or two. the prefix pa means male. and the prefix ma means female IN REFERENCE WITH WORDS HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH GENDER. words take on different definitions in different ages of time. patron also means somebody who eats at a restaurant.

you wouldnt call clothes designed for a pregnant woman paternity clothes would you?

My patron God is Dionysus and my matron Goddess is Aphrodite.

I did not choose my Goddess. More likely she chose me.  The Egyption Cat Goddess Bastet came to me in a dream sometime last year, I still remember it so vividly. Now, Yes, I go to her first and formost. but I go to everyone. I have called on Freyja, Odin, Thor etc, when I cast my Runes, and I let whoever whants to come to me when I am doing a Tarot spread.

A few years ago, when I was feeling particularly freaked out by the trends I was seeing in our country, I had a dream of Morrigan (before I knew anything about her, name and all). She said that, I could not escape battle, or war and that I should accept it. This was my first experience being directly spoken to by a Goddess without actively setting out to do so...and I've wondered if she might by my patron Goddess ever since, but I've always been a little intimidated by the goddesses interested in me (recently Hecate's made an appearance, and while Morrigan was fierce and grim, Hecate seemed to delight in spooking me until I payed attention to her).

I was wondering if you might share your experience with Morrigan, Darkflight? Since I've decided to be brave and start asking questions, heh.

Quote;

My patron Goddess is Hecate. She has been with me from the beginning, 15 years give or take. As such I've done most of my studying on her as both "olympian" and pre olympian. I experiance her in all 3 "guises" depending on what my needs are at the moment.

As for my patron god, I've worked with some on a limited basis but have never developed the dept of relations I have with my patroness. Maybe it's because I'm to bull headed. Either way my Lady Trivia has always been more than enough.

Well, my patron deity is Tyr. He's strong and reliable. He's kind of a father figure, I suppose. These days, my main goddess is Eir, Norse goddess of healing and mercy. When I invoke her, I feel calm and when I invoke Tyr, I feel ineffable. Which is a good combination these days...

But I do enjoy the company of Braggi and Idunna when I'm in a great mood. Especially in the summer 

:/ Most people won't even know the last three deities...

Oh well!!

MP
Katherine )0(

Katherine - Why do you assume nobody will know any of the last three deities you mentioned?

Anyways - My matron goddess is Isis. She came to me during a guided meditation. I do not yet have a patron god however. But I believe he will come to me when the time comes. I am patient when it comes to these things - it's worth waiting for. =)

My patron(s) are the ONE and the mother and father. I have no specifics that I connect to except for those that I see connected to specific things, ideas etc. Since for myself all god/goddesses are ONE  variation on a unity...the ONE. I see no need to focus on one in particular.

My patron Goddess is Lilitu of Sumer.  Five years ago she appeared to me three times in an eight month period, twice in dreams and once in a vision. The interesting thing is I have never heard of her before, nor was I interested in Sumerian mythology.  I've learned to trust in her wisdom. It turns out that she and I make a good combination.

I have been trying to learn more about her, but very little has survived and what has survived has been mangled and blended with other mythologies. Some references claim that she was not a real Goddess but a collection of wind demons. Many references equate her with Lilith and give Lilith her attributes. Lilitu has told my herself that she is not Lilith and I trust her to know who she is and isn't.

Ultimately, it isn't important who she was thousands of years ago but who she is today. Gods are beings just like humans are, and like humans, they change over time.

Atheris

Ma'at. Her name literally means 'Truth' She is truth, order, balance & justice. She is also a merciful advocate to those crossing over.

I'm still developing my personal relationships with the different pantheons and have yet to find someone who I like and who likes me as much. I favor Greek, and I lean strongly to Athena, but Isis and Hecate are also very special to me. As for patrons? Ohmy! I like Apollo, but he doesn't feel right in this stage of my life.

Persephone

Selene, Greek Goddess of the Moon. She made Herself known to me about 9 months ago, and apart from a time when I thought our connection was broken (I've now realised She was giving me space to get my thoughts in order) She has been with me ever since.

Once I accepted that the Greek Pantheon was "mine" (and stopped searching for a connection to any other) Pan made Himself known to me last week (and it was only when I read about Him that I realised that He and Selene were lovers (I never remember reading that before last week, I probably did, but it never registered until I re-read it).

Matrons, Patrons... does it really matter? It's all semantics, really. Wikipedia gives the meaning of Patronage as: "the support, encouragement, privilege or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another"... now, whilst I admit that my Deities do not give me money, they give me all the rest, hence I consider them my Patrons as I consider myself to be under Their patronage.

To me, a Matron is a senior nurse in a hospital, LOL!

Others are free to call their Goddess Matron, if they choose, but my Goddess, is my Patron Goddess for the reasons given above :D

Minty, I agree with you 100 percent.

So do you change who you work with after you have learned what you were meant to learn from them? Do they stay with you or do they move on as well? Do you have a patron(s)? Do you choose your deity or do they choose you?

My first pantheon consisted of several Greeks, then evolved to the Egyptians for the longest time, namely Anubis.  Then, I found myself at the Norse Gods.  It wasn't one of those, "Oh, I like them better, I'll be their follower."  It was more of me being pulled to them.  I didn't argue, just went with it.  The deities who stayed with me were Ares, Hestia, and Anubis.

Once I had my experience with Cougar, I was pulled more so to the path of the Animals and of the Spirits.  Once in a while, though, I'll dream of or feel Hestia, Kore, and Anubis.  When I clean, I definitely think of Hestia--I even invited her into my Kitchen Witch's body, who which the doll is named for.  I think maybe most of them move on, but those who I connected most with, stay on.  Like Totems--with my experience anyhow. And with totems, I feel that they choose you.  Cuz even if you choose a deity, they may not like you, and will just do their own thing.

Light and Love!

~)O(~

To me it's kind of a matter of synchronicity, not really I choose them or they me.  Then again, I can't really say I have a patron.  There's a core group of them who tend to keep coming back to put their two cents in every so often, particularly Tyr and Hades for some reason.  The way it generally works with me, I'll come across something that'll inspire me to do some research.  Then I'll find an interesting god or goddess and do a little more research.  Then I'll do some meditations centered around them.  If they then feel like talking, we establish a relationship.  If not, we don't.

In my experience gods are kind of like cats.  They may or may not like the occasional attention or playtime, they demand the occasional feeding, and they may or may not pay attention when you call them.

And they tend to be kind of vain.

What a neat topic :D

My God and Goddess came to me (not the other way around) and I have never been able to figure out if they are really of the "Old Gods". They have very distinct personalities that have never matched a description of any God or Goddess I've ever studied. I'm a believer of "found" deities (since humanity is always evolving) so I just accept them as unique beings and gave them their own nicknames.

Because there is no literature about them, I have to discover the different parts of their being myself, and I do what I call "God / Goddess Work".  I was intending to make a post about that some time this month, but I'm not sure that I'll get to it before the holiday celebrations begin, haha.

Freyja. It was pretty much like something exploded in my head. Something PRETTY.

I could have sworn I responded to this...theres a few, The Morrigan, Hekate, Ares, Zeus, FAE (tho those arent really Gods(esses), Arachne, Rhiannon...They all are part of my different facets...

wow, I could have sworn I posted in here too! Oh well, here it goes! My patrons are Brigid and Lugh, that I know of so far, lol! Both of them because I am a solar powered Celt. :p But also, Brigid because of the arts/crafts/poetry thing, and Lugh, I'm not so sure yet, but I know Lughnassa is in August, and so is my birthday.  Weak excuse, I know, but I know there's something more to it than that, I just have yet to find out what! After all, I did see him in my little vision quest. :)

Oh, and I should throw Eriu in here too, because that's where my name comes from, *AND* she's Brigid's mother-in-law! :D

Yeah, either there is a similar thread or some posts are missing?  That one word answer, I'm pretty sure, was my first post here on Witchbook.  :D  I elaborated on my one word answer and that's not here either.  So I dunno!  But it looks like those of us who were missing some info have caught it back up!

So yeah, Persephone.  Love. More recently, I was introduced to Artio.  She's a celtic bear goddess whose one remaining "known" artifact is in bronze, of a woman sitting across from a bear with a bowl of fruit for an offering.  Found in Switzerland.

For as long as I have dedicated myself to neopaganism, Brigid, of the Celtic/Irish pantheon, has been my companion. She is the fire inside of me and her words have flamed through my mind. She is the perfect personification of the Goddess for me and I am honored to direct my prayers and devotion to her. She comes to me in my dreams sometimes and I can feel her hand on my shoulders when I really need her warmth and strength. Imbolc, therefor, if the most holy of the celebrations for me.

I am a Dianic Pagan (mostly) and I have to admit that I have no bond with a single specific male deity. I guess I'm simply too attuned to the powerful female energy for male energy to reach me. When giving praise to the God, I have no specific deity in mind. I don't miss this in my rituals or devotion. It is just the way it is.

I can't explain the reasons for my devotion to my Patron without telling a little bit about my life.

When I was 10 my father died very suddenly and my mother became suicidal and couldn't look after me.  I was passed round various relatives but never found somewhere I could call home. Around this time I became obsessed with the Moon. I used to stay up all night waiting for and watching her. At the time I didn't understand why I did this, but later I realised she was watching over me. She was the one constant presence in my life. As a child she was my Mother, then as I left childhood behind and walked towards adulthood she was my Sister, holding my hand. Now I think of her as my Lover. I could never be married to another. I am married to the Moon. One day she will guide me towards my death. But not today.

I call her by her ancient Celtic name of Lair báln

I am new to Witchbook so this is my first official post!

As a young person I started out Pagan, around the age of 14 I knew my belief set was Pagan. This knowledge was based on my beliefs and thoughts about how life and the soul works. At the time I did what every teenager does, I dabbled around, tried this and that, cast X amount of spells and achieved snippets of information and success. It was not until after I tried Christianity, that I realized what was pulling at my heart constantly. I refer to myself as a Runic Pagan to the everyday Joe. This means that I follow the rune sets of Freya Hagal and Tyr. These rune sets govern my life and gather me insight, they are I guess.. my Pantheon. As a Runic Priest (Unofficially, I could get a piece of paper if that makes you feel better :P) we can cast rune sets or guiding runes that really represent who you are and what you need to remember throughout your path. This process is… debilitating. It involves much meditation, time, and rituals. Through my years of practice I have done this process three times. My guiding rune set is Tyr or Tiwaz, for strength and sacrifice, Yew or Algiz for protection, and torch or Kenaz for wisdom, insight, burning passion, and light on the dark path. These three runes are set in my soul and my arm as a tattoo (pictures will be on my page in a few!) to remind me always of who to look to and who to be. These runes chose me as their pupil, and in the same token, I chose them as my guidance, my leaders, my teachers and my guiding runes.

There is I believe one more important guide that everyone has on their path. That guide, is inside you, it is your soul. It is my personal belief and experience that everyone and everything living has a shard of a soul at least. Some people possess very full souls that are alive and working and talking and I can feel that persons soul and tap into it and talk to it and it is wonderful. Where some people have fragments of torn souls, pieces of existence that shutter and are afraid. This is unfortunate but not unsolvable. Some are gifted with a soul that has lived many lives, that has transgressed time. This is so for me, my other partner in guidance is my soul, and it is strong enough to have a name strong enough to tell it to me and will to me insane amounts of knowledge I would be left without, if it were not true. As a boy I would constantly see a white figure in the distance, I would hear a voice in my head that always turned me in the right direction, that always gave me the right answers and at many instances gave me the right questions to ask people. His name is Antie, Antius in Greek. And his is very much Alive in my life and it is a gift I have relished.

More on him and me in future posts, this is just an introduction to me and my first post in WitchBook I hope to share much with you all!

Blessed be all,

Cody Soden

I really have no Patron nor Matron nor deity really. I follow the Native American Great Spirit to whom similar to the Judeo-Christian deity has no real gender. and I find it better that way so as to not get caught up in a battle of sexes which seems to happen all too much in this day and age. I am mostly guided by the Great Spirit's guides which come in many forms mostly animals in nature. I more often then not listen to a good friend of of mine that I met in Arizona when I was around 7 or 8 years old, I do not know its name, it is a red wolf.

First off

Patron- Is male

Matron- Is female

If you look at the Latin Roots

But A Patron can be used for both sexes like was stated earlier as in a Patron saint. Or as a Patron of a store, service or cause. A patron is a person who supports or helps a certain kind off person or specific cause.It's like how people use Mankind to talk about all humans not just man, or He in a text when the sex of the person is not known (thought this is being used less often now a days). Matron is is not used this way because it is used for a women in a position of power.

So you can have a Patron God or Goddess or a Patron God and Matron Goddess.

Now to the topic :)

To me Gods are ideas that people created to represent aspects of themselves, their cultures, the meaning and reasons behind natural occurrences, the duality in nature and the things they cannot explain. The Gods are symbols of various aspects of existence. Through them, we are able to see ourselves as part of the universe, as manifestations of the Source in our own rights.

I do believe in spirits but they are more like Elementals (Purely of their Element) and just another part of The Source like ourselves. So spirits that are elemental could have been noticed and worked with and over time myths were made as a way to better understand them and give them a story so we can better relate to them. Or if the spirit developed a consciousness (maybe from being worshiped or just because) then it might try and make an identity for itself and then myths were made about that spirit from the experiences people had with it or heard about from others.That is what turns a spirit into a God.

I think there are Gods out there but to me they are just elemental spirit who man tried to give identity to like Zeus. Others are advanced elemental spirits that tried to identifie themselves to man. These spirits are the most powerful and also the most unknown. These spirits are the ones that only a group might know or even just one person. These are the spirits that come to you and connect with you. That communicate to you and whisper to your soul. You don't know what they are so you think they are a certain God or Goddess. You called to Zeus and now here he is. That is not Zeus but an Advanced Elemental Spirit that is seeking a connection or already has a connection to you that formed when you were young, before you were born or from a past life.

When I say spirits I don't mean ghosts.

I respect the Gods and I realize that learning about them and their connections to the worlds around us helps me to understand the worlds around us a little better and how our ancestors and people who came before us viewed the world. There is insight hidden in myth and myth should not be taken at face value.

This is just the way I feel, that it is my opinion, I mean no disrespect.

I hope my opinion made sense. That is the way I feel but it is hard to put into words.  

What a great topic ^_^ Reading all your responses really gets me thinking.

I have yet to actually choose though I am constantly looking up a number of gods and goddesses who interest me. I seem to be drawn to Egyptian gods and goddesses and have been since a very young age. Ancient Egypt always fascinated me and it's pantheon was always very interesting.

Greek and Roman also were always very interesting me. I suppose it's just a matter of more research, maybe invoking each one I like until I find one I really seem to connect with.

I have been working with Frejya for some time now. Frejya is the Goddess of the Sun, love, war, magic, runes, shapeshifting (seidr magic), and witchcraft in general. My partner has worked with Thor since she started with her path of the craft for almost 10 years now, I was drawn to the fact that runes fascinated me and so did most anything Scandinavian and Norse. I read the mythologies and understood the many Gods and Goddesses, but Frejya was the one to come to me and I have followed under her watch for some time now. I also have her brother, Freyr, as my patron God, he has recently come into my life. Both of these Vana dualities are my warm and kind divine "parent" :).

My Patroness would be Diana. But not in quite the same way as most. William Molton Marston created Wonder Woman directly after the Goddess Diana. She was strong, independant, a hunter, beautiful, wise.....and he then made her an American symbol/icon. Her outfit was not supposed to be partriotic. She was paying homage to a fallen American pilot who had inadvertantly helped to save her island. Anyway, before I geek out on the whole synopsis of the DC comics Wonder Woman character.......Diana (The REAL Diana) is and will always be in the back of my mind a goal for personal behavior. Work and represent those less able, be honest and true, stay strong in hard times, be kind and gentle but arm yourself with mental and physical tools so that you can be independant.

I think I have been tapped by Artemis. She is in my thoughts a lot. I am trying to find out more about her. As far as a God I am not sure...

Mine is Gaia. Ever since I became a pagan I have really been drawn to her.

Outside of the archetypical Wiccan&Thelemic deities, I mostly adhere to the Gods of this land. Dáire&Macha are the principal cult Gods of Ulster, also believed to just be Ulster personages of An Daghdh&An Mhór-Ríoghain, which happen to be the main deities that I acknowledge.

My patron goddess is Hekate and I do not know my patron god. Yet.

And for all of those fighting about the patron and matron meanings a usage of the words, whatever. This is not a college class were you are going to be graded on your vocabulary and your ability to use said vocabulary "properly" when writing about something. YES patron is derived from a latin word, "patronus" (loosely translated as "protector") which is derived from another latin word "pater" if anyone wanted to know, which does mean father. So thinking logically and without emotion distracting said logic, "patron" WOULD be a reasonable way to describe our main god/goddess, since they do protect and guide us along our each individual paths in our lives. Now could patron have a different meaning and usage back in history? Yes. However like most things, language, regardless of place, changes constantly over time.  What we would have said a decade ago could and probably is something that we would not say today.  And with all translations between different languages, it is up to that person's interpretation of how the words are translated from one language to another.  Not all languages run smoothly when translating, and certainly not when the languages are based off of different languages, like Latin from any Germanic based language, like English or German itself. So why fight over something that could be different to anyone who is a part of it? Like the saying goes, "To each their own". Just remember that next time something like this ever pops up again.

My Patron god is Cernunnos.

Im of the Celtic tradition and his masculine  energies stuck me hard. He's the god of the Hunt, animals, and the woods. He just screams manliness and fatherhood, and I never had a father that treated me well.

My Matron goddess is Anu, mother goddess of earth, cattle, prosperity, and protection. Upon reading a book im studying, I didnt know she was apart of the Morrigan, which was amazing! I felt a calling from her because im very earth centered and her being the mother goddess of Earth-it makes sense, and because she is a part of the Morrigan, I needed the Morrigans energies and protection.

It all fits with me somehow, but hey, im not complaining.

My patron goddess is Brighid, the Irish goddess of Inspiration, Healing, and Smithcraft. She is a powerful figure in my life, because She has awakened the side of me I have always ignored. She didn't come into my life until I learned I had Irish heritage on my mother's side of the family, and I set out to learn as much as possible on the old Irish Celts. My eye kept straying to Her, no matter what I did, and no matter what topic I researched She would pop up somehow. I believe She has been calling to me since I started my path, but I was so focused on looking for my patron gods and researching other pantheons that I seemed to always skim over Her. From the past year, I knew my patron(s) was going to be in a Celtic pantheon. I just had this feeling he or She was there. I bought a new tarot deck that even reaffirmed this. I bought it, the images sparking with my core, and I bought them in their beautiful art. The art was based on Celtic. So, Brighid had always been there for me, but I was always blind to the signs She gave me.

The only reason I even researched to see if I had Irish heritage is because my husband has an Irish heritage. I have always been fascinated with Celtic lore and myths, and I was hoping that I had something to spark that love. Never in my wildest dreams did I actually think I would have the heritage, but I was happy; elated really. I was also happy to know that on my maternal grandmother's side I have Welsh, but for some reason I was wanting to look into Irish. I don't know why. It might have been another push in the right direction from Brighid. Another reason I think that Brighid had always been there was the first time I meditated. This is a guess, because I don't think I will ever know for sure, but the first time I meditated I heard a Goddess whisper a name. I took that name as my Ritual name, and it is privy between me and the Goddess. The only thing is, I always said that a God and Goddess have me the name, even though I never heard a male voice. So, I think Brighid gave me the name, because the meaning of the name in different languages comes out to rivers, water, fire, brightness, and spring; all aspects associated with Brighid. The reason I am not for sure if this is the case, is because the name is not Irish, or Celtic, in any way. So it leaves me wondering.

I do not have a patron god at this time, and I do not know if I will ever have one. With the way my new practice is forming, I do not think I will ever have one. Not because I am being pessimistic, but because I honestly think that I can properly worship two Irish Celtic gods at the same time. Brighid is the central part of my practice now (or at least that is how it is appearing as it is forming), and I do not mind placing Her on that mantle.

I am sorry to keep bringing this up in the discussion, but I wanted to place my opinion on the "Matron" and "Patron" word discussion. Last time I checked, we spoke English, not Latin. Latin is a dead language, and while I agree that many of our words come from Latin, words have changed meaning over a time. Yes, we have things that still start with "ma" and "pa," but in most cases, nowadays "pa" has become a neuter word as well. Words do change meaning over time, and, living in a modern world, most people go by modern definitions. So, I do not believe in clinging to a language that does not apply anymore to the meaning of a word as it is currently. Patron also comes from Latin patrōnus which means "legal protector, advocate. So it's meaning isn't entirely based on the word pater "father." You are more than welcome to call your God and Goddess your Patron and Matron if you like. That doesn't bother me. I just wanted to give my input as to why I use Patron God/Patron Goddess as my wording in reference to my Exhalted Lady.

At the age of 10 I studied Greek mythology in school.  I became obsessed with Athena.  At this point I was still in my Christian childhood but I secretly wished I could worhip her and/or be her.  When I first found my Pagan path I was able to finally have that relationship with Athena that I had wanted all those years ago!

As for a patron...I'm still looking.  Still open on that.  If I am meant to have one He will show himself.  If not that's ok too.

Cernunnos as a father figure.

That is interesting....

As of right now, I dont think I really have a particular Patron or Matron. I just call to whoever comes to mind, or who I think will suit my need best. But I really have been drawn to Gaia lately. Any time I reference the earth/planet/world, I am referencing Gaia, and not just some random huge inanimate object hanging in space. Gaia is all around us, sustaining us and giving us a home. The first Goddess I was drawn to, however, was Bast(et). I still call to her for protection and when I just need someone to talk to. I see her as a protective, loving, happy, and fun goddess to be around. I kindof picture her as being around my age (maybe because it makes her easier to relate to?) but in general, she's my awesome I-can-talk-to-her-about-anything goddess. She's absolutely beautiful. And yes, I call to her on matters of femininity and sex. She is represented as a beautiful feline woman, is she not? ;D Also, I call to Selene for peace, calm, and guidance. Any time I see the moon, I think of her.

As for the Gods, I havent found any particular one yet. I'm sure I'll find one, or he will find me.

My patron god is Eros, god of love, male beauty and homosexuality. I just clicked with him because I'm such a strong believer in love and I happen to be gay. Also, sometimes I help people fall in or out of love, like Eros, whose golden arrows cause love and his lead arrows cause indifference. My patron goddess is Iris, goddess of the rainbow and communication. Communication, something I'm gifted with at times, plays such a huge roll in everyday life and most people never even realize the power it contains. I also found Nemesis, goddess of balance and vengeance, heed my call, even more actively than Iris. But I only call on Nemesis for help when I think it truly necessary, to set right an unneccesary wrong, to cause balance to return to my life or that of another.

My Patron deity is the Egyptian Goddess, Isis. I mainly follow the Egyptian pantheon but I’m also drawn to Greek Gods and Goddesses.

I think Isis chose me. I can’t remember how old I was (maybe around 7/8) when I stumbled upon ‘a beautiful lady with wings’ statue. I found her at a car boot sale I was dragged around with my Nan and Granddad every Sunday. I’d be given a load of slummy (about 20pence in either 1 or 2 pennies) and left to spend it on some toy or other. I was rummaging around in a large box and I just felt drawn to it, thinking it was beautiful. I didn’t have enough money to buy it but I’m sure the man must have given it to me in the end. I think I must have stood with it in my hands making moon faces for ages and he got sick of me lol I still have it to this day

As a young child I adored humanities class and loved mythology. I have always held a soft spot for Persephone, considering that she was stolen away from the light and forced to live aside Hades. Then she was tricked and forced to make a deal, and grew cold while in the underworld. I think it shows her two aspects beautifully, the dark, powerful and formidable maiden during winter, and yet the loving beautiful woman associated with plants and seeds during the spring. I have always felt that she represents the dark and light sides of my soul, thus I was inclined to receive her as my patron Goddess.

My patron God is Hermes, oddly enough, the one who was sent to fetch Persephone from the Underworld, and who had also attempted to court her before she was kidnapped, much to the dismay of Demeter! His affinity for playing and being a trickster, though able to be wise and disciplined, mirror traits of my own. Being so lyrically, and orally inclined, and being eloquent (most of the time) has helped me to feel closer to Hermes, as has being a fire bug (Hermes is rumored to have invented fire.) There are numerous things that align between my ideals, and the God that Hermes is. And it totally fits considering how involved that he and Persephone are.

Both of their traits are alive in me, and that really helps me to build energy and feel powerful.

i have summoned aradia before and last time she assisted me i didnt even have to summon her i just called to her and she came..i had a bad spirit causing trouble for me and i guess she knew i really needed help?

I've yet to officially have a patron god and goddess, but I have been called by Aphrodite and I am very close to Hecate. Aphrodite came to me during a time in my life where I had lost my faith in love, and she gave me hope that I thought I would never find. Hecate was actually the first goddess I had ever prayed to, and she's hung around and provided support since then. Choosing a matron goddess would be very difficult, since I'm not sure if I could choose one over the other. As far as gods go, I don't connect to the masculine side of the Divine nearly as well as the feminine side, but Lugh and Apollo are likely candidates. Or perhaps Cernunnos.

It's good to see that there are others close to Aphrodite and Hecate on this thread ^^

My patrons.  Their names are their own and even I have yet to discover their "true names."  They gave me names to communicate with them, but who knows if those are just titles, right?  I'm a little paranoid about giving those names out so I'll refer to them as mother and father.

Father represents himself as a blue fire with an almost human form (although rather large compared to me) and is an expression of pure will.  He does not anger... he is simply very intense.  A real example of the fire element as I've come to see it.  Mother is a little more... interesting, if you will.  She is much larger, has no skin (the muscles on this beast are huge), she's a rather bi-polar and sometimes seems to have multiple personalities.  Water is her chosen element.  She's the Chaos within me- my loving yet terrifying mother is quite the trickster, you see.

She enjoys giving me "lessons" quite often and usually the learning hurts, but she warns me (multiple months in advance so that I have no clue when it's coming) so I guess I should be grateful.  She's almost always on hand and all I have to do is reach out... unlike father who stays aloof until he wants me (generally speaking).  When father decides he feels like teaching me something, he doesn't give me an option.  I'll feel his calling distinctly in my everyday life and then I know that the next time I go to meditate he's gonna drag me away again to show me something.

Mother is dark and father is twilight.  They came to me and more or less demanded that I follow them.  They were the ones who "woke me."  What a hilarious night that was.

My Patrons are Gaia and Pan, to the point where I just call myself a PanGaian. Everything that I need to thrive in life, I get from my Mother and Father, so it is right (for me) to focus my worship on them. Of course, there are the various Spirits to thank and honor for their gifts as well.

I ended up with one of the strangest: Baba Yaga (not that she's strange...though certainly interesting...I'm actually the only person I know who can make this particular claim). I don't know how it happened, but she just approached me one day. Couldn't have been too long after a massive magickal effort on my part. Her name just kept repeating itself over and over in my head. I didn't know anything about her, and I had to look her up. Has something to do with my desire to play the hero, a "pure heart," as well as my fascination with aging in general. She had a special tea that could reduce her age by a year. Interesting stuff, for sure.

WiccaPedia, she does that. Baba's been helpful to me for a while. I don't have a matron anymore.  For as long as I could remember my matron was Tiamat, but a few yrs ago she told me that it would be a waste of my time to continue this endeavour. But she'll always have a special place in my heart. My current patron is Seth. He's taught me a thing or two about death and life. I've had encounters where I am curious about a deity so I do research and investigate, but they basically send out a rejection letter. Or we meet halfway. And others who come knocking down my door, who I would have never expected. I think there's a lot that we can learn from them, when the time is right. And I guess, from what I've seen, stay until the lesson is complete.  Sometimes I think that they are teaching us how to find our own inner godhood.

tavthe.

The main deity in my life is the Great Mother Nyx, Personification of Night. I'm actually one of her many High Priestesses, I'm proud to say (^_^). In a way, I think me and Her found each other. I read about her in the House of Night books, and right from the first time I saw Her name, I knew She was for me!