Wiccans acknowledge a variety of higher powers in their spiritual beliefs. The central concept in Wicca is the worship of a divine dualism, represented by a God and a Goddess. The God is associated with masculine energy, sun, and strength, while the Goddess represents femininity, moon, and fertility. These deities are often seen as archetypes and are celebrated in seasonal rituals. In addition to the God and Goddess, Wiccans also recognize a pantheon of other deities from different cultures and mythologies. This allows Wiccans to connect with various aspects of divinity and find personal meaning in their spiritual practice.
Manny Moreno (pro: he/él/lui) was born in Cuba and raised in the American South. He lives in South Florida and Nemi, Italy. He has been in the Pagan community for almost four decades. He is a Witch and was raised as a child of Oyá. He is encouraged by the Balance within the natural world and enjoys storms and the night. Manny is married and splits his free time between the Florida Swamps, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Alban Hills. He is also a beekeeper, orchid-grower, and builder of bat houses.
Moreover, a member who is part of a movement results in capitalization, such as a member of the Communist Party or an individual speaking for the Communist government. I don t have conversations with them as if they are hipsters at my local watering hole, but we communicate, and it s generally a very positive and often informal thing.
This allows Wiccans to connect with various aspects of divinity and find personal meaning in their spiritual practice. Some common examples of these deities include Athena from Greek mythology, Isis from Egyptian mythology, and Brigid from Celtic mythology. Apart from these traditional gods and goddesses, Wiccans also acknowledge the existence of spirits, elementals, and ancestors.
The Trouble with Capital Letters
I’ve never worried too much about what I capitalize and what I don’t. I know that in English it’s about “proper nouns†as opposed to “common nouns,†and for a lot of people there’s this sense of respect that comes from giving something a capital letter. But I’ve never divided “proper†and “common†into “respected†and “disrespected,†just into the grammatical sense of “specific†and “categorical.â€
For example: My cat (common noun, a category referring to animals that purr and hack up hairballs = lowercase “câ€) Morgan (proper noun, referring specifically to my cat (who is finally eating her raw food YAY!) = uppercase “Mâ€) is sitting on my lap while I write.
My lackadaisical attitude was never a huge deal… until I started a blog about religion. And then what I did or didn’t capitalize suddenly became not just a big deal, but a political statement. And so even though I’ve never been a stickler, I suddenly find myself in a position where it matters to other people, and so it’s something I need to think about more seriously.
I really noticed it a couple weeks ago when writing something about the “Christian God†and the “pagan gods†and I realized some people might take it the wrong way that I capitalized the religion and the word “God†for somebody else’s faith and not my own. And, more important to my English major brain, it struck me how grammatically inconsistent I was being – and stickler or no for whether or not my own faith is capitalized, I do care about consistency. But p/Pagans across the board aren’t consistent about capitalization. Some p/Pagans capitalize the name of our faith and some don’t. Some capitalize “gods†but most don’t. We don’t have a Pagan-Chicago Manual of Style to go by.
As far as “g/Gods†goes, I blame the Abrahamic faiths for muddying the water here. (*stern finger shake along with a wink for my Christian friends*) Technically “god†is a common noun, therefore it should be lowercase (“the Christian god†or “the Norse pantheon of godsâ€)… but Abrahamic faiths only believe in one god: Jehovah. According to them, “God†is specific. In the Christian church, you can say, “Dear God, I need some help.†Whereas if polytheists said that, it would be too vague — who exactly are they asking for help? Vishnu? Quetzalcaotl? Hecate? Any of those can be referred to as “g/God.â€
Up until this point in the blog (and in life in general), I’ve been capitalizing God whenever I used it in reference to Christianity out of respect for their tradition (it’s certainly not my intent to give offense). However, when I analyzed the rule, I realized it isn’t grammatically correct for me to do so. To me, when I say the word “god†I never mean a specific entity; “god†is not interchangeable with a specific proper name. I have always and will always capitalize Jehovah because that is a proper name. But “god†is not.
So now I have a choice. Looking at it from a grammar perspective, it isn’t merely a token of respect to say “God†when discussing Christian beliefs. By capitalizing “god†I am agreeing the word is specific to Jehovah; I am grammatically stating that Jehovah is The God, something I do not believe. And yet it makes me nervous to make it lower case. Part of that maybe be my upbringing, but the majority of it is that I do not want to offend my Christian friends. This begs the question, must I subtly state an agreement with somebody else’s belief system or risk being called disrespectful?
Frankly, I think better of my Christian friends. I don’t think they expect me to behave as if they are right and I am aberrant. I certainly don’t expect them to behave that way to me. The fact that I practice a minority faith may make my beliefs less common, but it doesn’t make them less right. From here on out, I believe it would make the most sense to use “god†all the time.
The other capitalization that trips me up is p/Pagan. Technically, the names of religions are supposed to be capitalized, and when it comes to specific branches of p/Paganism, we’re all pretty consistent about that: Wicca, Ãsatrú, Druidry, etc. But p/Pagan? Not so much. I think this comes from a combination of having a borrowed word for our faith * and to the lukewarm feeling many pagans have about being called “pagan,†preferring their specific branch of choice over the more generic term. (For The Princesses’ feelings on that, check out our earlier post: Pagan, Heathen, Druid: What’s in a Name?)
However, we Pagan Princesses have specifically chosen the label “p/Pagan†as a unifying term, the most commonly used label to describe who we are and what we do. And so we are using it as a title for our faith, a name which refers to a specific type of religion. So to be grammatically correct, when referring to new religious movements that find inspiration in pre-Christian faiths, I should use a “P†instead of a “p.†**
So there I have it, “the Christian god†and “the Pagan gods.†It is not meant to give offense, but to be grammatically consistent. What do you think? Will this work? Will I offend people? How do you use capital letters when dealing with religious matters?
* Pagan (Latin paganus) originally meant “country dweller†and was the word the early Christian church gave to people who wouldn’t convert because rural Rome held on to the old ways longer than urban Rome.
** Referring to native faiths that never were converted, such as native African p/Paganism is a different question that I’m not going over in this essay. For now I’m only tackling the Neopagan definition of “p/Pagan.â€
+ Featured image by kvanhorn
The result on Wikipedia is equivocal. Some editors noted being torn while also noting that “modern paganism is certainly capitalized much less than recognized religions.”
They believe that these beings can help guide and support them in their spiritual journey. Spirits are often associated with natural elements such as earth, air, fire, and water, while elementals are believed to dwell in and govern these elements. Ancestors are revered and honored for their wisdom and guidance. Overall, Wiccans believe in a diverse and inclusive spiritual worldview, where higher powers can take various forms and be found in multiple cultural traditions. They emphasize the importance of personal experience and individual spiritual growth in establishing connections with these higher powers..
Reviews for "The Influence of Mythology in Wiccan Belief: Stories of Gods and Goddesses"
1. Emily - 2 stars - I found "Whom do wiccans acknowledge as their higher powers" to be quite vague and poorly explained. As someone with limited knowledge of Wicca, I was hoping for a clearer understanding of who Wiccans consider their higher powers. Unfortunately, this article seemed to dance around the topic without ever providing a concrete answer. I think more research and effort could have been put into explaining this crucial aspect of Wiccan beliefs.
2. Brian - 2 stars - I was disappointed with "Whom do wiccans acknowledge as their higher powers". The article lacked depth and failed to provide a comprehensive answer to the question. It felt more like a basic overview of Wiccan beliefs rather than a focused discussion on the higher powers they acknowledge. I believe the article should have delved deeper into specific deities or spiritual entities that Wiccans typically recognize, rather than providing a general explanation that left me wanting more.
3. Megan - 3 stars - While "Whom do wiccans acknowledge as their higher powers" had some valuable insight, I felt it fell short in its presentation. The information provided felt scattered and lacked a clear structure. It would have been beneficial to have a more organized breakdown of the different higher powers acknowledged in Wiccan belief systems. Overall, the article could have been more concise and provided more concrete examples to better illustrate the topic at hand.
4. Alex - 2 stars - I did not find "Whom do wiccans acknowledge as their higher powers" to be very informative. The content felt superficial and left me searching for more substantial information. I was hoping for a deeper exploration of the deities or spiritual entities Wiccans typically recognize, but instead, the article provided a simplistic overview without diving into the nuances. It left me wanting a more thorough understanding of this important aspect of Wiccan beliefs.