Dark Goddess Magick

I've always been drawn to the darker Goddesses with their myths woven of shadow, and the deep medicine and magick that they bring into our world.

Darker Goddesses are not evil. Dark goddesses travel where others fear to tread. They move through the veils between the worlds and into the shadows of powerful magick. They bravely venture into the Underworld and dive into the areas that other shy away from like death, transformation, protection, rebirth, prophecy and shadow work.

Here are some of my favorite Goddesses to work with and some of their representations. 

Aradia: My favorite goddess (and namesake) Aradia is a powerful and multi-faceted Goddess to behold. The daughter of the Moon Goddess Diana and her brother the Light Bearer Lucifer, they call her the Queen of Witches. 

Sent by her mother to Earth to teach magic in her place, she knows all of the ancient mysteries and came to teach those who were oppressed by tyranny. A love of freedom and the wilds of nature flows in her veins and it is said that her consort was the God of the Wild Cernunnos. 

Aradia's power is that none knew her so she was able to teach her magic in secret. She was a fierce protectress of her followers, escaped persecution many times when she was teaching the Old Ways of Magick here on Earth, and was especially powerful during the Full Moon.

Call on her for protection, especially for those who are practicing magick, manifestation, divination, magical aid, transformation work, knowledge and wisdom. Her candle colors are red, purple and white.

Morrigan: Irish Goddess of prophecy, battle, death and war. She is known as a great sorceress to the Celts who knows the outcome of all battles, and  is considered the Witch Queen of Death. She is sometimes represented as a crone Goddess with shape-shifting abilities. She is associated with passionate love, sex and seduction of a darker nature such as infidelity which usually has a negative outcome. She is often represented as part of the triple Goddess and associated with the crow. 

Call upon her for prophecy, when you want to call upon the energy to "shape-shift" or transform. Her candle colors are scarlet and black.

Isis: Also called "She of Ten Thousand Names", the Goddess Isis is the Queen of Magic in Egyptian myth. Also associated with Mother Goddess and fertility energy, she was a symbol of divine motherhood and also called "Mystis, Lady of the Mysteries." 

Isis was a Goddess of Magick, of healing and a patroness of women. She used her powerful magick to manifest change and transform the world. 

Call upon her when diving deeper into the mysteries of magick, for protection of women and children or for manifestation. Her candle colors are green and white.

Brigid/Brigit: Goddess of the Sacred Flame. Though usually a goddess of illumination, she comes to us during very dark times. Associated with prophecy and divination, she has the ability to see into dark places where none dare go. She offers us inspiration as well and hope as she symbolizes the light returning after a long Winter.

She is the keeper of the waters and wells of rebirth and the Sacred flame of creativity and a powerful healer Goddess. She is celebrated at Imbolc on February 2 as we begin to celebrate the return of the light from the darkness.

Call upon her to tap into the fires of creativity, for healing, for inspiration and for hope on a journey of darkness. Her candle colors are red and white.

Hecate: Queen of the Underworld, Queen of the Night and protectress of all witches, she is represented as the Crone aspect of the triple Goddess though is often seen as a triple Goddess unto herself representing a Queen of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. A dark Moon goddess, she is a guardian of the spirit world and can see deep into the unseen with her dark intuitive magick.

She is connected with the dark aspect of the Moon and the magic that is found in the shadows. She is a guide at the crossroads and she is a protectress of travelers as well and those who find themselves in very dark, lonely places.

She is a Goddess of seeing deeply into the future, into the threads of the different paths before us and into the darkness. She can see right through into the Underworld as she holds great power there. She is a guardian of those who practice intuitive magick and to all who follow the path of the Witch.

Call upon her for protection, when you need insight at the crossroads, when you need a guide through the darkness of the Underworld, for divination and for knowledge into the wisdom of magick. Her candle colors are black and silver.

Kali: Kali is a powerful Hindu Goddess of death, transformation, creation, rebirth and time. She is often called Kali Ma as the divine Mother in Hindu society. In her destroyer aspect she is depicted as a wild woman with skulls of her enemies adorning her body. 

Kali is a force of creation and the creator of the Universe, and she holds the power of time, rebirth, chaos, and destruction. She is a powerful force to call upon to clear away what is no longer needed and to tap into a powerful energy of transformation. She rules the untamed, unbridled aspect of feminine strength and fury.

Call upon her when you are petitioning for powerful transformation, clearing and complete change. Her candle color is black. 

Lilith: Originally Sumerian Queen of Heaven, she was integrated over time with the Goddess Inanna and in time her stories crafted her as the companion and handmaiden of Inanna. Her symbols are the dark Moon and the screech-owl.

Lilith was a powerful and raw energy with the ability to affect the energies of the earth, of the storm and even a seductress of men for sacred rituals and practices. This is how it is thought that she was merged into the Hebrew stories of the first wife of Adam who refused to submit and thus was demonized. Lilith tells us to take back out power and to revel in the magick within us. She brings us the energy of speaking our truth and living fully embodied in our own mysteries apologetically and proudly.

Call upon her when you are needing some powerful aid to speak or live your truth, when you are wishing to take back your power and to embody your sensual essence in fullness. Her candle colors are green, red and black.

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld and Greek Goddess of Spring. Persephone wears two crowns as she rules down below in the Underworld with her King Hades during the months the Earth slumbers in Winter, and she returns for six months to bring the warmer weather with her. She is the Dark Maiden and keeper of souls, has the wisdom of life and death, and is skilled in the arts of divination, prophecy and magick. She is the embodiment of the cycle of transformation from darkness to light and back again. 

Call upon her when you are needing to walk from darkness to light, when you need hope during dark times or during times of transformation. Her candle color is black or Spring colors when working with her Earthly aspects.

Cassandra: Though not technically a goddess, she was a Priestess from the Greek stories. She had the gift of prophecy which was a dark curse upon her as she was destined to have none believe the warning that came from her lips. Cassandra brings us the message of speaking when none hear us and having our words questioned at every turn. It was said that because she refused the God Apollo he cursed her so none would ever believe her even though she tried to warn everyone about the Fall of Troy. Snakes are dear to her as she was a temple Priestess and tended to the snakes of the Great Priestess that dwelt there. 

Call upon her when you feel you are being unheard in your truth. Her candle color is black or purple.

Inanna: Goddess of Heaven and Earth, Love and War to the Sumerians, she was a lunar Goddess and was seen as the morning and evening stars. Associate with the Goddess Ishtar by the Babylonians. 

Usually thought of as the light aspect to her sisters shadow self, she merges with her shadow self which always lent a depth to her myths that always resonated with me. She didn't just go on the journey; her old self was literally killed and she was reborn in her truth. She journeyed deep past the veils and embraced the whole of her being when she was faced with her shadows.

Call upon her when you are on a journey to strip away the old stories and are merging with yourself in truth. Her candle color is red.

Ereshkigal: Dark sister of the Goddess Inanna, Ereshkigal was the Goddess of the Underworld. She represents the unseen part of ourselves, the shadow side, which is often hidden but no less important. In the myth of Inanna, she kills her sister when she ventures into the Underworld and merges with her into one symbolizing the need to embrace all aspects of our being, not just what is thought of as "light".

Call upon her when you are diving into shadow work and are facing the "darker" aspects of yourself and are wishing to embrace all aspects of your being. Her candle color is black.

A powerful and simple way to work with the Goddesses is to light a candle in their sacred color, bless it with the intentions that you are wishing to call upon from that specific Goddess and to speak what you are wanting their aid with.

For example:

"Aradia, Goddess of Magick and Moon, I call upon you to grant my boon; Bring to me protections brilliant light, Gift me with your wisdom and insight.  Goddess of all that is wild and free, As I will it, so it shall be."

Dive deeper into the magick and mystery of the Aradia, Kali, Hecate, Lilith, Erishkegal and more Goddesses in my new book Dark Goddess Magick, complete with spells, rituals, affirmations and ways to work with the energy of these powerful Goddesses. You can find it wherever books are sold or order it here: Dark Goddess Magick Book Order

Resources:

"Grimoire for the Green Witch" - A. Moura

"Wicca Candle Magick" - G. Dunwich

"Goddesses for Every Day" - J. Loar

"The Goddess Guide" - B. Auset