Morning lovely Coven…
I am very confused… I am not sure if you remember me telling you about my amazing adventure when I celebrated Litha with my family the other night. I felt the presence of a Goddess very distinctly. I assume it was Aine as I have been worshipping her and giving thanks in her name…
So the same night I had a dream… I cannot recall how I came to this place where I was standing on the outskirts of a forest. There were different Goddesses standing around me. Before me stood Goddess Aine and as I started walking towards the Goddess another called me. She was standing behind me. I turned to look who was calling and it was Goddess Cerridwen. I said her name and She said it’s me… I woke up and cant get the image out of my mind…
Do you think I have been feeling a pull towards Goddess Cerridwen thinking it was Goddess Aine? But what do I do now? I have done some research on Goddess Cerridwen and wow She is amazing… But now I feel bad about Goddess Aine? I feel like I’m dropping her? Maybe it wasnt actually her with me by the bonfire? Maybe it was her and she has helped me to where I need to be??? Gosh. So many questions running through my head?
What do you wonderful people in the Coven think?
Good morning @yolande1…
I remember a bit about you discussing Goddess Aine & paying Her respect, offerings, working with Her… & that is great because that is who you had felt called to work 
Dreams are subjective to the person & situation. However, if it were something that I had experienced, Goddess Aine is still with you in the dream correct? Another Goddess calling to you along with Aine beside you doesn’t mean that you are “dropping Her”. Goddess Cerridwen may be calling you to assist in your path along with Goddess Aine.
It could also be that Goddess Aine is not leaving you, you are not dropping Her, she could be letting you know that Cerridwen has something she needs to tell you, teach you, or assist you with… either in tandem or on Her own. So Aine may still always be there for you should you need Her, but at this time, Cerridwen is better equipped to assist you, has let Aine know that she has a lesson or message for you, or both of them are working together to help you move forward on your path.
From my own personal experience & current path:
I had a strong pull & connection with Brighid as I started back on my journey. After a bit of time & some situations, I knew there was a strong calling to another deity… who happened to be the Morrigan. While Brigid wasn’t releasing me nor I Her, after getting to know & work with the Morrigan… they kind of work in tandem & are very balanced for me depending on the situations, time of year, what I’m going through, and/or the phase that I am entering or completing. (I hope that makes sense)
I have days (periods of time) when Brigid is who I need to connect with, I have days (periods of time) when the Morrigan is very prevalent and I need to connect with Her. I also have times when they work in tandem with each other to assist me through whatever it is…
I will say that I follow a very Irish 
Celtic-leaning path & have polytheistic beliefs directly related to that particular pantheon. So that is one possibility of what is happening or being conveyed.
I would suggest reading, researching, & learning what you can about both Goddesses & what you feel is the situation that they are trying to help you with & who is saying, I need to speak with you.
- Goddess Aine (Fairie Goddess) is a great place to start & then go from there for Her.
- Goddess Cerridwen is a great place to start for Her & how she may be trying to assist or connect with as well.
If you like to read, I would check the Pagan Portals series for anything that may have been written about both goddesses. I know that Morgan Daimler and Courtney Weber are both great authors & may have something for one or both of them. You can also try:
-
The Spirit of Celtic Gods & Goddesses: Their History, Magical Power, and Healing Energies is also a great beginner book for learning some things about them & then going from there also. I believe it’s available on Kindle & Paperback. I am a fan of paperback books, I love tangible things to read & they are easier for me to learn from & have a physical point of reference. I do have quite the Kindle library also
I don’t have much else to add I agree with everything that @Susurrus has said. Both Aine and Cerridwen are Celtic deities and I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked together for some of the worshipers, though I believe they originate in different countries.
I don’t have anything to add regarding the two goddesses as @Susurrus did a wonderful job.
I did want to add my 2¢ regarding working with multiple and changing deities. When I first started working with deities, I was contacted by Aphrodite and Athena. I worked with Athena for about 6 months before she “left.” Then Selene and Apollo came knocking. This was followed by Persephone then Hades. This spring/summer, all but Hades left as my work with them was done. It turns out Hades is one of my patron deities and will always be with me. I learned something from each one and I can still call upon them if needed.
This summer, I started seeing signs and having dreams about a Norse deity. My gut was telling me it was Loki and I panicked (I don’t need any more chaos in my life, lol). I tried reaching out to him a few times with no response, but he’s a trickster so I didn’t put too much into that. I eventually had my local tarot reader do a deity reading and learned it wasn’t Loki, but his daughter Hel that was reaching out. I was relieved but also worried as now I’m working with two strict death deities, lol. Could I keep up with their demands?
Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that there is nothing wrong with worshipping/ working with a deity then worshipping/working with either a second or a different one. You can work with both or worship Aine while we working with Cerridwen. Or drop Aine all together, but be respectful about it. It could very well be that Aine was guiding you to Cerridwen! Persephone did that for me and Hades. I still worship Persephone side she is his wife/Queen. You do not have to work with any one you don’t want to. The key is to be respectful when dealing with the gods/goddesses.
I would like to say that this could also very well be a possibility as well as just a quick mention that I absolutely agree with is:
Whether or not you choose to work with or both or even more than just 2… always be respectful with your interactions with any deity. Respect & gratitude with any God/Goddess is always much appreciated & my belief is necessary. Regardless of whether you choose to work with or honor them in some way. 
Ok I understand what you are saying @Susurrus. It makes sense what you are saying… Biggest thing I am afraid of doing is offending anyone or making them feel like I am turning my back on them and then they get angry with me or something. They are both so powerful and I would be so humbled and grateful to learn from them.
But sorry everyone another question… When you pay respect to them… Do you do each one seperately? Or both a the same time? How does that work?
@Amaris_Bane thank you so much for sharing with me… It must be a bit chaotic as you say. How do you keep them all happy? How do you know when they want you to do something for them? I have always read that its a give and take relationship with any deity… I be more than happy to give… But how do I know what to give?
Hades must be awesome though… I tend to be a dark bird, maybe thats why Cerridwen came up?
Sorry when it comes to Deities I have avoided working with them up till now as I knew its a huge responsibility and I have plenty of that in life in general… Being a single mom is no easy task…
I was always afraid of angering them and then I know it would come back and bite you in the butt in some way…
So apologies for stupid questions…
But here goes
Can you do 1 ritual to honour both? Or must it be doen seperately? Do you do this on a daily basis?
How do you know what they want you to do for them? With Aine i have been putting out offerings… Lighting candles and incense and doing a prayer of thanks… On Litha i gave my family a speech about all that i have learned about her and got them to join in the festivities… I felt a presence… But i have no idea if she actually wants me to do a task for her? I have not tried to make any contact with Cerridwen yet as I am still researching her… And want to make sure I am doing it right.
Maybe the right way would be to light candles for Aine in the morning at her altar and make another altar for Cerridwen amd light candles for her in the evening?
Hi Megan… Yes Aine is from Ireland and Cerridwen is from Wales…
These are great questions! I’ll do my best to answer them by sharing my experiences. Please remember that this is how I worship/work with Hades and Hel. How you or others interact with a deity may (will) differ from this.
- How do I know what they want? How do I honor them?
For me this comes through as gut feelings or audible messages. Sometimes when I’m out, I’ll be drawn to something and will just know which one was asking for the item. For example, when at the grocery store last week, I randomly grabbed a pomegranate. I knew that this was Hades (and likely Persephone as she is home right now).
I have aphantasia (inability to see images in my mind) so I don’t see things that they may want but this is how many receive messages. I do get the random “image” during meditations or from a dream. My “images” are like a book, they are described to me via words. Hel’s altar set-up was given to me in this manner. I’ll add an image in the morning.
- Can you honor them together? Do you need separate spaces/rituals?
In my experience, I’ve only been able to honor Persephone and Hades together. All others I honor separately, even if it’s two quick prayers back to back. I tend to be informal in my practice so I don’t really have rituals. The ones I do perform are generally for Sabbats or Esbats and not for my guides.
- What work is required? How much effort do I need to give?
First, let me clarify the difference between working with and worshiping a deity. Generally speaking, when worshipping you may offer something simply to give thanks or to make a petition. However, there is no set expectations on either end.
When working with a deity, there is a lot more responsibility on your end and expectations on their end. Both of my deities are strict, requiring I follow/live by certain rules. They expect daily offerings from me. Being that both of these deities are associated with our shadow selves, they expect me to do shadow work on a regular basis.
A couple things I want to share:
- Never share their messages to you with others unless given permission. Same goes with their altars and offerings. These are private things between the two of you; treat them as you would secrets shared from your best friend/significant other.
- Always be respectful! If you are unable to give them what they request, honestly but kindly inform them. I do this through speaking to them at their altar.
- In my practice, we are all part of the same divine spirit. As such, I do not thank them, as this would put them separate from me. Now, I want to stress that this is different than showing gratitude. I do show them gratitude for the guidance they give me or the things I have in my life. As you can see from this, the words you choose have a big impact on what you are conveying.
- How one person honors/works with a deity and how you do for the same deity can be completely different. Honestly, I would expect them to be (beyond knowing their preferred offerings, etc.)! You can go on TikTok/YouTube/Reddit and see examples of this.
I hope my babbling helps but don’t be afraid to ask more questions!
Thank you so much for sharing im beginning to understand… So kind of like when I gave my family the whole rundown and life story of Goddess Aine… It really wasnt something I was planning on doing I just did it when I got to the bonfire when they were all there. That was the first time I would say I felt her presence… Then it was after that when I had the dream about Cerridwen… It is starting to make sense.
I think you are amazing @Amaris_Bane. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge. And I sit here, reafing your words and I am gaining a better understanding I am also thinking about my magic… I love working with herbs and doing spells and have been feeling a little stuck as i have a hungry brain haha… I have been wondering what is next… Cerridwen is the Queen of the witches and works with herbs and spellwork so perhaps this is in fact my way forward…
I know that She also does not give up and that fits me perfectly as thats the kind of person I am… I am relentless when something needs to be done or learned…
I will definitly check out tik tok etc…
You are right about making sure of what I am saying. I reaf somewhere on the forum about not just asking for stuff but also to offer something in return which would make sense…
I
ok i really never thought about it like that before. So do you actually ask them if they would to work with you? Give them an offering and offer your own time etc to them?
I always just put out some offerings… Do a prayer incense etc… and thats it…
Good morning! (for me it is the morning here, a very early morning, but morning just the same :laughing)
@Amaris_Bane shared some wonderful information with you! I absolutely agree. Also, each deity is different.
In your case both deities are Celtic, but from different areas. So absolutely learn all that you can about each deity & their stories, mythology, area they are associated with. In my case both are from the same area & tribe. There is some kind of relationship with them through that as Danu is the Mother Goddess of the Tuatha de Danaan & Dagda being known as the father. Whether that relationship is Sister or something else like Aunt, Niece… I’m unsure but always continuing to learn what I can about the pantheon, tribe, area as a whole & read anything new that I may find about the Celtic Gods & Goddesses… a lot of time their stories have mention of each other in some way. Whether through the area, tribe, or deities that they have each interacted with in some way. There are different areas of the Celts also, Wales, British Isles, Ireland, Scotland, Germanic Europe. They were a presence throughout the region at the time of their stories & people regularly working with them & battles they were a part of during the time period.
I will give you some examples from my practice. I also work with Celtic 
deities, but they are different than the ones you are beginning to work with in your practice. Also, please keep in mind that this is what works for me in my practice with the deities.
- Both of my deities are Irish Celtic I was drawn to Brighid
first! Both are a part of the Tuatha de Danaan from that area. - I have space on one altar for Brigid which is right next to my bed on my nightstand.
- As an example, I see a neurologist for chronic severe migraines regularly throughout the year. I have had appointments where she will talk to me about Brigid… one time in particular, I just happened to be wearing a necklace with Brigid’s cross on it. I found out from my doctor that she is from the area where Brigid is most associated with & in her case, Brigid is her family’s patroness, or saint that they work with in Ireland. (When Christianity was spread throughout the lands, Brigid was kind of “kept” around through Christianization as a saint.) My doctor’s family practices & works with Brigid kind of as a Goddess & a Saint was the way that it was explained to me by her. Her family lives where Brigid’s Flame is tended in Ireland still by 19 nuns. She recognized her cross on my necklace. So we had a wonderful conversation about Brigid & how she is honored today in that area.
- You will notice things from each deity, kind of following you or recurring themes until you have worked with them in some way & fulfilled what it is that you are working through. Gratitude is in my opinion a must after working with or meeting with any deity.
- I meditate to meet with them, I do have invocations, prayers, gratitude practices that I will use for each one, their own specific incense blends.
- The nature of both of my deities… I don’t work with both of them at the same time. Maybe in the same day, but not all at once. In my practice, I will set up their areas for them & use guided meditations to meet with them & most of the time I will use my journal to go over the experience that I had before, during, & after, & ask my cards for a message or the message from them.
- I tend to go through my days through the lens of each one in varying situations, I know which one I am honoring in that way or just by situations & synchronicities.
- Divination works also when you want to know who you are being called to work with or to receive a message from one of them. I have tarot cards that when they show up, I know there is something coming from or recognition in some way from one of them. I have an oracle deck for each deity. Currently I have Oracles of the Morrigan & The Way of Brighid Oracle… so I will meet with them & then use the cards to ask for a message from whoever it is I am asking for assistance in some way or have connected with, then read the card meaning.
- Journaling about your day, dreams, meditations. You’ll start to see where things are going & messages coming through that way.
- Any time you are going to meet with or work with a deity, there should be an offering of some type left for them as a sign of respect for them. When you are finished, leave the offering there for them… over a certain amount of time, say overnight or 4 hours. When you “clean” up the space. Put their items back where they came from, anything liquid or herbal… return it back to the Earth. One thing that I do, which I’m not sure if it’s common or not, if I leave an offering for the Morrigan made up of associated herbs instead of returning them to the Earth, I will use them as a part of Her incense if they are something that would be appropriate for Her. The same with Brigid. (I make my own loose incense & use a charcoal disc with it) They each have their own jar of incense that I use & they each have a certain spoon that I use to place the incense on the disc. (the Morrigan’s is a silver spoon, Brigid has a copper spoon)
- Don’t take our word as gospel, use what feels right to you to honor them. You will get ideas through reading & research. Use what is comfortable for you & feels right. Your practice & your relationship with the deities is yours & no one else’s. So the way @Amaris_Bane & the way I work with deities may have similarities but will also have differences too. Each person & relationship is different. As long as it feels right to you, you’re doing the right thing.
I do have decks that are heavily based on either Celtic ways or Gods/Goddesses:
- Celtic Goddess Oracle
- Celtic Spirit Oracle
- Way of the Wild: An Oracle Experience in Irish Wisdom
- The Celtic Tarot
I absolutely have tarot cards that I have associated with both deities. Well, Brigid is a card… the Morrigan is an entire tarot deck really, but there is also a specific tarot card that can be from any deck that I associate with the Morrigan.
Different things will start to resonate with you about which is wanting to meet with you, connect with you, has a message for you… it’s more of a feeling & synchronicities. If I am working with the Morrigan, I won’t necessarily “feel” Brigid around me. I will still light a white candle for her though & Tend her Flame out of respect for Her. The Morrigan, is about the same, I will still offer my respect to Her, but maybe not meet or connect with Her if Brigid is saying, “Hey there’s this thing & I’m here to offer you some clarity or assistance on how to move forward or through it.”
As far as Cerridwen, don’t be afraid, maybe try meeting with Her through meditation & see how that feels & what the experience was like for you. Write about it afterward in a journal & go through your day & revisit the journal to see if anything starts to connect with different people, situations, your day in general.
If any of that was word salad 
please let me know & I will try to explain it a bit better. It’s a lot of learning, researching & practicing. Things will just start working out or making sense about each one & how you work with them & receive messages from them.
Sjoe that is beautiful… Thank you very much for sharing with me @Susurrus. That is really nice the way you do things as well…
You and @Amaris_Bane have both given me a lot to work on which is awesome. Thank you both. Ill start researching deeper as you say because everywhere only repeats the same things. Ill start looking further into the places they came from etc. And get those books suggested on kindle as well…
Thank you for your great responses and help.
I will go through what I have on my laptop for resources. Where the deities you are speaking of are Celtic, but from different areas… read the mythology & stories from when the Celts were in Ireland or went there. Read the stories & mythology of the Celts in Wales also. They are the same but also different in some ways. The deeper you go, there may be some things repeated often, but in there will be nuggets of information that you haven’t read, you may also find suggested ways to work with the Goddesses. In my opinion & I would wager a guess that @MeganB would agree… steer clear of any writings by Mari Silva on Celtic Paganism or deities. I will say that for Celtic Paganism as a whole, Danu Forest is a very good resource… also maybe learn a bit more about what the Celts overall beliefs were. There are some good books on Celtic Paganism & Spirituality out there too. It will help you to better understand the ways the Celts did things & used Gods/Goddesses & their practices. I will go through my Kindle Library as well as my paperback books to see what I have there if you would like.
Once my family is up & about, I can also draw the Celtic Goddess cards for Cerridwen & Aine as well as any associated cards in my Celtic Spirit Oracle. I believe one of my Single Draws was the card for Cerridwen… I gave the guidebook meaning on that post… let me see if I can find it:
Once I can get into my room, I will find the oracle cards for them from my Celtic Goddesses deck & go through my books that I have on my shelf for you. I’ll be back with what I have found in my Kindle Library as well. 
In my case, I did not ask. Both came to me versus me going to them. Once I realized they wanted to work with me, I did do some divination with to try to determine what each was here to help me with.
I am currently learning more about the Norse pantheon and feel a strong pull to Frigg. Once I feel comfortable with my knowledge, I do plan to reach out to her to see if she’ll work with me. This can be done via meditation or divination.
I’m glad that we were able to help you! I took have a thirst for learning as well as a drive to share what I know (I feel that is part of my life purpose/calling).
I am the same way! I love to share what I learn too! I tend to do deep dives into things & then make posts within the forum about what I have learned. I’ve done several on different topics.
My son is heavily into the Norse & works with Odin mostly. I can ask him if he has any resources or suggested books for Frigg if you would like @Amaris_Bane, once he is feeling a bit better… currently he is very sick & asleep in his room.
In my case I didn’t have to ask, they just kind of… I guess found or approached me first & the more I learned the stronger my connection became.
Sometimes I feel Danu as a very light presence… but then one of my deities starts hanging around much stronger than usual… almost like she is directing them to me. Really hard to explain that one 
I would love that! Thank you.
I understand this! Athena was this for me when I first started. She offered me protection and then guided me to my other deities.
Ok so its actually just a read and meditate and read some more and a little divination in between thing… I dont know why but I thought I would have to do this lavish ritual and wait for a bomb or something you know? Perhaps because when i first started I had the wrong person teaching me and I have this ingrained idea where nothing is easy and at face value. That there always has to be some kind of initiation?
I am seeing from what both of you are saying there is nothing like that. Perhaps this is why I am never trusting my feelings.
Ooo exciting… I hope you find all that you are looking for and everything goes well…
When I first started, I had the same idea. I’ve since realized that each of us have our own paths to follow, even if they end at the same place. What works for me might not work for you. The key is to go with your intuition and instinct. I did do an initiation ritual a year and a day into my practice. I also plan to start doing Oath Day from the Norse Yule tradition (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Do what feels right.