I'm new to being a Wicca,and I'm kind of confused.I've had no one to learn from,so I've just had to read up on it.I know about the goddess,but I keep ready about her under different names:Artemis,Hecate,Nyx,Gaea and loads more!Is she only one of these,or are they all different aspects of her?
with Wicca, there's The Horned God [or the Oak King and Holy King] and The Triple Goddess [or Maiden, Mother and Crone] .
Artemis, Hecate, Nyx, Gaea and so on are Goddesses from other pagan religions [Greek, Norris, Roman, Celtic, Roman, Egyptian...] some people do pray to a different Goddess because they feel a stronger connection to her over The Triple Goddess.
in Wicca, she is The Triple Goddess, called this because throughout the year [or month if you look at the moon] she will age. as she ages, her associations changed, in the spring and into the early summer she is the Maiden; young and virginal. from the summer to mid autumn, she is the Mother; adult and of childbearing age. finally autumn to the early spring she is the Crone; elderly and wise.
there's no single right way, so if i were you, i'd research the Goddess, then look into other deities you have heard about. if you feel a strong bond with one over another, then you can pray to them instead.
another reason some people might call upon Artemis, Hecate, Nyx, Gaea and so forth is because these deities have different specialties they rule over. while asking upon the Triple Goddess to help you with a love spell isn't a bad thing, asking Aphrodite or someone who is a goddess of love might make the spell stronger and work better.
Yes,I've heard of the Triple Goddess it's just I heard she was Artemis(maiden),Hecate(mother),and Demeter(crone).Does the Trile Goddess have a specific name other then,well,Triple Goddess?
merry meet its time for communion to meet the lady this fullmoons fine bring a cookie go out and talk to her alone and listen to her to speak to you telepathically (MENTALLY) and ask her questions about anything be your self she knows all and goes by all those names blessed be )O(
some people will sometimes ball 3 similar deities together and call her the Triple Goddess, but they're not. the Maiden, Mother and Crone are the same Goddess as she ages. Artemis, Hecate, and Demeter are three separate goddesses so not The Triple Goddess. The Triple Goddess was coined by Gerald Gardener, throughout history, there's no deity that i know of who ages as the seasons change. granted, there are tales of deities changing, like Sekhmet becoming Hathor. the closest thing i can think of for a 'triple goddess' would be the greek fates, but they're separate deities and The Triple Goddess is one.
mind you, as it's been said countless times before, this path is very personal, if you were to choose to pray to the Triple Goddess as Artemis, Hecate, and Demeter there's not fault in it.
Hekate is a triple goddess, aging through the day, being dead for part of the night and being reborn in the morning.
Remember Gardnerian Wiccans are supposed to follow the Rede 'Harm none, do as ye will, all that is cast for in negativity/positivity will be cast back in threefold.' Good luck with your journey!
The concept of the Triple Goddess as Maiden/Mother/Crone is a modern one which first appears in Graves' book "The White Goddess". It is not something which is found in pre-Christian mythologies. True there are some pre-Christian Goddesses who appear to have more than one aspect...such as Brighid who is midwife, smith, and poet...but there are none that show up as Maiden, Mother, and Crone.
In Gardnerian Wicca we do worship the Horned God and the Triple Goddess. The names of these deities is oath-bound and is never revealed to someone who is not properly initiated. They are Deities who are specific to British Traditional Wicca.
In Paganism there are many Gods and Goddesses that come from cultures all across the world. To worship more than one God is called polytheism. Some view the many Gods and Goddesses as being merely facets of a greater whole...one God, one Goddess...this is called "soft polytheism". Others view each Deity as an individual in their own right..this is called "hard polytheism". Neither viewpoint is right or wrong. How we perceive the Gods is based on our personal experience in encountering them.
Since you are not part of a British Traditional Wiccan coven you are free to dedicate yourself to whichever Deities call to you. If you see the Triple Goddess as Artemis/Hekate/Demeter that's fine.
