In Wicca, and Paganism in general, each of the Goddess and Gods represents an ideal, a human quality, something we as people can relate to, something to engender our passions.
Above the individual Gods and Goddesses are the overall principles of male and female polarity. Nothing happens in the Universe without this flow of Energy between polarities.
Above even this personification is the Universal Power. It's very difficult to focus on this Power, however, so we invoke human-like deities to summon.
Know that in this way we are focusing on the Powers above all.
So by all means, use the persona of the Gods and Goddesses to facilitate your workings but know in the back of your head that you are actually directing a much higher Power. What matters is how you relate to the God or Goddesses persona. How he or she works with you, metaphorically speaking.*
Nor does it really matter which Gods and Goddesses we pick; a true Pagan will always be able to understand their personal God or Goddesses in the Gods and Goddesses of other Pagan peoples. This is as true today as it was a thousand years ago.
So. Without further adieu, here are the pictures of Goddesses with a brief bio. Followed by pictures of Gods. Each picture links to its full sized version.
Born from the sea daughter of the severed member of Uranus
Her counterparts are: Venus; Roman; Ishtar: Mesopotamia and Ashtart
of the Middle East. She is also known as Cytherea Passion: Pysical Passion
Aradia: Strega; Queen of the Witches, daughter of the Roman Goddess Diana and Lucifer. Call on her when you need protection. Takes the form of a cat. Passion: Fear and Security
Arianrhod: Welsh: Goddess of the heavens and reincarnation.
Call on her to contact the ancestors. Passion: Eternal Life
Artemis: Greek; Goddess of the Moon. She is also the Celtic Goddess Artio, the Bear Goddess.
Call on Artio to provide inspiration for artistic projects. Passion: Creativity
Astarte: Greek, Assyrian, Babylonian; Ancient Fertility Goddess Passion: Motherhood
Aurora: Roman Winged Goddess of the Dawn, Her lover, Tithonus, Prince of Troy was granted immortality but not eternal youth. When he aged terribly she changed him into a grasshopper Passion: Rebirth
Bast; Egyptian; Bast or Bastet is the Goddess of Protection, often taking the form of a cat. Passion: Beauty and Security
Brigid; Celtic; She is the often the Mother in the Triple Goddess. Passion: Sisterhood
Ceres: Roman; Harvest God
Here pictured with Bacchus.
She turned a a man into a newt for mocking Her.
Perhaps for her tiny little head.
It's where the whole newt thing started.
Oops, shouldn't have said that.
She might turn me into a newtette! Passion: Security and Sustenance
Cerridwen: Welsh; Goddess of the Moon and Harvest.
She is often seen as part of the Triple Goddess. Passion: Beauty and Sustenance
Demeter: The Greek Goddess Demeter represents fertility and motherhood. Shown here rescuing her daughterPersephone
from the underworld. Passion: Motherhood and Protection
Diana: Roman;
Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt
She is the mistress of wild things
protector of the young and vulnerable Passion: Freedom and Autonomy
Dryads: Greek; Spirit of the Trees.
Celtic as Flidais; spirit of the woodlands
who commands the animals. Passion: Nature
Flora: Roman; Goddess of Spring,
flowers and beauty and plenty on the earth Passion: Beauty and Sustenance
