The signs people notice when a goddess draws close, simple traditional ways to find out who she is, and a short quiz to help you begin
It often starts quietly. A name you keep hearing. Crows on the fence every morning. A pull towards the dark of the moon, or towards a candle flame in February, that you cannot quite explain. Many people reach a point where they wonder whether a goddess is calling them, and if so, which one. There is no test that gives a certain answer, but there are signs worth noticing and gentle, time honoured ways to find out. Here they are, with the moon goddesses and the Celtic goddesses of these islands side by side.
Does a Goddess Choose You, or Do You Choose Her?
Both, in most traditions. In the Celtic world in particular, a relationship with a goddess is understood as reciprocal: you choose her, and she chooses you. It is also understood as something that grows slowly. The old gods of these islands were not distant figures on a mountain top; they were met at springs, rivers, hilltops and crossroads, by people who paid attention. When a goddess does make herself known, it is rarely dramatic. It is more like mist arriving: a gradual sense of presence that is there for as long as you keep paying attention.
It is worth knowing, too, that the goddess who calls you may not be the one you expected or wanted. People who set out to work with a gentle moon goddess sometimes find that it is the Morrígan who keeps turning up. Trust what actually happens rather than what you hoped would happen.
Signs a Goddess May Be Calling You
These are the signs people describe most often. One on its own may be coincidence; several together, over weeks, are worth taking seriously.
- Her name keeps appearing. In books, conversations, song lyrics, shop names, a film you happened to catch. You start to notice it everywhere.
- Her animal keeps finding you. Crows or ravens for the Morrígan, dogs for Hecate, deer for Artemis, a white horse for Rhiannon, a hare for Cerridwen.
- Her symbols turn up. Keys and crossroads, cauldrons, flames, crescent moons, a silver wheel, a well or a spring.
- She appears in your dreams, or you dream of her places, creatures or season.
- Her story stays with you. You read a myth once and cannot stop thinking about it, or you feel unexpectedly moved by it.
- You are drawn to a particular time. A phase of the Moon, a festival such as Imbolc or Samhain, a season of the year that feels like yours.
- Saying her name feels different. When you speak it aloud, something shifts: a stillness, a warmth, a sense of being listened to.
- What she stands for is exactly what you need now. Courage, inspiration, rest, a way through a crossroads in your life.
How to Find Out Which Goddess Is Calling You
These are the traditional ways, and they work best together, over at least one full cycle of the Moon.
1. Read her stories
Start with the myths themselves rather than modern summaries. For the Welsh goddesses, the Mabinogion is the place to begin; for the Irish goddesses, the tales of the Tuatha Dé Danann; for the Greek moon goddesses, the old hymns and myths. Notice which figure you keep returning to.
2. Keep a notebook for one lunar month
From one new moon to the next, write down every name, animal, symbol and dream that feels significant, with the date and the phase of the Moon. At the end of the month, read it back. Patterns that are invisible day to day often stand out clearly on the page. A moon phase notebook is made for exactly this.
3. Make a simple offering and speak her name
Offering is at the heart of every tradition here: you give before you ask. A traditional offering might be milk, water, bread, honey, a poem, a song, or simply your full attention. Set it down, light a candle, and speak the goddess’s name aloud three times, slowly, pausing between each. Learning to say her name properly is itself a mark of respect, especially with the Welsh names. Then sit quietly for a few minutes and notice what you feel. Many people repeat this at the same time each day for two weeks.
4. Meditate on the threshold
Close your eyes, breathe slowly, and picture yourself at a threshold: a crossroads at night, the edge of a wood, the mouth of a well, the shore at low tide. Ask quietly who walks with you, and wait. Some people see a figure, an animal or a colour; others hear a name or simply sense a presence beside them. Afterwards, write down whatever came, without judging it.
5. Ask the cards
Tarot and oracle cards are a gentle way to ask the question directly. Shuffle, ask “Which goddess is calling me, and what does she want me to know?”, and draw three cards: who she is, what she is calling you towards, and how to begin. A goddess deck such as the Goddess Arcana tarot makes the answer especially clear.
6. Look to the Moon and the year
Many modern practitioners notice which phase of the Moon or which festival they feel most alive in, and look to the goddesses of that time. If you know the phase of the Moon you were born under, that can be a lovely place to start: waxing for the Maiden goddesses, full for the Mother, waning and dark for the Crone. This is a modern approach rather than an ancient rule, but many people find it a helpful way in.
7. Give it time
If nothing is clear after one month, keep going for another. A calling that is real tends to grow stronger the more attention you give it. One that was only curiosity tends to fade, and that is fine too.
Which Goddess Are You Drawn To? A Short Quiz
This quiz cannot tell you who is calling you; only time and attention can do that. What it can do is show you which goddess’s world you are naturally drawn to, so you know where to start reading.
Six questions, no right answers
1. Which time of year feels most like yours?
2. Which creature seems to keep finding you?
3. What are you longing for most right now?
4. Where do you feel most at peace?
5. What would you place on your altar first?
6. Which Moon do you notice most?
Goddesses Who Often Call: A Quick Guide
| Goddess | Signs and symbols | Her time |
|---|---|---|
| Selene | White horses, the full moon, dreams of the night sky | Full moon |
| Artemis | Deer, bears, the woods, the crescent and the bow | Waxing moon |
| Hecate | Dogs, keys, torches, crossroads, doorways | Dark moon |
| Brigid | Flames, wells and springs, ewes, the rush cross | Imbolc, 1 February |
| The Morrígan | Crows and ravens, a river ford, prophetic dreams | Samhain, 31 October |
| Cerridwen | The cauldron, hares, hens, a grain of wheat | Waning moon |
| Rhiannon | White horses, songbirds | Full moon |
| Arianrhod | A silver wheel, the stars, the sea at low tide | Starry nights |
For the moon goddesses of Greece, Rome and beyond, see our full guide to moon goddess names and meanings.
The Celtic Goddesses of These Islands
For many people in Britain and Ireland, the goddesses who call most strongly are the ones whose stories belong to the land they live on. Celtic goddesses work a little differently from the Greek ones. They are less like characters on a mountain top and more like presences in the land: a goddess may be the river she lives in, and the same power may carry different names in different places. They also love threes: three Brigids, three faces of the Morrígan.
Brigid (BRIJ·id)
The most beloved of the Irish goddesses, daughter of the Dagda. She is often seen as three sisters of the same name, each with her own fire: the fire of poetry, the fire of healing and the fire of the forge. Her name comes from a word meaning the high one. Her festival is Imbolc, at the start of February, when the ewes come into milk and winter begins to loosen its grip. She later became Saint Brigid of Kildare, whose flame was kept burning for centuries and was relit in 1993. Signs she is near: candle flames that catch your attention, holy wells and springs, a sudden urge to write, make or heal.
The Morrígan (MOR·ree·gan)
The great queen, or phantom queen, of Irish myth: a goddess of prophecy, sovereignty, fate and battle. She is not so much a fighter as the one who knows how a battle will end. She is often three, appearing as the Morrígan, as Badb the crow and as Macha. She is seen as a crow over the battlefield, or washing armour at a river ford, and she meets the Dagda at Samhain. She is fierce, but people who work with her often describe her as the goddess who teaches them to stand up, set boundaries and own their power. Signs she is near: crows and ravens, Samhain, dreams that feel like warnings or prophecies. A carved raven skull is a fitting altar piece for her.
Cerridwen (keh·RID·wen)
The Welsh keeper of the cauldron of inspiration, the awen. She brewed a potion for a year and a day; three drops splashed onto the finger of the boy Gwion Bach, who stirred it, and he received all its wisdom. She chased him through a series of shape shifts, hare and greyhound, fish and otter, bird and hawk, until he became a grain of wheat and she, as a hen, swallowed him. He was reborn as Taliesin, the greatest of the Welsh poets. Cerridwen is the demanding mother of creativity and transformation. Signs she is near: cauldrons and slow cooking, hares, a creative project that will not leave you alone. A small iron cauldron is her natural symbol.
Rhiannon (hree·AN·on)
The Welsh queen of the First Branch of the Mabinogi, who arrives on a white horse that no one can catch, however fast they ride. Her name probably comes from words meaning great queen, and she is linked with the horse goddess Epona. Falsely accused of harming her own child, she bears her punishment with dignity until her name is cleared. Her birds sing so sweetly that time stands still. Signs she is near: white horses, birdsong, a season of having to hold your head up while you wait to be proved right.
Arianrhod (ar·ee·AN·rod)
The Welsh lady of the silver wheel, daughter of the mother goddess Dôn. Her fortress, Caer Arianrhod, is said to lie in the sea off the coast of Gwynedd, and a reef of rocks can still be seen there at very low tides. Her name has been linked with the Moon and with the stars of the Northern Crown. In her story she refuses the roles others try to give her, and many people today see her as a goddess of independence. Signs she is near: the sea, starry skies, wheels and circles, a need to say no.
Brigid, the Morrígan and Cerridwen will each have their own full guide in our new Celtic goddesses series, alongside Danu, Rhiannon and Arianrhod.
Questions People Ask
How do you find out which goddess you belong to?
Most traditions would say you do not belong to a goddess so much as build a relationship with one. Notice which names, animals and symbols keep appearing, read the stories that draw you, make a simple offering and speak her name, and keep a notebook for at least one lunar month. The pattern usually becomes clear with time.
What are the signs a goddess is calling you?
Her name, animal or symbols turning up again and again, dreams of her or her places, a story you cannot stop thinking about, a strong pull to a particular moon phase or festival, and a feeling of presence when you say her name aloud.
How do you know if Hecate is calling you?
People often notice dogs, keys, crossroads and doorways, a pull towards the dark of the moon, and a sense of standing at a turning point in life. Our guide to Hecate has a gentle dark moon practice to begin with.
What is a patron goddess?
A patron goddess is one a person chooses to honour above others, often for many years, and feels a particular bond with. In the ancient world cities had patron deities, such as Athena for Athens. Today the term usually means a personal relationship rather than a formal one.
Can more than one goddess call you?
Yes. Many people work with two or more, sometimes at different times of life or different times of year: Brigid at Imbolc and the Morrígan at Samhain, for example.
A Few Gentle Cautions
- Go slowly. A relationship with a goddess is built over months and years, not in one evening.
- Be respectful. Learn her story and her name before you ask her for anything, and always give before you ask.
- Look after yourself. If a practice leaves you unsettled, stop, ground yourself with food and fresh air, and come back to it another day.
- Be honest about history. Some ideas about the goddesses are ancient and some are modern. Both can be meaningful, but it helps to know which is which.
Keep reading: moon goddess names and meanings, Hecate and the dark moon, and Samhain meaning and a home ritual.
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