Working with deities can be a deeply personal and powerful practice. While much of modern witchcraft centers around goddesses, masculine deities play an equally vital role, especially when we explore balance, polarity, and the elemental forces that shape thr magic in our lives. We've previously posted a blog exploring how to work with goddesses in our Guide To The Goddesses blog. This guide explore the power of the old pagan gods, and how to begin your practice with them.

At our witchy shop in New Braunfels, Texas, we often get asked how to start working with the gods and how to understand their energy. We love helping new witches explore deity work in a simple and grounded way, so we’ve created this quick guide to help you explore the masculine gods through the lens of the four elements (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth), while honoring both ancient tradition and modern practices in witchcraft.

The elements are a great place to begin working with the gods.Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner in the Texas Hill Country, or just beginning your spiritual journey somewhere else, this post will help you understand how gods show up in ritual, spellwork, and other magical practices.

The Four Elements & The Gods

Masculine gods are not limited to ideas of dominance or strength. In modern witchcraft, these gods represent cycles in nature, intellect and mental strength, chaos and balance, death and rebirth, but also fertility, protection, and even transformation. Many modern witches work with gods not as distant rulers, but as archetypal forces, teachers, guides, and allies. When choosing a god to work with, elemental alignment is often a helpful place to start.

One of the easiest ways to understand gods in witchcraft is through the four elements. Each element carries its own energy, and many masculine deities naturally align with one (or more) of them. If you’re unsure which god to work with, start by asking yourself: What element am I drawn to right now?

Fire

Passion, Power, and Transformation

Fire gods burn away what is no longer needed. They bring illumination, destruction, and renewal. These gods also inspire action. These deities often rule over the sun, lightning, creativity, and sacred rage. Many fire gods are great allies for protection magic, inspiring confidence and motivation for rituals. They fit the archetypes of the Sun King or the Warrior.

Work With Fire Gods When You Need:

• Courage during life changes

• Confidence

• Motivation or success

• A creative spark

For altars and spellwork, choose red or gold candles, and crystals like sunstone or carnelian. Frankincense and dragon’s blood incense. Adorn your altar with runes, solar symbols, and statues of fire deities. Popular fire deities include: Thor, Apollo, and Belenus.

Water

Emotions, Dreams, and Rebirth

Water gods govern the unseen, such as dreams, grief, healing, and the mysteries of the afterlife. They help witches navigate emotional depths, shadow work, and ancestral connections. The Resurrected King, a Guardian of Souls or Lord of the Dead are often archetypes that fit the water deities. 

Work With Water Gods When You Need:

• Healing, or emotional release

• Grief or rebirth rituals

• Connection to ancestors, or psychic development

Create a water altar for ancestor or shadow work using ritual tools, offering bowls or chalices, black and blue candles, herbs like mugwort, lavender, or myrrh, and black obsidian, moonstone, and labradorite crystals. Popular water deities include Osiris, Dionysus, and Hades.

Air

Intelligence, Magic, and Chaos

Air gods rule thought, communication, and inspiration, However, they are also known tricksters and troublemakers (the fun kind). They can be shapeshifters and messengers, or divine disruptors who challenge stagnation. Fitting the archetypes of the Trickster, the Magician, and the Divine Messenger, they bring out the truth and beauty of life, making things a lot more interesting. These gods are excellent companions for spellcraft, divination, and breaking limiting beliefs.

Work With Air Gods When You Need:

• Mental clarity

• Spell amplification

• Creativity, or if you just need to shake things up!

Adorn your altar with feathers, bells, or wind chimes. Journals and divination tools like tarot or runes will strengthen your practice. Incense blends for clarity or inspiration, along with statues of air deities will deepen your spellwork. Popular air deities are Loki, Odin, Hermes, and Apollo.

Earth

Fertility, Nature Cycles, and the Wild

Earth gods are deeply rooted in the physical world. Forests, animals, agriculture, and the turning of the seasons are often associated with earth gods. Often, but not always, they are beside an Earth Mother, they can be the son or husband to their feminine counterpart. They embody life, death, and regeneration, and are often connected to fertility magic and seasonal celebrations, particularly during Beltane or Samhain. The Horned God, the Green Man, and the Lord of the Wild are tied to earth archetypes. 

Work With Earth Gods When You Need:

• A connection to nature

• Grounding

• Abundance or prosperity

• Rituals for fertility

Prepare a seasonal altar inspired by the Wheel of the Year. Use crystals like hematite, moss agate, and jade. Offerings of seeds, coins, and loose herbs will add to your spellwork. Include nature statues with antlers, the Green Man, and other earth deities. Popular earth deities are Cernunnos, Hades, and Pan.

Common Gods To Work With

Below is a list of commonly worked with masculine deities that are honored in modern pagan and witchcraft practices. Keep scrolling for an overview of their offerings and the practices that are often associated with them. Many will help you can start a ritual or find ways to incorporate the old gods into your spellwork.

Loki (Norse | Air / Fire)

Loki is the beloved trickster. He is clever, chaotic, and endlessly transformative. A master shapeshifter, Loki appears throughout Norse mythology as animals and other forms, sometimes helping the gods and other times unraveling their plans entirely. His intelligence and humor make him magnetic, but his lessons are rarely gentle.

In myth, Loki is punished for his actions and bound in a cave while venom drips onto him, causing earthquakes when it strikes. Modern witches often view this story as one of consequence, shadow work, and radical transformation rather than simple punishment.

Today, witches work with Loki for chaos magic, breaking old patterns, self-discovery, and reclaiming personal power, especially when life feels stagnant or overly controlled.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Incense blends for transformation. Cinnamon or Dragon's Blood

• Journals for shadow work and self-reflection

• Red and orange candles

• Pyrite, sunstone, and garnet. Crystals for communication or personal-power

Feeling called to chaos magic? Visit our New Braunfels shop to explore candles and tools perfect for working with Loki’s fiery, unpredictable energy.

Osiris (Egyptian | Water / Earth)

Osiris is the Egyptian god of resurrection, death, and renewal. His myth is both tragic and hopeful—he is murdered by his brother, restored by his wife Isis, and becomes the ruler of the underworld. Through this resurrection, Isis conceives their son Horus.

Osiris is closely linked to wheat and agriculture, symbolizing the cycle of death and rebirth as crops germinate, die, and return again. He is usually depicted with green skin and mummified features, holding symbols of pharaonic power.

He was one of the most widely worshiped gods in ancient Egypt and remains deeply revered in modern paganism, especially for ancestor work, rebirth rituals, and spiritual transformation.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Obsidian, malachite or labradorite crystals

• Offering bowls and chalices

• Water, wine, bread

• Ritual herbs for ancestor work

• Altar statues, incense like myrrh

Creating an ancestor altar? Our shop carries ritual tools and incense ideal for honoring Osiris and the beloved dead. Shop online, or visit us at our Texas location.

Belenus (Celtic | Fire)

Among the Celts, Belenus (or Belinus) is the god of the sun, fire, and healing light. His name means “the shining one,” and he represents warmth, vitality, and sacred illumination.

Belenus is often associated with the goddess Belisama, with whom he shares solar attributes, though she holds her own distinct correspondences. His energy is especially strong during spring and early summer festivals.

Modern witches work with Belenus for healing magic, success spells, solar rituals, and creative inspiration.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Sun talismans (pendants or amulets) and decor, like suncatchers

• Spring flowers and healing herbal blends

• Citrine and sunstone crystals

• Gold and yellow candles

Need a boost of light and motivation? Stop by our crystal shop for crystals and talismans, to create a sun altar inspired by Belenus.

Cernunnos (Celtic | Earth)

Cernunnos is the horned god of nature, forests, animals, and fertility. He is the embodiment of the wild and the cycles of regeneration. His emotions and actions govern the ebb and flow of the natural world.

During Beltane fertility celebrations, men traditionally dress as Cernunnos to welcome abundance in soil and livestock. He is commonly depicted as a man with antlers, seated cross-legged, though he may also appear as an aged figure to reflect seasonal change.

Cernunnos is beloved in modern witchcraft for nature magic, grounding rituals, fertility work, and honoring the sacred masculine in balance with the land.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Moss agate and jade crystals

• Antlers, leaves and loose herbs

• Green and brown candles

• Seeds, nuts, and offering dishes

What to honor the wild gods with tools rooted in nature? Visit our metaphysical shop for earth-based altar supplies, such as crystals and loose herbs for spellwork. Shop abundance tools for more inspiration.

Hades (Pluto) (Greek/Roman | Earth / Water)

Hades, along with his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, overthrew the Titans to rule the cosmos. When the universe was divided, Hades received dominion over the underworld.

Unlike many modern portrayals, Hades is typically calm and reserved, rarely leaving his realm. However, when rules are broken, he is swift and severe in punishment. The Romans later renamed him Pluto, emphasizing his role as a god of wealth and the riches beneath the earth.

He is often depicted with Cerberus, his three-headed guardian dog.

Witches today work with Hades for ancestor veneration, shadow work, boundary-setting, and understanding death as transformation rather than ending.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Coins, and ancestor altar tools

• Pomegranates and symbols for Persephone

• Black candles and candle holders

• Protection amulets, spell jars, or jewelry

Are you called to deeper shadow work or ancestral magic? We offer grounding tools aligned with Hades’ steady, protective energy.

Dionysus (Greek | Water / Earth / Fire)

Dionysus is the god of wine, ecstasy, madness, and divine liberation. He blurs boundaries between joy and grief, civilization and wilderness, life and death. While often seen as playful or indulgent, Dionysus is also a deeply chthonic god, tied to rebirth and the mysteries of the soul.

Modern witches work with Dionysus for shadow work, ecstatic ritual, emotional healing, and reclaiming joy after trauma. He encourages freedom, embodiment, and sacred chaos—sometimes all at once.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Wine or grapes, chalices
  

• Purple, burgundy or deep red candles
  

• Amethyst or garnet crystals
  

• Incense for astral projection, altered states or trance work
  
  

Building a ritual for pleasure or release? Ask us about altar tools and candles perfect for Dionysian magic.

Odin (Norse | Air)

Odin is the Allfather, a god of wisdom, sacrifice, magic, and death. He is relentless in his pursuit of knowledge—hanging himself from the World Tree and sacrificing an eye to gain deeper understanding. Odin is strongly associated with runes, prophecy, and spirit work.

Witches often work with Odin for divination, ancestral magic, spirit communication, and deep magical study. He is not a gentle teacher, but he is a powerful one.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Rune sets or rune casting cloths
  

• Feathers, bones, or keys
  

• Journals for spirit work
  

• Black or blue candles
  
  

Does runic magic or spirit work call to you? Our spiritual shop carries divination tools ideal for Odin-inspired practice.

Hermes (Greek | Air)

Hermes is the messenger god, ruler of communication, travel, magic, and liminal spaces. He walks easily between worlds—guiding souls, carrying divine messages, and protecting travelers. Clever, fast, and witty, Hermes is a favorite among witches who work between realms.

Modern practitioners call on Hermes for spellcraft, communication magic, road opening, and psychopomp work. He’s especially helpful when navigating transitions or learning new magical skills.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Keys, coins, or travel charms
  

• Tarot or oracle cards
  

• Yellow candles. Citrine or clear quartz crystals

• Spell oils, spell jars, and amulets for communication and luck
  

Are you feeling stuck, going on a trip, or starting something new? Let us help you choose metaphysical tools aligned with the quick-moving energy of Hermes.

Pan (Greek | Earth)

Pan is the wild god of nature, music, fertility, and instinct. Half-man, half-goat, he represents the untamed world and our own primal selves. His energy is playful, sensual, and deeply rooted in the land—often arriving suddenly, like the panic his name inspired.

Modern witches work with Pan for nature magic, fertility, grounding, and reconnecting with the body and instincts. He is closely related to horned god archetypes and is often honored alongside Cernunnos.

Offerings & Practices Include:

• Flutes, bells, or musical instruments
  

• Green or brown candles
  

• Moss agate, jade, or petrified wood crystals
  

• Herbs associated with wildlife and the forest
  
  

Create a nature altar inspired by Pan. We carry nature-inspired tools and witches bells perfect for honoring the wild gods.

Honoring the Gods in Your Practice

Working with masculine deities doesn’t require rigid devotion or elaborate altars. Simple offerings, prayers, journaling, or elemental rituals can create powerful connections. Trust your intuition—and remember that gods often choose us as much as we choose them.

If you’re local to New Braunfels, Texas, our shop is always here to help you explore deity work, elemental magic, and pagan spirituality with tools, guidance, and community support rooted in the Hill Country. May your path be balanced, your magic intentional, and your connection to the gods deeply meaningful.