Part of connecting with The Source of All/ The Universe, pick your term, is that you get to work with different energies. They are beings of higher vibrations as they resonate more closely with The Source. Working with them can give us a boost. Some of those energies are associated with deities. Throughout the world, there are myths and legends of gods and goddesses. They have been revered, and worshipped for a long time. It’s possible to connect with those energies to help you on your spiritual journey.

The good part about creating your spiritual path through metaphysics is that we don’t have to limit ourselves to one set of spiritual beings. Following a certain religion often locks people into working with a group of individuals who are already “built-in” to the belief system. Whether that be gods and goddesses or aliens. As metaphysicians, we can connect with any of them at any time, past, present, or future. We can cross pantheons, even working with deities that traditionally handle the same things. We can “double up” if we choose.

You may feel drawn to particular deities even when they are not part of your heritage or culture. The gods of Egypt, Rome, Greece, India, and China are the ones to whom most people feel connected. However, there are gods and demigods the world over to choose from. If you feel an affinity for a particular place, find out about the deities or people of power associated with that place and see if they resonate with you. Be certain that they resonate with you in a positive way and not a negative one. There are gods devoted to death and destruction. Not that those are bad things by themselves. Death may be welcomed when pain and suffering are the alternative, and often, things must be torn down completely to rebuild them stronger than ever. The point is to be sure that you are connecting to an energy that enhances your life and helps you meet your goals instead of one that will derail your plans.

If you lean towards Christianity, there are patron saints to consider. Each of them works on different things, such as St. Christopher, who is the patron saint of bachelors, and other things. If you need something, there is probably a patron saint for it. Often, the saints are patrons of unrelated things, so be prepared for an interesting list when you research saints with whom you can connect. Of course, you can also work with angels. Archangel Michael is a favorite, especially when asking for protection, but he’s not the only Archangel, and there are many other angels that are willing to work with you on whatever you need.

Then there are the ascended masters. Individuals such as St. Germain, Quan Yin, and others. They are people who have forged a metaphysical path with their lives. Even as they are long gone from the physical world, they can help us to follow in their footsteps by tapping into their energy through a method such as meditation. There is some controversy as to whether or not some of the ascended masters were truly human or if they are actually a myth. I don’t find that point relevant, as the desire to connect you to their energies will do so. Whether they incarnated or not is beside the point. If they were alive at one time, they could only help others so much. They had to eat and sleep like the rest of us. They were also bound by time, as we are. Now that they are beyond their physical lives, they can spend more time helping us when we need it if we are willing to reach out to them.

Archetypes would also be something to explore if you were so inclined. They are the embodiment of an idea or a concept, such as a warrior spirit or a scholar. Joseph Campbell outlined some in his work, and there are others who have stated their views on them. Again, follow what resonates with you and explore at your leisure.

Many native tribes have a character that embodies chaos, a trickster that can be helpful or cruel depending on the lesson and the way you most need to learn it. I have often wondered if that energy was responsible for some of the insane things that have happened in my life, and I get an affirmative when I ask if that was the case. In those instances, I always asked myself, “What is the lesson here?” The faster I can pick it up, the faster that chaotic energy will move out of my life and go pester someone else. More often than not, I can see it working in the lives of others. In the past, I have often attempted to assist someone dealing with that energy, and it never worked out well. My lesson was to remember that if they had learned the lesson given to them in gentler ways before now, they wouldn’t have had to learn it this way. Getting in the way only deprives them of the lesson and possibly makes it harder for them when the lesson swings around again. Keep this in mind if you think it would be fun to work with trickster energy. It is powerful but incredibly fickle.

How you work with deities depends on how you want them to help you. If you need to heal something, you could ask for clarity on how or why something happened. You could ask for strength to get through it. You could also ask for guidance on how to heal it faster or for the endurance to live with whatever it is. Meditation is the easiest way to connect, but you can also speak out loud or in your head as if they are in the room with you, and they will hear you. Depending on what you say or how you act may dictate if you get a response so be sure to do your research on how others have worked with that deity. In Hawaii, the goddess you don’t mess with is Pele. The legends are many, and the power is real. If you doubt it, the internet will tell you all the stories of the people who end up mailing rocks back to the Big Island after experiencing a lot of bad luck.

Be respectful of the deities you want to help you. They are not servants waiting to be told what to do. While they are available and willing to help, they get to decide who is ready for their help and who isn’t. They also know the reasons and motivations for asking. If what they stand for and what you want them to do don’t line up, they may ignore you or, worse, send you a trickster to teach you a lesson.

The next step on your spiritual path could be opening a dialogue with a higher vibrational being. I have found it interesting, educational, and often comforting. Many people who walk the spiritual path sometimes feel as if they are walking it alone. Not true. While we may not be able to see or hear them, there is a room full of people with us at all times, ready to help when we need it. Asking for help is the easiest way to connect with higher vibrational beings.