Being of the Occasion
Who Should I Honor?
In many rituals we are focusing our worship on one Spirit (or a few) in particular. The Key Offering is where we welcome this Being by speaking praise and giving offerings specifically to them.
Sometimes we have a special reason beyond relationship building to be doing ritual. This could be because we are celebrating a high day, are marking a rite of passage, or have some other special prayers make or magical work to do.
It is through thinking about these considerations that we determine which spirit or spirits would be a good fit for us to Honor specifically in a ritual.
By Pantheon
Sometimes we want to work within a particular culture for ritual. This may be because we're interested in exploring a new culture, or because it is the same culture our patron deity is from. In any of these cases you can choose a Being of the Occasion from a particular pantheon that fits the theme of your rite
By Skills
Sometimes we're doing ritual for a specific task, and we need to call on spirits with skills that align to those needs. For instance, if you were doing a ritual for healing work, you would likely choose a Being of the Occasion who has healing skills.
By Purpose
Perhaps most often we are doing rites to celebrate a particular season or rites of passage. In these cases it makes the most sense to choose a spirit that exemplifies the work you are doing. This may be a harvest deity for a harvest festival, or a deity of marriage for a wedding.
Patronage
Often, in our personal work in particular, we will have a spirit that is special to us. In paganism this is commonly refered to as "having a patron" or "being a devotee of X deity." Patrons are good choices for the Being of the Occasion in our personal work, as they are who we are most commonly seeking to deepen a relationship with.
The podcast Druids in Cars, Going to Festivals has a couple of episodes on building relationships with deities and other spirits. If you'd like to think more on the idea of patronage, have a listen to the episode.