2.3.4.2 Names Referring to Divinity

Capitalize nouns and noun phrases when they function as names, titles, or direct substitutes for a specific divinity, divine person, or supreme reality within a religious tradition. This applies to any religious or esoteric contexts where a term is being used as a proper title rather than as a general description. Examples include God, G-d, L-rd, Lord, Creator, Redeemer, Messiah, Word, Holy Spirit, Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate, HaShem, Ein Sof, Brahman, Ishvara, Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Dharmakaya, Amitabha, Nuit, Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit.

When a phrase is used as a formal divine title, capitalize it as a title: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Mother of the Buddhas, Queen of Heaven, Great Goddess, Holy Guardian Angel, Secret Fire, Divine Will, or the One. When the same words are used descriptively or generically, lowercase them: a creator deity, a redeemer figure, a goddess, a bodhisattva, a messenger, an angel, divine will, the one principle among many, a lord of the rite. In academic or descriptive contexts, prefer lowercase unless the term clearly functions as a name or title within the tradition being discussed.

Usage varies widely across traditions, translations, publishers, and devotional communities. Authors may preserve the capitalization of quoted material, scripture, liturgy, and formal titles. In the author’s own prose, however, capitalization should be consistent and should not be used merely for emphasis. When a work repeatedly uses titles for divinity, divine figures, emanations, angels, bodhisattvas, deities, or Thelemic god-forms, the preferred forms should be recorded in the project style sheet.