Drawing down the Moon (also known as drawing down the Goddess) is a central ritual in many contemporary Wiccan traditions. During the ritual, a coven’s High Priestess enters a trance and requests that the Goddess or Triple Goddess, symbolized by the Moon, enter her body and speak through her. The High Priestess may be aided by the High Priest, who invokes the spirit of the Goddess. During her trance, the Goddess speaks through the High Priestess.

The name most likely comes from a depiction of two women and the moon on an ancient Greek vase, believed to date from the second century BCE.

In classical times of ancient Greece, ancient Thessalian witches were believed to control the moon, according to the tract: “If I command the moon, it will come down; and if I wish to withhold the day, night will linger over my head; and again, if I wish to embark on the sea, I…

Written By Hypatia

For Coven Life

15th April 2019

A 75 year old would have spent 9,125 days of their life sleeping!

In the ancient Hellenic world, dreaming, sleeping and death were considered all related, literally.

Nyx- (night) was the mother of brothers Oneiros- (dream), Hypnos- (sleep) and Thanatos- (death). All are related in mythology, in spirituality and religion. The rebirth, to die the philosopher’s death, the Shamanic death, the Tibetan Bardo Thodol etc…. The key is the symbolic death of leaving the old you and walking in the path of the awakened one. In fact that is what the word Buddha literally translates into, the ‘Awakened’.

Dying to sleep…..

In Tibetan Buddhism, dreams and death are considered to be very similar, much like the ancient Hellenic point of view. Dreaming is used by healers to diagnose and treat disease. These healers are the conduit between humans and spirits to…

Article by:

Hypatia

5 February 2019

Written for Coven life

I was recently reading an article about Hexing and Healing. The 2 seem so far removed from each other, however there is a much deeper and familiar connection to both.

The truth in the story is……

Back in the 1800s’ Hex simply meant to cast a spell or bewitch something. As a matter of a fact, most cultures especially from the Dutch and Germanic descents, Hexing was thought beneficial. Magick was magick and was neither Malediction or beneficent.

The below extract from Thesaurus.com explains it well.

Word Origin & History

“1830, American English, from Pennsylvania German hexe “to practice witchcraft,” from German hexen “to hex,” related to Hexe “witch,” from Middle High German hecse, hexse, from Old High German hagazussa (see hag). Noun meaning “magic spell” is first recorded 1909; earlier it meant “a witch” (1856)” https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/hex

Throughout history…

In short the answer is Yes and No, and here is why.

We all see the same moon phases more or less on the same day. In the Northern Hemisphere the waxing is from right to left and in the Southern Hemisphere it is from left to right. Each hemisphere sees a different orientation of the moon with respect to the horizon and to a small degree your time zone.

Our moon phases are caused from the reflection of the sun on the moons surface. A line called a terminal line by astronomers is created on the moons surface distinguishing the light and dark. It creates the waning, waxing, new and full moon phases that are seen by all on earth at the same time. This is dictated by the positioning of the moon to the sun and its light that reflects off the moons surface.

Below is an…

Written for Coven Life

03/02/2020

By priestess Hypatia

Tea Anyone?

Tisanes are herbal tea that traditionally included barley.

Lammas

Lammas is the first harvest celebration, marking the transition from summer to fall and celebrating the bounty and abundance of the garden.

Spell crafting Herbal teas is a personal favorite of mine, especially herbs personally selected to reflect your intentions and the turning of the seasons. Such teas are a wonderful way to honor the seasons during your ceremony.

First harvest Tea Blend for Lammas

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried calendula blossoms
• 1/4 cup dried lavender buds
• 1/4 cup dried meadow sweet
• 1/4 cup oolong tea leaves
• Optional: 1 tablespoon dried grated ginger

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a tea strainer or bag.
2. Pour hot water over the strainer and steep 3-5 minutes

Calendula– a beautiful bright beam of sunshine their bright orange and yellow petals are a beautiful representation of…

Written for Coven Life

On 03/02/2020

By Priestess Hypatia

Creating seasonal charms is one of my favorite types of spell work.  You can generally make them from things you may already have on hand, or easily pick up at your local craft and nursery stores. The best ingredients are from my random collectables I have gathered from Nature Herself.

Spells crafted at this time of the year focus new beginnings, fresh starts and new growth. Think of it as the New Moon Phase. Ostara is like the waxing moon where you take action and Beltane is the time you see the manifestation, so you can compare this to the Full moon phase.

Set Your Intention

So before we start crafting the Charm bag for Imbolc let’s set our intention-

You can either choose a specific project or goal you want to manifest or you can focus on general new beginnings…

Written for Coven Life

2/06/2019

By Hypatia

Familiars come in all shapes and sizes, both tangible and intangible. It is said that we do not choose our familiars, they choose us.

A Witch is alive in the world of symbolism. A whisper from the trees- Psithurism, a bird singing on a tree or flying in a certain direction- Ornithomancy.

Chanting and spinning like a whirling Dervish, a Witches world is clothed with mystery and wonder at every turn, at every ebb and flow of the ocean and at every waning and waxing of the moon, moving to the rhythm of the Universal energy that is within, one that is made purely of Frequency and Vibration.

When a Witch connects to the spirit of the Universe they attract a power that enlivens every cell in their body, one that brings them closer to the Divine and allows a union with the…

Written By Priestess Hypatia

For Coven Life

19/12/2019

Priestess of Bacchus, John Collier (taken from Wikimedia commons), 1886

In Thebes the birth place of Dionysus, the God of wine, the Maenads were born. They were known as the Priestesses who were part of the Dionysus cult and performed ecstatic dance. Roaming the mountains of Thebes, trancing and dancing in fawn skin dresses and panther throws, snake crowns and barefoot. Snakes in ancient times were used as healers.

The list of Maenads is long in history, these women that maintained the Dionysian cult with ecstatic ceremonies were distinct to the Hellenic world. A religious cult unlike no other, the women maintained a frenzied state of ecstasy. Extended periods of dancing (usually to the point of absolute and utter exhaustion) and drinking wine, the Maenads participated in orgiastic celebrations dancing naked through the forests of Thrace.

Dedicated to the God of…

Article by Hypatia

Written for Coven Life

19th March 2019

Salt has an increduble ability to absorb negative energy.

It has been used throughout different cultures and across time for this very purpose.

A salt bowl is a wonderful way to ensure a peaceful and relaxing environment.

Choose a Bowl

I love copper, it’s a great conductor. You can choose any natural material you like and even reserve that bowl purely for that purpose.

Choose a Salt 

I have chosen Black Sea salt from Crete and Murray River Sea salt from Australia. The choice of salt is endless.

Adding Herbs and Oils

You can add protective herbs and oils, I have chosen Juniper berrys both the berry and the oil,  rosemary, both the herb and the oil, peppercorns and cloves. Once again the choice is yours.

The essential oils make such a beautiful addition to the atmosphere!

Set your Intentions

March 24^th 2018

Written By Hypatia Of Alexandrea for Coven Life

 

I started to think back to when I first started observing the different Gods and Goddesses in their glory. Coming from a Christian religion and believing that there was only one God it was difficult for me to truly grasp the Many.

Slowly converting from the monotheistic strict religious guidelines I come to realize that the One was once Many. In other words before monotheism came along there was of course many God’s observed, especially by the very creators of the now dominant monotheistic religions.

The Gods of the Pantheons became rolled into one and most others were given the titles of angels and saints. This is evident in the Orthodox Christian religion where some Gods and Goddesses have the title of saints such as Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis and the list goes on!

These Gods never…

Many blessings

Hypatia of Alexandrea

Article written by
Hypatia
for Coven Life
5/5/2019

I sat with the heading above for quite some time before I was prompted to start typing.
Tackling such a sensitive topic that is so broad, personal and at times fearful is not easy.

As a Death Doula…….

I have been exposed to a variety of situations, where the person is reaching or is about to reach their last breath.
Towards the end people and their loved ones deal with Death and Dying in so many different ways. Others are at peace, others in absolute shock and distress. For some the sudden shock of loss sends them in a state of panic, for others a state of relief and calm.
Some connect with their spiritual nature, others take up a spiritual nature and yet others abandon their spirituality all together.
I have however found one re-occurring pattern and that is, for those…

Written By Priestess Hypatia

For Coven Life

2018

I woke up this morning and decided to use my Masonic Tarot….

I have had these cards for a while, mainly learning to read them through deciphering their masonic symbols and meanings. They are in the style of the conventional Raider Wait tarot so following their general symbolism is somewhat achievable.
Today I pulled out the priestess card. Ow Yeah, who doesn’t want that card? But the more I looked into its meaning the more I realized it was what I was currently studying on my path. I have started to look deep within myself. Attempting to enter a place within the self that is not reserved for the faint hearted. A place where searching takes you into a vast space of nothingness that is often arid and hostile.

So why do so many of us searching to find our inner being…

25 March 2018

Written By Hypatia Of Alexandrea

For Coven life

 

A broad discussion among a gathering got me thinking………

What do you think about Grey Magick? Its only white magic I follow and there is no way I would conform with Satanism, well along those lines anyway.

I believe as Wise ones it is important that we are versed in our history of humanity, in its belief systems, religious and other practices. So this article is mainly to clarify within myself and for those who question their path that……..

” there is no evil magick, only evil in the hearts of Man”- Merlin-

In other words if you have a dark heart you will practice malice not only in your ordinary walking and waking life but in that of your magickal world. Unfortunately maleficence is part of our human structure, luckily enough so is beneficence in equal doses.

I have recently embarked on making my Witch bag and I wanted to share with you the knowledge I have acquired and continue to gather as I walk my path of magick.
What is a witch bag?
Throughout time many shamanic traditions use spirit bags. The traveling healer uses the bag as a tool kit and a talisman for their spirit allies.
The Celtic Shamans call their spirit pouch a crane bag. Its origins lie with the sea God Mannanan Mac Lir where its contents would change with the changing tides. The witch’s bag should never be the same, never static, move with the ebbs and flows of life.
In Strega traditions they are referred to as the nanta bag where traditional tools and symbols of the 4 elements are housed.
Native Americans hold the most well know image of the spirit bag. This is referred to as the medicine…

28th April

Written for Coven Life

by Priestess Hypatia

As I reached into my Witch Bag hanging over my shoulder, to grab that essential something, it warmly reminded me of my grandmother Gigi who is in the Summerland’s.

She was a cumbersome Greek woman with long white braided hair that always and I mean always wore an apron, from the minute she woke up, till the time she was ready to go to bed.

The little I remember of her has left me with the warmest, funniest and kindest memories. Her perpetual apron was worn over her garments like a smock that tied at the back, it had a large pocket at the front that she would fill with what I thought were presents. Out would come dried herbs and flowers in what seemed little sachets, baby tortoise shells, coins, seed pods, old pieces of jewellery, old rings, pendants and…

Written by Hypatia

For Coven Life

12/05/2019

 As the old adage goes:What you feed grows, is a meaning that defines our e-motions, that is our energy in motion. If you feed the love inside of you, than that is what shall grow.

As a magical practitioner, I attend to my behaviors in not only my physical world, but also the invisible worlds.  Ancient cultures understood this symbiotic relationship between the energy that is within ourselves and that of the Universe.

Mind the Web……

They understood there is a difference between the emotion or the thought that is expressed and sending out the energy behind the emotion. It all is a very delicate balance.

Yes, to every action there is a reaction, everything is in motion and I mean everything, seen or unseen.  Even these very words that I’m writing. Often this energy that we are sending out, if…