Category: Deities

Brighid’s Mantle – History and Lore

Brighid’s Mantle – History and Lore

By , About.com

Brighid is the Celtic goddess who is the keeper of the hearth, the deity who watches over nursing mothers and pregnant women, and who is the overseer of all things domestic. She is also connected to healing and wisdom. One commonly found symbol of Brighid is her green mantle, or cloak. In Gaelic, the mantle is known as the brat Bhride.

Although her origins are that of a Pagan goddess, at one point she became associated with Christianity and St. Brighid of Kildare. The legend has it that Brighid was the daughter of a Pictish chieftain who went to Ireland to learn from St. Patrick. In one story, the girl who later became St. Brighid went to the King of Leinster, and petitioned him for land so she could build an abbey. The King, who still held to the old Pagan practices of Ireland, told her he’d be happy to give her as much land as she could cover with her cloak. Naturally, her cloak grew and grew until it covered as much property as Brighid needed, and she got her abbey. Thanks to her roles as both a Pagan goddess and a Christian saint, Brighid is often seen as being of both worlds; a bridge between the old ways and the new.

In Celtic Pagan stories, Brighid’s mantle carries with it blessings and powers of healing. Many people believe that if you place a piece of cloth out upon your hearth at Imbolc, Brighid will bless it in the night. Use the same cloth as your mantle each year, and it will gain strength and power each time Brighid passes by. The mantle can be used to comfort and heal a sick person, and to provide protection for women in labor. A newborn baby can be wrapped in the mantle to help them sleep through the night without fussing.

To make a Brighid’s mantle of your own, find a piece of green cloth long enough to comfortably wrap around your shoulders. Leave it on your doorstep on the night of Imbolc, and Brighid will bless it for you. In the morning, wrap yourself in her healing energy.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Brighid – Hearth Goddess of Ireland

Brighid – Hearth Goddess of Ireland

By , About.com

Origins of Brighid:

In Irish mythological cycles, Brighid (or Brighit), whose name is derived from the Celtic brig or “exalted one”, is the daughter of the Dagda, and therefore one of the Tuatha de Dannan. Her two sisters were also called Brighid, and were associated with healing and crafts. The three Brighids were typically treated as three aspects of a single deity, making her a classic Celtic triple goddess.

Patron and Protector:

Brighid was the patron of poets and bards, as well as healers and magicians. She was especially honored when it came to matters of prophecy and divination. She was honored with a sacred flame maintained by a group of priestesses, and her sanctuary at Kildare, Ireland, later became the home of the Christian variant of Brighid, St. Brigid of Kildare. Kildare is also the location of one of several sacred wells in the Celtic regions, many of which are connected to Brighid. Even today, it’s not uncommon to see ribbons and other offerings tied to trees near a well as a petition to this healing goddess.

Celebrating Brighid:

There are a variety of ways to celebrate the many aspects of Brighid at Imbolc. If you’re part of a group practice or a coven, why not try Honoring Brighid With a Group Ceremony? You can also incorporate prayers to Brighid into your rites and rituals for the season. Having trouble figuring out what direction you’re headed? Ask Brighid for assistance and guidance with a Brighid’s Crossroads Divination Ritual.

Brighid’s Many Forms:

In Britain, Brighid’s counterpart was Brigantia, a warlike figure of the Brigantes tribe near Yorkshire, England. She is similar to the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman Minerva. Later, as Christianity moved into the Celtic lands, St. Brigid was the daughter of a Pictish slave who was baptized by St. Patrick, and founded a community of nuns at Kildare.

In addition to her position as a goddess of magic, Brighid was known to watch over women in childbirth, and thus evolved into a goddess of hearth and home. Today, many Pagans and Wiccans honor her on February 2, which has become known as Imbolc or Candlemas.

Crafts to Honor Brighid:

In many Pagan traditions today, Brighid is celebrated with crafts that honor her role as the protector of the hearth. You can make a Brighid corn doll, as well as a Bride’s Bed for her to sleep in. Perhaps the best known decoration is the Brighid’s Cross, whose arms represent the place where a crossroads comes together, the space between light and dark.

Brighid and Imbolc:

Like many Pagan holidays, Imbolc has a Celtic connection, although it wasn’t celebrated in non-Gaelic Celtic societies. The early Celts celebrated a purification festival by honoring Brighid. In some parts of the Scottish Highlands, Brighid was viewed as a sister of Cailleach Bheur, a woman with mystical powers who was older than the land itself. In modern Wicca and Paganism, Brighid is sometimes viewed as the maiden aspect of the maiden/mother/crone cycle, although it might be more accurate for her to be the mother, given her connection with home and childbirth.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Deity of the Day – BAAL

Deity of the Day – BAAL

He is the Canaanite Ruler God (like Marduk). Baal and Yam-Nahar origonally competed for kingship of the gods. The matter was brought before El, who decided in favour of Yam. Yam then proceeded with a reign of tyranny over the gods, and none of them felt they had the power to defeat Yam. So, they sent Asherah to entreat him to lossen his grip. Asherah even offered herself to Yam. Upon hearing this, Baal was enraged, and decided to defeat Yam. Yam got wind of Baal’s plan and sent messengers to El with the demand that Baal be delivered to him. El, afraid, agreed. Baal then taunted the gods for their cowardice and went to face Yam. He had two weapons made, Yagrush (chaser) and Aymur (driver). He struck Yam on the chest with Yagrush to no avail. Then he struck him on the forehead with Aymur and fell Yam to the earth. After Yam’s defeat, Baal had a palace built for himself; closely resembeling the story of Marduk. It also resembles Marduk’s story in that the Primeval Waters threatened the gods, and the High God and others were afraid to face them, with the exception of the soon-to-be Ruler God. The Baal epic then continues to describe his fight against Mavet. Baal is also a Storm God like Marduk, and a fertility god like Tammuz. Dagon is his father. Baal is the Canaanite God-force (the goddess force seems to be split between Anath and Asherah). Baal’s proper name is Hadad, relating to his storm-god aspect. Baal is really a title, meaning “Lord”.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Deity of the Day – Diana

Deity of the Day – Diana


The classical moon goddess, Diana, is still worshipped by neopagans today. Long after Christianity’s triumph over classical paganism, her worship is still going strong.

Diana was the personification of the positive aspects of lunar forces. She was also believed to have led groups of nightriders (known as the “Wild Hunt” or the “Furious Horde”) who flew through the air. The “Wild Hunt” was comprised of “people taken by death before their time, children snatched away at an early age, victims of a violent end.” The goddess would accompany her followers as they wandered at night among the houses of the well-to-do. Whenever they would arrive at a home that was particularly well-kept, Diana would bestow her blessings upon it.

Diana was intrinsically linked with several other witch deities, including Abonde, Abundia, Aradia, Hecate, Herodias, Holda, Perchta, Satia, and Venus.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Deity of the Day – Poseidon

Deity of the Day – Poseidon

Poseidon

(Neptune)

Son of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea, he is represented wielding a trident being pulled by monsters in a chariot. After Zeus’ victory over Cronos (Saturn), the gods, who preferred life on earth, divided the various domains of earth. Poseidon chose the seas. He represented the hidden forces of germination and death. Together with his wife Amphitrite, he had powerful ties with Gaea, the Earth, mother of the Titans. As subterranean Gods, they shook the world from inside. Poseidon caused earthquakes when he made love to his wife. The mystery isle of Atlanta belonged to Poseidon. Poseidon could provoke storms, set fire to rocks on shore and create springs of water. He had many children, most wicked and violent, like the Cyclops of the Oddessy.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Deity of the Day – Ishtar

Deity of the Day – Ishtar

Ishtar

Dual-aspected Assyro-Babylonian Goddess. She is a warrior Goddess but also the Goddess of Love. She is the patroness and protector of prostitutes (sacred prostitution formed part of her worship) and when she descended to the earthly plane, she was almost always in the company of “courtesans, harlots and strumpets”. If a working girl or exotic dancer is in trouble, she can call on Ishtar for protection and Ishtar will provide it in her warrior Goddess form. As Goddess of Love and voluptuousness, Ishtar can help you if you wish to attract a lover or increase your sexual attractiveness. Beware though, she does have an irritable, violently passionate side to Her Nature.

Deity of the Day – Holda

Deity of the Day – Holda

Also known as Fraw Holt, Holda became virtually synonymous with Abonde, Diana, and Perchta. Originally, Holda had been a Germanic goddess of vegetation and fertility, much like Perchta. Holda was also the goddess of spinning and weaving.

She, like her other manifestations, was the leader of the “Furious Horde” or “Wild Hunt” (Wütischend Heer, Wilde Jagd, Mesnie Sauvage)–“namely of the ranks of those who had died prematurely and passed through village streets at night, unrelenting and terrible, while the inhabitants barricaded their doors for protection.”

Holda had two forms, that of a beautiful girl dressed all in white, and that of a hideous crone with fangs, a hooked nose, and long, tangled grey hair. In the latter form, she looked just like the stereotypical image of a witch or the evil stepmother of fairy tales. As the White Lady, she was a fertility goddess who granted prosperity to home, family, and field. As the Hag, she offered those who ignored or insulted her death, illness, and misfortune. In this form, she was responsible for fog and snow.

Deity of the Day – Hermes

Deity of the Day – Hermes

Hermes(Mercury)
Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. He stole some of Apollo’s cattle shortly after his birth and concealed them, sacrificing two to the Olympian Gods. This theft won high recognition as a God himself. When Apollo discovered the theft and Hermes was tried his defense was so skillful and spirited that Zeus laughed and ruled that there should be a friendly settlement between the brothers. Hermes was God of the spoken word and oratory and was the intermediary between the God and men. Also the God of commerce and contracts, where language must be precise to convey the correct meaning.

Deity of the Day – Venus

Deity of the Day – Venus

Venus was originally the Roman goddess of love, but by the time of the witchcraze she wasrelegated to demon status. She became synonymous with Diana in terms of being followed at night by a retinue of women. Witches knew her as Fraw Fenus, stating they visited her at night-time.

Venus could grant to these witches the power of astral projection. Witches could fall into “swoons which rendered them insensible to pricks or scaldings.” When the women revived, they said they had been to heaven and “spoke of stolen or hidden objects.”

Venus’  were for the most part the same as Aphrodite’s. They include roses, which were offered in Venus’  rites, and above all, myrtle (Latin murtos), which was cultivated for its white, sweetly scented flowers, aromatic, evergreen leaves and its various medical-magical properties. Venus’ statues, and her worshipers, wore myrtle crowns at her festivals.Before its adoption into Venus’ cults, myrtle was used in the purification rites of , the Etruscan-Roman goddess of Rome’s ; later, Cloacina’s association with Venus’ sacred plant made her . Likewise, Roman folk-etymology transformed the ancient, obscure goddess  into “Venus of the Myrtles, whom we now call Murcia”.

Myrtle was thought a particularly potent . The , particularly the clitoris, was known as murtos (myrtle). As goddess of love and sex, Venus played an essential role at Roman prenuptial rites and wedding nights, so myrtle and roses were used in bridal bouquets. Marriage itself was not a seduction but a lawful condition, under ‘s authority; so myrtle was excluded from the bridal crown. Venus was also a patron of the ordinary, everyday wine drunk by most Roman men and women; the seductive powers of wine were well known. In the rites to , a goddess of female chastity, Venus, myrtle and anything male were not only excluded, but unmentionable. The rites allowed women to drink the strongest, sacrificial wine, otherwise reserved for the Roman gods and Roman men; the women euphemistically referred to it as “honey”. Under these special circumstances, they could get virtuously, religiously drunk on strong wine, safe from Venus’ temptations. Outside of this context, ordinary wine (that is, Venus’ wine) tinctured with myrtle oil was thought particularly suitable for women.

Deity of the Day – Diana

Deity of the Day – Diana

The classical moon goddess, Diana, is still worshipped by neopagans today. Long after Christianity’s triumph over classical paganism, her worship is still going strong.

Diana was the personification of the positive aspects of lunar forces. She was also believed to have led groups of nightriders (known as the “Wild Hunt” or the “Furious Horde”) who flew through the air. The “Wild Hunt” was comprised of “people taken by death before their time, children snatched away at an early age, victims of a violent end.” The goddess would accompany her followers as they wandered at night among the houses of the well-to-do. Whenever they would arrive at a home that was particularly well-kept, Diana would bestow her blessings upon it.

Diana was intrinsically linked with several other witch deities, including Abonde, Abundia, Aradia, Hecate, Herodias, Holda, Perchta, Satia, and Venus.

Deity of the Day – Janus, God of New Beginnings

Witchy Comments & Graphics
Deity of the Day – Janus, God of New Beginnings

In the mythology of ancient Rome, Janus was the god of new beginnings. He was associated with doors and gates, and the first steps of a journey. The month of January — of course, falling at the beginning of the new year — is named in his honor. He is often invoked together with Jupiter, and is considered a high-ranking god.

In many portrayals, Janus is depicted as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. In one legend,  bestows upon him the ability to see both the past and the future. In the early days of Rome, city founder Romulus and his men kidnapped the women of Sabine, and the men of Sabine attacked Rome in retaliation. The daughter of a city guard betrayed her fellow Romans and allowed the Sabines into the city. When they attempted to climb the Capitolian Hill, Janus made a hot spring erupt, forcing the Sabines to retreat.

In the city of Rome, a temple known as the Ianus geminus was erected in Janus’ honor and consecrated in 260 b.c.e. after the Battle of Mylae. During periods of war, the gates were left open and sacrifices were held inside, along with auguries to predict the results of military actions. It is said that the gates of the temple were only closed in times of peace, which didn’t happen very often for the Romans. In fact, it was later claimed by Christian clerics that the gates of the Ianus geminus first closed at the moment that Jesus was born.

Because of his ability to see both back and forward, Janus is associated with powers of prophecy, in addition to gates and doors. He is sometimes connected with the sun and moon, in his aspect as a dual-headed god.

Deity of the Day – The Morrighan

Deity of the Day – the morrighan

 

The Morrighan – Celtic Goddess of War and Sovereignity

By Patti Wigington, About.com 

In Celtic mythology, the Morrighan is known as a goddess of battle and war. However, there’s a bit more to her than this. Also referred to as Morrígu, Morríghan, or Mor-Ríoghain, she is called the “washer at the ford,” because if a warrior saw her washing his armor in the stream, it meant he was to die that day. She is the goddess who determines whether or not you walk off the field of battle, or are carried off upon your shield. In later Irish folklore, this role would be delegated to the bain sidhe, who foresaw the death of members of a specific family or clan.

The Morrighan often appears in the form of a crow or raven, or is seen accompanied by a group of them. In the stories of the Ulster cycle, she is shown as a cow and a wolf as well. The connection with these two animals suggest that in some areas, she may have been connected to fertility and land.

In some legends, the Morrighan is considered a triune, or triple goddess, but there are a lot of inconsistencies to this. She often appears as a sister to the Badb and Macha. In some Neopagan traditions, she is portrayed in her role as destroyer, representing the Crone Aspect of the Maiden/Mother/Crone cycle, but this seems to be incorrect when one looks at her original Irish history. Some scholars point out that war specifically is not a primary aspect of the Morrighan, and that her connection to cattle presents her as a goddess of sovereignty. The theory is that she can be seen as a deity who guides or protects a king.

In modern literature, there has been some linking of the Morrighan to the character of Morgan Le Fay in the Arthurian legend. It appears, though, that this is more fanciful thinking than anything else. Although Morgan le Fay appears in the Vita Merlini in the twelfth century, a narrative of the life of Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth, it’s unlikely that there’s a connection to the Morrighan. Scholars point out that the name “Morgan” is Welsh, and derived from root words connected to the sea. “Morrighan” is Irish, and is rooted in words that are associated with “terror” or “greatness.” In other words, the names sound similar, but the relationship ends there.

There’s an excellent page with plenty of scholarly information on the Morrighan from Reverend Gwynarion Elessacar at http://www.elessacar.com/the_morrighan.php.

Our Deity for December 30th – Hecate, Goddess of the Witches

Today’s Deity – Hecate ~ Goddess of the Witches

Hecate is a powerful goddess representing the aspects of the Triple Goddess: goddess of fertility and plenty; goddess of the moon; and goddess of the night and the underworld, which led to her evolving as the patroness of magic and Witchcraft. She mixed fertility with death to be used as earth power. She has been called supreme, both in heaven and hell. It is believed that even Zeus called on her whenever he wished to grant something to someone. Hecate is portrayed as the most powerful – who could give aplenty or destroy totally. She is said to have the power to bestow on or withhold from mortals any gifts she chose. All the secret powers of Nature were at her command. She had control over birth, life, and death. Because of her power in the three areas of nature, heaven and earth she was represented as a triple form.

She is most known as an underworld goddess; the Goddess of the Dark of the Moon, the nights that there is no moon and the world above is as dark as the world below. She was the overseer of the world of the dead. At night she traveled roaming the earth accompanied by her dogs, Hermes, and dead souls. Some say she sent demons from the lower world at night and that she causes nightmares and insanity, and was called “the Nameless One.”

Aspects and Imagery

  • She is “The goddess that troubles the reason of men.”
  • The Greeks called her “The Hag of the Dead”
  • She is also called “the most lovely one” a title of the moon.
  • The owl is her messenger, and the willow is her tree.
  • Rides a chariot pulled by dragons.
  • Depicted wearing a gleaming headdress of stars.
  • She was connected to the goddess Artemis, Diana, and Persephone.
  • Closely associated with Eleusinian Mysteries.

Festivals and Celebrations

  • On the Greek isle of Aegina a festival was held every year in her honor. Mystery rites were held in her behalf.
  • On August 13 in Greece at the House of Storms and Fertility. It was held to aid in keeping the harvest storms from destroying the harvest.
  • Hallowmas held on October 31 to honor Hecate at a time when the veil between the world was the thinnest.
  • In Italy by the lake of Avernus, there was a scared dark grove of Hecate. In private worship to her followers were offered Hecates suppers. The leftovers were placed outdoors as offerings to this goddess and her hounds.

Sacred to Hecate

  • Key, torch, cauldron, dogs, owls, wild animals

Attributes

  • Poppy, animals dog, willow, star

Misc

  • Medea was a priestess of Hecate. In some accounts she is actually Hecate’s daughter.
  • The appearance of black howling dogs at night meant that Hecate was near, and their barking announced her approach. “If the dogs are traveling at night, it means Hecate is about.”
  • She is only visible to dogs.
  • Her name was called at night at the cross-roads of cities.
  • She is said to live near the tombs of the victims of murder.

The above article is a compliation of materials from the sources listed below:

Sibylline Order

Deity of the Day – Hekate

Deity of the Day

Hekate


Perhaps the most notorious of all witch goddesses, Hecate was a dark manifestation of Diana. Hecate is the patron goddess of witches and sorceresses because of her skill in the arts of black magic. She is the queen of darkness, perverse sexuality, and death. Classically, she is the goddess of “roads in general and crossroads in particular, the latter being considered the center of ghostly activities, particularly in the dead of night… Offerings of food (known as Hecate’s suppers) were left to placate her, for she was terrible both in her powers and in her person–a veritable Fury, armed with a scourge and blazing torch and accompanied by terrifying hounds.”

The followers of Hecate were rumoured to have strange powers, such as that of being able to draw down the moon in order to employ the averse aspects of lunar forces. Followers could metamorphose into animals and birds, had insatiable sexual appetites, and had an intrinsic understanding of aphrodisiac and poisonous herbs.

Deity of the Day – The Hesperides

Deity of the Day

The Hesperides, Daughters of the Evening

“…amidst the gardens fair

Of Hesperus and his daughters three,

That sing about the golden tree.” (“Comus” by Milton)

The Hesperides are Daughters of Nyx, the Mother Night – although later mythology has Them as daughters of Atlas or of Hesperus. The three sisters – Aegle (the luminous one), Erytheia (the crimson one) and Hesperia (the evening one) – are nymphs who live in a beautiful garden, situated in the Arcadian Mountains (Greece) or, alternatively, at the western extreme of the Mediterranean, near Mt. Atlas. In this garden grows the tree with the golden apples of immortality. This garden is guarded by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads and who has the gift of human speech. The Hesperides are known for Their sweet singing voices and also have the ability to change Their shapes and become trees – Aegle into a willow, Erytheia into an elm and Hesperia into a poplar.

The only person who ever succeeded in obtaining some of the immortal golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides was Hercules, who tricked the God Atlas to get the apples for him. The apples were later returned to the garden by Athena because the sacred fruit were not to remain outside the garden.

The Hesperides have as associations: the apple; the color gold; immortality; gardens; and the trees poplar, elm and willow.

Deity of the Day – Aphrodite

Deity of the Day – Aphrodite

Aphrodite, also known as Marianna. She was the Greek “Foam Born” Moon Goddess, and was often referred to as “She who binds hearts together”, and the Goddess from the Western Corner. She is depicted as beautiful and voluptuous with blue eyes and light hair, and while considered virginal, she was not a virgin but an independent woman. Her followers celebrated with sexual rites from which men where banned. Myrrh and Frankincense was often used in her celebration rituals. Her animal associations where: the heron, lovebird, swan and the dove. She is the patron Goddess to prostitute’s who refer to her as the Goddess of Love. She is associated with beauty, physical love, sensuality, sexuality, passion, relationships, affections and fertility.

 

Deity of the Day – The Erinyes

Deity of the Day – The Erinyes

Children of the Night and Daughters of the Earth and Darkness

“Then fell Tisiphone with Rage was stung,

and from her mouth th’ untwisted serpents hung,

Girt in a bloody gown a torch she shakes,

And round her neck twines speckled wreathes of snakes.

Part of her tresses loudly hiss, and part

Spread poison as their forked tongues they dart…” (Metamorphoses, Book IV)

The Erinyes, the three Goddesses of revenge, are among the most ancient Goddesses and predated Zeus and all the other Olympians. In Greek mythology, They gare called the Erinyes – in Roman mythology They are called the Furies (“the furious”) or Dirae (“the terrible”). They are usually represented as three black sisters: Alecto (“the Unceasing”), Megaera (“the Grudging”) and Tisiphone (“the Avenging”).

The Erinyes are the children of Gaia and Uranus. They were created from drops of blood coming from the wounds of Uranus when He was castrated by His son Cronus and which fell upon the Earth (Gaia). The first drop of blood formed Aphrodite, which is why She is sometimes referred to as the oldest of The Erinyes.

Artists in ancient times depicted The Erinyes as women with fiery eyes and snake hair and with attributes such as torches and whips. Sometimes They were dressed as hunters.

The Erinyes were placed in Hades and are Goddesses of the dead. They also are called upon to revenge the crimes – especially those against women and mothers – of murder, perjury, ingratitude, disrespect, harshness, violation of filial piety and the laws of hospitality. They are impartial and impersonal, and pursue these wrongdoers until they are driven mad and die. But even in death, the criminal does not find rest until he shows remorse.

The Erinyes are associated with funeral trees: the alder, the black poplar, and the yew. The color associated with the three is black and the animal associated with Them is the snake.

 

Deity of the Day – Arianrhod

Deity of the Day

Arianrhod

　

Is a major goddess in Welsh legends. Her name means “silver wheel” or “silver disk”. Legend has it that Arianrhod claimed to be a virgin, but when her virginity was tested she gave premature birth to twins – Dylan who escaped into the sea, and Lleu Llaw Gyffes who became the object of his mothers scorn.

Many Wiccans believe that Arianrhod is a noon goddess and they associate her with birth and rebirth. In some traditions she is perceived as the triple goddess – Arianrhod, Blodeuwedd and Cerridwen. She is also connected with the “Spiral Dance”.

Today’s Goddess is Nemesis

Today’s Goddess is Nemesis

Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution and Daughter of the Night

“The hand of Nemesis balances the scales of justice.

She untangles the threads spun by the Fates.

Lift the burden of this problem, great Nemesis.

Guide me to the solution.

If there can be no harmony, separate us from the other.

Untangle my life-thread, Nemesis.

This I do ask with a sincere heart…” (ritual for Nemesis, ‘Moon Magick’ by D.J. Conway)

When Nyx, Mother Night, gave birth to a silver egg in the sea of chaos, this was symbolism for saying that She gave birth to the moon…. From this egg came the daughters of Nyx, one of whom was Nemesis.

Nemesis is known as the Goddess of Retribution and daughter of the Night. In the later patriarchal deity days of Greece She is seen as a monstrous figure of revenge and anger, however in earlier Greece Her nature was more as an abstract force of justice rather than retaliation.

In Greek mythology, Nemesis is portrayed as serious and thoughtful looking woman wearing a silver crown adorned with stag horns. She is often pictured as carrying a wheel of fortune in one hand and an apple bough in the other, with a scourge hanging at Her waist. Nemesis had Her primary sanctuary at Rhamnus, a village in the northern part of Attica. Nemesis was said to be a check on Tyche, Goddess of Fortune and also was said to be an attendant to Themeis, the Goddess of law.

Nemesis is honored in the celebration known as ‘Nemesea’ or the Festival of Nemesis on August 23rd. Because of this celebration, Nemesis is associated with the August full moon, which is commonly called ‘The Corn Moon’.

As it was

As it was

Before people and the creation of the earth there was the All. The All existed in knowing, stillness and silence. The All female spirit was alone. She created her other half, the male spirit. They intertwined. Even though there were now two spirits, there was still only one. They became the two that are one – the whole. Then, together they both birthed the universe. They made the planets, stars, moons, plants, water, animals and humans.

The All is both female and male. No one part is better than the other part. From their union came the seeds of life. The Goddess chose the Moon, radiant and calm, yet changeable. The God chose the Sun, fiery and bright and strong.

No matter when we view the heavens we are reminded of the Goddess and the God.

In our tradition we pay homage to both the Goddess and the God equally. The Lord and Lady are very important to us.

The Lady is the female essence of the All. She nurtures us she is the essence of motherhood. It is she that we call upon for female spirituality, to nurture our spirits and bodies, to encourage growth and connection with family. She is in everything and is everywhere. She is inside you.

The Lord is the Male essence of the All. He is wild, playful and lusty. He is there to protect us. Call on him if you need physical strength. He will help you bear what life has dealt you. The Lord is immanent. He exists in everything. He is in you.

You will work with, respect and horror the lady. You DO NOT beg for favors from her. You can see her as either an abstract, or you can give her a face. She will nurture your growth. She has the sixth sense that all women have and you can call upon that part of her to help you grow. She will teach, nurture and provide for you. In return she asks that you give her your love.

The lady has three aspects:

Maiden: She is an innocent girl. Everything is new to her.

Mother: She had matured she is all loving, nurturing and protective.

Crone: She is now the old woman and holds all our life’s knowledge. She can be stern, but she is a good teacher. In death she takes us back into herself.

The enchantress is part of the Goddess and of all women. She is the sexy, playful spirit. She is both maiden and mother. In such a way she relates to the moon as it goes from new to full.

The Charge of the Goddess is an invocation that is frequently used in Wiccan ritual.

Listen to the words of the great mother, who was of old also called among men Artmis: Astarte: Diane: Melusine: Aphrodite: Cerridwen: Dana: Arianrod: Brighid: and by many other names.

Whenever you have need of anything, once a month, and better be it when the moon is full, then yea shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me who am queen of all witcheries.

There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets: To these I will teach things that are yet unknown.

And ye shall be free from slavery. And as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be candid in your rites. And ye shall dance; sing; feast; and make music, all in my praise.

For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit; and mine also is joy on earth for my law is love unto all beings.

Keep pure your highest ideal; Strive ever toward it; Let naught stop you or turn you aside.

For mine is the secret door which opens upon the door of youth: And mine is the cup of wine or life: And the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the holy grail of immortality.

I am the gracious goddess who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man: Upon earth I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal: And beyond death I give peace and freedom: and reunion with those who have gone before: nor do I demand sacrifice: for behold, I am the Mother of all living: and my love is poured out upon the earth.

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess: She in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven. Whose body encircle the universe.

I who am the beauty of the green earth: and the white moon amongst the stars: and the mystery of the waters: and the desires of the heart of man call unto thy soul: arise and come unto me.

For I am the soul of nat11ure who gives life to the universe; from me all things proceed; and unto me all thing must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and men, thine inmost divine self shall be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices: for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals: and therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

And thou who thinks to seek for me: Know thy seeking and yearning shall avail you not: unless you know the mystery; if that which you seek you find not within thee, you will never find it without thee.

For behold: I have been with you from the beginning: and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.