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This page is about the wiccan and witchcraft beleafs.

Witches? Magic
In the Middle Ages witchcraft was feared throughout Europe. People thought that magic was an illusion created by the devil and was associated with worship of the devil. Some say that there are two different kinds of magic: Black Magic and White Magic. Black magic was associated more with the devil and had satanic symbols. People thought that witches caused harm to society by causing accidents, bad luck, illnesses, or death. Witches got a lot of blame if someone fell ill of unknown causes. White magic had Christian symbolism that had more to do with nature and herbs. White magic was believed to be used for such spells as love, health, good luck, and wealth. Astrology and alchemy, which is about making potions such as turning metal into gold and searching for a cure for deadly illnesses, are considered to be a part of magic.

The Witch Hunt
Witchcraft was hated mostly by the Christians and their church. They considered them as diabolical and evil. As always they thought that witches had to do with the devil. Not soon after, the Christian church started a campaign to get rid of these so called ?witches? and started the witch hunt. It lasted for over 75 years. The witches went on trial for heresy (rejection of the church) and witchcraft. They wanted to get rid of them so they burned them at stake if found guilty. Some other punishments were banishment, imprisonment, and mutilation, but mostly execution. Almost everyone that was accused was tortured and beaten until they confessed. Many people gave their lives to false confession. Almost 80% of the people accused were women. It was believed that the devil succumbed people who weren?t strong enough to resist him and thought women were not as strong as men.

Interesting Facts
The Witches? Hammer or The Hammer of the Witches was a book that was published in 1486. It put major impact on the hysteria of witches. Joan of Arc was burned as a witch at the stake for heresy and witchcraft. The crusades and contact with Islam brought new interest in astrology and alchemy. Alot of people blamed witches for The Black Death.

Definitions
Occult
Occluded or hidden/secret; the study of secret or hidden knowledge. Secret societies include the Rosicrucians and certain fraternal orders.

Earth Religion
a religion whose main tenet is that the worshipper is in harmony with the Earth and with all life. Such religions oppose the idea that the world is a resource to be subdued and exploited.

Pagan
a practitioner of an Earth Religion; from the Latin paganus, a country dweller.

Neo-Paganism
a modern Earth Religion which borrows and adapts from the best of pre-Christian Pagan religions, sometimes with additions from contemporary religious thinkers.

Witchcraft
a magical religion with many diverse traditions derived from various cultural sources around which covens and individual practitioners base their practices.

The Craft
another name for Witchcraft.

Coven
a congregation of Witches, usually limited to 13 members or less.

Witch
one who worships the Goddess, and sometimes also Her Consort, the God; practices magic; and considers her/himself to be following the spiritual path of Witchcraft.

Magic
a conscious direction of will to accomplish a goal.

Sabbat
one of the eight seasonal festivals equally spaced during the year, celebrated by individuals and covens of Witches.

Esbat
monthly meeting of a coven, usually held at full moon. There are about 13 full moons each year. Some groups also meet at the dark of the moon.
Basic Philosophy
Wicca, or Witchcraft, is an earth religion -- a re-linking (re-ligio) with the life-force of nature, both on this planet and in the stars and space beyond. In city apartments, in suburban backyards, in country glades, groups of women and men meet on the new and full moons and at festival times to raise energy and put themselves in tune with these natural forces. They honor the old Goddesses and Gods, including the Triple Goddess of the waxing, full, and waning moon, and the Horned God of the sun and animal life, as visualizations of immanent nature.

Our religion is not a series of precepts or beliefs, rather we believe that we each have within ourselves the capacity to reach out and experience the mystery -- that feeling of ineffable oneness with all Life. Those who wish to experience this transcendence must work, and create, and participate in their individual religious lives. For this reason, our congregations, called covens, are small groups which give room for each individual to contribute to the efforts of the group by self-knowledge and creative experimentation within the agreed-upon group structure or tradition.

There are many traditions or sects within the Craft. Different groups take their inspiration from the pre-Christian religions of certain ethnic groups (e.g. Celtic, Greek, Norse, Finno-Ugric); in the liturgical works of some modern Witch poet or scholar (e.g. Gerald Gardner, Z Budapest, Alex Sanders, Starhawk); or by seeking within themselves for inspiration and direction. Many feminists have turned to Wicca and the role of priestess for healing and strength after the patriarchal oppression and lack of voice for women in the major world religions.

There are many paths to spiritual growth. Wicca is a participatory revelation, a celebratory action leading to greater understanding of oneself and the universe. We believe there is much to learn by studying our past, through myth, through ritual drama, through poetry and music, through love and through living in harmony with the Earth.

General Practices
Historical Roots to Modern Practice
The roots of the religion called Wicca, or Witchcraft, are very old, coming down to us through a variety of channels worldwide. Although any general statement about our practices will have exceptions, the following will attempt to present a basic foundation for understanding. Some of the old practices were lost when indigenous religions encountered militant Christianity and were forced to go underground for survival. The ancient mystery religions were lost when the practice of the rites was stopped and the old oral traditions were no longer available. Parents transmitted their traditions to their children, with parts being lost and new parts created in succeeding generations. These survivals, along with research into the old ways, provide a rich foundation for modern practice. Other factors contributing to the revival of the Craft are archaeological and anthropological studies of the religious practices of non-Christian cultures, the works of the Golden Dawn and other metaphysical orders, and the liberalization of anti-Witchcraft laws.

Modern Witches hold rituals according to the turning of the seasons, the tides of the moon, and personal needs. Most rituals are performed in a ritual space marked by a circle. We do not build church buildings to create this sacred, ritual space -- all Earth is sacred and in touch with the Goddess and so any place, indoors or out, may be consecrated for ritual use.

The Circle
Within this sacred circle, two main activities occur: celebration, and the practice of magic. Celebration is most important at the major seasonal holy days, the Sabbats. At these times, the myths of that particular holiday are enacted in ritual drama, and dancing, singing, feasting, and revelry are all part of the festivities. On these occasions we celebrate our oneness with life on Earth, as well as assimilating on the deepest level myths and archetypes which map and assist our own life-passages.

Magic is more often performed at smaller gatherings, called Esbats, which coincide with the phases of the moon. Types of magic practiced include psychic healing sessions, the focus and direction of energy to achieve positive results, and work toward the individual spiritual development of the coven members. Magic is an art which requires adherence to certain principles, and a conscious direction of will toward the desired end. We believe it to be an attribute of magic that results toward which the will is directed return to the sender threefold. Therefore, Witches are very conscientious in their use of magic.

When the celebration, teaching, or magical work is finished, the blessing of the Goddess (and God) is called into food and drink which are shared by all. The circle is opened, and the space is no longer consecrated.

The Tools of a Witch
To create the circle, and in the working of magic, we use tools to facilitate a frame of mind in which the psychic state necessary for this kind of work can be achieved. The tools are part of a complete and self-consistent symbolic system which is agreed upon by the participants and provides them with a "map" for entry into unfamiliar psychic spaces. Such a system, like a map, is arbitrary and not "true" in an absolute sense; it is a guide to a state which is ineffable and can be most clearly reached through the arts (poetry, music, dance, drama) and "starlight" vision.

A primary tool, which is owned by most Witches, is an athame or ritual knife. The athame is charged with the energy of the owner and is used as a pointer to define space (such as casting a sacred circle) and as a conductor of the owner's will and energy.

Other important tools are the symbols on the altar which denote the "Aristotelian" Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water (some "maps" include Spirit). A pentagram or pentacle (a five-pointed star sometimes surrounded by a circle) is often used to symbolize Earth and its properties -- stability, material wealth, the body, and practical affairs. Alternatively, a small dish of salt or soil can be used to symbolize the Earth Element. A thurible (or censer) or a bell can be used to symbolize Air and its properties -- communications, vitality, intellect and understanding. (A sword or wand may be used to symbolize Air or Fire, and many "maps" disagree on with which element the sword or wand should be associated.) A candle or small pot of fire may symbolize the element of Fire and its properties -- will, transmutation, life-force, and power. A chalice of water is used to symbolize the element of Water and its properties -- cleansing, regeneration, and emotion. In the traditions which include the element of Spirit, an ankh or quartz crystal is used to symbolize Spirit and its properties -- perfection, summation, balance, illumination and eternity.

There are many other minor tools which are used for some specific purposes within magical workings, but the tools described above are the basic ones used in the practice of Witchcraft, and many of the minor tools are extrapolations of the basic ones (e.g. the broom of the wand, the sword of the athame, the cauldron of the cup, etc.)

Personal Development
Since these tools are merely the conductors of personal energies, as copper is a conductor for electrical energy, most covens provide at least some degree of training in psychic skills and healing practices to strengthen each member's ability to participate in the religious activities. Each individual decides what level of such training is useful for them. We see psychic abilities as a natural human potential, and are dedicated to developing this as well as all of our positive human potentials.

Holidays
Introduction
Despite competition from twentieth century "life in the fast lane", the awesome spectacle repeated in the pattern of the changing seasons still touches our lives. In the ages when people worked more closely with nature just to survive, the numinous power of this pattern had supreme recognition. Rituals and festivals evolved to channel these transformations for the good of the community toward a good sowing and harvest and bountiful herds and hunting.

One result of this process is our image of the "Wheel of the Year" with its eight spokes -- the four major agricultural and pastoral festivals and the four minor solar festivals of the solstices and equinoxes. In common with many ancient people, many Witches consider the day as beginning at sundown and ending at sundown the following day. So, for example, Samhain starts at dusk on the 31st, ending the evening of the 1st.

October 31 -- November Eve -- Samhain
The night lengthens and we work with the positive aspects of darkness in the increasing star- and moonlight. Many Craft traditions, following the ancient Celts, consider this the eve of the New Year (as day begins with sundown, so the year begins with the first day of Winter). It is one night when the barriers between the worlds of life and death are uncertain, allowing the ancestors to walk among the living, welcomed and feasted by their kin, bestowing the Otherworld's blessings. We may focus within ourselves to look "through the glass darkly", developing our divination and psychic skills.

December 21 -- Winter Solstice -- Yule
The sun is at its nadir, the year's longest night. We internalize and synthesize the outward-directed activities of the previous summer months. Some covens hold a Festival of Light to commemorate the Goddess as Mother giving birth to the Sun God. Others celebrate the victory of the Lord of Light over the Lord of Darkness as the turning point from which the days will lengthen. The name "Yule" derives from the Norse word for "wheel", and many of our customs (like those of the Christian holiday) derive from Norse and Celtic Pagan practices (the Yule log, the tree, the custom of Wassailing, et al).

January 31 -- February Eve -- Imbolc (Oimelc) or Brigid
As the days' lengthening becomes perceptible, many candles are lit to hasten the warming of the earth and emphasize the reviving of life. "Imbolc" is from Old Irish, and may mean "in the belly", and Oimelc, "ewe's milk", as this is the lambing time. It is the holiday of the Celtic Fire Goddess Brigid, whose threefold nature rules smithcraft, poetry/inspiration, and healing. Brigid's fire is a symbolic transformation offering healing, visions, and tempering. Februum is a Latin word meaning purification -- naming the month of cleansing. The thaw releases waters (Brigid is also a goddess of holy wells) -- all that was hindered is let flow at this season.

March 21 -- Vernal Equinox -- Ostara
Day and night are equal as Spring begins to enliven the environment with new growth and more newborn animals. Many people feel "reborn" after the long nights and coldness of winter. The Germanic Goddess Ostara (Goddess of the Dawn), after whom Easter is named, is the tutelary deity of this holiday, or for some the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. It is she, as herald of the sun, who announces the triumphal return of life to the earth. Witches in the Greek tradition celebrate the return from Hades of Demeter's daughter Persephone; Witches in the Celtic tradition see in the blossoms the passing of Olwen, in whose footprints flowers bloom. The enigmatic egg, laid by the regenerating snake or the heavenly bird, is a powerful symbol of the emergence of life out of apparent death or absence of life.

April 30 -- May Eve -- Beltaine
As the weather heats up and the plant world burgeons, an exuberant mood prevails. Folk dance around the Maypole, emblem of fertility (the name "May" comes from a Norse word meaning "to shoot out new growth"). May 1st was the midpoint of a five-day Roman festival to Flora, Goddess of Flowers. The name "Beltaine" means "Bel's Fires"; in Celtic lands, cattle were driven between bonfires to bless them, and people leaped the fires for luck. The association in Germany of May Eve with Witches' gatherings is a memory of pre-Christian tradition. "Wild" water (dew, flowing streams or ocean water) is collected as a basis for healing drinks and potions for the year to come.

June 21 -- Summer Solstice -- Litha or Midsummer
On this day, the noon of the year and the longest day, light and life are abundant. We focus outward, experiencing the joys of plenty, tasting the first fruits of the season. In some traditions the sacred marriage of the Goddess and God is celebrated (in others, this is attributed to the springtime holidays). Rhea, the Mountain Mother of Crete, has breathed out all creation. It is also the festival of the Chinese Goddess of Light, Li.

July 31 -- August Eve -- Lughnasadh or Lammas
This festival has two aspects. First, it is one of the Celtic fire festivals, honoring the Celtic culture-bringer and Solar God Lugh (Lleu to the Welsh, Lugus to the Gauls). In Ireland, races and games were held in his name and that of his mother, Tailtiu (these may have been funeral games). The second aspect is Lammas, the Saxon Feast of Bread, at which the first of the grain harvest is consumed in ritual loaves. These aspects are not too dissimilar, as the shamanic death and transformation of Lleu can be compared to that of the Barley God, known from the folksong "John Barleycorn". This time is also sacred to the Greek Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis.

September 21 -- Autumnal Equinox -- Mabon or Harvest Home
This day sees light and dark in balance again, before the descent to the dark times. A harvest festival is held, thanking the Goddess for giving us enough sustenance to feed us through the winter. Harvest festivals of many types still occur today in farming country, and Thanksgiving is an echo of these.

In this way the Wheel turns, bringing us back to Samhain where we began our cycle. Many of the festival days coincide with holidays of the Jewish and Christian calendars. This is no accident; these points in the year were important community celebrations, and were kept largely intact although they were rededicated to the Christian God or a saint. The names may have changed, but the old Pagan practices still show through.

Finding your spiritual animal companion

I have three cats, and though I would dearly love for one of them to be a spiritual guide or helper for me, it is not to be. They are just plain and regular cats. Granted, one of them is freakishly smart (Charlie can turn keys to open locked cabinet doors!), but there is nothing otherworldly about any of them.

Though having a familiar is a common enough idea amongst witches and Wiccans (and other Pagans too), but it's not a requirement.

So what is a familiar?

The biggest misconception is that your familiar must be a cat, or even more stereotypically, a black cat. Not so. Any animal of any species can present itself as your familiar.

In fact, the form your familiar chooses to take may be a message in itself, and may be completely unexpected. Familiars can fill many different roles in your life, including that of teacher, friend, healer or assistant. A familiar may arrive in the form of a family pet, but they should not be treated that simply. They are independent spirits that must be respected and honoured. You will develop a strong psychic bond with your new companion, and he/she/it will likely show a clear interest in your ritual work. I can't really go into too much detail on how a familiar might become part of your life, or how it may assist you with your spiritual growth. Each person's relationship with their familiar is special, unique and individual.
Of course, your familiar might not even be a physical being. Having an astral familiar is also a possibility. Astral familiars usually take the form of regular animals, but they also may take the form of more exotic beasts (such as a dragon, perhaps). Working with astral familiars usually takes place during dreams or meditation.

Where do you find one?

Sometimes you need to search out your familiar, but other times they will find you. You can't summon a familiar, only invite one. Meditation or scrying are two methods that may help you locate your animal companion. They may arrive in your life when you call, or just when you are in need of them. And the flip side to that, is that they can also disappear from your life if you no longer need their help or guidance. I would say that most familiars stay with a person for a good many years, typically the life span of their animal hosts. But don't be surprised if they move on unexpectedly.

During the Burning Times, animal familiars played a sizable role in the prosecution of 'witches'. It was believed at the time that all witches had an animal companion, that was really a demon in physical form. Seeing an animal in relationship with an accused individual would often be considered evidence to their witchery. Even something as meaningless as a mouse or fly in their jail cell. Even today, many non-Pagans who don't understand our beliefs consider any Pagan's animal companion to be an evil spirit in disguise.

The White Goddess - Aspects of The Goddess

Aspects of The Goddess

A Goddess is a Divine female being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by people and is often believed to be the source of life and being and worshiped as the principal deity in various religions.

The White Goddess

I, who existed before the universe came into being,
I, who will exist after the universe has ceased to be,
I, who bear witness to the rebirth of all things,
I, who all things come from and return to,
I, The White Goddess, have unveiled the mysteries.

Aspects of The Gods

A God is a Divine male being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by people and is often believed to be the source of life and being and worshiped as the principal deity in various religions.

Anubis - Jackal Headed God of Egypt

Anubis is the God of Cemeteries and Embalming. Anubis is normally seem as a jackal or dog or in jackal-headed human form. He is normally depicted in black, and the colour is symbolic, it represents the colour of the body after the mummification process. Black is also associated with the fertile Nile silt deposited on the land, called the 'Black Land' and hence rebirth in the afterlife.

The nature of Anubis is probably best revealed through the epithets used:

Khenty-Imentiu - meaning 'Foremost of the Westerners' (the west was were the entrance to the underworld was located) indicating his leadership of those buried in the cemeteries.

Khenty-sek-Netjer - 'presiding over God's pavillion' The gods pavillion was the place were the ritual of embalming took place and the burial chamber. It emphasis is role as of guardian, protecter and guide for the dead.

Tepy-Dju-ef - 'Anubis who is upon is mountain' again another image of Anubis as a protector of cemeteries.

Neb-ta-Djeser - 'Lord of the sacred land' which again refers to the desert where the necropoleis and cemeteries lay. He is sometime also called 'Jackal ruler of the bows' which is another aspect of Anubis as a necropolis guardian.

Imy-ut - 'he who is in the place of embalming' and stresses the role in the mummification process. Anubis was the god the provided the iron for the magical adze used in the 'Opening of the Mouth' ritual.

He can also be found in the Book of the Dead, in the weighing of the heart ceremony and is described as 'he who counts the hearts'. In the Pyramind Texts he is sometimes called 'claimer of hearts' who purpose is to the free the King from restrictions on earth in order for him to join the gods in the sky. Anubis guides the deceased who have passed the tests and whose hearts have been vindicated as honest towards the throne of Osiris.

Invocation/Prayer to Anubis

The earth speaks: The doors of the earth-god are opened for you, the doors of Geb are thrown open for you, you come forth at the voice of Anubis, he makes a spirit of you like Thoth, you judge the gods, you set the bounds to the celestial expanses between the Two Wands in this your spiritualised state which Anubis
commanded.

[From The Pyramid Texts: 796-798]

Although Anubis is depicted in the vignettes frequently, he seems to miss out in the actual text of the incantations of the Book of The Dead, and there is not one invocation to him that I've found. Thoth, Hathor, and (unsurprisingly) Osiris feature largely as the objects of praise and dedication, but Anubis seems to be happy with doing a lot of the work and getting precious little mention, other than respectful passages and mentions as introductions to some of the spells It is worth noting that as the Cult of Osiris grew, Osiris was associated with almost every major deity at some point; in the case of Anubis, Osiris, took over roles once played by Anubis. In the Pyramid Texts, Anubis assumes greater roles, as judge and guide to the dead. The cult of Anubis as the god of death and the underworld pre-dates that of Osiris, and he was relegated somewhat as the Cult of Osiris become more popular.

The most popular and enduring of all the gods, Thoth has been responsible for keeping Egyptian magic in the forefront of learning since the collapse of the empire. Although in the later Dynastic period he was merely labelled the 'scribe of the gods'.

The magician's magician since he is endowed with complete knowledge and wisdom. He invented all the arts and sciences, astronomy, soothsaying, magic, medicine, surgery and most important of all - writing. As inventor of hieroglyphs, he was titled 'Lord of the Holy Words'; he was the first of magicians and compiled books of magic which contained 'formulas which commanded all the forces of nature and subdued the very gods themselves'. He appears to be long-suffering and is usually called upon to sort out the chaos created by the rest of the pantheon.

It was this power that earned him the name Tahuti - three times very, very great - which the Greeks translated as Hermes Trismegistus. He is identified as a lunar deity [E=Aah-tehuti] and his sacred animals are the ibis and the baboon. His chief festival was celebrated on the 'nineteenth of the month of Thoth', a few days after the full moon at the beginning of the Egyptian New Year. He was later identified with Mercury but should never be under-estimated, especially his role within the Primitive Path. He is associated with Hod on the Tree of Life and The Magus in the Tarot, his colour being amethyst the symbol of mystical power.

Day 19 of Dhwty in the season of Aket (Inundation)
(6th August, depending on how calendar is calculated)

Feast of Thoth.
A happy day in heaven in front of Re, the Great Ennead is in great festivity. Burn incense on the fire. It is the day of receiving. It is the day of going forth of Thoth.

Prayer or divinatory time: dawn.

Prayer or Invocation

Such was all-knowing Tahuti [Thoth], who saw all things,
and seeing understood,
and understanding has the power to disclose
and to give explanation.
For what he knew, he graved on stone;
Yet though he graved them onto stone he hid them mostly...
The sacred symbols of the cosmic elements
he hid away hard by the secrets of Osms
... keeping sure silence,
that every younger age of cosmic time might seek for them.

(Kore Kosmu -G SR Meade translation]

I have just been reading The Wisdom of Ancient Egypt by Joseph Kaster (originally published in 1968), anyway the chapter I was making some notes on concerned the Pyramid Texts and the story of Osiris (I should add that it was a compilation of spells or groups of spells rearranged to tell the story). There was a section that dealt with the assigning of Osiris in his place in the genealogy of the Gods, and Thoth was listed as one of the brothers of Osiris. In a footnote it said that it was one of the few references to Thoth as a brother of Osiris and an accomplice of Set.

[Thoth aids Set against Osiris]
Behold what Set and Thoth have done, your two brothers, who knew not how to weep for you!
Set, this your brother is this one here, Osiris, who is made to endure and to live, that he may punish you!
Thoth, this your brother is this one here, Osiris, who is made to endure and to live, that he may punish you!

Goddesses linked with Thoth

There are several Goddesses linked with Thoth, most notably Isis, with the help of Thoth she is able to resurrect Osiris long enough for her to oncieve Horus (the Yonger). Later when she is hiding in the Delta papyrus swamps, one of the seven scorpion helpers of Isis, either through malice or clumsiness stings Horus, in her grief she causes the sky barque of the sun god to stop, and refuses to let it go again until her son is cured. Once again Thoth comes to the rescue. It was Thoth who brought Tefnut, who left Egypt for Nubia in a sulk after an argument with her father, back to heaven to be reuinted with Ra.

There is also Seshat (Sashet, Sesheta), meaning 'female scribe', was seen as the goddess of writing, historical records, accounting and mathematics, measurement and architecture to the ancient Egyptians. She was depicted as a woman wearing a panther-skin dress (the garb of the funerary stm priests) and a headdress that was also her hieroglyph, which may represent either a stylized flower or seven pointed star on a standard that is beneath a set of down-turned horns. (The horns may have originally been a crescent, linking Seshat to the moon and hence to her spouse, the moon god of writing and knowledge, Thoth.)

He was associated by the Egyptians with speech, literature, arts, learning. He, too, was a measurer and recorder of time, as was Seshat. Believed to be the author of the spells in the Book of the Dead, he was a helper (and punisher) of the deceased as they try to enter the underworld. In this role, his wife was Ma'at, the personification of order, who was weighed against the heart of the dead to see if they followed ma'at during their life.

He could also be equated as the Logos (Word) of God in similiar role that Jesus would later come to represent. He is also associated with magic and Heka, the magical powers of Thoth were so great, that the Egyptians had tales of a 'Book of Thoth', which would allow a person who read the sacred book to become the most powerful magician in the world. The Book which "the god of wisdom wrote with his own hand" was, though, a deadly book that brought nothing but pain and tragedy to those that read it, despite finding out about the "secrets of the gods themselves" and "all that is hidden in the stars". The book of Thoth is supposed to be hidden in the Hall of Records which Edgar Cayce thought was beneath the Sphinx.

Thoth as Creator

Thoth's centre of worshiped was at Khmunu (Hermopolis) in Upper Egypt, where he was the creator god, in Ibis form, who laid the World Egg. The sound of his song was thought to have created four frog gods and snake goddesses who continued Thoth's song, helping the sun journey across the sky.

Titles of Thoth

He was the 'One who Made Calculations Concerning the Heavens, the Stars and the Earth', the 'Reckoner of Times and of Seasons', the one who 'Measured out the Heavens and Planned the Earth'. He was 'He who Balances', the 'God of the Equilibrium' and 'Master of the Balance'. 'The Lord of the Divine Body', 'Scribe of the Company of the Gods', the 'Voice of Ra', the 'Author of Every Work on Every Branch of Knowledge, Both Human and Divine', he who understood 'all that is hidden under the heavenly vault'. Thoth was not just a scribe and friend to the gods, but central to order - ma'at - both in Egypt and in the Duat. He was 'He who Reckons the Heavens, the Counter of the Stars and the Measurer of the Earth'.

Diana - Goddess Of The Hunt.

Diana - Diana Nemorensis - Diana Of The Wood
(The Celtic words dianna and diona, mean 'divine' and 'brilliant' respectively.)

Prayer To Diana

Lovely Goddess of the bow!
Lovely Goddess of the arrows!
Of all hounds and of all hunting
Thou who wakest in starry heaven
When the sun is sunk in slumber
Thou with moon upon they forehead,
Who the chase by night preferrest
Unto hunting in the daylight,
With thy nymphs unto the music
Of the horn-thyself the huntress,
And most powerful: I pray thee
Think, although but for an instant,
Upon us who pray unto thee!

Diana, Roman Goddess of the Hunt, her Greek counterpart is Artemis, from whom she acquires some of her aspects.

On the northern shores of Lake Nemi, Diana's Mirror, in Italy, stood the sacred grove and sanctuary of the Goddess Diana.

The Goddess Diana, is the Huntress and Goddess or fertility, childbirth and the wild woodlands and associated with the constellation of Ursa Major. She is also associated with fire festivals, her title Vesta, indicates a perpetual holy fire in her sanctuary. Her annual festival, held on August 13th, where she is invoked to protect the harvest from autumn storms, is the middle of summer, when the sun is at its hottest. Diana is often depicted holding a torch, a symbolic reminder of the fiery nature of the Goddess.

Several other deities are associated with Diana at Lake Nemi, Egeria, the Nymph of the Lake and Virbius, who, legend states, was the Greek hero Hippolytus. Diana also had in attendance, The Sacrificial King or King of the Sacred Rites. He was required to pluck a branch of a certain tree, often identified as Virgil's 'Golden Bough', and slay his predecessor before taking up his office. Whereupon he becomes the High Priest/Husband/Lover of the Goddess. He holds this office until he himself is slain by a more craftier or stronger challenger, a remainder of the Birth, Death, Rebirth cycle of nature.

Correspondences

Animal:
Astral Body:
Body:
Colour:
Day: Monday, Friday
Festivals: Festival of Diana - February 12th, August 13th, Nov 22nd
Flower:
Gems:
Minerals:
Month: November
Musical Instrument:
Perfume:
Tarot:
Tree:
Weapon:

Isis - Goddess Of The Throne.

(The Egyptian words Ast or Aset, mean 'Throne or Seat'. Isis is an onomatopoeic Asianic word, Ish-ish, meaning 'she who weeps'.)

Invocation Of Isis

I, Isis, am all that hath been that is or shall be,
I, who made light from my feathers, The wind from my wings,
No mortal man ever hath me unveiled! - Until now.

Isis, was for almost 3,500 years, the principle Goddess of Egypt. She was the wife and sister of Osiris and the mother of Horus, and the personification of the faithful wife and devoted mother. Isis is the Mistress Of The Words of Power and the Goddess Of Nature. She is the embodiment of nature and magick. The lap of the Goddess Isis was regarded as the royal throne, while her breast poured forth the nectar that conferred the divine right to rule.

Isis, is often depicted crowned with a throne or later with a disc and two horns. The Sycamore tree was sacred to Isis, and she is associated with the planet Venus, Copper and the colours emerald and turquoise.

Correspondences

Animal: Man, Woman, unicorn, sphinx, ram, owl, lion, eagle
Colour: Emerald, turquoise
Day: Wednesday, Friday
Festivals: Advent of Aset - January 2nd, July 17th, Oct 30th - Nov 2nd
Flower: Amaranth, cypress, willow, lily, ivy, snowdrop
Gems: ruby, star ruby, turquoise, sapphire, pearl, amethyst, peridot, beryl
Minerals: Phosphorus, silver, sulphates
Perfume: musk, myrrh, civert, cedar, dragons blood, narcissus, onycha
Tarot: Twos, Threes, Fours, Tens, The Emperor, The Hermit, The Hanged Man
Weapon: Lingam, Inner Robe Of Concealment, Yoni, Magic Circle

The story of Isis.

The the Sun god Ra ordered Shu (Air) to separate Nut (Sky) from her brother/lover Geb (Earth), he also declared that Nut should never have children in any month of the year. Thoth , the god of wisdom, won from the moon, in a game of draughts, one seventy-second part of its light. It was during these days, that belonged to no month, that she bore Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set Isis and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis fell in love and mated while still in Nut's womb and became man and wife, her sister Nephthys married Set.

Together with Osiris, they ruled Egypt and taught the people all the basic skills of civilisation. Set, however, was envious of his brother, and conspired to kill Osiris, nailing his body in a coffin and throwing it into the Nile. Isis traced the coffin to Byblos in Phoenicia, where the currents had carried it. However, a tamarisk tree had grown around it, and King Malacander had built the trunk into his palace. Isis, in disguise, first became the nurse to the kings son and later his queen. Isis revealed herself to Malacander, who granted her a ship to take the coffin back to Egypt.

On her journey back to Egypt, she hid in the Nile Delta marshes near Buto, to conceal herself and the body of the dead Osiris, with whom she had become magically impregnated. Set, however, discovered the body and tore it asunder casting the fourteen pieces throughout the kingdom. Isis, undertook a journey to recover the disembodied parts of her husband/lover. At each place, as she found one of the parts, she performed a burial ritual and set up a stela marking its place, hoping to deceive Set into thinking that all the parts were buried in separate places.

In time, Isis recovered all the missing parts, except the phallus of Osiris, which Set had thrown into the Nile and had been eaten by a crab. Isis was able to fashion a new one, and magically restored Osiris's body by anointing it with precious oils. She was thus to become the inventor of embalming. Osiris, now fully immortal, became the King of Amenti, the realm of the dead, while Isis in due course gave birth to Horus the Younger.

Isis and the Seven Scorpions

The god Djehuty or Thoth to the Greeks realised that Aset (Isis) was in great danger from Set. Set was her brother, but also the brother of Wesir (Osiris), to whom Aset had been wife. Set had murdered his brother, to take the throne, and now sought for Wesir’s son, Heru (Horus), whom Aset yet carried in her womb. Djehuty rescued Aset and advised her to go into hiding until her son grew of age. Aset set out for the Delta intending to hide herself in the papyrus thickets and marshes. Accompanying her were seven scorpions, the leader of which was called Tefen.

During their journey Aset and the scorpions came to the town of Per-sui and asked for refuge of the house of a wealthy lady named Usert. But Usert slammed the door in Aset’s face, so the scorpions gave Tefen all their venom and he crept under the door and bit her son.

Meanwhile a poor little fisher girl offered shelter to Aset.

Tefen’s venom caused Usert’s son extreme agony and Usert ran into the town calling for help but was ignored. Aset felt sorry for the innocent child and decided to cure him, calling Usert to bring the child to her so she could magically expel the poison. Aset put her hand on the child and recited, “O poison of Tefen, come forth and drip onto the ground. May the child live and the poison die.”

Usert was stricken with remorse and sought to make amends by filling the poor little fisher girls hut with possessions from her own home.

Aset continued on her journey and came to Khemmis in the Delta, where she gave birth to Heru, Heru Avenger of his father. She tied her girdle around the baby for protection.

There was no one to feed Aset in Khemmis, so eventually she was forced to leave Heru alone and search for food, disguised as a beggar. She wandered all day with no luck, and returned to find Heru lying still on the ground. The marsh dwellers came running but could offer no help, Aset feared this might be an attack by Set. Thn a great learned lady came and said Atum had decreed Set should not enter Khemmis and perhaps a scorpion or snake had bitten Heru. Aset smelled Heru’s breath and detected poison of the scorpion. But this time Aset was unable to expel the poison of the scorpion and her cries brought Nebt-Het and Serqet to her side. They combined their voices and reached Ra in his Barque of Millions of Years, causing the boat to stand still so that darkness descended upon the earth.

Djehuty alighted from the bark and recited the healing spell of Heru.

“Come back, Oh Poison. You are exorcised by the spell of Ra himself… the Barque of the Sun God wil stand still… until Heru recovers – to his mother’s delight. Fall onto the earth, Oh poison… darkness will cover everything… wells will be dry, crops will wither… until Heru recovers – to his mother’s delight.”

To the delight of Aset, the spell of Djehuty cured the son of Aset, Heru – Avenger of his Father and Ra and his Barque of Millions of Years was allowed to continue its journey.

Piczo