Cailleach winter Goddess

I reside in each warm heart."

Pantheon: - Irish/Scottish
Moon Phase: - Triple
Energies: - Divination, prophecies, wisdom, Goddess of Winter
Symbol: Mountains, hills, hammer, deer, staff

**Cailleach is referred to as the “Mother of All” in parts of Scotland. Also known as Scotia, she is depicted as an old hag with the teeth of a wild bear and boar’s tusks. She is believed to be a great sorceress.

One superstition regarding Calliach is that the farmer who is last to harvest his grain would be the person to “look after” Caileach for the rest of the year, until the next harvest. The first farmer who finishes harvesting would make a corn-dolly from the grain he has harvested. He would, then, pass it on to the next farmer who finishes. It would keep going until the corn-dolly ends up with the last farmer. That last farmer would be obligated to watch the “old woman”.

She is also known to have created the earth. “With her hammer she alternately splinters mountains, prevents the growth of grass, or raises storms. Numerous wild animals follow her…”
– Encyclopedia of the Occult, 1920

Resources

http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/cailleach.html
http://www.ancientrails.com/?page_id=686

Sekhmet

image by Sandra Stanton

Sekhmet (pronounced sek’met), the lion-headed Egyptian Sun Goddess, is known as the destructive aspect of the Sun. Vowing to destroy all humanity in a fit of rage, she went on a killing spree. She was stopped by the intervention of Ra, the high God, who put huge vats of beer mixed with pomegranate juice in her path. Mistaking it for human blood, Sekhmet consumed the drink and became intoxicated. When she woke up, her rage was gone. Red in this painting signifies Sekhmet’s scorching, smoldering nature.

"The Terrible One", "She who is Powerful" "Eye of Ra"

A lion head goddess and a ruler of human fate. She is both a Goddess of war , and a Goddess of Love

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pantheon: - Egypt Sekhmet was associated with Upper Egypt, Bast was associated with Lower Egypt.Sekhmet was depicted as a lion-headed woman with the sun disk and uraeus serpent headdress. Although she is connected with Bast, she has no family relationship with the cat goddess. They are two distinct goddesses in their own rights - the Egyptians did not claim they were siblings of any kind. Bast and Sekhmet were an example of Egyptian duality - Sekhmet was a goddess of Upper Egypt, Bast of Lower Egypt (just like the pharaoh was of Upper and/or Lower Egypt!)... and they were linked together by geography, not by myth or legend.
Moon Phase: -Crone
Energies: -destruction, death, rebirth and wisdom. Brings closure to unhealthy things
Symbol: colour red for both the power of the sun & the colour of blood that is shed during battle. Lioness, the cobra, flaming sun, element fire.
Plants and herbs

I burn and fume

and shoot daggers from my eyes

I erupt and roar

(though you’ve not pulled my tail)

my edges are sharp

and I cut deep

my energy is strong and fierce

and my displeasure

needs to be expressed

Though sometimes mild

I can be very intense

Once incited

I am difficult to put out

I am always appropriate

always needed

Don’t try to get rid of me

I need to be acknowledged and heard

I am anger

Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekhmet
http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/Sekhmet.html
http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/sekhmet.html
http://mydailygoddess.blogspot.com/2008/06/sekhmet-anger-rage.html

Daughters of the Witchining Hill By Mary Sharratt

Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0547069677/wwwmarysharra-20/

Author's web site http://www.marysharratt.com/index.html





I am looking forward to getting my hands on this book - sounds brilliant!

Hecate Greco-Roman goddess associated with magic and crossroads.

Hecate by Sandra Stanton

http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/hekate.html

“Be comforted. I am here to guide you through the dark.”

Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She rescued Persephone from the Underworld. Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines.

Hecate – William Blake

Greek mythology combined in her person aspects of the moon, earth and underworld, with power over the sky, earth and sea; she was also associated with witchcraft, magic and the supernatural.

Hekate & Cerberus, Apulian red-figure krater
C4th B.C., Antikensammlungen, Munich

Hekate was usually depicted in Greek vase painting as a woman holding twin torches. Sometimes she was dressed in a knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting boots, much like Artemis.

Hecate Chiaramonti 1922

Hecate, is guardian of the household, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft

A beautiful and powerful goddess in her own right, the Greek goddess Hecate was the only one of the ancient Titans who Zeus allowed to retain their authority once the Olympians seized control. Zeus shared with Hecate, and only her, the awesome power of giving humanity anything she wished (or withholding it if she pleased).

"Hecate (Hekate), a primordial Goddess whose genealogy goes back to Her birth which is said to be at the beginning of time, is a goddess shrouded in mystery. She was originally the Goddess of the wild places, childbirth, and the crossroads. These are all considered to be in between spaces that have been associated with the spirit world, and because these in between spaces are thought to be the places where the veils between the worlds believed to be at their thinnest, they have also been associated with witches, magic, and ghosts. It is from these links that Hecate gained the titles of Queen of Witches, Queen of the Dead, Mistress of Magic, and Queen of Ghosts to eventually become the Crone Goddess. Witches have long evoked her to make their spells more powerful. She is also associated with divination for it is believed she can cut through the darkness, bring visions, call back the past, and reveal the future.



Pantheon: - Greek?Roman
Moon Phase: - Triple
Energies: - Witchcraft, huntress, wisdom, birth, life, death
Symbol: Dogs, crossroads.

Plants and herbs
The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar and willow are all sacred to Hecate. The leaves of the black poplar are dark on one side and light on the other, symbolizing the boundary between the worlds. The yew has long been associated with the Underworld. Garlic, almonds, lavender, myrrh, mugwort, cardamon, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine. Several poisons and hallucinogens are linked to Hecate, including belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, aconite (known as hecateis), and opium poppy.


Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_hecate.htm
http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/search?q=hecate
http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/HecateChiaramonti1922.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Hecate.html

Water Element

Water represents our emotions, healing and psychic abilities. It is the elemnet of wisdom, clarity & common sense. It contains aspects of transformation & purificcation and can also represent death & rebirth - think Crone.

• Transformation
• Subconscious
• Fertilization
• Purification
• Reflection
• Intuition
• Renewal
• Blessing
• Motion
• Life

Zodiac Sign: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. People born under these water astrological signs have dominant water personalities. Water personalities are generally very sensitive, emotional and gifted with intuitive awareness.

Water Planets: Moon, Pluto & Neptune.

Colour: Blue, blue-green, green, grey, silver, white
Direction: West

Time of day: Twilight/evening/dusk

Days of Week: Monday, Friday

Season of year: Autumn

Elemental beings: Undines, sirens, Mermaids, fairies of lakes, streams or ponds.

Places: rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, the ocean, rain - linked to moon as moon controls the
tides.

Energy: Femine

Witch's tool - Cup, cauldron, sea salt, bowl

Witch's Pyramid - To Will

Placing on pentagram: upper right.

Magick working: Healing, love, emotions, fertility, dreams, sleep, peace & prophecy, courage, daring,sorrow, intuition,fertility, plants, pleasure, friendship, marriage, happiness, sleep, dreams, reflection, power to dare, cleansing, security

Moon: waning

Tarot cards: cups which represent water element - the emotional side of life.
The Moon card - subconscious
The Temperance card - harmony with cycles.
The Star card - intuition.

Deities: Morgan - nimu (Lady of the Lake), Aphrodite, Oshun the Yoruban river goddess, Isis (Egyptian Fertility Goddess), Hapi (hermaphrodite: Goddess of the Nile)
Poseidon, Triton, Yemaya, Neptune

Archangel: Gabriel

Natural representations: Sea shells, water smoothed pebbles & water.

Animals: Whales, dolphins & fish

Metals: Silver, mercury, copper.

Plants: Blue flowers to represent water & west, chamomile, jasmine, periwinkle, daffodil, yarrow, tomato

Candle; Blue candle

Gemstones: Blue lace agate, aquamarine, blue topaz, fluorite, mother of pearl, pearl, jade, lapis lazuli, sodalite

Essential oil: Jasmine, rose & sandlewood.

Brigit Celtic Goddess of Fire

Brigid, gold-red woman,
Brigid, flame and honeycomb,
Brigid, sun of womanhood,
Brigid, lead me home.

Brigit is both Pagan Goddess and as Christian thought invaded the ancient world, the Goddess Brigid was so powerful that She was morphed into Saint Brigid of Kildare.


Goddess Brigid may indicate that Saint Brigid is partially or entirely a fictional creation based on the pagan figure in order to convert Celts to Christianity; the euhemerization of pagan figures and tradition was a common practice of Christian missionaries However the saint may merely have been named after the goddess.

In Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid was the daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She was the wife of Bres of the Fomorians, with whom she had a son, Ruadán. She had two sisters, Brigid the Physician and Brigid the Smith, but it is generally thought that all three were aspects of the one goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. Elsewhere she is described as the patron of other vital crafts of early Celtic society: dying, weaving and brewing. A goddess of regeneration and abundance, she was greatly beloved as a provider of plenty who brought forth the bounties of the natural world for the good of the people. She is closely connected with livestock and domesticated animals. She is considered a classic Celtic Triple Goddess.

Brigid is celebrated at the Gaelic festival of Imbolc, when she brings the first stirrings of spring to the land. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and some Anglicans mark the day as the Feast of Saint Brigid; the festival is also known as Candlemas and Purification of the Virgin.

Pantheon: - Celtic
Moon Phase: - Triple
Energies: - arts & crafts, healing, home and hearth, fertility.
Symbol: - Fiery arrow, fire, heath, light, candles, sunrise, springs, wells poetry, thresholds and doorways, bells, cloak, Imbolc, St. Brigid's cross.

I am under the shielding

Of good Brigit each day.

I am under the shielding

Of good Brigit each night.

I am under the keeping

Of the nurse of Mary,

Each early and late,

Every dark, every light.

Brigit is my comrade woman,

Brigit is my make of song,

Brigit is my helping woman,

My choicest of women,

My woman of guidance.

--Carmina Gadelica

If Candlemas day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight.
If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again.

http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/bride.html

"Feed your fires!"

This card in a reading indicates bright inspiration and renewal. Healing may be accessed in both inner and outer aspects of your life, with balance being the key and the method.

St Bride’s day, wherever it is celebrated, is one of the clearest examples of a pagan festival being adopted by Christianity because even the name has not changed. St Bride or Brigid simply took over the mantle of the pagan Brigid, chief goddess of not only the ancient Irish but Celts across a wide swathe of western Europe. The name in Gaelic means ‘bright flame’. In northern Britain she was called Brigantia, chief deity of the Brigantes tribe who were often led by warrior queens. Elsewhere she was called Brigit, Bride, Brighid, Brigandu and Berecynthia.

Brigid’s festival was one of the four main events in the ancient Celtic calendar because it marks the invisible rewakening of Nature within the cold earth. It was also sometimes called Oilmec, ‘Ewe’s Milk’ because it opened the season of lambing.




Resources.
http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/search?q=brigit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid_of_Kildare
http://www.druidry.org/obod/deities/brigid.html
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/celtic-goddess-brigid.htm
http://www.unicorngarden.com/brigid.htm
http://www.woodka.com/2008/02/01/the-wheel-of-the-celtic-year-imbolc/
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/feast-of-st-brigid-or-bride-or-bridget-of-kildare-february-1/
http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/bride.html
http://spiritlibrary.com/videos/doreen-virtue/doreens-daily-oracle-card-reading-jan-22-2010

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium white yarrow or common yarrow.

Achillea millefolium rosea - Red yarrow

yellow Yarrow.

History
The English name, Yarrow, comes from the Saxon word 'Gearwe.'

The Latin name, Achillea millefolium, is derived from the fact that the herb was dedicated to the God Achilles and the millefolium refers to the many fine leaflets on each yarrow leaf. Achilles said yarrow cured the warriors using yarrow leaves during the battle at Troy. This is probably why yarrow is sometimes called Soldier's Woundwort. Yarrow is also known as Military Herb, Carpenters Weed, Milfoil, Old Mans Pepper, Thousand Leaf, Nosebleed, Seven Year's Love, Devil's Nettle and Devil's Plaything amongst other names.

In ancient China, yarrow stalks were used for divining, although they probably used Chinese yarrow (Achillea asiatica). This method of divination was known as the I Ching or the Yarrow-Stalk Oracle and was done using 50 straight stalks of yarrow. Some still use this method today although, now, the yarrow is usually replaced by 3 coins.

In the Orkney Islands of Scotland, Yarrow tea was a cure for melancholy, while in the Hebrides, a leaf of Yarrow held against the eyes gave "second sight."

Goddess offerings -

God Achilles

Folklore meanings
The witches herb. The beautiful flowers are a welcome addition to any magical altar. Yarrow is nick named "A witches best friend"

Where the Yarrow grows, there is one who knows Clairvoyance - a tea made of 1 tablespoon to 8oz of water will enhance one's powers of perception...

Used in love sachets yarrow can help you find your true love, by sleeping with yarrow under your pillow to bring dreams of your true love.

'Thou pretty herb of Venus' tree,

Thy true name it is Yarrow;

Now who my bosom friend must be,

Pray tell thou me to-morrow.'

---(Halliwell's Popular Rhymes, etc.)

Place in wedding bouquets, as it has the power to keep a couple together happily for seven years.

Worn as an amulet it wards of negativity.

Held in the hand it stops all fear. Gives one courage.

It is said to attract friends and distant relations to you

Flowers - - great as dried flowers - remember always blossoms always look best displayed in odd numbers. brilliant in a moon garden as the white blooms shine and brings the faery folk to play.. Other nice white moon plants are white alyssum, white petunias, moon plants, jasmine tobacco, evening primrose, four o'clocks, evening scented stock.

Growing
Yarrow is easily cultivated, will survive in poor soil. Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position. A very good companion plant, it improves the health of plants growing nearby and enhances their essential oil content thus making them more resistant to insect predations also improves the soil fertility.

In the garden, yarrow is a useful plant to grow because it will help improve the health of surrounding plants due to the phosphorus, calcium and silica the plant contains. It attracts hoverflies, ladybirds and predatory wasps to help with aphid control. It can help to concentrate the scent and flavour of other herbs growing close by.

Propagation -

In spring, divide and replant established clumps to keep the plants fresh; in summer cut back to prevent self seeding (unless you want it to self seed); in autumn raise new plants from seeds or cuttings as well as divide and replant clumps.

Uses

Dried yarrow flowers can be used for decoration and in pot-pourri mixes. Harvest when they are at their peek, Band together & cover with a paper bag - hang upside down to dry.

Add leaves to you compost to help activate soil micro-organisms. One leaf will speed decomposition of a wheelbarrow full or raw compost.

Yarrow's root secretion will activate the disease resistance of nearby plants.

An infusion of yarrow added to the garden to boosts copper levels

Medicinal

Astringent - it tightens tissue to stop bleeding. If you cut yourself and are bleeding (good for shavers), grab a handful of yarrow leaves, rub them to release their juice and pack onto the cut. It will help stop the bleeding If the wound is bad add some thyme leaves to help stop infection. Washed bruised , rolled up leaves of yarrow put up your nose will also helps stop a bleeding nose.

Infuse as a teas and use for:
Peripheral vasodilator - dilates blood vessels especially in the hands and feet

Diaphoretic - assists fever by inducing perspiration.

Digestive stimulant

Anti - spasmodic - helps to relax tight muscles and spasms

Menstrual regulator

Harvesting
Gather leaves & flowers late summer

Flowers
pick when at their best - they will flower for about 6 weeks. If you dead head them after they have faded, you will get another flowering late Summer - autumn.

Resources
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/y/yarrow02.html
http://www.itssonatural.com/Download/yarrow.pdf

u tube of making a broom

Verbena

Confusion.
There are two plants - Verbena officinalis Also known as Vervain Verbenacae
and Verbena bonariensis known as purple top.
Verbena Officinalis is used for medical purposes. Verbena bonarinsis is the purple top variety and is used in cottage gardens & for magick.

History
in Egypt Vervain was believed to have originated from the tears of Isis. Greek priests wore its root with their vestments. Vervain was the roman word for alter plants used for spiritual purification. A herb of prophecy by the magi. Anglo-Saxons thought it was as a powerful protector and plant of the holy salre against demons or disease.

Being sacred to Venus - it is used in love potions.

Goddess offerings - Aradia:- rue, vervain/verbena & apple

Cerridwen: vervain/verbena

Folklore meanings

Vervain means witchcraft

Verbena means spellbound.

stem - stiff, upright, square stemmed, hairy stem, die off in winter & re sprout from the base in spring

Leaf - on opposite sides of stem, slightly hairy, saw toothed, dark green

Flowers - small purple flowers in dense, showy clusters at top of the stem - flowers in Nz Jan - June

Grows in dense clumps ideal for cottage garden.

Hardy herbaceous perennial (living for more than 2 years & usually flowering each year)

Roots creeping rhizomes (underground stem, usually spreading horizontally)

site - direct sun or light shade

soil - fertile, well drained loam

propagation - sow in spring

Growing - thin or transplant to 12 inches apart.

Uses

verbena purple top Leaf - for love potions

Vervain infuse for eyes as an eye bath

Vervain hair tonic, mix with rosemary & massage infusion into scalp & use it as a rinse

Medicinal

Vervain Whole plant infused as a teas for digestive and for a sedative night cap after nervous exhaustion. For promotion of urine. As an anticoagulant or as a wash for bruising and to cool feverish foreheads

Vervain Leaf infuse as a gargle for sore throats. a poultice of dried leaves to treat wounds.

Harvesting

Pick leaves as required

cut whole plant when in bloom

dry leaves or whole plant if required

Worth reading....
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Verbena
http://www.iewf.org/weedid/Verbena_bonariensis.htm

Broom. broomstick, besom

Besom is a bundle of twigs attached to a handle and used as a broom not to physically clean a floor as a kitchen broom but more to purify and protect - IE sweep away negative energies.

To do this clean the area well with a kitchen broom or vacuum cleaner then work sun wise - so for us in the southern hemisphere widdershins or anti clock wise sweep with the besom a few inches off the floor. Using a besom can be in place of incense to purify a space - especially good option if you have allergies to incense. The broom represents the Element of Air.

Ancient Broom FolkLore
Oil your broom with anointing oil four times a year during each turn of the wheel - Yule (winter), Ostara (spring) Litha (summer) and Mabon (autumn)

Never leave home for long periods of time without informing your broom.

Never use the broom for actual cleaning a floor - inform family members as it can be tempting to play with the broom.

Always stand the broom with the bristles standing up and handle to the floor.



Resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom http://www.paganspath.com/magik/broom.htm http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/terms_besom.html http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/tools/broom-lore.txt

witchhunts

fueled by the hysteria of the witch craze that swept through Europe from around 1450-1700.
Video to watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRir6a3VHk&feature=related
Part2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZie-CLJsY&feature=related
Part3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejYTgFr_gqI&feature=related
Part4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQb_YLz9qtU&feature=related
Part5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR2dHbA-orw&feature=related
Part6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF8-XxbQ3EA&feature=related



Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt

John Dee

John Dee is sometimes refereed to as the last magician because of his services to Queen Elizabeth 1 as her astrologer

John Dee born 13 July 1527–1608 or 1609 was a noted mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy.
Dr. John Dee was a famous Alchemist, Mathematician, Astronomer and Astrologer; he was also an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I on matters pertaining to science and astrology, as such he was sometimes referred to as “the last royal magician”. A serious academic some thought him to be the most learned man in the whole of Europe. Fascinated by all things occult, he was an adept in Hermetic and Cabbalistic philosophy, and spent much of his later life in efforts to communicate with Angelic spirits.
Dee was invited to the court of King Edward VI (then only 13 years of age), there to act as an advisor and tutor on scientific matters. In return he was given a post as Rector of Severn-upon-Severn in Worcestershire, and with it the assurance of a home and an income of one hundred crowns a year. This would allow Dee to continued his scientific studies without financial worry, during which time he devoted himself more and more to astrology. He also enjoyed the patronage of the Earl of Pembroke and entered into the service of the Duke of Northumberland as a private tutor to his children.

After the death of the young boy King in 1553, Dee’s hopes for a financially secure future died with him. By this time though, he had gained a reputation as a leading astrologer, and when Queen Mary (Bloody Mary) ascended to the throne, he was asked to cast her horoscope and that of her prospective husband King Philip II of Spain. However, Mary’s reign brought with it a turbulent time for England. A staunch Roman Catholic, she quickly instigated a campaign of persecution against eminent Protestants.

One such person arrested was Roland Dee, John Dee's father, who was taken prisoner in August 1553. He was later released, but only after he had been deprived of all his financial assets, he died later without recovering his wealth. This was a terrible blow for John Dee, as he had expected to inherit a considerable fortune from his father, which would have enabled him to carry on his studies free from the need to earn an income. In 1554, Dee was offered a post as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, a position that may have resolved his financial problems, but once again he turned the position down. Dee was still disillusioned with the English sceptical mistrust toward science, as once again controversy came knocking.

One of Dee’s cousins was a Maid of Honour to princess Elizabeth I, who because of her Protestant sympathies was forced to live in seclusion at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. Through his cousin, Dee dangerously formed a link with Elizabeth and cast her horoscope prophesising Mary’s death and her own accession to the throne. Because of this involvement, Dee was arrested and accused of trying to murder the Queen by black magic. Fortunately for Dee the only evidence his accusers could find was Mary’s horoscope, which he had shown to Elizabeth. Although being acquitted of the charge, Dee was imprisoned at Hampton Court near Richmond, London.

Resources
http://www.controverscial.com/Dr.%20John%20Dee.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dee
http://www.donaldtyson.com/dee.html
http://www.paralumun.com/deehist.htm

Doreen Valiente

The mother of modern Witchcraft Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (craft name Ameth) born 4 January, 1922, Mitcham, South London, England A High Priestess of Gardnerian Wicca Valiente produced many important scriptural texts for Wicca, such as The Witches Rune and the Charge of the Goddess, which were incorporated into the early Gardnerian Book of Shadows. Valiente also published five books about Wicca in her lifetime. 1951, the Witchcraft laws in England were repealed, making Witchcraft no longer a crime. With this change, Gardner broke from the New Forest Coven and formed his own. 1953 saw Gardner initiate Doreen Valiente into his coven. They worked together from 1953 to 1957, forming the Book of Shadows, which is what is referenced today as being the authority on what is the Gardnerian Tradition of Witchcraft

Bibliography

• 1962: Where Witchcraft Lives
• 1973: An ABC of Witchcraft
• 1975: Natural Magic
• 1978: Witchcraft for Tomorrow
• 1989: The Rebirth of Witchcraft
• 2000: Charge of the Goddess, a collection of poems, published posthumously

Valiente also edited and wrote the introduction to the 1990 book, Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed by Evan John Jones, which was about forms of Witchcraft other than the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, such as Cochrane's Craft.

She died on 1st September 1999 from pancreatic cancer

Resources http://www.controverscial.com/Doreen%20Valiente.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Valiente http://www.hecatescauldron.org/Valientee%20on%20Gardner.htm http://www.earthspirit.com/fireheart/fhdv1.html
www.chalicewellcoven.com/id24.html

Edain McCoy

Self-initiated Witch

Born August 11, 1957

Edain has a web site http://www.edainmccoy.com/
And a Blog http://edainmccoy.blogspot.com/

Books By Edain McCoy

THREE WITCHES DEAD & THE LAST ONE SAID.... A Novel of Samhain Suspense

IF YOU WANT TO BE A WITCH: A Practical Introduction to the Craft

ADVANCED WITCHCRAFT: Go Deeper, Reach Further, Fly Higher

PAST LIFE & KARMIC TAROT:
Llewellyn's Special Topics in Tarot Series

CELTIC WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY: Accessing the Cauldron of Life

Includes a special "Soul Friends" bonding ritual for Witches who are BFFs (Best Friends Forever!)

THE WITCHES' COVEN: How To Find or Form Your Own

SPELLWORKING FOR COVENS: Magick For Two Or More

***
CELTIC MYTH & MAGICK: Harnessing the Power of the Gods & Goddesses

MAGICK & RITUALS OF THE MOON
(A retitle of the popluar book LADY OF THE NIGHT)

OSTARA: Customs, Spells & Rituals For The Rites of Spring (Part of Llewellyn's "Eight Sabbats" book series)

ENCHANTMENTS: 200 Spells for Bath & Beauty Enhancement

A WITCH'S GUIDE TO FAERY FOLK: How To Work With The Elemental World

ASTRAL PROJECTION FOR BEGINNERS From Llewellyn's "For Beginners" book series

MAKING MAGICK: For Witches and Pagans

THE SABBATS: A Witch's Approach to Living The Old Ways

Resources
http://www.llewellyn.com/author.php?author_id=2561
http://www.edainmccoy.com/

Scott Cunningham

Solitary

Scott Cunningham was born at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA on June 27, 1956 He one older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine.

He practiced a fairly basic interpretation of Wicca, often worshipping alone, though his book series for solitaries describes several instances in which he worshipped with friends and teachers.
Scott’s writing style was easy to understand being simple and direct, his teachings focused on encouraging people to employ whatever works for them in their religious, spiritual, and magickal endeavors.

He also believed that Wicca, which had been a closed tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers. He viewed the craft as a modern religion created in the 20^th century, and thought that Wicca, while containing pagan folk magic derived of ancient times, should be stripped of it’s quasi-historical and mythological trappings and represented to the public as a modern religion utilizing ancient concepts. He also believed that Wicca, which had been a closed and secretive tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers. Due to his influence, the Wiccan religion shifted primarily from the hands of initiates into the public arena, and many eclectic traditions were formed as a result.

28^th March 1993 he died of Lymphoma cancer. As an ambassador of the pagan way of life, his books today continue to influence us all.

Books

• 1980 - Shadow of Love (fiction)
• 1982 - [[Magical Herbalism: The Secret of the Wise
  
• 1983 - Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic
  
• 1985 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
  
• 1987 - The Magical Household (
• 1987 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic
  
• 1988 - The Truth About Witchcraft Today
  
• 1988 - Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
  
• 1989 - The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews
  
• 1989 - Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent
  
• 1991 - Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic
  
• 1991 - The Magic in Food
  
• 1993 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen
  
• 1993 - Divination For Beginners
  
• 1993 - Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
  
• 1993 - Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects
  
• 1993 - The Truth About Herb Magic
  
• 1994 - The Truth About Witchcraft
  
• 1995 - Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality
  
• 1997 - Pocket Guide to Fortune Telling
  
• 1999 - Dreaming the Divine: Techniques for Sacred Sleep
  
• 2009 - Cunningham's Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist* A rediscovered manuscript written by Cunningham in the late 70's or early 80's. Set to be released October 2009.^[

Videos

• Herb Magic (ISBN 0-87542-117-2)

Film references

Cunningham's Wicca book in the film Never Say Macbeth

Never Say Macbeth, a 2007 film, is based around a group of actors who battle the curse of Macbeth by using Scott's book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. This film was released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema in August, 2008

Resources
http://www.controverscial.com/Scott%20Cunningham.htm

http://www.controverscial.com/Scott%20Cunningham.htm


part Two here http://www.wiccantogether.com/video/video/show?id=1070680%3AVideo%3A1675190
Sorry not sure how to get link into blog.

Silver Ravenwolf

A practicing witch and follower of the nature-centered religion known as Wicca

Silver RavenWolf born Jenine E. Trayer on September 11, 1956 is an American author and lecturer who focuses on Neopaganism. She is married and has four children. She currently resides in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania

Silver RavernWolf draws the most divided reactions among the community.

• "Why We Despise Silver Ravenwolf" from
  Wicca for the Rest of Us
• "Tarnished Silver: Why I don't recommend Silver Ravenwolf" from ecauldron.com
• "The Problem With Silver Ravenwolf" from Smiling Panther's Den

An Open Letter from SilverRavenWolf


Website http://www.silverravenwolf.com/ is currently down

Bibliography

Non-fiction

• American Folk Magick: Charms, Spells & Herbals (1999)
• Angels: Companions in Magick (2002)
• Halloween: Spells, Recipes & Customs (1999)
  
• HedgeWitch: Spells, Crafts & Rituals For Natural Magick (2008)
  
• Hex Craft: Dutch Country Pow-wow Magick (1997)
  
• Mindlight: Secrets of Energy, Magick & Manifestation (2006)
• Silver's Spells for Abundance (2004)
  
• Silver's Spells for Love (2001)
  
• Silver's Spells for Protection (2000)
  
• TeenWitch!: Wicca for a New Generation (2003)
  
• To Light a Sacred Flame: Practical Witchcraft for the Millennium (2002)
• To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft (2002)
• To Stir a Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring (2005)
  
• Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation (2003)
• Witches Runes: Insights from the Old European Magickal Traditions (Cards)
  
• A Witch's Notebook: Lessons in Witchcraft (2005)
  

Fiction

• Beneath a Mountain Moon (1995)
  
• Murder at Witches' Bluff: A Novel of Suspense and Magick (2000)
  

Witches' Chillers series:

• Witches' Night Out (2000)
  
• Witches' Night of Fear (2001)
  
• Witches' Key to Terror (2001)

Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_RavenWolf
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1033/RavenWolf-Silver-1956.html
http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Silver_Ravenwolf

Alex Sanders

King of the Witches.

Born Orrell Alexander Carter, June 6, 1926, a High Priest and the founder of the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca. He died on the 30^th April 1988 after a long battle with lung cancer.

His Grandmother was a hereditary witch, a descendant of the Welsh chieftain Owain Glyndŵr. His grandmother let him copy her Book of Shadows when he was nine and taught him the rites and magic of Witches. He was taught clairvoyance first by scrying in inky water, then in his grandmother's crystal.

He claimed to have initiated more than 1,623 witches working in 100 covens around the country, all-practicing what had become known as the Alexandrian Tradition


Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Sanders_%28Wiccan%29
http://www.controverscial.com/Alex%20Sanders.htm
http://www.callaighe.com/photo_archive/A%20&%20M.htm

Gerald Brousseau Gardner

The Father of Wicca
Born June 13, 1884 -at The Glen, The Serpentine, Blundellsands, near Liverpool in England to a well-off middle class family as one of four brothers. From an English hereditary Witch and Gerald is largely responsible for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world. Gardner claimed to trace his roots to a Witch named Grissell Gardner who had been burned at the stake in 1610 at Newburgh.


He was instrumental in bringing the religion of Wicca to public attention and wrote some of its definitive religious texts.

In Gardnerian Wicca, the two principal deities are the Horned God and the Mother Goddess.

Gardnerian Wiccans organise into covens, that traditionally, though not always, are limited to thirteen members. Covens are jointly led by a High Priest and High Priestess. Gardnerian Wicca and other forms of British Traditional Wicca operate as an initiatory, membership is gained only through initiation by a Wiccan High Priestess or High Priest. Any valid line of initiatory descent can be traced all the way back to Gerald Gardner, and through him back to the New Forest Coven. A Gardnerian Wicca family tree can be viewed here

Died February 12, 1964. Several years after Gardner's death, the Wiccan High Priestess Eleanor Bone visited North Africa and went looking for Gardner's grave. She discovered that the cemetery he was interned in was to be redeveloped, and so she raised enough money for his body to be moved to another cemetery in Tunis,^[54] where it currently remains. In 2007, a new plaque was attached to his grave, describing him as being "Father of Modern Wicca. Beloved of the Great Goddess

Books by Gardner:

• 1936: Keris and Other Malay Weapons
• 1939: A Goddess Arrives (fiction)
• 1949: High Magic's Aid (fiction)
• 1954: Witchcraft Today
• 1959: The Meaning of Witchcraft
• The Story of the famous Witches Museum at Castletown, Isle of Man, a guidebook

Books about Gardner:

• 1960: Gerald Gardner: Witch by J.L. Bracelin
• 2000: Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival by Philip Heselton
• 2003: Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration by Philip Heselton

Resources
http://www.geraldgardner.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Gardner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardnerian_Wicca
http://www.chalicewellcoven.com/id24.html
http://www.bcholmes.org/wicca/gardner.html

Janet Farrar

Modern day Witch

Born as Janet Owen on the 24^th June 1950, in Clapham a district of London, England

She married Stewart Farrar, thirty-four years her senior in Surrey 1975. Janet married their family friend and business partner Gavin Bone on the 5^th May 2001.

Janet and Stewart Farrar have done much to make Wicca and the pagan way available to the public. Their books have become classics in their own time, and over the years through faultless and diligent hard work, they became England’s most eminent and respected modern day witches.Today some seventy five percent of Wiccans, both in the Republic and Northern Ireland can trace their beginnings back to the Farrar’s.

Bibliography

Farrar has co-authored a number of books about Wicca and Neopaganism.

With Stewart Farrar

• 1981: Eight Sabbats for Witches
• 1984: The Witches' Way
• 1987: The Witches' Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity
• 1989: The Witches' God: Lord of the Dance
• 1990: Spells and How they Work
• 1996: A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook (re-issue of The Witches' Way and Eight Sabbats for Witches)

With Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone

• 1995: The Pagan Path
• 1999: The Healing Craft: Healing Practices for Witches and Pagans
• 2001: The Complete Dictionary of European Gods and Goddesses

With Virginia Russell

• 1999: The Magical History of the Horse

With Gavin Bone

• 2004: Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries, and Training in Modern Wicca

Resources
http://www.controverscial.com/Janet%20Farrar.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/janet-farrar

http://www.callaighe.com/