Andraste, Warrior Goddess of Celtic Britain

Andraste also known as Andrasta, was a warrior Goddess of ancient Britain. It is said that she was the patron deity of the Iceni tribe, which was lead by Queen Boudicca. She was seen as a Goddess of victory, ravens and battles, and is very similar to the Irish warrior Goddess, Morrighan. Her name was thought to mean "The invincible one" or "She who has not fallen". She was called upon at the eve of battle, for her warrior strength and guidance. She was worshiped in woodland groves throughout Britain, and there is said to be a sacred grove dedicated to her somewhere in the Epping Forest. Her symbol was a hare, and in old Britain people were against hunting hares, for fear that killing one might afflict the hunter with cowardice.

Andraste was invoked by Queen Boudicca while fighting against the Roman invasion of Britain. According to Dio Cassius, these were her words:

"I thank thee, Andraste, and call upon thee as woman speaking to woman... those over whom I rule are Britons, men that know not how to till the soil or ply a trade, but are thoroughly versed in the art of war and hold all things in common, even children and wives, so that the latter possess the same valour as the men. As the queen, then, of such men and of such women, I supplicate and pray thee for victory, preservation of life, and liberty against men insolent, unjust, insatiable, impious."

Queen Boudicca and her army fought the Romans so well, that the Emperor Nero almost decided to withdraw Roman forces from Britain. It is said that Queen Boudicca released a hare to the Romans as an act of appeasement. In The White Goddess by Robert Graves, he speculates that Queen Boudicca may have released the hare in hopes that the Romans would kill it and loose their courage.

Many of the warrior queens people believed that she was a priestess of Andraste or the Goddess incarnate. Her strength and courage as a warrior queen is inspiring , honorable and very impressive, as she almost beat the Romans! To honor Andraste, call on her when you need the strength of the warrior Goddess in your life. When your fighting a battle of your own. On your altar to Andraste, have a red candle with red or black stones such as garnet or black tourmaline, representation of a hare, and incense made with dragon's blood.

Enjoy working with this fierce warrior Goddess! For more info on Andraste, check out TheWhiteGoddess.co.uk

Blessings )O(



Photo courtesy of AishasBookofShadows

Book Review: Magical Houskeeping

This might sound odd to some people, but I love house cleaning. And if I can add a little magic to it, even better! So when I found the book Magical Housekeeping by Tess Whitehurst, I was very excited! Not only does her book give you ideas for house cleaning, it also helps you to get rid of any clutter inside your house, and your mind. Her approach to the subject is holistic in that it clears your house and your mind of any unnecessary baggage or things you've been hanging on to and cant seem to let go of.

The book starts off with some basic cleaning techniques and how to get rid of clutter in your home. It's a process of going through those dreaded closets or cabinets, any place we store things that we will "get to later". She goes on to say that anything you haven't used, touched or maybe even forgot you had should be thrown out. Even it your hanging on to something because it was a gift given to you by a family member, if you really aren't planning on using it, get rid of it. Tess says that clutter in your house reflects the clutter in our minds and in order to "declutter" ourselves we must first "declutter" our homes. She actually gives lists of categories of clutter, from things that may have negative associations to any old paperwork, books, clothes, etc.

After clearing the clutter in our homes, it's now time to clear the clutter in our minds. In this section she gives us ideas to cleanse ourselves, and get rid of that extra baggage with techniques of forgiveness, clearing toxins from our bodies, and getting over old grudges and hurts. This can sometimes be an emotional process, but it's an important process to keep us moving forward in our lives in a healthy and clutter free way.

Now comes my favorite part, the actual cleaning of your house! For this Tess gives wonderful recipes for floor washes, room clearing techniques, mantras and affirmations, and learning how to call on different deities to keep your house feeling refreshed and renewed. She also explains the importance of getting rid of stagnant energy in your home by clapping your hands together in places where you feel this may be. With a little influence of Feng Shui, Tess says that stagnant energy in a home can stop the natural flow from room to room, creating a certain feeling of negativity in a particular place in your house. Clapping your hands together, burning sage or using any one of the other cleansing techniques she offers should do the trick.

She even goes on to talk about the animals inside and outside of our homes and the significance they have. That spider in the corner may actually be looked at as a friend instead of a scary pest! This book is so chock full of great ideas, I couldn't even begin to go over all of them here. That is why I recommend you go out and buy yourself a copy of Magical Housekeeping by Tess Whitehurst. I know I will use this book for a very long time, as the process of "decluttering" is something we all should do from time to time, to make sure our homes and our minds are free and clear of any negativities. I highly recommend this book! Enjoy your housecleaning!

Blessings )O(

Winner of Dark Harvest Samhain Oil

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway! And the winner is....Aishtamid!! Congratulations! I hope everyone had fun playing. I would like to thank Lori over at Witchcrafts for donating her magical Samhain Oil. I know I plan to do some shopping at her store myself very soon as well! Thanks again! Stay tuned for our next giveaway.

Blessings )O(

Giveaway! Samhain Ritual Oil from Witchcrafts.

This month, we are having our giveaway in honor of Samhain. To celebrate this darkening point of the year, Lori the owner of Witchcrafts, has donated one of her Dark Harvest Samhain ritual oils, to be our giveaway item! I had the chance to speak with Lori, here's what she had to say:

1. How long have you been crafting magical products? Since about 2006 (for my own use primarily), and on Etsy since 2009.

2. How did you go about starting your business? I created a shoppe banner, made a few magical items, and just did it. My shoppe is more like a hobby than a full-fledged business (in terms of making a living from my craftwork), although I'd really like to develop my shoppe as a small business. I love Witchcraft. I love craftwork. This is why I do it. I'm following my Bliss. I'd never want WITCHCRAFTS to turn into something mechanical and magicless. If it did, I'd have to close down or scale down because I'm not willing to sacrifice my joy and my bliss. I'd rather have a day job and continue doing this as a hobby instead.

3. What is your favorite product that you make?
My favorite products are my silk sari witches' ladders and new magical soy candle lines. I'm officially a chandler now - a dream of mine come true. My handmade hand poured candles are all made with premium certified kosher American-farmer grown soy wax. They are also very magically focused, potent and chock full of mystically enchanting goodies - for example, my Hekate Liminal Rites candle contains genuine wolfsbane, yew, mandrake-mandragora and many other botanicals sacred to Hekate - there is no skimping on the magical ingredients in any of them. My customers have written to me "the energy you imbibe is palpable," and "I have always wanted to honor the Fae, but have never found anything that felt 'right' [until coming across my Bendith y Sidhe magical pillar]. This too, is why I created my shoppe and offer the products I do - to share my love of the Craft and to hopefully touch the Bliss of other witches, pagans and occultists.

4. Can you tell us a little about the product your giving away?
Dark Harvest Samhain ritual oil grew out of my study of and pathworking with entheobotanicals. This blend contains wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) which, to produce chemically psychoactive effects, is usually ritually smoked or prepared as a liqueur. Wormwood is used in this Samhain ritual oil for it's magical effects (calling spirits, for example), which are closely related to it's psychoactive effects. This entheobotanical combined with the other dark ingredients led me to magically name this ritual oil DARK HARVEST.


Rules to enter the giveaway are as follows: Go to Witchcrafts, find a product (or products) that you like and comment on it here. The giveaway will last for one week, and then the winner will be announced. I will choose the winner randomly at random.org. Please make sure and add contact info as well to your entry in the giveaway.

I would like to thank Lori at Witchcrafts for donating her beautiful Samhain ritual oil! I am so excited to showcase her magically unique products here! Thank you to everyone who enters! Have fun playing!

Blessings )O(

Mabon, Fall Festival of Abundance

Today we celebrate Mabon, the second of the three harvest festivals. This is a time where night and day are equal in length, from here on out the days will grow short, and the nights will grow long. In the ancient world, this was the time of year when people were preparing for the coming winter. Harvesting their fields and stocking up food and wood to ensure they would survive the long cold nights. It was also a time to give thanks to mother earth for her great bounty.

Many cultures celebrated a harvest festival. The Greeks celebrated Oschophoria which was a festival held for harvesting grapes for wine. In China they celebrate the Autumn moon with cakes baked with flour from harvested rice. Also in some of the Germanic countries, offerings of flour were made to Odin in hopes that he would protect their crops. It seems that most of the world celebrated the time of the harvest in some fashion.

On Mabon we honor the Goddess Demeter, Goddess of grain. Her famous myth deals with her daughter Persephone and her seasonal trip to the underworld. Now is the time when Demeter is mourning the loss of her daughter, and because of this all of the plants wither and die. When Persephone is returned back to her mother at spring, life begins a new and Demeter is happy once more.

Now is the time to turn inward and reflect on the darker side of ourselves. To walk the labyrinth of life and find balance in this time of self reflection. Take some time to shed some of the negative things that hold you down, this will make room for more positive things to move in. In all of life and nature, there cannot be light without the dark, and their cannot be dark without the light. It is the great balance that we all strive for.

On your altar, have symbols of fall and the harvest, such as little pumpkins, acorns, or fall leaves. Candle colors can be red, orange or yellow or a combination of all three. Have warm colored stones and burn Mabon incense. To represent the Goddess Persephone you might want to have a pomegranate, the fateful fruit that has kept her bound to the underworld for half the year. For Demeter I suggest grains of any kind.

Wishing everyone a blessed Mabon! Enjoy your celebration of Fall!

Blessings )O(



Photo courtesy of Care2.com

Discovering your Animal Totem

For many of us witches, discovering and working with our animal totems is a very important part of our magical lives. We all have them, but some of us might not know what they are yet. As followers of the Goddess we need to be connected to nature to truly feel her special power. Connecting with animals is a great way to do that! There are many different ways of finding out what your animal totem is. I found mine in a dream years ago, when I simply asked the Goddess before I fell asleep to "show me my animal totem". The dream I proceeded to have will forever be etched in my mind, and so will the beauty of the black leopard.

While reading my 2011 Magical Almanac, I came across a great ritual for finding your animal totem, and I thought I would share it here!

On your altar have the elements represented, as well as the colors of nature such as green and brown, and a white candle to represent your higher self. On your candle, carve either your name or astrological sign, and dress it with sandalwood oil. Make sure you cleanse yourself and your space with a smudge stick, and make your sacred circle. Now that you are ready to start, you may call on the elements, any deities you like to work with, and your higher self. Recite your statement of purpose:

On this night, I seek a meeting or communion with my true Animal totem. I enter this circle with pure heart, mind, body, and soul. I ask for your assistance and guidance. Please bestow your wisdom and guidance upon me, so that I can be true to myself and to others and pay homage to the earth and all it's creatures. Hail to the elements who keep the balance. Hail to my higher self who watches over me! Hail to (name of deity you chose) who assists me in my communication with my totem! So mote it be!

Now it's time for the meditation:

Focus on imagery regarding a pathway through nature of whatever kind suits you or feels right. Notice any creatures that come forward. Concentrate on just being, dont think too much or ask too many questions. Don't disregard any creature just because you'd prefer a different one. Take note of what happens, what creature (or creatures) you see, colors, shapes, textures and sensations. What memories are being evoked? Whatever creature reveals itself to you, commune with it. Observe it, what it's doing, if it's saying anything to you, or gesturing in a particular manner. Now thank the animal for it's presence and ask that they guide you in your life and dreams. Now thank any deities, the elements and your higher self and close your circle. Write down your experience and all details.

Once you find out what your animal totem is, you can call upon it or them when doing magical workings, or just to guide you through life. Sometimes a particular animal will show up at a certain time in your life, because it's trying to tell you something, or teach you a lesson.

I hope you enjoy working with your animal totems! There are many great books on this subject if you would like to research it further. I happen to like Ted Andrews Animal Speak

Blessings )O(



Photo courtesy of Sodahead.com

Winner of Giveaway from Montserrat!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway! And the winner is......Lindsey Rey! Congratulations! I hope everyone enjoyed this giveaway. I know I will be doing some shopping from Montserrat very soon, so I can enjoy her beautiful pocket shrines as well. Enjoy your Sisterhood pocket shrine Lindsey! I would also like to thank Montserrat for donating her unique product for this giveaway! Check back soon for our October giveaway. Thanks!


Blessings )O(