The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!

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The word “Witch” carries so many negative connotations that many people wonder why we use the word at all. Yet to reclaim the word “Witch” is to reclaim our right, as women, to be powerful; as men, to know the feminine within as divine.

— Starhawk

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The symbolism of the Goddess is not a parallel structure to the symbolism of God the Father. The Goddess does not rule the world. She is the world. Manifest in each of us, She can be known internally by every individual, in all her magnificent diversity.

— Starhawk

AwenAwen is a Welsh word for “inspiration” - specifically poetic inspiration. In the Welsh tradition, Awen is the inspiration of the poet bards. In its personification, Awen is the inspirational muse of creative artists in general. The inspired individual, who often is a poet or a soothsayer, is described as an Awenydd. Consider Awen as a flowing spirit - the spirit energy in flow that is the essence of life.In some forms of Neo-Druidism, Awen is symbolized by an emblem showing three straight lines that spread apart as they move downward. The lines are drawn within a circle or a series of circles of varying thickness, often with a dot, or point, atop each line. The three lines are seen by some as rays emanating from three points of light. The points represent the triple aspect of deity, as well as the points at which the sun rises on the equinoxes and solstices. This is known as the Triad of the Sunrises. To others, the three lines of the Awen relate to earth, sea and air; body, mind and spirit; or love, wisdom and truth.It is also said that the Awen stands not simply for inspiration, but for inspiration of truth - without Awen one cannot proclaim truth. The three foundations of Awen, then, are the understanding of truth, the love of truth and the maintaining of truth. The rays also stand for the letters from which all others evolved: I, O and U. It is said, “No one without Awen from the Gods can pronounce these three letters correctly.