Paganism is a title for many differing people worshipping in the old ways before organised religion swept across Europe; some are Druids, some are Heathens, and others are Witches or Shamans. They are nature based and mostly they worship the Goddess and the God together, but in most instances the Goddess takes precedence.
In the old ways, society was Matriarchal; woman was the bearer of children, the carer, and the nurturer, naturally the Goddess became the focal point for worship.
People depended on the land, for crops, for building material, and for food, it was natural that they needed to pray for the abundance of the land, and natural therefore that they prayed to Mother Nature, the Mother Goddess. The strongest animal in the land was the Stag, so again it was natural that people likened their God to it, and covered the God in greenery to bring ever green throughout the year; He was the protector. All life was dependant on Nature.
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The Romans, Greeks and the Scandinavian peoples had their panoply of Gods and Goddesses with their myths and legends; here too in Britain we had our own myths and legends and therefore our own Gods and Goddesses, although the Scandinavian deities did become popular here before the Romans came. This panoply of Goddesses and Gods are known as Celtic, or Anglo Celtic.
What is important to remember is that many temples throughout the world were dedicated to the Goddess, although it is very difficult to find their remains or ruins, I understand that Museums hold many statues to Goddesses in their archives, hidden from view, so it becomes difficult to establish worshipping Goddess and Priestess temples as a historical fact, and not a whim of feminism.
Paganism uses the elements and the changing wheel of the year that is divided into eight parts, roughly 6 to 7 weeks apart. They are known as the Sabbats; the Winter and Summer Solstice, the Spring and Autumn Equinox are known as the minor Sabbats and cross the year into four quarters, at the cross quarters are the major Sabbats, thus creating the eight. This is the Wheel of the Year; it is never ending and continually turning, and begins at October.
The eight are as follows:-
Samhain. 31st October. A major Sabbat. Direction North West.
Yule. 21st December. The Winter Solstice. Direction North.
Imbolc. 2nd February. A major Sabbat. Direction North East.
Ostara. 21st March. Spring Equinox, daytime and night time is of equal length. Direction East.
Beltane. 1st May. A major Sabbat. Direction South East.
Litha. 21st June. The Summer Solstice. Direction South.
Lammas, or Lughnasadh. 1st August. A major Sabbat. Direction South West.
Mabon. 21st September. Autumn Equinox, day and night are of equal length. Direction West.
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The Wheel of Andraste has been created by Priestesses and students of the Goddess of the East Anglia Goddess Temple, who meditated and visualised as they walked Her land to find the Goddesses and their totem animals, gifts and attributes.
The Goddesses that have been chosen do not at first appear to grow from young girl to crone as they do in the Wheel of Britannia; at Imbolc the Goddess Idunna is a young maiden, Sulis and Damara at Ostara and Beltane are young women, the Goddesses thereafter are ageless, although they represent an older aspect of the Goddess. However one could say that all Goddesses are ageless and represent the three aspects of the Goddess.
The Wheel is rooted in East Anglia, this area of Britannia is largely agricultural with a long coastline on the North Sea. Fens and broads are found here as well as ancient woodlands; evidence of early settlements from 800,000 years and the magnificent Seahenge have been discovered.
East Anglia has its own myths and legends and is rich in history, famous amongst whom is Boudicca the warrior queen who inspired an army of tribes, including her own the Iceni, who fought the Romans in Colchester, London and St. Albans in 60 AD, her armies camped as far South as Epping and Waltham Abbey.
After she was defeated it was believed that she took belladonna, no one knows where her body was taken after her death.
Amongst Norfolk’s spiritual history we find one of the famous and important Christain Mystics, Mother Julian of Norwich, an Anchoress whose cell was built into the wall of the church of St. Julian in Norwich. She lived from 1342 to 1416, at the age of 30 whilst she suffering a severe illness she had a series of visions of Jesus Christ that ended when she recovered, Julian wrote about her visions in a book ‘ Revelations of Divine Love’, which is believed to be the earliest surviving book written by a woman in English.
The small unassuming town of Hopton is on the end of the Beltane or St Michael’s Ley Line. This Ley line begins in St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and runs through Glastonbury, through Avebury to Royston in Hertfordshire to Bury St. Edmunds ending at Hopton on the Norfolk coast, which is almost the furthest town East in the Country, and therefore amongst the first to welcome the new Sun at Beltane. Joined to this Ley line is the Apollo Line, that runs from Ancient Turkey, through Ancient sites in Greece, such as Delphi, and Dodona (a site of the Oracle older than Delphi), through Assisi, to Lyon, and to Mont St Michel, crossing the English Channel to St Michael’s Mount.
There are historic connections to Scandinavia and the ‘North Folk’; 10,000 years ago Britain was attached to mainland Europe, you could have walked from Essex to Scandinavia. Therefore some of the Goddesses have been chosen from Norse legends as well as from Anglo Celtic myths.
In the centre we call Andraste the Goddess worshipped by Boudicca the warrior Queen of the Iceni Tribe.
Andraste was worshipped across East Anglia, and possibly as far as mid Kent. In south west Essex, a sacred grove dedicated to Andraste was believed to have been in Epping Forest.
She is supported by Boudicca, whose name could be an ancient term for ‘Priestess’ or ‘Goddess’ as her true identity and also that of her daughters is unknown.
Boudicca was Queen of her tribe and of royal descent she could also have been a Priestess, her place within the pantheon of East Anglia Goddesses would be appropriate, supporting Andraste in the centre as principal Goddesses of this land.
She is supported throughout the year by Norse Goddesses, Idunna, many people who settled in East Anglia come from Scandinavian countries.
Goddess Erce is an ancient Mother Earth Goddess of Britannia who has been worshipped for millennia. Goddess Nehalennia was worshipped by sailors who crossed the North Sea and is famous in Flemish countries; Cerridwen, Arianrhod, Erce and Nehalennia as well as Sulis, Damara, and Habondia are drawn from the Anglo Celtic pantheon.
Now you have some background information, we shall begin our journey to meet the Goddesses of the Wheel of Andraste.
We see the Goddess as three aspects of womanhood; - Maiden, Mother and Crone.
The Maiden, a young girl on the cusp of sexuality, an innocent child, full of life and vitality, a child of Springtime
The Mother, a woman in her child bearing years, fecund, round, life giving, nurturing, woman.
The Crone, a woman after her menopause; matriarchal, wise, story-teller, Grandmother.
The Glastonbury Temple increased this aspect to include the Lover: -Maiden, Lover, Mother, and Crone.
The Lover, the carefree time between puberty and motherhood, a woman of independence, sensuality and sexuality.
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