A Wiccan Bible - Exploring the Mysteries of the Craft from Birth to Summerland

Liber ab Clementia (Book of Humanity)^289

‘Silver Wheel’ (often translated as The

Moon)—Celtic moon goddess whose story

gives us the three rights of initiation seen in

many Wiccan traditions. Arianrhod brought

into this world two sons. One healthy, the other

premature. Upon seeing the child born imma-

ture, Gwydion took the child as his own, hid-

ing and tending it until it became healthy.

Arianrhod allowed Gwydion to raise the child,

but only under three conditions: The child

would have no name unless she named him; the

child would bear no arms unless she armed him;

and the child would never come to know a hu-

man wife. Years later, Arianrhod saw a beauti-

ful young man fall a wren with a single stone’s

throw. Not knowing he was her son and being

greatly impressed, she called out that he was a

bright lion with a sure hand. So he was named,

Llew Llaw Gyffes. Gwydion then tricked

Arianrhod into believing she and her people

were under attack, so she armed him. And fi-

nally, his wife was created of flowers that his

mother’s demands would be circumnavigated.

Ares—Male—Mediterranean

Animal associations: Boar, Horse, Goose,

Scorpion, Vulture, Wolf, Woodpecker

Plant associations: Benzoin, Buttercup, Cac-

tus, Dragons Blood, Nettle (greater), Rue,

Wormwood

‘Man’ (loose interpretation)—Greek god

of war who speaks to us of doing battle when

necessary. Upon discovering that his daugh-

ter had been raped by Halirrhothius, son of

Poseidon, Ares immediately killed

Halirrhothius for the crime. He was brought

before the Olympians by Poseidon and freely

admitted his taking of a life. He was acquitted.

For that story, he is patron of the rape victims,

especially children. His sister, Eris, is his con-

stant companion. As she is the goddess of dis-

cord and strife, we see a clear message about

the nature of war.

Incense Recipe

2 parts Dragon’s Blood resin

1 part Benzoin

1 part Nettle

1 pinch Wormwood

1 pinch Rue

Enough Ares or Benzoin oil to bind.

Oil Recipe

12 drops Dragon’s Blood perfume oil

9 drops Benzoin essential oil

1/2 ounce olive oil

Aristaeus—Male—Mediterranean

Father: Apollo

Mother: Cyrene

Animal associations: Bee, Cattle

Plant associations: Olive, Vine (grape)

‘The best’ or ‘Very good’—Greek god, pa-

tron of the hunt, bee-keepers, cattle, and ne-

gotiating with Nature. Made immortal by Gaia,

he was educated in medicine and the science

of divination by Chiron.

Oil Recipe

Simmer a mixture of Olive Oil, Raisins, and

honey. Strain mixture still warm and then place

aside to cool.

Arjuna—Male—Near East

Father: Indra

Hindu god whose conversation with

Krishna forms the sacred manuscript known

as the Bhagavad Gita. In that discussion,

Arjuna contemplated the correctness of a war

between two households who were kin. To take

up arms was to raise those arms against his

kinsmen. To not take up arms was to not raise

arms in defense of his kinsmen. He wondered

which was the correct course of action. Krishna

explained that the course of action is that which

is his duty, his dharma or will.

Arsai—Female—Middle East/Mediterranean

Canaanite Earth goddess of Nature. One

of the aspects of the Canaanite’s Triple God-

dess whose name means ‘Maiden of Earth.’ See

also Pidrai and Tallai.

z WB Chap 17.p65 289 7/11/2003, 6:04 PM